Personal Narrative: My Trip To Jamaica

Raised in Jamaica, NY in the 80s and from my personal experience, the only suggestion I must share to prevent bullying is not to back down to one. A young boy then who came from the streets of Coney Island, NY moved into my neighborhood his name was Damon and for whatever reason, this boy resented me and lived in an abusive alcoholic household and one of his siblings went to prison for shooting a police officer in the buttocks. Damon the “effectual aggressor,” and I dreaded every day because when I went out to play this boy was so cruel. The term bi-directional effect drew my attention, and I remember having high anxiety due to I was afraid what this boy was going to engage in. Every day I returned home overwhelmed by depression my mother and

Volunteerism and willingness to serve others are magnificent character traits to discover while growing up. If one is involved with such activities, they will be able to contribute to society as a whole and “leave a mark” on the world for the better. However, such activities would not be available without the assistance of an outreach coordinator. Such people prepare service projects for the community, non-profit organization, or church in hopes of spreading good will among those affected by these actions. They also must be available to offer support to individuals who walk in and require the outreach coordinator’s services. Jeanna-Mar Simmons, a family friend, generously allowed me to shadow her on April 24, 2014. This wonderful lady is the outreach coordinator for Christ United Methodist Church. During my shadow, I was able to discover the intricacies of the organization behind all the service projects I participate in on a regular basis as well as learn about her relationship with God and how it intertwines with her work and the environment at the church.

Last summer I was on the administrative team helping to keep the camp in order, and making sure all churches were sufficiently informed of the important information they needed. I also worked with the Ryde On team; they bring ski boats to the Georgia Baptist Convention Center and have tubing and skiing for the campers.

This past summer, I was called to act upon one of the Four Pillars of NHS, service. I joined my church’s Youth Mission Team and spent five days in Athens, Ohio. During this time, my team members and I completed various projects including making a free lunch for the community, shoveling gravel, building a ramp, and working with children.

The one day we went to a local Food Pantry, where we did many tasks including cooking food, gardening, cleaning dishes and serving food. At the food pantry, we got to get our hands a little messy, sweaty and use some muscle to help the impoverished people of Cape Coral, Florida. For our puppet show we went to three different churches Iglesia Vedia, in Cape Coral, The First Haitian Baptist Church in Fort Myers, and a third, huge, non-Spanish church. The Haitian church was by far the most memorable church. Pastor Mark had invited other local Haitians churches to come and see our show. It was a full house, it was standing room only. After the show and encore, Pastor Mark asked our group leader, Sandy Sonleightner to give an invitation of faith. 8 people accepted her invitation and became Christ Followers that day. After our show, many people came and said how much they liked the show. The one teenager described the show as “lit”. It was cool to see how teenagers in Florida thought our show was the coolest

We have spent some unbelievable time in Brazil, Nicaragua (X 5), Honduras (X 5), Africa, and Hungary. We are rolling to Mexico this June, and I am looking forward to serving in Haiti in the very near future. During these trips, my ministry focused on women and children. I have been called to be a carpenter, painter, roofer, journalist, photographer, teacher, evangelist, pharmacist, concrete mixer, story teller, clown, softball/soccer coach, and singer to name a few. God called me to be an ambassador for Christ, and He has never failed to be my provision. Any menial task that was my responsibility, He smiled as I enthusiastically performed my calling. From dodging scorpions and poisonous toads to running from a brood of chickens, I never had a dull moment on mission with God. My travels began in 1999, and the following pages are stories

In 2012, my church traveled 765 miles from our little suburb to one of the poorest cities in the United States. We stayed in Cary, Mississippi for almost a week, leaving very early Monday morning and arriving back home midday on Saturday. During the journey, it was somewhat agonizing, although I did occupy myself with my music and a book that I brought along for the ride. The coordinators tried to make this experience fun, so we stopped by places in Nashville and ate at the Cracker Barrel.

I attented The Way Church where they had The Power Team come and speak. The Power team is a group of christians from Texas. The goal for The Power Team is to help people turn their lives around and to follow Christ. They are world class athletes who have used their talents to motivate other people. They enjoy telling people about their trials in life and how they have given their lives to Christ.

We also worked with a group called AFE (faith, hope and love in Spanish). With them, we fed, clothed and prayed with people who live and work at the

When you wake up from a coma and you find yourself on an island with only your family. The only thing I remember was flying and then boom, the plane crashed. I was on an island and that is all I remember.

I had the privilege of going with the DBC High School choir on a mission trip for a week last month, and it was an experience I had never had before. There were almost 100 total people on the trip, and we had two buses that took us everywhere that week. This included 5 different hotels, fast food restaurants, two churches, one flash mob at a mall, and seven different juvenile detention centers or children’s homes. There were many hours of travel, lots of late nights doing bible study, and many times of putting up and breaking down risers, speakers, and microphones, whether we liked it or not. I have to say this was one of the most physically, spiritually, and mentally challenging weeks of my life.

This summer I have the honor and privilege to be able to advance God's kingdom with a mission trip to Costa Rica. I'll be going with a group of missionaries from Living Word Family Church to Siquirres Costa Rica. While there, we'll be doing street evangelism including ministering to the people and dramas for the public. The team I'm in is the Youth Team, and we'll be in Costa Rica from July 9th through the 16th.

During 2015 I attended my second Catholic Heart Work camp mission trip. CHWC mission trips consists of not only community service work, but prayer experiences, fellowship, and daily mass. At a mass during the mission trip

This spring break I went on a mission trip to Florida. I went with James, Marcus, Dave, Ladarius, Xavion, and Joe. We went to paint a homeless shelter for people that doesn't have the stuff they need in Palm City. The homeless shelter was called Lahia.

So let me update you a little bit. I am currently a dual-degree student between Manhattan Christian College and Kansas State University. At MCC, I am studying Intercultural Missions, and at KSU, I am studying Elementary Education with a concentration on English as a Second Language. With this, my hope and goal is to teach cross-culturally in Africa and spread the love and truth of the Gospel. Since the moment I felt the Lord calling me to the mission field years ago, I have anticipated the moment I would have to honor to go. I am so excited to announce that I have arrived at that point in my life. This summer I will be spending a week in Belize and about a month in Ghana, West Africa.