His name is Big Foot.

Like many nicknames in Jamaica, everyone seems to know him by it.

Big Foot works as a garbage collector. Day after day, he collects things other people no longer want.

But where most people see trash, Big Foot sees possibility.

When he invited us to visit his home, he proudly showed us around. Much of his house had once been discarded by someone else. Materials that had been thrown away, forgotten, or abandoned had been salvaged, repurposed, and given a second life.

What others considered useless had become shelter.

What others overlooked had become home.

Then we stepped into the kitchen.

Finding Beauty in the Brokenness

Standing in the middle of the room was a large tree trunk.

Not as decoration.

As a support beam.

The zinc roof above had begun to sag, and the structure had weakened to the point that a tree trunk was helping hold everything together. Gaps in the roof allowed rainwater to pour inside whenever storms passed through.

And yet, what struck us most wasn’t the condition of Big Foot’s house.

It was his generosity.

Before we left, he insisted on sharing what he had. He handed us coconuts he had collected along his route. Then he walked into his yard, gathered armfuls of guavas from his tree, and sent our team away with more fruit than we could carry.

The man whose roof leaks when it rains was the one giving to us.

The man whose home is held together by ingenuity and determination was the one showing our mission team what true generosity looks like.

The Heart of God in Jamaica

As we spent more time with Big Foot, we learned that he is raising children on his own. Next door lives his brother, who is also a single father. Both men are doing everything they can to provide stability for their families after the mothers of their children left.

Every day they work. Every day they provide. Every day they press forward beneath roofs that desperately need repair.

During our short-term mission trips in Jamaica, we often encounter people who have every reason to become bitter, yet choose generosity. People who have experienced hardship, yet continue to open their homes. People whom the world might overlook, yet who reflect the heart of God.

Big Foot’s story reminds us that restoration begins with seeing value where others see none.

That is true of homes.

That is true of communities.

And that is certainly true of people.

The same God who specializes in redeeming broken things is still at work in Jamaica today. Through your prayers, financial support, and willingness to serve on a mission trip, we have the privilege of joining Him.

How You Can Be Involved

Pray

Pray for Big Foot, his children, his brother, and the many single parents throughout Jamaica who are working hard to provide for their families while recovering from Hurricane Melissa.

Give

Before we left, Big Foot gave us coconuts and guavas from his own property.

I’ve thought about that moment often.

The man with the least to give was the one teaching us about generosity.

Scripture tells us, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).

Generosity isn’t something we practice once we have abundance. We practice it because we trust God to provide.

Your generosity toward disaster relief efforts helps families like Big Foot’s rebuild their homes, but it also forms something deeper within us. It teaches us to live with open hands and reminds us that everything we have ultimately comes from God.

Would you consider making a gift today to help restore homes and strengthen families in Jamaica?

Go

Join a World Race or Semesters volunteer team to experience firsthand the resilience, faith, and generosity of the people we serve alongside in Jamaica.

Together, we are restoring roofs, strengthening families, and reminding people that they have not been forgotten.