Hello everyone! February was a really cool month!
Food Fest!
Joel, Danielle, and Hannah have been getting things ready for the Food Festival Fundraiser. I have had a small part in helping. They are doing amazing!! I’ve seen so many of the baskets that are getting auctioned off and they look so good! The special drinks for each country or place tastes amazing! I’m excited to go and be a part of it:)
Mayreau!
In preparation for the trip we had a few meetings in January and February. During the meetings to get everything ready, and plan made me all the more excited! We left Wednesday the 19th at 1:30am from CMTS. We were able to get a direct flight out of JFK to St. Vincent. St. Vincent is the main island, and the only island in the country with an airport which is just crazy! We stayed on St. Vincent that night and then got a ferry ride to Mayreau. We got to Mayreau on the 20th around 5:30pm. It was definitely a lot of traveling but absolutely worth it!
Mayreau/Island culture
Their culture fascinated me! It’s so much different from ours as far as pace goes. The people there take their time when they do things and aren’t constantly rushing around everywhere. I did grow to appreciate it and realize that things are more enjoyable when you aren’t always trying to rush to do the next thing. There is next to no crime there because everyone knows everyone. You can’t really get away with stuff. There are only a few ways of earning income on the island. Lots of tourists visit so many of the locals have shops. Alcoholism is a huge thing on the island so if they don’t have a shop for souvenirs they have a bar and restaurant. And then the only other way of making income is by fishing. It’s very hard to get materials to build and run a business. You are completely at the mercy of the ferry for your food, water, materials, things to live, and for traveling to leave. There is only one shop on the island to get food and it’s very small. All the children learn about Jesus and the Bible in primary school so when you talk about the Bible it’s nothing new to them. The biggest spiritual need is knowing God in a relationship. It’s so much different to know about God verses intimately knowing Him. I’ve never seen or imagined anything quite like this. It’s such a unique opportunity for ministry. The first few days I felt uncomfortable with the lack of control I had over my circumstances. If you stand on the top of the hill you can see water on every side of you! There is no coming or going whenever you wish. It was crazy! Even if they move to another island they are still so isolated from the rest of the world. It’s so interesting!
One of my favorite parts was getting to meet people in the community. There’s about 300 people on the island so it’s small! They are so nice! They always say hello when you’re walking by even if they don’t know you! I just feel like God gave me compassion for them like I couldn’t have had on my own. We spent time with the children which was awesome!
We got the opportunity to do a couple programs for them where we planned a game, snack, lesson, and craft. We tried to go for things they probably don’t have access to. They are so precious! We’d see them while we were walking through the town and a couple times they came and hung out with us on the beach.
We stayed at a YWAM base that CMTS is connected with. Right now there is only one family living on base, Ben, Jess and their two young children. They are a wonderful family! I enjoyed getting to know them! They are actually from Lancaster County, PA which isn’t far from us so that was cool! We got to continue building the walls of a cabin that got destroyed in the hurricane. This cabin will be used for future staff members and groups that come and stay! The EQUIP students did a wonderful job. I was so impressed with their attitudes! Working in the sun all day laying block isn’t an easy job, and it’s an extra task when you are learning it for the first time. But they did it not just without complaining, but with joy! We were responsible for cooking breakfast and lunch and cleaning up after all three meals. They helped with that with joy! Wyatt and I were so honored to serve alongside them!
It was such a great trip! We got to help the base, people in the community, pray for people, spend time with children, and of course swim! It was so beautiful! Honestly, I never thought I’d see ocean water as beautiful as that. It blew me away that such a beautiful place exists! Wyatt and I are so thankful that we got this opportunity! There are so many more stories and things I could write about. If you’d like to hear more I would love to tell you more about it! Just give me a call, text or email:)
Thank you all so much for your support, both by prayers and financially! We appreciate It and wouldn’t be able to do this with you!
Would you join Sandra as a monthly supporter so she can continue the work God has started? She would be honored to be able to share the experience with you and make you part of the team. As she shares how God is working and the impact she is having on His Kingdom, please pray and ask God if you should partner with her as a monthly donor/supporter.
