As I sat on the bus awaiting our 4:30 am arrival at the Nashville airport, I had many hopes and a fair few expectations for the week that lay ahead. After months of hard work, dreaming, and planning, it was time to embark on the first PVCS mission trip to Jamaica. There was a buzz of excitement in the air, laced with a tint of nervousness. Though many of the students were operating on just a few hours of sleep, they possessed no shortage of energy. After all, it’s not often you get to travel to a foreign country with many of your best friends.
I peered back into the dark cabin, anxiously awaiting the long day of travel ahead of us, and quietly asked God (not for the first time) to work both in and through my eager students as they served in Jamaica throughout the next week. Even so, in my tired yet restless state, I had little idea just how emphatically the Lord would answer my prayer in the coming days.
From the moment our students began to arrive at PVCS in the liminal hours of that Tuesday morning to the time the parking lot cleared out deep into the night a week later, I was continually reminded that we serve an amazing, active, and almighty God who is doing great things in the lives of our students.
Throughout our trip, we did much: toured Kemps Hill High school, gaining perspective on what the typical teenage life looks like for those of another culture; led a devotion, taught, and played with elementary-age students in the mountainous Victoria Town Basic School; renovated Banks Basic School with hours upon hours of painting and desk/shelf-building; loved on people the world too often deems unlovable at the May Pen infirmary; witnessed firsthand the devastation of a record-breaking hurricane on vulnerable communities; partnered with a local youth group to lead worship on Sunday morning; had some fun swimming at local watering holes and climbing Dunn’s River Falls; and made many, many more unforgettable memories.
I knew going into this trip that PVCS has been blessed with a great group of students. There was never any concern in my mind that they would cause issues on this trip. Yet still I found myself constantly impressed by our 17 students and their hearts to serve God and others. Not once did I notice a bad attitude. Not once did I hear an utterance of complaint. Not once did I see a lack of enthusiasm.
Instead, I continually saw students putting the needs of others before their own – whether that meant a local Jamaican or a fellow student. I continually saw students jumping in to help at whatever task (however unglamorous) without needing to be asked. I continually saw students serving others, both young and old, with a genuine care for the child of God in front of them. And I continually saw students allowing God to soften their hearts and replace their own thoughts, cares, and desires with His.
A great partnership has been formed, and the fruits of this trip are yet to be fully realized. Please continue to pray for the island of Jamaica. Pray that God would use the work done by our students to glorify His name and advance His Kingdom. And please continue to pray for the 17 students who went on this trip. Pray that God would continue to work in their hearts as they carry forward their passion for Him and His people into the halls of Pleasant View Christian School.