To God be the glory

It is 3am on Sunday morning and I cannot sleep.

I woke up because my foot was severly cramping and after I prayed and it eased up I started reflecting on the highlights of Link Up yesterday (the official student launch of ISCF Grenada) and I just could not contain my excitement so I figured I might as well let it out and hope I can go back to sleep afterwards :)

IT WAS A SUPERBLY, SPECTACULARLY, SPLENDIFEROUS DAY!!!!!

When I woke up yesterday it was raining. So I started praying one time because I didn't know if Grenadians are like Trinis when it comes to rain and deciding to stay home.

Answer to prayer #1: The weather cleared up beautifully and we had great weather for the entire day :)

Double rainbow at the end of a perfect day

At 10:00am when we were scheduled to start, there were exactly 2 students and 13 volunteers. We had been praying since last week that students would come up. I asked my Trini supporters to agree in prayer with us as well. When we finished setting up at 9:40am we again met to pray for the event, for God's Word to impact lives, and for lives to come out to be impacted.

Answer to prayer #2: By 11:00am we had 39 students from 13 different schools, 17 volunteers, 3 sponsors, 5 interim committee members and some adults who came to support

ISCF Grenada Link Up posse!!!!

While we were waiting for the students to arrive, I noticed Sophia looking particularly distressed. She is an extreme introvert, and seeing so many new faces in one place was quite overwhelming for her. She clung to her friends from school and refused to be left alone. We prayed with her before the event started, and I shared my testimony with her about how God used ISCF to break me out of my shyness shell. However, when the icebreakers started, she literally ran away from anyone who tried to talk to her, and she was upset to the point of trembling.

Answer to prayer #3: By lunchtime, she came smiling to introduce me to her new friend from another school. And she did a solo when her team had to do their presentation. And she took part in the team drama. And she excitedly joined in the team games afterwards.

Sophia accepting first prize for her team

I have never run an event quite like Link Up before. It was an experiment which can best be described as 'camp in one day'. We started with icebreakers because the students came from all over; as far north as Sauteurs and as far east as Grenville. This was followed by an introduction to ISCF, which included testimonies by two Interim Committee members who were a part of the ministry when it was active in the 1980s. We then had Pastor Dubissette sharing a message about identity based on Psalm 139, where he encouraged the students to define themselves by who God says they are rather than anyone else. This was followed by meetings in small groups where they looked at a case study which helped them practically apply the biblical principles to their daily lives. This generated some really great discussions, as the students shared openly with the group leaders about their challenges. They spent some time in prayer, then we broke for lunch.

After lunch we put them in teams (we mixed the students so they would have to work with students from different schools). After another ice-breaker to get them comfortable with their team members, we gave them half an hour to plan a ten minute presentation based on the speaker's message and the theme for the day 'Who are you?' We closed with some team sports and asked them to fill out evaluation forms.

Answer to prayer #4: When asked which aspect of Link Up made the biggest impact on them, the students' answers ranged from having fun in the games, to being able to communicate with new people and overcoming their shyness, to learning to not let peer pressure control them, to helping them know their identity in Christ and understanding that God has a plan and purpose for their life, to accepting Jesus as the Saviour of their life. GLORY BE TO GOD!!!!

Pastor Dubissette sharing the Word

Praying in small groups after the case study

Chicken and chips for lunch - everyone was happy!

Winning team drama presentation

Pass the balloon

Celebrating their victory

I really have to thank God for the people who worked so hard to contribute to the success of Link Up:

Cross Connect Ministries for helping brainstorm and plan this event. Special thanks to Nadia for enduring my harrassments this week as we finalised all the fine details. Also grateful to Danielle who wasn't feeling well on Thursday so she took a sick day on Friday to ensure that she was well enough for Saturday. She also did a great job with the games and case study. Thanks also to Shannon for leaving off his three other commitments on Saturday so he could be with us and MC the program (which he did superbly), and to Jeanele for leading this planning committee and ensuring everything was covered in the midst of her studies.

Some of our hard-working volunteers

Waiting patiently for the students to attend

Thanks also to Arlene for coming early to help set up, and to Thandi for doing the hot dogs and last minute shopping on the day, and to Johannas for helping to judge and clean up, and Isiah for coming in at the last minute and flowing with the program, and to Jim and Rodney for sharing their testimony, and to Ketaiya, Aimee, Tisheena and Yani who I didn't have any relationship with before Link Up but when they heard about it they were so willing and eager to come on board. 

They didn't let anyone pass unless they registered

Serving hungry children

Thanks also to Tonya for helping with registration, and for Sister Dale #1 and Sister Dale #2 for making snow ice (we call it suck-a-bag)

DJ *can't remember his name*

 I thank God for this DJ who volunteered his services for the entire event. He even gave a financial contribution afterwards! In a country where you normally have to pay for everything, this was truly a blessing. He also put up with all my weird requests: I am sure in all his DJing career he has never been asked to play "evaluation form music" :)

Could not have made it without my sister and brother

Coleen had my back straight through - from ensuring that I follow up with potential donors, to scheduling my radio and television interviews, to helping find a caterer 3 days before the event, to getting the Red Cross to come in the event First Aid was needed, to offering administrative services and moral support ("You said you are not leaving until they give you the donation of water so we staying until we get it!") Garryn jumped on a plane from Trinidad, leaving behind two other ministry engagements, to come and help out at Link Up. He helped with setting up the venue, co-hosted with Shannon to build up vibes, and took pictures of the event.

Thanks also to those who were lifting up this event in prayer. I'm so grateful for this technology age that allows us to connect across the oceans and support one another as we share our prayer requests.

This was truly a team effort and I really have to praise God for pulling it all together. BIG UP TO THE MOST HIGH GOD!!!

How to know when you have found genuine, lifelong friends

They would not let you get lost in Fort Jeudy, but would rearrange their entire day so they can accompany you on your exploits

They would make sure you don’t do things you might later regret, like going on a moonlight hash with persons of questionable morals

They would buy cane juice, dhal and conchee for you when the vendors pass by their workplace (because they know you have never tasted it before) and then call you and tell you that you have to pass by them to collect it

They would accompany you to a fishing village one hour away on a Friday night so you would not have to make that drive for yourself to do an ISCF promotional

They would keep you up playing Blitz until midnight while your Trini friends’ flight has been delayed (thanks LIAT). They would also come to the airport in case all the luggage can’t fit into your car (which it couldn’t), drop the luggage at your house and then get home after 1am, and not complain even though they have to get up early the next morning to go to work

They would come home after a hard day of work and spend over an hour making Tannia Log for your Trini friends who were going home the next day.

They would know the details of your job so well that they will be able to alert you when a major sporting event has been scheduled on the same date as the proposed ISCF student launch

They would put you in touch with all their friends and acquaintances on television and radio so the ISCF student launch can be promoted for free

They would let their ride leave them and take the bus to work (forgetting home their lunch in the process) so they can tape your television interview so you can see what you looked like on TV

They would invite you to a birthday lime for a family member you only met once because they know how much you would love a Sunday afternoon yacht cruise

They would not let a day go by without checking in with you (usually multiple times a day) to see how you are doing

Love my Grenadian sister and brother!!!

The Great, Big, Wonderful, Prayer-answering God I serve

Two months ago I met with a group of students from Beacon High School who were identified as potential student leaders by the Christian teachers there. I continued meeting with them on a weekly basis, teaching them what the Bible said about salvation, since there were varying views, and discussing plans for launching ISCF at their school.

We set up an Executive Committee, and one of my suggestions for fund-raising was that they collect contributions from Exec members whenever they had a meeting, so there would be a base fund for the bigger fund-raisers. I advised them to leave the funds with the school secretary for safe-keeping. They ignored my advice, and the result was that the treasurer took the money they contributed and 'gave it to a teacher who was collecting money for the poor'... After dealing with this drama, encouraging them to love and forgive instead of exacting vengence, the individual eventually gave back the money, and voluntarily stepped off the committee.

The next major hurdle was getting them to focus on planning meetings for the term. They had a desire to do a hamper for the St. Elizabeth's Children's home with the funds they collected, and they only wanted to talk about that. Well, that and the fact that I was starting a group at the nearby Boys' secondary school and they wanted to come and help...

I can truly testify that God indeed answers prayer because today THEY HAD THEIR FIRST ISCF MEETING AT SCHOOL!!! The students did everything.

Sophia opened in prayer. She read a long prayer she had written from a page. She has come a long way from praying so softly the first time we asked her to pray that even the person sharing the chair with her could not hear what she said.

The Executive - Whitney, Hadassa, Danielle, Ariel and Sophia.
Aldon was missing in action

Danielle introduced the Exec and then read out the program for the meeting.

Ariel shared about the ABCs of salvation (Acknowledge, Believe and Choose) while Danielle read the associated scripture verses. They even got the other students involved by asking them questions - What should we acknowledge? What should we believe?

Ariel and Danielle sharing the ABCs of salvation

Then Danielle and Hadassa sang “He wants it all” with Danielle giving a very good challenge for them to surrender every aspect of their lives to God. They sang it beautifully, although on Monday Danielle was complaining that Hadassa could not sing at all and that she was tone deaf, but she really wasn't.

Danielle and Haddasa singing their special song

Then Sophia went in search of Aldon because he wasn’t at the meeting, and he was responsible for the game. When he did arrive, he explained the game and they had a lot of fun playing it.

Playing 'Message'

 Afterwards the sponsors told the Exec that they did an excellent job, and I told them I was proud of them.

Great things also happened at Boca Secondary School yesterday. I started meeting with Hope, Nickel and Selina a month ago - they were identified as potential student leaders at Boca. However, due to the indiscipline of the mostly non-Christian students  who came out to the meetings (approximately 20 every week) they were intimidated to accept leadership in the group. I couldn't blame them, because even I had a difficult time getting the students to settle down enough to hear when I was talking to them.

But yesterday we put the students in two small groups to do a dramatic presentation of a scenario (Selina gave the ideas for the scenarios, Hope wrote them out, and I helped them find relevant Bible verses). Praise be to Jesus that Hope and Selina actually agreed to be in charge of the small groups! They read the scenarios and organised the students to act it out.

Playing a game while waiting on the rest of the students to come

Having discussions in their small groups

 On top of that, the students were actually very attentive in the groups! The younger boys didn't hit one other, the older girls weren't shouting insults at the students who were outside... everyone sat quietly while they discussed the drama, and when it was time for the presentation, they gave their full attention.

Eager to see the drama

Scene 1: Your classmate steals your book from your schoolbag

Reacting to the fight scene: JERRY! JERRY!

Hope reading the Bible verses that speak about stealing

We only had time for one scenario, but the students participated willing in the discussion afterwards. They recognised the futility of returning evil for evil, and accepted the option of forgiveness. IT WAS A GREAT MEETING!!!!!

So yeah, that's just my testimony of the Great, Big, Wonderful, Prayer-answering God I serve :)