A different walk of life
Truro young people prepare for physical labour in Jamaica
TRURO, N.S. – A group of young people from Truro will be in Jamaica later this year, but they won’t be sunning themselves on a beach.
Twenty-six members of the Immanuel Baptist Church youth group have signed up for an Experience Missions trip, where they will spend time doing physical labour in an economically depressed mountain community called Catadupa.
“It’s not a place I had my eye set on to visit, but I’m learning about it now,” said Brandon Mclean, a Grade 11 student at Cobequid Educational Centre.
“I want to do things to help because we have it great here and others don’t have it so great.
“I took part in a mission trip to New York last year and I feel I was able to help people. The group of us who went also learned about one another and became closer.”
While in New York, they handed out food, water and blankets, and conducted conversations.
The experience that stands out most for Mclean was connecting with a seven-year-old boy who, like him, was a Dragonball Z fan. They ended up taking on the roles of characters and acting out scenes.
“I know this trip will be very different,” he said. “It’s a more rural area, with a different culture and temperature.”
Nick Crowell, another Grade 11 CEC student, also took part in last year’s trip.
“We couldn’t affect the overall situation a lot, but people we did things for were very thankful,” he said. “Some came across as disconnected at first, but they were still very nice to us.
“I know the trip to Jamaica will be a lot of effort, but I think it’ll be fun too. I’m very excited.”
The youth will be in Jamaica in late June-early July, taking on jobs such as building showers and toilets, and doing general repairs, while sleeping in a building with no running water. They are partnering with a church in that area to ensure they’ll be doing what is most needed.