Lewis Punnett

I must admit, as we pulled up to the Lewis Punnett Home I was unsure what to expect. We walked through the home, and with no air conditioning, and very few amenities as would be in a facility in Canada it was a sobering experience. They were under staffed, under resourced and had very limited medical supplies. The staff was incredible, they were bathing, changing and preparing the residents for the concert. As we assisted with walking the residents over to the chapel the atmosphere changed dramatically! The residents seemed to feel that something special was about to happen, and what an uplifting spirited performance it was!! All who could stand and sing did, hand clapping and singing along and waving was everywhere. The smiles from the kids and residents filled the Chapel. The encore performances lasted late into the afternoon. We then enjoyed refreshments with the children and residents along with Sister Myra from St. Benedict's. After this we delivered gift bags of greatly needed personal items to the residents. I can't help but walk away thinking what a difference music and fellowship made that day. There were smiles everywhere and a commitment from those involved to try and make this a more regular occurrence!! Mr. Sandi and Liberty Lodge Boys perform hymns and Spiritual music for residents at Lewis Punnett.

St. Benedict's(Nursery, and school for orphaned and abandoned children with special needs) Steel Band perform Calypso, Gospel and Hymns for residents.

Residents and Mission Volunteers enjoying the Uplifting performance.


Sandra escorting a resident to the chapel for the concert.



Gerry greeting a resident prior to the performance.

As we we spend our last day in St. Vincent, we can all reflect on what an ADVENTURE we've had. It was heartwarming to be welcomed by all those involved, from the local committee, to all the partner organizations, we thank you and look forward to seeing you in the future!

Good Afternoon !

Bread of Life and Sister Zita

Enjoyed a wonderful homecooked meal (Pea soup with vegetables dumplings, chicken and potatoes)with Sister Zita last evening. The 5 boys and 3 girls received backpacks, toiletries and school supplies, and as you can tell from the smiles were thrilled. Sister Zita shared several heart warming stories of the children that she has guided through very difficult times.

After Dinner we walked back out from the "bread of Life" to meet our Taxi. The road sister Zita lives on is at quite an elevation and is suspect for navigation. The view is spectacular and the children were more than willing to show us around.

Watch for tomorrows update from our spirited concert at lewis Punnett Home!!

Final Destination

Good Afternoon from St. Vincent. After an exhilarating ferry ride from Bequia we have checked into the Beachcomber Hotel. Basketballs, volleyballs football jerseys and a monetary donation were delivered to Liberty Lodge Training school for boys. There are @26 boys at the school and they were hard at work clearing and terracing the hill side for garden use.

As you Can see from the Third picture President Gerry Bird is delighted to be enjoying the Dollar bus ride(Toyota mini van)with 20 other passengers through the streets of Kingstown.

We have a few hours of down time and then are invited to the "Bread of Life" Aids hospice for children who have or have been affected by HIV and Aids. We will dine with Sister Zita and walk through the facility.

Until Tomorrow!!!

Final Push

The house is near completion. All windows were hung and all painting complete. Two new mattress's were acquired and clean linen for the BEDS. We are unsure if Ainsley will adjust, as he has been sleeping on the floor for quite sometime.

Some lumber was left with the local committee as the bed frame and door were not quite completed.

After a hard day the team went for a swim at the Thomas's, friends of Gerry and Sandra Birds. The view was spectacular. From there we went to see Brother King at the Turtle Sanctuary at Park Beach.

Then were off for dinner and on to St. Vincent to hand out supplies at Liberty Lodge.

Watch for further Updates.

First Coat Complete

Good Afternoon from Bequia: The first coat of paint inside and out is complete. The house is all closed in and the first window is hung. Five more windows to hang, a door to build and hang and one bed to make. The bed is for Ainsley, the 89 year old step father to Gayle and grandfather to the three boys. He has been sleeping on the floor as there is only one double bed in the house.

The girls delivered printer cartridges, more school supplies and a monetary donation to all the bequia schools in Port Elizabeth and Paget farm.

After our work at the house concluded for the day we delivered medical supplies to the "Bequia Casualty Hospital" A 12 bed facility with a casualty(emergency) room. It appears a new facility is past due, but they make do with what they have.

The Hastie notes, brochures and bookmarks were dropped off at the tourism centre and at Solanna's(local committee members giftshop)

So long for now and look for tomorrows update!!

Sorry, No pictures today, Computer ISSUES!!!!

Good Progress

Good Evening from Bequia: After attending the Bequia Appreciation Day celebration at "Paget Farm Community Centre". There was an opportunity to meet and greet the people who have been helped, and those that turned out were more then willing to express their appreciation. The team was reenergized for another day of house restoration. We started by catching the taxi to the base of the hill and toting the tools, and fetching the transformer from the power station.

The inside of the house was cleaned, prepped, primed and a final coat of paint was started. The outside was rough framed and 80% of siding was installed. Next challenge will be finish siding and trim and install windows!!!!

We then attended the local committee meeting and echanged ideas of how to move forward in the future!!

If the Boss Allows, we'll have an update tomorrow, Stay Tuned

The Re-construction project has begun! Took a walk around the site to try and prioritize the work. Proceeded to the lumber store and negotiated as best a deal as we could for lumber and windows. New(used) windows are of a different size but price was right. Lumber is very expensive, @69.00 EC dollars for 2x4x16. Had lumber delivered to the bottom of the hill and hand bombed all pieces up to work site.

As we were carry lumber up the hill I had noticed 8 year old Micheal behind me carry a 24"x32" window up the 60' 45deg incline. With the broken glass, razor sharp rocks littering the pathway he negotiated the hill in is barefeet with little effort. The grin on his face lit up as I slipped on the path and he smartly walked around and delivered his window to the painters.

Our first task was to cut a new door into the hose as the steps had fallen of the side of the house and the family had no choice but to use the lumber for cooking. They do not have the resources to purchase propane for the makeshift campstove they used to cook on.

Micheal and his 89 year old gradfather were ever helpful, sanding windows or performing any chores assigned. As I took my first water break, Micheal looked at my water bottle and asked for a drink, I handed the bottle and he procceded to pour some into a glass jar, he took a small sip and then disappeared. I followed to see what he was up too, it became evident he was storing water for his 2 brothers and his mother.

Today we are continuing with ripping old siding and windows out while installing new, cleaning, priming and painting! We have a great deal of work ahead of us but the crew remains enthusiastic as we see the project progress.

More news to follow!!!

Food Hampers Delivered

The Canadian and Local volunteers banded together and delivered 66 food hampers to elderly and physically challenged residents. It was nice for mission volunteers to renew old acqaintances and make new friends.

As we made our way through the different villages on the Island, the hampers were personally delivered and residents expressed their appreciation for their special treat!

After a gruelling morning of traversing the steep hills delivering the food baskets the team will now wind down at a barbecue at Lower Bay hosted by school friends of the Bequia Mission, Seventh Day Adventists Primary School.

Stay Tuned for the renovation project update!

WE HAVE ARRIVED

Hello All: After 48hrs, no sleep and alot of excitement we are here! We touched base at the Pastoral centre in St. Vincent where sister Janice provided refreshments. We then toured Kingstown and were invited to the "House of Hope" Aids Hospice for lunch with Anita Nanton(Chief Operating Officer). They have just opened their new facility and were very grateful for the clothing donations. Over 85% of the shipped goods have been sold in their thrift shop and the proceeds from the sales are being put to use immediately. She mentioned that the local people began lining up outside the thrift shop at 7 a.m. when they learned that the latest Mission shipment of clothing had arrived. We then caught the 9 a.m. ferry to Bequia this morning (Saturday), which is also National Heroes Day, a national holiday on St. Vincent and got settled in to our home for the next week, Twilight Villa, before spending a few hours on Lower Bay Beach. Tonight, we are meeting members of the Bequia Mission Local Committee (BMLC) in Port Elizabeth to pack over sixty food hampers for elderly shut-ins. Tomorrow morning we will work with the BMLC to deliver the hampers throughout Bequia's steep hillside communities. All for now from beautiful Bequia. Stay tuned for future updates!

Welcome to the Bequia Mission Outreach Project blog for 2009!

Watch for entries describing projects being undertaken this trip.
The truck was loaded and the supplies have been shipped, the team is now waiting to make the trek and unload and deliver the contents when we reach our destination. Stay tuned!