Jamaican Me Crazy: Life-Changing Mission Trip

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." This quote from Mahatma Gandhi summarizes my approach to service, and the deeper understanding I have gained offering my service to others.  A few particular experiences stand above the rest, however, and those are my mission trips to Jamaica.

2012 marked my first time on such a trip, and I was gained an interesting insight into Jamaica and service in general due to this.  The Jamaican people are not by any means wealthy, especially compared to a country like the United States.  Despite this, poor is never a word I would use to describe them.  They were always looking for a reason to smile, and even more importantly, a way to share that smile.  By visiting the sick, elderly, and working in schools, I came to a quick realization:  Jamaica is rich, not financially, but with her people and their culture.

Returning to the U.S. made me reflect on what I was (and am) thankful for.  Instead of stressing over homework or money, I was so appreciative that I had parents and a family that love and care for me.  I was thankful for a roof over my head, and strangely enough just being born with the ability to walk and talk.  Jamaica taught me that I had so much more to be grateful for than I had ever realized.

Inspired by my first trip, I was offered the opportunity to return to Jamaica, this time as a leader.  I helped to assemble a team of twenty students, eager and ready to embark for foreign lands.  This was a different test than the year before, as I was not only responsible for myself, but also my nineteen teammates.  My goal was to ensure that they were all afforded the chance to learn from the Jamaican people, and discover even more about themselves.

To mark this week as a high point of my college career wouldn’t be an understatement.  Immersing ourselves in the activities we were partaking, and trusting that our teammates would be there to support us, my mission trip team slowly, but surely, developed into a family, bonded by faith and service. 

Comparing and contrasting the two years is an unfair assessment, and would lessen the value gained from the experiences.  Instead, what I have taken away from both of these journeys is that through service, I came to know a different part of myself, my teammates and friends, and the people I served.  Service is a prize worth any price.