COCONUT CREEK – Instead of spending their Spring Break lounging on the beach, 15 students and three faculty members from The University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, traveled to Jamaica March 7-12 on a house-building mission trip with the international relief and development organization Food For The Poor.
In one day, equipped with hammers, paint brushes and compassion, members of the nonprofit’s Students For The Poor group completed the construction of a double-unit home in Jamaica. After the group worked as a team, they were able to present the house key to the new owner.
Food For The Poor is committed to building permanent homes in developing countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. For $3,200, Food For The Poor can build a single-unit home with sanitation to replace a crumbling shack that leaks when it rains. In 2010, Food For The Poor constructed a total of 9,460 new housing units with concrete foundations, locking doors, windows, and a zinc roof with hurricane straps.
There is no substitute for the firsthand experience of traveling on a mission trip. The experience required group members to use all of their senses – sight, touch, smell, taste, hearing – and their hearts. Another important part of mission trips is the daily group reflection time, which provides students the opportunity to share their thoughts, feelings and life-changing experiences.
In addition to building a home in a day, the students witnessed and heard firsthand accounts about the harsh realities of life in developing countries. A fisherman at the Bull Bay Fishing Village shared his heartfelt gratitude for Food For The Poor’s donors, saying he is thankful for the opportunity to have a job that would not be possible without their support.
The Alpha Boys Home band welcomed the UCF group. One of the young boys allowed the group to shadow him during the completion of his daily chores. He said his dream is to be a musician, but with skills he has learned at the Alpha Boys Home he said he knows how to tend to poultry and the garden. Food For The Poor assists with the school’s musical and agricultural programs.
Group members also played basketball at Maxfield Children’s Home, painted faces and spoke to young women infected with AIDS about the importance of self-respect, and enjoyed some valuable “girl” time as they painted fingernails and styled hair with orphaned girls at Glenhope Girls home.
At the homeless shelter, the students didn’t just serve a meal, they sat down and talked, sang and shared hugs with the homeless. At St. Annie’s Primary School, the UCF students stepped in as teachers’ aides to help tutor students in smaller groups. During recess, the students taught UCF students educational cultural songs and dances.
Quotes from UCF Students
Nicole Anderson – “There was tons of laughter, a lot of crying, plenty of thought-provoking conversations, the start of many new friendships, and the strengthening of old ones. The thing I loved most about going to Jamaica with [Food For The Poor’s] Students For The Poor was that we were not only able to give out our love to the people of Jamaica, but we also received just as much. Lives were definitely changed this spring break – theirs and ours.” (age: 21, major: Elementary Education, Hometown: Knob Noster, MO)
Alicia Hines – “The people of Jamaica don’t seem to realize that they are living in poverty. This is their culture and way of life. To them it is normal to live meagerly, sleep in small spaces, wear dirty clothes, take showers every now and again in the street, and to go to work. People here don’t worry. They just relax and live as best they can.” (Age: 22, major: Elementary Education, Hometown: Tallahassee, FL)
Sonya Czendron – “We all want the conditions to change but the reality right now is they won’t. The only thing that can be done is to spread awareness and contribute what you can to help make a difference. Now more than ever I believe in the power of people coming together for a greater purpose. If more people contributed more could be done. Knowledge is power and the knowledge I’ve gained from this experience has been invaluable. I hope to go back home and inspire others to go on trips like these and help.” (Age: 26, Elementary Education, Hometown: Orlando, FL)
Allison Killam – “Most of the people we met in Jamaica have every reason to be hopeless, depressed, distrusting, and angry at God, but they’re not. They open their arms and hearts to us, knowing they’ll never see us again. They laugh, dance, and give thanks to God for what they do have, even if it’s only one meal a day or a tiny shack to live in. These people have changed my perspective of humility and gratitude. They are truly an inspiration.” (Age: 24, Mental Health Counseling, Hometown: Venice, FL)
Alicia McMahon – “Going on this trip I always felt pity for people who had less then myself. I thought I would be crying at every visit during this trip, but I never felt the pity I was expecting. I now live by a new personal motto: don’t waste your time to pity and cry. Use your time to provide and change.” (Age: 20,
Exceptional Education, Hometown: Mims, FL)
Cassie Tisdale – “Understanding culture is so vital to growth. Even just getting a glimpse of Jamaican culture has opened my eyes to aspects of American culture that I had previously overlooked. I’ve realized that there is still so much room for growth – not only as a society, but as an individual.” (Age: 19, English Literature, Hometown: Haymarket, VA)
Tabitha Sherrick – “Without the generous donations of Stephanie’s family I would have never been able to go on this trip. I think it’s unfortunate a lot of people will never have the opportunity to be a part of what I experienced this past week. To thank them I plan to use this experience to help those around me in need and try to get the message and opportunity for others to visit a third world country. It’s hard to find the words to describe the impact this trip to Jamaica has had on my life. The outpouring of love, care and God I witnessed from those on the trip with me and the people we met in Jamaica will have an everlasting affect on my life. I could never thank Stephanie and her family enough in word, but I plan to use the experience to help others take part in something so life altering not only in their lives hopefully but instill the passion to want to help others such as those people in Jamaica.” (Age: 24, Elementary Education, Hometown: St. Cloud, FL)
Elizabeth Dunbar – “After this trip, I will look at the world from a completely different perspective. I wish that everyone could see the images that will be forever painted in my mind.” (Age: 20, Elementary Education, Hometown: Venice, FL)
Meredith Kingsbury – “Even though they are not rich in finances or material possessions, the people we met were rich in their faith, love for others and most importantly their hope for the future. Their positive attitudes despite their unthinkable living conditions was so inspiring and unlike anything I have ever witnessed in the United States.” (Age: 21, Elementary Education, Hometown: Venice, FL)
Jessie Cuadros – “This week I have experienced so much that it is impossible to put it into words. I have been given the opportunity to love without limits and serve with my heart. I also was surprised to see that we too received the gift of love from all the people we met. I could only sum up this trip by saying that by being Christ’s hands and feet with the poorest of the poor, my heart has grown for love of others and I have been given an intense desire to continue this mission.” (Age: 24, Mental Health Counseling, Hometown: Miami, FL)
Amara Correll – “I came off the basketball court and just saw a giant umbrella of awesomeness over our whole group. God was revealing himself through every smile that I saw, student, child, and adult. In that moment I knew what it truly felt like to understand in my whole heart – that love knows no boundaries.” (Age: 19, Social Science Education, Hometown: South Huntington, NY)
Ivan Gonzalez – “This trip to Jamaica has taught me that presence is everything. True change manifests itself in the loving presence of one brother being present for the other. Being known, that brings change. Jamaica has taught me a simple truth: to be known is to experience God in a powerful and tangible way. Love starts with being known.” (Age: 23, Mental Health Counseling, Hometown: Titusville, FL)
Angella Briggs – “I thought I knew what it meant to be poor. I now know I learned this US version of being poor which means you have resources and opportunities. However, here in Jamaica I learned that being poor is an endless cycle with no end in sight without people like myself and others willing to take a chance. Here in Jamaica there are no resources. Here it’s not about who you know or even where you are born, it is about doing whatever you can to get by. A common theme among Jamaicans is to give despite the amount they have which is a note Americans should pull out of their book.” (Age: 23, Mental Health Counseling, Hometown: Brookesville, FL)
Andrea Scott – “Lives were changed, tears were shed, houses were built, hungry were fed, lonely were comforted, orphans were played with, education was taught, and friends were made, young and old. This trip to Jamaica will be in our hearts forever. It’s amazing to see God’s love spread and people transformed. I will take a little bit of Jamaica, the experiences I’ve had and the people that have impacted us with me always. It’s so carefree and there’s less stress in Jamaica. People were welcoming and hospitable. I can’t wait to come back and see how these changes have impacted the people in Jamaica.” (Age: 26, Sociology, Hometown: Millville, Delaware)
Geraldine Villavicencio – “Through this journey, I have found myself. I have learned who I am without all my titles and roles. I am fun, loving, and generous. I am grateful to have been given this opportunity to find this answer at such a young age.” (Age: 24, Mental Health Counseling, Hometown: Santiago, Chile)
