Carnival season in Grenada

It is happening as we speak, lots of excitement, building of wooden structures going up around the town. Lots of loud music, people coating themselves in oil and dancing. There have been Soca music competitions, calypso. I think someone from this area won and is now the King. I will add to this tomorrow as I see more what happens, but most happens in St George (south of the Island) and I am in the north at St Patricks. I have been down there this morning before the CF Minsters gathering and it is so noisy from 5am and lots of fun being had by all. So much oil over people and I understand that this afternoon there will be more costumes like above.

I did another long walk but this time it took just 3.5 hours from East to West coast across the middle bit. Some very steep places and some parts where the road was being rebuilt due to erosion. I just enjoy meeting people and having a conversation, but sometime you can walk for miles without seeing anyone. This is always good for reflection and sometime planning.

Not that there had been a good routine in place during the school term. Now it is holiday time my days have been different with games on the pastures 4 nights a week from 4-6pm. This plan has not been too successful and some days I have just sat reading my book. But the few that have attended seemed to have enjoyed themselves. I have done a bit of an evaluation of this project and have some ideas if I should do it again. Whilst waiting for children to arrive I have had some good conversations with adults going past and spent one time in the local bar and got lots of feedback about the Church.

As people get to know me they are saying more and I had a long conversation with someone with many questions about faith. Last Wednesday I was asked 3 times to pray with people about different things and this was not me offering like I have done in the past.

I am due to run a staff reflection and training session for the Primary School on the first Monday back for teachers. I have had no information from the Secondary School about what they would like me to do next term.

Please pray:

• I have had discussion with someone about widening out Youth group age, but currently we don’t have enough adults for just the one group.
• We start a new 4.30pm 1st Sunday of the month service from 4th Sept and will trial until Christmas
• Family time (Messy Church) once a month has reduced in numbers and I don’t know why
• We are in need of more on our leadership team
• From 4th Sept we have moved our service time from 11.30am to 10am after a vote of people in the Church. Some people are challenged to get there for 11.45am at present so I hope 10am will work.
• For Belair Church I now need to go there just on 1st Sunday. They are struggling to get people there. The other weeks they will meet online with the St George Church.
• One of family’s house is subsiding. Do pray for them and that the government can do something in time.

We had a great outing/tour around the island. 22 of us went on one minibus, young and old stopping to view different places. It was a good day to get to know people better and I hope we can do this again.

My ‘Zone All Together’ services are working well and we have now held 3 and people are engaging well. We have had a young woman who has done the sermon a few times and I am hoping she may take more of a lead of a service. The problem is she lives quite a distance away and cannot get to church so often.

We had our 3rd Christening on 24th July and I have another on 28th August with a child blessing on 26th August. Do pray for these children.

If anyone would like to come out you are welcome and I know I can find something for you to do. It will be great to hear your news, I am still up for Zoom or What App chats. I have enjoyed that over this past month.

pastornigel19@yahoo.co.uk What App +1 473 458 1932

Also check out my Facebook pictures and news updates.

God bless, Nigel