We have a great group of young people at the Church who meet with us Saturday afternoons. What do young people like to do here in the afternoon when they have transportation? Go to the beach of course! We play soccer, volleyball and cricket on the sand. In the water there is a knock-em-down ball game
we’ve never experienced before. We also surf on small waves and fish for minnows in the shallows. Last week we hiked to a new beach to us – Conference Beach – a round trip of about five miles. The temperature was 28c and it got warmer yet when we were chased by an enormous bull-frog and a tethered cow. We lost four shoes in a cunningly disguised sea marsh and recovered three. Have you ever hopped for two miles? This week two of our expert kite makers are making us all kites to fly. This will allow Ann and me to experience one of Grenada’s favourite hobbies, kite flying. Our life giving Trade Winds can carry kites up as far as the line will stretch. Where was Jesus in all this? His Spirit was at the centre of it teaching us to trust, love and care for each other. Without personal relationships it is difficult to talk about God.We experienced our first Sports Day at MacDonald College. When we arrived the stands were rocking noisily as families and friends prepared to support the competing athletes. The teams (the College is divided into four houses in traditional Scottish Senior Secondary School style) marched by the reviewing stand accompanied by each team’s cheer leaders. The event was opened with prayer; the Minister for Sport of the Grenadian Government declared the Sports to be underway and the fun began! People whistled, cheered, danced and encouraged their favourite athlete by name. Athletes became dehydrated and suffered cramps in the heat, miraculously recovering when the towel with ice wrapped in it and drinking water appeared. The Prime Minister, the Hon. Tillman Thomas came with an enormous body guard who proceeded to keep one eye on the P.M. and one eye on the races. The P.M. greeted everyone who came by the “Dignitary” tent. What a charming man! He is “Uncle Tilly” to his constituents and is a resident of the Parish where we live, St. Patrick’s. He is obviously well liked and respected here.
We also had our first Annual Congregational Meeting at Belair Presbyterian Church. I thought it in no small way enlightening that the Treasurer was asked the same flavour of questions as church Treasurers are everywhere! One of my first major tasks here is to put some structure around church polity and policy. We began this week and hope to have a preliminary document available for Presbytery in April. We are not, of course, starting from scratch; however, the task for me will be a long and monotonous one. Kite flying anyone?
The deep pockets of poverty all around us are becoming more and more apparent as we begin to see and to name some of the social issues on the Island. It’s natural to think that the fruit and vegetables that grow in abundance will provide enough nourishment for everyone. It is not true. Children go to bed and come to school hungry. A retired elder of Belair P.C. that was appointed by his Government to the United Nations in New York told me that nearly fifty percent of Grenada’s fiscal budget consists of funds to pay the interest on money owed to the International Monetary Fund/World Bank. Where do the fruit, vegetables and spices grown here go? To countries whose money makes interest payments possible? Children go to bed hungry.
Proverbs 22:16 tells us that “He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich – both come to poverty.” I have never experienced poverty personally. I have experienced Christianity. Christ makes it clear the purpose of our faith lies in what we do outside ourselves, not within ourselves. A Christian is a person for others as Jesus was a person dedicated to others. The world teeters on the brink of financial catastrophe, the
world’s financial system shaken to its deepest roots and we still do our utmost to make the poor pay. Will the world or, at least, the developed nations of the world ever recognize that financial power and war are senseless methods of obtaining the lubrication that keeps our societies rolling? Are we, the Church, a real community across the world that exhibits to our societies our relationships, life and work as the image of the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus embraced poverty. How do you and I as uncommonly rich North Americans compared to some 80% of the world’s population, even in these troubled times, follow Jesus? Are the majority of the world’s people watching us with expectation? Me, I reflect more and more on the camel and the eye of the needle.Please continue to pray for us as we focus on what God’s will is for our work here. Pray for us as we continue to settle into our new culture. Thank God with us each day for the opportunity to serve the people of our new Island home.
