Happenings in the Hill

Over spring break I was able to go on a mission trip to Jamaica thanks to support from friends and family. I went with some girls from my bible study and another boys bible study on campus. There were twelve of us there for the week (eight boys and four girls). We stayed in the Won by One base called the Harmony House in the middle of the community we served while we were there: Harmons. There were two other groups of college age students (from Texas and Pennsylvania) that joined us. Won by One has served Harmons for almost twenty years by building houses and sharing the gospel with those in the community, their main focus is forming relationships with the Jamaicans in order to show them the unconditional love and grace of Christ, since the culture is very legalistic.
The work sites included building two houses, several foundations, working in the store and what was dubbed the "maul haul". Every team that comes down to Jamaica for a week will complete two houses. Due to time constraints, sometimes teams will also build foundations for the houses to be built the next week. Most of these houses are built pretty far into the hills, places vehicles cannot reach. Because of this, the maul (cement bags, piles of dirt, gravel and rocks) is dumped as close as possible to the site by a truck, and teams carry it to where the house will actually be built. Finally, the Harmony House has a store where, for about a dollar, those in the community can come and fill two WalMart sized plastic bags with clothes and school supplies to meet their needs. There is a very long waiting list to get into the store (and to get houses built for that matter) so there are applications and interviews for both and those with the greatest need are put on the list first. Each of us traveling from the US brought down two large suitcases filled with as much as we could fit to give to the store (their greatest need is infant clothing).
We had many opportunities to spend time with the Jamaicans near us. Many of them worked along side us at the work sites (and did the majority of the work, sometimes it seemed we just got in their way) but every night there was some kind of event where the entire community was invited to come spend time with us (movie night, mens and ladies night, etc.) However, the most impacting experience was a visit to the infirmary Wednesday afternoon after work. The infirmary can most accurately be described as a nursing home, though nothing like what you would find in the US. Also, in addition to the elderly it is where men and women with physical deformities and severe mental retardation live. The conditions are abysmal. There are not nearly enough staff to care for the residents, and there are probably about thirty beds to a room, we saw many people just laying on the sidewalks outside. We were told that reading the Bible to them was what most of them really enjoyed, and we could choose to sit with and speak to anyone we wished for about an hour. When we left that day I think we were all speechless. It was a very quiet ride back to Harmony House.
The final day we drove to Ocho Rios to stay at a resort described as "a half star resort with a five star view" and it was so true. The ocean was gorgeous. We were able to go to the market and just walk around a bit, and that night was our final debriefing with our groups to process the week.

Each suitcase could weigh only fifty pounds, but we wanted to fit as much as possible to leave in Jamaica, so this is how we weighed them.

We had a LOT of luggage!

This is the whole group at the airport in Montego Bay

Harmons is about a three hour drive from the airport, very deep into the country.

The first day there, before work, we got to walk around the community we would serving and staying in. This little girl was precious :)

Water is extremely scarce in Jamaica, so we had to do our part to ration it. This is how most of the people in the community get water, they catch it when it rains (filtered only by that wire) and lower buckets as needed.

Yes, we kept our showers at or below two minutes long.
Even the girls.

The first night we had a dance party with the Jamaicans in the neighborhood.

The children were precious :)

The girls after work one day. Starting with me going up and to left we have my friend Sarah, Caroline, and Rachel (who will be my roommate next year).

At the Harmony House

Building the foundation: Step 1.

Foundation Crew on day 1

After the foundation is built, styrofoam and wire makes up the walls, and we put layers and layers of cement on them.

First layer of cement. Get it Sarah :)

My work group for house 2, we got coconuts that day fresh off the tree.

Sifting the cement for the final layer so it looks smoother.

Putting the final layer of cement on house 2.

Taking a break from work.

The back massage train was popular after a long work day :)

The Maul Haul crew on day 4.

Maul Haul

At the infirmary

The last day we formed groups and hiked up into the hills in the surrounding area to deliver rice, beans and oil to families and individuals who are unable to get it themselves.