My day started out bright and early — 3 a.m. and was much more dramatic than I anticipated. Our little pup (and by pup I mean old lady… she’s 14.5 years old), Lola, seemed to have a medical emergency in Lewis’s arms while I was brushing my teeth. She seems to be okay now, but it was a scary a few moments. After a dramatic start, we had an uneventful drive to the airport, and other than having my gate changed three times, uneventful flights to Jamaica. I met up with Jamie Schreiber (the Media Production Supervisor for United Church of God) in Atlanta.

The whole purpose for this trip is to follow-up with our members after Hurricane Melissa (one of the strongest storms on record) hit the tiny island-nation of Jamaica in November. I am the coordinator for the Good Works program of United Church of God, and one of the biggest efforts we are involved in is disaster relief. Jamie joined me to document our efforts and the stories of members who weathered this historic storm.

We have the opportunity to stay at the hotel where UCG holds the Feast in Jamaica. It’s a lovely hotel, and while I’m not going to get to spend a lot of time here, I appreciate the clean and comfortable room to sleep in, excellent wi-fi so I can continue working while I’m here, and delicious food to eat at the end of a long day.

It’s always a challenge to visit a place after a natural disaster. It’s a balance between respecting the trauma that has and is being experienced by the community, while also supporting them get back to “normal,” not just through donations for relief efforts, that’s a wonderful thing to do, but they want you to come back to their beautiful home, to support their economy and jobs and to witness the challenges, but also the resilience and community that is displayed everywhere you look.

I look forward to sharing more about this short trip and the people that I have the opportunity to meet.