A Few of Our Stories

Rasheeda

Sophomore, Psychology, New York

Day One: A Homeless Center…
A place to get food and give praise

Open Arms drop-in center was the first destination on our journey to help Jamaica. The amount of thoughts going through my head gave me a headache. I had no idea what we were walking into. I took a deep breath and walked in, I never felt so many eyes trying to read and accept me into their place of worship. This was the only thing they can call their own. They shared the streets… We sang songs during devotion that sent chills through my body. The best part about this visit was that no one wanted to stop singing. While in the back of their mind they know food is waiting for them. Imagine the last time they might have had a meal. It could have been days…

Day Two: Jerusalem House…
ONE OF THE BIGGEST SHOCKS OF MY LIFE…

At first we walked into little classrooms filled with kids that live to be hugged and shown attention. The way they held me filled me with an emotion I can never explain. The hugs these children gave were full of love and the sense of satisfaction I felt about what we were doing was a great thing. The connection of two people is indescribable. It was like seeing a long lost sister or brother.

The hardest part of this visit was where the kids were eating lunch. The difficulty for them to eat, or even to control themselves struck me. I didn’t know how to react. I never saw sicknesses like what the children had there… the only thing running through my mind was how much I complained when I had a “common cold” when these innocent kids had to deal with HIV/AIDS or what just one chromosome off can do every day of their lives. Through it all they were all still happy, the smiles on their faces were priceless… the hugs once again were the most important…

Day Three: BUILDING A HOUSE!!!!!!!!!

I CANNOT BELIEVE I’M GOING TO BLUID A HOUSE…. We drove up to the site and there was literally nothing there - just a foundation… we got our instructions and unloaded the lumber, zinc, nails, and hammers, basically everything to BUILD A HOUSE! The temperature was perfect and everyone was ready to go. Three hours later we had put up all the walls and it was up to the ROOFING TEAM! It was the best feeling knowing that at the end of the day we were providing a family with shelter. The experience was amazing for me and made me proud to be who I am today.

After doing such a great job building the house, we got to come back and paint the house. Painting is always fun, but when the house was complete and we got to take a step back and look at the work that we all had put into the house. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! The house was full of love, hope, and a sense of security. The faces of the new homeowners were priceless. From that point on I knew exactly why I was sent on this trip.

Day Four: Glenhope Girls Home…
Home for abandon girls and or girls that have social issues

This visit was definitely the hardest emotionally for me. The girls at first were distant and very hard to talk to. But as we were all forced into a classroom the barriers started to come down. The one girl that stood out to me the most was the one that said very little but as soon as you looked into her eyes you can see she was hurting the most. The pain she felt at 13 was no pain anyone should ever encounter in a lifetime. Her voice was soft, as she explained to me what had happened to her behind closed doors… I could not believe the stories she was telling me, I felt sick to my stomach. The interaction I had with her made the whole trip worth it for me. We fed the poor and built a house, but the connection I had with this little girl was the most rewarding. As I learned more about this angel it was, of course, time to go. The hardest time I ever had saying goodbye to someone was with a 13 year old girl that lived in Jamaica that I met only 15 minutes before. We hugged liked we never wanted to let go… I hope she will stay strong and I’ll never forget her… A girl who had no family, nothing… with so much hope for the future.

Alpha Boys… Credited boys orphanage
that provides bright futures for boys of Jamaica

After the visit at the girl’s home we needed a stop like this… We danced while the boys played beautiful music that made you move. The boys were great but the thing I took out of this experience was how all of us were dancing together. It reminded me of what my family and me would do, down to the music that we were listening to. Surprisingly, we were all strangers at the start of the trip and now I looked at them like they were family.

Day Five: The last day…
HOW DID 4 DAYS GO BY SO FAST?!…

This trip has made me look at the way I perceive things differently. I will try not to take things for granted and appreciate what I do have a lot more. The friends I’ve made on this trip are all amazing, and we will never forget the experiences we all share. I’m blessed to be able to say I’ve helped people in need but even more blessed that these same people have helped me. The gift of giving a donation cannot be compared with the smiles we put on all the faces of the little children we met or the homeless people that we fed in the shelters. All the memories shared, the laughs that all laughed together or the sad times that we all helped each other through is exactly what this trip was meant to do. It showed me that once you think you’ve got it bad there is someone always struggling more than you. This trip was an eye opener to me; I’m just one more step closer in finding who I am supposed to be. We gave hope to the people that we met on our journey and that was the intention of this whole trip… I must say I’m very proud of myself, and the wonderful group that got the mission completed. The Journey of Hope to Jamaica has changed me in ways I didn’t think was possible.