I could feel the sweat dripping off my face from the second I climbed on that roof. The sun beat down as I looked down on the herd of teenagers crowding below. The simultaneous sounds of hammers, shovels, and feet moving almost seemed like a symphony to me. As I joined in the melody, rhythmically moving cinder blocks up the ladder, I stopped noticing the sweltering heat. The only thing I saw was the hearts of fifty kids and the song that they proclaimed. As we headed back to camp for the last time, I thought about all the things had been done over just eight short days. We had physically served the community, but they had spiritually filled us up. I could have never dreamed of seeing God’s face so evidently in Jamaica; yet, in every drop of sweat and every gleaming face, I saw the evidence of His hand.
Though we saw the white beaches and the crystal clear waters of Jamaica; that is not the imagery what will remain with me forever. Rather, I will take with me the faces of all the lives I came in contact with. I saw the smiling face of Jesus manifested into little children and in the faithful followers of His service. I do not think I can accurately describe the feeling I received knowing that these people knew the saving power of Jesus, in such a dark place. On this journey, I was not just another Christian, none of us we’re, rather we were the embodiment of Jesus Christ ministering to the forgotten people of Manchester, Jamaica, and I think that is what Christianity is all about.
This summer I learned that being a Christian does not mean setting a couple hours aside every Sunday, to sit through a long, sleep-inspiring service. Christianity is a full out, intense, lifelong, awe-inspiring, indescribable journey that leads you through places of joy and peace that you could never imagine. The journey that God took me on this summer brought me to an infirmary where I observed the faces of the forgotten, “throw-away” people. Though their lives were full of pain, the only thing they could talk about what the saving power and grace of Jesus. These are the kinds of occurrences I experienced as I let my God take control and lead me to Jamaica. Though I had to go through immeasurable fear and doubt to get there, I came out willing to give up all the comforts and treasures of this world just to get a morsel of that feeling again. However, Christianity is not all about that feeling; it is about the commitment and calling that leads to it. It is the willingness to give up everything, so that, in turn, you can gain so much more. Through those things, God leads you into a mind-set of total freedom that you could never imagine.
My Trip in Jamaica held sleepless nights, long days, and straining work; but it also brought, unimaginable joy, inconceivable peace, extraordinary comfort, and implausible closeness to my Savior. For me, that is what Christianity is all about, the journeys. It is the moments that you are given by Christ that make everything else worth while.
