Serving is a call, not from man, but from God. This Thanksgiving Holiday God gave me the call to serve the poor in Kingston, Jamaica alongside a handful of teenage disciples and the Hope Worldwide staff. We did not go because we were pressured, but we went with the desire to glorify God as servants. Marcia Brevett, who led the trip, is a native of Jamaica and a member of the South Florida Church of Christ. Marcia not only had the heart to return to her homeland and make a difference but also the heart to encourage the teens to serve with her.

There were nine of us that made the trip and none of us knew what to expect. All we knew was that there were needs we could meet, souls we could comfort, and joy we could share. Even now as we have returned, I know that many of our hearts are still in Jamaica. The love we gave, the love and hospitality we received from the disciples, and their excitement to meet us was incredible! (They even put up with Tim Ewing and I trying to speak Patwa.) Even though we went there to serve, it seemed as if the disciples in Jamaica were teaching us how to serve just by the love they showed to us.

During our time in Jamaica we helped run a book drive and gave away over 10,000 books. We had the privilege of encouraging the teen ministry in Kingston by sharing from God’s Word at a teen devotional! We also went to a rehabilitation center, visited a school for the blind, and served needy kids at an orphanage.

 

Among the many ways in which we were blessed to serve, I believe our time at the Marigold Orphanage in Kingston impacted me most. These kids were abandoned and without love. Some of them were physically challenged, others had Down’s syndrome, and some were autistic. Nobody loved them, or at least I am sure that is what they thought. We did all we could to show the kids affection during our time with them, but it was heartbreaking to leave as every little child screamed in their own way, “LOVE ME!!! Just love me, please.” They smiled at us, just wanting us to smile back. Longing for love, they were unaware that someone loved each one of them enough -- so much that He died for them. Their Savior Jesus Christ loves them more than any mom or dad ever could! I prayed that through our time with the children, we could show them the love of Jesus their Savior as His love overflowed from our hearts.

 

I remember as a few of the smaller kids pulled me over to the orphanage fence. The children said nothing as they pointed to the street outside, beyond their chain-linked fence.

“What’s over there?” I asked the little girl.

Still looking through the fence she responded, “Daddy. Daddy is over there.” My heart hurt for her.

Serving is a calling… not a suggestion, nor a nice idea. Serving is a way that we remind ourselves of what God has done for us as we tell other people what He has done for them. Love is the message of a servant. In Jamaica, all of us learned the true meaning of serving -- emptying yourself because you love someone. (Philippians 2:1-11)