University of Minnesota Athletics
Evavold Making the Most of Her Summer
7/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Student-Athlete Development
Gopher softball student-athlete Hannah Evavold is not only making a difference on the softball field and in the classroom, she's also making a difference globally. Hailing from Bloomington, Minn., Evavold is doing something she's always wanted to do. Earlier this month, she went on a week-long mission trip to Jamaica. Spending time working in a different culture is something she will never forget. Read more about her experience and what she took away from this memorable trip.
Hannah Evavold's Photo Gallery
Gophersports.com: What led to your decision to do a mission trip? How did it get started, when did you go, how long were you there?
Hannah Evavold: I have always wanted to go on a mission trip but with scheduling, it was always hard with softball and coaching. This year, however, it landed over the 4th of July so it worked perfectly. I went from June 28th to July 5th. I went with my church, so I knew many of the individuals I was traveling with. Five of my best friends from high school also went with so it was awesome getting to explore a new culture, explore religion, and learn about people in a new setting with people I was so close with already.
GS: What were some of your responsibilities or jobs when you were in Jamaica?
HE: The first four days of the trip were designated mostly to working. We build a house for an individual (sent picture), painted for the camp we were staying at called YWAM (Youth with a Mission), then had two days we went to visit people. The first one was a disability home that held everyone ranging from three to 35 years old. It was extremely eye opening in the sense of how little they had and how happy they were. Even though they have volunteers often, the nurses are limited and there is only one nurse for every 10 children. When there, I fed individuals, clothed them, brought them to church, played music with them, and just got to hang out and see what there life was like. The second day of visiting was at a Boys Home. These were boys aged 5 to 18 years old that did not have parents or were left there. An elder lady that ran the house. She told us that even though the government required a gate at the front of their home, she never gated the entire area. She said "the boys knew they had it well off there and if they ever did left they would be back by night." This stuck with me. It was awesome to see how one person could have such a large impact on so many people and such a large part of a community.
GS: Describe a typical day for us while you were there.
HE: A typical day while in Jamaica started with breakfast at 7 a.m. There was a large dining area where we all gathered and breakfast was served, always with fresh melons and pineapple. After breakfast we made our lunch which was always peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, and an apple. At 9 a.m., we left for one of the four sites for the day to get to work. These sites were usually up the mountain where the roads had large holes in them and it was hard to drive on. Because of this, it usually took us around an hour to get there. Arriving at the sites at 10 a.m., we worked on either painting, building, or spending time with the individuals we came to see. We ate our lunch around noon and leave the site at 2:30 p.m. After we got back to campus at 3:30 p.m., we had until 5 to swim at the pool (very fortunate to have that because we did not have air conditioning and the humidity was 95 percent almost every day). We had dinner at 5 p.m. and after dinner went to the top of the site. It overlooked over the ocean, as some read, or laid in a hammocks and relaxed. We finished the day with devotions at 7 p.m., and in bed by 10.
GS: Were you able to explore at all?
HE: Along with the work, there were fun days. One of the coolest things I got to experience happened on our surprise night. It was 10 p.m., at night and completely dark out. We got out on a boat and went to the middle of a lagoon that the boat driver explained to us was a combination of salt water and fresh water. Because of the way the water mixed and the algae, the water would glow. We jumped in and swam around in the glowing water. We also went to the beach on a free day and to Dunns River. These were some of the most beautiful locations I have ever seen.
GS: What was one thing that you took away from the trip?
HE: I took away so much from this trip, but the number one thing I took away was how important it is to travel and meet people that are in completely different situations than you are used to. It made me realize how ignorant I am on the world, but how important it is to understand different government structures, ways of living, and cultures. It is really an experience that I will never forget and looking back on seems so unreal to me. It was definitely something I will remember.
