St. Lucia Visit
There are times when an airline will surprise us. In our outward journey to St. Lucia on 11 January 2025 we left Toronto a little late but arrived 30 minutes early! The disadvantage of arriving early was that we had to wait for our taxi ride down to the CBMC apartment in San Souci a suburb of Castries, the nation’s capital.
We quickly settled into the routine of daily life in St. Lucia, contacting members of the Ecclesia and friends within a day or two of our arrival. One of the advantages of having visiting missionaries is that the Memorial Service can be conducted in person rather than the members attending Kitchener-Waterloo Ecclesia via Zoom.
On each Sunday we were there, we led the Memorial Service which included hymns from the Christadelphian Northern Choir with the members singing along. Like many of us, the members have their own “favourite” hymns which we tried to use week by week. We did each of our three readings, followed by an exhortation based on one of those portions.
Following the Memorial Service we had lunch (that Sister Lois had prepared earlier) during which we had some good discussion on Bible topics. One long-time contact, Stan Drapin, has a good knowledge of the Bible with a correct understanding of many first principles. It was good to see him actively participating in the discussions.
We began a series of midweek Bible classes based on Matthew chapter 5 with two or three members attending as they were able. We had two or three classes each week and typically the arrangement was made that they would arrive at 11:00, but 11:00 St. Lucia time could be 11:30 or even later! Regardless, we would have our class using a series of PowerPoint slides, taking the class at a steady pace with plenty of discussion from each member present. Each class would typically last about 45-50 minutes followed lunch then the daily readings, with plenty of discussion on each of the portions.
There are always challenges in the mission field. Martin spent several hours in the hospital with brother Benji St. Ange who had fallen and required treatment, including a head CAT scan. He was kept in for two days, but has since made a good recovery.
Bro Julian Jackson has been volunteering at an after school program for a number of years and this year we took a case full of Bible books from Sister Louise Birchall (Christadelphian Save the Children Fund) for a new initiative that is planned for the next few months. The leader of the program, Mrs. Chriselda Branford, appreciated the books. The new program is expected to start within a few weeks. More books will be taken down in subsequent visits to St. Lucia.
Martin assisted Bro Julian in preparing a request to a government agency (the St. Lucia Social Development Fund) that will help his mother whose home has been very badly damaged by hurricanes. Half of the roof consists of a tarpaulin. This means that when the rain comes and the wind blows a lot of rain comes into the house!
Generating new contacts is a challenge. Most people have their own church and there is reluctance to change. Also the culture of the devil and demons in the Caribbean is very strong, so presenting the Bible truth about this topic meets significant opposition! However people are aware of current events and a few good discussions were about what is happening in the world, especially the Middle East. When travelling on buses we would leave a “thisisyourbible.com” or Bible reading plan on the seats. Members also take copies of Glad Tidings and the reading plan to give to friends and others they meet.
We have many contacts through “thisisyourbible.com” and continue to keep in touch with them with notifications of visits. Preliminary planning for further outreach using a mail drop to PO boxes in the area of Castries and other convenient locations has commenced.
There is an urgent need for help in St. Lucia. Has anybody retired recently? If so perhaps you can help? The accommodation in the CBMC apartment is good, with air conditioning and the all amenities that we have at home. For more information, please contact brother Mike LeDuke at 1-519-574-6014 or mduke@gto.net