From My Heart to Home

Hello everyone,

My name is Stephanie Weir-Cox and I am a proud educator living and working in South Carolina, for the past eight years. Like many immigrants, my heart beats in two places — here, where I serve and teach, and back home in Jamaica, where my roots and loved ones remain.

In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which has ravaged our beloved island, my spirit is deeply burdened. I cannot sit idly by while so many of our families and friends are struggling to rebuild their lives. While tremendous support has begun to reach the hardest-hit areas in the western region, many smaller rural communities — like the one I proudly come from Crooked River in Clarendon, are suffering quietly, waiting for help that may take longer to arrive.

For years, I’ve made it my mission to give back to my small rural community — packing and shipping barrels filled with food, clothing, and other essentials, then personally delivering them door-to-door. I’ve never needed a disaster to give; giving has always been a part of who I am. But now, more than ever, I feel the call to rise, to help, to love in action.

The hardest part for me right now is being unable to travel home to distribute the aid myself, as my paperwork has been delayed due to the ongoing government shutdown. Still, I’m comforted knowing that my pastor and trusted counselors at my home church will ensure that every family receives their blessing.

Giving back is more than a ministry — it’s love in motion.

And though I may be far from home, my heart, my hands, and my hope remain with Jamaica.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”