My First Trip - T. Griggs - DAY 1

By Terri Griggs (Excelsior Springs, MO): The First Day: Deciding to go on my very first church mission trip aroused many emotions weeks before my actual departure. Emotions like apprehension, excitement, humility, and lack of worth. It even raised the question as to whether or not I was worthy to go and help spread God's Word, just as the apostles/disciples did. Well, the day of departure has arrived. I flew to Atlanta, Georgia to meet up with part of the group I would be spending the next ten days with. They were all welcoming to a first-timer. For those in the group who were "seasoned" or been there before, there was a very visible closeness/connection between them that is not felt by the first-timer. However, that is not a bad thing - it just made me aware that I wanted to work harder to be able to have that feeling, closeness, and connection that these saints shared. The ride from Montego Bay to Savanna La Mar was an experience to say the least. Jamaicans drive on the left/wrong side of the street, steering wheels are on the right side of the vehicle, the roads are extremely narrow, with dirt and potholes everywhere. Drivers drive fast and crazy. Cyclists, pedestrians and cars all share these narrow dirt roads. Montego Bay was not at all what I expected (a clean, tourist city). It is extremely dirty, and overly crowded with people, cars, and buildings. Every shop had bars and gates around it. There were street vendors all along the street and in the street - standing among moving traffic. They sold peanuts and steering wheel covers. How they don't get hit is a miracle. The drive through and up the mountains provided a glimpse of a lifestyle totally foreign to anything I would have imagined. Poverty beyond description. Shanties and shacks no bigger than my bathroom at home. Goats tied everywhere. Outhouses - not flush toilets. There was a contradiction though that I'm not sure how to explain. Those shacks and shanties are neighbors to homes that would cost $300,000 in the states. After approximately 55 minutes, we arrived at our hotel: Kibo. For Jamaica, it is a very nice hotel, however not like the hotels we are used to. I must say, these rooms are very clean. There is one thing that overrides everything else: the people we have encountered at Savanna La Mar and at our hotel are so friendly and so willing to do whatever they can to make our stay the best it can be. I am so looking forward to tomorrow, where we will actually go out into the area to meet the people and invite them to VBS. I cannot wait to see what this week will hold!