“Blessing, Blessing, Double Blessing”: A Kingston Church Builds a New House for a Westmoreland Single Mother After Melissa

• The New Foundation Christian Ministries built a house for a Cornwall Mountain single mother
• Nickeisha Lewis, 37, lost her board house to Hurricane Melissa
• More than 30 volunteers also handed out over 400 care packages
• Bishop Donald McFarlane was returning to the community where he grew up

When Hurricane Melissa struck in October 2025, it destroyed the board house where Nickeisha Lewis, 37, lived with her four children in Cornwall Mountain, Westmoreland. The family moved between relatives’ homes. In March 2026, the Gleaner reported that a Kingston church had given them a new house.

The New Foundation Christian Ministries, led by Bishop Donald McFarlane, handed over the house at a ceremony at Cornwall Mountain Primary School. More than 30 volunteers came, and the ministry also gave out more than 400 care packages, along with clothing, food, popcorn and cotton candy for the children. C-TECH and the University of Washington’s I-TECH supported the effort.

The idea came from Minister Wilma Johnson, who was overseas when the storm hit. “I said, ‘Bishop, I have this deep feeling that we should repair, replace, build a house for a single mother with children.’ That is specifically what came to me,” she said.

For McFarlane, the project was personal. “That’s where I was born and grew up. That’s my home town,” he said. The ministry had already visited twice since the storm. “But we felt that we needed to do something a little more tangible and long-lasting.”

Lewis’s mother, Violet Bailey, had lost her own job when Royalton Negril closed because of hurricane damage. “This house makes a difference in my life and Nickeisha’s life… . It brings a blessing for me. Blessing, blessing, double blessing, joy and happiness in my life,” she said.

The story shows a quieter side of post-Melissa recovery: congregations in Kingston and abroad putting money into single, specific homes in their members’ home districts. For the diaspora and for pastors with roots in western parishes, it offers a workable model. Pick one family, build something permanent and come back. It also shows the limits. One house is one family, and thousands of others still depend on grants, NHT support and clear land titles to rebuild.