Reflection of the Culture

After traveling nearly the whole day yesterday, today was our first full day to experience the culture of Jamaica! As I was falling asleep last night after arriving at Taino Cove,  I felt a mix of being anxious and excited, as while I was ecstatic about the week of service ahead, I was nervous about being in an area that I did not know. Being anxious however provided me with the curiosity to think deeply about the world around me as our group traveled throughout Jamaica and gather impressions about it and its culture.  After waking up, we ate breakfast at Taino Cove, got changed, and drove over to Treasure Beach Pentecostal Church of God to take part in their worship with them. Being that I have been on four service trips through my high school youth ministry, going to church during a service trip was something that I was used to, but this worship was a little different than the experiences I have had in the past. The outside of the church gave me the first impression that the church was relatively small, but the amount of passion and excitement the attendees had for God and their faith was HUGE! Every voice in that church was heard, whether if it were them singing, praying, or preaching. Everyone danced to the songs that were sung and shouted "Praise God" or "Hallelujah" whenever they felt called to. The worship gave me the first impression that everyone was welcome and that everyone was passionate about sharing their faith with everyone. One speaker during the worship preached some very powerful, moving words to everyone.  She continually shouted the phrase, "Train the Children" throughout the sermon, in which she meant that the children need to find the light of God and generally have a strong moral compass in order to lead meaningful lives in the future. She mentioned multiple times that the children were the future of the country and that by sending them on the right path from the beginning, they can have bright futures. There were times where she gave me chills with how powerful her words were and other times I just wanted to shout "YES!" to show how much I appreciate what she was saying. All in all, this woman showed her appreciation for children and empowered them and their families to continue to take part in church activities so that they may have bright futures. The power in her voice was a clear indication of how much she cared for her faith, children, and community, which I found very captivating and inspiring. She stated that a strong moral compass and support from others allow all things hoped for to happen. It was clear that the community was there to support her in return, because the attendees responded with phrases like "Praise God" and "Amen" and "Hallelujah" when she was speaking.  Later on in the day, our group had a very meaningful and impactful discussion about service. We spoke about the differences between serving and helping or fixing, which helped put in perspective about the experiences that we were going to have throughout the week and how we can react to the experiences. Among these differences is that equality is found in service, in which the groups involved are seen as equals instead of one being superior or inferior to the other. One other difference is that service is a never-ending process for a person and could be used as a means to be spread to others so that they can be inspired to serve as well. I found that these two concepts diretly related to our experience at church today. All were welcome into church and all were free to say, sing, or dance as freely as they wanted. The support the woman had for her community was equally matched by the support the community had for her. The "Train the Children" sermon related to the notion of acting on something in the present so that it  can inspire others to initiate change in the future. Other first impressions that I had of Jamaica reminded me of the discussion that we had about service, but these stood out to me the most. By thinking deeply about the different experiences that have occurred and will occur this week, I can see that there are a countless amount of connections between the impressions of Jamaica, its culture, and the service experiences going on this week. I will continue to be curious about my surroundings this week I will make more realizations similar to these two.  Tomorrow is our first day of service, and I am very ecstatic! In closing, I will quote an article we read today by Rachel Naomi Remen called "In the Service of Life": "Our service serves us as well as others. That which uses us strengthens us. Over time, fixing and helping are draining, depleting. Over time we burn out. Service is renewing. While we serve, our work itself will sustain us."    - Zach George