Baptizing Individuals. Building Ecclesias.

Going to the Easter Youth Camp in Jamaica was full of firsts for me. It was my first time on a plane, first time experiencing a new culture in a different country, and the first time I taught a kids’ class by myself. I was terrified before the trip and a big part of me didn’t want to go. I was scared that I would be lost and confused in this new country. I didn’t know if I would be able to teach a kids’ class and I didn’t know what the people were like, which is very scary for me personally. 

On Friday February 1^st, 2019 we (Bro. Ted and Sis. Karen Hodge from the Hamilton Book Road ecclesia) arrived in Nassau, Bahamas and were warmly welcomed by Sis. Penny Cates.  Sis. Penny now widowed, lives on the island with her daughter Tami close by.  Her home was cheerfully opened for the Bahamas fraternal which included accommodations for Bro. Kemraj and Sis. Chandra Ramnath who travelled on Saturday from Grand Bahama.  Sis. Penny provided pickup service from the airport, accommodations, and lots of great food. We were joined by Sis. Maudelin December’s son for part of the Saturday fraternal (Sis. Maudelin lives in Guyana and attends the Georgetown meeting) and Sis. Vanessa Sue-Hang for the memorial on Sunday. 

Bible School is held every year in Guyana since Easter 1969 when it was first held at Eccles Hall. This year should be the 50^thyear, the year of Jubilee if 1973 and 1974 had not been missed. The Kilcoy Ecclesia, the host ecclesia for this year, have joined the other ecclesias in 1979 and ever since it has become a 4 years Rota which has continued uninterrupted since then, thus making this the 48^thfor  Guyana and the 10^thto be held at the Kilcoy Hall.  This year the Bible School was held on the Easter holiday from April 19^thto 22^nd2019 on the theme:“… He that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved” taken fromMatthew 24:13

Jamaica Easter Youth Camp was held this year at Camp Verley, a peaceful location a short distance outside of Spanish Town. The campus was lush with bright Bougainvillea and majestic Ceiba trees. In Jamaican folklore, Ceiba trees are believed to harbor the spirits of the dead. Their deceased inhabitants were conspicuously absent at this time, though they had perhaps been pushed out by the large population of mosquitoes that had taken up residence at Verley. Despite the presence of these little ankle biters, it was a quiet and lovely place to spend our weekend together. 

The beautiful Island of Tobago nestled next to its sister island, Trinidad, lies at the very end of the Caribbean islands chain, and only a few miles from the coast of Venezuela. (7mi). It has the strongest economy in the Caribbean due to large oil and gas deposits. Although English is the official language, an English Creole dialect is the main spoken language. 36% of the population is of African descent, hearkening back to the dark days of slavery in the sugar cane industry.