Thursday, March 18
The next morning, we returned to Paget Farm to continue the renovation of Christine Hanson’s home. I worked on building new shutters to cover the window openings while Lyle and Debbie finished the back wall and set about to replace the badly rotted siding along the front wall of the house. Around mid-morning, some shouting from the surrounding houses caused us to look out past the airport where we could see a small boat towing what looked like some large fishing floats. We soon realized that it was the whalers towing the humpback cow that they had killed yesterday around to the whaling station off LaPompe.
Around noon, I had to leave to attend a meeting at the Bequia Hospital regarding an inquiry which we had received, via the Mission’s website. It was from a faculty member at an American college’s Medical School, which was interested in partnering the possibility of partnering with the Bequia Mission to send a team of faculty, interns and recent grads to Bequia, as early as this July, to conduct a medical outreach clinic. His most recent email contained a long list of medical (mostly first aid and surgical) supplies which he envisioned they would be able to bring with them. Sister Peters and I had arranged the meeting to discuss the proposal. Also in attendance were Dr. Robertson, the island’s only physician and the hospital’s dispenser (pharmacist), a very articulate and professional young woman from Guyana, whose name I neglected to record. In addition, BMLC Chair Sylvester Tannis joined us, as his contacts and knowledge of the inner workings of the SVG Government would no doubt prove to be invaluable in helping to secure permission for the visiting American team to conduct an outreach clinic at the hospital. Upon hearing the list of equipment and trained personnel that would accompany the visiting team, Sr. Peters and the others were very interested. It was agreed that I would write back to our contact at the Medical Faculty, indicating our interest in pursuing his offer of assistance, and to see where it lead from there. I did so later that evening, copied to those who had attended the meeting earlier in the day, and the following day received a reply indicating that he would put together a formal proposal for a July 2010 outreach clinic. He envisioned a project of about 10 – 12 days, which could hopefully be conducted on an annual basis, and would send the proposal when it was ready, so that Sylvester and Sister Peters could begin the process of obtaining permission from the SVG Ministry of Health.
Following the meeting, I caught a dollar van back to Paget Farm to rejoin Lyle and Debbie at the Hanson house. As the van passed through Friendship and LaPompe I could see a large number of people and boats around the small whaling key just offshore, and although I couldn’t see the partially submerged whale carcass on which they were working, the waters in front of the small, rocky island were crimson with its blood.
Back at Christine’s house, I put the finishing touches on the wooden shutters and helped Lyle and Debbie pack up the tools before carrying them down the hill to wait for Rudy’s taxi. As had become the daily ritual, we were anxious to get back to Lower Bay for a relaxing swim at the beach. Most of the renovation work of the past couple of days had been conducted under the blazing sun and it seems to take at least a half hour of soaking in the surf before your body’s cools to a comfortable temperature.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Another Project Undertaken
Wednesday, March 17
The next morning, Lyle, Debbie and I picked up the supplies in the Harbour and, with Rudy’s taxi heavily laden with 2 x 4’s and sixteen foot siding pieces, we returned to Paget Farm to begin the renovation of Christine Hanson’s house. The demolition of the back wall (where her bedroom is located) went fairly quickly, as there wasn’t much solid wood left to hold the structure together! Inside, we found the space, which was mostly occupied by Christine’s rusting metal bed and an old wooden dresser, to be dark, hot and confining. In the course of the demolition, Lyle was startled by a rat which scurried out a hole in the bedroom wall and disappeared through another hole into the dank basement room that appeared to have long ago served as a kitchen.
Walking gingerly on the spongy floor, we removed the rotting siding, scraps of tin, and an old bed sheet that had been tacked along the inside of the back wall in an effort to block the wind and rain. We also pulled out a large number of old rags that had been stuffed into holes in the disintegrating walls. We then set about replacing the top and bottom plates as well as the crumbling studs along the rear wall of the house. The reframing was proceeding nicely when I rolled back a piece of the badly deteriorated flooring (linoleum and scraps of carpet) to reveal a honeycombed black mass in place of one of the floor boards. It was seething with tiny termites or wood lice as they are known in Bequia. While toe-nailing studs a short time later I made the mistake of stepping back onto this “nest” and it immediately collapsed and fell away under my weight. I was able to recover my footing but the experience confirmed what we’d already come to realize. Although there wouldn’t be time to replace all of the boards in the couple of days we had available for the project, we would have to do something to stabilize the floor. Otherwise, the day would come – and it wasn’t likely to be too far off - when the contents of the bedroom, and perhaps Christine herself, would end up crashing through the floor into the low kitchen beneath the house.
By the early afternoon, we had completed the structural work and, at Christine’s request, had reframed a couple of new window openings in the bedroom. Lyle and Debbie began installing the wooden, ship-lap siding along the sixteen foot span of the back wall, but I had to leave for the Harbour to attend the monthly meeting of the Bequia Mission Local Committee.
Before reporting on the events of this meeting, I should note the other big news of the day, about which the entire island seemed to be buzzing. The whaling crew had apparently “struck a whale” somewhere off the north coast of Bequia
We always enjoy sitting in on the BMLC meeting which is held in the Council Chambers behind the Administrative Building in Port Elizabeth. In addition to the Committee Chair, Sylvester Tannis, also in attendance were BMLC members: Patsy Chambers (Secretary), Carmette Gooding (Treasurer), Catherine Phillips (Community Health Nurse), Morrie Hercules (Vice-Chair of the BMLC and Principal of the Bequia SDA Secondary School), Myrtle James, and Tauran Ollivierre, who hails from Paget Farm but teaches at the Bequia Community High School. Linda Harrier (Mission supporter from Evanston, Illinois) completed the group around the long table, along with Sandra, Jean and me.
The meeting started on a very happy note when a local lady, known in the community as Daffodil, arrived with Sivan, Gale Penniston’s baby boy, which we had met last year while completing the renovations on the house owned by her step-father, Ainsley Farrell (which was also home to Gale and her three of her four children). At the time of the renovation, Sivan was only a few months old and we were very concerned for his health and well-being, as he appeared to be very thin, somewhat listless, and – we suspected – malnourished. Although Gale, who is developmentally challenged, still sees him regularly, Sivan now resides with and is cared for by Daffodil. Now a toddler of about eighteen months, it is obvious from his full cheeks, ready smile, and sparkling eyes that he is flourishing under her care. Sandra and I have often thought, and worried, about Sivan over the course of the past winter, and we were now very thankful for the committee’s intervention to help arrange better care for him. We had come to realize during our visit last year that Gale loves her children very much, but for various reasons is unable to provide the kind of care that they (particularly Sivan, as an infant) need to thrive.
A lively discussion of regular BMLC business ensued, during which the committee re-affirmed their commitment to meeting monthly and also to provide us with twice-yearly financial statements, immediately prior to receiving funds ($10 000 CAD) from the Bequia Mission parent organization in Canada, on January 15 and July 15 each year. I should clarify that the committee always maintains very thorough and clear accounting statements, but Jean does not always receive them in a timely manner, e.g. prior to tax time or to the filing the Mission’s Charitable Return with Revenue Canada.
There was also some discussion of how those seniors, chronically ill individuals, etc. are identified as being in need of a food hamper. The committee members explained that they receive recommendations from the Bequia Hospital Head Nurse, Sister Adorna Peters and the Community Health Nurses, as well as from individual committee members who know the individuals and families in question. Along with the seventy or so people who received food hampers this week, the BMLC also provides a stipend of $50 E.C. (about $20 CAD) every other month to fifty-eight elderly shut-ins, to help them purchase food, medicine, etc. as needed. This program grew out of the weekly seniors’ hot lunch program which Sandra and I initiated when we lived on Bequia in 2001-02. A couple of years ago the committee decided that, instead of providing a weekly hot lunch, it would be better to provide a $50 E.C. allowance once a month to elderly shut-ins and others in the community, including a few developmentally challenged and chronically ill adults. However, with the various other expenditures that they are making (e.g. providing lunches at school each day for about thirty sponsored children, assisting individuals with emergency medical needs, and paying the tuition for a dozen, deserving post-secondary students) they are only able to fund the $50 stipend for needy seniors, every other month. There was some good news, however, as by tapping into the government-sponsored feeding program at the new Bequia Anglican Primary School, the BMLC has been able to reduce the cost of lunches for sponsored children at this school to only $2.00 E.C. (from $7 - $8.00 in the past). Thankfully, the funds saved can now be re-directed to other areas of need.
As always, we left the meeting feeling thankful for the exceptional volunteer service which the committee is providing for the people of Bequia and reenergized to continue fund-raising in Canada so as to maintain the Mission’s support of their important work.
The next morning, Lyle, Debbie and I picked up the supplies in the Harbour and, with Rudy’s taxi heavily laden with 2 x 4’s and sixteen foot siding pieces, we returned to Paget Farm to begin the renovation of Christine Hanson’s house. The demolition of the back wall (where her bedroom is located) went fairly quickly, as there wasn’t much solid wood left to hold the structure together! Inside, we found the space, which was mostly occupied by Christine’s rusting metal bed and an old wooden dresser, to be dark, hot and confining. In the course of the demolition, Lyle was startled by a rat which scurried out a hole in the bedroom wall and disappeared through another hole into the dank basement room that appeared to have long ago served as a kitchen.
Walking gingerly on the spongy floor, we removed the rotting siding, scraps of tin, and an old bed sheet that had been tacked along the inside of the back wall in an effort to block the wind and rain. We also pulled out a large number of old rags that had been stuffed into holes in the disintegrating walls. We then set about replacing the top and bottom plates as well as the crumbling studs along the rear wall of the house. The reframing was proceeding nicely when I rolled back a piece of the badly deteriorated flooring (linoleum and scraps of carpet) to reveal a honeycombed black mass in place of one of the floor boards. It was seething with tiny termites or wood lice as they are known in Bequia. While toe-nailing studs a short time later I made the mistake of stepping back onto this “nest” and it immediately collapsed and fell away under my weight. I was able to recover my footing but the experience confirmed what we’d already come to realize. Although there wouldn’t be time to replace all of the boards in the couple of days we had available for the project, we would have to do something to stabilize the floor. Otherwise, the day would come – and it wasn’t likely to be too far off - when the contents of the bedroom, and perhaps Christine herself, would end up crashing through the floor into the low kitchen beneath the house.
By the early afternoon, we had completed the structural work and, at Christine’s request, had reframed a couple of new window openings in the bedroom. Lyle and Debbie began installing the wooden, ship-lap siding along the sixteen foot span of the back wall, but I had to leave for the Harbour to attend the monthly meeting of the Bequia Mission Local Committee.
Before reporting on the events of this meeting, I should note the other big news of the day, about which the entire island seemed to be buzzing. The whaling crew had apparently “struck a whale” somewhere off the north coast of Bequia
We always enjoy sitting in on the BMLC meeting which is held in the Council Chambers behind the Administrative Building in Port Elizabeth. In addition to the Committee Chair, Sylvester Tannis, also in attendance were BMLC members: Patsy Chambers (Secretary), Carmette Gooding (Treasurer), Catherine Phillips (Community Health Nurse), Morrie Hercules (Vice-Chair of the BMLC and Principal of the Bequia SDA Secondary School), Myrtle James, and Tauran Ollivierre, who hails from Paget Farm but teaches at the Bequia Community High School. Linda Harrier (Mission supporter from Evanston, Illinois) completed the group around the long table, along with Sandra, Jean and me.
The meeting started on a very happy note when a local lady, known in the community as Daffodil, arrived with Sivan, Gale Penniston’s baby boy, which we had met last year while completing the renovations on the house owned by her step-father, Ainsley Farrell (which was also home to Gale and her three of her four children). At the time of the renovation, Sivan was only a few months old and we were very concerned for his health and well-being, as he appeared to be very thin, somewhat listless, and – we suspected – malnourished. Although Gale, who is developmentally challenged, still sees him regularly, Sivan now resides with and is cared for by Daffodil. Now a toddler of about eighteen months, it is obvious from his full cheeks, ready smile, and sparkling eyes that he is flourishing under her care. Sandra and I have often thought, and worried, about Sivan over the course of the past winter, and we were now very thankful for the committee’s intervention to help arrange better care for him. We had come to realize during our visit last year that Gale loves her children very much, but for various reasons is unable to provide the kind of care that they (particularly Sivan, as an infant) need to thrive.
A lively discussion of regular BMLC business ensued, during which the committee re-affirmed their commitment to meeting monthly and also to provide us with twice-yearly financial statements, immediately prior to receiving funds ($10 000 CAD) from the Bequia Mission parent organization in Canada, on January 15 and July 15 each year. I should clarify that the committee always maintains very thorough and clear accounting statements, but Jean does not always receive them in a timely manner, e.g. prior to tax time or to the filing the Mission’s Charitable Return with Revenue Canada.
There was also some discussion of how those seniors, chronically ill individuals, etc. are identified as being in need of a food hamper. The committee members explained that they receive recommendations from the Bequia Hospital Head Nurse, Sister Adorna Peters and the Community Health Nurses, as well as from individual committee members who know the individuals and families in question. Along with the seventy or so people who received food hampers this week, the BMLC also provides a stipend of $50 E.C. (about $20 CAD) every other month to fifty-eight elderly shut-ins, to help them purchase food, medicine, etc. as needed. This program grew out of the weekly seniors’ hot lunch program which Sandra and I initiated when we lived on Bequia in 2001-02. A couple of years ago the committee decided that, instead of providing a weekly hot lunch, it would be better to provide a $50 E.C. allowance once a month to elderly shut-ins and others in the community, including a few developmentally challenged and chronically ill adults. However, with the various other expenditures that they are making (e.g. providing lunches at school each day for about thirty sponsored children, assisting individuals with emergency medical needs, and paying the tuition for a dozen, deserving post-secondary students) they are only able to fund the $50 stipend for needy seniors, every other month. There was some good news, however, as by tapping into the government-sponsored feeding program at the new Bequia Anglican Primary School, the BMLC has been able to reduce the cost of lunches for sponsored children at this school to only $2.00 E.C. (from $7 - $8.00 in the past). Thankfully, the funds saved can now be re-directed to other areas of need.
As always, we left the meeting feeling thankful for the exceptional volunteer service which the committee is providing for the people of Bequia and reenergized to continue fund-raising in Canada so as to maintain the Mission’s support of their important work.
School Supplies Delivered
Tuesday, March 16
The next morning, we returned to Port Elizabeth to begin the distribution of school supplies which we had previously shipped to Bequia with the food hamper supplies. Over the course of the morning, we visited and delivered a large box of office and school supplies to four Bequia pre-schools, four elementary schools (including the Sunshine School for Children with Special Needs), and the two secondary schools. As in past years, the school deliveries also included printer cartridges which we had carried down with us, after corresponding with each school as to their specific needs. While they are fairly expensive, even in Canada, the cartridges (and the box of photocopy paper that each school received), are badly needed and much appreciated, as the government-issued supplies often run out well before the student exams need to be printed. This was underscored by the following email which I received from Ms. Quashie (Principal of the Bequia Community High School) while we were in the midst of making our rounds to the various schools.
“Dear Mr.Bird: I was at the school yesterday and overheard Mr.Tannis saying that the schools will be getting their supplies today. I am patiently awaiting your delivery as we are doing exams at the moment and we are out of ink so I will be very grateful if I can get the cartridges. Sorry to seem to be rushing you but I hope you will understand.”
When we arrived at the school, only minutes later with their supplies, she laughed and agreed that when approached by a school in need, the Bequia Mission delivers in a timely manner!
One of the more memorable stops on our delivery rounds this morning was to the new Bequia Anglican Primary School, where we were met by our old friend, Principal Madge Hazell. By comparison to the rambling old one-story building that the students used to be crowded into (and particularly the very small temporary facility that had housed the school for the past two years), the expansive, two-storey building which they moved into at the beginning of the school year is an almost incomprehensible leap forward. We also visited the adjoining pre-school room, which was no doubt a badly-needed addition to the school (and which will apparently be a feature all new government-constructed schools).
The pre-school program is being run by Sylvester Tannis’ daughter, Rochelle, and two assistants - one of which is Doccy Gregg, who has long been involved with Bequia Mission projects on the island. Doccy was the original manager of the Adult Workshop which the Armstrongs had established many years ago in the Harbour, although in recent years she has operated her own pre-school out of her home in Friendship. We had shipped a box of supplies to Doccy’s Pre-School, but instead, delivered them to her for use in her new classroom at the Anglican Primary School.
That afternoon, we delivered the print cartridges and supplies for the Paget Farm Government School out to the south side of the island, and on the way back, visited the tiny, hillside home of Mrs. Christine Hanson. Christine is a spirited, although somewhat frail, lady of seventy-eight, who lives alone, just above Holy Cross (Ron Armstrong’s former church) in Paget Farm. One of her feet had become quite badly swollen, making it difficult to get around, and almost impossible for her to negotiate the extremely steep path down to the main road.
I had first visited Christine a couple of days earlier, while delivering food hampers, and had noted that the siding boards along the front of her house had rotted to the point where there was not much left to keep out the wind and the rain. During our follow-up visit, as Lyle, Debbie and I examined the rest of the structure we discovered that, in fact, the back of the house was in even more dire need of repair. The rotted siding had been covered over with rusting pieces of galvanized metal and scraps of wood, while an inspection from the inside (Christine’s bedroom) revealed that several of the studs, and both top and bottom plates, had disintegrated to the point where we soon realized that there was perilously little solid wood supporting the roof! To make matters worse, an aging linoleum floor and scraps of carpet could not hide the fact that there were serious issues with the floor, which sagged unnervingly under each of our steps.
Our measurements revealed the dimensions of the small frame structure was 18 x 22 feet, and after performing a rough estimate of the amount of lumber we would need to make it sound again, we returned to the Harbour to order the supplies. Upon visiting the Caribbean Woods Ltd. lumber yard in Ocar Reform, we were met by owner David (I can’t recall his last name, but he is the same gentleman who gave us a modest deal on lumber and supplies for the renovation of Ainsley Farrell’s house last year). He was equally accommodating upon learning of the charitable nature of this year’s project, and we agreed to pick up the supplies the following morning.
The next morning, we returned to Port Elizabeth to begin the distribution of school supplies which we had previously shipped to Bequia with the food hamper supplies. Over the course of the morning, we visited and delivered a large box of office and school supplies to four Bequia pre-schools, four elementary schools (including the Sunshine School for Children with Special Needs), and the two secondary schools. As in past years, the school deliveries also included printer cartridges which we had carried down with us, after corresponding with each school as to their specific needs. While they are fairly expensive, even in Canada, the cartridges (and the box of photocopy paper that each school received), are badly needed and much appreciated, as the government-issued supplies often run out well before the student exams need to be printed. This was underscored by the following email which I received from Ms. Quashie (Principal of the Bequia Community High School) while we were in the midst of making our rounds to the various schools.
“Dear Mr.Bird: I was at the school yesterday and overheard Mr.Tannis saying that the schools will be getting their supplies today. I am patiently awaiting your delivery as we are doing exams at the moment and we are out of ink so I will be very grateful if I can get the cartridges. Sorry to seem to be rushing you but I hope you will understand.”
When we arrived at the school, only minutes later with their supplies, she laughed and agreed that when approached by a school in need, the Bequia Mission delivers in a timely manner!
One of the more memorable stops on our delivery rounds this morning was to the new Bequia Anglican Primary School, where we were met by our old friend, Principal Madge Hazell. By comparison to the rambling old one-story building that the students used to be crowded into (and particularly the very small temporary facility that had housed the school for the past two years), the expansive, two-storey building which they moved into at the beginning of the school year is an almost incomprehensible leap forward. We also visited the adjoining pre-school room, which was no doubt a badly-needed addition to the school (and which will apparently be a feature all new government-constructed schools).
The pre-school program is being run by Sylvester Tannis’ daughter, Rochelle, and two assistants - one of which is Doccy Gregg, who has long been involved with Bequia Mission projects on the island. Doccy was the original manager of the Adult Workshop which the Armstrongs had established many years ago in the Harbour, although in recent years she has operated her own pre-school out of her home in Friendship. We had shipped a box of supplies to Doccy’s Pre-School, but instead, delivered them to her for use in her new classroom at the Anglican Primary School.
That afternoon, we delivered the print cartridges and supplies for the Paget Farm Government School out to the south side of the island, and on the way back, visited the tiny, hillside home of Mrs. Christine Hanson. Christine is a spirited, although somewhat frail, lady of seventy-eight, who lives alone, just above Holy Cross (Ron Armstrong’s former church) in Paget Farm. One of her feet had become quite badly swollen, making it difficult to get around, and almost impossible for her to negotiate the extremely steep path down to the main road.
I had first visited Christine a couple of days earlier, while delivering food hampers, and had noted that the siding boards along the front of her house had rotted to the point where there was not much left to keep out the wind and the rain. During our follow-up visit, as Lyle, Debbie and I examined the rest of the structure we discovered that, in fact, the back of the house was in even more dire need of repair. The rotted siding had been covered over with rusting pieces of galvanized metal and scraps of wood, while an inspection from the inside (Christine’s bedroom) revealed that several of the studs, and both top and bottom plates, had disintegrated to the point where we soon realized that there was perilously little solid wood supporting the roof! To make matters worse, an aging linoleum floor and scraps of carpet could not hide the fact that there were serious issues with the floor, which sagged unnervingly under each of our steps.
Our measurements revealed the dimensions of the small frame structure was 18 x 22 feet, and after performing a rough estimate of the amount of lumber we would need to make it sound again, we returned to the Harbour to order the supplies. Upon visiting the Caribbean Woods Ltd. lumber yard in Ocar Reform, we were met by owner David (I can’t recall his last name, but he is the same gentleman who gave us a modest deal on lumber and supplies for the renovation of Ainsley Farrell’s house last year). He was equally accommodating upon learning of the charitable nature of this year’s project, and we agreed to pick up the supplies the following morning.
"Fund-raising" and "Friend-raising"
Monday, March 15
As it turned out, Sunday was National Heroes Day in SVG and so the holiday was deferred to the next day. As on previous visits, we made our way into the Harbour to watch the School Sports Competition on the Clive Tannis Playing Field. To say that this is a big day on Bequia is an understatement, as most of the island’s inhabitants gather in the covered hillside grandstand to cheer on their favourite track and field athletes, with the fervour of spectators at the Olympic Games!
The previous day, we had decided to try hosting a used book and toy sale on the basketball court, near the playing field, as both a fund-raising and “friend-raising” venture (i.e. to promote the Mission’s work and to hopefully enlist some more supporters). Sylvester Tannis had brought a large boat sail, which we suspended between the basketball court’s chain link fence and the basket, and we carried tables from the nearby Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School for use in displaying the books. Close to forty boxes of used (mostly children’s and teens’) books had been generously donated by one of our new Bequia Mission supporters in Canada, Mrs. Shanoor Gulamali. Two other newly acquired friends of the Mission, Aman and Shamim Rajan, had kindly rented a truck and delivered the books from Shanoor’s Richmond Hill home to our place, so that they could be included with the shipment which we sent out in mid-January.
The sale started slowly, but as a few early buyers returned to the grandstand with their purchases, word spread throughout the large gathering that the Mission volunteers were selling books and toys very reasonably (e.g. about $1 - 2 E.C. or $0.50 to $1 CAD for a large, hard-cover book and as little as four for $1 E.C. for paperbacks). Soon we were flooded with customers, keeping the volunteers busy, making change or looking for a particular genre or author as requested.
The book sale also enabled us to re-connect with many old friends and several people who had received assistance from the Bequia Mission in the past. For example, it was great that Glenson Ollivierre and Antonio Hazell made a point of stopping by to say hello. Although he is now in his late teens, when he was only six years old, the Mission sponsored extensive medical treatments for Glenson to receive pressure on his brain. Assistance was provided for Antonio to receive life-saving heart surgery when he was still a young child. It was wonderful to re-connect with both boys, who are now polite, appreciative, and outwardly healthy young men.
While the majority of books were sold during the Sports Day celebration, Carmette, Sandra, Jean, and Betty decided to continue the sale the next morning, under the almond trees in the Harbour. A total of $ 1400 E.C. (about $ 550 CAD) was raised over the course of the two day sale. Later in the week, these funds were presented to the Bequia Mission Local Committee to support their ongoing Seniors Feeding Program. Our thanks go to donors, Shanoor Gulamali and the Rajan family of Richmond Hill, Linda Harrier and her friend Lesly, the volunteer members of the BMLC, and the visiting Canadian participants in the Mission’s “Island Outreach Project” for their above-and-beyond efforts to make the inaugural book & toy sale such a resounding success!
As it turned out, Sunday was National Heroes Day in SVG and so the holiday was deferred to the next day. As on previous visits, we made our way into the Harbour to watch the School Sports Competition on the Clive Tannis Playing Field. To say that this is a big day on Bequia is an understatement, as most of the island’s inhabitants gather in the covered hillside grandstand to cheer on their favourite track and field athletes, with the fervour of spectators at the Olympic Games!
The previous day, we had decided to try hosting a used book and toy sale on the basketball court, near the playing field, as both a fund-raising and “friend-raising” venture (i.e. to promote the Mission’s work and to hopefully enlist some more supporters). Sylvester Tannis had brought a large boat sail, which we suspended between the basketball court’s chain link fence and the basket, and we carried tables from the nearby Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School for use in displaying the books. Close to forty boxes of used (mostly children’s and teens’) books had been generously donated by one of our new Bequia Mission supporters in Canada, Mrs. Shanoor Gulamali. Two other newly acquired friends of the Mission, Aman and Shamim Rajan, had kindly rented a truck and delivered the books from Shanoor’s Richmond Hill home to our place, so that they could be included with the shipment which we sent out in mid-January.
The sale started slowly, but as a few early buyers returned to the grandstand with their purchases, word spread throughout the large gathering that the Mission volunteers were selling books and toys very reasonably (e.g. about $1 - 2 E.C. or $0.50 to $1 CAD for a large, hard-cover book and as little as four for $1 E.C. for paperbacks). Soon we were flooded with customers, keeping the volunteers busy, making change or looking for a particular genre or author as requested.
The book sale also enabled us to re-connect with many old friends and several people who had received assistance from the Bequia Mission in the past. For example, it was great that Glenson Ollivierre and Antonio Hazell made a point of stopping by to say hello. Although he is now in his late teens, when he was only six years old, the Mission sponsored extensive medical treatments for Glenson to receive pressure on his brain. Assistance was provided for Antonio to receive life-saving heart surgery when he was still a young child. It was wonderful to re-connect with both boys, who are now polite, appreciative, and outwardly healthy young men.
While the majority of books were sold during the Sports Day celebration, Carmette, Sandra, Jean, and Betty decided to continue the sale the next morning, under the almond trees in the Harbour. A total of $ 1400 E.C. (about $ 550 CAD) was raised over the course of the two day sale. Later in the week, these funds were presented to the Bequia Mission Local Committee to support their ongoing Seniors Feeding Program. Our thanks go to donors, Shanoor Gulamali and the Rajan family of Richmond Hill, Linda Harrier and her friend Lesly, the volunteer members of the BMLC, and the visiting Canadian participants in the Mission’s “Island Outreach Project” for their above-and-beyond efforts to make the inaugural book & toy sale such a resounding success!
Delivering the "Food Hampers"
Sunday, March 14
Early the next morning, we again met our BMLC friends at the SDA Secondary School to begin the task of distributing the seventy odd food hampers to needy individuals in the community. Working from a master list, we were divided into small groups, with each group covering a different part of the island; e.g. Port Elizabeth/Ocar Reform/Hamilton, Union Level, Belmont and Mount Pleasant, Friendship Bay/LaPompe & Paget Farm. I was in the latter group above, working with BMLC members, Sylvester Tannis and Myrtle James, Rev. Lyle Horn (the United Church minister from Peterborough), and an American visitor and friend of the Mission, Linda Harrier. Linda, who is from Evanston, Illinois, had contacted us via the Bequia Mission website a couple of years ago, as she and her family had visited Bequia on many previous occasions and were interested in knowing how they might get involved with the mission. She has since donated a considerable amount of used clothing for one of our shipments to SVG, and through a foundation which she is involved with (named in honour of her late parents), has also made a sizable donation to the newly-established, U.S. Friends of the Bequia Mission.
Together, we delivered at least thirty of the hampers to grateful recipients in Friendship, LaPompe, and Paget Farm. These were individuals who had been identified by the Community Health Nurses and members of the local committee, as being in particular need of assistance. Most of the people we visited were quite elderly, a few had had limbs amputated due to diabetes (or “sugar” as they call it), which along with hypertension, is very prevalent on the island. A few were severely physically and/or mentally challenged and many had little or no family to lean on for additional support.
While all were very appreciative of the food hampers (and of the $50 E.C. stipend which the BMLC provides for them every other month to help buy food), it was also apparent that the visit, and the fact that someone had taken the time to look in on them, meant just as much, and even more, to many of them. Vilna Ollivierre, who lost her husband Cypi, last year, tearfully recounted the day and manner in which he passed. About five years ago, her leg had been removed just below the knee, as a result of complications with diabetes. Sitting on a thin foam pad in the shade of a tree near her home, it was evident that she was quite lonely without her lifelong companion, and I know that Linda and her friend Lesly (who had accompanied her on her first visit to Bequia), went back and visited Vilna on a couple of occasions throughout the week.
An elderly gentleman named George, who lived fairly high up on a steep hill in Friendship, had also had part of his leg amputated, the result of a persistent infection that he had contracted after stubbing his toe on a bed. George was delighted to receive visitors and, with a twinkle in his eye, told us that if he could only secure a donkey then he would be able to get back and forth to the road and therefore could, more or less, resume the life he had previously enjoyed.
In some of the homes which we visited, the situations were considerably more bleak, due to the dismal state of the home or the frail condition of its inhabitant. Upon returning home, we found that one of the groups had visited a home in Hamilton, only to find that the elderly woman living there, was alone and lying on her bed, her lips cracked from lack of water and in a state of semi-consciousness (perhaps the result of lapsing in and out of a diabetic coma?). Eventually, they were able to summon the ambulance to take her to the Bequia Hospital, where we visited her a few days later. While still very weak, the nurse on duty was optimistic that she would recover. It was a jarring experience for the visitors but there is little doubt that they had saved her life that day.
It was after noon before we returned to Lower Bay, tired from our morning’s labours and wilting under the heat, but content in the knowledge that we had provided some much needed food supplies and brought a little hope into the lives of those who were in short supply of both.
After a quick shower, we adjourned to Lower Bay beach, where our long-time Bequia friends (whom we had met when our family resided on Bequia during our sabbatical year in 2001-02) had provided a picnic lunch for our enjoyment. It was wonderful to catch up with our old neighbour, Jerane Gooding, her sisters Glynnis, Neiva, and Rhonda, and their families, and to enjoy a sumptuous West Indian buffet. In addition to stewed chicken and turkey, there was breadfruit and green salad, macaroni pie, lentil patties, and Jerane’s famous pumpkin fritters. For dessert, we all enjoyed a piece of Rhonda’s birthday cake.
Early the next morning, we again met our BMLC friends at the SDA Secondary School to begin the task of distributing the seventy odd food hampers to needy individuals in the community. Working from a master list, we were divided into small groups, with each group covering a different part of the island; e.g. Port Elizabeth/Ocar Reform/Hamilton, Union Level, Belmont and Mount Pleasant, Friendship Bay/LaPompe & Paget Farm. I was in the latter group above, working with BMLC members, Sylvester Tannis and Myrtle James, Rev. Lyle Horn (the United Church minister from Peterborough), and an American visitor and friend of the Mission, Linda Harrier. Linda, who is from Evanston, Illinois, had contacted us via the Bequia Mission website a couple of years ago, as she and her family had visited Bequia on many previous occasions and were interested in knowing how they might get involved with the mission. She has since donated a considerable amount of used clothing for one of our shipments to SVG, and through a foundation which she is involved with (named in honour of her late parents), has also made a sizable donation to the newly-established, U.S. Friends of the Bequia Mission.
Together, we delivered at least thirty of the hampers to grateful recipients in Friendship, LaPompe, and Paget Farm. These were individuals who had been identified by the Community Health Nurses and members of the local committee, as being in particular need of assistance. Most of the people we visited were quite elderly, a few had had limbs amputated due to diabetes (or “sugar” as they call it), which along with hypertension, is very prevalent on the island. A few were severely physically and/or mentally challenged and many had little or no family to lean on for additional support.
While all were very appreciative of the food hampers (and of the $50 E.C. stipend which the BMLC provides for them every other month to help buy food), it was also apparent that the visit, and the fact that someone had taken the time to look in on them, meant just as much, and even more, to many of them. Vilna Ollivierre, who lost her husband Cypi, last year, tearfully recounted the day and manner in which he passed. About five years ago, her leg had been removed just below the knee, as a result of complications with diabetes. Sitting on a thin foam pad in the shade of a tree near her home, it was evident that she was quite lonely without her lifelong companion, and I know that Linda and her friend Lesly (who had accompanied her on her first visit to Bequia), went back and visited Vilna on a couple of occasions throughout the week.
An elderly gentleman named George, who lived fairly high up on a steep hill in Friendship, had also had part of his leg amputated, the result of a persistent infection that he had contracted after stubbing his toe on a bed. George was delighted to receive visitors and, with a twinkle in his eye, told us that if he could only secure a donkey then he would be able to get back and forth to the road and therefore could, more or less, resume the life he had previously enjoyed.
In some of the homes which we visited, the situations were considerably more bleak, due to the dismal state of the home or the frail condition of its inhabitant. Upon returning home, we found that one of the groups had visited a home in Hamilton, only to find that the elderly woman living there, was alone and lying on her bed, her lips cracked from lack of water and in a state of semi-consciousness (perhaps the result of lapsing in and out of a diabetic coma?). Eventually, they were able to summon the ambulance to take her to the Bequia Hospital, where we visited her a few days later. While still very weak, the nurse on duty was optimistic that she would recover. It was a jarring experience for the visitors but there is little doubt that they had saved her life that day.
It was after noon before we returned to Lower Bay, tired from our morning’s labours and wilting under the heat, but content in the knowledge that we had provided some much needed food supplies and brought a little hope into the lives of those who were in short supply of both.
After a quick shower, we adjourned to Lower Bay beach, where our long-time Bequia friends (whom we had met when our family resided on Bequia during our sabbatical year in 2001-02) had provided a picnic lunch for our enjoyment. It was wonderful to catch up with our old neighbour, Jerane Gooding, her sisters Glynnis, Neiva, and Rhonda, and their families, and to enjoy a sumptuous West Indian buffet. In addition to stewed chicken and turkey, there was breadfruit and green salad, macaroni pie, lentil patties, and Jerane’s famous pumpkin fritters. For dessert, we all enjoyed a piece of Rhonda’s birthday cake.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
"Liberty Lodge" and on to "Bequia"
Saturday, March 13
This morning, we again called Ken to carry us up the long, winding road to the Liberty Lodge Boys’ Training Centre which is perched high on the slopes of Green Hill, overlooking Kingstown. We had previously arranged for Johnny, the Liberty Lodge Driver, to pick us up at the PC, but learned that through some miscommunication, he had in fact been waiting for us at the ferry dock.
Upon arriving at Liberty Lodge, we were greeted by our old friend, Nathaniel Sandy, who is a talented musician, music teacher and housemaster at the centre, along with some of the twenty or boys who reside there. Earlier, we had learned that the Director of Liberty Lodge, Michael Akers, is currently on vacation until March 20. After a brief welcoming ceremony, during which formal greetings were exchanged, and Mr. Sandy entertained the group with a song, we were given a tour of facility by some of the boys. Having served for many years as a Head of House at Lakefield College School in Canada, I was impressed with how tidy the sparsely-furnished dorms were. With no small amount of pride, the boys also showed us the open-ended greenhouse in which seedlings were currently being nurtured, as well as the chicken coup, in which a large number of robust looking egg layers were housed.
At this point, I should say something about the extreme drought which is currently gripping St. Vincent, and apparently, most of the other Caribbean islands. Although the vegetation on St. V. is normally quite lush, as it has been our observation that it typically rains most afternoons when we have visited in the past, conditions are now extremely dry and many of the crops have withered in the unrelenting sun. The Liberty Lodge boys and staff were praying for rain, so that the tiny seedlings which they were tending so carefully could soon be planted on the centre’s steep, terraced slopes.
After bidding goodbye to Mr. Sandy and the boys, we returned to the Pastoral Centre for a quick stop to pick up our belongings. After stopping at our favourite “Chinese chicken restaurant” to pick up boxed lunches for the group, Ken, Lyle and I then headed over to the Kingstown wharf, where we purchased tickets and loaded the luggage onto the Admiral Ferry, in preparation for our 11:30 a.m. crossing. The others joined us a while later and we boarded the ferry for the one-hour crossing to Bequia. En route, we enjoyed looking back at the mountainous terrain of St. Vincent, picking out landmarks like the Pastoral Centre perched on a bluff overlooking the harbour, and Liberty Lodge, which was just a tiny speck high on the slopes of Green Hill, not far below a prominent communications tower which projected from the top of the mountain.
It was an uneventful crossing, during which we reflected on our time in St. Vincent, anticipated the upcoming week on Bequia, and watched the wake of the ferry for the occasional flying fish which soared just above the water’s surface – sometimes for more than fifty metres away from the boat – like a streaking, blue-gray projectile. Arriving in Port Elizabeth, or “the Harbour” as it is known to Bequians, on the shores of Admiralty Bay, we were greeted by our friend and taxi driver, Rudy Gregg. Although it was a bit of a tight squeeze, Rudy loaded our luggage into the back of his cab (which, like most Bequia taxis, consisted of a small, canopy-covered pick-up truck) and delivered us to our rental villa. We were directed up a steep set (of some fifty) steps to the lovely “Hilltop Villa”, which was perched high above Princess Margaret Beach on the road to Lower Bay. We were soon met by our landlady, Aileen Derrick, who showed us around the two-storey villa which would be our home for the next seven days.
After settling into our accommodations, with Jean, Sandra and I on the lower floor and Lyle, Betty and Debbie on the upper, we took the ten minute walk along the winding road to Lower Bay Beach, where we enjoyed our first swim of the trip in the warm Caribbean Sea.
That evening, we caught a ride with Rudy into the Harbour and, after a quick meal of BBQ chicken and fish at the open-air, Hibiscus Restaurant, we walked a couple of blocks to the Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School for the annual ritual of helping the members of the Bequia Mission Local Committee members pack food hampers for elderly shut-ins. At the school we were greeted by the committee Chair, Sylvester Tannis, and his fellow BMLC members, Carmette Gooding, Patsy Chambers, Morrie Hercules (who, in addition to serving as Vice-Chair of the BMLC, is also the Principal of the SDA Secondary School), and a handful of other volunteers, who graciously help out with packing the hampers every year. We soon discovered that, along with the dried foodstuffs which the committee had purchased, there were twenty or so boxes of school supplies and at least thirty boxes of books and toys which we had shipped for a fund-raising sale in support of the committee, all stored in the small classroom in which we would pack the food hampers, so it was even more crowded than usual in the confined space. However, nobody complained and, as always, our two groups caught up on the news of the past year and enjoyed some wonderful camaraderie as we packed the various items (cans of tuna, potatoes, soup, rice, corn meal, tea, margarine, soap and toilet paper – to name only a few of the items) into the seventy or so, zippered nylon bags which we would deliver the following morning. After a couple of hours in the hot, confined space, we were all pretty tired, but thankful for the fellowship we had shared and for the anticipation of what our efforts would mean to the grateful recipients of the gift bags.
This morning, we again called Ken to carry us up the long, winding road to the Liberty Lodge Boys’ Training Centre which is perched high on the slopes of Green Hill, overlooking Kingstown. We had previously arranged for Johnny, the Liberty Lodge Driver, to pick us up at the PC, but learned that through some miscommunication, he had in fact been waiting for us at the ferry dock.
Upon arriving at Liberty Lodge, we were greeted by our old friend, Nathaniel Sandy, who is a talented musician, music teacher and housemaster at the centre, along with some of the twenty or boys who reside there. Earlier, we had learned that the Director of Liberty Lodge, Michael Akers, is currently on vacation until March 20. After a brief welcoming ceremony, during which formal greetings were exchanged, and Mr. Sandy entertained the group with a song, we were given a tour of facility by some of the boys. Having served for many years as a Head of House at Lakefield College School in Canada, I was impressed with how tidy the sparsely-furnished dorms were. With no small amount of pride, the boys also showed us the open-ended greenhouse in which seedlings were currently being nurtured, as well as the chicken coup, in which a large number of robust looking egg layers were housed.
At this point, I should say something about the extreme drought which is currently gripping St. Vincent, and apparently, most of the other Caribbean islands. Although the vegetation on St. V. is normally quite lush, as it has been our observation that it typically rains most afternoons when we have visited in the past, conditions are now extremely dry and many of the crops have withered in the unrelenting sun. The Liberty Lodge boys and staff were praying for rain, so that the tiny seedlings which they were tending so carefully could soon be planted on the centre’s steep, terraced slopes.
After bidding goodbye to Mr. Sandy and the boys, we returned to the Pastoral Centre for a quick stop to pick up our belongings. After stopping at our favourite “Chinese chicken restaurant” to pick up boxed lunches for the group, Ken, Lyle and I then headed over to the Kingstown wharf, where we purchased tickets and loaded the luggage onto the Admiral Ferry, in preparation for our 11:30 a.m. crossing. The others joined us a while later and we boarded the ferry for the one-hour crossing to Bequia. En route, we enjoyed looking back at the mountainous terrain of St. Vincent, picking out landmarks like the Pastoral Centre perched on a bluff overlooking the harbour, and Liberty Lodge, which was just a tiny speck high on the slopes of Green Hill, not far below a prominent communications tower which projected from the top of the mountain.
It was an uneventful crossing, during which we reflected on our time in St. Vincent, anticipated the upcoming week on Bequia, and watched the wake of the ferry for the occasional flying fish which soared just above the water’s surface – sometimes for more than fifty metres away from the boat – like a streaking, blue-gray projectile. Arriving in Port Elizabeth, or “the Harbour” as it is known to Bequians, on the shores of Admiralty Bay, we were greeted by our friend and taxi driver, Rudy Gregg. Although it was a bit of a tight squeeze, Rudy loaded our luggage into the back of his cab (which, like most Bequia taxis, consisted of a small, canopy-covered pick-up truck) and delivered us to our rental villa. We were directed up a steep set (of some fifty) steps to the lovely “Hilltop Villa”, which was perched high above Princess Margaret Beach on the road to Lower Bay. We were soon met by our landlady, Aileen Derrick, who showed us around the two-storey villa which would be our home for the next seven days.
After settling into our accommodations, with Jean, Sandra and I on the lower floor and Lyle, Betty and Debbie on the upper, we took the ten minute walk along the winding road to Lower Bay Beach, where we enjoyed our first swim of the trip in the warm Caribbean Sea.
That evening, we caught a ride with Rudy into the Harbour and, after a quick meal of BBQ chicken and fish at the open-air, Hibiscus Restaurant, we walked a couple of blocks to the Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School for the annual ritual of helping the members of the Bequia Mission Local Committee members pack food hampers for elderly shut-ins. At the school we were greeted by the committee Chair, Sylvester Tannis, and his fellow BMLC members, Carmette Gooding, Patsy Chambers, Morrie Hercules (who, in addition to serving as Vice-Chair of the BMLC, is also the Principal of the SDA Secondary School), and a handful of other volunteers, who graciously help out with packing the hampers every year. We soon discovered that, along with the dried foodstuffs which the committee had purchased, there were twenty or so boxes of school supplies and at least thirty boxes of books and toys which we had shipped for a fund-raising sale in support of the committee, all stored in the small classroom in which we would pack the food hampers, so it was even more crowded than usual in the confined space. However, nobody complained and, as always, our two groups caught up on the news of the past year and enjoyed some wonderful camaraderie as we packed the various items (cans of tuna, potatoes, soup, rice, corn meal, tea, margarine, soap and toilet paper – to name only a few of the items) into the seventy or so, zippered nylon bags which we would deliver the following morning. After a couple of hours in the hot, confined space, we were all pretty tired, but thankful for the fellowship we had shared and for the anticipation of what our efforts would mean to the grateful recipients of the gift bags.
"House of Hope" and "Bread of Life"
Friday, March 12
After a continental breakfast (we bring cereal, bagels, jam, etc. with us to SVG) on the Pastoral Centre’s lovely veranda, overlooking the Kingstown Harbour, we made the 10 – 15 minute walk into “town” – as the capital, Kingstown, is known in St. Vincent & The Grenadines.
We then visited the central market, a couple of souvenir shops, and stopped by the bank to exchange funds. Afterwards, we traveled to the House of Hope Society’s newly-renovated hospice facility in the Stony Ground area of Kingstown. There we were met by our old friend, Anita Nanton, who is the Chief Operating Officer the HOH Society. She had just recently taken delivery of the Mission shipment, of about one hundred boxes of used clothing, which we had sent off in mid-January. When we arrived, a number of customers – including some children from the elementary school across the road – were sorting through the items which had already been unpacked and sorted. Anita told us that there had been a large gathering waiting at the door when she arrived for work early that morning.
She mentioned that at least 25 % of their operating budget is generated through sales at the Thrift Shop, to which the Bequia Mission is by far the largest contributor. Four hospital beds had been installed since our last visit but were not occupied. Anita explained that, instead, the HOH volunteers were currently focusing on the in-home treatment and care of about thirty AIDS patients living in the southern part of St. Vincent. This is because they have, as yet, not received any funding from the SVG government and the cost of 24-hour medical care at the hospice itself would be cost-prohibitive.
Eventually, they hope to be able to raise the funds necessary to make this possible, and also to build another four-bed unit on the second floor of the facility. Although space was limited, as the Thrift Shop sales area had temporarily spilled over into the adjoining room on the main floor, Anita and her team of volunteers had prepared a delicious lunch of cold finger-foods, which we enjoyed in a small alcove just off the main room. It was indeed heart-warming to see the goods that we had packed and shipped back in January (with a great deal of assistance from devoted Mission volunteers like Nancy Houston) being put to such good use in their “second life”.
After returning to the Pastoral Centre to catch up on some rest, after the previous day’s journey, we then enlisted the services of taxi driver, Ken Abrams, to carry us on the twenty minute trip to Fairbairn Pasture. Now almost seventy, Ken – who also served as their regular driver when the Armstrongs were in St. Vincent all those years ago – has maintained his professionalism and perennially sunny disposition. After a short walk from the drop-off point at Kennedy Gap, we arrived at the Bread of Life Home for children whose lives had been affected by HIV/AIDS. We were greeted by our old friend, Sister Zita Knights, and some of the eight or so children in her care (who had evidently been anxiously awaiting our arrival). As in past years, we had earlier shipped down a large assortment of non-perishable foods which a Peterborough area donor had provided. Sister Zita explained that these items (which she sometimes shares with other poor families in the area) enable her to feed the children once the meagre government allowance runs out, part-way through each month. She then went on to recount the history of the Bread of Life Home which she had established as a shelter for children who had lost – in some cases, both of their - parents to AIDS or who were, themselves, HIV positive. After a delicious meal of her famous chicken soup (something which Sandra looks forward to all year long!), home made buns and cake, followed by the distribution of some toys and personal care products to the children, we headed back to meet Ken for the ride back to the Pastoral Centre.
After a continental breakfast (we bring cereal, bagels, jam, etc. with us to SVG) on the Pastoral Centre’s lovely veranda, overlooking the Kingstown Harbour, we made the 10 – 15 minute walk into “town” – as the capital, Kingstown, is known in St. Vincent & The Grenadines.
We then visited the central market, a couple of souvenir shops, and stopped by the bank to exchange funds. Afterwards, we traveled to the House of Hope Society’s newly-renovated hospice facility in the Stony Ground area of Kingstown. There we were met by our old friend, Anita Nanton, who is the Chief Operating Officer the HOH Society. She had just recently taken delivery of the Mission shipment, of about one hundred boxes of used clothing, which we had sent off in mid-January. When we arrived, a number of customers – including some children from the elementary school across the road – were sorting through the items which had already been unpacked and sorted. Anita told us that there had been a large gathering waiting at the door when she arrived for work early that morning.
She mentioned that at least 25 % of their operating budget is generated through sales at the Thrift Shop, to which the Bequia Mission is by far the largest contributor. Four hospital beds had been installed since our last visit but were not occupied. Anita explained that, instead, the HOH volunteers were currently focusing on the in-home treatment and care of about thirty AIDS patients living in the southern part of St. Vincent. This is because they have, as yet, not received any funding from the SVG government and the cost of 24-hour medical care at the hospice itself would be cost-prohibitive.
Eventually, they hope to be able to raise the funds necessary to make this possible, and also to build another four-bed unit on the second floor of the facility. Although space was limited, as the Thrift Shop sales area had temporarily spilled over into the adjoining room on the main floor, Anita and her team of volunteers had prepared a delicious lunch of cold finger-foods, which we enjoyed in a small alcove just off the main room. It was indeed heart-warming to see the goods that we had packed and shipped back in January (with a great deal of assistance from devoted Mission volunteers like Nancy Houston) being put to such good use in their “second life”.
After returning to the Pastoral Centre to catch up on some rest, after the previous day’s journey, we then enlisted the services of taxi driver, Ken Abrams, to carry us on the twenty minute trip to Fairbairn Pasture. Now almost seventy, Ken – who also served as their regular driver when the Armstrongs were in St. Vincent all those years ago – has maintained his professionalism and perennially sunny disposition. After a short walk from the drop-off point at Kennedy Gap, we arrived at the Bread of Life Home for children whose lives had been affected by HIV/AIDS. We were greeted by our old friend, Sister Zita Knights, and some of the eight or so children in her care (who had evidently been anxiously awaiting our arrival). As in past years, we had earlier shipped down a large assortment of non-perishable foods which a Peterborough area donor had provided. Sister Zita explained that these items (which she sometimes shares with other poor families in the area) enable her to feed the children once the meagre government allowance runs out, part-way through each month. She then went on to recount the history of the Bread of Life Home which she had established as a shelter for children who had lost – in some cases, both of their - parents to AIDS or who were, themselves, HIV positive. After a delicious meal of her famous chicken soup (something which Sandra looks forward to all year long!), home made buns and cake, followed by the distribution of some toys and personal care products to the children, we headed back to meet Ken for the ride back to the Pastoral Centre.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Our First Day
Thursday, March 11/2010
In addition to Jean Holding (Bequia Mission Treasurer), my wife Sandra and me, this year’s “Island Outreach” project to St. Vincent & The Grenadines included Reverend Lyle Horn, Betty LaBranche, and Debbie March. Lyle is the minister at Grace United Church in Peterborough, Ontario, and Betty and Debbie are members of his congregation and outreach group. All three of them had previously engaged in volunteer service projects in Honduras, building houses for the charitable organization, Friends of Honduran Children. Lyle had contacted me a few months ago to express interest in launching a similar partnership with the Bequia Mission in SVG and this trip would serve as something of a fact-finding mission, so as to allow us to determine whether our two organizations were a “good fit” for each other.
After staying overnight at an airport hotel in Toronto, the six of us flew to Barbados and then on to St. Vincent, arriving just after 6:00 p.m. We took a taxi from the airport to the RC Pastoral Centre in Edinburgh (on the outskirts of Kingstown), where the staff had kindly prepared and left for us a meal of stewed chicken, rice and peas.
In addition to Jean Holding (Bequia Mission Treasurer), my wife Sandra and me, this year’s “Island Outreach” project to St. Vincent & The Grenadines included Reverend Lyle Horn, Betty LaBranche, and Debbie March. Lyle is the minister at Grace United Church in Peterborough, Ontario, and Betty and Debbie are members of his congregation and outreach group. All three of them had previously engaged in volunteer service projects in Honduras, building houses for the charitable organization, Friends of Honduran Children. Lyle had contacted me a few months ago to express interest in launching a similar partnership with the Bequia Mission in SVG and this trip would serve as something of a fact-finding mission, so as to allow us to determine whether our two organizations were a “good fit” for each other.
After staying overnight at an airport hotel in Toronto, the six of us flew to Barbados and then on to St. Vincent, arriving just after 6:00 p.m. We took a taxi from the airport to the RC Pastoral Centre in Edinburgh (on the outskirts of Kingstown), where the staff had kindly prepared and left for us a meal of stewed chicken, rice and peas.
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