Saturday, February 28, 2015

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!



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