A large group of people. A man stands at the back of the group and an arrow points toward him.

Luke Atkinson takes service abroad on mission trip to Jamaica

Luke Atkinson has been helping at VBS (Vacation Bible School) at Middletown’s Berachah Church for about three years. This year, he decided to step up his service work by joining some of his congregants on a mission trip to Jamaica. Luke has Down syndrome. His mom, Jennifer, believes he is the first person with a developmental disability to attend a Berachah led mission trip.

Several people in front of a yellow tour bus.
New Town Jamaica was about a 5 hours drive from Montego Bay.
People standing in a yard near a bucket of water.
One of Luke’s favorite parts was leading children in water games.

Luke, along with his parents, Mark and Jennifer, flew to Montego Bay and from there, rode for about 5 hours through the winding, bumping hills of Jamaica until they made it to their destination in New Town, Jamaica.

The trip certainly took Luke out of his comfort zone but in the end, he says it was worth it. The most exciting and important part? He says, the kids. The mission trip tackled two needs: physically repairing the church with new doors, windows, and paint; and spiritually providing for the children of New Town with a VBS – that’s where Luke got involved. “We sang, played games,” Luke explained.

About 60 children showed up for the first day of VBS. Another 30 joined them for the next. One of the most touching moments, Jennifer says, was when Luke pulled out his brand-new polaroid camera and started snapping pictures and handing out prints. “They would hold onto them [the pictures] like they were gold,” Jennifer said.

A pair of polaroid pictures being held in a hand.
A girl holds several polaroid pictures
A woman holds a polaroid camera to her eye.

While the trip was rewarding, it certainly wasn’t a vacation. Luke has been over seas to visit friends in Germany and has vacationed in the Caribbean before. This time, though, he stayed in motel that had no hot water – at times, no water at all. The church borrowed a refrigerator just for their Berachah visitors but there still was no room to refrigerate drinks. Luke had to get used to drinking warm water. Despite being hot and uncomfortable, Luke stepped up to the challenge. “It was a stretch for Luke,” said Jennifer, admitting that at times, it was a stretch for her and Mark as well. “He did great!” she said.

Asked if he’ll go on another mission trip, Luke paused… “Maybe,” he said.

Asked if he was proud of himself and the work that he accomplished, Luke beamed and said, without doubt, “Yes!”

A man stands in between to young women.