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The year started off with my mom having a stroke. Not only did my world stop but it seemed everything went downhill after that. This year's mission would allow me the opportunity to momentarily forget how personally challenging the year had been so far; to relax my mind and hopefully, touch a few lives.
There were seven of us leaving from Toronto, with another joining in Jamaica. Of the eight, five were coming along for the first time. Ever since we gave the report from the 2009 trip and showed pictures and video highlights, they wanted to come share in the experience. Another mission trip, another four days of Vacation Bible School, and the unadulterated excitement of seeing the people, especially the kids, again. They were no longer strangers but more like friends. For those of us who had been on previous missions, we had talked about those kids, looked at their pictures, and retold stories of our experiences - so much so that our passion had rubbed off on the first-timers. We had shipped barrels, finished lessons and curriculums, planned and organized, and finally on July 9th, left Toronto for Montego Bay.
For the first time we were not flying Air Canada but WestJet instead. Surprisingly to a few of us, the service was excellent and rivalled the usual good service we were accustomed to on AC. The flight attendant who did the safety review was an extremely funny guy and had us passengers laughing on more than one occasion. One incident that stands out in my mind was as the attendants were demonstrating how to inflate the life jackets, he said to the effect, "If you blow on the tubes and the jacket does not inflate," <pausing for dramatic effect>, "I don't know what to tell you." The plane load of passengers roared with laughter. Funny dude.
The flight was uneventful and when I wasn't engaged in some personal reflection, I spent some of the time chatting with another team member and taking in the magnificent views that were above the clouds. Something about the "purity" of the vastness appeals to me; the abstract formations of the clouds inviting the interested onlooker to see in them what the mind could conceive. If you've never tried it, you should try it sometime. These are some off what I saw; no need for commentary as they speak for themselves.
We got into Montego Bay on time and passed through immigration and customs without incident. The excitement of the mission newbies was palpable, especially for those visiting Jamaica for the first time or after long periods of absence and it was with bated breath that we waited to renew acquaintances with Mark, our driver. He was usually very punctual so after an hour of waiting without any sign of him, it was "Oh, oh" - we figured something had gone wrong. After a couple of phone calls it turned out that he thought we would be arriving the next day! So here we were, stuck in MoBay. But one disappointment was God's opportunity and thanks to the resourcefulness of a couple of guys at the airport, they introduced us to a JUTA driver who could take us to St. Elizabeth for J$26K. We didn't hesitate in agreeing to the price (we had seen the JUTA rate sheet so we knew we weren't being scammed) and the arrangement was mutually beneficial. Up to that time the driver had been there all day without a single fare; we needed a ride and he needed the money. Ah, the perfect fit. God was good!
Though he was unfamiliar with the route, the driver made good time in getting us to the Ocean Breeze hotel in southfield. This after making the mandatory pit stop for Juici Beef patties. It was great being back at the Ocean Breeze. We loved the place and the owners were gracious hosts. After check-in, it was back to another favorite place, the Jamaican-Chinese restaurant in Junction. It didn't disappoint and though it took a while to get the orders done, the food was worth the wait. My favorite - chicken chop suey with fried rice was excellent
We were tired and we still had to get our briefing done, so it was a quick turnaround back to the hotel. In what had become a personal ritual I headed towards the balcony. Looking out into the blackness with only flickers of light here and there, it was as if time stood still. The ripples in the water rode the calmness of the breeze, creating their own music in the process. I could hardly wait for the mission to get started but right now it was good to be home.
There were seven of us leaving from Toronto, with another joining in Jamaica. Of the eight, five were coming along for the first time. Ever since we gave the report from the 2009 trip and showed pictures and video highlights, they wanted to come share in the experience. Another mission trip, another four days of Vacation Bible School, and the unadulterated excitement of seeing the people, especially the kids, again. They were no longer strangers but more like friends. For those of us who had been on previous missions, we had talked about those kids, looked at their pictures, and retold stories of our experiences - so much so that our passion had rubbed off on the first-timers. We had shipped barrels, finished lessons and curriculums, planned and organized, and finally on July 9th, left Toronto for Montego Bay.
For the first time we were not flying Air Canada but WestJet instead. Surprisingly to a few of us, the service was excellent and rivalled the usual good service we were accustomed to on AC. The flight attendant who did the safety review was an extremely funny guy and had us passengers laughing on more than one occasion. One incident that stands out in my mind was as the attendants were demonstrating how to inflate the life jackets, he said to the effect, "If you blow on the tubes and the jacket does not inflate," <pausing for dramatic effect>, "I don't know what to tell you." The plane load of passengers roared with laughter. Funny dude.
The flight was uneventful and when I wasn't engaged in some personal reflection, I spent some of the time chatting with another team member and taking in the magnificent views that were above the clouds. Something about the "purity" of the vastness appeals to me; the abstract formations of the clouds inviting the interested onlooker to see in them what the mind could conceive. If you've never tried it, you should try it sometime. These are some off what I saw; no need for commentary as they speak for themselves.
We got into Montego Bay on time and passed through immigration and customs without incident. The excitement of the mission newbies was palpable, especially for those visiting Jamaica for the first time or after long periods of absence and it was with bated breath that we waited to renew acquaintances with Mark, our driver. He was usually very punctual so after an hour of waiting without any sign of him, it was "Oh, oh" - we figured something had gone wrong. After a couple of phone calls it turned out that he thought we would be arriving the next day! So here we were, stuck in MoBay. But one disappointment was God's opportunity and thanks to the resourcefulness of a couple of guys at the airport, they introduced us to a JUTA driver who could take us to St. Elizabeth for J$26K. We didn't hesitate in agreeing to the price (we had seen the JUTA rate sheet so we knew we weren't being scammed) and the arrangement was mutually beneficial. Up to that time the driver had been there all day without a single fare; we needed a ride and he needed the money. Ah, the perfect fit. God was good!
Though he was unfamiliar with the route, the driver made good time in getting us to the Ocean Breeze hotel in southfield. This after making the mandatory pit stop for Juici Beef patties. It was great being back at the Ocean Breeze. We loved the place and the owners were gracious hosts. After check-in, it was back to another favorite place, the Jamaican-Chinese restaurant in Junction. It didn't disappoint and though it took a while to get the orders done, the food was worth the wait. My favorite - chicken chop suey with fried rice was excellent
We were tired and we still had to get our briefing done, so it was a quick turnaround back to the hotel. In what had become a personal ritual I headed towards the balcony. Looking out into the blackness with only flickers of light here and there, it was as if time stood still. The ripples in the water rode the calmness of the breeze, creating their own music in the process. I could hardly wait for the mission to get started but right now it was good to be home.
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