The excitement among us continues to grow each and everyday - and today was the real deal.
Each day at JASY Camp there is a theme that we will teach the campers. With tomorrow's theme being faith, we started today by attending a church service at the Stella Maris Catholic Church, which was a perfect way to not only start our morning, but to understand and experience the Jamaican culture. We were welcomed with warm hearts and gracious words of kindness, and those who had a birthday (Mr. Scott Bryson) were even welcomed with some ceremonial splashes of water.
Pictures from after the church service
Pictures from prepping the campers' bags and around UWI and UTech
Makenzi Swartwood, Swim Coach, wanted to share her experiences from today after preparing for JASY Camp to start tomorrow:
"It was really awesome visiting UWI and UTech today! It really helped to see the venue and to get an idea of the spaces we have available to us in order to put on the best camp ever. We got all of the supplies organized for the various groups and activities it's all labeled so now all we need is the kids! This is my first time on the trip so I really had no idea what to expect, but now I feel like I can fully focus on the kids and making sure they have a great time. I am so EXCITED to be a part of this trip and this team! We had a group meeting tonight Fabian who has been apart of JASY from the beginning and who is a youth developer that helped describe some of the cultural differences and things we may experience. One thing he told us that really resonated with me was that if we put all of our focus here in this mission, the energy will follow. I agree one million percent - all of my focus right now is on these kids and making even the smallest difference in their lives and with that mentality I know all my energy is going into it too. I believe everything happens for a reason, and there is a reason, even if it is too grand for us to understand right now, that we are all here. That being said - let's get this camp started!!!