10/40 Spring Break Mission Trip – March 29-April 6, 2007
Projected Costs (US Dollars)** - $1,000
**Does not include personal expenses for extra meals, souvenirs, etc.
Ministry Details
Project Overview:
Jamaica is more than just tourist attractions and fancy resorts. This beautiful land of mountains and beaches is also home to the poor, the desperate, and the lost. Once you leave the grounds of any of Jamaica’s beach resorts, you will find yourself in poverty. Common sites are homeless people walking down the roads, Rastafarians practicing their religion, and hundreds of honking taxis rushing from place to place in attempts of picking up a tourist.
The countryside is dotted with little churches, but with very few people attending. For years mission teams have come and led outreaches with many people praying to receive Christ, only to watch the new converts leave the churches as quickly as they came in. This year we are beginning a new approach: to train up leaders and ministers within the local church who can carry on the ministry once we are gone.
Our goal is to assist Gardner’s View Baptist Church in various support areas of ministry and outreach. Specifically what ministry activities we will perform will be determined to some extend on the talents of students and leader participants. Some specific areas we are looking for (but not limited to) are as follows: music, drama, puppets, face paiting, recreation, children's ministries (Back Yard Bible Clubs, etc.), evangelism (friendship, servanthood, street), VBS, block party, Sunday School assistance, light construction or painting and other miscellaneous ministries.
Food & Lodging You will be staying in a local Inn with two people per room. A continental breakfast will be provided each day. Other meals will either be provided by the church or will be bought from your food allowance. You should bring spending money for extra snacks and drinks during the day.
Travel Information
Airport & Transportation:
Our team will fly from Atlanta to Jamaica. The remaining travel time during this trip is by van and by foot.
Our team will have a rented van or bus in Jamaica, but you need to be prepared to walk a lot of the time.
Visa & Passport:
You will need a valid passport to enter the country. For those going for just a short amount of time, you can get into Jamaica with a birth certificate and current government issued photo identification. However, just to avoid problems, we ask that you bring a passport with you.
Shots & Vaccinations:
A current Tetanus shot is required.
Travel Insurance:
We require health insurance coverage for all participants going on trips outside the United States. For international trips, call your insurance carrier to make sure they will cover you while you are in another country.
Location Information
Location Description:
Jamaica is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles of the West Indies, situated south of Cuba. Its total area is slightly smaller than Connecticut. Kingston, the capital and largest city, is also a large commercial seaport.
Jamaica's terrain is mountainous, except for several lowlands in the southern coastal area. Blue Mountain Peak, the highest point on the island, rises 7,402 feet from the floor of the Blue Mountain Range in the east. The 635-mile irregular coastline creates excellent natural harbors, including Kingston, Saint Ann's Bay, Montego Bay, and Port Maria.
Weather:
A tropical climate prevails in the coastal lowlands of Jamaica. The mean annual temperature in this region is 80°F, but northeastern trade winds frequently moderate the extremes of heat and humidity. More than 200 inches of rain falls annually in the mountains of the northeast, but in Kingston, the annual average drops to 32 inches. The months of maximum precipitation are May, June, October, and November.
Area Attractions:
Three thousand species of plants grow on the island, 27% of them found nowhere else on earth. Parrots, hummingbirds, cuckoos, and green todies are especially abundant.
People, Culture and Religion
The population of Jamaica is primarily of African or mixed African-European origin, descended from slaves brought to the island from the 17th to 19th centuries. Among the established minorities are East Indians, Europeans, and Chinese. About half the population lives in rural areas.
Poverty has given rise to increased school absenteeism and deteriorating literacy, furthering the cycle of unemployment and increased crime. There were approximately 200,000 youths ages 15-24 who were neither in school nor employed in 2001. Emigration, primarily to the United States, Britain, and Latin America, has been substantial.
English is the official language, although many Jamaicans speak a local dialect of English that incorporates African, Spanish, and French elements (Creole). As a British territory for more than 300 years, Jamaica's language and customs reflect both European and African influences.
Among the Christian majority, the Church of God, Baptists, Anglicans, Seventh-day Adventists, Pentecostalists, and Roman Catholics predominate. Several well-established Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu communities exist. (www.odci.gov/cia, CIA World Fact Book 2001)
Government and Economy
The 1962 Jamaican constitution established a parliamentary system of government patterned after that of Britain. The prime minister is the head.
Jamaica is primarily agricultural, but gains in mining, manufacturing, and tourism have diversified the economy. Agricultural production occupies 21% of the labor force, and the chief crop is sugarcane. Other leading crops include bananas, citrus fruits, tobacco, cacao, coffee, coconuts, corn, hay, peppers, ginger, mangoes, potatoes, and arrowroot. Jamaica grows nearly the entire world supply of allspice.
(www.encarta.msn.com)
Statistics
Population:
2,695,867 - Jamaica (2003 est.)
587,798 - Kingston (2001)
Poverty Rate:
18.7% live below the poverty line.
(www.odci.gov/cia, CIA World Fact Book 2001)
Literacy Rate:
85% ages 15 and over have attended school.
(CIA World Fact Book 2001)
Average Annual Income:
$1,556 (5% of U.S.)
