Going into this trip I knew that this week was going to be a life-changing experience, one that would expose our group to situations we have never encountered before and truly allow us to transition from being simply conscientious individuals to full-blown active global citizens. With a drastic change like that not only comes a massive alteration of how we think and view the world, but also an accompanied responsibility to preach the importance of global citizenship. And by accepting the offer to go on this trip, we all accepted the fact that we may return home as completely different people. Now that we have just finished our time in Negril, I can say that my expectations were a complete underestimation.
Many people like to think that there are certain events in one's life that act as defining moments, occurrences that illuminate the path that they want to follow for the rest of their life. These "Watershed moments" rarely occur more than once for any given individual; however in my time here I have been blessed to have had two of these experiences.
The first occurred at the Pentecostal church, during the service we had attended on Sunday. I had been told that Jamaican Pentecostal services were comparable to one you would find at a Southern Baptist church, both which were completely different from the Roman Catholic traditions I was raised on. Unlike the rigidity of a typical Catholic ceremony, the Jamaican Pentecostal one served more as an open forum for individuals to express their praise and faith in God and his works. As more and more people stood up and gave their testimonials, it occurred to me that their faith was at a higher level than anything I've ever seen before--they didn't just believe in God, but they knew that he would guide them through their troubled times and lead them into righteousness. About halfway into our stay there it began to downpour torrentially, to the point where the ceiling began to leak in a few places from the sheer volume of water that was accumulating. The striking thing to me wasn't the fact that it was raining so much, but that I couldn't hear a single drop hit the tin roof. I saw the rain falling, and even smelled it, but why couldn't I hear it? I soon came to the realization that the hard pitter-patter of the rain was being completely drowned out simply by the volume of the hymns and prayers being projected from the church patrons, and almost immediately was taken over by a feeling that I truly cannot explain in words. It occurred to me that I could feel the faith in these people, feel their emotions as they came together and manifested into a perfect storm of their own. From that moment on I was overcome with feelings of strength and support, almost as if the Jamaican's spirits were reaching into my soul and lifting my spirits higher than they've ever been. That, my friends, is the true power of faith.
My second moment occurred the next day, at the school where we were re-building a wall for their kitchen. During the bulk of the day, I spent my time with the three Jamaican day laborers, as we demolished whatever was left of the existing wall and erected a completely new one from cinder blocks and cement. As I got caught up in the hustle and bustle of the physical labor throughout the course of the day, it was easy to lose sight of exactly why we were there building that wall in the first place. Towards the end of the day when we were getting ready to leave, I was informed that one of the handles of a see-saw was broken and needed to be fixed. I figured it would be a quick fix, so I immediately began working on it and had it put back together in just a few minutes. And as I was hammering in the final nail, the kids came running outside from the school to play before they too had to leave. They instantly noticed that the see-saw was now fixed, and a crowd of eight students ran over and jumped right on. I took a step back to let them enjoy their ride, and as I was standing there watching them play Thea came to my side, pointed to the children laughing and having fun, and said "You did that." I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little emotional after that-- the fact that just a few minutes of my work on such a simple task could make a group of kids that happy rendered me speechless. I became overwhelmed with emotions, and all I could do was smile as more and more ecstatic children ran up to get a turn.
I am forever grateful to Stevens and Thea for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip. I've always been driven to volunteer my time to help anyone in need, but this experience has lit a completely different fire in me. It is a fire that yearns to spread to other torches, and is fueled by the sparks created by the sight of a smiling child or the hymns of a Jamaican Pentecostal service. I am certain that there are torches in all of you just waiting to be lit, just as mine has been; and with the help of a few sparks your fire will burn brightly, eager to pass to the next torch. And so I ask you again, what are you waiting for?
-Andrew
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