MARYSVILLE – Even in Jamaica, Jake Williams has got your back.

Williams, a chiropractor at Life Impact, recently went on a weeklong mission trip to that island in the Caribbean.

He didn’t just see what the tourists see. He said as soon as they left the locked and guarded resort, “You’re in it.”

Williams could not believe the poverty. The locals live in tin shacks and dwellings only halfway finished. He said a family of 8-10 might live in a 600-square-foot home. “They’re crammed in there.”

He said a guide took them on the safest routes he could as gang violence is rampant. But there were times he told them not to take pictures and to take off their jewelry because he didn’t want anyone to follow them.

Williams, who was on a mission with the Christian Chiropractors Association, said despite their living conditions, “They are the most loving, amazing people.”

Williams said he went on his first mission trip thinking he would be happy to help the people there. But it ended up they inspired him by showing such a joy for the simple things in life.

“I hope we blessed them as much as they blessed us,” he said. “The kids are infectious.”

Williams said he took two large duffle bags full of toys and hygiene products. They would get excited even getting a toothbrush. “It was a huge blessing for them.”

He said when you meet people like that, “It’s such a perspective change. The kids are so respectful and appreciative. I can’t say enough awesome things about them.”

Williams, 32, loved goofing around with kids. Good thing as 90 percent of his patients were children. “They’d laugh and giggle because it’s foreign to them,” he said of the procedure.

He said he could only provide basic treatment because of the lack of equipment. He said the tables for the patients were not advanced so he had to rely on techniques he learned in school to “adjust in different ways in different settings.”

They would set up shop in churches or schools, sometimes even using storage rooms. He said with adults he would educate them about the need to stretch and exercise and what to avoid doing at home to get a healthy spine. “I can’t even imagine what their sleeping conditions are like,” he said. “It’s the only time every year” they get to see a chiropractor.

Williams said the experience was so rewarding he would like to do it again. He said he actually handled seeing so much poverty better than he thought he would.

“I thought I’d be a weeping mess,” he said.