The kindness of the poor rises out from simple, humble Jamaican people. It’s deep in the heart of our Christian culture, embedded in the heart of our nation that makes us a kind, feelingful and sensitive culture.

We are unafraid to announce the name of Jesus and His life. We have a Christian soul that struggles against materialism, secularism, and our impersonal modern world. This is an unusual culture to most strangers and visitors. It is a Jamaican brand. Don’t disrespect our little nation of people where kindness is impractical and where worship is not marked by time.

Among the women in the markets, and among the push-cart men there is kindness of words and deeds with smiles and greetings. We quarrel at times and speak loud, but generally we are congenial with one another.

Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) have been attacked by people and laughed at and even within the Church. We are considered strange in the Church even by authorities. On the other hand, we are loved and respected by many people in a most extraordinary way. For instance, during Easter hundreds of pounds of chicken, fish, rice and flour were cooked by the brothers; buns, bread and cheese were also given by the brothers and benefactors to the poor and destitute.

Because of the generosity of Jamaicans, our MOP visited and fed more than 3,000 prisoners in Spanish Town prison and General Penitentiary, and 500 old folks were fed in a food line. Drinks were also never in need; we asked and it was given to us. I was amazed and the brothers from many different countries were delighted at the generosity of our Jamaican benefactors.

The feature of our Easter events was our prison ministries. The wardens and officers were strict but welcoming. Together with the officers and police and prisoners we brothers prayed, gave testimony of our struggles, our sins. We shook hands, danced and sang, shared bread, bun and cheese and made the prisons a blessed place.

Thirty associate members and volunteers, 10 brothers and members of the prison staff became a community of joy. Strangely the prison felt like a holy temple.

How quickly we Jamaicans put behind our suffering and recognise our mutual weaknesses and strengths. We really are a mutually sensitive and interactive people. I saw no roughness or crudeness in the prison where there are the most feared men who had done the worst of crimes. They were like a brotherhood transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Jamaica is such a mysterious place. Such extraordinary generosity, and yet sometimes so cruel, so wicked, and filled with crimes. Please, God, forgive our wickedness. Stop us from theft, cruelty, lies and laziness.

Fellow Jamaicans, we must fight against the evil and the anger that our emotions suddenly generate. Let us subject ourselves to Christ; the self-sacrificing saviour who loves us more than we love ourselves. The Lord wants us to be with Him in heaven. The Lord tells us in John 3:17, God did not send His only Son into the world to condemn the world, instead through Him, the world is to be saved.

Light has come into the world and people love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For whoever does wrong hates the light and doesn’t come into the light for fear that the deeds will be seen as evil. But whoever lives according to the truth comes into the light.

All of us turn between good and evil, darkness and light. Choose light, my brothers and sisters. I want to be with many Jamaicans in heaven, if not all! Let us sing!

We shall have a grand time, up in heaven

We shall have a grand time up in heaven,

have a grand time.

walking with the angels,

singing alleluia!

We shall have a grand time up in heaven,

have a grand time!

Come and visit our poor forgotten ones and our brothers. Please contact us at +1876-782-1493.