“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”

This famous quotation attributed to American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson swirled around my head while I was in Jamaica this past May to participate in a Salvation Army mission trip. 

The trip was the final step in the Living Sacrifice program, a nine-month Salvation Army leadership program for young people aged 18-23 that is based on Romans 12:1-2: “Therefore,I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Running from September to May, the leadership opportunity aims to foster community, enhance spiritual growth, and evaluate and deepen faith through Bible study, retreats and service projects.

For me, travelling to Jamaica offered the prospect of new sights, memories and experiences. 

As we analyzed the Bible, talked about spiritual disciplines and met at weekend retreats, we knew that our journey would take us to Jamaica, specifically, the Caribbean Territorial Training College in Kingston. 

We were to be in the moment, experience building community, help others, impact them—and be impacted by our own interactions. NATHAN REID-WELFORD

Into the Unknown

Over our 10 days there, we planned and led after-school children’s programs, prepared a library for a children’s home and painted walkways at a school for the blind. 

But our purpose in Jamaica extended further than simply accomplishing tasks. We were to be in the moment, experience building community, help others, impact them—and be impacted by our own interactions.

No amount of preparation—scouring the packing list, consulting maps or asking others about their previous experiences—can prepare you for this. At least that was my experience. 

The Moment …

And then, suddenly, I was there, in the place I’d thought about for months.

The heat was the first thing I noticed when the plane touched down. But there were other unforgettable experiences:

• The waves, the mountains, and the mango and coconut trees
• The flavours of the food, the sweet heat of jerk chicken and pork, the rich juice of fresh fruits, the marrow of cow feet
• The sunrise, streaming into my room every morning at 5:30 
• The bustle at night, dogs barking, roosters crowing—at three in the morning
• The salt of the ocean in my eyes and mouth
• A tropical evening breeze over my skin
• The endless cacophony of car horns and revving engines

… And the People

Those unforgettable experiences also included the Salvation Army cadets who graciously let us into their space. The pastors who doubled as drivers and tour guides. The cooks. The people who answered questions, told us about the area, worshipped with us. 

The people we helped. The people we saw, the ones we knew would be impacted by our presence. The children who laughed and held our hands, chased us, played games and followed us around, the ones who would benefit from our work projects. 

Everyone who showed us love, appreciation and a contagious zeal for God. People we learned from and became acquainted with. Children we will always remember and who will hopefully never forget us.

Being Present

All that kept me in the moment.

On a mission trip, you cannot be a spectator. Sure, there are moments when it’s OK to sit back and just be present, such as looking out the window at passing scenery as a bus transports you to a new location. 

But it’s participation—the ability to lean in, the act of getting your hands dirty—that elevates you from a passenger to someone actively involved in the journey to that destination, where I was, what I was doing and why I was there.

And so, a mission trip revises the saying, “it’s not the destination, it’s the journey,” to a Christian outlook on life.

Everywhere we go on this earth is a part of a journey toward our ultimate destination—being in heaven with God. We must always remember to keep our eyes, hearts and minds focused on that, and never forget that life is about the destination.

But we should not do this at the expense of forgetting or disregarding the journey. By always remembering the process of the journey, ensuring we stay present in it, we can appreciate God’s blessings in the here and now, glorify Him and positively impact His kingdom, wherever and whenever we are in our journey toward that ultimate destination. 

Destination: Jamaica? Yes. I will be back. 

Nathan Reid-Welford enjoys writing about people’s initiatives, journeys and passions. Nathan earned a bachelor of arts degree in English writing from Redeemer University in Hamilton, Ont., where he also studied business and history. An avid writer and musician, Nathan enjoys creative, fictional and promotional writing, reading, and playing the drums and guitar.

Photos: Courtesy of Ontario Living Sacrifice/Silas Allen