My Mission Trip to Jamaica

Home to the worlds fastest runner, Usain Bolt, and also the best island to visit is Jamaica. I was born there, July 10,2001 to a mother of European Jamaican descent and a father of Asian Jamaican descent. In Jamaica my mother was a flight attendant at the time, my mother is why I enjoy visiting a lot of countries. From doing horseback riding in Florida, to sipping tea and eating crumpets in England. Those are rarities anyone can enjoy when they travel.

This year for spring break I went to Jamaica. We started packing 1 week early so we wouldn’t forget anything. When it was the day to leave we had to get up really early because we had to go to Chicago and get on a plane there.

It was the last semester of eighth-grade year when Trinity Christian School had officially decided where my classmates and I should go for the end of the year mission trip. The whole eighth-grade class had been anticipating the announcement all year, and the location was finally named. It was New York, the city that never sleeps. While I was on the trip, I was able to see much of what the city had to offer. However, because it was an eighth-grade trip there were many limitations on the things we could see and participate in. Therefore, this would be the place I would go if I had one ticket in my hand. I would go to New York to experience the charm that flows through the city through the city.

Much to my surprise, it had not taken a lot to convince my dad to let me tag along on a mission trip to Guatemala with him. The company my dad worked for, Family Christian Stores, held multiple mission trips each year to various locations. My dad had already been to Mexico, and was assigned to a group going to Guatemala next. Upon learning that I wanted to go, he assured me that it would not be a trip full of sightseeing or activities, but rather a time to give back to a community in need. After promising that I understood the hard work that would be involved, my dad agreed to let me

A little over a year ago, I had to make the decision of choosing between two different trips. I could either go to Spain with the Spanish class and see all that the country has to offer, or I could visit Haiti with the church and give my time to help out around their community. Many factors weighed in on my decision, but in the end, I chose to travel to Haiti!

This summer I went on a mission trip to Minnesota, and it changed my life. I got to strengthen my relationship with God and my friends, all the while serving a community. While I was there, I was tested a few times, but my view of life was permanently affected. If I was asked to leave tomorrow for another trip, I wouldn’t even hesitate to go.

Even though I studied harder than I ever had before, I still did not reach the grade I thought I deserved. He told me it was because the student who shared a desk with me earned a C and it was partially my fault. This lesson taught me that life is not just about reaching personal success but helping others reach theirs too. My schools CFX’s (Companion’s of Francis Xavier) were another way I have lived out service, spirit, and intellect. During summer vacations after my sophomore and junior year, I would spend hours in the sun hammering nails or digging the foundation where a new home would be built. At the end of every grueling day, we would discuss the reasons why this certain group of people were impoverished and the systematic ways that we could fix it. These trips helped me grow as a person and realize my place in today’s society. It also made me look at larger issues in our world such as homelessness and the border issues - I worked in solidarity building homes with people that were impacted by these matters. One of my greatest moments of service and spirit came on my senior year trip. It was Easter Mass and my group was in the

After landing in Mexico and meeting up with the people I would be working with during a three-day mission trip, we were crammed into a bus and spent the next two hours getting to know each other. We were there to build homes for a multitude of families in the town of Xochimilco, Mexico. When we arrived late in the afternoon, we were led to an empty school where we would spend our nights. Sleeping on the floor next to school lockers with bugs buzzing in my ears in a country I did not know well was an interesting experience to say the least—but that was just the beginning. At dawn, the real work began and so did a change in my thinking that had a dramatic effect on my perspectives about life.

In August of 2010, our church embarked on a work and witness trip to Jamaica. The group consisted of two teams, a work and a ministry team. The work team assisted the people of Westmoreland to complete their local church. The ministry team presented bible stories and skits through puppetry at various locations. This Mission was called "Maddy's Mission".

One grand adventure that I went on this summer was a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. It was probably the best two weeks of my life and not a day goes by that I don’t think about it and want so badly to go back. I didn’t always have those feelings though… The first couple days were pretty rough from lack of sleep, being in a totally new environment in a country I have never been before, being way out of comfort zone and being slightly home sick. The first full day at our site I nearly had a panic attack because I just couldn't get over the language barrier and that was the first time I have ever worked with kids. I just felt so helpless and that I was’t showing these kids God’s love. But I was because just being there for them showed them God’s love.

If I had to pick on thing that impacted me the most during my high school career, I would have to choose my Dominican Republic mission trips. I got the privilege of serving the Dominicans twice during spring break my junior and senior year. I had served on mission trips in the United States before but I had never been out of the country not even for vacation. Needless to say, the traveler in me was definitely excited about explore a different country and flying over the ocean for the first time. However, this excitement did not compare to the fullness I felt while serving in the Dominican. We had 3 main projects while in the Dominican and each one stretched my faith and my comfort zone in a different way. While we were

One week was just enough to reflect on my spiritual status. The trip to Haiti was a two pronged journey; spiritual and physical. Being my first time going abroad alone, as well as my first time going to a non-developed country, I saw and realized many aspects I wouldn’t have seen here.

When I was in 9th grade, my family went on a missions trip to Nicaragua. This was not an ordinary one though. Instead of just going for a week or two, we went down for six months as a whole family. My parents, my brother, my 3 sisters and I all went into this experience wanting to serve, but not knowing quite what it would look like. When we got there, we encountered extreme poverty unlike anything we had seen here in the United States. While there, we painted countless schools, did art projects at countless others, worked with the local lending libraries, and simply loved on the kids down there to the best of our abilities. When the trip was over, I left with a feeling that I had somehow failed. I felt as though I had not given my all to

If there was one place in the word i'll go is jamaica. I always wanted to go to jamaica because they have beautiful beaches and i wish my ancestors was from here. When i go i want to go to the 5 best water parks and just visit the culture.

In a quaint little village tucked away on a beautiful Caribbean island, lays the seaside town of Runaway bay. A town filled with deep rooted culture on an island filled with welcoming natives. The pleasant vibes of reggae music and Rastafarian culture flow from the hills to the sandy shores. This island rich with tropical fruits and spices is located in the heart of the Greater Antilles. History tells that the enslaved island once known to its natives as “Xaymeca”, has come a long way in becoming the independent nation known today as Jamaica. In the Sea of many islands known as the West Indies, Jamaica stands peaceful, welcoming tourist and expanding rapidly. From an early age my passion for the island and its culture