The Borough Retreat where God gave us enough

Over twenty years ago, a teenager from the church in Point Fortin that I grew up in was looking for an alternative to the revelry that is a part of Point Fortin Borough Day festivities and asked if she could spend the weekend at our home in Dow Village. The other young people from our church joined in and so began the first of many Borough retreats. That first Borough retreat was impromptu, but each year since then we have sessions and devotions that are in line with a theme, and an outing on the Saturday that takes the youths to a part of the country that they had never been to before. This year was no different.

With my good friend Candice, where it all began

Candice teaches the teens class at Sunday School, where the majority of the children who would be attending the retreat came from. This year I leaned heavily on her, as I was not able to be as involved as in previous years, and she did an excellent job! She communicated with the parents to confirm who was coming and organized transport and oversaw the schedule for each day and led devotions and ensured that the chores were done. Jonathan used to attend Borough retreat as a teenager, but is now a young adult and he kept the boys on task and led their devotions. Their help and support was invaluable in the success that this weekend was.

Jonathan leading devotions

This year God knew I could not handle a house full of 20 teenagers like I had in the past, so He only sent 6 of them, along with 2 adults and 2 children, which was just enough. They were also very obedient and co-operative, so there was no stress. They were put into two teams for chores, and these were done without complaining. At one point, they were actually competing over who should get to wash the wares! Everything flowed really well for the entire weekend, and for that I give God all the thanks and the praise, because that was all due to Him.

Washing wares without complaining

This year we decided to focus on the topic of Sexual Purity as we realized this is an area that many of our youths struggle with. Kerron and Nikita Edwards from my church at St. Augustine Evangelical Bible church agreed to facilitate this session; they chose the option to do it remotely, as to do it in person would have taken them hours in traffic. However when I tried to set up the equipment before Bible Club, nothing was working. Then the youths arrived and I got busy settling them in and before you knew it, it was time for Bible Club.

They enjoyed being a part of the discussions
in the book of James about wisdom

After Bible Club, I found out that one of the young men was studying Information Technology, so I told him that he was responsible for ensuring that everything worked for the remote session later that evening. He confessed that he had never set up a projector before, or connected a laptop to a smart TV but I told him that I believed he could do it. Within just a few minutes, the very things that I had struggled to do, he had working! It was a great boost to his confidence to have had that experience.

Getting support from the other guys

Just before the session began, Nikita shared that she had a migraine but she was prepared to do the session still. She did an excellent job sharing how sexual purity involves keeping hearts, minds and bodies holy as well as guidelines to help them maintain purity. She led them in a pledge to encourage them to wait until marriage, even as she shared her experience of keeping herself pure before her marriage. Her husband Kerron shared with the guys on the same topic, and we know both groups received the message clearly as they had to develop a skit the next day depicting what they learnt. Both groups included the principles they learnt during these sessions, as well as in the devotions based on Psalm 119:9-16

The girls giving their full attention

The next day we ventured into Gran Couva for our outing to Massa Nature Park. We had prayed for journeying mercies, and God truly protected us as we saw accidents on the road both on our way there and on our way back home. We had a wonderful time seeing all the animals at the park, bathing in the swimming pool, jumping on the trampoline, and eating a delicious pelau lunch that Mummy had prepared without forks because I forgot to pack them! There was an educational aspect as we went for a walk on the nature trail and our guide shared facts about some of the trees and plants that we saw. They even got to pick mandarin and West Indian cherries.

Being welcomed by the resident Mona monkey

Admiring the kois and baby duckling

Petting the exotic black chicken

There were two swimming pools for our use: the children's pool at 3' deep, and the adult pool which went up to 4.5' deep. There was no lifeguard on duty, so we were responsible for ensuring that only the youths who could swim were allowed in the adult pool. Those who couldn't swim looked on jealously at those who were in the adult pool, and begged incessantly for an opportunity to go in "just for a dip, to see what it feels like". When I got tired of the begging I said, "This is just like what Aunty Nikita was talking about last night with the people who will be pressuring you to compromise your sexual purity. I am not allowing you to go because it is for your own good." The one who was begging the most looked at her friend and said, "She's right you know" and from then on they figured out how to have fun in the children's pool.

The sun was blazing so we were happy to be in the water

After dinner that evening they did their presentations based on what they learnt in their sessions on Sexual Purity, and it was encouraging to see them sharing not just the principles but also scripture that was used in devotions. The night ended with them looking at an animated version of the Pilgrim's Progress, which showed the journey of a man called Christian out of the city of bondage in which he had been born, and into the Celestial City where God reigned as King. Principles from that movie were used in devotions the following morning, which focused on the forgiveness available to those who may stray from the path of godliness. They were encouraged to know that freedom from condemnation is available to all who would confess and repent from their sins.

Unopened lily from the Nature Park

We all journeyed to Mahaica Gospel Hall in Point Fortin to fellowship with the saints there on Sunday morning. Even though they attend Sunday School there on afternoons, for some it was their first time being at a Sunday morning service. We are grateful to those who gave: of their time, their energy, their resources, their prayers, to ensure that Borough Retreat 2024 was a great success. We had more than enough financial contributions to cover the cost of the retreat this year. We pray that the seeds of God's Word which were planted in the hearts of these youths would not just grow and bring forth fruit, but would spread to the others who didn't attend so they could benefit as well.

Photoshoot after church

That outreach where I didn't lift a finger but God ensured everything was taken care of

It all started on March 19th when my friend Tricia, who I know from ITNAC, told me she wanted to do something evangelistic to celebrate her birthday this year. I suggested to her that she could come to Aripero, which is the village next to mine, and the one that I believe is responsible for the increase in crime in my neighbourhood. She was in agreement, and a date was set, but neither of us could have predicted that on the selected date, I would not have been feeling well, so would have to depend on God to bring in the manpower to do everything that needed to be done, and as expected, He did not disappoint!

This is the only photo I am in because I spent the majority
of the outreach lying down on the couch upstairs LOL

I approached Candice, a believer who lives in the area, and whose children attend Bible Club. She has a modest home, but there was a front yard and the road in front of the yard that we could use. She was worried about the mud under her house, but I told her that was not an issue (it turned out to be an issue on the day of the outreach but we eh reach dere yet!) She suggested that we use the yard of one of the churches in the area (Aripero Open Bible and Aripero New Testament Church of God) but I told her I didn't want this outreach to be identified as a 'church thing' so we preferred to have it at her home. She finally agreed so we had a date and a venue, all we needed now were the attendees!

Our beautiful hostess welcoming persons to the outreach

Initially we had planned to target 100 children in the area, (as this was the capacity of the venue chosen) but one week before the outreach, we discovered that the majority of the young children attend Sunday School at one or both of the two churches in the area, but whenever these churches had evangelistic outreaches in the community, the teens would never come out. We told Candice this was the age group we wanted to target, as they were unchurched and therefore more vulnerable to being recruited by the gangs that are now operating in "The Ghetto" where most of them live. She asked if we were sure and we assured her that we were, so she walked around to each home to invite the teens to come out to the outreach.

Eventually we had close to 30 young people in attendance

On the Wednesday before the outreach we hit a snag. We only had $1000 in cash, but the caterer needed at least $2640 by Friday so she could buy the ingredients to make the meal we requested, as well as a birthday cake for Candice, who celebrated her birthday that week. We wanted to appreciate the hard work she did in preparing her home for us and also walking through the community to invite persons. I sent out a message to my network and within two days, not only did we have enough to cover the cost of the ingredients for the meal, but also the cost of tent, table and chair rentals, bibles for those who gave their lives to Christ, prizes for games, love gifts to persons who gave their services for free, as well as make a contribution towards the funeral expenses of a mother from the area who died suddenly last week leaving six children behind. Talk about a God who provides exceedingly and abundantly above all we could ask or think!!!!

Candice wasn't expecting the cake so it was
a lovely surprise :)

I messaged Tricia on the day of the outreach to tell her she had to do everything because I wasn't feeling well. Thankfully this was were the youths from Bible Club stepped in and helped out. One of them helped to pack all the drinks and ice in the coolers so they could be cold in time for the program. Others offloaded the bags of clothing from the trunk of my car to under the house, where others along with members of Candice's church were able to lay them out on the tables. Volunteers from the church also helped to lay out the chairs, and to pack them up after. All I had to do was to direct where everything went - I didn't have to lift a finger, and God provided the manpower to ensure that everything was done by the time the rest of the team arrived from Port-of-Spain.

Laying out the tables

 

The weather forecast on the day was thunderstorms although the morning started off bright and sunny. Around lunchtime the dark ominous clouds appeared and the rains burst down. I alerted my prayer team and eventually the rain eased up about 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the program. Remember the mud that I said would not have been a problem? It was now soft and every step we made in it, our feet sank down. It was messy, but we didn't allow it to stop us. In fact, the rains returned at the point in the program when the speaker was scheduled to bring the message. He jumped from tent to tent to under the house in delivering the message God downloaded to him, in the pouring rain. That is the kind of trooper we had on our team.

Our sound man, trying to protect his equipment
using garbage bags

Everyone huddled under the tents when the rains came down

 There were other team members who had challenges on that day too. Tricia's mother was not feeling well and she contemplated not coming but she still came to the outreach. The driver of the maxi that brought the team from Port-of-Spain was asthmatic and was not feeling well so they prayed for him. When they were leaving, they saw a nearby pharmacy that was closed, but the workers were still inside. When they saw how the driver was looking, they opened the doors so he could get the medication he needed. Jehovah Jireh certainly was our Provider!

There were many points along the way when
she could have given up but she persevered
in spite of discouragement and GOD SHOWED UP!

The youths enjoyed the games by Aunty Karen

Garryn was asked to present the gospel, and he was assisted by his wife Leannya (this was after they set up the tent and helped the sound man Steve set up his equipment). Garryn brought an extension cord that wasn't plugged in, and Leannya tried to charge her phone using it. He used this analogy to show the youths that they had a purpose, but like the unplugged extension cord, unless they were plugged into Jesus Christ as their source, they would be useless. After challenging them to resist following the ways of the world which would lead to death, he invited those who wanted to follow Jesus and be powered by Him to indicate, and 9 young people responded! We give God all the glory for these lives that will now be lived for the kingdom of God, and ask that you keep them in prayer that they would get the necessary support needed so they can live godly lives.

Uncle Garryn getting up close and personal with the youths

We found out afterwards that some of the youths who responded to the altar call have had behavioral issues, so we trust that Saturday's outreach would be the first step in their turning their lives around. The beautiful thing is that we had representatives from both churches  there, so with the churches partnering with the community, transformation is possible, one life at a time. Prayer was said for these young people who responded, and each was given a Bible to help guide them on their spiritual walk. We then distributed the food and the clothing, and there was more than enough. We are tremendously grateful for all who gave of their time, energy, resources and prayers - this outreach would not have been possible without you!

The fields are ripe for harvest

Lessons God taught me after 6 days of diarrhea

Two weeks after Carnival 2024, I started feeling ill all of a sudden. I was nauseous and had diarrhea. I contacted my doctor and she recommended Gravol for the nausea and Immodium for the diarrhea. After being ill for two days, I felt God saying this to me:

"You are not indispensable. Although you add value wherever you serve, My work can still go on without you. Take the necessary time to rest and recover before jumping back in to ministry. Draw strength from me."

Sunset over Aranguez Savannah

On the third day I messaged my doctor to let her know that there was no change in my symptoms, so she started me on a course of antibiotics. Later that evening I was scheduled to share at Carenage Gospel Hall on the topic "Proving God in adversity". While finalizing my PowerPoint presentation I had diarrhea almost non-stop. I messaged my prayer partners and asked to them to pray for the diarrhea to stop. It stopped half an hour before I shared, and it resumed soon after I was finished. Thank God the session was online and not in person!

Crown of thorns in Dow Village

 The next day I messaged my doctor to find out how long I could expect the diarrhea to last because after four days, I was tired of having to visit the toilet so often. She told me that she had no idea what I had, because if it was the Rotavirus which was going around, it should have responded to the medication by now. I asked my friends from church, "What do you do when your doctor has no idea what is wrong with you?" and the response was clear - "We pray!"

Sunset over Bonasse beach, Cedros

The next morning, I asked God what He wanted me to learn from this season of illness, and this is what He said:

• In one instant, your life can change quickly and completely and uncontrollably. When you are healthy and able to function normally, you should not take it for granted.
• You are not indispensable to the work of the kingdom of God. While you were incapacitated, ISCF School tours went on. Don't for a moment feel like if the work cannot continue without you. It is my Kingdom and I will find the labourers needed to bring in the harvest.
• The body of Christ is there to support and offer aid when you are unable to help yourself.
• Do not underestimate the power of prayer. Diarrhea and bacteria have to bow to the authority of God.
• Remember that all things work together for good to those who love God, even things which may not seem to be good like sickness.

Orchids from my neighbour's yard

On the fifth day, I was in the toilet almost constantly from 11:30pm to 2:30am the next day. At 3am I messaged my friends from church and said, "This is ridiculous now... I am going to close my eyes now and my bowels better go to sleep too cuz I is tyad!" Later that day I had my first solid bowel movement for the week and I was elated! From that time on all the symptoms disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.

The Lord restored me to full health!

I believe that God allowed the symptoms to last as long as they did to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was He who healed me, and not the medication. I feel like God wants me to share my experiences to encourage others in similar circumstances, so they don't have to make the same mistakes I did, to learn the lessons I have learnt.   

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says it the best:

There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3     a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6     a time to search and a time to give up,

    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7     a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8     a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace.

How I can still worship God as Healer when my loved one dies

 On January 15th 2024 I posted the following on my Facebook page:

"God answers prayer."

At the time when I posted it, three of my uncles were hospitalized - one was my father's youngest brother, and two were the fathers of my close friends. All three of them were critically ill, and surgery was not an option because of their age or current health challenges. I was praying for them, trusting that God would do a miracle to stabilize them so they could be released from the hospital. All of them are out of the hospital now, but only one is still here on earth.

Reading scripture for Uncle Learie
during his last hospital visit

When I wrote that facebook post, God had not yet answered my prayer for healing for my loved ones. I decided to post it in faith, believing that God could do what the doctors said was impossible. I chose not to wait until He answered my prayer, to acknowledge Him as the God who answers prayer. Because the reality is, even if the answer was "no", He would still have answered my prayer. His characteristic as a Prayer-Answering God does not change regardless of whether He has answered or not, or whether His answer is the one we were desiring.

With Uncle Anton's wife, after a hospital visit to Uncle Anton

One week after my facebook post, Uncle Learie was released from the hospital. It was really a miracle of healing, because there was no medical intervention done to resolve his issue - it was a divine touch from God. I went to visit him the day after he got home, he kept telling me that it would be the last opportunity I would get to the read the Bible for him. However, one month later, he is still here! God is clearly not ready for him as yet.

Uncle Learie is the eldest of the three, batting strong
at 94 years old and not out

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Uncle Anton. After his release from the hospital two weeks later, his condition steadily deteriorated. When I visited him the Sunday before Carnival, his son-in-law told me he didn't think he would be able to make it to the end of the week. On Wednesday I messaged Aunty Cicely to find out how she was coping, and she said she would feel better if she got some starch mangoes. Thankfully I knew just where to get it and the next day I carried it for her. On that day, she confessed that she had accepted that her husband was dying and she was ready to release him, because he was in so much pain. When I realised that earthly healing was not God's will for Uncle Anton, I prayed that his suffering would not be extended. He died two days later.

Funeral arrangements for Uncle Anton

God is sovereign. He is the One who has numbered our days before one of them came into being. As our Creator, He has every right to determine how long we spend on this earth, before we are called home to eternity. It is His right to decide who receives earthly healing, and who does not; we trust His character of goodness that whatever He decides is best, no matter how painful it may be for us. This is why I can still worship God as Healer, even when He chooses not to heal my loved one. I may not agree with His decision or understand why He did it, but I choose to trust Him.

Isaiah 55:8 - “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

Life is a bag of sweets

This is my tribute in honor of the passing of my Uncle, Vernon Dowlath, Daddy's youngest brother.

So grateful my brother captured this photo before three of them passed

When we were young, my parents were both working so they had to get creative about what to do with four children over the July/August vacation. After spending 2 weeks at VBS and 2 weeks at camp, the remaining four weeks we rotated between staying by Daddy's siblings. Uncle Vernon lived with my grandmother until he migrated to Canada over 20 years ago, and we enjoyed spending vacations at their house. His children were in our age group, and we spent many hours playing together.

Last lime before my cousins migrated

I will always remember Uncle Vernon's laugh and pleasant personality. Like all Dowlath men, he was LOUD when he ready, especially when he was making a point about something he was passionate about. When Daddy got sick, Uncle Vernon was one of the siblings who would consistently call to check up on him and chat with him. When Daddy died, Uncle Vernon continued to reach out to me and Mummy on a regular basis.

Thankful for the technology
that kept us connected

Uncle Vernon suffered many health challenges throughout his life. He had major surgery in 2021, but this never dampened his spirits. After his hospitalizations, he would get right back into life with all the vigour and strength he had. He had a strong faith in God, and would always let us know that he was praying for us. When our country's borders finally reopened, he made sure to come and visit us. He insisted on buying food for us to eat, because he said if he was living here, he would have made sure to feed us. Such was his generosity.

We let him provide the food and we did the drinks :)

In 2023, Uncle Vernon's health started to decline rapidly. He was in and out of hospital but was not getting better. Every New Years Day our family hosts a lime for Daddy's siblings and their families. This New Year's Day, Uncle Vernon messaged me to say he was looking forward to lunch, and wanted to know what was on the menu. He said he would take some ham, chicken pastelle, and a glass of kick-a-poo drink (Daddy's name for whatever blend of fruits Mummy makes, which is usually a big hit at these limes) He sent his best wishes to all the guests, and I offered to send him a video. When everyone arrived, I recorded a video of all who were there, and everyone sent greetings to him. He was grateful for the opportunity to see all who were present so contented and engaged.

Glad that he was able to partake in 
his last New Years lime virtually

Throughout January Uncle Vernon sent me a few messages which were forwards. I glanced at them, but like most forwards, I did not read them. However when Aunty Letto messaged me last week Saturday to say that she and two other aunts were going to Canada because it looked like Uncle Vernon had taken a turn for the worse, I was curious to see what was the last message he sent me. I was shocked when I read what he had sent on January 15th:

Beautiful poem by Mário de Andrade (Sao Paulo 1893 - 1945) Poet, novelist, essayist and musicologist.  One of the founders of Brazilian modernism

      ____________

      MY SOUL IS IN A HURRY

      I counted my years and discovered that I now have less time left to live than I had lived until now.

      I feel like the kid who won a pack of candy; He ate the first few with pleasure, but when he realized there were few left, he began to savor them deeply.

      I don't have time for endless meetings where we discuss bylaws, rules, procedures and internal regulations, knowing that nothing will happen.

      I no longer have time to put up with absurd people who, despite their chronological age, have not grown up.

      My time is short to discuss titles.  I want the essential, my soul is in a hurry...

 Without many sweets in the package...

     

      I want to live next to human people, very human.  Who know how to laugh at their mistakes, who are not vain of their triumphs. People who don't consider themselves elected before their time, people who don't try to escape their responsibilities. I am looking for people who defend human dignity, people who only want to walk on the side of truth and honesty.

      The essential is what makes life worth living.

      I want to surround myself with people who know how to touch people's hearts...

      People who have learned from the hard knocks of life to grow up with soft touches in their soul

      Yes..., I am in a hurry..., I am in a hurry to live with the intensity that only maturity can give.

      I intend not to waste any of the candy I have left... I am sure they will be more exquisite than the ones I have eaten so far.

      My goal is to arrive at the end satisfied and at peace with my loved ones and with my conscience.

      We have two lives and the second one starts when you realize that you have only one......

After reading it, I realized that he knew that he was going to die soon. I called my cousin the next day and asked her to call me when she got to the hospital because I wanted to pray with him. She put me on speaker, and I was able to pray that he would release any bitterness or unforgiveness or resentment he had, and that he would embrace Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. I prayed for comfort for my aunt and cousins. Four hours later, my cousin messaged me to say he had passed.

His last family lime with us

Take those photos. Embrace those moments. Savour those sweets before they all run out.

We having ah Jesus Christmas!

 As the 2023 Christmas season approached, I started thinking about how I could respond to the inevitable onslaught of "Merry Christmas" messages that I knew I would be receiving. The idea to wish people a "Jesus Christmas" came to mind and I loved it, because it pointed to how I would be celebrating: by sharing the significance of God coming to earth in human form at every opportunity we got.

Loved this display of Jesus' coming to
earth at Compassion Outreach Ministries

The first opportunity was at the Closing Program for Bible Club at the beginning of December. As we sang songs about Jesus' coming to earth, we shared about how the news came to ordinary people in society first rather than to the leaders, demonstrating how a relationship with God is available to every person. The guest speaker challenged the children to use the armour of God when responding to triggering scenarios in the home and at school, rather than fighting; he had no clue that this was an issue we had been addressing with these children for the past month! God clearly spoke through Him, and we pray that the children received the message.

Using the children to act out the scenarios

For the past twenty years, ITNAC has journeyed to Sobo Village in Palo Seco to be a blessing to the residents of that community during Christmas time. We usually distribute hampers and toys, along with a meal. This year, we found out 3 days before the outreach that the corporate sponsor who had been engaged with us about the project since October would no longer be able to cover the expenses. Thankfully, God is our source, and He miraculously moved on the hearts of His people to contribute financially towards this venture, so we were still able to execute! We thank God for the opportunity we had to share the gospel clearly with the residents, and to challenge them to surrender control of their lives to Christ as their response to the gift of His Son.

The attendance was so huge we had to use
the carpark rather than inside the community center

For the first time since the pandemic, our church was able to put on a live Christmas production that included our children and young people. Friends and family members were invited to the dramatic presentation in song of Jesus' coming to earth. What was incredible to me was seeing the transformation of the young people who portrayed Mary and Joseph. Four months prior to this presentation, they could barely go up on the stage for Talent night with their teams at ISCF camp to perform, and now they had to act out these key roles in front of more than 100 persons - they were phenomenal! I told them afterwards that I was so proud of them overcoming their shyness and stepping out of their comfort zones. I thank God for those from church who worked with them and pushed them to be more bold and self confident, and also to be used by God for ministry in this way!

They all did so well!

The highlight for me was our Christmas morning outreach, an ITNAC initiative where we visit the homes of families we have assisted during the year to bring the message of Jesus' coming to earth, along with a breakfast box and gifts for the children. A couple friends from church joined for the first time this year, and it was great having them along to help wrap presents the night before, and wake up a few hours later to pack the breakfast boxes (lovingly provided by Mummy) followed by spending seven hours on the road visiting these families.

We came bearing gifts :)

At each home, we sang songs about the good news of Jesus' coming, and shared about why He came. As a result of this sharing, two children surrendered control of their lives to the Lordship of Christ! We were blessed to bring so much joy and hope to families who had experienced huge challenges and loss in 2023, and they were very grateful for what they received. We could not have done all this without your generous support, so thank you to all who gave so we could be a blessing to these precious souls for whom Christ came.

God is still

God is still Healer 

when my loved ones are lying sick in bed.

God is still Provider 

when I am waiting for what I am trusting Him to provide.

God is still Good 

when my first nephew dies the day he was born.

God is still Love 

when my innocent friend is murdered.

God is still Comforter 

when the tears continue to flow.

God is still Almighty 

when He doesn't stop a bad thing from happening.

God is still Deliverer 

when I have yet to experience the victory.

God is still Trustworthy 

when I have not yet received what has been promised.

God is still Faithful

when my prayers have not yet been answered.

God's character is not dependent on our circumstances. He is who He is, forever and always and in spite of.

   If we are faithless,

    he remains faithful,

    for he cannot disown himself.

- 2 Timothy 2:13

Inspired by the question, "What does it mean to worship God for who He is, rather than what He does?"