Reflections on Grenada

Reflections on Grenada – October/November 2011

2011-12-11T17:11:00.001-08:00

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

2011-09-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-30T23:06:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-03T11:23:00.001-07:00

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

2011-02-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-30T14:07:00.000-08:00

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

Reflections on Grenada – December 2010

2010-12-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to the December blog! The weather stays up there among our main concerns. The rain continues to fall in large quantities, the earth absorbs the water after a longer and longer period of time and everything that grows out of the earth is blooming gloriously. Mosquitoes are back in greater numbers than ever; thank God that the risk of malaria is now non-existent. The wind has also been blowing strongly from a low pressure weather system that has sat on top of us for what seems like forever. The sea has been heavy with white capped waves and surging tides. Bathway, our local beach, has been so rough we have not been able to swim there for most of the month. The spray on the rocky beaches between Marli and St. George's on the west coast of the Island has been spectacular. Anyway, the battle between the sea and the volcanic rock of the Island will continue for eons yet! Earthquakes, of a minor nature, are taking place on the Islands around us. Our Disaster Preparedness people have warmed us that a 'quake will hit the Island. They want us to remember as a cardinal rule when it happens and you are inside go under the strongest table you can find and stay there until things are quiet again. If, on the other hand, you are outside, stay outside in the middle of the clearest space you can find for the same length of time. We will not forget! What could we point to as the greatest obstacle or discomfort that all the past wet weather has presented us with? Our choice would be the road system. It has always been hazardous; we were well warned about it before we arrived. Now it is much worse as large pot holes and sundry things such as road surface upheavals are much too common. When I look at the tyres we bought for the car at the start of the year we are beginning to wonder if they will last through 2011. They were good for 50,000 kilometres the manufacturers claim. We have driven 20,000. We will see!

The Christmas/New Year's holiday season has come and gone. It was time to spend a while looking into the eyes of those around us, particularly the eyes of the children. One of the boys had four gifts to open, another a little more, another a little less. The sheer unadulterated happiness of having an unexpected present all to yourself, wrapped in fancy paper and string was cause for wonder. It could take a long, long time to unwrap it. You might even carry it off into a quiet place, stare at it and poke it with a finger now and again. If it was indeed real the eyes lifted the face beamed and much laughter accompanied the unwrapping when it finally occurred. The children around us, I'm happy to say, are normal in that they might snatch the gift for fear it disappear or clutch it gently to their chest. Our youth received clothing. Our adults? Mostly happiness from their children. The eyes, as a poet indicated, reflect the condition of the soul. If your child had a gift that was not appealing to them and you saw another child holding one that they would most definitely like, what would you do? The presents were given to Belair P.C. from gifts received at the Kirk in St. George's from their Christmas Gift Giving Service. Sometimes a simple thank you is not enough. How best to say thanks and to whom?

Our Christmas Pageant was a smash hit; worth every minute of the time that was spent in rehearsal. The Christmas Day Service was particularly well attended. I preached at Samaritan P.C. during their "Old Year's Night" Service. Thankfully not a single bagpipe disturbed the tropical night. For the first time since our arrival two years ago we went to bed after midnight! Wow!

On the 10^th of December the principal of MacDonald retired. A fitting farewell was given during a special School Assembly. Mr. Alexander had spent twenty-three years as principal of the College. Most of his memories he admitted were good but "tough" ones in the constant struggle for MacDonald to get its share of resources; the struggle for him being shown in the resources given to schools in St. George's but not those in "the country" particularly St. Patrick's Parish. So there may have been a little bitterness in his heart but overall he was very proud of what MacDonald had achieved over the years he spent here. And rightly so! We know there will be an Acting Principal until a new Principal is hired. The times ahead are bound to be interesting. My North American "stuff" craves the discipline of planning and fore thought!

And so as 2011 rapidly approaches with its own set of issues, rewards and moments to remember we both would wish you a healthy, prosperous and distinctive year of our Lord 2011. Will we be able to follow where God leads? Will we ever make snow angels in the Christmas snow again? Christmas and the season around us call's us all home. Not home in the sense of some street address but home to whom you really are. Christmas can ask us what happened to us, but Christmas also offers an answer. Please remember whatever happened in your life, whatever you've become, whatever your motive for being is; there is a God so madly in love with you that he could not tolerate the distance between him and you but came and dwelt among us, took on our human condition and not only taught us how to live by being compassionate, forgiving and self-sacrificing but showed us the way.

Be as human as you can be. God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, answers life's many questions. God's answers to us are what Christmas is all about.

Glory to God in the highest. And on earth? Peace to those on whom his favour rests. And that's us.

Reflections on Grenada –November 2010

2010-11-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to the November blog! The hurricane season is now officially over though heavy rain and strong winds still persist. Last week, while we were in St. George’s, many of the roads flooded. The main street of Grenville was also blocked by quite a large mud slide. Even the rough road that leads to the manse from MacDonald turned, once more, into a wet muddy stream. Thank you, Lord, for four wheel drive and the lesson we have learned as well as we ever will: what needs to be done today can also be done tomorrow. I’d forgotten the Canadian snowstorms that kept me house bound for one or two days in a row. People do adapt to life as nature dictates! It seems, though, some have more difficulty doing this than others! Being without a clean source of water here is the biggest difficulty that faces us but we have learned too that this will “come back “as soon as possible!

Meanwhile, the local farmers are ecstatic over the way their crops are growing. Dannie remarked the other day that if people couldn’t grow things this year (the last two brought drought like conditions) it simply meant they had been too lazy to throw the seed onto the ground. Thanks to Dr. Ron Wallace of International Ministries we now have a weed eater which keeps the long grass and other vegetation under control around the manse. Weed eater you may well ask? The mass of volcanic rock around us surfaces in the most unlikely places and would quickly ruin a motorized lawn mower/cutter. However, grass when it becomes long and wet harbours the breeding grounds of our favourite beasty – the mosquito. Large lumps on the body show us where they have been. Even when we declare war on them in the morning and evening of each day both of us know who the final victors will be!

The first Sunday in Advent has come and gone and the ghost of Christmas to come has appeared to haunt us in all we do in Grenada.

MacDonald breaks for the holidays on the 10th of December. All of us will enjoy a three week holiday. MacDonald’s Principal Mr. Jim Alexander retires on the 10th after being principal here for the last twenty-three years. He leaves behind a school that can boast of its sporting prowess but struggles with academics. The “who will be in charge” issue is being addressed and we await the outcome with great interest.

Belair Presbyterian Church sails on. The Christmas play has been written by one of the congregation, Glenda Williams, and the rehearsals are under way. The plot of the play centres round a new widower and his two teenage daughters. The man is bitter, the girls full of hope because God is good. The man is played by one of the most natural “hams” we have ever met. He brings the sadness, love and humour to his part that only the local dialect and outlook on life can supply. The performance on Wednesday the 22nd of December will speak to God’s loving care of all of us. Samaritan P.C.’s Christmas Concert is on the 19th; our youth will supply an “item” for them of some Christmas Music. And so, the celebration of Jesus the Christ’s birth will come in these and other ways to Belair P.C. If you are able, join us on Bathway Beach on the 15th of December at 11:00 a.m. Our young people will be “Frolicin' in the Favour of Jesus” you would love our Jesus in much the same way we would love yours!

The Computer Assisted Literacy System (CALS) has resumed at Belair Government School. We are working with another eight children who will spend from the 2nd of November until sometime in June with us. They are from the Primary School’s third grade (around seven years old) and have been exhibiting learning difficulties for some time. (Children start pre-kindergarten in the year of their 3rd birthday). With our volunteers from Belair P.C. we have a God given opportunity to work one on one with them; not only to teach reading but also some mental discipline which can lead to a little fore thought and a realization of the need for perseverance. God willing, we will also bring some development to their imagination. None of the eight had used a computer before the 2nd of November. It took them all of a week to arrive at a level of skill necessary for the CALS. Wow! Ann suggested a different approach for this group to the Principal, Ms. Peters. We will try it this week. Belair School celebrates its 60th Anniversary in January. They have asked if they may join us in worship in January so that fitting thanks may be offered to God. Belair P.C. positively beamed. Heads are being held high and God is, even now, in possession of a myriad of thanks for his goodness.

So, as the Christmas Cards come and go, on a personal level the Young’s are preparing to spend the Christmas celebration apart from their family. Ann misses her children so much. Jim misses his children but also the familiar trappings of Christmases from across his many years! Why do we do work here? Please come and take my place behind the lectern as I lead worship of the Baby Jesus on Christmas day at 7:30 a.m. Join us later for Christmas dinner at a family home in Grenville. It’s a family we will always think of as family. All of this is part of the barrel of memories that Ann and I will have forever and ever. No small thing to us. God is to be thanked, now and always.

Romans gave us one of the lectionary readings for the Sunday of the first week of Advent. Paul was asking the Roman Christians to clothe themselves in God’s light. Even as we pick the deep red sorrel from our bushes to make sorrel juice, according to one or two of the local Christmas recipes, we see the wonder of God’s light. It illuminates the path he calls us to walk; the need for our hair to be cut short because of the humidity and heat we live in; the need for us to touch in a fresh, positive and continuing way the lives of those who live around us. There are very, very few people in Grenada or Canada that do not love children. At Christmas we all come together in the light of the Christ Child, Immanuel, God with us. In Grenada we continue with even more excitement and satisfaction than normal. We continue because God is coming and will soon be among us; the Holy Spirit leads us on with hope, peace, joy and love into 2011.

Deo Gratias

Reflections on Grenada October

2010-10-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

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

Reflections on Grenada – August/September 2010

2010-09-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the August/September blog! We left Grenada for our vacation/study leave on the second of August around ten in the morning, arriving in Toronto around seven in the evening. We drove from the manse to the airport at Point Salines through some of the deepest pockets of poverty in the Western hemisphere. We drove from Toronto Airport to the Muskoka's passing through some of the most prosperous small towns and cities in the world. We left behind the brokenness, harshness and terrible unemployment that represent life in a third world economy to arrive in the comparative opulence of a member of the G8. So swift, abrasive and abrupt was the change that neither place felt real. Some forty-eight hours later we collected ourselves together enough to contemplate leaving Gravenhurst for the day. We went to the place we will call home one of these days – Barrie. What did we see? It really wasn't enough just to see, we needed to feel and those feelings could easily overwhelm us.

There was an endless supply of milk. Apples were available by the barrel. Grapes, peppers, potatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, asparagus, mountains of sweet corn, peaches, apricots, olives, fresh meat of all descriptions not to mention the shelving which held row after row of tinned and packaged products, the number of freezers full of food, the baked goods from apple pies to seven grained bread. And all of the things I have written down represent only the tip of the iceberg of the products that are available.

We reached out for our family and friends and gave thanks that the changes in us and them were such that our friendship continues to flourish and in so doing strengthens us all. What a joy it was to relax into familiar furniture and share the pieces of our lives that we had not shared since we last met. What a privilege it was to talk in a common language that was formed by similar socialization processes. What an effort it was to continue to look into the eyes of the Doctor that you had trusted with your cancer and hear him say that you were cured as far as he is concerned while saying also that he'll test it for the next few years anyway, just to make sure.

What an enormous thrill to find yourself in Robart's Library at the University of Toronto, all fourteen floors of it, and to find there more books on the social history of Grenada than I have access to on the Island. I can only write, somewhat longingly, what an enormous candy store!

I used the Greyhound Bus between Barrie and Toronto. I sat in its comparative safety wondering, once more, about the life-style that causes people to drive the 400 series highways each day of their lives. Anyway, one of these years, we are going to buy another car and use those highways. I wonder if the Canadian Army has some second hand heavy duty tracked vehicles for sale. I have also taken to praying for the generation aged between twenty and forty years in Barrie. Just – I'm equally sure - as people did for me when I was that age. I well remember the focus on me, my family and me!

Our son, Douglas, was married to Melody in early September, what a lovely celebration! Bruce, Melody's Dad, put together an amazing power point presentation consisting of photos dating, back to the happy couples earliest days to their present ones. What fun, what memories, what love! They went off to St. Lucia just a few hundred miles north of Grenada for their honeymoon.

And so the time went by. Soon enough it was time to come back to our work in Grenada. It felt that we had been gone too long to tell you the truth. Even now the rainy season is coming to an end. The hurricane season is almost over too. Thank God we have endured. Keep the Island in your prayers though as there is still a few weeks of active hurricane season to go through. We arrived home on the 20^th of September. We finally had regular water supply on the 6^th of October. Did we feel dirty and hot? Yes. Did we feel that our patience was being tested? No. I wonder how many over-paid North American plumbers would have worked to bury a water pipe for hours in temperatures over 30c with humidity around the 90 percent mark. How do you express gratitude to someone who will do that? You can start by sitting on the wall of the car-port and listening for a while. You could keep an eye on the two daughters who attend MacDonald. Life is about relationships.

The lectionary readings, since we have come back, have given Belair P.C. as well as the church around the world the story that Jesus told about the beggar Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16) together with the story about Jesus cleansing the ten lepers (Luke 17). I often worry about the reason Jesus named the beggar and not the rich man. On the other hand, of the ten lepers cured why was it only the Samaritan - the lowest of the great unwashed – that turned around to express his gratitude for his cure to God? Of which is God's Kingdom? Is the Kingdom easier to find on Grenada than in Ontario? And, is there any doubt in your mind that the Kingdom is right here, around you and me, each day? Take the freedom, love the peace it can bring and never, ever forget that it's not enough to simply search for the Kingdom, you need to search for it with pride.

Reflections on Grenada – July 2010

2010-07-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the July blog! The rain still cascades down. We recently went to our favourite lunch spot at Bathway – Aggies – where we found we had to finish our lunch crouched behind the only dry spot in the restaurant – the bar! The wet season continues to be alive and well in Grenada. We sit on our sheltered balcony in the early evening and wonder if the fate that will overtake the Young's is to be washed away. Yet, the miracle of recreation is apparent all around us. We never imagined there could be so many shades of green. The plant life is once more lush and plentiful, the turquoise waves with their white foaming tops caress the beaches and the sky, when not obscured by rain clouds, is an important blue. The impatience of our world surges around us as the children/youth in our lives prepare for their long summer break. We are tired, bordering on being exhausted. Our last break was October of last year. It is becoming more and more difficult to control our North American need for things around us to happen in a semblance of order – at least in a manner in which a focus is apparent – and yet, it's getting closer and closer to our vacation/study leave which starts early next month. Thanks be to God!

Belair P.C.'s harvest, our major fund raising event, happened on the 1^st of July. Financially it was a great success for us. Socially it brought us into direct contact with our community of Conference, which turned out en masse to support us. Heather Patton arrived from Toronto at the start of the month too. She has just finished her studies at Knox College and will work with the P.C.G. and with Belair P.C. in particular when we are away. She is settling in well considering the large adjustment necessary to differentiate Toronto from Grenada. At Belair she will work with our Youth and the Women's Circle. She will also work with the people of Samaritan P.C. Anyway, Heather has displayed a remarkable gift for youth ministry and models other things such as leadership very well. The Annual Youth Camp was again held at La Poterie from the 16^th of July until the 24^th. Unfortunately I had some rather severe rash on my torso caused, the Doctor thought, by small beasties chewing on it. She, therefore, ordered me not to sleep over at the camp, this, of course, broke up the harmony campers feel as they settle down for the night together. Nonetheless, I still managed to enjoy myself immensely. Ann taught, among other things, knitting. The kids learned quickly. Me? I still don't know how! At the Camp Banquet she was thanked for teaching them something they can use for the rest of their lives. Nice! Heather introduced many new songs, games and graces! All in all, the camp was a wet, noisy, happy place. Jesus' spirit was all around us. The Camp Banquet was held in St. George's this year. The repast was the work of the Kirk's Guild. We all thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The kids showed off their new dance skills taught by that super dancer, Frankie, camp councillor extraordinaire! How glad we older folk were to go home on Saturday and sleep for fourteen hours. Lastly, let me say, how good it was to meet the Youth from St. George's. They have different needs and attitudes from our "country" youth. They are just as lively as their "country cousins".

MacDonald College's Graduating Class of 2010 took their place in history on the 9^th of July; another lovely ceremony; another excellent job by the teachers, speakers and "notables" who attended. The Prime Minister was on hand to present the piece of paper the student s had worked so long and hard for. Now the old buildings that make up the school are quiet. I would like to think that some of the holes and graffiti in them would be gone by the time the new group of first year students arrive in September. I don`t think I have to write about the chances of that.

And so we arrive in early August and to the image of that small silver cylinder which waits to carry us to Toronto. It prepares us for the mental adjustment necessary for life at home in Ontario. There is a family wedding ahead. We have also to consider buying a place to live when our time here is finished. I also hope to spend time at Robart`s Library at the University of Toronto whose collection of books on Grenada is rather remarkable. Most of all the both of us need to find time for a time of renewal and rest among the family and friends we cherish so deeply. We also need time for quiet reflection on our ministry here. Life in Grenada can be difficult and therefore mentally and physically tiring. Thank you, Lord, for those undergirding arms that enable us to help others.

Henri Nouwen writing in Making All Things New says Jesus was ``all ears`` and that this ability is the centre of successful prayer life. The ability that is to listen while standing still in God`s presence. Sooner or later we all need to unplug ourselves from the world around us and find a quiet place to listen. This, Nouwen claims, allows the Spirit of God to pray in us. Pray, please, for our listening skills and the renewal they bring.

Reflections on Grenada – June 2010

2010-06-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the June blog! The Wet season is now in full swing and its wetness is all around! We have just encountered Rain Flies for the first time. They are so small they simply fly through our window screens and end up dead on the floor a short while later. Soon they are the size of coffee grinds and make a highly satisfying crunch when walked on. To balance the arrival of this new pest the mosquito population has shrunk. It's an ill wind that blows no good! After a long discussion over the largest mango tree in the backyard we finally decided to take the advice offered to us and chopped off a few of the lower branches. This opened up the view from the balcony all the way down Sauteurs beach. The tree continues to provide us with an amazing mango crop. Dannie the gardener, a man with superb instincts for choosing a good mango, is also well pleased with his efforts at both tree trimming and mango harvesting! Some families in Levera will be well supplied for some time!

The first test programme of the CALS at Belair Primary School has come to an end. As we are still in test mode some of the final conclusions about the programme have to be postponed for a while but the success of the CALS so far, as well as some of the issues raised, can be considered and measured to this point in time. We will continue the CALS programme with a younger group of children in October; we will also attempt to stream the children in a more deliberate manner. Perhaps the most exciting result from CALS was that seven of the eight boys passed into the Secondary School System in September. That alone was worth the time and effort involved. Two of the boys who started off reading at a grade three level (instead of grade six) finally struggled with their comprehension of paragraphs at a grade eight level. At that level the paragraphs which measured their comprehension required them to take the essence of the paragraph and answer the questions asked. In other words they had to form their own answers as they were not provided for them in black and white in the paragraph. The programme became boring for the laziest member of the class and this was the issue that started the process of us asking how we might stream the children into the programme in the future. The children were also affected by the repetitiousness of the programme. However, the very ability of the programme to concentrate the child's efforts on areas of minor or major concern in their learning process is one of the programme's strengths. The programme also helped build the child's self-confidence which, of course, led to a more positive sense of self-esteem. "Miss Young" as Ann was known was a firm favourite of the boys and exhibited unlimited patience, understanding and grace. The seven boys who passed the Common Entrance Exam are all off to the Secondary School in Pearls in September. I think the bonding they experienced during the CALS will last for some time to come and will help with their switch from being "top of the heap" at Primary School to "bottom of the heap" at Secondary School. The programme also increased the confidence of Belair P.C. in its efforts to become increasingly involved in our community. From our eldest Elder to our youngest pre-kindergarten student the people of Belair did their utmost to make CALS a success. Have you ever had to sit down, put all your hard work at arm's length, and consider how effective a programme was? I did a little of it while sitting with the church group in the tropical sunshine adrift in the roar of the surf. My return to reality and a sense of purpose was brought about by a tiny girl who said, "Hi Rev" snuggled onto my lap and followed this by saying, "It'll be O.K.". The older members of her family would have added "God willin'". So bring on the next part of the test. What of those whose job it was to encourage the boys? We relearned how important it was that the human race be able to read. We also remembered why the ability to read was such an important part of our everyday lives. Then there was the sheer joy of hearing Dinnie the Dragon yell, "You have mastered this exercise!!!" The combined joy of the boy and the encourager was overwhelming, almost beyond comprehension when Dinnie yelled those words. Thank you, Lord, for the experience.

MacDonald College was in exam mode for the month of June. This meant I had little contact with either the students or staff last month. The report cards will be picked up the first week in July. Graduation of the 5^th year class is on the 9^th of July. This will, of course, be an important event in the school's life. The Prime Minister will be there to hand out the certificates and offer his congratulations. The sound of the Graduation March has been heard in the manse each day for the last month as the class prepares for their procession down the auditorium's aisle. Songs have been practised, poems recited and tears wiped away as the big day draws nearer and nearer.

Belair P.C's major fund raising event of the year the "Harvest" went well. People came from the community for the tea and goodies that were served; chicken and fish were cooked and sold; ice cream was devoured and soft drinks much enjoyed. Heather Paton, a recent student at Knox College arrives next week. She will help with the Youth Camp at La Poterie from the 16^th to the 24^th of July and work with the Belair congregation for the month of August while we are in Ontario for what we know to be a much needed rest.

Life is coming back together again after the grief we initially experienced when my Dad died in the U.K. at the end of May. The journey to and from the U.K. was a classic series of circumstances which turned the journeys into nothing short of nightmares. We will never choose to use that airline again. Our family in the U.K. came together the day before Dad's funeral for dinner, the majority of them left the day after the funeral. What a relief it was to have them around us. Yet how much we missed our own family who were in Ontario and unable to make the trip across the Atlantic. However, we were supported by the congregation in what has become the family church in Seaford – they were kindness, consideration and compassion incarnate. We were also lifted, for instance, by the kind words, cards and letters received from friends in the U.K. and Canada; the way we were reached out to by the people of the P.C.G. and MacDonald College. To be alive and functioning well as a human being is to be aware of the network of people who surround you and we are deeply appreciative of all those who supported us through a difficult time. And all of this, all of this, was supported by the everlasting arms. A month later the grief continues to be worked through, the good clear memories of family relationships, holidays, birthdays and anniversaries opened up and new treasures found when they were looked at through the eyes of the family group. So it seems that Jesus' words are true again. In choosing to live for another day we receive re-creation and renewal. In our lives we all encounter death; in dying we will find eternal life. The tie that binds us all together is eternal love. Again, thank you to all of our friends and relatives near and far; our grief process seems to be healthy and our renewal process underway.

Deo Gratias!

Reflections on Grenada – May 2010

2010-05-31T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the May blog! Rain is back in our lives! It has not, however, come as yet for the longer periods of time associated with the Wet season. We are out of our drought though! Thank you, Lord. Most of the farmers at Belair P.C. are looking for much more rain, as soon as possible, so they may get on with the business of crop planting. Dannie's hedge, bushes and corn at the manse could also do with some good soakings! Needless to say, the heat and humidity are still very high and we would both give a good deal for some old fashioned grey Ontario spring skies with no sun and a cool wind! What else do we dream about? A BBQ with sizzling sirloin, mushrooms lightly poached in butter, new potatoes and fresh sweet corn?

The Prime Minister, the Hon. Tillman Thomas came to MacDonald on the 6^th of May to take part in an Assembly. He gave what might be considered an electioneering speech to the pupils and staff. He made the point that a great deal of Grenada's issues were due to the lack of good old fashioned family values and that his Government was going to introduce the teaching of the "virtues" to the school curriculum as soon as possible. (It was worth noting the Opposition Party has been out with loud speaker vans spreading their point of view too!). Would Canadian politicians have been able to communicate with the 11-16 year olds so successfully? He had no notes, no T.V. cameras, a few body guards and aids and was the recipient of respect and goodwill. He asked for questions from the students when he was finished speaking. He got them, and was able to answer them in what might be considered a "model" fashion. He gained more kudos from the school before he finally left for the next school on the list. What did he leave with me? Among other things he left me with an increased respect for the goodness of the man. He also left me with a feeling of some growing incredibility that the "virtues" might be given priority over reading and math on the teaching schedule. How should priorities be assigned?

The exams at MacDonald replaced most of my teaching schedule for May. It looks that this will continue until the end of June. The next Assembly I will take part in, for instance, is the Graduation of the Fifth Form on the 9^th of July. The school held a retreat on the weekend of the 21^st of May. Twenty-two boys from the Fourth Form attended. They were mostly MacDonald's star athletes from track and field, soccer and cricket teams. We spent the weekend looking at what they needed to do to make the rest of their lives a success. We worked from the foundation of Paul's writing to the Galatians about "self-control, kindness, goodness and the underlying issue of self-esteem. The Governor General Sir Caryle Glean, gave the talk at the formal wrap-up dinner. It was indeed an excellent talk from a good man.

Belair Primary School is in the process of wrapping up its school year too. They may not have as many exams as MacDonald but there is still a bit more tension then usual as report cards go home and the grade the pupil will work in next year is posted. Our eight boys continue to work at the CALS and as we have seen previously four are going to do well, two quite well and two quite poorly. We are looking forward to receiving the Principal's final input to the results and to thinking about what changes we might make prior to the next class in September.

Belair P.C. is preparing itself for its Harvest, our major fund raising event of the year. It will be held on Thursday the 1^st of July. Grenadian time is very much at work and thus every minute is important. The latest addition to Christ's family at Belair is Ms. Javida Williams whose baptism took place on the 11^th of May. What a joy it is to hold so many Sacraments of Baptism! The Sacrament is way up there as one of my favourite church celebrations and Belair beams and glows whenever we celebrate one.

And so the month of May passed. My Dad also passed away on the 26^th of May, peacefully, at home with my brother and sister-in-law in England, just as he had wished to. We are still working through our thoughts and feelings and it's a little soon to hold them out in our public life. Suffice to say in our private life, among many things, the difficulties we experienced in travel (British Airways were/are on strike); the stress of the funeral; Dad's death after a long struggle with cancer; the end of a loving relationship; all of these things and more were balanced by the loving care of our extended family in the U.K., our family in Canada, our friends in Alberta and Ontario and those we work with at International Ministries. No, I did not forget the good people of Belair PC and others of the PCG who have gone out of their way to make sure we know we are not alone. Thank you everyone. The fog is slowly lifting!

Reflections on Grenada – April 2010

2010-04-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the April blog! The drought drags on though June is fast approaching. June is the official start to the rainy season. June also "shows in" the hurricane season! Meanwhile we slowly drift into heavier, more prolific showers. Not lengthy, substantive ones though! We use the car air-conditioning very little except when we are driving around in the somewhat heavy odours of St. George's! Now we seem to use it every day in the early afternoon; we also give heartfelt thanks each time we manage to keep the inside to somewhere around 25c! To balance all of this I'd like to tell you about the farewell beach party that the good people of Belair P.C. threw for Sandra Smith prior to her return to Canada on the 3^rd of May. We had a lovely day, good food; good "bathing"; good stories; the clock raced from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Then several things happened together almost at once. The tide changed, rain fell, the wind increased in velocity and suddenly we were both cold! It was cold enough to get inside the car for shelter. Will it happen again soon? Not in the next few years most likely!

Our backyard at the manse continues to develop and grow. The showers have turned everything green. We are assured by Dannie who looks after our outside work that by the end of June the place will be ankle deep in grass and that the hedge cuttings and some other flowering bushes will be coming along very nicely. Meanwhile, mangoes and breadfruit fall around our ears. The local version of cherries, plums and sugar apples are plentiful while the "new" or "continuing" crop of bananas, lemons and limes hang on trees waiting for a juice blender to "come by". Personally I'm spoiled forever by the abundance of the fresh produce around us. What haven't we tried? Some vendors, particularly in schools, sell sugar-cane water; it comes in a small plastic bag that can be sucked on, it costs only a few pennies. It is flavoured with what looks like those flavoured drink crystals which are notorious for being very sweet in themselves! Anyway, the crystals change the sugar-cane water colour to orange, lime, raspberry and rainbow hues. Not only is it a "pick me up" it is also what a good percentage of the children use as a snack or a treat during school breaks. Enough said!

Finally let me try to tell you about a bird I saw the other day. It was dancing on a branch of our plum tree. It was moving in calypso rhythm from one foot to another, moving its head, breast and tail as it flipped rain all over itself. The bird was showering in the gently falling rain. Its wings opened and flapped occasionally sending water over it in different directions while it rearranged its feathers in their proper place. On top of all this it was singing its heart out for its Creator. Praise indeed, Lord, and thanks indeed!

I haven't written much on the history of MacDonald College. I borrowed a history of the formative years of MacDonald from the Principal, so I will keep this as factual as possible. The history I have was written by the first Principal Mr. W.R.L. Friday, B.A. Dp. Ed. He was principal of the college three times and writes of the years from 1963-1973. The history records the aims and objectives of the school, "It should be a school with a high moral tone, a religious atmosphere and good teaching." Marli was finally chosen for the site of the school and the land was purchased from the Ferguson family for a "special price". Friday notes that from the beginning, "vision, enthusiasm, hard work and an inspired and inspiring team guided by the Good Lord Himself all dedicated to satisfying a burning need and to providing a Secondary School on the hill at Marli." The writer also notes "what quiet pride must have gripped Dr. MacDonald as he saw wonder after wonder unfolding itself before his eyes as the school project moved on from fulfillment to further fulfillment".

Mr. Friday's history tells us that the Presbyterian Church in Grenada (PCG) appealed to the Church overseas to help with the start up and set up of the College. The appeals, however, "were only made after the local church had satisfied itself that it had made a start and had laid the foundations for the Project". The Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago of which the PCG was a part was approached for assistance as was the United Church of Canada.

Earlier yet, in 1959, the following prayer was adopted by the Prayer Circle dedicated to the founding of the College:

"O God, Creator, Redeemer, Preserver of our lives, the Font of every blessing, the source of all that is good, strong and enduring, we praise and thank thee for the power and privilege of prayer. We bring to thee the ordinary concerns and the special projects of our life, making mention of our plans to erect a school which will further the education of youths and maidens. As we consult on this matter, may we be guided by the good spirit, the spirit of Truth and Wisdom. Enable us to see such an Institution in the light of eternity, as well as in the light of time. By thy grace may we plan wisely and well, relying upon thy sufficiency for every need of ours."

The College was formally opened at 10:00 a.m. on Monday the 21^st of January, 1963. Twenty-seven pupils (fifteen girls and twelve boys) were admitted to the First Form from a total of over fifty that applied. The curriculum included, English, Latin, Geography, Current Affairs, General Science, Arithmetic, Geometry, Art, History and Scripture. There were three teachers, Mr. Friday, Ms. Najack and Rev. Sharma. School met from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The afternoon session from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. was devoted to games, home work preparation and other social activities.

From 1963 to 1966 the College grew steadily. There was also an increase in staff. That composition of the staff is interesting. Rev. and Mrs. Salthouse came in 1963, Mr. Donald Taylor also. 1964 brought David and Norma Wright from Canada under the auspices of CUSO (Canadian University Service Overseas) and George Boldeau transferred from Samaritan Primary School (another PCG school). 1965 saw the addition of Victor Nelson and Anselm Franas. 1966 brought Fedora Grant fresh from the University of the West Indies and Margot and Shane Curry from Canada also under the auspices of CUSO.

The years of 1967 – 1970 are termed the "Turbulent Years" by Mr. Friday. In August 1967 there was a change in Government. Mr. Friday became a Member of Parliament, but he sat on the opposition benches. A new Principal of the College was appointed in September 1969 and dismissed in March of 1970. Rev. Salthouse was placed in charge but there was "engineered" opposition to Salthouse and he was forced to resign from his responsibility and close the school. Mr. Friday was hastily recalled to the school as the Principal's Deputy in April of 1970.

The new Government took umbrage to Mr. Friday's recall and "acquired" the School "in reprisal". Mr. Friday became the central figure in the controversy. It was demanded that he either resign from the Government or from the School but the pupils and parents remained in strong support of him as did the Christian Council. There were protest demonstrations in which other Secondary School students took part. Soon student power became victorious and the College was returned to its "freedom fighters". In the words of Rosemarie Charles "The issue is not now whether or not MacDonald College remains Presbyterian or is acquired by Government but rather; what is the will of God for us all in this day and age?"

To round off the school year of 1970 the first "really big Graduation Ceremony" was staged on "June 30, 1970, ending that year on a note of high achievement." The School was also "poised to leap to greater heights in the new year, beginning September 1970."

It is also worth noting that girls represented sixty-three percent of the school role while boys accounted for thirty-seven percent at this time.

Mr. Friday's final paragraph in his history is worth quoting verbatim, it was written in January 1973:

"MacDonald College was the dream of the church and became the product of toil and sweat; today – ten short years later – it is the pride of the Administrative Committee, Principal and Staff, and all those who administer and teach; it is the alma mater of hundreds of young men and women who have been nurtured within it; it is the envy of many who would wish to see it destroyed, but, thank God it remains the hope of the future and a beacon to those who seek excellence in all things, and will live on, with its banner in maroon and grey fluttering above its ten acres of campus green reading boldly as it has ever read:

SALTANDA ALTA PETIMUS

My translation of the motto sounds like this. "We seek to leap great heights". The internet helped with my rusty Latin!

What about MacDonald in the year of our Lord 2010? The facilities are in need of repair, the student body has grown too well above the 500 mark. There is still political instability in Grenada though I do have an admiration for the present Government. The PCG like most other Presbyterian Churches worldwide is steadily shrinking in numbers and can do little to provide direction or financial assistance to the College. The Prime Minister came to talk to the students at the College just over a week ago. He talked about the need for the "Virtues" to be taught e.g. prudence, chastity, etc. I know around eighty percent of the students at the school struggle to read or do mathematics. Where should the teaching priority lie? The Council of Churches in Grenada is pushing the Government to include the Virtues in "Church" school`s curriculum. Will the next Government support the initiative? Is it better that a child read or be prudent? Perhaps if they read prudence might follow? Perhaps also reading leads to the development of imagination and that leads to thinking which leads to a broader and more prudent and resourceful life? If you disagree I am happy that you were able to read what I wrote! Thank God also for the freedom of thought that exposure to all levels of teaching brings to those of us who have been or will be exposed to it. It`s a rare privilege that is not a part of the life of those in the larger world!

Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a seed which grows. Growing and developing are sure signs of life; an absence of change surely points to an organisation being moribund. So if the church or society wants to stay the same it still must change. Faith grows yet in growing also changes. Even as I become more familiar with the youth of Grenada I know that the way I see them will determine the way I work with them. I am also very aware that when I deny my very own condition I, albeit harshly, resist anything in others that might remind me of who I really am. Jesus also said that I shouldn`t be afraid. He did not say I shouldn`t have fears! So can I speak and act instead from a place of honesty about being fearful rather than from the fear? Lord, I know it is what you taught. It's my old problem, can I follow?

Reflections on Grenada - March 2010

2010-03-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the March blog! Technically the drought continues as water is still being rationed on the Island but we had a little rain every day last week. The heat/humidity continues to be oppressive, even the locals find the days and nights hot and uncomfortable. On the other hand it has rained enough to turn grass from brown to green; to bring our wilted tomato and cucumber plants back to productive life; to allow the sheep and goats which are of a desert species to go and wallow in the muddy streams. How about us humans? We simply need relief but I, at least, am not sure how to picture that! I will know it when it arrives! One of the features of the back-yard is a bird of prey known as a Chicken Hawk to the folk who live here and that, to me, looks very much like a Kestrel. He rests on one of the trees that surround the yard. Life in the air and on the ground disappears when he's around! Yet he is simply magnificent as he uses the trade winds to hunt on. I didn't think a bird could dive or drop through the air so quickly. He certainly has not been as hungry as the sheep and goats in the drought.

We have just finished two weeks of Vacation Bible School at Belair PC. The first week we worked (and played) with 4-10 year old children. The second week we had 11-16 year olds. The younger group in particular coloured and painted endlessly. We have never encountered so many colouring fiends under one roof! We learned a new game, Duck, Duck, Goose; hung out at the beach; crafted with painstaking care; played rounders, soccer, cricket and dodge ball; fell in love with the stories of Robert Munsch, particularly as they were read by Sandra Smith. Was there a favourite? My vote was for More Pies though I wonder what the outcome would have been if we had a copy of Smelly Socks on hand. We also had Bible Stories, learned both how to pray and a new hymn or two. The older group did most of these things too. They also hiked up a mountain into the clouds; built kites that flew well above 500 feet and found that hormones flare up in the most unexpected places! The kids wanted more VBS. Us older people smiled and said "soon" before limping off to bed! In the middle of all this the Confirmation Class which we had been working with for the last couple of months took their vows and became part of the Communion Service on Easter Sunday. We also had a Baptismal Service for a babe named Sawyer from Huntsville, ON. What a lovely family and what a busy time! It was also an extremely happy one.

The CALS (see previous blogs) continues to surprise. All the children on the course now want to read. Belair Primary School has one of the better libraries on the Island and so they can. God is good! However, is there anyone out there with grade three to six readers? Please make sure they are not overwhelmingly North American or European in their content. Most of the reading texts on the Island have stories about pets that travel two thousand miles, cross mountain ranges with snow and ice, etc. to find their owners. Similarly they tell stories about children who do things that children here may never do nor will have much comprehension of because of the plot around the story. What we do have, however, is a love affair that is building beautifully between teachers and children. Thank you, Lord.

It was quiet at MacDonald College for a few days after the Inter-Collegiate Sports. We did not win the Cup this year; we did take third place in the competition. There were a few achievements of note though. One of the boys was awarded the Outstanding Athlete Award; another "jumped" off with the long jump trophy; the high jump was won after a jump of 1.98 meters. Great stuff! All in all, we were proud to sit there and shout encouragement. Our boys who took part in the Junior Events showed both courage and style. We will be back! Our girl's team have not done well for quite a few years; however, one of the juniors looked to have great potential! Now we are back to school after the Easter break and preparing for exams that will last for most of May and June. These are critical exams for those who are about to graduate and important exams for those moving up a form or grade. Remedial English lessons have jumped to the forefront for those in the first form; the challenge of the second year classes grows for me. What are those 12-16 year olds going to do without some solid reading and math skills in their lives? There are many repeals to the Education Act in progress. This will help as many of the repeals call for changes to teaching priorities in the classroom; all of this will take some time. The deadline for most of the changes is 2012, enough said! In Canada we take education as a matter of right. Good education within a system built around the brightest and the dullest pupil. One size does not fit all. Here it does. Canadians spend a lot of money on education. Here the Government looks to the World Bank for funding for it. I met a father of one of the girls I teach the other day. "Rev." He said "I hear you are teaching my daughter." "Which class is she in", I asked. He told me and I smiled remembering some of the girls in the class. "She tells me you are teaching her to think", I smiled some more. "I am going to hold you responsible" he said and he laughed with such force that he almost fell off the back of the small truck he was working on. Now he passes me and shakes his finger in solemn warning. His smile is as bright as his daughter's.

I used Romans 12 the other morning at the School Assembly to ask what God's will is for us. After all God can lead us all far beyond ourselves. What will you learn today? How will it help you, your family and your community to grow? Isn't each one of us responsible for the future? Doesn't God's world need all his children to live up to their potential? Why don't we pay more attention to life? Most importantly, please remember always that God can lead us, each one of us, way, way, way, beyond our capabilities. Trust him always.

Reflections on Grenada – February 2010

2010-02-28T13:12:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to the February blog! The dry season continues to unfold bringing us our first experience of drought. Weather forecasters are afraid it could continue for the next few months, as the wet season does not arrive officially, until June. We are told that drought like conditions are not uncommon at this time of year in the Eastern Caribbean. The Grenadian Water Agency is rationing supplies on a daily basis and forbidding people to water lawns or wash vehicles. The watchword, for now, is conservation. For us drought is watching the adjoining hillside on fire with only a twelve foot road between us and it, anxiety is not far off! For others it is keeping your children's clothing clean, particularly the school uniforms everyone wears; for still others it's seeing your crops dying in the ground. Until this past weekend we were relatively unscathed as our water supply comes through the same holding tank as the school. However, that all changed on Friday as water disappeared abruptly from our lives. 30c of heat and humidity and no shower! We gave thanks for the builder of the manse who had installed a 600 gallon water tank for emergencies! Shower with a trickle of water? Thank you Lord, it felt so good! Meanwhile back in Levera the communal water tap is under enormous pressure (there is little water piped to houses there) from humans and their animals; cows, sheep, goats, chickens, dogs and cats in a steady procession for the liquid of life. What patience, what tolerance, what understanding; what an amazing set of priorities appear with enough wisdom attached to do things, seemingly, as second nature.

School work at MacDonald came to a standstill this last week as the annual Sports Day (an inter-house competition) was scheduled for Friday the 26^th at the local sports ground by Sauteurs. The "Chief" (the Principal that is!) was sick for the week before the big day and the last minute preparation fell on the shoulders of some of the senior male teachers. Afternoon classes were interrupted for the heats of, for instance, the long jump and the high jump. MacDonald has a long history of sports excellence and last Friday's competition was about the Inter-Collegiate Sports next month in St. George's. Simply put this is the showcase event for local athletes. Make it there, a scholarship to North America could follow, a future offered, a chance to excel given and grasped! And, to get to the Inter-Collegiate meet in MacDonald colours a big, perhaps even a huge, advantage. Let the games begin!

The literacy work at Belair Primary School continues. With Ann and me from the start has been three of our youth, Cartina, Rhonda and Theresa. What a job they have done! The three teachers from the school, Fraser, Mason and Sookram make up the eight adults who work with the eight eleven year old boys. The boys are naturally competitive and check their "Trophy Case" daily to see what cups they have been awarded as they complete another part of their journey to being able to read. How are things looking as we approach the half-way point in the programme? We pray a lot about two of the boys. Both boys are of good intelligence; one has a pattern of not attending school, the other needs a lot of encouragement, often some direct and pointed suggestions as how to move forward! The other six show every sign that their quest for literacy will be successful. Keep Tory, Akim, John, Nick, Phillip, Glennick, Alister and Shoneil in your prayers, please. Lifestyle itself is at stake here.

Belair Presbyterian Church sails on. We had our first Board of Managers meeting. It went so very well! We elected a new Board Chair and off we went prioritizing the work to be done, the funds to be raised for the work and how they were to be raised. There was lots of enthusiasm for the Congregation and their call to serve God in Conference. Yes! It felt good! And yes we are part of a happy, healthy worshipping community at Belair! God is good.

As things come together for our son's wedding in Ontario in early September we are feeling a growing excitement about it even if it is still six months away. Will my kilt fit? I've lost about 14 lbs in the last year and am feeling much the better for it! Will the sporran hang properly without the bulge that looks very much like a belly of the kind that arrives with age? Meanwhile some of the tensions that invariably circle around the planning of family events when the family is apart are being felt. So, even as we move through them and look forward with great joy to the occasion, we play the historic game of "what if?" God is good, he tends to make the answers obvious and the worry appear ridiculous as we learn once more that we have little or no control over life or life's Creator! We pray each morning over breakfast for patience and understanding around our daily work. Perhaps it's time to apply that patience and understanding to the rest of our lives!

After my remarks on John Knox last month I now need to say a little bit more about him – my personal point of view – of course! Knox was a teacher but in his time there was little difference between a teacher and a preacher. He was a curious and complex man. He was courageous, had a rock like belief in himself and reform. When the French invaded Scotland at St. Andrews in 1547 he was taken off to be a galley slave for two years. This could not change his opinion by as much as an inverted comma! He finally found a job in England as tutor to Edward the sixth but when that nemesis of his, Mary Tudor, succeeded Edward he left, post-haste, for Geneva and John Calvin's haven in Switzerland of learning, austerity and law and order. On his return from Switzerland to Scotland Knox replaced the then hierarchy of the bishops by organizing the Church into representative assemblies (the forerunner of Presbyteries) or more simply, power from the bottom up. What would Knox think of the Presbyterian Church today? He would be upset by the tolerance there. Congregations sing to music produced by organs or pianos or keyboards. In some churches nice ornamentation has appeared; stained glass windows even! BUT all this has been done with the consent and approval of the members of that church congregation. And that's the real point. Knox's church was founded on democracy and democratic pioneers can't complain if people want their own way! Here's one of my favourite stories about a member of my birth church which is the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. One of its members was marooned on a desert island for a number of years. He, naturally, had got everything done in decent order so he had built himself an austere but habitable bungalow and two very small churches. "Why the second church", he was asked. "Oh, that's the one I don't go to", he replied. Some of Knox's strength lives on!

Paul's church in Corinth, as he writes in his first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 2 is made aware of "the hidden wisdom of God which we teach in our mysteries as the wisdom that God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began ... we teach what scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the human mind, all that God has prepared for those who love him". How do we share the wisdom of God that was predestined to be for our glory before the ages began? One answer came at an eight day silent retreat in Guelph the other year where I was guided (led) to the thought that there is no greater gift we can give to others than to open out to them the way by which they can know and experience, intimately and constantly, how much they are loved by God. What a gift to be able to share here and everywhere!

Reflections on Grenada – January 2010

2010-01-31T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to the January blog! The cool, dry weather continues as we settle into the dry season in Grenada. Please remember cool is an interpretation of a norm and we are almost used to 30c with a great deal of humidity! Anyway, life at the manse is very pleasant as the sea's breezes flow around the balcony which overlooks Sauteurs beach and the reef that rings the beach quite extensively. Yet Dannie, who works in our yard, wears a woolen hat to keep him warm, though most of us Canadians would dehydrate very quickly if we were to work as physically hard as he does! Hopefully, the worst of the humidity, which arrives with the wet season, will not return until the month of June.

We promised a list of those who have won our White Glove Award for the year 2009 in last month's blog. First of all the list of nominees has the names of hundreds. White Glove Awards are symbolized for us by the white gloves the police force wear when they are directing traffic. Ever been winked at over the top of an immaculate white glove as you steer your car within a few feet of the officer wearing them? It's lovely! White Glove Awards are given to those who have been courteous, kind and downright caring to two Canadians as they go about their daily work. So, from our extensive list of those who have made our life here easier, allow me, please, to mention only a few and say a heartfelt thank you to them. To those drivers who stop their cars if we are stopped in our car somewhere and ask if we need directions to get where we're going; to the children and youth in our lives who fill them with so much joy; to the police force who still "pound" their beat in their big shiny black books, to the government officials who pause for a moment, smile and ask if they have made themselves clear; to the shop assistants at the store where we bought our furniture. They saved both us and the P.C.C. a lot of money by their continual search for "deals" for us; to those who adopted us and helped disperse the thought that we be seen as visitors to the Island, visitors who are both white and rich; to those who give loud shouts of joy around us as they recognize a friend; to those who trusted us with their faith in Jesus Christ; to those who say thanks to us in deep and personal ways when we do what we are here to do; to those who wave as we go by and yell, Hey Rev; to those whose smiles reflect the light and warmth of the tropical sun; to our Creator God whose flair for life is easily seen in the beauty around us, THANK YOU.

A teaching schedule has been finally set up and I am teaching, for the moment, six classes each week at MacDonald. They are four first form classes and two second form classes. The class rooms each have at least one other classroom attached. Dividing the two or three rooms is a white board and an inadequate wall. I have seen only one classroom so far that has an electrical outlet or light that is in working order. Graffiti is splashed across walls inside and outside the classrooms. Teachers who may be sick or are away from the school on business are not replaced and the class is left without any leadership or control. The behaviour of the first form classes, in particular, is atrocious. Where to start? The School Councillor who seems to be responsible for teaching such common place behavioural skills as acting responsibility, manners and how to simply be quiet has her work cut out. I should be clear that the teachers do their very best with the system that is in place. This system is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education. Among some discreet laughter the Minister of Education stood in the staffroom at the College the other day and said she was not aware that the College had any needs. Was this a convenient slip of her memory? Would she be more aware of the needs of Government Schools than Church Schools? She certainly was woman enough to go and look at the classroom of a teacher who expressed her disgust with it to her. There are many more questions that are begging to be asked. We have a retired teacher, Mrs. Sandra Smith from Port Alberni, B.C. with us. She is living at Dorothy's flat and has now taught at MacDonald for a month. She is here until the end of April. She is a skilled teacher of those who have poor reading skills. She works with many of the same classes that I do and her observations about the enormity of the literacy problem are both definitive and depressing. Her classes consist of children who are "slow" and "not quite so slow" readers, to use the local terms. She assists another teacher in the classes; this helps with class discipline as each group in the class take turns to disturb the other with inappropriate behaviour. At the last Presbytery meeting the hope was expressed that I would bring a "Presbyterian presence" to the school. It sounds more and more to me like something that needs to be defined more clearly in light of the situation in the school. Hopefully you will agree with me that there is much work to be done. I would also very much appreciate some prayer support. I wonder what John Knox might think of the Grenadian Educational System. He certainly thought poorly of the Scottish System in the sixteenth century. How can Grenada move from a "have not" Nation to one that "has" without a functioning educational system? Knox would argue that without education no country can be successful. More importantly, perhaps, no woman or man can function without having been taught the three "R's" and how to process thought. On one side of the debate I am having is Descartes, the French philosopher who thought that, "I think, therefore, I am." On the other is John Macmillan (a more recent Scottish philosopher) who taught that an individual was only able to define himself when there was some interaction with others. Grenadians are a warm, gregarious people. They "lime" or socialize together most evenings. Do they really need to be taught a formal thought process? The debate, for me, will continue over the next few years. What represents a formal thought structure? What would it look like? Firstly, however, the "need to read" must be addressed!

The Belair Church literacy programme at Belair Government School has just completed the second week in what promises to be a ten to eleven week programme. Is anything clear about the programme so far? The natural relationship between the eleven year old boys we are working with and their teachers is lovely. The absolute need of reading skills is apparent in the eight boys as they become more and more involved in the intricacies of phonics. The boys move onto Secondary School in September. Will we be able to teach them enough for them to become one of the "not quite so slow" students in their class? Four of the eight are struggling. One is doing very well, the other three are improving! God is good and infinitely patient with his children. Grant all of us "encouragers" a smidgen of that patience and with it grace.

Belair P.C. had its Annual Congregational Meeting two weeks ago. The Board of Managers were revitalized and given a gentle reminder as to who they serve. Some much needed repairs to the Church kitchen are underway as I write. We had a joint service on the 31^st of January at Belair. The congregations of Samaritan and St. George's were represented and, from all accounts, much impressed with the Belair Youth who conducted worship. Three of our youth preached; they were all terrific! Theresa, the closing speaker, preached on the lectionary reading from Luke. She got a Presbyterian ovation! Like – WOW! What a natural! What a joy they are to be with and to teach.

Let me be clear also that I have no questions about whether it is students who learn or teachers who teach that teaching is all about. Students who learn are the finest product of teachers who teach. I have also never doubted that students learn in diverse and absolutely unimaginable ways, including ways that drift right by the teacher and the classroom. Let me also be clear that it is only teachers who possess the ability to create conditions that can help students learn a lot – or keep them from learning at all. What part of you teaches? It certainly isn't the tongue as James 3: 1 points out. The tongue needs to be tamed. "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." Jesus said that if anyone loves him they would obey his teaching. (John 14). Jesus was judged harshly by a system that was both derelict and of the type that one size fitted all. The teachers of the law saw to that. So, what of the children of Grenada, the ones from the poorest parishes of St. Andrew's and St. Patrick's and the educational system they are tangled in. I never really grasped what Mary Jo Leddy was saying in her book Radical Gratitude when she talked about the poor and what it feels like to be dismissed as an acceptable loss in the great cultural scheme of things. She also insists that the poor know this ahead of time. She is right when she says where you live determines what you see. Now I see. Now a state of inertia could overtake me. But Jesus did say that if anyone loved him they would obey his teaching. So, in my frustration over the conditions that exist at a Church School in Grenada, I forgot that Jesus tied the act of forgiveness to the act of beginning again. Forgiveness is not a denial of the past but a way of making sure the past will not repeat itself over and over again. The circle can be broken. One way or another a circle can be broken. And James is right. Those who teach, particularly from a pulpit, will be judged more strictly. Would it not be nice to think that those who are church leaders are servants and not power brokers or politicians? Mary Jo Leddy wrote a poem I'd like to finish with. It's called Living with Purpose. It's from Radical Gratitude.

You are not

the recipe for living

The blueprint

for our future

the master plan

for the world.

You are

the Hope in spite

of ourselves.

The Love ever

unforeseen.

The well of Faith

in the center of the world

in the middle of the day.

You are the Way

the life-long lifeline,

long beyond life.

You are the Life

in our living,

pushing us, pulling us,

pointing us all

in Your direction.

For this we give You thanks.

Amen

Reflections on Grenada – December 2009

2009-12-31T18:06:00.000-08:00

Hello, and welcome to the December blog! The year of 2009 is behind us; it is now resting, as comfortably as is possible, on the sands of time. For the New Year we have a new Goldenrod Glove Award to announce. Who receives the vote as the Islander we may never adjust to? Who is the winner of the coveted Goldenrod Glove Award? We have a very short list of two candidates whose job description we tried to put together over lunch the other day. The officials are actively in the employ of the government; all encounters with him and her are positively unpleasant. These two represent the taste of Imperial Petty Officialdom to us and are a part of our Island memories. Memories that reflect the poverty of the small (normally in stature and position) government employee involved. Imperial what you may well ask? Well, yes indeed, the pettiness of the official comes straight from the "jolly old" British Empire text books of the 1950s. The job requires the ability to hold a swagger stick under the left armpit while swaggering with the upper half of the torso and strutting slowly with the bottom half. An immaculate uniform is a must. Candidates should be less than five feet five inches in height. Being a natural bully is an asset. An ability to read but neither interpret nor comprehend the point of government regulations essential. The candidate's pomposity must be beyond the shadow of a doubt as must be their instinctive ability to reduce others to the dignity of hungry street dogs. The Candidate should be able to operate in every circumstance with great rudeness and no communication skills. An ability to bark is mandatory. I transferred the image of a certain Inspector in the Pink Panther movie onto one of the Award Winners the other day. It was my undoing; I smiled at the wrong time and in the wrong place. Luckily my taller frame came to my rescue and I was able to point past the official's head at a humorous encounter between two small boys. I took your point with glee, Lord, you are good; some days simply delicious! How I wish I had your sense of the absurd. Stay tuned for next month's White Glove Award!

December was a cool, fresh month for us. It was a time of confusing emotion wrapped up in the twenty-four hours around Christmas Day. What social beings we are. How do we really feel about spending so much time by ourselves? Why must we always do the balancing act between what could have been and what was? What measuring stick will give a true measurement of "progress" for 2010? Why do we need to make progress and not just solidify what we have, isn't that progress too? Then there's our home and native land of ice and snow that is rapidly becoming more and more distant. How do we get back there? Can we be sure that a white rabbit will "come by" at the appropriate moment in time; if not, will we be able to follow a line of ants?

The Christmas Season was celebrated well at Belair P.C. The evening of the skit, the 22^nd of December, was a great success as our youth showed their natural abilities as actors. Raquel received the major acting award for her part in the play. What a natural! The church was nicely decorated and the Christmas Day Service at 7:00 a.m. well attended. The Advent Candle Holder has been put away for next year, the Christmas tree dismantled, the sanctuary returned to its pre-Christmas self. Thanks to the people of the "Kirk" in St. George's who held a Christmas Gift Service, all the children of Belair P.C. and Samaritan PC. received a Christmas gift. It's been a long time since Ann and I saw so many pairs of sparkling eyes! I took part in Samaritan's Christmas Concert. It was also a lot of fun.

Apart from some minor repairs that still need to be completed and the delivery of two large tanks of propane gas for cooking, the manse is coming along nicely. A five ton truck load of builder's debris and other garage has been hauled off to the dump and the lot the manse sits on is now ready to be turned into a garden that will do justice to the great natural beauty around us. We have until the rainy season, which starts in June, to get it organized enough to take full advantage of that remarkable growing time.

MacDonald College started a new term on the 4^th of January. I am to teach this term but have not been given a schedule or an idea of what or who I may teach as yet, today is the 8^th of January! Grenadian time is alive and well at MacDonald! The Principal would like me to teach "creation". However, with the somewhat alarming number of fundamentalists around, Christian, Moslem and Rastafarian that could be somewhat difficult. On the other hand the Ministry of Education has a new curriculum that includes some subjects that could be summed up as Self-Control. Proverbs and Paul have some excellent things to day about the importance of self-control. Hmmm..... we are all part of God's creation, aren't we? I once heard a wise man say that the truths of poetry and prose do not compete with the truths of science or the courtroom and that we must all be aware of the difference. What is ours is an attitude that flows through our minds! An attitude compiled of the goods selected at anytime from the supermarket shelves of the world of our thought. Amen, brother!

In Hebrews 4: 12 we find, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even thoughts and attitudes of the heart." How do we live within constraints that are placed on us by others yet stay true to what we know as truth? I've always had the need to race away from institutions on a high horse yet I am also aware that if I am here doing what I do I am also choosing to exercise leadership of some sort. One of my heroes, Vaclav Havel, playwright, dissident, prisoner, one time President of the Czech Republic, thought that the power for authentic leadership is not found in external acquiescence to it but in the human hearts that it leads. Authentic leaders, Havel claims, aim at liberating the heart, their own and others, so that its powers can liberate the world. Truth I have also been taught can only be known when it moves from the head to the heart. Jesus said the truth will set you free. How is your heart? Have you placed it beside God's loving word recently? Another of my other heroes, Rosa Parks, took her stand with clarity and courage. Mostly, it seems, I take mine by diversion and default. My world still waits for the truth that will set us free, my truth, your truth, our truth, the truth planted in our world when each of us arrived here formed in God's image. Consider yourself liberated, consider yourself free.

Our prayer requests for this month are simple. Pray that we can help some children learn to read. Pray that they can be set free.

Reflections on Grenada – November 2009

2009-11-30T16:28:00.000-08:00

Hello, and welcome to the November blog! The Church's calendar flipped to a new year last Sunday with the arrival of the first Sunday of Advent. Monday the 30^th of November marks the end of our tenth month here. The work visas for 2010 have been applied for as the current ones expire in February 2010. The visa can be issued only for a year at a time due to Immigration Regulations. In short everything around us is pointing to a fresh start to our lives in 2010. What other changes are we faced with in the next few months that have not been part of the somewhat large ones in the last ten? While we have done our utmost to adapt our life styles to reflect the pace of the Caribbean we still have expectations of ourselves as North Americans with Scottish roots. The continuing change to our lives will be the major one of letting our faster paced North American life style go and to continue to become more comfortable with the equally intense but slower paced life style in the Caribbean. Another major change will be our work at MacDonald College. We have finally moved into the manse at the College and this gives me an office to work from and Ann a new set of challenges as we prepare to become part of a learning community. We will focus on the battle for literacy, first at Belair Government Primary School then at the College.

If we experience some success with the test programme that we chose after research and advice from people like Laurie Lang the Training and Development Manager at the Literacy Council of South Simcoe, we will consider ourselves blessed. The enthusiasm for the test project of the School Principles, as they face a horrendous problem with their "slower" pupils, has fuelled our efforts. We have an excellent young, yet mature, teacher to work with at Belair and will introduce a teacher from MacDonald into the test situation in September so that the programme can be given a good start here in January 2011. We plan to make a video record of the test project. Other children can be encouraged by the video to take part. We will also use it to publicize the programme and fund the financial support that will be necessary. We also have much to thank Dr. Ron Wallace at International Ministries for as he has willingly supported this test project. Without his permission the test project would not have come to life. There is a short, commercial video at www.autoskill.com/rotarians/. You can even skip the Rotary introduction if you wish.

The moment that we have anticipated for the last six months is finally here! The manse is finally ready with enough furniture and ambience to keep us comfortable, if not a bit spoiled, for the remainder of our stay. We had two visitors over for lunch last Sunday. As they say in Grenada they simply "came by" to greet us. While their conversation was rather limited their occasional penetrating bleats added a lot of colour to the somewhat one sided conversation!

Our church community at Belair P.C. continues to solidify around us. We offer our humblest thanks to the Lord for the love and support we are shown there. Our Christmas trimmings for the sanctuary have been started. A tree will be placed in the Church on the second Sunday of Advent and the walls adorned with some hand crafted decorations. A Christmas play will take place in the evening of Wednesday the 23^rd; our own Glenda Williams has written it and it will be performed by our youth with the assistance of a few adults. There will be a worship service at 7:00 a.m. on Christmas day after which the respective families will enjoy their Christmas Days. The Session at Belair has been weakened by the continuing illness of Mr. Delaney Williams, a much loved and respected Elder, Treasurer and Churchman. While the issue needs to be addressed at the Annual Congregational Meeting some thought is being given by Session as to whether we might add one or two new Elders. The Board of Managers which has not functioned during our time at Belair also needs to be reborn and given focus. The hands and feet of Jesus Christ in Conference in the Parish of St. Andrew's given, not new direction, but a gentle reminder of who is calling them. The late Ray Humphries translated a text from 2^nd Corinthians 4:7 during a lecture at Knox College. He wanted to make sure we all understood a point he was making. He translated the verse this way, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us." Paul taught that he relied on no power of his own and that he came to the subject he was teaching in great "fear and trembling". I think that simply meant he felt the great weight of his calling and took it with the utmost seriousness. Parker Palmer puts it this way, "Paradoxically, to take teaching with ultimate seriousness is to understand that it is truth that teaches, not you ... get the ego out of the way."

Let's give Paul the last word. A wise person, according to Paul, is not content to be merely a sceptic, a cynic or a naysayer as appropriate as those attitudes are in the face of conventional wisdom. Wisdom means a readiness for new truth, and openness to the Spirit that responds to the questions of our hearts beyond all socially sanctioned versions of what is true.

As we prepare to make a considerable change to our routine, help us with some prayer. Some large questions are waiting to be answered. Will our students know enough to be teachable? Will we be able to remember we do not have to know all the answers? If we do it cuts everyone off from those surprises called revelation. Will we remember at the same time that giving answers rarely draws students out but asking questions does? Will we remember to say in many different ways "you are loved"? Isn't being educated, above all else, the knowledge of this?

Reflections on Grenada – October 2009

2009-10-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome to the October blog! After the oppressive humidity of the last few months the Island is beginning to cool down just as we had been promised. Early mornings and late afternoons are now very pleasant indeed, though I don't think there will be much danger of us ever needing a light sweater or deliberately choosing to wear long pants instead of shorts. The showers of rain are also much gentler and remind me of the water temperature I am now comfortable with in the unheated apartment shower. Then there's the water itself soft, clear and soothing as it flows over me from the sky or the shower head. Most of the larger houses have an external water tank that holds around six hundred gallons of water filled from the Government run water utility. On several occasions we have had to use the emergency supply at the apartment as the rain storms were such that they forced the reservoirs to stop supplying water as it could not be properly filtered. The reservoir water is normally cleaned up in four to twenty-four hours and again pumped into the regular supply. Yes, we normally drink water from containers bought in one of the local supermarkets though we do use tap water, after it is boiled, for our coffee and tea.

October took us back to Ontario. It was a lovely visit with our family and friends. What a pristine place Ontario is. The Muskoka's in their fall finery, the air clean, clear and cold! The occasional frost and sprinkling of snow a reality check that was long overdue! If I were pressed to use one word to describe the difference between Grenada and Canada (please remember my middle-class roots) it would be Canada's abundance. The supermarket in Gravenhurst had eight different kinds of onions (see the September blog). The road system eminently usable except for the 401 and a few other exceptions! The people there were comfortable as they had most of their next week's meals in the fridge/freezer. Next there was the milk. We have learned to use powdered milk in our cereal and coffee but cannot bring ourselves to drink a glass of it, even if it's cold. Not yet anyway! There was skimmed milk to die for! 1% and 2% milk that overwhelmed. Thank you, Lord, for Ontario's dairy industry. Thank you also for the fresh fruit and the fresh vegetables to name only a few commodities. Next time you are in the supermarket please do a simple task for me. Count how many different flavours of soup there are in the cans and bottles there as well as the different kinds of flour available! Abundance. The choice of groceries on the shelves endless; the products refined by the supermarkets after countless years of continual research. Then there was church. The church, more or less, of my childhood (that's a bit awkward!) where the music is well played, the choir rehearsed, Scripture read clearly and a trusted, comfortable order of worship followed. The sermon is both well and thoughtfully preached, the congregations appreciative of the preacher's gentle humour but otherwise silent. Jesus said it three times to Peter, feed my sheep. Lord, may we never stop learning how to feed the needs of your people. If you would like to hear this done well go and listen to the Rev. Dr. Jim Sitler in Gravenhurst. As a preacher who loves to be preached at, thank you, Jim.

We arrived back in Grenada on the 20^th of October and left again on the 31^st for Trinidad where we attended a Council Meeting of Canacom (The Caribbean and North American Council for Missions). The hospitality of the Presbyterian Church of Trinidad was overwhelming. The people and pastors we met eager to talk about the Church in the Caribbean. We were given the opportunity to learn much as we listened to the pain of those who were either dealing with congregations that were dying or on the other hand those whose churches were growing so quickly that their resources were to the point of either being inconsequential or mostly over whelmed. Personal highlights? I preached at a Church of Scotland Trinidad after which we were invited to the home of Alfrose and Michael for coffee and goodies. Imagine our surprise to find a sign on their door saying "Welcome to Tim Horton's". The muffins as well as the coffee were well up to Tim's standards! The thought and loving care involved were full of grace.

And so this Presbyterian tradition of ours in the Caribbean is alive in many different countries and ways. Our Presbyterian traditions, I think, were never ever meant to focus us on the rear view, they are simply meant to enrich our vision of the future. Nonetheless, our tradition is at least exploring its options in the Caribbean; it is intent on not running out of them. Yet even as the Presbyterian name is disappearing on some of the Islands it is flourishing as part of a Reformed Church in others. Jesus Christ is alive and leading change in his church, even as he did in Jerusalem to the church there 2000 years ago. Why is it we experience difficulty when we see the body of Christ change? Do our own bodies change? Just why is it so difficult for the church to accept the changes that must inevitably come to it? Our bodies change each day of our lives, they die, and we are reborn. The concept is not new. It may involve a little suffering but we can still follow Jesus even if we pick up that cross we were told about. I heard Henri Nouwen say that you don't think your way into a new kind of living, but live your way into a new kind of thinking. Remarkable words even for Henri Nouwen! Tonight as we looked out, far, far out over the Caribbean Sea at as dramatic a sunset as we'll ever see, we began to realize that there is no place in this world or in our lives that God can't call us or his Church from. Just like Jonah and the saints we travel to our destiny deep in the belly of God's gift of hope, hope that inevitably leads us to at least a glimpse of his Kingdom.

Reflections on Grenada – September 2009

2009-09-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome to the September blog! It is almost the end of September and while the humidity is still an acute discomfort we are beginning to hope and give thanks that Grenada may have passed through the worst of the hurricane season. October will, of course, keep us guessing as to what Mother Nature may send our way but we have been promised that by the time we return from our vacation in Canada things will be cooler! Cooler for us will be days with much less humidity. To put all of this in perspective the Women's Group were planning Christmas at Belair P.C. last night. Christmas carols sung under the monumental magnificence of the tropical moon and stars. Holy night, silent night sung with reverence and just a hint of calypso gusto on the hill side? Christmas cake with a few grains of sand attached? Jesus' birth in the stable; the well used and somewhat ramshackle one at the end of the road? No matter what Jesus will be alive and well in our hearts on Christmas day. We'll pass on the snow and the white Christmas for this year!

The highlights of the month have been many. On a personal level the manse is finally together enough for us to move in the "heavy" furniture we have been buying as we saw things like bedding, fridge, stove, washing machine, etc. on "special" at the local version of a "furniture barn". We still cannot move in as there are essentials missing such as the piping to conduct the propane to the stove, bathroom fittings of all shapes and sizes, a tap in the kitchen which will reach all three of the sinks, a drainage ditch to prevent future flooding and a major clean up of the property to remove the builders debris and the accumulated garbage deposited on the lot over twenty-five years of non-usage. Then there is the "landscaping". Trees to be pruned, bushes to be trimmed, grass planted, etc. Grenadian time (see the July blog) is still alive and well and very much a part of our life at the manse from the very beginning.

Part of the "stuff" that I'm bringing to the writing of this blog is the knowledge that we are leaving for Ontario on Sunday the 27^th. We will stay overnight in Barbados, a place we haven't visited for many years and arrive in Toronto on the 28^th. What will home feel like after eight months away? We will be living in Gravenhurst with family and that will give us access to the Muskoka's in their fall finery. It will be a great treat to walk in the woods, smell the pine scented air and pull a jacket collar more snugly around the neck to protect us from the cool, dry, fall air. Will it snow? A few flakes will actually be welcome! How will we find our children? How will the health of our older friends be? We couldn't find any onions for sale in Sauteurs today. How many varieties of onions will be on sale in the supermarket in Gravenhurst? I'm betting on at least six!

Our full time work at MacDonald College now shows some signs of beginning. We sincerely hope the office is ready so that we can work there on our return from Canada. While we may poke gentle fun at Grenadian time (see the July blog) its ability to render great frustration with its ensuing impatience, feeling of helplessness and ensuing volatility can be absolute. So, we look forward to gradually becoming a meaningful part of the school community on our return. On the other hand at Belair P.C., largely due to the Youth Camp last month, we have Confirmation Classes underway with five of the youth as well as a baptism (on our return from Canada) of two of the younger children who attended. The Youth Group elected six of their members as a leadership team, last Sunday. The Spirit is alive and well at Belair!

I read somewhere that we do not create community – we are created by it. Our end of Grenada, the parishes of St. Andrew's and St. Patrick's are warm, welcoming, peaceful places. Life is hard here. Life is not fair. Nor does it have great expectations attached to its moments as they flit by. The Cruise Ship Industry will again begin using the Island, as cold air takes over in North America and Europe. Life will become busier but not easier for the folk whose livelihood depends on the somewhat fickle (at this time of economic uncertainty) travel industry.

What then can we feel, intellectualize and reflect on at this time. And how do these reflections express the concerns of the community around us? How are we being influenced? In short, how do Ann and I think communally rather than individually? Karl Barth wrote for the time of great change which he was passing through that to understand the Bible using human standards and expectations was to realize the Bible's importance was that it did not recognise the fundamental difference in the life experience and life style of its readers. Are the answers to our questions in Scripture in plain sight or are they the meat we receive when we pray for understanding? Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:12 that if we receive "the Spirit who is from God we may understand what God has freely given us". As a cradle "Wee Free" Church of Scotland with all its Calvinism it's never easy to receive grace without trying to give in return. Giving what we can to the Lord is never easy or adequate for me as a human being. What a blessing these last eight months have been to Ann and I! As we prepare to leave moments in time after moments in time pass by our eyes in the rapid slide show of our memories. This gentle, peaceful, happy island home of ours, even with all of its many pressing social issues gives us an enormous sense of freedom in which we can address all that God opens our eyes to. Can we simply follow God's Spirit which Paul wrote about? The same Spirit who needs only our love, trust and faith in return? Will our community continue to bloom and grow with the occasional setback every community encounters? God knows. We are all in good hands!

Pray for a joy filled family time for us over Thanksgiving. Pray for travel mercies. Pray for rest and peace for us. Pray most of all for our community at Belair as the Elders prepare to lead worship and offer the community's praise and thanksgiving to our Jesus.

Reflections on Grenada - August 2009

2009-08-31T17:15:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome to the August blog! Tropical depressions flow past us one after the other providing us with a new definition of the wet word humidity. Is there a comfortable place on the whole Island? Yes! Most large shops and shopping malls. Their air conditioning plants work flat out and make them worth a visit. Then, as the time comes to enter the reality of the outside world, clothing quickly becomes fit only for the laundry basket. The local weather pundits swear they cannot remember an August quite like this one. And, even if the temperature has fluctuated by no more than three or four degrees Celsius from a few months ago, there is much discussion around the effects of Global warming on Grenada. The main debating point is can the Island escape a hurricane this season due to the changing weather patterns?

The death of a lifelong member of Belair Presbyterian Church brought my first Grenadian funeral this last week. While the funeral was most certainly different from the North American or European funerals I have attended it was still a time of expressing gratitude to God for her life, as well as a start to the healing process for her family. I remember being told by the professor of preaching at seminary (a lifetime ago!) that a congregation will wait with a little apprehension for their new minister to conduct their first funeral service in the congregation. A “good” funeral service, he said, would cement the new relationship. It seems he knew about the Caribbean church too! Anyway, the gospel was preached, scripture read, prayers offered and hymns sung. God’s presence was acknowledged by many shouts of praise and many, many amen’s. This “new” minister again offers thanks for the miracles of faith, renewal and healing that the Spirit brings to those who reach out to him.

This month also brought about the much awaited Youth Camp. What fun! Forty-four children and eight leaders were caught up in a riot of Christian camping. The Bible study taught the children (7-17 years) how to “log on” to many of lives most important issues. I taught the thirteen to seventeen year olds. There were sixteen of them, six boys and ten girls. I found their reflection on life stimulating, honest and at times, provocative. We moved in three days from violence to HIV/AIDS to family planning at their direction. Do you know teenagers who would love to explore these topics? I’ll bet you do! What about some of the other highlights of the week? A sports day in which our four camp families (Joy, Love, Peace, and Self-control) competed against each other. At the camp fire sing song and marshmallow roast, I introduced a Scottish folk song, Coulter’s Candy, into the mix. It was a novel enough melody that the kids sang it willingly, so much so, that they sang it for me during the celebration on the final evening. Too many Scots have been in the Caribbean for that song not to have been sung here before, however it brought a lump to my throat as I stood listening to it along with the night sounds of frogs and other beasties that somehow or other managed to give it a calypso style beat! We also had a bus trip to one of Grenada’s world class beaches where we lunched on ketchup, French fries and K.F.C. I’ll never eat KFC again without flipping back to that beach where the ocean lapped gently with its turquoise edge. The social highlight of the camp was the Banquet. The kids dressed up in their best clothes, the leaders serving them as they sat at the table with their “dates”. The dance that followed had sisters demanding brother’s dance and cousins demanding their cousin’s dance too. A super evening with the camp cooks doing an exemplary job. Next year the kids would like a two week camp! Any volunteers out there? Ann and I may have to decline the second week as gracefully as we are able!

I have been involved in much theological reflection since our arrival in Grenada. A Jesuit who taught me about theological reflection said I should let the thoughts, feelings, images and insights that arise from a concrete event in my life be in conversation with the wisdom of the entire Christian community over the ages. This conversation could then be open and honest, because we trust this truth. But the conversation can only start when we allow our questions to lead us and deliberately set our fears aside. The questions then will simply carry us to a new understanding, a gift from God to us, not a prize that we earned. So after such an emotionally draining and tiring month I know again that God has many other ways of channelling love to others in Grenada than through us or the Presbyterian Church in Grenada. Community cuts both ways; when we reach the limit of our capacity to love, community means trusting that someone else will be available to the person in need. And so it is in our community here. Arguably, at the heart of the Christian leadership in any community is loving care. Without loving care church leadership has no purpose, and without showing others that you care and what you care about, other people won’t care about what you say or what you know. Ann and I are aware of how tough lives are for people here but the path to the future has always been full of challenges as well as opportunities no matter where we live in our Creator’s world. Deep down we know what a rare place this is to live and serve Jesus Christ. What a great place it is also to be and to stay in love with God! Do you know any other feeling in life that is more exhilarating and more positive than knowing and feeling that love is?

Pray for us as we move into the manse this month. Give God thanks for both the patience he provides for us as well as the richness of the understanding he provides of those around us even as we are given the gift of a richer understanding of ourselves.

Reflections on Grenada - July 2009

2009-07-31T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hello, welcome to the July blog! The rainy season continues, the manse is closer than ever to being ready and we have now lived in Grenada for six months. And yes, the debate about living in Grenadian time continues between Ann and me just as it will for the rest of our lives. What a gift!

What’s Grenadian time? Those who have lived in it all of their lives see it passing one way, our eyes and time pieces measure it in another! When the locals talk about Grenadian time they might point to the starting time of an event, say 10:00 a.m., and, when everyone has gathered let’s say around 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. and the event finally gets underway, that event is taking place in Grenadian time. Does the event finish at the scheduled time? Well, possibly, but almost invariably not. Certainly, “in the country” where we live things tend to start and finish “later” in Grenadian time. For example, your appointment at the Doctor’s will come as close to being at the appointed time as the daily work and stress around the Doctor permits. On the other hand if Danny “comes by” to wash the car and says he will be on Saturday morning that means he will be here somewhere between 6:15 a.m. – 6:45 a.m. Danny works steadily and well. The car will be gleaming inside and out seventy-five minutes later. However, if a pretty girl, a friend or relative of his “comes by” while he is working, time hiccups, and Grenadian time is alive and well while the necessary social interaction takes place or is exceeded.

What is our view of Grenadian time in this sixth month? It looks like this. We go to the fish market, settle on a particular fish and money changes hands. We now need to find someone to clean and fillet it so that we are not continually finding small fish bones with our teeth. This is easy to do as there are many males, young and old, ready to go to work. They could quickly and efficiently complete their task in a few minutes. However, Grenadian time makes its presence known when this skill of theirs is about to be paid for. Time needs to be slowed down. Razor sharp knives flash closer and closer to fingers. The table is washed down. Advice about this or that offered to or received from others. Fish entrails are examined for objects of interest. Shouts are exchanged across the street with others; a mouthful of beer swallowed down deeply and the fish carefully wrapped for the trip home. We then move deeper into Grenadian time. The cost of cleaning the fish can be anywhere from $1.00 to $3.00 CAD dependant on the size and type of fish. That’s fair pricing. It’s at this point if you have a $5.00 bill and are obviously not from Grenada that all the change in the fish market disappears into a time warp. It can take 10 – 15 minutes to find change elsewhere. The shopper in the family always finds it. Smiles and grins are exchanged, faces memorized and finally a handful of change put into the car for future use.

We went to renew our driving licenses the other day. We need to buy three temporary licenses before we can apply for a permanent one (think of revenue for a cash strapped Government). Those of us over 60 years need a certificate from our Doctor to say that we are able to drive. Anyway, we go to the Traffic Department of our local police station and find there a very pregnant police constable enjoying her air conditioned office. She has a very meaningful chat with a girl friend on the phone as she fills out our paper work. She asks abrupt questions of us so that her conversation can continue; she returns our Ontario licenses and asks for the $25.00 CAD due. When I hand her the money she explains she has just cashed up for the day (the office is open for another two hours) and sends us out to get the exact amount due. Ann goes off to the bank; I go off to pay our Cable T.V. bill. The cash machine at the bank is not working, the bank is closed. I don’t get much change from the Cable Company. We finally walk over to the air conditioned shop of a Brampton ON., couple and, after a visit, they give us the change we need for the Traffic Department. A policeman approaches to discuss where I parked the car; he looks into my eyes, smiles in an understanding way, and leaves.

Why didn’t we drive? Grenville is the second largest town on the island. It has a one way road system that runs through and alongside the local market. Yes, it is a people intensive place; yes, it is quicker to walk and yes, it is the rainy season. Elapsed Grenadian time that day ran around one hundred and fifteen minutes. On the other hand elapsed time at Mary’s in Sutton On., where licenses etc are renewed is around ten minutes. This time would also include an update on both of our families as well as some local “goings on”. I never ever had to change my shirt after a visit to Mary’s. On the other hand the visit there was never a story for Horton’s. God is good, I have two shirts and my short hair dries quickly.

MacDonald College is closed for the summer holidays. Our work at Belair P.C. continues but it too has slowed down a bit for the summer season. Needless to say the excitement over the upcoming Camp for the youth from the 14th –21st of August is growing. Soon it will explode into the fun and noise of youth being together to celebrate their life and faith in Jesus Christ. Yes we are all excited, bring it on!

James 1:4 tells us that “perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” It seems to me we often think of our perseverance in the light of our “daily grind”. We know of things that must or should be done because it is what we expect of ourselves. When perseverance becomes duty it can lead us, sooner rather than later, to a feeling of great powerlessness. Mary Jo Leddy in her book Radical Gratitude is helpful with our present adjustments. She would ask if I have thrown away my day planner/diary. Was it my identity? What actually holds the time and essence of our daily living? Can some pages bound by a cover do this? Were all of the time slots filled in according to their order in the pages? Grenada has suggested something about our use of time that needs more reflection. Do I need a new sense of reality, a means by which my perseverance can bring me to consider the difference between my life and my lifestyle? What do you or I see as a secure, free, happy, grace filled life? Is that what James is getting at when he writes about perseverance bringing us to being more mature and complete? If I am to be a disciple of Jesus I really must take the risk of believing that he meant it when he said we should simply seek the living God for in God we will find all things. How about you? Will it take a wet, windy, Wednesday afternoon in Grenville to help set you free?

Pray, please, for the successful completion of the work at the manse and our move there. Pray also for our continuing adjustment to our new culture and our ability to find God’s grace, fingerprints and humour there.

Reflections on Grenada – June 2009

2009-06-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello, welcome to the June blog! The Rainy season has now firmly established itself in Grenada. Apart from the teeming rain showers of some two to ten minutes (a few are longer!) the temperature here for the first time is “escalating” as much as seven or eight degrees daily! You may well chuckle but that’s the difference between cool and wet with little or no humidity and warm and wet with one hundred percent humidity. I guess you have to experience it! Needless to say, from now until the 30th of November is the hurricane season too. We hear stories of Ivan in 2004 and Emily in 2005 and listen attentively as well as with some apprehension to them. Hurricane Ivan (the Terrible) was the strongest hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season; it is the sixth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record and reached Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, the strongest possible category. The wind speeds were greater than 249 km/hr and, at its peak, Ivan was the size of the state of Texas in the U.S.A. It killed 39 people on Grenada and did some two billion dollars (Can) worth of damage. Schools were closed for upwards of two months and power, sewer and water services took up to six months to be restored in some places. Some people were without food for two to three weeks. Without the efforts of outside Governmental agencies, N.G.O.s, Churches and people from around the world many more lives would have been extinguished. Hurricane Emily, in contrast, was a pussycat. Emily was a Category 2 hurricane with winds from 154-177 km/hr. It mostly affected the northern parishes of St. Patrick’s and St. Andrew’s. One fatality was recorded. Emily was one of the earliest hurricanes ever when it hit on Thursday the 14th of July, 2005. Unfortunately, it damaged the newly planted trees from the disaster in 2004 that bear the fruit and spice that are such vital ingredients of the Grenadian economy.

This has been a short month for us as we spent a vacation with our birth families in the U.K. Compare and contrast the two Islands? No thanks! It was a time of rest though and a time of renewing old and new (an almost two year old great-niece) family relationships. We both enjoyed the complete lack of humidity! We intend, God willing, to visit with our family and friends in Canada in October over Thanksgiving. Now that will be an interesting time to compare and contrast the both of us in the settings we call home.

The Graduating Class of 2009 took its farewell from MacDonald College this last week. The stars of the event were obviously the Class but the efforts of the entire school staff made it a truly memorable event in the life of each member of the Class. The Graduation process took three hours from the Processional/Invocation to the Benediction/Recessional. We sang the National Anthem and the School Song, heard some welcoming remarks from the two young teachers who were M.C.s and listened to the Principle Mr. James I. Alexander as he talked about the events which the Class had gone through together. Academic and Sports awards were made to members of the Class as well as others in the school. Words of wisdom about the new challenges they were about to face were offered by Mr. Agar Alexander, a retired Deputy Minister of Education. The diplomas were presented by the Hon. Joseph Gilbert, Minister of Works and Mrs. A. James, member of the Board of Education. The Class chose to sing as their Class Song “Tears are not enough”. The words hung out there as a challenge, “If we can pull together, we could change the world forever, heaven knows that tears are not enough.” Gifts were presented to some of the well-loved teachers and the Valedictory Address given by Shannel Swan. It was a lovely process, just the right mix of solemn, sad, joy and laughter. Some fifty girls graduated together with some twenty boys. A great percentage of them will find success off the Island rather than on it. Will some relative help them get a “Green Card” for the United States and an education at a University there? When I asked how many planned on staying in Grenada the hands that were raised could be counted on the fingers of one of mine. I thought of how Canada had given our family the opportunity to be well educated and the freedom of choice we experience in so many of life’s fields and I prayed a little harder for the Graduates after pronouncing the Benediction.

Paul, writing to the Philippians says that “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice” (4:9). Paul was writing to the Philippians about a particularly vigorous type of Christian living. The letter is also full of the word joy. The Graduation we witnessed begs an enormous amount of questions about the future of the Class, as it does about the future of other young people across the world at this time of economic turmoil. What does the Class have to guide it on its life’s journey? What is there to guide us on our own journey? How about the thought that Jesus would not have been able to offer his unique perspective on God’s relationship with the world nor would he have been able to fulfill his life’s purpose without his ability to develop into an individual or what someone once taught me to think of as a separate self. Jesus developed a sense of individuality yet maintained a sense of community and connectedness with his roots. This meant that he experienced the joy of bringing a new perspective to life, faith and the truths he taught about them while remaining within his history and tradition. Combine Jesus’ teaching and life example and Paul’s solid advice to his fellow Christians and joy, great joy can be found. None of us are the only act in town. The world is working together, more than ever, for the common good. Joy is found in being who we are, a child of God, not conforming to some image of who we ought to be in the eyes of others. Frederick Buechner says that vocation “is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” We are all on earth to be the gifts God created. Feel the joy of it.

Pray, please, for our freedom from anxiety over the forces of nature and for a trouble free move into the manse as it finally nears completion. Pray also for our continuing adjustments to the culture of our new Island home.

Reflections on Grenada – May 2009

2009-05-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the month of May blog! May has been a time of using our “new eyes” (see February blog) to arrive at some conclusions as to how God has led us to see two initial projects that, with your help, will enable the Church here to deal with some of the issues in our community.

Youth Camps are a large part of Youth Ministry in Grenada as well as on other Islands in the Caribbean. The PCG has held successful camps for some years. They have been using the camp of another church dreaming, at the same time, about their own camp on six acres of land which had been deeded to them. Camps provide an ideal setting for learning not only for our church children and adults but also for the people in the community around us. Learning about Jesus Christ; learning about medical and social issues such as Aids, diabetes, and nutrition as well as the need for exercise, etc.; about the need, in short, for an individual to have a healthy body, mind and spirit so that they may live, worship and work to their fullest potential and be at peace in God’s good creation.

Through the offices of International Ministries of the PCC we will be trying to raise funds to support the PCG camp this August at its usual site. We have tried to structure our project in a way that might encourage you to help. A donation of $50.00 will send a child to camp. $65.00 will send a child to camp and help us provide equipment for such games as cricket, soccer, netball and volleyball. $125.00 will send a child to camp, provide sports equipment and help build proposed wooden housing on the new camp site. These amounts are in Canadian dollars.

Belair P.C. is a small church with no funds with which to outreach into their community, Conference; it is a community rifled with poverty. 80% of the children go to school hungry, have little English language and math skills and absolutely no computer skills at all. This is an immense problem when they go to high school as they are expected to do research and work on computers there. They then get waived through the school system and become stuck as they are for life.

So, we are looking, with the blessing of International Ministries, for six lap top computers to conduct a test of a future project. We need lap tops because Belair P.C. is not secure and we will need to carry the lap tops back and forward with us for now. At first our aim is to achieve only a few things with the computers. Ann can teach basic key boarding, I can teach basic computer skills. We have been promised a programme that will teach computers skills, as well as two others that will teach English grammar and conjugation and math skills. The computers obviously do not need to be brand new but should be able to withstand a bit of a pounding!

We are also hoping this outreach will put some new bottoms on the pews at Belair and, of course, help “our” kids there too.

We give thanks to God though that May was not all work! The Youth Fellowship at Belair hiked up to St. Margaret’s Water Fall. We hiked, straight up, for just over an hour, across chasms and streams, fighting with mosquitoes, gorgeous dragon flies and birds as well as some small lizards as we all gasped for the same air there! We fed the fish in the pool beneath the falls then jumped in beside them! The hike down lasted almost ninety minutes and culminated in us drivers, walking on our own to where our cars were parked so that we could pick up the rest of the group where they had fallen! We are all agreed there will be no more hiking for a while, at least not till next month.

Our Youth Fellowship over the next few weeks will be making and selling ice cream to raise funds for the camp in August. Does ice cream sell well in Grenada’s 28c temperature? We have an ice cream making machine that looks like an old wooden butter churn from the farm in the 50s. Is the ice cream good? Is there a line up to clean up the churn? You just know it!

In Romans 12 Paul writes that if we will allow ourselves to be transformed by the renewing of our mind then we will be able to test God’s will for us, his good, pleasing and perfect will. People care for people they know well. God cares for each of us well. God has known us from before we were conceived. What has Grenada taught this month? God’s loving grace and the renewal it brings each day is the only sure foundation for ministry everywhere. Like most ministers I work hard at the projects I am involved in even as I need the affection and approval of others. I know though that what may be brought about by God’s steady hand in Grenada will not be achieved by any merit or need of mine but by God’s will and the support of my family, friends and colleagues, who may be some distance from both of us but hold us safely and securely in their prayers.

Pray, please, for the renewal of our minds, the contentment of our hearts; the gift of eyes that see both new things and things in need of renewal. Most of all pray for the people of Grenada, help them to see that renewal is available to them with each new day by the will and grace of God.

Reflections on Grenada – April 2009

2009-04-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

Hello! Welcome to our April blog! We have just completed our third month here and, to tell you the truth, our days continue to flash by. We think about home daily. Our T.V. cable package includes the C.B.C. from Toronto. We did try to watch some play-off hockey (this is the only time of year we watch hockey on T.V.) but it seemed to be awkward and inappropriate to sit in the cool night air, listen to the surf on the beach in a temperature of 24c and watch hockey! So we watch the “boys of summer” instead! We ask each other, with little anxiety anymore, how we are settling down, and we both agree on the richness of our days and the warmth and openness of the people who fill them. So, what do we miss? Our adult children and friends as well as our favourite coffee shop chain!

I had an introduction to the medical system this month when the husband of an Elder was rushed to the General Hospital in St. George’s. The General Hospital here operates as other hospitals do in other parts of the world that struggle financially. You wear your own pyjamas; bring your own sheets; buy your own medication for the nurses to administer; at around double the cost in Canada, I might add. Your family feeds you as they always have. Need kidney dialysis three days a week? At $400 CAD per treatment that amounts to $1,200 CAD each week. When your monthly income is under $1,000 CAD how can you afford the dialysis or medication? If you live with cancer, heart issues and diabetes it is the malignant poverty that is invariable fatal. The average expectation of life is 64 years for men, 66 years for women. Oh, by the way, I’m sure you will have noticed how much the act of hand washing is in the news across the world. The toilet at the General Hospital was spotlessly clean, just like the hospital itself. However, despite the signs in many prominent places in the toilet about the necessity of hand washing there was no soap. You bring that with you too.

The school holiday for the Easter break brought the youth from Belair P.C. together with the youth from Samaritan P.C. for a party at Bathway Beach. It was billed as a “Beach Party with Jesus and other Notables”. There are some photos at the bottom of the blog, click on them and see the day up close! We sang and sang and sang then played and played and played then ate and ate and ate. The adults who supervised came home, went to bed early and slept and slept and slept! Jesus? He laughed and laughed and laughed and gave us so many gifts and blessings that day that most of us there will never forget him.

The 2009 Graduating Class from MacDonald College held their final assembly Wednesday afternoon of this last week. We sang hymns and praise songs, prayed, read scripture, heard a homily, received many words of advice and felt the bitter-sweet joy/sadness as well as the elation/fear around the upcoming separation. It was as powerful a church service as I have ever been at. And, as the students were blessed, one of the most moving.

Proverbs 3: 5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Over the last few months’ life here has been a response to the reality which we find here in Grenada, to what truly is. To do this we have been leaning on the Lord so much that we have barely noticed how clear our path was and is. As I sat one evening, swept up and away by the glory of the sunset over Sateurs, I finally knew that what all of us on this Island are called to is indeed far beyond us, and yet by virtue of our very baptism it is already ours.

Trust in the Lord indeed, trust in the Lord.

Reflections on Grenada – March 2009

2009-03-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Grenada where the dry season is rapidly coming to an end. We’re told this is usually a very welcome time of year as the Island’s lush greenery is burnt brown and the rivers and streams reduced to a trickle. However, we’ve had enough rain this year to keep the Island lush and green and humid!

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.

Reflections on Grenada - February 2009

2009-02-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

It has been a time of change for Ann and me, pleasant, friendly but firm change. I read somewhere that any voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. Our eyes, particularly over the next few months, will be trying to see things as Rhonda, Glenda, Nicole and Nigel do or trying to see things through the fresh gorgeous eyes of Kemby and the other children.

We are told this is the wettest dry season in Grenada for some years. Sweet, soft falling rain that feels like a refreshing cool shower – warmer by a few degrees than the shower in the apartment we are living in until the Manse is ready! Stand in the rain, smell the roasting sweet corn, see the multi-coloured clothing of the people strolling by, touch the fruits and vegetables on display in the market, wonder how we will cook the chicken for supper that evening. Chicken that tastes like chicken fresh from the farm in the 1950’s.

We live in an apartment in the bottom half of Dorothy’s house. She is an elderly lady, the widow of an Anglican priest from Airdrie in Scotland. She loves negotiating and will negotiate with anybody over anything. She has introduced us to people who will help us over the next few years – they come bearing her name-tag “reliable” and yes they are! The only couple that we have ever heard Dorothy raise her voice to are her dogs Sam and Suzy. She brings us wonderful grapefruits and oranges from the trees in her garden. She gives us the scoop on the local goings on. What a treasure!

My counterpart here, the Rev. Osbert James, has many gifts – musician, preacher, prophet, and shepherd – all contained in a body, mind and spirit that draws on some unseen silent generator that must surely be the Holy Spirit. These are much over used words but it is a real privilege to worship and work with him.

We are living in Levera and, when the manse is ready at MacDonald College, hopefully around the end of April, we will move there. MacDonald College is in Marli. We are presently within a dozen or so houses from the most northerly tip of the island. We are in the “country” where we may have 21st Century communication technology but unfortunately the infrastructure that supports it is poor. Cooking is by propane gas which is certainly effective enough but the propane supply is problematic. Grenada is set in the full lushness of the southern Caribbean – where some people wear heavy woollen tukes everyday (the average temperature all year round is 28 c) – where God created a land of great beauty - where people become more animated and excited about politics than Canadians do – where people will stop their car if your car is stopped and ask if you are lost. Lost you might well ask? Most villages and towns in the “country” (the area north of the capital city St. George’s) do not have signs with their names nor is there much by way of identification within them. The yield and stop traffic signs between here and St. Georges can be counted on the fingers of one hand. There are many, many other drivers on the roads that we squeeze by each day. Roads that are winding, narrow and steeply hilled. The drivers are courteous, patient and horn tooting! There are a few exceptions of course.

As in other Caribbean Islands unemployment is a serious problem. 98% of the items on grocery shelves are considerably more expensive than in Canada. Fruit, vegetables and chicken are plentiful and reasonable. How do a large portion of the people live? If they are not fed physically can they be fed spiritually? Grenada’s past history has been somewhat chequered. How will we be able to best serve the people here in a time of worldwide chaos? And will the issues around the historically recent revolution continue to be laid to rest during the present economic turmoil?

My induction service on the 8th of February was amazing. The Church had been freshly painted and decorated with balloons and streamers. The people of Belair Presbyterian Church poured themselves out to make the day memorable for everyone that attended. They have a chunk of my heart already. The Moderator and I wore our gowns and hoods in a temperature of around 27 c. One of the elders finally turned a cooling fan on us. What a blessing! The three Congregations came together for the service, the pews were full, people stood against the walls and a more fortunate crowd formed round the open church doors in the sunshine. The atmosphere was celebratory, the music flowed, and gifts of flowers, fruit and spices were presented to Ann and me together with a T.V. It was simply a wonderful, God filled, feel good day!The other work that I am to do here is to be Chaplain to MacDonald College. It’s a Secondary School, the children there between 11 and 16 years. There are around 600 children at the college; they start each school day at 8:00 a.m. with thirty minutes of devotions. The School is a church school, a Presbyterian Church in Grenada School, although it is now funded as the other schools are on the island by the Government. My first staff meeting at the College is tomorrow, Monday the 23rd of February. I am looking forward to that with both excitement and interest.

Grenada is a beautiful island that faces many, many issues. The issues are more serious away from the tourist style environment that surrounds St. George’s. You will have heard of some of the issues before, poverty, lack of trained medical professionals, a growing aids problem, poor road conditions and some political instability. How can the people of the Presbyterian Church in Canada best walk with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Presbyterian Church in Grenada? Pray for our new eyes as well as our hearts and minds as we attempt to discern God’s will for the focus of our work here. Pray also for our continued efforts to settle into a new culture. Help us thank God each day for the opportunity to serve the people of our new Island home.