June 2025

Grace's summer involved swim practice 6 days a week 5:45-7:45 am and also 1-3pm 3 days a week.  In addition to this she swam a few summer swim team meets on Wednesday evening with her friends at Jefferson Township, and she helped with a couple swim clinics at SWAT.  This girl loves her swimming!!!

Sam had a lot of buddies on his BSBL Pirates team, so a rain delay trip to Moe's with them was no problem!

Henry went away to Woodruff Scout camp the second week of June and had a great time, earning several merit badges.

He left camp a day early to go and compete in the USATF State track meet and pulled out a second place in the 3000m with a 9:53 and a third place in the 1500m with a 4:32 !!

Henry with his friends at the State meet

This year, Henry competed in his first national level track meet - the Adidas Track national meet in Greensboro, NC.  He and Shawn stayed with Elizabeth and family which was an extra bonus to spend time with her family! It was a great trip!

Henry ran so great!  He had some big PR's running a 10:43 in the 2 mile to place 2nd and running a 4:52 in the 1 mile to place 7th!!  Way to go Henry - we are so proud of you!

Final baseball tournament with the BSBL Pirates travel baseball team.

They came away with a silver ring!!!

Nicholas and Sam both swam summer swim league with Edenwilde this year. They had a lot of fun!

Henry and I went to GA Tech to cheer on Nicholas and Sam at the end of season championship meet - unfortunately I forgot to get a pic of N and S there, but did get this great one of Henry with his friends.

Shawn traveled to Tampa, FL to be invested into The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepluchre of Jerusalem.  This Catholic order of knighthood is under the protection of the Holy See and is a very elite Catholic organization to be a part of.  It originated in the First Crusade and has a long history of supporting the Church in the Holy Land.  Today its members are called to strengthen their Christian life, support the Church's charitable works, and uphold the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land. We are so proud of Shawn for this great honor!

While driving down to Tampa, Shawn was able to stop and stay with his brother Scott and wife Kim at the Villages - it was so great to see them and their lovely home!

He caught up with his nephew Skye at the Villages as well.

This summer Grace had the special opportunity to go on a bus trip with her Swim Atlanta team to a very competitive meet at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, FL.  Not only did she have a ton of fun with her friends, but she swam an outstanding meet..getting not only her first, but second and third Junior Nationals cut!!! (1500M, 800M and 400M) and had huge PR's all around!  So proud of you Grace!

The meet was held at this outdoor pool.

So fun staying in hotel with her good friends Maria and Elisa.

And also so fun spending time with Kylie - who's been the rabbit Grace has been chasing in so many events for so many years - and Grace beat her in several events at this meet.  And even better, they are becoming good friends, and helping one another become better swimmers!

Coach Andy was SO pumped when she started off the meet with a unbelievable mile swim to get her first Junior National cut!  This was the first time she ever swam this event too!!

Before they headed home they got to spend a couple hours at the beach as a team.

Shawn and Henry sanded down and refinished our kitchen table and bench - it looks SOO much better now!

Mustard Seed Mission Trip

Nicholas and I were blessed with an opportunity to go on a week long mission trip together this June to Jamaica with Mustard Seed Communities.  We have known the Donnelly family for years and have known of many other families who have gone with them when they take a group to Jamaica every year, so we excited to finally experience it for ourselves.  It was the most amazing week!  We stayed at Jacob's Ladder, one of about 10 orphanages in Jamaica that house disabled children and adults.  About 30% of our time was spent doing work projects, while the majority of the time was spent simply spending quality time with the residents - which is what they needed and appreciated the most.  Both Nicholas and I were incredibly moved by how filled with joy these children/adults are who live in poverty, with no family, and with mild to severe disabilities.  The MSC program is amazing in the work they do to give dignity to each individual, no matter ability or disability!  The love we saw showered on these individuals by MSC, and having the opportunity ourselves to share God's love with them for a brief period, brought tears to my eyes!  We are so thankful for the opportunity to have been the hands and feet of Christ, in a very small way, on this trip and we hope and pray we have the chance to go back one day! 

On our first day we attended mass at Our Lady of Fatima in Ocho Rios.

This is the view from the church - later in the week we had to opportunity to go snorkeling in these exact waters and it was so great - tons of coral and fish!!

Enjoying fresh mangos after mass - sooo good!

This place is situated in the rural mountains about 25 min outside of Ocho Rios.  It houses children who have grown up in the the MSC system and now are adults and are too disabled to be on their own - these residents stay here till they go home to heaven.  It is divided into villages and a few of the villages also housed younger children - the Widow's Mite kids from a rural mountain orphanage recently relocated here, and a large group of mixed age Haiti kids rescued about a year ago from human traffickers in a high risk special ops mission assisted by the Navy Seals!

Everyone had to sign up to wash dishes a time or two - Nicholas and Andres were the first to volunteer :-)

They have a small farm with crops, chickens, pigs and goats that helps supply food there and also brings in a small income for the property.

Hanging out at Bethany village with residents

Playing Bingo with residents one night

Feeding the children at Widow's Mite

Mary

"Farming" - we picked tomatoes in the green house

Twice that week we baked brownies and cookies with a handful of residents.

Every night we gathered as a group in the chapel for reflections and prayer.  Andres added music with his guitar.

On our way to Kingston to visit to other homes - My Father's House and Jerusalem

We had a lovely visit with Monsignor Gregory, the founder of MSC - he shared his story which is amazing!

The chapel at My Father's House

We visited the on site radio station at My Father's House and even went on air!

This was impressive - every single home in MSC has an adoration chapel where residents are regularly brought to be in the presence of Christ!!  All children at baptized and chatechized as much as possible for their ability.

Here were the children with the most severe disabilities - it was my favorite place - the love showered on them and their sad state of life brought both happy and sad tears to my eyes!

Nicholas and Andres sang and danced with this boy and he was in sheer joy! :-)

At Jerusalem they have a large chicken farm and tilapia farm for income.

It was a joy watching Nicholas singing and dancing with this lady

Coloring with the residents of Jerusalem

Helping a child climb a tree

We went out to dinner one night and had this jerk chicken which was so good!

Photos from dinner out night

getting ready for field day

This is where we stayed - girls bunk room on left, boys bunk room on right with kitchen in center.

The chapel at Jacob's Ladder

Field day fun

There is no hot water, no AC and no clothes dyers here.

Clean up project

"Landscaping" - raking rocks near newly built homes

Playing soccer with the Haiti kids

3 other mission groups were in other parts of Jamaica that week and they joined us for mass at Jacob's Ladder one day - this is the photo of just our group that day (with a couple residents too)

We had 1 day at the public beach in Ocho Rios - had an hour long snorkel trip on a boat that was so cool!!

Fun times at the talent show/concert that evening

Nicholas helped cut and place new plexiglass for the stations of the cross on property.

One day we helped tear down a chain link fence and roll up and save to save for reuse.

Fun for Nicholas to use a jack hammer!

Mona

Even though we came as missionaries to the residents of MSC - I think they served us and showered us with love as much or more!  "It is in giving that we receive..."