Hello and welcome to the October blog! October is the last month, normally, when Tropical /depressions/storms or hurricanes threaten Grenada, even though the season does not officially finish until the end of November. Hurricane Tomas proceeded to finish off October with a fitting flourish. This year we have experienced our share of tropical depressions and storms and the resulting damage from wind and rain while not inconsequential was of no particular note. The greatest challenge we have encountered has been the lack of fresh or clean running water. It seems that the amounts of mud swept into the reservoir by the swollen rivers were such that the supply of clean water was restricted by the inability of the filtering plant to cope. The system simply had to be shut down for about two weeks. Ann and I were among the lucky ones in St. Patrick’s and St. Andrew’s. We have a 600 gallon water tank which with a little thought will supply the two of us for around two to three weeks. On the other hand, many of the families in the congregation were without water for two weeks. They were supplied once during that period by a water truck. They could also obtain water from the river or, now and again, from the community tap. Anyway, thanks be to God, we have all survived without any permanent damage! What a humbling experience. We are not used to feeling helpless. The Grenadian people at this end of the Island are long suffering. The question begs to be asked. What would the much wealthier people of St. George’s do if they were to receive such service from a Government Utility?Tomas went by “the end of our driveway”. It brought us some flooding as it went by about 60 miles from us; it also brought some quite severe water damage to Tobago, a neighbouring Island. The damage done to St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Cuba and Haiti has been documented in the media. The people of Grenada were warned on national T.V. and Radio to stay home from Friday at supper time until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday at which time the storm should be past. The noisy, happy people around us disappeared. The bus and other traffic stopped . What an appalling silence which simply enhanced the sound of the wind and rain! We followed the directions given to the people on the Island. We filled water containers and turned the settings in the fridge and freezer to maximum so that the contents might last for a little longer if the power was cut. Power is systematically cut to prevent damaged power lines lying live on the ground and so we readied ourselves for Tomas. By daybreak (5:30 a.m.) on Saturday it was obvious that we had missed the worst of it. The birds were noticeably quiet until well after eight o’clock. On the other hand the happy sounds of chirping frogs continued much later into the day than normal. And the Young’s? A favourite quote of mine from Dr. Johnston is, “Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is going to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” Life is infinitely precious. Fear can be stimulating. Jesus walks with us where we live. We are glad that he does.
Amidst the water shortage, as well as the water overabundance, Belair P.C. continued to have much to thank and praise God for. Nobody was harmed physically or mentally by the events of the month. Spiritually? If I were to ask I would be told that the Master has been good to us. We are ready to go when and where he calls us to. And me, I get concerned when he asks that I sit in the dark with him for a while! On Saturday the 16th of October we celebrated our 45th Wedding Anniversary at the manse with about thirty of the folk from Belair. What a party, what memories, what loving care! And it did NOT rain!
The school year continues at MacDonald. The water problem there was minimal. I think we only lost two school days. We had a mid-term break of three days which coincided with the Tomas event. What timing!
So, you might well ask, how was your spiritual life last month? Or, where is the evidence of how you lived it? I think it was Henri Nouwen who said one day, during a lecture at the Toronto School of Theology, that the spiritual life is the active presence of God’s Spirit in the midst of a chaotic life. A Spiritual Life, he taught, was possible only when we introduced the disciplines of solitude and community to it. These disciplines can allow us to create an inner space where God’s Spirit can work. Since we returned to the island from Canada in September we have lived in a world filled with more worry than normal. We could be bored, depressed and lonely. However, it’s true that Jesus walks with us and will re-create us and the life we lead. It is no surprise, therefore, that we continue to find that all things around us are being made new. Us too
