By JLucas
Sometimes, the hardest challenge in missionary work isn’t the actual mission work.
Preparing for my mission, people would comment that it’s going to be hard. However, I tell you that when people say a mission is going to be hard in Jamaica, you may assume that it means the tropical climate and facing difficult living conditions, including the Rastafarian language. But to be honest, the hardest part is the drama that goes on in my head – the moments I feel discouraged or get frustrated, just dealing with all the ups and downs.
Despite the seven years I spent in the seminary preparing for this noble mission, I had to and I am grateful for my mother to have taught me how to cook. My grandmother played a big role in teaching me how to do laundry, but I am now forced to get practical experience with emotional, social, and other skills that I need most as a missionary.
Today I feel at my limit. This isn’t the first time, but today’s exhaustion is extreme. When I lived in Spanish Town, commutes to Kingston were harrowing—the coastabus drove wildly and I clutched my rosary for safety. In the evenings, if I missed the bus by 2 pm, I’d walk several kilometers or face standing for hours if the bus was full. I also felt so uneasy when I was told to small-up myself to allow a fifth person to sit next to me on the back seat of a car meant for only four people.These struggles lasted months as a deacon and early priest.
In my early days as a priest, I was given a red Honda that was like a pushcar. It broke down every other week, and it couldn’t go out of town. Later, as time went on, I inherited another car that was better but had gone for a million miles. It just broke down, and now it cannot hit the road any more. I am now forced to use a taxi from one place to another if I have to make a move. Thankfully, we are in summer break, so no much movement.
Driving around with a Jamaican🇯🇲 taxi 🚕 is one of the hardest experiences as a missionary. It’s either safety as the drivers drive carelessly or safety of where the driver decides to drive, though to run away from both traffic on the road and police (the Babylon’s dem) who may be hunting them down. Reflection on my day, trust me, I am not happy, but I am hopeful as we celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope.
“Our Lord sometimes makes you feel the weight of the cross. The weight seems unbearable, but you carry it because in His love and mercy ~~ the Lord helps you and gives you strength.”
Pray for me to be given a new car soon.
#missionaryinjamaica #jubeleeyearofhope
JLucas (ONE LOVE ONE HEART) 
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