When I stepped off the plane in Jamaica a few weeks ago, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I had no real idea of the culture, no idea what daily life would look like, and wasn’t sure of what all I’d be stepping into. But one thing became clear pretty quick, Jamaica is, overall a God-fearing country. No matter the differences in background or culture, we’ve had one thing in common — God. And that connection has opened many doors to conversations and friendships.
As I think back over my time here so far, two stories stand out.
We had been tarping one gentlemans roof and while the others were wrapping up the last little bit of tarp, I went down to talk with him. He thanked me over and over, and when I mentioned God, his response struck me deeply. He told me the storm had been a wake-up call from the Lord. Before it hit, he hadn’t been following God like he should have. But in the storm, God showed him His power and preserved his life. “I should have died,” he said, “but God spared me.” Then he asked if our team could keep him in our prayers — that he would continue to live for the Lord and follow His ways. That conversation blessed me a lot.
Another day, we stopped at a lady’s house to tarp her leaking roof. We ended up talking with her for a long time. She told me all about the storm — the destruction in her village, the plants in her garden that had been ruined, and yet, woven through all of it, was her gratitude. “God is good,” she kept saying. Plants can be replanted. And as we talked, she showed us around, sharing stories and thanking us simply for being her friends.
Those moments have stayed with me. It’s easy, in this kind of work, to focus on numbers, how many roofs we can finish, how many houses we can repair, how much we can accomplish in a day. But these stories reminded me that sometimes the most important part isn’t the work. It’s the people. It’s the conversations, the friendships, the shared faith, the simple act of listening.