March 4-6 I was able to travel to Antigua to serve the CEF workers and the national board as they held a board/staff retreat. This was my second visit to Antigua, the first being the 2013 Regional Leadership Conference.
The trip had the following goals:
- Help the board and the staff to develop a clear path forward in ministry, utilizing everyone’s gifts, talents and abilities in a meaningful way to reach the children.
- Serve the board and the staff as they continue to lay good foundations for the new CEF ministry (formally established in 2012).
- Encourage the staff and board in ministry and help answer any questions they have, as the board had recently gone through a new training.
By God’s grace, each of the goals were able to be achieved, and the CEF board/staff in Antigua were given new resources to use in their ministry tool kit!
This was a crucial trip for the success of CEF in Antigua and a huge thank you to a generous ministry partner who helped provide the means for me to be able to go on short notice.
It also was wonderful to be able to go back to the Eastern Caribbean where we lived for two years (next door in St. Kitts).
The culture and atmosphere is still very familiar to us, which was further encouraging to me as I had not been back in that part of the Caribbean since January 2014. It was like I never left!
Ianthe James and Fitzgerald Semper, CEF staff
This is what we do as CEF missionaries; we serve people like Fitzgerald and Ianthe in the Caribbean as they reach their island’s kids. As I asked the board and staff at the beginning of our sessions together, what would Antigua look like in 5-10 years if every child heard the Gospel and had the opportunity to be discipled in the Word of God? The entire country would change for the better! There are 64 primary schools in Antigua, and over 100 preschools. If every single one of those primary schools and preschools had a local church adopting it, the result would be Gospel transformation of an entire nation for decades to come! With over 300 local people trained by CEF in Antigua, God has already prepared the way for this to happen!
Principals of schools are pleading for CEF Good News Clubs to be established at their school so that their children can be reached. Pray for churches to answer that Gospel call in their neighborhood!
Day Before (Thursday afternoon travel)
I arrived at JFK Thursday. “Welcome to New York”—-where there is snow!
Day 1 – Arrival and first session
Friday afternoon after a very long flight that was delayed due to deicing the plane (no surprise!), I arrived in Antigua!
Beautiful sunset from the Moravian church multipurpose center.
The first session began with an exhortation by a pastor who is on the board about all of us being clay in the potter’s hands. We concluded that evening’s session by spending over an hour in both prayer and praise. As Oswald Chambers said: “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.”
Day 2 – All day sessions and time at the CEF office
Saturday was a long but meaningful day of sessions, filled with sharing and discussion. It concluded by having the first national board elections, with different people now in various positions of CEF service.
Board Chairperson Camelda Michael
Camelda and I
Breakfast discussions!
I also spent some time in town at the CEF office with national director Fitzgerald Semper. Here are some pictures of their downtown office!
Downtown St. John’s
You can’t see it, but the cruise ship port is just a couple blocks away!
Day 3 – Sharing the message at a local church and departure
Sunday I had the privilege of sharing God’s Word with the Cashew Hill Moravian Church, in whose multipurpose facility we had the board retreat.
As soon as church was over, I was on my way back to the USA!
On a side note, I was able to give five local pastors their very own copy of an ESV Global Study Bible through our partnership with The Gospel Coalition-International Outreach. One pastor said to me: “I have been wanting one of these so bad!” Praise the Lord for His provision for these study Bibles that will aid local pastors in their sermon preparations.
All in all, this trip was successful by God’s grace and I ask you to continue to pray for the CEF ministry in Antigua as the Lord shows them a fresh and clear vision for reaching the children of their nation!
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