My first dance

Two weeks ago my friend from church told me she had a question to ask me, but before she did, she cautioned me to think about it first before I gave her the answer. She and the leader of the dance ministry wanted to know if I would be willing to be a part of a dance on the Sunday when our Young Adults class was in charge of the Sunday morning service. My immediate reaction was, "Why would you ask me?" I had never danced before, and could not fathom why they would think to ask me to be a part. She explained that they wanted to get some members of the Young Adults class to dance, instead of just those who are on the dance team. She also told me that she had observed me during worship so she knew I had rhythm LOL. I enquired about the practise sessions, and once I worked out that I could make it to the majority of them, I agreed.

Some of these dedicated ladies were at practise almost
every day last week

The practise sessions were about more than just learning the dance moves. Kassika ensured that we spent time in prayer before each session, and we prayed about the message of the dance, and it's application to our lives, as well as for the Word that was to be ministered on Sunday. One evening we spent time in worship and meditated on scripture before we started. Another evening we spent time praying for each other's personal requests. Different persons brought refreshments to share with everyone else, since most persons were coming to rehearsals straight from work. By the end of the week, we felt bonded as sisters in the Lord, and when it was all over, we were suffering from some serious tabanca as we were no longer meeting regularly.

Working with these ladies was such a blessing

The theme for the service on Sunday was "Finding yourself through service" so the songs chosen for us to dance to were "Servant's Prayer" and "I want to be more than an ordinary servant". The first song spoke of a desire to serve God daily and worship Him with our lives. The second one invites God to search our lives and remove any sin there. As we prepared the dance, we prayed that persons would not focus on us as dancers, but on the lyrics as we danced. Based on the feedback afterwards, this is exactly what happened. After church people told us that they received the message loud and clear, and that it was a powerful dance. I taught Junior Church that Sunday, and when I asked the children what it meant to crucify the flesh, a 7 year old boy said, you have to ask Jesus to take out the sin from your life like what they did in the dance. Talk about message received!

Using sign language as part of the dance

Being a part of the dance team was also a blessing to the dancers. One member said that the experience was priceless; that she was impacted and humbled, and has deepened her commitment to service. She was tremendously helped by the love, passion and caring shown to her. Another member said she had felt the need to try different avenues of service to find her own way, and the experience really opened her eyes and heart to get out of the restricted shell she had always been in and get to know people and do her part as God's servant. She thanked the team for helping her find a passion she did not know existed.

Illustrating how God is with us always, how he shelters us,
and helps us when weare sad and lonely

For me, it was an opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone and do something I had never done before. I always admired dancers, but never had the opportunity to try it out when I was younger. By the time I started attending a church with a dance ministry, I felt that it was too late to start so I was really grateful for the privilege of dancing with these ladies. I also admired Kassika's leadership style - she lead with a spirit of humility, being willing to receive suggestions from the rest of the team, patiently teaching us all the steps she had choreographed, gently correcting where we went wrong and working assiduously until the wee hours of the morning to ensure that all the props were prepared in time.

Young Adults Sunday Dance Team

I was tremendously blessed to minister in this new way, and I look forward to more new things that God will take me into in the coming year.

What a week!

It all started on Good Friday evening when I was preparing to stage manage an evangelistic production at church when I got a call from Mummy stating that Daddy had a hard fall and was being taken to the hospital to determine the extent of his injuries. I sent up a prayer for him and the doctors who would be attending to him and then got to work ensuring that there was a smooth transition between the scenes in the production so the message would not be hindered. Praise God persons responded to the altar call as they were challenged to choose Jesus while they still had an opportunity to on earth.

On Saturday morning I went down south and took over hospital waiting duties from Mummy, who had been there almost all night with Daddy while various tests were done. The CT scan showed there was evidence of a recent stroke, so they decided to hospitalize him. We had to wait until 3:30pm before they finally got a bed for him. We settled him in, stayed until visiting hours were over, and then left to come home. We had no idea how long they would keep him for. My prayer was that they would keep him at least until Friday, because I had a camp that was starting on Sunday evening and finishing on Friday afternoon. I knew that when he got discharged Mummy would need some extra support at home, and I really didn't want to have to leave camp before it was over.

Daddy in his quarters for the week.

When I arrived at camp on Sunday evening, there were 91 children - the most amount of campers that we have had at an Easter camp in years. Every single campworker who was there was crucial to ensure a successful week at camp, and I knew that if I had to leave, there would have been a shortfall, so I trusted Daddy's hospitalization into God's hands and focused on the ministry that needed to be done at camp that week.

My dorm 5 beauties

I was assigned to dorm 5 with 3 girls aged 15 and 16. Later on in the week we were joined by a 4th girl. I was glad for the small number, and also for the fact that they were willing to go to bed when I told them to so I got at least 5 hours sleep each night! Over the course of the week, I led them in devotions, had in depth conversations with each one of them, and helped them find strategies to deal with the challenges they were facing. Three of them made professions of faith after one of the chapel sessions, so please keep them in your prayers as they seek to grow in Christ.

Spectacular display of God's creativity
at the sunrise service

This camp's theme was "Extra, extra, read all about it" with a focus on encouraging the campers to get to know God through studying the Bible. We had sessions explaining how to study the bible, and also showing how the bible had answers to every issue or question they had. There was an evening of bible games like Sword drill and Bible boxing and a quiz on bible facts. There were also bible themed activity sheets for the campers to complete, as well as a team chorale speaking competition based on the memory verses Psalms 119:9-12, 15-16. The speaker did an excellent job keeping the attention of the campers who ranged in age between 6 years and 17 years old, by keeping them guessing the clue words relating to his main points. His messages were simple enough for the younger ones to follow, while hitting hard at the issues the older ones were facing.

Dorm 4 boy sharing his bible with Dorm 2 girl during chapel

Based on a need which arose during devotions on the second to last day of camp, the program was adjusted to include a session for the older ones on the difference between love and lust, and strategies for dealing with parental issues, especially for those coming from broken homes. Experienced counselors shared their experiences, and the discussion was very open and candid, as the campers shared their struggles and received answers for their questions, and prayer for those who came to camp burdened and were grateful for an opportunity to share their issues and get godly counsel. The speaker was also led, on the last night of camp, to address areas in which the campers were exposing themselves to witchcraft through the TV shows and movies they watched and also symbols they wore on their clothing. This session was very instruction and helped build awareness in the campers about the schemes of the enemy to deceive them. 

Having fun at morning exercise

On the last day of camp, Mummy told me she had gotten the latest results from the test which showed how thick Daddy's blood was, and she was just waiting for the doctor to decide if it was within the acceptable range before discharging him. He was discharged on Saturday morning. I was so grateful to God for keeping him in the hospital that week, so I could focus on ministering to the campers, and also so Daddy would have no choice but to rest and take his medication. The build up of fluid in his leg decreased significantly and his blood thickness returned to the desired level. Please pray that he will be more agreeable about taking his medication, and also that his left arm which was hurt in the fall will be restored to 100% use so he can be independently mobile.

Sunset at Victory Heights Bible camp

I am humbled to serve a God who hears and answers prayer. He even gave me extra time on Friday to start recuperating from camp before I had to head south to see the doctors in the hospital on Saturday morning. This also allowed me time on Friday evening to visit the Caribbean Staff training for IS/IVCF which was being held in St. Ann's. It was a great time of reconnecting with staff from across the Caribbean, most of whom I had not seen since last year. I was overjoyed to see Kishell, who was president of the CCCF group in Grenada when I first restarted the ministry over there. She attended the Emerging leaders tract and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and is considering returning to Trinidad in July to be a part of ISCF camp!

This is the same person who didn't want to come to Trinidad
as a student because she was afraid she would get shot ;)

As I reflect on this past week, I can truly thank God for His impeccable timing and for taking care of business at home while I took care of business at camp. I am exceedingly grateful to all those who supported us during Daddy's hospitalization - those who visited, those who called or messaged and those who prayed. We could not have made it without your love and encouragement.

Discover Dominica

Dominica is well nicknamed "The nature isle of the Caribbean". Even though only 6 months have passed since the devastation of hurricane Maria, there are many lovely sights which be enjoyed. Cruise ships have resumed docking in Roseau since February 2018, and those employed in the tourist industry would be happy to welcome you to pay them a visit.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a beautiful sunset. I am that person who would stop their car on the side of the road to soak in one of these displays of God's creativity - no two sunsets are the same. When you put a sunset with one of my favoritest things - the beach - it is an epic win!

Sunset over the sea at Goodwill

There is no shortage of locations where you
can take in a spectacular sunset

Sunset at Mero beach after a relaxing evening swim

Sunset captured over the mountains on the way from Loudar

For the nature lovers, there is a variety of flora which was been rejuvenated after the storm. The greens of the trees are a brilliant young luscious shade, and the flowers are vibrant in color.

Flower garden by a home in Loudar

Line of palm trees close to the port

So many unusual designs and colors

This plant we saw by the fresh water
lake looked like it belonged in the sea
on a coral reef!

This lone sunflower stood out brightly
outside a home in Canefield

This silk cotton tree in Portsmouth
stood strong against the category 5
hurricane winds

Who knew there was a variety of fern that grew big enough to
be trees?!

Apart from the beach, I love any other natural sources of water. With 365 rivers to choose from, there is no end to the rivers, waterfalls and lakes you can explore.

Rushing river at Trafalgar

The bruises I got while clambering
over the rocks to get to the base of
this exquisite waterfall were
so worth it!

I would have spent longer basking in the tranquility of the fresh
water lake if it was not so freezing cold...

A soak in the hot water springs is
just what the doctor ordered :)

There are also cold sulphur springs which are perfect on a
sunny day, not to mention great for your skin

This view from the Red Rock in Calibishie is addictive

Having a meal on this gazebo built
over the sea is a lovely experience

Of course, no visit to a foreign country is complete unless you sample the local cuisine. As a small island, much of the Dominican cooking culture involves seafood.

I would have never imagined that saltfish pizza would taste
so good

The tuna came from a tin, but cooked
up with fresh veggies and served with
warm Dominican bread - crispy on the
outside, soft on the inside - was delicious

I've had chicken, goat, shrimp and duck roti, but I had to reach
quite Dominica to sample my first fish roti

Hot of the grill barbecue chicken, dasheen and saltfish balls,
rice, macaroni pie, provision and  fresh salad - just another
Sunday lunch in Dominica

For the history lovers, a visit to the Cabrits in Portsmouth is a must. This fort has survived for two centuries, through various hurricanes and tropical storms. The historic buildings, the canons and the view over Portsmouth are definitely worth a visit. There are also many other interesting sites around the island.

  

Taking a pose by the armoury

Pumping water the old fashioned way

A historic building in River Estate

Descending into an inactive volcano

Look you can see Guadeloupe!

Posing at the Red Rock in Calibishie

At the lookout on the highest point
of the road in Dominica

The vendors selling souvenirs are happy to have tourists return to the island so they can sustain themselves. There are many talented, artistic locals who use their skills to make beautiful pieces that you are more than willing to spend your money on.

I bought this beach bag because it went so perfectly with this
beach towel that I was gifted with

Handmade craft from Kalinago territory

So when planning your next vacation, consider Dominica as a possible destination. I would be happy to put you in contact with my people over there, to ensure that you are well taken care of ;)

Celebrating the beauty that is Dominica