Love Comes in Surprising Ways

Love Comes in Surprising Ways

by | Feb 18, 2021 | R.O.C.K. Blog

Is it possible to fall in love and not know it? I think so. Because that is what happened to me. My name is Carol Mills Kamara and I still feel surprised when I realize the magical power of love. It is what Blaise Pascal said: “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of… We know the truth not only by the reason, but by the heart.” Sometimes our hearts and emotions lead the way, and the brain follows.

 It was not until I realized what happened to my heart that my mind woke up. I was in love. My song became: “You’ve captured me without a fight and what do I say. I say it’s quite alright, you make me feel indeed that I was wrong. I was blind but now I see what life can be when you love.” – AJ Brown – When You Love.

The man responsible for this love story is Sammy Kamara. We experienced the ultimate love of God that changed our lives forever. It made us feel loved and enabling us to love others.
Our story is also about the deep passionate love we share as best friends and husband and wife. Our lives have embraced every emotion. We’ve suffered through pain, chronic illnesses, abuse and neglect, depression and loss. We’ve known the agony of not being seen, not being known, not being heard, not being understood. Yet, we have also experienced healing, love, peace that surpasses human understanding and real joy.

 

Dr. Carol Mills Kamara

Sammy, dressed in traditional African Princely gown and Carol in a complimentary two-piece attires as they celebrate their 7th Wedding Anniversary.

As a result of all these emotional experiences, we have been called to serve. I am genuinely happy to be called to love and serve alongside Sammy, a man who embraces the same love for God that I possess. A man who has been knocked down by life so many times, yet he keeps getting up. He is very loving, passionate, hardworking, forgiving, kind and faithful. He makes me feel deeply loved, protected, and cherished.

It’s no surprise that Sammy also loves the humble village of his birth, Teahplay in Liberia. Although he has been separated from his native land for forty years, he has never forgotten it. When we fell in love, I immediately knew that accompanying him back to Teahplay would become an unavoidable – and welcomed – assignment for me.

Sammy knows the conditions of poverty and lack of education that he experienced as a child, continue to this day. It became his ambitious dream to build a modern Learning Center and dormitory in Teahplay. This has become my vision too. When we created R.O.C.K. – Reaching Out to Children with Kindness in 2010, we envisioned bringing education, emotional and spiritual support to children and teens in Jamaica – where I was born – Liberia and the United States.

The Learning Center in Teahplay is a natural extension of our vision. It will include a 2-story building with 24 classrooms, a library, offices and outdoor stage. Also, on the campus will be a 2-story, 20 room dormitory, rest room facilities and a water tower.

Estimated cost of the Learning Center will be $300,000 to be raised by December 31, 2021.

I hope you will visit our DONATE PAGE you’ll learn more about our mission, our accomplishments and our dream for building the Learning Center – plus how you can share in the excitement by your tax-deductible contribution, as well as other ways you can become involved.

You can also learn more about the bitter-sweet story of how Sammy overcame insurmountable obstacles in his book Breaking Point – A Journey to Self-Awareness and Finding Purpose in Pain. Proceeds from the book help R.O.C.K. and the Learning Center.

You can also support our mission to help needy children by forwarding this blog to family, friends and co-workers.

Until our next visit, stay healthy, be happy and share your love.
Sincerely,
Carol Mills Kamara

How to Build a Future on a R.O.C.K.

How to Build a Future on a R.O.C.K.

by | Jan 26, 2021 | R.O.C.K. Blog

Imagine for a moment that you could not read this sentence.

Or add 2 + 2.

Or write your name.

I do not have to imagine such a tragic existence. As a youngster I lived it.

My name is Sammy Kamara. I was born in the neglected village of Teahplay, in the northern section of Liberia. I credit my ability to survive such a destructive ordeal to the caring examples of my hard-working parents. I was also blessed with persistence, favor, and the good graces of God’s love.

It is heartbreaking to know that so many youngsters burdened by a lack of education still exist. You can’t blame them. No one ever took the time to teach them.

With the help of my wife Carol, we are working to change this appalling reality – at least in the parts of the world where Carol and I grew up. Carol was born in Jamaica. She witnessed similar conditions, where proper schooling and support did not exist. This contributed to ignorance of basic life skills, poverty and destroyed hopes for the future.

In 2010 Carol and I created R.O.C.K. – Reaching Out to Children with Kindness, a 501c3 non-profit organization. Our goal has been to bring desperately needed education, emotional and spiritual support to at-risk children and teens in Liberia, Jamaica as well as here in the United States.  

We are proud to say over the years R.O.C.K. has helped several children with support that has improved their lives. Building on these successes we have embarked on our most ambitious project to date.

We have begun the process to build a Learning Center and dormitory in Teahplay where I was born. The village has donated 30 acres of land for the Learning Center and dormitory.

It will include a 2-story building with 24 classrooms, a library, auditorium, offices, and outdoor stage. It will also include a 2-story, 20-room dormitory, along with rest room facilities and a large water tower.

Estimated cost for the Learning Center is $300,000. Our goal is to raise the amount by December 31, 2021.

We encourage you to browse our website:  You’ll see an artist’s rendering of the future Learning Center, along with more details about R.O.C.K.’s mission and accomplishments.

You will also see ways you can become a part of this important project with your tax-deductible contribution, plus other ways you can become involved.

I also invite you to the website to see how you can order my memoir Breaking Point – A Journey to Self-Awareness and Finding Purpose in Pain. It tells how I overcame poverty, physical and emotional abuse and managed to create a life dedicated to helping others.  Proceeds from the book go to help R.O.C.K. and the Learning Center and dormitory.

Watch for future R.O.C.K. blogs written by Carol and me.

You can also help by forwarding our blogs to family, friends and co-workers who share our vision to help bring education and support to needy children.

With best wishes for a happy 2021.

Sincerely,

Sammy Kamara