Begging for movie or mall money is a thing of the past for 28 youths attending Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Mandeville.

Soliciting family and friends, they recently collected $2,000 individually for their trip to Kingston, Jamaica, set for later this month.

But pristine, blue waters and exotic marine life will be the last stop on their tour of the impoverished town. The 28 college-aged youths accompanied by seven chaperones and ministers are taking flight across the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea from June 23-29 as part of the church’s annual mission trip to a poverty-stricken country.

“Up until about two years ago, we went to Mexico every year,” the Rev. John Talamo, pastor of Our Lady of the Lake, said. “We’ve been introducing our kids to poverty to let them see how truly blessed they really are.”

Last year the church trekked to Yo Creek, Belize, where parishioners experienced poverty in its “purest forms,” Talamo said.

He said homes were devoid of windows, “just blank holes,” and the young people were forced to sleep under mosquito nets. But even with the dismal circumstances, the group accomplished its objective and helped construct and paint a local church.

This year, Talamo said, the group has similar plans to aid the people of Kingston while holding a Vacation Bible School.

It’s also about education, Talamo said. “It’s an opportunity to educate them, to make them want to work to alleviate poverty.”

Forcing members to collect their own money is a lesson in itself, he said, because it “gives them a sense of being poor by having to beg for money.”

Talamo said the children’s parents are also very accepting of the mission trips.

The planning and preparations of the trip is being provided by Praying Pelican Missions, a nonprofit, national organization devoted to arranging mission trips for groups nationwide to Belize and Jamaica.

Next year, Talamo hopes to escort another group for the first time overseas to perform mission work.