When we first met Delroy, he was living in a miserably hot crowded block building by the sea - part of the old long abandoned wharf. His eyes met ours and immediately, we could seemingly penetrate each other's soul. We had heard of each other, but we really did not know to whom we were talking. Delroy's home had been totally destroyed by Hurricane Dean one month before and he had received food and clothing from aid we had indirectly made available. We had heard his story. He, his wife of 20 years, his stepdaughter, and two stepgrandchildren had lost everything: their home, their clothes, their mattresses, etc. Delroy had no regular job. Jobs are rare in the area, and with the hurricane, all the tree crops had been lost. Food and work were in an even shorter supply. Delroy had little to no hope.
We knew when we met him, that God wanted us to help him. Even we are surprised at how it has developed. While Delroy is the man of the house, the real strength is in his wife, Hermone. We came to love her and their entire family. All of them are extremely hard working and appreciative. We committed to return with a team in a few months to rebuild his home. After the home was rebuilt, we had a dedication. From the pictures above, you can see the emotional response from Hermone.
God put it on our hearts to try to develop a method whereby the Jamaicans can begin to help themselves and help others. A friend in Jamaica suggested we help them get into the pig farming business. So, as our first test case, we built a concrete pig pen close to Delroy's house. Delroy's whole family got into the work - and work it was. Delroy and his stepdaughter dug a waste pit over 10 feet deep. All except the youngest (Jody - age 4) helped mix and carry concrete. We also paid to have water run to the pig pen on on top of the hill. Hermone told us that this was the first time in their lives that they had had running water (and this wasn't even to their house, but to their pig pen).
After completion of the pig pen, a pregnant pig (Babe) was given to the family. Recently, the first litter contained 8 little piglets. Plans are after weaning the piglets, to return some to us so that we can maintain a herd to repeat this for another needy person, so that Delroy can sell some to purchase more feed for the next generation, and so he can sell some to support the family's needs. One priority for the family is to generate enough money so that Kevin, Hermone's grandson, can continue his education. Kevin's mother is not with the family unit and his dad is in prison.
You can give a man a fish or you can teach him how to fish. We have done both. We ask for your prayers that this family will see God in this, will reach out to help others and that this project will be successful so we can help other Jamaican families.
