First, let me start off by saying, there are two sides to every country. As you can imagine there is the picture perfect: bright blue water, white sandy beaches, and the beautiful "Pinterest-worthy" resorts. Then there is the part of the island that I fell in love with. The part where the same river is used as drinking water but also to bathe in, and where orphans live on top of a mountain.
My summer before college I was privileged to have an opportunity to spend a week in Montego Bay, Jamaica. This trip was put together by my churches mission trip organization, 516 Missions. I was lucky enough to have two of my best friends along with me on this life changing adventure. When I hopped on the plane I was under the impression that I would have occasional internet access and being able to shower daily, at the least. Within the first couple of hours there I knew this would not be what I imagined it would be. But, it would be what God needed it to be for me.
I went into this trip knowing I would be working with orphans, knowing I would get attached, and knowing I wouldn't come back the same person I went being. Four years prior, I took my first mission trip, it was also to Jamaica. I was only 15 and I went for all of the wrong reasons, I wasn't called to serve in 2011. When I was given the chance in 2015, I felt as if this was where God wanted me to be, so I followed.
Open arriving at the orphanage, one of the first little girls I met, her name was Kimberly. At that moment I knew God had something in the works for me this time. This wasn't a mission trip where the day was spent playing with children; we were on top of letters, painting ceilings. I watched my guy friends catch chickens that they would soon behead and would have for supper. Rode the "water truck" down the mountain to the river where the generator was unloaded along with hoses that sucked the river water into the truck to take to the purifying tank at the orphanage. On the side of the river, I noticed bottles of soap and shampoo, I asked the local who ran the water truck and he explained to be that this is also where they showered at. While we complained about not getting to shower daily or the inconvenience of rice at every meal.
