Faithful is our God

I cannot begin to describe how faithful God has been to me over the past two days, but let me try...

I arrived safely in Grenada on Saturday morning after getting only 3 hours sleep the night before (love you Dane and Amber!) All my stuff also arrived safely, including the boxes of groceries I shipped across the week before. That in itself was a testimony. I had 5 boxes of groceries to send (for those who don't know, everything in Grenada is really expensive). Now the boat leaves Trinidad on a Thursday evening, and gets to Grenada on Friday morning. So since I was reaching on Saturday morning, the stuff would have gotten here before me. Apparently it is a hassle to get stuff off of the port, so I didn't want to put anyone through that on my behalf so I called Tony who organised for me to meet his contact who accustomed coming to Trinidad and they organised everything, with no inconvenience to anyone :) So I was able to fully stock my kitchen the same day I arrived.

I have received such a warm welcome to Grenada. From Joan and Camille meeting me at the airport, to the welcome fruit basket in my apartment, to the way Pops and Sister Wilma (my landlords) have accepted me into their family with open arms, I am really feeling the love of God as experienced through His people. Who else but God could have orchestrated an apartment for me with a view like this?

My responsibilities as staffworker in Grenada would entail doing school visits, and getting to the schools in the country would be quite a challenge with Grenada's bus "service". Apart from being unreliable, the drivers are also quite reckless on narrow, mountainous roads so accidents are not unusual.So I had asked Tony to source a second hand car for me before I came to Grenada. The first one that was a possibility was sold the same morning that Tony got back to the dealer, so I said maybe God has a better plan, and He did.

Since we couldn't get a car before I came, Tony thought I might consider renting one so he called his friend who rents cars. It turned out that they had a car that they were willing to sell for $15000EC. Not only are they believers, but when I told them what I needed the vehicle for, and that I didn't have all the money, they were also willing to accept partial payment,  and allow me to pay off the balance by the end of the year! So by Wednesday of this week, I would be driving this:

In addition to this, they also offered to maintain it so I don't have to worry about finding a reliable mechanic :)

How I got the $10000EC that I am using as the downpayment was also a miracle. It was donated by someone who received a payment for a job that they had forgotten that they did, so they were not expecting the money. They received the payment shortly before I came to Grenada, and decided to donate it to the mission. I am trusting that God would provide the remaining $5000EC needed well in advance of the end of the year. He has not brought me this far to leave me.

God also cares about the 'small' prayer requests we have. Yesterday Pops misplaced the keys to my apartment. He searched everywhere last night, but they did not surface. This morning he was still worried about not finding them, so I said, "Lord, you have to help us find those keys!" (sounds kinda boldface now that I look back at it) I started looking and went straight to the place where all the keys are kept in the kitchen. Now last night I saw Pops searching through those same set of keys and walk away empty handed, so I really don't know why I went back there. It was clearly God, because the second bunch of keys that I picked up were the keys to my apartment! We just started praising God for answered prayer.

Did I also mention that my apartment is big enough for us to comfortably have committee meetings there? And that there is a big covered porch outside? And that we can get internet access from the Sampsons' wifi?So there is no need for us to spend $700EC to rent an office space! Thank God that these funds can now be channeled to another area of the ministry.

One of my prayers before I left Trinidad was that God would lead me to a home church which would be a support to me during my time here. I visited St. George's Evangelical this morning, and enjoyed a sweet time of worship, followed by sound ministry of the Word. The members there were very loving and welcoming, and I firmly believe that I have found my home church - yet another answer to prayer!

This week I'll be applying for my csme certificate and learning to navigate my way around St. George's. The journey has begun.

Mission: Grenada

The mission I have chosen to accept is to assist in the re-launch of Inter School Christian Fellowship (ISCF) in Grenada.

For those who may not be familiar with ISCF, it is an inter-denominational movement of students at all levels - primary, secondary and tertiary. It comprises groups that meet in the various educational institutions with the motto of 'Students Reaching Students'. Christian students are encouraged to see this as a way to reach their unsaved classsmates with the good news of the Kingdom while they are still young.

I have been a part of ISCF in Trinidad since I was a child, attending camps, then as a teenager and young adult at secondary school and university. I have participated in regional and international conferences hosted by IVCF (the tertiary arm of the ministry). I have also been instrumental in planning summer camps, and have functioned as a guest speaker at many IVCF meetings and Leadership Training sessions. I believe this is the reason why I was asked to help re-launch the work in Grenada (which was incidentally the destination of my first ever missions trip in 2003 with ISCF!)

ISCF in Grenada started in the 1980s but it became inactive due to the absence of a full-time staff worker. My objective is to help establish the formal structure of the ministry (registration of organisation, sourcing of volunteers to serve as Board and Staff) and to assist in the re-pioneering of ISCF groups in the schools. I have accepted the challenge, and am now a Trinbagonian staffworker who is being sent out to assist the movement in Grenada. 

Ruby Thompson (seated in the photo, which shows most of the IS/IVCF Trinidad staff) brought ISCF to Trinidad over 50 years ago, and she is still an active supporter of the ministry. Hundreds have been saved through this student ministry, many of whom may have never attended a church service. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the re-launch of this movement in Grenada, and look forward to many great testimonies that will come about as a result.

Movements

For the past seven years since I answered God's call to full time Christian service, I have been serving mainly in Trinidad - my Jerusalem.

The majority of my time has been dedicated to serving the youth in my community of Dow Village, South Oropouche through the Confident Kids Club which consists of a Homework Center and Bible Club. From Monday to Thursday during the school term, we would assist children with homework assignments, research projects, remedial reading, and also give extra guidance for students preparing for the Secondary Entrance Assessment examination (which determines their placement for Secondary School). On Fridays we have a Bible Club, where children are taught songs, scripture verses and principles from the Bible which we trust the Holy Spirit would use to bring about positive change in their lives. I have seen this Club expand in numbers over the years (at present we have an average of 10 children at the Homework Center, and 40 who attend Bible Club). I have also seen the transformation in the lives of the children who attend regularly and have allowed the Word of God to impact their lives.

I have also spent considerable time chairing the Camps Committee of Inter School Christian Fellowship (ISCF). ISCF camp aims to bring together students from schools throughout Trinidad and Tobago for a time of fellowship and fun, but also to challenge them in terms of their spiritual walk with Christ. Every year many students testify about the positive impact that camp has had on their lives. The responsibilities as Chairperson included overseeing the planning of summer camps, from the sourcing and training of the staff and speakers, to the development of the program, to the actual execution of camp in the July/August. Support has also been provided to other camps hosted by IS/IVCF Trinidad during the school year.

Camping has been in my blood from an early age, so it is not strange that I began serving as a counsellor with Christian Assemblies Camps - the camping ministry of the Christian Brethren Ministries. Camps offer a unique opportunity to minister to youth outside of the distractions of the home environments. Many can testify that camp has been a turning point in their Christian lives. It has been my great joy to serve in this capacity, and I have enjoyed many times of sweet fellowship with my fellow campworkers,

One more camping ministry that I am involved with is Ekklesia Word Ministries. A two-day camp is held every year on Carnival Monday and Tuesday to reach out to the community of Point Fortin with the gospel message. I attended these camps while in Primary School, and at Secondary School, started teaching classes. Regardless of the theme chosen, the message is the same - man's need for a Saviour. Within the past few years I have become more involved with the planning of these camps.

Another area of service has been with Is There Not A Cause (ITNAC), a local missionary organisation which seeks to make a difference, one life at a time. I have served as a team leader to short term mission trips to countries such as Guyana, Haiti and Kenya. I have also been a part of outreach efforts in Jamaica, St. Lucia and various parts of Trinidad where we have sought to share the Good News through meeting the immediate needs in different communities. From building homes in Palo Seco, South Trinidad to medical clinics in Haiti, my experiences with ITNAC have been exciting and fulfilling.

In the more recent years, I began working with Street Pastors Trinidad and Tobago. This is an organisation which encourages the Church to impact the community by meeting people on the streets in an effort to care, listen and help. Subsequent to a visit to the UK to see firsthand the operations of Street Pastors there, I joined the local planning committee which established our pilot project in Tunapuna. It has been very fulfilling ministering to the needs of people  who we meet while on patrol, some of whom may never enter a church building.

For the past two years I have been serving as a tutor with the Adult Literacy Tutors Association (ALTA). This organisation was established to improve the rates of adult literacy by training tutors to teach adults to read and write. I have been teaching a class in Point Fortin for the past two years, and it has been very encouraging to see the improvement in the lives of the students who participate.

Now, however, I am preparing to leave the shores of Trinidad and Tobago to embark on the next phase of my journey - to Grenada, my Samaria. Look out for more details about this new assignment in my next post!