First Mission Trip, to Jamaica - Jan 2013

JAMAICA MISSION TRIP: JANUARY 2013

Fast forwarding from my previous posts about how my journey began with missions in Jamaica, I went on my first mission trip, to Jamaica, with a married couple from my church. We went for one week - a Saturday to Saturday. I ended up having to travel alone, as the couple did not decide that they could go until the last minute, and when their plane tickets were purchased, they ended up with different flights. We arrived at the Indianapolis Airport together, but traveled separately. I was nervous, to say the least! This was my first time traveling on a plane alone, only my 3rd time on a plane and it had been at least 7-8 years since I had been on a plane, AND my first time traveling internationally, and alone! BUT, God made a way thus far, so it's all good!

Arriving at the tiny, hot airport, going through immigration, getting luggage, going through customs....all quite an adventure, but thrilling!!!! Yay...my first mission trip!

BTW, I wish I would have better kept track of my adventures early on, perhaps starting a blog sooner, but it actually just came to me this week to start a blog! So, trying to recall all of the details may be hard, but I will try to share some of the most memorable moments in the next several blogs, until I get us caught up to the present.

We stayed with a missionary from Indiana, Ms. Linda Botkin, of Jesus for Jamaica ministries. She owns a home in a small community within a small fishing village called Whitehouse, on the southwest coast of Jamaica. Don't try to Google or Wikipedia it, as I attempted, b/c you won't find much...you won't even find it on a map! LOL.

Jamaica is the kind of place that just draws you in! That is, if you don't mind scorching heat, being hot and sweaty all the time, dodging goats and other animals on the roads, dodging never-ending crater-sized potholes, showering outside in cold water, not having access to all of the commodities and luxuries of home.....if you don't mind all that...you will LOVE Jamaica! Learning about the culture, meeting the people, taking in the beauty of the landscape, witnessing poverty at it's best, experiencing simplicity in a whole new way.....this is what I love about Jamaica.

While on this first trip, we visited a Basic School in a village in the mountains, called McAlpine. This was a school that Ms. Linda Botkin and her teams built years ago. We played with the children, did some painting there, and some minor repairs, several times throughout the week (pics attached). We also did some painting at a local church that was, again, built by Ms. Linda Botkin and her teams.

One of the most memorable experiences I have thus far was when we went to visit a young lady that Ms. Linda has known since she was young. We had to drive up a steep hilly road, park, then hike up the mountain to a row of shanty's, in which Nicola and her family lived. We arrived to do some minor repairs to her shanty (pic attached). The only gentleman with us did the repairs, to the best of his ability, considering that we had very limited tools and supplies available to us. Myself, Ms. Linda, and other lady sat around talking to the locals. Ms. Linda discovered that they, along with the animals (dogs, goats, pigs, etc) had not eaten in several days. Ms. Linda gave some money for a few of the young ladies to walk about a mile to a "store" (and I use that term lightly) to get some basic food supplies. I decided to walk with them, so I could talk with them, explore, and experience what it was like for them to have to walk to the nearest "store." I had a hard time understanding what they were saying, but we managed to have some conversation, including my ear piercing at the top of my ear, as they were fascinated by that. lol. We arrived a while later at the "store," which was a tiny shack w/ drinks, candy, rice, flour, milk, and not much more. They purchased the necessary supplies, and we returned to Nicola's shanty. After the repairs were made, and we visited for a while, it was then time to leave. At that point, Nicola thanked us, and informed us that she had been reading her bible earlier that day, and praying, because they were hungry, and had no food, and no money. You see, their shanty has no kitchen. It's one room w/ a bed and a dresser. They have no kitchen, no bathroom, no running water, no electricity, except for a wire running from shanty to shanty, where they were "borrowing" someone else's electricity. So Nicola acknowledged that God had sent us to them in their desperate time of need, providing a small "meal" .... for THAT day. That moment will forever be etched in my mind, as that was the first moment when I realized just how God so delicately and intricately orchestrates EVERYTHING! What a blessing and an honor to be a small part of God moving in someone's life!

Another pivotal moment that we experienced was when we visited the village of Aldear - way up in the mountains - away from civilization - the poorest of the poor. These people literally have nothing, other than the shanty's they have built within the rocky terrain (pic above). The smells....wow...the stinch...wow...the torn and tattered clothes that don't really fit...wow...babies in worn out diapers running around the rocky terrain barefoot...wow...the gambling, the smoking, the drinking...just a small glimpse into what we saw. BUT, the most memorable moment was when someone handed their baby to another team member and asked them to take them home with them to the U.S. so that they could be properly cared for and fed. HEARTBREAKING!

It was a great week...lots of laughter, lots of tears, lots of joy, lots of sorrow, meeting new people, exploring a new culture, seeing life in a whole new way, enjoying the beauty and peacefulness of the Caribbean Sea, visiting the most amazingly beautiful waterfalls, and so on! FINALLY, I was able to go on a mission trip, once in my lifetime....God is truly amazing!

Then the time quickly approached for us to head home! I was in bed in my small room beside Ms. Linda's home, preparing to leave early the next morning, when it hit me....I had to go home! I had to leave this place where somehow everything started to make sense for me.....this place where I felt comfortable....this place where I began to see why God had been transforming me these past few years prior...this place that I felt "called to." I wept!

How the Journey Began, Part 2

HOW THE JOURNEY BEGAN, PART 2:

So I went back to the materials I had printed out regarding mission trips - read through it thoroughly - and wondered what my next step would be! You see, I am that person who, once I get an idea, I tend to run, run fast, and run hard!

Within a very short time thereafter, around September-ish, it was announced at church that there would be a mission trip information meeting one evening the following week! I attended, and three opportunities were presented: Jamaica in January, Belize in May, or Venezuela in the summer. I went home, I began praying, I began thinking things through (I process things very slowly and thoroughly at times), I began to do research, I began to weigh my options. Jamaica was the cheapest trip, but the soonest. Belize wasn't much more expensive, and just a little more time to prepare and come up with the money, and Venezuela was more money than I could comprehend at that time, and not to mention, a 2-week trip....how would I get two weeks off at work!?

After much thought, much discerning, and much prayer, I decided that Jamaica felt like the best option for me! $1,100.00 was a lot of money, but sounded more realistic to me! AND, more importantly, I felt at peace with that decision. NOW, to get a passport and to figure out the financial part of it! But, what if I spend the money on a passport, and then I cannot save up enough money for the trip? {this was one of the thoughts running through my mind}.

Approximately a week later, my boss asked me to pet-sit and house-sit for him while he was out of town.....I was paid just enough to ... you guessed it ... pay for my passport! Yep, I need to go for it! Now, how do I save money when I have no savings, and I pretty much live paycheck to paycheck? {another thought continually running through my mind}. Well, the materials I had printed out and read gave information about fundraising and soliciting support, one of the ideas of which included sending letters asking for donations. Yikes! You mean I have to ask people for money? Not real crazy about that idea, at all! But, I couldn't shake the idea! I needed to step out of my comfort zone, and just do this! Still not knowing if I would for sure follow through with this idea, I decided just to go ahead and draft a letter, which I did. Still hesitant, I then decided to make a list of potential donors. Still hesitant, I started compiling the addresses of the potential donors. Each step of the way, I kind of drug my feet, not real sure that I wanted to do this, but always feeling the tug to proceed. STILL hesitant, I prepared envelopes to mail the letters to the potential donors. Again, sat on the idea for a few more days. STILL hesitant, I stuffed the envelopes. STILL hesitant, I bought stamps. I know, this sounds tedious, but I'm telling you, I really drug my feet on this! lol. Okay, letter drafted, letter finalized, names compiled, addresses compiled, envelopes made, stamps bought.....all ready to go! Really? Could it be this hard to throw some envelopes into the mailbox? Well, it was! What if I mailed the letters out, and only received a small portion, not enough to actually go on the trip? Then what? Do I return the money? What if I get NO response? What if...what if...what if? {those were, again, some of my thoughts}. BUT, I DID IT, FINALLY!

In this letter, I followed the guidelines suggested in the materials I had read, including specifying why I was asking for donations, specifying my goal, and giving a deadline. Okay, 30 days to raise $1,100.00! READY, SET, GO! October 1 - 31! Nervous, scared, anxious, excited!

Two days later, I check the mail....a check for $100.00!!!!! WHAT? Who does that? Who sends someone a check for $100.00, especially when they don't know me that well? And then the next day, and the next day, and the next day...........$1,100.00 raised in less than 30 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, there was my sign....this was it...I was supposed to go! JAMAICA, HERE I COME!!!!

How The Journey Began!

Here is a brief outline about who I, Jama Mason, is, and what I feel is possibly relevant to my story:


(1) Born and raised in a small town called Gaston, Indiana.
(2) Was always super shy, and very insecure.
(3) Grew up being raised by mother, who married several times. Do not have a close relationship with my father.
(4) Got pregnant at the age of 17. Finished high school (1994), in spite of tumultuous circumstances, went onto college, received my Bachelor's Degree in Legal Assistance Studies (1999), with a minor in Sociology.
(5) Got married to my child's father in 1999.
(6) Began working as a Legal Assistant in 1999.
(7) Divorced in 2005. {long story}
(8) Went through a mid-life crisis, so to speak, from 2005-2007-ish.
(9) Began my weight loss / healthy lifestyle journey in 2005.
(10) Gave my life to Christ, after a series of events, in 2007. Began attending a small Baptist church.
(11) Started a Teen Girls Mentoring Program in 2008, through 2013.
(12) God led me to a new church, in approximately 2010-ish.
(13) Became certified to teach group exercise classes in December 2012.
(14) Met missionary Linda Botkin of Jesus for Jamaica ministries in December 2012.
(15) Went on my first mission trip, to Whitehouse, Jamaica, in January 2013.
(16) Went on a mission trip to Belize in May 2013.
(17) Met Jennifer Everetts of Journey Home Jamaica ministries in early summer 2013.
(18) Led a small team to Whitehouse, Jamaica in September 2013.
(19) Completed a 2-week internship in Whitehouse, Jamaica in February 2014.
(20) Helped lead a youth mission team to Negril, Jamaica in June 2014.
(21) Began Faith & Fitness Boot Camp Ministry in September 2014.
(22) Began teaching Philippians 4:13 Boot Camp classes at the YMCA in January 2015.
(23) Offered position of Coordinator of Missions & Outreach at my church.
(24) To return to Whitehouse, Jamaica for a solo, exploratory mission trip in March 2015.
(25) To help lead teams to Negril, Jamaica in summer of 2015.


My story (missions journey) starts, as far as I know, back in 2012. I had this crazy idea - "I want to go on a mission trip, at least once in my lifetime!" Little did I know that that idea was not of my own, but was a seed planted by God, that would later permeate into a calling that has been placed on my life! Even before I surrendered my life to Christ, in 2007, I always enjoyed volunteering my time and helping people!


In 2012, the idea to go on a mission trip just kind of "randomly" popped into my mind after seeing an email in my inbox from a Christian Book Store, who was promoting mission trips. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the link, which then took me to a page about mission trips. I printed some information about trips, briefly looked at it, and set it aside, thinking I would read it more thoroughly later.


THEN, I'm guessing approximately a few weeks later, I received a phone call from my Pastor, asking me to be on a Scholarship Committee. Right as we were about to hang up from our brief conversation, I just kind of blurted out, without even thinking about it, "hey, will our church ever do mission trips?" I had only been at Destiny Christian Center for approximately two years, and had never heard anything about international missions mentioned before. My Pastor indicated that our church had not yet engaged in missions, BUT, it was something that he wanted to explore more, as he himself had been on several trips.


THEN, within another few weeks, I was volunteering at a local men's homeless shelter, with other members from our church, and we were there primarily to serve the food that day. My job, of all things, was to stand in the assembly line in which the men passed through, and to unwrap cheese slices and hand it to them for their sandwiches. Really? Pass out cheese slices? Was this my calling, Lord? Is this it? Is THIS making an impact in anyone's life? You see, I've always had big dreams, big goals, big aspirations! I have ALWAYS felt that I was called to more than just being a secretary (I have been a legal assistant for 15 years), but I just wasn't sure "what"! As I was passing out the cheese slices, I told a more seasoned lady who was in charge that I just didn't feel like passing out cheese slices was enough to help people, that I felt it to be somewhat insignificant, and that it just wasn't enough for me. We then got onto the topic of missions! She too had been interested in mission trips. And, I think it was on that day that my wheels started reeling!


I then went back to the materials that I had earlier printed off about mission trips! How to prepare...what to expect...how to raise funds, etc, etc, etc. Now, what next? Do I contact this organization about going on a trip with complete strangers? I had no idea where I wanted to go!


TO BE CONTINUED.....