I have vivid memories of the storm damage this past May 15 here in Holland that included straight-line winds of up to 90 mph. The memory damage to Waukazoo Woods - home to many Harderwyk partners - is etched in my mind even yet.
When Hurricane Melissa hit the island of Jamaica, it brought sustained winds of 180 mph for hours. How even to imagine the impact.
Because Harderwyk already had a supporting relationship with the Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf in Montego Bay through the ministry of Patrick Bloemendahl, we responded to his call for help in returning to the island for cleaning up, salvage and assessment. And because of the faithful prior support of the Harderwyk community, resources and people made it possible to respond on short notice - get people on the ground to help as requested, make a tangible difference early-on with recovery and see first hand the needs amidst the devastation.
Pastor Aaron handed me this report shortly after returning:
Short Testimony from Jamaica
I want to thank Pastor Bill for stepping in for me this past Sunday. I, along with Dave Postma, Luke Joyce and Todd Boss, were able to go on a last-minute trip with 10 others from West Michigan down to CCCD’s (Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf) Montego Bay campus to do some initial cleanup and further assessment of damage that was caused by the hurricane. We were able to join with at least 20 others from the 3 other CCCD campus’ in this work. By God’s grace and strength, we were able to do some significant deconstruction and cleanup, and CCCD now has a better idea of what kinds of trips and help will be needed going forward.
This short trip was a blessing for me to be a part of, and also incredibly heart-breaking. I have been going to Jamaica for over 30 years of my life now, have many relationships there, and a love for the island, its people, and culture. I would say outside of my home here in West Michigan, it would be my second home. As a developing nation, this hurricane has not just impacted their country, it has crippled it. Not one of the nearly 3 million people escaped its impact. The current damage costs are projected to be $8 billion USD and the impact on agriculture and tourism are of significant blow to their GDP (gross domestic product). Not to mention right now for the average person the loss/significant limitation of running water, electricity, food, gas, shelter, and so on. To make matters worse, churches and schools that often provide resources and shelters, are also damaged or gone especially on the western half of the island.
Why do I share this? Simply put, because they need our prayers, and they need our care. This is why I am grateful for Patrick Bloemendahl (the missionary Harderwyk helps support), CCCD and our partnership with them. Through this partnership in God’s mission we can not only help show God’s love to the deaf community in Jamaica, but we can also show God’s love to this nation in a small but tangible way. One of the many amazing things on this trip was seeing how some of our group was able to serve lunch to the community of Granville (where the Montego Bay campus is). By serving CCCD we were able to serve the community. God’s love is a multiplier in life. That’s the economy of His Kingdom. We love because He first loved us.
So, again today, I want to say thank you for your prayers and financial support to CCCD and in supporting Patrick’s work. It was a blessing to see and help firsthand with our partner in ministry. I will definitely be sharing more, but please also remember to pray. There is power in prayer, and our God is able to abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine in and through Christ Jesus.
