A group of Ortonville youths now know the literal meaning of working ‘in the trenches,? after a trip to Jamaica.
The usual tourist destination was a mission trip for 29 teens and six adults from Hillside Bible Church, who spent the week of July 11-18 in Catadupa, a village located in a mountainous region that has a population of roughly 1,500 people.
‘We had a huge opportunity to help families,? said Hillside Youth Pastor Ken Tison. ‘We wanted to do real concrete ministry.?
The youth group, known as Momentum, accomplished that in three main ways? by leading a Vacation Bible School-type kids club, literally working in the trenches? digging ditches alongside a poorly maintained, but much needed road that leads to the larger town of Cambridge, and building a house in Cambridge.
‘The roads are so devastated you can only go about five miles an hour,? said Tison. ‘We went in to help reinforce the drainage infrastructure.?
Members of the youth group dug trenches by hand about three-quarters of a mile along the road, using pickaxes to loosen dirt, pitchforks to remove rocks and a machete to clear bamboo, as well as move or kill poisonous salamanders and centipedes.
These creatures were Kirstin Munoch’s only real dislike about the trip, even with sweltering heat that reached in to the 100s, extremely dirty work and showers taken by pipes that came out of the mountainside.
‘We were in the trench one day, deep, and had to pull ourselves out (because of salamanders),? she said. ‘If they bite you, the locals say, you can get really sick, swell up, and you might die.?
Tison noted the Jamaicans were very easygoing, until they saw salamanders, cuing in the newcomers to how real the danger was.
This was the Hillside youth group’s second mission trip to Jamaica? their first was in 2007.
This was Megan Justice’s first trip to the country.
‘I noticed how everyone will love on you, even if they’ve never met you,? said the 15-year-old. ‘Kids come and hold your hand, and ask for a piggyback ride if you’re walking down the street.?
‘They’re very welcoming, friendly people,? noted Ryan King, 15. ‘They have a very relaxed environment. If they want to do something, they might.?
A few Jamaicans assisted the Hillside teens as they built a 12-foot by 20-foot house from scratch. The house was built on stilts as many homes are, because of the extremely mountainous terrain. They began work on the house on Monday, using plywood and 2-by-4s, and sheet metal for the roof, and finished on Thursday, with a family of four ready to move in.
The teens changed jobs daily, working on either the house, the ditches, or hosting the kids? club. A typical day had them on their job site by 8:30 a.m. and done by 4 p.m.
‘I was really impressed we got so much done,? said Munoch. ‘It rained really hard the first day and you could see the water go into the trenches instead of washing out the road and it was exciting to know that what we did was beneficial.?
While in Jamaica, the youth learned meals consist mostly of chicken and rice and bun and cheese concoctions. Entertainment in the evenings was playing with the Jamaican children, or cards with the native adults.
On Friday, with more work accomplished than expected, a local pastor took the group on a surprise trip to Montego Bay, about an hour away, where they were able to swim in the ocean and go snorkeling.
The teens said they learned a lot from their overall Jamaican experience.
‘I learned that when you go into another culture, not to judge, just interact and really listen to them and take things in and pay attention,? said Alex Noonan, 19.
Justice added, ‘I learned that no matter where you live around the world, you can come together as a Christian family and accomplish things together and bond with someone you’ve never met before. It’s neat how you can do that.?