George Washington University Athletics
Softball's Anderson Completes Mission Trip
1/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
GW softball junior Alana Anderson spent the final week of her winter break building a home for a single mom in Jamaica while on a mission trip with her hometown church.
Anderson and a team of 16 other people from Illuminate Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, traveled to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, from Jan. 7-14 with the task of building a new home for a single mother of three children who had lost her previous home to a fallen tree three years ago and had been homeless ever since.
Each morning of the trip was spent on the construction of the new home, and Anderson visited a nearby school in the afternoon to play with the 50 children in attendance ranging in age from 4-7 years old. Anderson also spent time visiting the local infirmary that housed mental and physically challenged individuals.
"Visiting the infirmary was a great experience," said Anderson. "These are people who were looked at as outcasts by the community and we were able to spend time showing them love and attention that they almost never get."
The trip was Anderson's first to Jamaica, but just the most recent in a long history of traveling to help others.
"Meeting people all around the world and hearing their stories keeps me motivated to continue these mission trips," said Anderson. "Taking a week of my life to help better the lives of others is so powerful and encourages me to always continue on these trips."
