It has been a rush! My weekend included a lot of heat, two very important services, the ordination of Grenada's bishop (overseer of the Island's IPA's) Rev Cecil Jacobs, a steroid injected tour of the Island by a local police officer, and the return to Trinidad. Let me bring you though it!
Friday was supposed to be the night I was to preach. The theme for the convention centered around unity with purpose and anointing to reach destiny ... four powerful words to inject into one simple phrase. I had intended to preach on preserving the unity but felt led to preach THIS instead. I had preached the Sunday and Tuesday before ... didn't plan on it at all ... but will do as I am asked ... this is what I do. Both services touched the people ... in fact so much that a director for the Grenada TV news station was in the service and brought us in for an interview on national TV ... it was awesome ... I will post it soon!
I found out Friday morning that another minister was in and that she had been asked to speak ... this was not out of order in case you were wondering .... the head of the IPA, bro Joshua Hosein had given me the heads up ... all was good. They moved me instead to be the key note speaker for the finale ... the key event! What an honor ... preaching at a national convention! But first I would have to survive "the tour."
Kennedy, our friendly police officer took us for an island tour in a police van ... the whole Island. This place is amazing!!! Check out my facebook for the pics I uploaded ... real good stuff to include real wild monkeys ... they really exist! After 7 hours and surviving the back seat of a fully loaded van going 50mph on the mountain roads, I was allowed to recover for the evening to prepare for the IPA 2012 Grenada Convention finale … it was amazing.
Due to the large number of people to attend, it could not be held in any of the local churches. Instead, it was held in the auditorium of the local high school. Subnote: the schools do NOT have air conditioning!!! Poor students … poor teachers! The guitar I had been loaned to play for the week was a jazz guitar … I love them now … I will definitely get me one (I need a new electric … seriously). The sound is spectacular. But this guitar was in need of some serious attention. The 1st fret did not work at all … the strings would just buzz out or they would register in the next fret. The bottom E string (the thick one) did not play open without fretting (nice) and the tuning keys were loose … as I bent or pulled on the strings, they would detune. I had tried to adjust it but all of the adjustments, both at the bridge and the torsion rod were frozen … seized. Talk about a challenge.
The Caribbean Islanders have their own sound … and each island has a sound unto itself. The Grenadian sound is rich and penetrating … I love it. They play much of the same music but with their sound … it makes it very unique and true to who they are. It has been a wonderful week of learning for me musically a whole new rhythm set. After the congregational praise and worship service, I was introduced to preach. I was well received, my words taken well, the message hit its mark and lives were changed. I believe that the Grenadians truly want to follow their believed purpose to be a vessel for God to bring healing, deliverance, and salvation to their island … and we can help!!!
The next day we flew back to Trinidad … our time coming quickly to an end. We spent that day going through stores and such to lock down a budget in order to begin planning for the logistical part of all of this. Life on the islands is expensive. A gallon of milk is around $12 (US currency). A box of Frosted Flakes was about the same! Fresh meat (ground) starts around $7.50/lb (US) … that’s crazy! Produce that is grown locally, however, is next to nothing. So the food budget will be about the same as it is here for our family. Gas on the island of Grenada is just over $7.50/gallon (US). Figure that out … that gives us a gas budget of over $800/mo! The cost of vehicles here is ridiculous … it will be better for us to bring our vehicles here than to sell them and then try to buy here … my Suburban, as it is, is worth $9K at top value (Bluebook) … a similar truck … used and all would cost almost $30000 (US) there … that’s outrageous. All things considered, our budget here is going to be around $4000/mo (US). I had originally figured it at $3K/mo … but that was to tight and we would have been quickly upside down … so we know that if God wants this to happen, He will move mountains … there are other mountains to move besides finances … but He is good at that. I think the largest most difficult mountain for Him to move is the stubbornness of our will … of our submission to His.
The night before our return home, we had a meeting with the board of the IPA. It went well but it was obvious that they were not logistically ready for what it would take to move a family out to the islands. They were not expecting the costs to be so high. They also originally thought we would be able to draw a salary from a church we were to pastor … but for us to really meet the need here, pasturing would have proven difficult. We are needed in all of the churches and that would have us constantly out of the pulpit. Additionally the church we were considered to pastor is a young church that is very attached to their pastor … it would have taken years for the “change of command.” Sealing the tomb was the fact that the church is not currently paying rent for the facility it is using and is expected to begin paying rent in 4 months … right when we arrive. Any monies available to salary would be consumed. One of the board members also expressed his concern for the fact that the history of the IPA has been indigenous … the only indigenous ministry to the Caribbean … and that as a pastor he feared I may “Americanize” the ministry. He was comforted by the fact that I am not ambitious to pastor … that I am only desiring to be put to best use to help the mission grow. The meeting ended with their need to continue to meet concerning the details of our involvement … or anyone’s … and their need to develop deeper logistical procedures for things of this nature. On the other hand, we needed to return home and begin to seek God concerning His call for our lives and to seek His direction. So home we headed …
Our kids did not expect us home for another week … so they were overjoyed when we showed up. It was a great homecoming!
Our time in the Caribbean was important. I believe in the IPA … in the purity and simplicity of its ministry … and I feel called to support it. As I develop my understanding of what God is leading me to do … what is being laid on my heart, I will share that with you over the next few weeks. God has connected us and given us a burden for the churches in the Caribbean … and we will be your hands and feet there. I ask of you for a few things. First pray for us … we need that more than anything. Second, take a look at the NEEDS PAGE for the churches in the IPA … consider what you may like to do … I will be opening a donation venue soon. Third, consider supporting us personally. I have never asked for anything like this … have always been able to keep this from happening … but the nature of this will prevent me from watching my own back. I am going as the feet … but all of us are part of the body … there are those that go and those that send … neither is of more value that the other, both get to take equal part in the rewards. I know it will be a miracle, but we need 400 people to commit to at least $10/mo for our living costs, plus additional gifts for purchases etc. Your support will be tax exempt and you will receive a semi annual report of the use of every penny raised … I do not take that lightly at all and want you to know that your investment is well kept. Enough of that for now.
I am now busy beginning the ground work for
setting up the lines for transporting and moving resources that are so badly
needed to the churches that are so diligently working with what little they
have. This is what I was referring to
when I spoke of “mountains” that God would need to move previously. But I truly believe that God will open the
doors … pray that with me! I am also in
the process of communicating with the ministry I am ordained under concerning
our future relationship with the IPA as missionaries to the Caribbean. I am also in the process of trying to enlist
churches in this endeavor … to consider if and how they could support what we
are doing there.
So, to put a seal on the first trip (of many),
thank you to all of you who have been reading along … and look for more
soon. Until next time!
