Sr. High Mission Trip to Jamaica, 2008

This was my first opportunity to go to Jamaica with the teens, and it was an amazing experience. This trip was very different from other mission trips I have been on because on this trip I was not given the responsibility of an activity as much as I was charged with helping others learn how to lead. My group, five amazing young women, was in charge of the crafts. Have you ever tried to do crafts for over 100 kids in 3 groups in 20-minute cycles? You should give it a try; it is an amazing adrenaline rush especially when you use glitter. The day we used glitter was memorable to say the least. There was glitter everywhere, and here I do mean everywhere-- on us, on the kids, in kids hair and a small amount actually made it on their papers… It was a great day.
I think the best part of the trip was watching the change in the teens' personal and spiritual growth from Monday to Friday. On Monday many of them were tentative and a little unsure of what to do or how to handle the kids. By Friday they were professionals. They could hold one crying three-year-old and help four other little people put their craft projects together. They could get the older “way to cool for this” boys to participate in games and songs. They loved the kids, and the kids loved them. It was Christianity in its purest form. The teens were taking Jesus to kids who did not know Him and doing their best to show Christ’s love to those children.
I had a wonderful week, and I was blessed to be part of this trip. The teens that went to Jamaica are incredible. They brought honor and glory to the Father in every aspect of this trip from riding the bus, to washing dishes, to playing with kids, to treating each other with kindness even on the last day. Some of my work colleagues questioned my sanity when I told them I was taking a week off work to spend with nineteen teenagers in Jamaica. I realize to many people it would sound crazy, but I consider it a privilege to have served God with these teens. They are amazing, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for them.
-Joy Dockham

When we went to the Garland Home which is an orphanage i played with this seven or eight year old kid. We were having a good old time.... throwing the frisby, reading, doing superman flights when he asked me to put him on my shoulders. I put him on my shoulders and he told me to walk over to the fense. I'll never forget this for all i live he said, "Mike I want out, I want to live out there" I don't know about you guys but that broke my heart a little kid at that age realizing his life was not so excellent in fact bad. Its so not fair because that kid was so great and fun to be with. It just made me realize how lucky I am to live with my parents in a house and live in America free. Im not bonded to a orphanage. It broke my heart and made me realize how much God has blessed me.
- Mike Lovitt

So this year was my second time going to Jamaica, and my fourth time going on a missions trip.
I have always enjoyed going on these trips and watching Christ move within the lives of not only those on the trip, but also those we come in contact with. Out of the four trips I have been on, only the two to Jamaica were what could be considered mostly ‘evangelical’. The first year I went to Jamaica I kind of stayed back from the whole leading kids to Christ thing. I observed but never took a child and did it for myself. I guess you could say I was scared to. And it is indeed a scary thing. Whether or not this kid fully understands the concept is up to me, that’s all I could think about. I was afraid to be held responsible. So this year I went with Rachel Rubin one day to watch her and just follow closely, in hopes that soon I too would be able to share in this experience. However, plans changed. Rachel started out the whole thing but then she left to go help another team member. I remember she looked at me and said will you be fine by yourself. I simply nodded. Suddenly this experience I was so scared of turned into something beautiful: something wonderful. These girls understood everything I said, even when I didn’t. god totally just used me, and that’s all I could ever ask for. I don’t need to be in charge or know how to do these things, I just need to be willing and trust that Christ will do the rest. The next day I grabbed three more girls, not knowing who they were, I honestly didn’t recognize them. So I asked them what their names were and two of them were the same girls from yesterday. So this gave me an opportunity to really make sure they fully understood, and I also got to help them lead their other friend to Christ. It was really cool because that was the day we had made the yellow-black-white-red-green bracelets so they showed their friend individually what each bead meant and I believe with all my heart that that day, all three of those girls got it. So before I left they said they’d see me again and I replied, I don’t know if and when I’ll ever be back here. And with a smile, Sharona said, well if not in Jamaica we’ll see you up there. It just made my day. It’s amazing how God can use such incompetent people to further his kingdom. How great is our God.
-Ali Robinson