Reflections on Grenada – October/November 2011

Hello and welcome to the October/November blog! We have returned to Ontario and this last blog will reflect this transition. October and the first two weeks of November saw us experiencing some tropical storms with much rain and wind. Just prior to our departure so much rain water cascaded down the "road" to the manse from MacDonald that the four wheel drive almost didn't make it up. However, each time we needed good weather for an outside farewell event or a day set apart for us to be tourists under the guidance of a few members of the congregation, the sun shone and the Island displayed itself in all its beauty. Life was also busy in our last six weeks with church events and celebrations that peaked in a round of emotional goodbyes that left us physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. We spent our last four days on Grande Anse beach in St. George's and though this time too was a bit wet it was very enjoyable.

This morning we are sitting looking out over the garden in Barrie. The sun is bright. The branches of the trees are dancing gently in the wind with the sun's rays bouncing off the snow on them. It is business as usual for the squirrels and chipmunks after the first snowfall of winter 2011/2012. Neither of us is particularly good at saying goodbye. We found the closing liturgy at our last service at Belair P.C. meaningful. It released us from our responsibilities, thanked us for what we had taught and asked for forgiveness for our mistakes. In turn the congregation thanked us for our leadership, asked for forgiveness for their mistakes and thanked us for our care. The liturgy took a few moments but it meant an enormous amount to us all. Even as we enjoyed Grand Anse beach and as we now enjoy the sun sparkling on the snow, we have been reflecting on a question that is a bit rhetorical but sounds like this. In what way do we as inhabitants of God's world, as Christians, as church and as society contribute to building more equal, just and decent communities in which the worth of all humans is more adequately upheld and affirmed? Hubert Humphrey put it this way, "The moral test of Government is how that Government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life – the sick, the needy and the handicapped." Does our theology allow us to express our ethics and principles and simply implement equality? Are we not duty bound to do so? Have we the right to insist that public money be spent on those living in poverty so that they too might contribute to the economy? In a decent society everyone is respected and honoured. We Christians believe in the great reality of judgement. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the story about the sheep and the goats. For me it is entirely likely that nations as well as individuals will be called to account for having fed the hungry, given water to the thirsty, clothed the naked, cared for the sick and visited those in prison. In this great age of the individual there may be some difficulty with the notion that nations have responsibility for which they will be accountable to God. But surely there must be certain responsibilities for the poor and the needy which can only be exercised by governments and the people of the nations acting together as one. Could this be our responsibility before our good and gracious God or as a "moral test" of a nation or government in Hubert Humphrey's terms. We found in Grenada a society and government that had little or no belief in human equality or the need to reach out for an integrated approach to the different but completely intertwined forms of inequality – economic, political, cultural, gender and so on. We found also that there was no separation between the Church and the State.

In Grenada there is a need for democratic change to the power structures as well as decent benefits, fair taxation and redistribution. The people would be much more content in a more equal society than in one divided by a small but wide geographic division as well as economic and social ones. We humans are made in God's image and to love and be loved. Will a fuller love be found in Grenada this century?

Meanwhile, back in Canada, I have to ask one other question. Will the government and nation that I call, with great pride and affection, home be tested for how we respond to the needs of the world, particularly those of the weak, poor and vulnerable? I think for that judgement we will all stand before the Master himself.

Finally, I would like to reflect briefly on Paul's writing in 1 Corinthians 2:16, "Who can know the mind of the Lord .... But we are those who have the mind of Christ." "We have the mind of Christ," sounds arrogant doesn't it? Yet Paul did not make the claim in human pride. Even as God's incarnation in Jesus, on the basis of the word made flesh, comes before us as we prepare for the December celebration of that event, we should realise the mind of Christ can be taken on by us. The great hope of Grenadian Christians and Canadian Christians centers around our belief that God became mortal so that we mortals might take on God's life. In the first letter to the Church at Corinth Paul spells out what the meaning of the mind of Christ is. He is trying to show us in every aspect of our lives that we are invited to have the mind of Christ. In the goodness, generosity and grace of that mind we are led to deepening wisdom and fresh knowledge about ourselves, our relationships and our world. We would thank our community in Grenada for making this apparent to us.

Deo Gratias.

Reflections on Grenada – September 2011

Hello and welcome to the September blog! September held many more "tropical disturbances" which left us feeling cool, wet and quite miserable at times. On the other hand we continue to miss (thank you, Lord!) the "big" winds and rain of the hurricane season. Fresh fruit and vegetables are being harvested all around us as we too approach the autumn of the year in Grenada. Many of the trees around us are in the process of losing their foliage as we move "downhill" into winter. While the difference in the warmth around us may vary only by a very few degrees centigrade over the next six months, we will see the strange phenomenon of school children wearing warm wraps as a method of counteracting the cooler time they are moving through. It's true that Ann and I could wear shorts and light tee shirts and continue to feel more than a little hot but then our temperature gauges are still tuned to the norms of Ontario!

September also saw the resumption of our work at Belair Primary School with the children involved in the CALS programme. Ann had bought some "sweets" at the bulk store in Barrie in July together with some fancy little bags to put the candy in. What a successful idea that was! Two of the class were missing on the day she distributed them and it amazed us how very quickly the class asked permission to go and bring them so that they could all have a bag. Will the children have the same desire to share in ten years time? Jesus teaches much about sharing with and caring for each other. Will the words of all the choruses they learn to sing to him each morning as their class gathers and the role is called bring the reality of him into their everyday living. (The same practice will follow them through secondary school). Unfortunately the institutional church will have disappeared from their lives if, in fact, it was ever a part of them. Sadly Leonson did not return to the class as he has been placed full time in a remedial class for his dyslexia. We are both thankful it has been recognized just how great a constraint it will place on his life. Belair P.S. continued to celebrate its 60^th Anniversary in September. A health fair was organized by the Principal at which eye sight, blood pressure and blood sugar were measured for those of the community around the school that wished it. There were also first aid demonstrations and the Royal Grenadian Police Force brought along a variety of very nasty weapons and many kilos of assorted drugs. We were told how they came into the possession of the police. Both of us shuddered over the images that were created. On a much more positive note some of Grenada's more prominent citizens spoke very well about the time they spent at Belair. Their stories were extremely affirming for the present teachers in their day to day work. Ann and I were also thanked for our work with the children and the CALS programme. And that was affirming for us too!

My work at MacDonald is now at an end. Unfortunately the pain and discomfort of the osteoarthritis in my knee does not permit me to undertake teaching responsibilities. MacDonald has been somewhat disappointing for us both. Perhaps we were looking forward to the work we might do there too much. Anyway the quality of our relationships with the other children in our lives has been truly amazing and extremely rewarding. They are this small Nations greatest asset and it has been a joy to work with them.

Over riding all this is the finality of our return to Ontario in November. We have experienced a time of joy, love and care in Grenada. We have memories that are full and overflowing; full of warmth, overflowing with colour and energy; each one framed by the people who have taught us about life here and in doing so have forever changed our values. As we head into our last full month on the Island I thought about what more God might teach us before we leave, only to realise in that very thought I was limiting him. One of the passages offered to me this week for reflection are the words found in Luke 11: 37-41 which reflect one of Jesus' many encounters with Pharisees. As we prepare for a time of parting I hear Jesus telling us that holiness lies in wholeness and integrity; we are invited by him to be "of one piece" without deep contradictions. When life is brought before God fully and openly, asking that any divisions and anxiety in it be healed and that we are made whole it's time for us to remember that God sees us from the inside. When I contemplate God can I learn to see everyone as "great as God made them"? Help us Lord, to hear the prompting of your Spirit. Grant us a measure of your grace.

Reflections on Grenada – August 2011

Hello and welcome to the August blog. The rainy season continues with its high humidity and heat. It's amazing how wet you can become just sitting on a chair inside or outside the manse while the sheer pleasure of the luxury of two or three showers a day, in the circumstances, has to be felt to be fully appreciated! The hurricane season is also well underway and though we have experienced some "tropical weather disturbances" we offer our heartfelt thanks that apart from a very few minor inconveniences such as rip tides and heavy rainfall we are now safely into September the last of the months in which hurricanes are anticipated to be the most dangerous and prolific, even if the season lasts until November! We have experienced only one day in which the many species of birds around us were not chirping and singing. Quiet birds in the manse garden leave us with a rather uneasy feeling as we begin to wonder what the birds know that science has not passed on to us yet! The last harvest that we had from that same garden was beans. Those have now been replaced with cucumbers and Dannie has forecast that they will be edible by the end of September. Fresh cucumber sandwiches anyone? They are particularly good with some of the local low fat spreading cheese instead of the usual margarine we use. The lushness of the trees and bushes and other growing things such as the fruit around the manse has to be seen to be believed. The variety of their greenness and the girth of the upcoming grapefruit crop for example are to be marveled at and when drops of rain reflect the sunlight from the leaves and fruit it can be an amazing sight even if we are experiencing the wet of perspiration instead of those rain drops! The roads are another concern as they continue to deteriorate where the rain causes the surfaces to be washed away or to be piled high with mud. Thus the road through the mountains to St. George's becomes even more exciting than usual! August is also Carnival month here in Grenada. The community of Sauteurs celebrates with a parade, loud music and much drinking of rum over a two week period. It has little to offer us old folk. The lack of sleep because of where the manse is situated becomes such an issue that we need to escape to the quiet of Dorothy's home in Levera and do some catching up there.

All our school work is in abeyance thanks to the summer holidays, however, we held, with the help of some of the youth and adults of the Belair congregation, a Vacation Bible School which was attended by some thirty of our three to eleven year olds. We sang some well loved songs of praise and learned a few more, had bible stories, crafts, black and white drawings with bible verses to colour, games and food and in all this learned what Jesus meant when he told us to love God and each other. We also learned what it meant to share; a very hard lesson indeed when you are not used to having much stuff to share. Some of our older youth went down to St. George's to take part in the Vacation Bible Camp that the PCG ran there. When they arrived home they were full of enthusiasm for the Camp and its leaders. Great memories and many lessons learned for everyone!

Our return to Canada has been set for late November. There are, of course, details to be worked through and for those of us who will admit to "seeking perfection" in all we do these details have to be worked through for a while before a degree of comfort can be taken from the upcoming changes. I spent some time this morning reading Luke 6: 1-5, where the story about Jesus and the disciples in the grain fields is told. Those Pharisees (in their black hats!) are trying to preserve their structures and constraints and in so doing have lost sight of ordinary human needs. Jesus calls them to a better understanding of what is important. Let's hope that Jesus hears what distracts us as we begin our time of transition and calls us to truth. Isn't it true that it is not others who won't let us away with anything but ourselves? We get so busy with our own concerns and forget when it's time to let go. Pray, please, that with Jesus' help we will be able to discern what is really important and to let go of the rest!

Reflections on Grenada – June and July 2011

Hello and welcome to the June and July blog! We are well and truly back in the wet season complete with all the humidity, rain and strong winds the season brings. Visits to Bathway Beach have been put on hold again as the sea has been surging angrily over the protective reef and, with no respect for the age or weight of the bather, it will deposit them unceremoniously well up the beach! We have also had an inflow of seaweed from somewhere in South America. The beaches at the northern end of the Island have been inundated with the stuff for about three weeks. We wondered who was clearing the weed off. All became plain when we finally witnessed many of the local farmers carting the weed off as fertilizer. All of this at the height of the planting season too! Trips down to St. George's have become quite unpleasant once again as diesel traffic fumes and humidity combine to produce their very own pungent aroma. Corpus Christi Day (a National Holiday here) was celebrated on Thursday the 23^rd. This traditionally is the day on which families plant crops from beans to pineapples with the knowledge that there should be enough rain water and sun available to help them grow.

As time slowly unwinds and the prospect of annual vacation comes closer and closer the spectre of "going and returning" raises its head once more. As I prepare to leave this time I feel as unsettled as I have ever been in my life. No matter how much we are accepted by our congregation and the other people we work with we will never completely "fit in" with the general population around us. To them we're white skinned so therefore rich and never hungry nor do we have a need for very much, for very long. We have transport, can well afford the gas for it and if we need new tyres, for example, we simply go and buy some. We do not have to depend on a bus to go somewhere. The buses have routes that the drivers buy from the Government so they can operate them but there are no schedules. The owner drivers work whenever they want; they drive very slowly when the bus is not full or very quickly when it is. The rush hour speeds by! Most days' life is lived at the whim of the bus driver; the official across a government desk or some employee of a security firm who is convinced he or she has the authority of the Royal Grenadian Police Force but has little of the courtesy. Life here can be a continual struggle for a little power or a little security. The last few days I have spent time reflecting on how I will "fit in" at home and how I will find Scotland during our brief visit there. I know the norms of home life are cushioned by our family and friends but as I make the transition this time, I am for the first time experiencing some difficulty as I prepare to enter the process. I hope the time spent travelling through airports and sitting on aircraft will ease me into it. What is the familiar in your life? How much are you willing to let it go? Will you and I ever realise that the only worthwhile changes we can make in our lives are the changes we make within us?

The journey from the Southern Caribbean to Ontario went seamlessly and soon I found myself wordlessly taking my new Granddaughter from her Mom. Now that was absolutely thrilling! I found myself falling in love with the third woman who has precedence in my life. She didn't even have to smile though when she did it certainly sealed the whole process! Our home is in Barrie Ontario which has a larger population than Grenada. The food stores were, as usual, overwhelming thanks to their size and the amount of produce available in them. I also found costs had escalated; that people were in a greater rush than I remembered and road conditions were marvellous! The visit to Scotland, because of the family wedding, seemed to be one long joy filled party. Life was slower there and some political changes had been made. A much longer visit will have to be made soon! Like most people I give thanks to the Almighty for my solid, if starchy, roots! The four weeks of vacation went by too quickly. As I reflected on life while strapped into airplane seats I found that I had arrived at the point in my life at which I found myself unwilling to replace my values and priorities with other people's values and priorities, particularly when they clash with some things taught when my life started in Scotland so long ago. Those airplane seats are quite amazing as they are easily the best place I know to ask the hard questions that are required by a healthy reality check! Thanks to Caribbean Airlines, Air Transat and Air Canada for their facilities!

The work at Belair Primary School finished during the 2^nd week of June as exams, cricket and other year end events took over. Ann will finish off the work with this group of children in October. We have the ability to test them and will do that to see how the programme and our efforts may have helped the children. Belair's academic record was quite remarkable this year. Of the 21 children who sat the exams that qualified them for secondary school 20 passed! Wow! Loxanne, a child from Belair PC who attends Belair PS, was given an award from the local phone company (Lime). She will be funded in the amount of 100.00 ECD for each month that she attends her secondary school this year. If her marks continue to be at such a remarkable level she will continue to receive this through the school and then college. How will Lime benefit from this arrangement? Loxanne will have a job waiting for her when she completes her education. They do have a smart workforce and Loxanne will be one of the smartest and most personable members of it. Can you imagine what a blessing this is to her family? MacDonald was very quiet in June as the students were sitting their final exams and making the final preparations for the upcoming graduation ceremony. The ceremony which was held on the 8^th of July was attended by the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Carlyle Glean and his wife. His address to the graduates was well worth listening to. Many of the people who hold leadership roles in his country's institutions would do well do model his style and pay attention to the manner in which he interacts with others. The school was broken into on the weekend of the 26^th of June and all the tools from the Woodwork Shop stolen. While it was true that MacDonald had little or no active security force or precautions such as a simple padlock on the main school gate to make entry for vehicles difficult there has, unfortunately, been no recovery of the missing tools to this point. As its early August we now have an idea of how well Macdonald did in the overall striving for academic excellence in the past school year and when compared to other schools on the Island – it did quite badly. No reflection on the new Principal I think but on the other hand more a reflection on the underfunding of the college and those responsible for its health and present progress from the Ministry of Education down.

Belair PC keeps moving along. We are now in the "dog days" of summer and attendance at worship is a bit more sporadic as the kids and others visit family in other parts of the Island. We have started to plan a Vacation Bible School for August at Belair for about 25 children from 3-11 years. A few of our youth will attend the Vacation Bible Camp which the PCG is running at the Kirk in St. George's so by the time August rolls around the excitement will be high! Samaritan held its harvest on the 23^rd of June. I went over with three of the Belair kids and we duly sampled the homemade ice cream and found it to be of a high quality! There was also a vigorously played cricket match and some very good food and juice. The PCG came together for the Family Fun Day on the 13^th of June. It was held at a large family house in the north of Levera which came complete with swimming pool, domino tables, card tables and plenty of shade around the pool for those who preferred spectator sport. One of the Belair kids told me that it was the best day ever. It did have many of the ingredients!

And so we come to the month of August which not only contains the threat of hurricanes but is known locally as the "worst" month of the year due to the high heat and high humidity; we can only wonder what God will place in our lives for our consideration during these last few months of our work in Grenada. Over the last while the lectionary has led us through the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 22 we read the story of the king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He told his people to go out into the streets and invite those they found there to the wedding feast. One of the guests did not make the effort to put on a wedding robe which offended the king whose final words in the passage are, "For many are called, but few are chosen." God issues each of us an open-ended invitation which each of us should respond to as best we can. Are you and I prepared in our hearts to receive God's invitation? As one of God's people will you and I be sent into the streets around us to offer an invitation to others so that they may know about and receive God's goodness? Lord, let our lives here and others elsewhere proclaim your good news. We can only give others the chance to respond, you will do the rest.

Reflections on Grenada – May 2011

Hello and welcome to the May blog! The good news this month is that we finally had a dry month in the dry season. Sprinkles of rain in the morning, of course, but those leave the flora looking fresh and sparkling. We even had some trips to the beach when it was quiet, calm and comfortable. So we are able, finally, to mourn the lack of a dry season from December 2010 to May 2011. We shake our fists, along with the rest of the population, at the present high humidity and the other variables of nature. The papaya season is also in full swing; breakfast has become much sweeter and worthwhile. One of the congregation owns a papaya tree of note. It has the ability to produce the most remarkably tasty fruit. Before Grenada extended my education, I would not have believed that a tree can make such an enormous difference to the fruit that grows on it. I'm sure this will cause several hundred Ontario Fruit Growers to smile, if not laugh out loud!

Belair P.C. had its harvest on the 5^th of May. It will be another week before we have all the income and expense worked out but the general feeling is that we have done well from a financial point of view. There was also a beach picnic on the 21^st of May which was blessed by perfect weather; this led in turn to cricket, soccer, swimming, eating and drinking. Thanks were said for the goodness of God to us and the Young's finally arrived home just a little pink from the sun. On the 28^th of May there was a celebration of Ann's birthday. She will be away from Belair for the arrival of our new grandchild when her birthday is due. And so a noisy, happy celebration took place with twenty plus young children on hand to devour cake, ice cream and sandwiches; there were also the required party hats, balloons and games. What a lovely crowd! Who had the most fun? It was a toss-up between the Birthday-girl and the "Rev"!

MacDonald held a day retreat for the fifth year students before they were plunged into their final exams. I was invited along and, as usual, was able to learn more about the relationships between the school, the students and their families. There was an excellent speaker who talked about what College, the next educational level, would expect from them. He took great pains to plant in their minds the thought they were going to have to take control of their own futures as the time of others babysitting them was past. Other speakers talked about how to write exams, the importance of concentrating on the task at hand and other pieces of timely and appropriate information. The exam season for all the students at MacDonald is now in full swing and will not end until the middle of June. Soon the notes of The Elizabethan Serenade will be heard from the sound system as the graduating class prepares itself for their final walk down the aisle on the 8^th of July.

Belair Primary School continues to be a source of challenge and high reward. All of the children, except Leonson, have now completed the first part of their CALS training and have moved on into the second part where the reading comprehension tests and their language skills are being challenged some more. The computers have become infested by a bug or virus we have come to call Ribits. It reduces the availability of the individual computer as too many different hands on their keyboards cause them to be infiltrated by many assorted afflictions. Where is that indispensable body, the I.T. person? The Ministry of Education, I am told, employs one only to look after school machines on the Island. He is, therefore, in high demand and always has too much to do. Ce la vie! The annual primary school cricket competition will be starting soon. There has been a sports teacher at Belair for the past few Tuesdays. He had his whole group learning how to bowl last week. What truly remarkable patience on the teacher's part. What "arms" on the students' part. What a source of fun and admiration for us!

As we prepare to separate for a few weeks life in Grenada will change again. Ann will head north on the 2^nd of June and I will spend six weeks without her. From this point in time it looks like a long absence. Yet Easter is just six weeks behind us and it seems like yesterday. And so we commit ourselves separately, yet as one, into God's good hands. We do this where the living world of God intersects with our earthly lives. In John 15 Jesus talks about the things he has taught us so that his joy may be in us and that when his joy is in us it multiplies our own joy and makes it complete. Most Christians recognize that Jesus calls us not just to be dutiful, but to be joyful. So we offer God thanks for the joy that we will continue to find in each other and ask Jesus, humbly, to continue to make that joy complete long after our stay in Grenada ends!

Reflections on Grenada – April 2011

Hello and welcome to the April blog! The "dry season" this year continues to be both wet and uncomfortable. The deluge the week before Easter was such that the Western road from Sauteurs to St. George's was blocked by an enormous mud slide. It took a large back hoe and many human hands twenty-four hours to open the road. As if this were not enough, two houses were swept into the river at Gouyave and quite a bit of damage done to a bridge on the same road. There was a herculean effort from the local town folk there and the highway was again open in twenty-four hours. When we finally travelled to St. George's over the road on Maundy Thursday the surface was still slippery from the mud and debris. The Grand Etang road which cuts across the mountains in the centre of the Island to St. George's was also damaged, quite severely in places by the same storms. Then, in the middle of April, a hurricane started to form just north of Puerto Rico. Hurricanes are not supposed to happen until July! It quickly dispersed when it hit the cold air from North America.

The next Election in Grenada will be held in 2012. April saw a few opening salvos in the upcoming battle. Raw politics were evident, Grenadian style! There was no mention of the country facing a new direction or of turning from what could be argued as doing the same things all over again; that is, we will continue to take the same actions, made the same choices or think the same thoughts. Is it possible that Grenadians could be encouraged to turn the focus of their lives toward a new reality? Are there woes in Grenada that most people could agree on? Please take your choice of what is worst: too much debt, personal and national, not enough jobs, no political harmony, climate change and natural disaster, the lack of love in society and the collapse of compassion. I think everyone would agree on one thing. The country is headed in the wrong direction. Somehow it has gotten on to the wrong track. The crux of the matter, for me, is that no one can agree on what the right track is. Surely all of these things must ring a bell with Canadians as they go to the polls next week.

My Grandparents would point out from time to time that if you put two Presbyterians in a room you would get at least three points of view! The same applies to Grenadians. What to do about it? After all us Canadians don't even talk about politics or religion! Here the separation of church and state would be helpful. So would the understanding of what is financial and educational accountability by the various Ministries. If we were allowed to vote, who would we vote for? That choice would be as uncomfortable for us in Grenada as it is for us to make a decision in the present Canadian General Election. I would also like to be clear. Grenada is not different from most other third world countries. There is great wealth here yet the May Day parades on the 2^nd of May will be indicative of thorny industrial relations be they of the private or public sector. It will be interesting for me to watch if there finally will be a recognition of the Revolution that was so brutally put down in 1983. The question is will the charismatic Maurice Bishop's heritage be celebrated officially or not in 2013? There was some movement by the Government to start this process this present year at the Independence Day celebrations. As an expatriate Scot I know very well history cannot be rewritten. Can people here learn to live with the past and be given the freedom to celebrate it as they will? Time will tell.

MacDonald did badly, for them, at the Inter-Collegiate games back on the 6^th and 7^th of April. Enough said! The Easter holidays also reduced the time I spent at the school by a large amount. The teacher I was "standing in" for is back to work and, as exams take over from the months of May and June, there will be little for me to do. The next event will be the final assembly for the graduating Fifth Form on the 3rd of May. The class will graduate, after their exams, on the 8^th of July.

The children at Belair Primary school continue with a near miraculous turn around. Thank you for all your prayers, keep them coming, please! Even young Leonson who was causing the greatest amount of concern has moved forward quite dramatically. Self-confidence is part of it all, as is the self-respect a good teacher/pupil relationship brings. Anyway, there is some time to go for him on the programme, we will see how it all went soon enough. Congratulations Ann!

Time flew at Belair Presbyterian Church through the Lent and the Easter celebration. Now we are getting geared up for our "harvest" on the 5^th of May. The "harvest", the main fund raising event for the year leaves everyone exhausted from the physical and mental strain of it all. In the past though it has raised sufficient funds for Belair to live through the year and be able to handle most of the unexpected expenses that are always forthcoming from older church buildings.

On a personal note we lost a friend of forty years in Calgary at the end of April. He finally lost his battle with heart disease; one that he had been fighting for around thirty years. Because we were so close we now feel we are so far away. What a strange existence living overseas can quickly become. Yet we forget that life is made up of a balance between what we see as "good" or "bad", "helpful" or "unhelpful". At times like that I feel almost as strange and fearful as the disciples locked away in a room despite Mary's testimony about her face to face meeting with the risen Jesus. Like me the disciples are withdrawn, immobile and physically incapable of meaningful movement. Jesus came to the disciples where they are, just as they are. He offers one of his most precious gifts, twice. "Peace be with you." Jesus says it again for the one we call "Doubting Thomas" so that he might have the gift of Easter faith. (John 20). And, if we will allow him, the one who said "I am standing at the door knocking" (Rev. 3) will come in to whatever state our heart, mind and soul are in. With him inside courage comes back and the immense gift of Easter faith. Help us all, Lord, to risk giving whatever little we may have knowing that you are with us each step of our way.

Reflections on Grenada – March 2011

Hello and welcome to the March blog! The weather in March continued to be wet and stormy. It was also quite cool in the evenings when the sun went down. While that may have pleased us the locals were looking for something to wrap up in. Dannie's tomato plants are in full production and are providing us and many others with tomatoes by the dozen. Have you ever eaten a sun-warmed tomato just off the plant with a little "fake" salt? Wonderful! Dannie has cultivated some more of the ground that surrounds the manse and has planted corn there. It should be ready in July we are told. Because of the drought over the last two years this will be our first chance to try the plums on a tree behind the manse. When Dannie catches me looking at them he grins and says, "not yet, Chief." He's usually right; I'll listen to his advice and let them ripen for a while longer!

Our washing machine broke down at the start of the month. We looked at each other while thinking of an alternative way to wash our dirty laundry. The prospect we were presented with was grim. We phoned the people we bought it from next day and a technician was with us the day after. The day after that the machine was picked up, taken to St. George's and fixed! (Thank you, Lord, for service contracts.) It was returned to us on the fifth day. We are still impressed with the people involved. In the midst of this we had some company the Rev and Mrs Prinselaar from Thunder Bay, ON. They are a missionary couple who were here in the early 1980's from the United Church of Canada. The changes from "the things their eyes had seen"compared to "how we see things" thirty years later can be seen as either remarkable or remarkably troubling. They lived in St. George's when they were here and visited "the country". We live in "the country" and visit St. George's. Thank you, Lord, for no small mercy in where we live!

I went back to teaching at MacDonald at the end of March. I took over a few classes of the school councillor, Sally Palmer, a rather remarkable lady. She had suffered a painful accident and will be off for a few weeks. On the other hand this complicates the problems I am having with my left knee. Hopefully, the doctor here will be able to come to a decision as to how to proceed very soon. Next month the children who are members of MacDonald Drum Corp will take part in the band competition for senior schools in St. George's. The school athletes will perform in the Inter-collegiate Sports Days on the 6^th and 7^th of April. I'm afraid academics have practically disappeared. Let the games begin!

Belair primary School continues along the final stages of the test literacy programme (CALS) there. The children continue to challenge and please us. The reports that the CALS programme generates leave no doubt that the children involved are being taught at their own speed and to the extent of their ability. They are all on the right road. Ann, most days, has her life full of excited, smiling children. Thank you, kids.

Belair P.C. continues its journey through Lent to Easter. Our two youth who were in Trinidad as guests of the Presbyterian Church in Trinidad and Tobago returned home with much food for thought. They were challenged to look at themselves and their future differently. One of their greatest needs is to find satisfying employment. Could that be available in Trinidad? Trinidad is known locally as the "New York" of the Caribbean. I know the people there to be warm, generous and friendly just like most of the New Yorker's I have met. I hope both girls make the right decision. They have God and many people to lean on!

Emmanuel Kant wrote, "Everything that has a price does not have a value." We have set some time aside in the next three months for deciding on the future of our ministry here with God's leading and encouraging wisdom. Where do we start to attach value to what we do? Do we have the sole right to have the say in this? What is leadership? Leadership in Grenada is mostly dictatorship from what we have experienced. People still fight physically to uphold the right of the workers in a trade union. What is the value placed on life here? The many geckoes that scurry around our deck do their utmost to eat the many species of ants which they find there. Then there are the birds in the trees around us that praise God so beautifully with their songs. They feed on the geckoes. Who can decide on what has value and what does not? What does any church any where do to support all the people who it needs to support? What would happen to any church if the financial support of its wealthier congregations were withdrawn? Yet the Christian church is blooming. Where? Africa, Asia and South America are one answer. What value is it giving to its people there?

In Luke 18 we can read Jesus' story about the Pharisee and the tax collector. If we place ourselves with the tax collector asking humbly for God's mercy we can realize that we are sinners. We can then ask God to help us know our need without becoming disheartened. Then there is the Pharisee. Not only did he think the world of himself but he did it at the expense of other people. Do we not look down on others from any height we have exalted ourselves to? Who is to blame? Where did "blame" come from and how did it become part of my vocabulary? Jesus will tell you no one is to blame; that even the most difficult situations present us with an opportunity to be drawn into God's kingdom.

Deo Gratias.

Reflections on Grenada – February 2011

Hello and welcome to the February blog! Our weather continues to complicate life. The "dry" season has not made an appearance yet. February was mostly cool and wet; a far cry from the drought we experienced in the two preceding years. For the first time in the last four months the cumulative rain fall caused quite a bit of damage. Rock falls and mud slides were quite common; no one was seriously hurt but life became more uncomfortable and awkward as roads were blocked and cars were caught up and damaged in nature's chaos. On the 4^th of February the Island provided us with our first experience of an earthquake. It measured 5.3 on the Richter scale; however, little or no damage was done across the Island. The manse hardly moved and we were duly appreciative of that! I was invited to take part in the National Church Service to mark the Grenadian Independence Day Celebrations on the 6^th of February. The service was held about a twenty minute drive from the manse in the newly renovated Anglican Church in Victoria. Lovely church, lovely service! We also had company from Sutton ON – Denver and Brenda Dickie – who came looking for some tropical sunshine and some beach time. They were here for just over a week and experienced only two days that were beach type days. To our rather spoiled temperature gauges the sea water was as cool as we have felt it since we arrived – it was bordering on being cold. How would things stand if we were to compare it to Lake Simcoe, even in the summer time? No contest would have to be ruled!

Belair P.C. had a quiet month. Plans are underway for our harvest on the 5^th of May. Tickets have been printed for the afternoon tea and will be on sale this week. Two of our youth are going to a pre-Lenten weekend in Trinidad from the 4^th – 8^th of March. This is their first time off the Island and their excitement is high. They will be the guests of the Presbyterian Church in Trinidad and Tobago. It will be interesting for them to reflect on how a larger church than the PCG serves Jesus Christ.

The work at Belair Primary School continues to grind along. The three boys who are "out in front" of the group continue to lead the pack. This, the second part of a test programme with the CALS, is not proving to be as positive as the first. The issue is beginning to centre on the CALS programme's suitability to handle children who experience different degrees of Attention Span Deficit. There are also issues around the need for simple self-discipline. If body language is any indication of what is tripping through the mind then the minds concerned are on what could be described as a permanent vacation! Ann has been told that the children in this group have issues with attention deficits; are lazy with no known motivation (from them or their parents) that they do any better. The school was hoping the CALS programme would provide them with an opportunity to stretch them to a new place but, sadly this has not happened. Nor, unfortunately, has their confidence in themselves improved. And that, for me, is heartbreaking. We have three months left in which we might make a difference. Help us pray for Alex, Deszim, Dezra, Jade, Josh, Kemron, Leonson and Seon. Life is hanging in the balance for them.

On our school calendars this is sports season. Part of the Caribbean Culture is based on athletic ability, particularly that of the male. Primary School Sports Days are fun; as well as the athletics there are sack races, (plastic) spoon and lime races and blind man races. The last event is a hoot! The starters of the races and the judges who determine the finishing order have a much easier job that than those who officiate at the Senior Sports! Belair Primary asked that I do the Prayer of Invocation for their sports day. Another day in our lives when we were surrounded by excited children and their cheering families. Lovely! MacDonald Sports are in March. They will be much more serious. If you make it to the showcase that is Sports Day for Senior Schools from across the Island at the stadium in St. George's you will run before talent scouts from some of the major U.S. Universities. It could be your ticket off the Island. It could also improve your family's lifestyle dramatically. Do academics take a back seat at this time of year? Indeed they do!

The osteoarthritis in my left knee has become a bit more problematic. It is causing more and more discomfort despite attempts to heal it. I am missing the specialist in Newmarket who solved my problem ten years ago. The specialist that I am seeing, a product of the University of Edinburgh, and a good man, took part in an operation a few weeks ago at the hospital in St. George's. They did two knee replacements that day. These were the first operations of this sort on the Island.

In all of this the 2011 Sports Day at MacDonald is being prepared for to the very best of everybody's ability. It will happen on the afternoon of the 4^th of March. The main inter-school competition will take place toward the end of March. Will there be much school work done in March? Easter will provide us with a two week break in April. Exams fill the months of May and June. School finishes early July.

In Matthew 7 Jesus teaches that those who hear his words and act on them will be like the wise who build their house on rock. Neither rain nor wind will hurt the house because of its foundation. Then there is the house built on sand, the house of the foolish. When the wind and rain come it will fall easily. The work that we do in the schools causes us to reflect on these words often. Have we built our work here on a solid foundation? Building on the volcanic rock that lies all around us is difficult, challenging and time consuming. Yet it is God that takes the time to set a solid foundation, to measure with care as together we build something that is dependable.

Jesus says listen and act. Join us in the prayer that God will be with us during the time when we act in Jesus' name.

Reflections on Grenada – January 2011

Hello and welcome to the January blog! Rain still falls upon us though with neither the volume nor intensity of the wet season. Dannie wants some hot, hot sun for the tomato plants in the garden. Ann and I want the wind to return to the more placid speed of our regular trade wind. Dannie will then have some of his favourite juice and we will be able to swim off Bathway! January was also a long, difficult month for us.

Our Elder extraordinaire at Belair P.C., Mrs. Elaine Charles died in her 75^th year. She died on the morning of Sunday the 2^nd of January. Worship that morning was to include the Sacrament of Communion. This was postponed by the Session and a service of prayer and reflection entered into. We felt a great sense of loss. Ann lost a friend who was as warm, reliable and able to comfort as an almost new pair of house slippers. Me, I lost the heart of Belair P.C., a trusted councillor, a much loved and respected visitor of the sick and shut-ins and a friend who may have barely reached my shoulder with the top of her head (this included the height of the many hats she always wore when with "the minister") but she stood tall in her faith. She said, "thank you, Jesus" in a voice that told you of an old, dear, friendship that had stood the test of many years. Her funeral was on the 20^th of January. To us this was a long time after her death but family were travelling home from North America, the United Kingdom and other Caribbean Islands. After our time of mourning the Belair community began to function again last Sunday the 6^th of February. Suffice to say the funeral had several hundred people in attendance. The service at the grave was also well attended. After the words of committal her family and friends filled in the grave, arranged the flowers on it and finished it off with loving care. Throughout this process hymns and spirituals were sung in lovely harmony. Even in my distress I was envious of the bass voice of a man in his mid-twenties. He was able to lift us all up with his effortless talent, a true gift of God to him and us.

Into these circumstances came the Rev. Elaine Dunn and her husband Tony. She is the minister of my brother's church in Seaford, England. She conducted my Father's funeral service last year. Tony is a social worker whose background is mental health. There was some thought being given by them to serving as missionaries. They left Grenada with many of their questions answered. The four of us were left with a highly unpleasant aftertaste when the Toyota was broken into and our phones and cameras stolen as well as some cash and other bits and pieces. Between Tony and me we were able to identify the thief when the police brought him to the local station in Sauteurs. We entered into the long business of signing statements (they were written by hand) and charges were laid. Unfortunately the stolen items were never found. The proceedings came to an abrupt halt. The Dunn's lost family photos they had not downloaded into their computer. The Young's lost Christmas 2010, the Youth Pageant, etc., etc. Yes, I should have downloaded them too. I also really liked that little camera, it could almost think for itself!

And so we enter the second month of the year of our Lord 2011. What does the rest of the year hold for us that we are aware of? Our first grandchild is due to be born in early June. There is a family wedding in Edinburgh in July. The renovations being done to our new home in Barrie are almost complete and still the year stretches out, comfortably, in front of us. This is our third year in Grenada; the many social issues, education issues and church issues (I am not talking of the P.C.G. alone) still challenge and cause us to ask questions that have not changed in intensity.

I have had a return of osteoarthritis in my left knee. This has limited my involvement at MacDonald. The new Acting Principal Ms. Lorraine De Allie has started her second month and her calm demeanour has had a great deal to do with the somewhat large decrease in the noise level that surrounds the students at MacDonald. Sports season is upon us. In the absence of Rev. Osbert James of the PCG I was asked to do the opening prayer for the 2011 Sports Day at Samaritan Presbyterian Primary School. What excitement! What a great bunch of athletes who proceeded to delight both of us with the enormous effort they put into each event! I was also asked to present the medals to the winners of some of the events; those winning smiles were worth much fine gold!

The CALS programme at Belair P.S. continues to keep Ann busy. The three boys who are quite a bit ahead of the group continue to impress, even amaze us. The progress they have made with their reading could easily be far in advance of where it is though. What is the issue? The boys need to read and be read to at home. It is terribly important to their progress and it doesn't happen. Yes, their parent(s) have been told of the situation. And no, they can't help.

After the death of Mrs. Charles the usual round of Women's Circle, Bible Study and Youth Group were placed on hold for a while; they are now back in full swing. Sunday the 30^th of January saw a joint service of the congregations of the Kirk, St. George's, Samaritan P.C. and Belair P.C. in the Belair Sanctuary. It was very well attended; the youth of the three congregations led worship and did an excellent job. Belair's Terresa Williams preached from the Beatitudes and did a marvellous job. Terresa is a natural preacher. She is somewhat inhibited by education and her struggle may be that it is not possible for her to leave the Island so that her education may be completed. What a loss!

I was taught a prayer by a Jesuit teacher at the Toronto School of Theology. It helped a lot with all we went through last month. I thought I might pass it on:

Lord, a struggle goes on almost endlessly in my life. I pray that in my insecurity I will not look for status or achievement so I will exercise power of some kind over others around me or over the person or persons dearest to me. In my heart I know there is another way which is the way of humility, kindness, forgiveness and dependence on God. This way I will meet the true regard of other good people and receive blessings and guidance. Loving God, in the struggle I encounter, help me always to find the right path or, having lost my path, come back to you. Only your loving grace can help me accomplish that. Only on that path will I know blessedness and peace of heart. Amen.

Deo Gratias