By Stefanie Van Wyk
Four years ago, the Lynnville Friends Church (LFC) sent a team of youth group students and leaders to Montego Bay, Jamaica, to work at the Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf (JCSD) and Blossom Garden Children’s Home through Mission Discovery. On July 23, another group made a return visit to the school. Eighteen members of the church’s youth group FOCUS, group leaders Jer and Jodi Schnell and Mariah Terlouw, and LFC Pastor Jamie Bogaard, made the trek this time around. After flying out of Chicago, the group arrived in Jamaica on July 24 and arrived safely back home on July 30.
JCSD, located in the Eden District of Montego Bay, works with hearing-impaired and special-needs children. The teachers of JCSD strive to provide an exceptional education for children who would not receive the same attention in a public school. They provide a sense of love and promise to kids who are not always granted hope at home. The staff also instructs life skills to students who will soon be old enough to join the work force in Jamaica. Mission Discovery teams work alongside the school and encourage the students. Teams further various construction projects and assist with updating existing facilities. Teams also help the staff at Blossom Garden Children’s Home, an orphanage, and lead Children’s Bible School.
This particular mission trip was made possible through various fundraising efforts.
“Fundraisers included our Valentine’s Supper, Easter Breakfast, and miscellaneous jobs for church members, such as yard work,” said leader Jer Schnell. “The kids worked hard to raise the money to cover their costs, which ends up meaning more to them than if dad and mom just foot the bill.”
On this specific mission trip, the youth group’s main task was mixing, carrying, and laying concrete for eventual second-story classrooms, but not in the way we might pour concrete in the United States.
“It was done the old-fashioned way,” said Jer. “We mixed the rock and sand by hand and carried the buckets up the ladders to the second floor.”
Every morning following breakfast and devotions, the group left their hotel and took a 30- to 45-minute bus ride to the school to begin their work day.
Even though the work was difficult and the weather tropical, a highlight for the youth leaders was watching the students work hard and interact with the school children, even picking up on some sign language so they could better communicate.
“It was a true blessing to work with the Jamaicans and get to know the people,” said Naomi Shinkle, a senior who went on the trip and will be delving deeper into missions this fall, when she leaves for Romania to serve with Youth with a Mission (YWAM). “God really worked in our hearts that week, and it was amazing to watch the Holy Spirit work through every single one of us.”
Jer, who was also a part of the group four years ago, was pleased to see conditions are improving for the school, which occupies 11 acres. The school’s facilities have grown, along with its enrollment. JCSD is primarily funded through donations – and faith.
“The administrator, Miss Sophia, started the school 35 years ago,” shared Jer. “She had a dream of opening the school on this land. She firmly believes that God will provide, and He always has.”
In addition to physical labor, the teens also took turns working at Blossom Garden Children’s Home, where they conducted Children’s Bible School.
“The children there loved to sing,” said leader Jodi Schnell. “We sang through the Sunday school songs we had prepared for them, and they then continued on with some of their favorites. You could hear the joy of the Lord in their voices and see it in their smiles. We also took some small wooden tractors and cars with us that Henry Rozenboom of Sully had made. These children were thrilled with the smallest little Bible school craft, so we can only imagine their excitement when the wooden toys get distributed.”
The youth group leaders observed different lessons gleaned by the youth from serving in this poverty-stricken area.
“This was definitely an eye-opening experience,” said Jer. “We saw firsthand how others live and realized how blessed we are in America. It was a big lesson in contentment.”
Other trip highlights included the nightly worship and small group devotion times where leaders could definitely see the Holy Spirit working among the group. This time also enabled the youth to really open up and speak honestly among their peers.
As their week neared its close, the group was able to do a little bit of sightseeing, shop the local markets, and snorkel in the crystal blue waters. The FOCUS group was also treated to beautiful ocean sunsets every night.
The FOCUS group takes a mission trip every summer. Every four years, they go overseas, and in between, they serve somewhere in the states. The group is very thankful for those who helped make this mission trip possible and looks forward to returning again someday.
