Bread Basket Ministries Ocho Rios Jamaica

From Survival to Celebration: 20 Years of Service and Miss Christine’s 100th Birthday

Twenty years ago, after a complete financial wipeout, our founder Elise Yap (also the owner/innkeeper of The Blue House Boutique Bed & Breakfast Villa) had a soul-shaking spiritual rebirth.

She kept hearing one message loud and clear: “Feed My Sheep.”

That calling led her deep into nearby communities, searching for families, single mothers, and elderly individuals barely surviving.

One of the first couples she met was Miss Christine and her husband, Headley, both in their 80s. They were barely scraping by on Headley’s Jamaican government pension, which was less than $40 USD per month.

Bread Basket Ministries stepped in, providing nutritious groceries every two weeks, ensuring they never went hungry. But their hardships ran deeper than just hunger.

The walls of their home were a patchwork of scavenged wood, held together by rusty nails and God's grace. The roof leaked with every downpour, the floorboards were soft and rotting, creaking underfoot with every cautious step. The foundation wobbled and Elise often feared that a storm might bring it crashing down on their heads.

But Headley kept it spotlessly clean.

Then, life took a heartbreaking turn. Mas Headley suffered a stroke.

Lying in his hospital bed, he wasn’t thinking about himself. He was worried sick about his blind wife, Miss Christine. She was home alone, hungry and helpless. So he did the unimaginable:

💔 He checked himself out of the hospital to be with her, bypassing critical treatment and therapy.

He never recovered.

For the next two years, Bread Basket Ministries stepped in, hiring a caregiver to cook, clean, do laundry, and care for Headley until his final days.

Over time, Isle Go Missions out of Florida and a generous donor who found BBM through Facebook helped us build them a two-room home with a bathroom, kitchen, and verandah, gifting them security and dignity.

Over the years, volunteers and guests from The Blue House became part of their journey, donating, visiting, and helping in small but meaningful ways.

Last month, we celebrated Miss Christine’s 100th birthday, a rare and beautiful milestone. Darryl, The Blue House’s barefoot chef, baked her a small but beautiful cake, and we brought her a bag full of treats (because Miss Christine has a serious sweet tooth!). Thankfully, no diabetes!

But why stop at just one day of celebration?

What do you think about a year-long celebration? Not many people make it to 100. Let’s make every moment count.

My 94 year old Mom, Gloria, and I visited Miss Christie yesterday after church and found out that her hospital records were found. Ms Christie was 100 years old on the 6th January!!!

Bread Basket Ministries has been Miss Christie 's main supporting sponsor for the past 20 years.

Your US$5 donation would go a long way in helping Ms Christie celebrate her HUGE milestone.

Elise Yap