Today marked the start of two wonderfully different, but beautiful things. On one side, our week of camp has come to a close and we have had to say goodbye to all of our new friends from this week. But on the other side, memories are blossoming, and personalities are continuing to develop off of our experiences from this entire week. Memories of new friends and faces, of an experience that could not be gained anywhere else and one that cannot ever be replicated because it is indeed that special. This is Jamaica, and we are all a part of our new JASY family here. Thank you for all of your support this week!
Even though the JASY theme for the last day was crossing the finish line of our week here at JASY, it is not the end, but the beginning of a world of new opportunities’ and everlasting friendships. We were fortunate to have a proper thank you to all of our supporters and sponsors. And during the closing ceremony and seeing each kid cross the floor to get a medal with the biggest smiles on their face, even if they weren’t recognized for special achievement, each and every camper was recognized to be special in their own unique, individual way. Watching every camper walk down the floor with those smiles of gratitude just warmed up my heart. It has been a hard week of labor and physical activity, and we are all sore with bug bites and muscle cramps but it was all worth it to make a difference for the greater good for the children of Kingston, Jamaica. –Elena Travis
Coming to the end of the week, I have realized how much I have learned, adapted and have been affected by the campers at JASY camp. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were slow as the campers were getting used to each other and connecting as they are from the different neighborhoods from Jamaica. Yesterday, Thursday, the campers started to connect and love on me. They were always wanting to hug me and stand with me at all the venues. Today, the connection was even more powerful and I soon realized how much I love these kids. Towards the end of the day, I couldn’t help but cry at the sight of the kids leaving on the bus back to their normal lives after spending a week full of fun with all of us. Therefore, throughout the week I have come to learn how blessed we all are and that everyone can have an impact on someone through any small acts. --Lexi Finkbeiner
We rounded off JASY Camp 2017 with our closing ceremonies. We had a lot of friends of Camp and Sponsors there to celebrate with us and there were many tears of joy as we laughed and enjoyed life together!(There may have been a few sad ones too) It was an amazing week for all and we cannot wait to go back once again!
See you in 2018 Jamaica!
Love Always, The JASY 2017 Team