Hello! I’m back from Harmons, Jamaica and had an incredible time. Our mission team did so much and experienced so much I could talk about it forever and yet never be able to fully share with you my experience. We had an amazing team of 12 eager students including me and . . . my brother Stefan! Thanks to the generous support I received Stefan was able to serve the Lord in Jamaica as well. We stayed in Harmony House, which was built by previous mission groups and is staffed by a director, other college students, and Jamaicans. Below is a detailed account of our trip:

Wednesday, June 25th: The mission team met at Harmony United Methodist Church (Erin Hayba’s church, our team leader) in Hamilton. There we had a “packing party”. Each team member would be responsible for 2 suitcases full of donated clothes, school supplies, and medicine. After a wonderful dinner provided by some members of the church we gathered in the sanctuary where other members led us in worship, a devotion, and prayer.

Thursday, June 26th: We flew from Washington Dulles International Airport to Charlotte, NC and then on to Montego Bay, Jamaica. There we are welcomed by the Won by One/Youth Front Missions staff. We load up our suitcases into one van and us in another and begin the 4 hour trip inland and up into the mountains to Harmons. The island is gorgeous. The terrain is very hilly and very green with tropical vegetation. When we go through towns, the kids love to wave and say “Hi Whities!” We arrive at Harmony House in the evening and unpack and sort through all the donated items. They will go to the store which is located on the side of the house. People are allowed in the store only if their name is on a list which is determined by a lottery system. Then they pay $50 Ja (about $1 US dollar) and can take a garbage bag full of items. I thought we had brought down so much stuff, but what I didn’t realize was how fast it goes. The store was only able to be open 1 day during our week.

Friday, June 27th: This morning we had a tour of Harmons. Most of the homes are nothing more than shacks. However, most Jamaicans just use their home to sleep and keep their small amount of possessions. Some kids followed us around and one of the boys, Erol, gave us mangoes. Erol is one of the kids we got to know really well. Everyday he would come out to the worksite and help us out. He was hard working and always shared what he had—he’s such a great kid! After a lunch of pb&j’s and bananas, we finished a foundation that had been started by the last group. The boys worked with Val (Jamaican, construction overseer) and Corey (college staff) to get large rocks and tie string for a guide for the concrete. Nicky (Jamaican) mixed concrete and the girls hauled buckets of it over to the boys who poured and smoothed the cement. Brittany, a little girl who will live in this house, wanted to help so she carried the water needed to make the concrete. During a quick break, a lady came over and cut us some sugar cane, yum! Then we headed home and got to take our 2 minute showers. At Harmony House they conserve 3 things: water, electricity, and food. All water (except drinking water) is rainwater collected off the roof and stored in large cisterns. Electricity is really expensive so if no one is in a room the light should not be on. Everyone eats what they put on their plate. Leftover food is given to people. There is no wasted food! Jamaicans cooked our dinner of baked chicken, sweet n’ sour sauce, spaghetti, rice and beans, green beans, and corn. After dinner we had an evening meeting with worship and discussion. Then it’s courtyard time! This was probably my favorite thing. Every night in there is an event planned by the college staff. Many people, especially the kids, come to Harmony House for the events. This first night was kind of just a get to know the Americans night with music and dancing—Jamaicans love to dance. Many of the younger kids will beg us for ‘sweeties’, which is candy, fruit snacks, anything sweet.

Saturday, June 28th: Today began with a morning meeting of worship and some reflection on how the features of a hummingbird, ajugga plant, and bottlenose dolphin reflect God’s character. Then off to the worksite. We hauled maul (a type of stone common in Jamaica) in sacks from the bottom of the hill to the top where we will begin our second foundation. This is also the foundation for the house we will build. The house will be for a man called ‘Porkman’, so named because he loves pigs (pet names are common in Jamaica). Two of his young nieces, Monique and Dijon, lend a helping hand. Then a break for the best pineapple ever and some roasted corn. Next we collect large rocks and throw them in between the forms of the 12’ by 12’ foundation. Then Nicky mixes the concrete and that too is hauled over and poured and by 1 pm the foundation is complete! Monique and Dijon ask if they can come home for lunch with us. It’s very hard to turn them down. After lunch we head to the site where we will build our 3rd foundation. We hauled maul and hauled some more maul. This time we formed an assembly line to get the task done. At 4:30 its time to go home for 2 minute showers and Jamaican cooking! Dinner tonight is ‘bumpkin’ soup with a dumpling, pepper steak, spaghetti, green beans, corn, and mashed potatoes. The evening meeting focused on creation and how smart and wonderful God is. He knows each and everyone of His creation. That reminds me: In Jamaica a plant called ‘courage’ grows. If it touches you it will burn and itch. Near it also grows the ‘leaf of life’. If your rub that on the courage burn, it will go away! God made the cure grows near the poison! Courtyard tonight is Movie Night. We watch George of the Jungle and I talk with some of the kids.

Sunday, June 29th: Today we went to a Jamaican church. It is a lot different from church in the states. It started out with contemporary worship and then lots of ‘Praise God!’ and prayer and some more singing and then readings from the bible. And then it was time for the sermon which was loud and powerful with the theme, ‘The Gates of Hell Will Not Prevail Against the Church of the Almighty God’. Church lasted about 2 1/2 hours and ended with an invitation to accept Christ. Four young adults came forward to the altar and accepted the Lord. After church, we visited a poor house. It is home to elderly, physically ill, and mentally ill people who have no money to take care of themselves. This was a difficult time for me and it’s really hard to put into words all that happened. The conditions were really bad and I didn’t see the nurses anywhere. I talked with many of the residents, told them about myself and read some passages from the bible. Many don’t understand what I am saying, but just wanted to hear me speak to them. Dinner was Jamaican Jerked Chicken, potato salad, rice and beans, green beans, and lima beans. During the evening meeting we discussed the poor house. Some girls had met a woman named Pearl. She’s at the poor house because she has MS. Other than that she is healthy and aware of the awful conditions around her. However, she is a strong Christian and is not at all bitter towards God putting her in the poor house. She says this is God’s calling for her and since she knows this is what God wants for her life, she is happy to minister to people at the poor house. Courtyard time was praise and worship. I met a shy girl named Marsha, who pretty soon opened up after I started talking to her.

Monday, June 30th: At the morning meeting we wrote an anonymous and encouraging note to a team member. Then me and 2 of the other girls, Serah and Genevieve, went to the Harmons All Age School. We got there early and the kids that were already there were lined up outside singing worship songs. Then at about 9 am the lady in charge had the kids say the Jamaican pledge and then she had them recite a psalm. After that the students were dismissed to their classrooms. The lady came over to us and asked if we could teach in the classes where the teachers had not arrived yet. I ended up going to the grade 6 class, Genevieve grade 5, and Serah grade 2 and 3. I was totally unprepared for this and had no idea what to do. I asked some of the students and they said they first write in their journals so I had them start off the morning doing that. Then I tried spelling. Genevieve was right next door and since this was her second time to Jamaica she had come prepared with tons of art supplies. So after she started grade 5 on a project she came and took over grade 6 and I went over to grade 5. I had them finish up their art projects, tried spelling with them, and then it got really crazy so I had them make paper snowflakes since art seemed to be the only thing they were interested in. I don’t know if it is always this crazy but today was their last day of school so maybe that had something to do with it. I asked some of the students what they wanted to be when they grew up—teacher, boat manager, soldier. I asked them if they liked it better when it’s school or summer break—school. Serah came over during the 10:30 break. She was really upset because she had grades 2 and 3 write letters to their pen pals (students at Lovettsville Elementary!), but not all the kids had pencils and she was sad she hadn’t brought any. Tomorrow is the grade 6 graduation. Erin Hayba got invited to attend, so she went and said graduation was as big a deal as an American high school graduation. In Jamaica, not everyone can attend school. It’s not free—you have to pay tuition, buy your uniform, your books, your lunch, and if the school is too far to walk, you have to pay for a taxi. At the graduation, Erin announced that Loudoun Valley High School wants to adopt Harmons All Age School as a sister school and has sent $1100 US dollars. The principal announced that the money would go towards the construction of a computer lab! This is amazing because not one person has a computer in Harmons! After lunch I went to the worksite. The team this morning had already put up a frame on Porkman’s foundation. The next thing to be done was to put up the aluminum roof. Then it was time for showers, dinner, and evening meeting. We got a demonstration by the cooks, Gloria and Winsome, on ‘potswa’. That’s the Jamaican language. The Jamaicans speak English, but usually amongst themselves they speak potswa, which is similar to English but it is really fast, the word order is mixed up, and some of the words are run together. Courtyard was ‘Night o’ Lights’. We handed out glowsticks and put up Christmas lights. Then there was music and dancing and a game of red light, green light.

Tuesday, July 1st: This morning we finished up the third foundation. Then at lunchtime, we got to try achkee and saltfish, the Jamaican National Dish. It looks like scrambled eggs, but it kind of just tastes salty. Achkee is the national fruit, but really it’s more of a vegetable. After lunch we got a break from work and drove to the south coast. There we relaxed at a black sand beach and then bathed in the fresh water river a couple hundred feet from the ocean. At the evening meeting we were taught some Jamaican praise songs by a Jamaican called Lawyer. Then we discussed feeling like you got the short end of the stick. But really no one has gotten it. God has a plan for your life, and you are not apart from it. There are no whatifs. Courtyard was a talent show. Our whole team sung ‘Lean on Me’ with motions. The little girl Marsha I met a few nights ago sung a worship song. She’s so brave!

Wenesday, July 2nd: After the morning meeting we hauled dirt from the basement out into the garden. Then at about 10:30, the siding for the house finally arrived. So, we headed over to the worksite and began putting up the siding. After a quick lunch break it was back to work on the house. Some people worked on the windows and doors and some on painting the inside and outside of the house. And finally we finished! Val (Jamaican, construction overseer) dedicated the house to Porkman and his wife. During the dedication, they received rice to symbolize abundance and so that they may share with others in need; a flashlight to be a beacon in the dark; and a bible to be the foundation upon which the home is built. They were so thankful to us and to God. During courtyard, a Jamaican band was brought in and there was singing and dancing. I had a great time hanging out with all of the Jamaicans this one last time! I was saddened though when a couple of girls asked me for reading and writing books, and while I have these at home, I didn’t have them here to give.

Thursday, July 3rd: This morning we left for Ocho Rios. On the way we passed through Fern Gully, a rainforest that has over 600 varieties of ferns and the people dress up like trees! Also, the road through Fern Gully is paved on a dried up riverbed so it’s really curvy. Once we got to Ocho Rios, we got to climb Dunn River Falls. Then we went to Silver Seas Hotel, a beautiful Jamaican hotel right on the Caribbean. No tourists stay here, just a couple of Jamaicans so we almost had the place to ourselves. We got lunch and then headed over to the open air market to browse. A couple of people tried their luck at bartering for the prices they wanted on certain items. We went back to the hotel and then down to the beach to go snorkeling in the beautiful clear, turquoise water of the Caribbean! We swam around the coral reefs and saw lots of small colorful fish. Wes (team member) says he saw a barracuda, but I don’t know about that. In the evening, we gathered on the pier for a farewell pizza party. Then we moved to the beach and everyone shared what God has been revealing in his or her lives during our time in Jamaica. Stefan said something about not really grasping what poverty is until you experience it. He was awed by how gracious Porkman and his wife were for something so small. I said I hadn’t figured out all that I learned from this trip yet, but that God has been telling me not to forget about Him and to trust Him. To be honest, this past semester at school, I felt like I had been drifting away. I think it had something to do with being presented with too many choices about my future while at the same time having lots of school work to do. And with me being as indecisive as I am, I stressed myself out. I prayed about it, but I wasn’t patient with God and wanted to see the best decision I should make right away. And then I came home for the summer and while it’s great being here, I miss the fellowship of people my age and I tend to stop spending time with God. But when the Jamaica opportunity presented itself, I prayed about it to God and I also asked him if Stefan could go too because I thought this would be a great experience for him. Well, God got both Stefan and me to Jamaica and blessed the whole team! God is good and He is everywhere—in Pittsburgh, in Virginia, even in Harmons. I will not forget about Him!

Friday, July 4th: Left the Silver Seas Hotel and drove approximately 2 hours to the airport. We exchanged our goodbyes and after our plane took off from Montego Bay, then end of the trip sunk in. I couldn’t believe it was already over. Part of me was ready to return home, I was tired and so much had happened. I needed stuff to slow down again. But part of me was really sad. I already missed the people and the friends I had made. The Jamaicans are such friendly, hardworking people. They are also really funny, and looking back on the week, I realized I laughed so much! The Jamaicans are also genuine in their faith. They are a people of God, forever our brothers and sisters in Christ. I really hope someday I will be able to go back.

There is a general website for the Harmons Jamaica Missions Trip. Go to: www.youthfrontzone.com. Click on What’s Happening, then Youth Front Missions, then Jamaica.

Thank you so much for all your support and prayers. The team and I were extremely blessed on this trip and God used us to accomplish so much. I personally have also learned many things from this trip that I will never forget. Thanks again.

In Him,

Jessica