Well it is amazing how much happens in a week. First, our son Mike is on his way here. If all is well he has landed in Nassau and now has a four hour layover for the flight to Andros. He can either sit at the airport - or run down to the casino on Cable Beach for conche chowder and a view of the beaches. Any bets on what he does?
This week saw the lighting of the Christmas Tree in downtown Fresh Creek. To say this was an event is not to give it the credit it deserves. We only heard about it because one parishioner asked if we were going to attend the Christmas Caroles at Queens Park so we went down to check it out. Well, let me tell you ---
Queens Park is the round-about (think rotary) in Fresh Creek. In the center is a gazebo and a concrete statue of a land crab (a land crab is a crab about the size of a great fruit that lives underground, they are a big thing here and in June Fresh Creek hosts a Crab Festival that is H U G E). Anyway, we arrive to find the gazebo covered in lights, the crab is covered in lights, the palm trees are covered in lights, and the gazebo is filled with men in white dress uniforms. This is the Bahamian Defense Force Marching Band. So the schedule of events was an opening invocation/blessing, then the band plays a carol and we sing, then a speaker from town government speaks, then we sing again, then another speaker, and we sing (you get the idea - there were 6 speakers) and a closing benediction. Now the interesting thing for us was how free each of the government officials spoke about Jesus. Literal quotes were things like "We are here tonight to thank the good Lord for sending Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour" or "Jesus came on Christmas that we might have life - He is the light of the world and we thank Him as we celebrate His birthday". It was amazing how free these elected officials were to testify to their faith. We are truely living in a Christian country.
After the final blessing we thought it was time to leave but it only was getting started. I said it was a Marching Band and I wasn't kidding. These 40 men and women, playing all the time, marched off the gazebo, through the crowd to the street and then proceeded to march (a better word would be dance) up and down the street. They weaved through each other, they swayed in rythm back and forth, they jumped and boogied, they did it all - without missing a beat. At one point the man with the big bass drum strapped to his chest leaned back and literally limboed with the drum now on his chest pointing straight up in the air while they played the Little Drummer Boy and he did a solo in that position. Amazing.
We visited another of our sick parishioners the next day. What was striking to me was this woman, in her 80s, was in what looked like a 2 or 3 bedroom house, with 9 other people - all but one little boy were women. It was a nice visit but I wondered where were the fathers of all these women - daughters, grand daughters, great grand daughters, and no men. Things that make you go hmmmmm.
Finally, we just heard we will have a visiting priest this weekend, staying through Christmas. He will be visiting from (hold onto your hats) from Boston College! Turns out the prior bishop was a Jesuit and the Jesuits still visit and help out from time to time, but to have him come from my Alma Mater is interesting.
Enough for now. Keep us in your prayers.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Almost Christmas
Well it has been a busy week - and its only Teusday!
The weekend was typically busy with three liturgies for three different communities but the hightlight was visiting Anna on the way home. Anna is in her 90's, blind, and has been homebound for several years. Over the past few weeks I had been asked by three different people if I had visited Anna yet, and since I'd never heard of Anna I hadn't. Each of these people all told wonderful stories of this woman of faith. She was described as the backbone of the community, one of the most faithful members of the Church, and an inspiration to everyone that knows her - pretty good credentials I must say.
I called her home and spoke to her daughter. Anna was asleep right now and the Doctor says when she's alseep we should let her be, could you call tomorrow? Tomorrow came and Anna had had a bad night and today would not be good to visit, could you call tomorrow? Tomorrow came and this time I called with a plan, suggesting I stop by on our way home from services in Cargill Creek - we had a plan.
So Sunday afternoon we stopped and visited Anna. She was sitting up on the sofa waiting for us and she told me (several times, with gusto) how she was a Cat'lic, she'd always been Cat'lic, and she loved her Church. We met her her son, who lived with her, and her grandchildren (who also lived with her), and her daughter who came over from next door cause the Deacon was here. In a small home, with very few possessions, Anna had lived a life that led others to tell me I simply had to visit her. There was nothing about her that would have indicated she was such a dynamic woman, but her faith had made others notice her and look out for her well being, and now there I was in her living room. After talking a bit we had a little communion service. We talked about getting her grandchildren signed up for CCD, and they may come, but eventually it was time to go and we promised we'd be back next week.
What we are finding is that people like Anna are sprinkled throughout the community but they won't call and ask for a visit, others need to point them out to us. When we hear of them, and call ahead, there is usually a reason we can't come, but if we just go - if we just show up, they are thrilled we came and the visit is wonderful. I think its time to chuck the phone and start going door to door. Every face to face meeting we have had has been wonderful.
Last night we attended the Fresh Creek Tree Lighting Ceremony and were entertained by the Bahamian Defense Force Marching Band, but that will need its own blog entry - suffice it to say those guys are good! The music was wonderful, but they give Marching Band a whole new meaning. Just imagine the guy with the big base drum strapped to his chest, leaning back into a position I can only compare to someone doing the limbo - while playing the drum and not missing a beat - that's just one image I'll never forget. The rest will have to wait till next time.
Merry Christmas
The weekend was typically busy with three liturgies for three different communities but the hightlight was visiting Anna on the way home. Anna is in her 90's, blind, and has been homebound for several years. Over the past few weeks I had been asked by three different people if I had visited Anna yet, and since I'd never heard of Anna I hadn't. Each of these people all told wonderful stories of this woman of faith. She was described as the backbone of the community, one of the most faithful members of the Church, and an inspiration to everyone that knows her - pretty good credentials I must say.
I called her home and spoke to her daughter. Anna was asleep right now and the Doctor says when she's alseep we should let her be, could you call tomorrow? Tomorrow came and Anna had had a bad night and today would not be good to visit, could you call tomorrow? Tomorrow came and this time I called with a plan, suggesting I stop by on our way home from services in Cargill Creek - we had a plan.
So Sunday afternoon we stopped and visited Anna. She was sitting up on the sofa waiting for us and she told me (several times, with gusto) how she was a Cat'lic, she'd always been Cat'lic, and she loved her Church. We met her her son, who lived with her, and her grandchildren (who also lived with her), and her daughter who came over from next door cause the Deacon was here. In a small home, with very few possessions, Anna had lived a life that led others to tell me I simply had to visit her. There was nothing about her that would have indicated she was such a dynamic woman, but her faith had made others notice her and look out for her well being, and now there I was in her living room. After talking a bit we had a little communion service. We talked about getting her grandchildren signed up for CCD, and they may come, but eventually it was time to go and we promised we'd be back next week.
What we are finding is that people like Anna are sprinkled throughout the community but they won't call and ask for a visit, others need to point them out to us. When we hear of them, and call ahead, there is usually a reason we can't come, but if we just go - if we just show up, they are thrilled we came and the visit is wonderful. I think its time to chuck the phone and start going door to door. Every face to face meeting we have had has been wonderful.
Last night we attended the Fresh Creek Tree Lighting Ceremony and were entertained by the Bahamian Defense Force Marching Band, but that will need its own blog entry - suffice it to say those guys are good! The music was wonderful, but they give Marching Band a whole new meaning. Just imagine the guy with the big base drum strapped to his chest, leaning back into a position I can only compare to someone doing the limbo - while playing the drum and not missing a beat - that's just one image I'll never forget. The rest will have to wait till next time.
Merry Christmas
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