Participating in a Youth Mission Trip in Jamaica
Writer’s Checklist for Writing a Narrative1. Are my title and introduction enticing?
Yes I think my title and introduction are enticing.2. Is my thesis effective?
Yes my thesis is effective, relating the whole passage with the quote.3. Have I included enough details so the reader can visualize my experience?
I have included all the details that I visualized along with my feelings on the trip.4. Are the events presented in a logical sequence?
Yes the events are in a logical sequence, starting from the arrival to the orphanage and my stay there and the impact it had on my life.5. Have I used transitions to help the sequence of events flow smoothly?
I have used transitions, such as after, even, on the other hand, etc and the events flow smoothly.6. Have I used dialogue (if appropriate)?
I did not need to use any dialogues so I did not use any.7. Have I used a consistent point of view and verb tense?
Yes verb tense and my point of view are consistent as I am writing initially in the past and in the ending I am using the present.8. Is the point of my narrative evident?
Yes I am narrating all the events with description of details indicating what impact this event had on my life.9. Have I ended the story satisfactorily?
Yes I have given the story a satisfactory ending by stating how living with an orphan child affected my personality.10. Have I proofread thoroughly?
Yes I have proofread the essay thoroughly.
The Experience That Had The Most Positive Impact On My Life: Participating In A Youth Mission Trip In Jamaica
I once heard from someone that “there are two things in life: the things that we enjoy with all our heart, and the things that we enjoy for a little while, but then move on.” This quote turned out to be so true when I went to this youth mission trip in Jamaica to a local orphanage with my family. We left at 4:00 in the morning one Thursday, to help the orphans. We arrived at a gated monastery where we stayed with the monks or “brothers”. We had no idea of what to anticipate, but from the instant we drove into the orphanage, the whole thing came to reality. When we walked into the dimly-lighted, gymnasium sized room, we saw all the cribs, that were placed in a line in the space with passageways to walk in between. We took a few minutes and looked around and took it all in prior to starting the work: diapering, changing and feeding the children.
I had heard such stories about kids and seen pictures but nothing happened till I saw it all with my own eyes and was living with them. These were the children who were dumped by their parents because either they did not want to be bothered or did not have the funds to look after them or maybe their parents were dead. All these kids in this orphanage were either psychologically or physically disabled. I just cannot describe how my heart was feeling at that time when I saw these children for the first time. It was the strangest, heart-breaking feeling that I had never felt before. The feeling of pain and sorrow for these children that when I compared their life with mine I could just think of how blessed I was with all the facilities of the world.
While walking around with tearful my eyes I came across a crib that read, “Naomi”. I stopped and just looked down at her for a moment, tears filling in my eyes by looking at her state. Suddenly our eyes met and I just fell in love with the innocent girl, when she smiled at me, which was all she could do. She was a 9 year old girl with the body of a toddler. Her thighs were even smaller than my wrists. She was suffering from a disease known as “cerebral palsy”. This was the very cause due to which Naomi would not be able to walk, or talk. Furthermore, she may perhaps only be able to move her eyes, which she did when I tenderly rubbed her arm.
This was the turning point of our trip. I started to realize that this is reality that these children live in. This is how they have to live, and most of them will not live for long. They have absolutely nothing, yet they are so joyful just to experience human touch. On the other hand we do not even care for this human contact that we have in our lives. The way we can move and go around the world, and most important have caring parents who look after us whenever we need them.
During my tenure at the orphanage, and looking after Naomi was the greatest incident that could have ever taken place in my life. It entirely changed my life and my personality. Even though I diapered, clothed and fed her – I was the one who was receiving more from her. She may never remember me after I have left her, but she will be with me in my memories for ever; just to keep on reminding me of all the privileges I have in my life which I used to take for granted.
After I returned from the trip, this experience had such a positive impact on my life. Naomi’s eye contact and her smiles that she always had on her face when she saw me, reminds me of the happiness she had with nothing in her life. Her smiley countenance is imprinted in my mind and gives me a feeling of contentment with all that I have in life. After meeting a person like Naomi, I have turned over a new leaf and have become a positive person who takes any problem that disturbs me with an open mind just like Naomi, who kept smiling even with whatever she was going through.
