Day 6: A Church Experience Like No Other: Andreas

    Ok, so I am not sure how I am going to talk about this experience because today there was so much to  write about that I could end up with 50 pages, but I will try to keep it short for the reader's sake. When I originally heard that we would be attending church I was a little bit nervous. My reasoning for this was I never really attend church in America so I was not sure how on earth I would get through an hour and a half of church in Jamaica. From the times that I had attended church in America the only things that I can really remember is an old man talking in a really monotone voice and lasting for hours and hours. As I walked into the church, all my previous thoughts and expectations about church went away.
      The only similarity at all between American and Jamaican churches is the length, but other than that nothing is the same. I knew this the second I walked through the doors to the church. No only were people singing and letting the emotions flow but they were doing it so loudly that I could hear it before we even got to the church. It was like a whole new world behind the doors. We were instantly given seats in the front row which personally made me feel like we were welcomed and valued. But anyways as we got to our seats we all began singing the songs on the TV, but as I was singing I was also observing how differently people act in Jamaican church. People were breaking out in dance and letting their emotions flow. One lady even got on her hands and knees and prayed right in front of the preacher. Speaking of the preacher, he had to be one of coolest guys on the face of the earth. Although I could barely understand what he was saying, just the way he was saying it moved me intensely. The heart and passion that was in his voice made me think in depth about my beliefs and how I truly feel about church. These thoughts were focused a lot on should I attend church more often and how do I learn to be more appreciative of the people in my life and what they have done to help me in my life. So without a doubt I would say this has been my favorite moment on the trip so far.

By yours truly,

Andreas Cantu