Jumping into JASY 2018

Settling in at Stella Maris - our home away from home - and visiting the home of those we will serve from the Riverton community throughout the week.

From the moment we stepped out of the airport we were hit with waves of salty, burnt air carrying rhythmic music. We were captivated by this new, but also familiar, place. In a short bus ride, we arrived at Stella Maris - the place we will call "home" by the end of the week.

After a good night's sleep, we woke up ready to take on one of the most anticipated days of the trip - our visit to Riverton. We were welcomed with smiles from the students and teachers of Riverton Meadows school. Junior Rows, Riverton Community Center Manager, and a few of his friends brought us into their community to introduce us to some of the 3,000 residents.

One family welcomed us into their home to meet their new set of twins, born less than a week ago. These two beautiful babies, one girl and one boy, are the newest members of a family of now seven children and three women all living under one tin roof. They showed gratitude towards us for just being in their home, but thanked us over and over when some of our volunteers held the new baby. We were grateful to them for allowing us to share this experience. We were looking at future JASY campers and seeing into the lives of the children we will be enjoying this week with.

After our tour, we ate lunch with our Junior JASY campers before our trip to Hope Gardens Zoo. We ran around the zoo in search of monkeys, lions, zebras, and peacocks. Our day ended with laughs, hugs, cupcakes, and camp songs for the road. The Junior JASY campers went back to Riverton, and we went back to Stella Maris for dinner.

Tonight closed with reflections from the day - sharing memories we've already made within the last 24 hours. Follow the link to a video of our day at Riverton and Hope Zoo to experience some of our favorite moments: https://youtu.be/yjbUbQe8vus.

Check back tomorrow for your daily "Today at JASY Camp" update - we'll be going to UTech to set up for JASY camp starting Monday.