Caribbean Trip June 2005 Dear Visitors and Readers of our web page,      This is a report of a recent trip I was privileged to take for the strengthening of the brethren in the West Indian Islands.  To view pictures of this tremendous trip, please click here.      Although much of my life consists of traveling (I am a trucker by trade), I had not journeyed to the West Indies since 1985, except for a brief visit to the Caribbean Feast of Tabernacles in 1995.  The brethren had repeatedly requested a return trip to assist in giving added focus and direction for their salvation walk.  As usual, I gave my standard answer when such requests come in.  That answer is “As Yahweh makes the way, we shall return.”   The way was finally opened to once again travel to that part of the world for a two week visit in June.      I was awakened very early June 5 by a recorded message from US Airways informing me that my flight was delayed due to mechanical problems.  My itinerary initially called for me to fly through Puerto Rico, then on to St. Kitts and from there back to St. Thomas.  Since the plane was broken and would mess up the rest of my trip, I called US Airways and asked if I could get a direct flight to St. Thomas. There was one leaving in a few hours, giving just enough time to get to the airport before it took off.  As an added bonus for the “inconvenience” of being put on another flight, I was also bumped up to first class! All around this was working out to be a good start for a fruitful journey.  Flying out of Philadelphia that glorious morning of June 5, the plane arrived in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands early that afternoon. Brother Mike Simmonds, leader of the local assembly, met me at the airport.  From there, we traveled to his home, where we got acquainted (we had never met before), and then prepared for the services that evening.      The assembly gave a warm welcome, and seemed especially attentive to the message.  Several times during the course of the message I noticed brethren giving Brother Mike sidelong, questioning glances.  Only after the service did it come out that Brother Mike shares the same burden as was the topic of the talk!  They thought he had put me up to speaking on the same subject which drives him. The message topic?  Unity of the brethren!      After spending part of the next day visiting with some of the brethren, we again had services that evening, where the theme of the journey was developed further and explained more fully.  Following the meeting, we continued in discussion (with those who attended) about several of the points brought up.  We talked into the night, as brethren had many questions about Yahweh’s perspective, and how we as brethren can work more closely together.      The following morning Brother Mike took me to the airport, where I caught a plane for St. Kitts (St. Christopher & Nevis), a beautiful agrarian island.  It reminded me a lot of my home area in Pennsylvania, with the added beauty of nearby seashore!  I was met there by Elder Calvin Jenkins, a dear brother whom I have known for almost 25 years.  His efforts to glorify Yahweh in his homeland have borne fruit over the years, and there are now two assemblies in St. Kitts, with the combined membership in the area of 50 brethren.      Three days were spent working with and teaching the brethren in this island paradise, as Elder Jenkins completed the plans for the remainder of the trip.  Saturday night, after the Sabbath ended, Elder Jenkins (who traveled with me for the duration of the trip) and I took a flight to Antigua, where we spent the night.  Next morning, we caught an early flight which ultimately terminated in Trinidad.  Trinidad is one of the most southern of the Caribbean islands, lying just 7 miles off the coast of Venezuela.      Met at the airport by another brother of long standing, Mel John, we were taken to his home for a rest after this long flight.  Two days of meetings were held in Chaguanas, and as with the other stops already made, the brethren were intrigued by the new focus and direction of the messages they heard.  Unity is not a difficult concept when we apply the Biblical definition to the term.  However, in employing such a basic and revolutionary idea as letting the Bible be the final authority, men and their subjective ideas are no longer the central issue.  It became quite clear over the course of this journey that doctrine divides, whereas the Spirit unifies (Ephesians 4:3).      Following many discussions and two meetings over the course of our two days in Trinidad, these and other topics were thoroughly explored.  All too quickly we embarked once again for the next stop in the journey, St. Lucia.  It had been 20 years since last having set foot in St. Lucia, and the changes were plentiful.  St. Lucia is a beautiful island, and the brethren there have a beautiful spirit to match the scenery which surrounds them.      We were met at the airport by Brother Wells, a sincere and dedicated man who is intent on assisting the brethren.  As a result of that sincerity and dedication, he hosted us in his home, as well as taking time off from his job to drive us around to visit brethren in different areas, etc.  Here we found the same desire among the brethren which  had evidenced itself thus far in the course of this trip:  the brethren are tired of being artificially separated from one another by their “leaders” in Yahshua.  This disparity in perspective was further highlighted when I used Ephesians 4:10-16 in one of the messages.      "He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare Yahweh's people for works of service, so that the body of Messiah may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of Yah and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Messiah."      "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Messiah. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."      Another blessing was to see brethren who had stopped attending and worshiping over the course of the past 20 years as a consequence of the oppressive control and domination exercised over them by various Sacred Name organizations.  Although dimmed through lack of fellowship, it was inspiring to both Elder Jenkins and me to see the light of understanding come into their eyes and to witness the rekindling of their fervent zeal which they once had.  One of these brethren remarked that the message which we carried to the West Indies is what the brotherhood has been lacking and is so sorely needed to move the witness of Yahweh forward.  I heard from several brethren in various islands that their region has been stagnant for almost 20 years, and now they feel ready once again to move forward.  My personal opinion is that we must unify those brethren willing to work together.  We can then, as an ordered host, move forward to be a viable and powerful witness of Yahshua our Savior.      From St. Lucia, we traveled over to Dominica, one of the more established areas in the Caribbean where the Sacred Name teaching was received many years ago.  Of all the stops on this trip, I had the most trepidation about the Dominica visit.  It is here that the schisms dividing the Sacred Name brotherhood run deepest, because time has caused hardened positions against competing assemblies.      But, praise Yahweh, news of our trip preceded us!  By the end of the first meeting, news of its content was being carried back to those who had not come.  The second night, the room in Roseau was packed with brethren and visitors wanting to hear the continuation of the theme.  It was encouraging to see elders from competing assemblies sitting in the same service, some who had not worshiped together for 15 years or more!      The power of Yahweh’s Holy Spirit is truly awesome to witness in its working.  There is a growing desire among the brethren to be One Body with Yahshua as its Head.  While some may delight in using doctrine to divide and separate brethren, the brethren recognize a need to work cooperatively where we share common ground.  As stated on this trip, no two people agree completely on every point.  I have been married for almost 30 years, and it is the spirit of mutual cooperation and like goals that make a marriage work, not lockstep agreement in every detail.   Differences will work themselves out over time, if the right spirit and attitude regulates the relationship.  This principle applies to both marriage and our brethren in Yahshua.      All too soon, Brother Martin St. Luce was driving us to Melville Hall Airport for the return flight to St. Kitts, where I bid a fond farewell to Elder Calvin Jenkins and his family, and continued on home to the United States.      Yahweh’s Spirit is certainly active among men.  The same Spirit and attitude which I witnessed among the brethren in Africa is beginning to manifest itself among the Caribbean brethren as well.      That Spirit is the very attitude and nature of Almighty Yahweh Himself.  It starts in the hearts of men with a spirit of humility and contrition, rather than one of “protecting my turf.”  We saw repeatedly that the brethren in the West Indies are crying out for unity.  Yahweh’s Name is being blasphemed by those in worldly society in the islands, because the spirit of division and disunity has prevailed so long among Yahweh’s people.  The brethren long to treat one another with attitudes of dignity and respect.  Leaders, however, hold the threat of disfellowship and loss of salvation over those with this desire.  It is these various leaders of professed Yahweh-worshiping denominations who are keeping the people apart.  Families have been torn asunder, as you find uncles and nephews, parents and children, etc., no longer on speaking terms while all claim to worship Yahweh!  I recall having read somewhere that we are to love our enemies, and yet we have brethren (in flesh and spirit) treating one another with contempt and ridicule.  That doesn’t sound too much like the attitude and nature of Yahweh.  Yahshua was sent into the world to reconcile the world to Yahweh the Father, not to condemn it.      A time is coming when we shall see separation come, tragically, but that separation occurs when there is a body of believers who will stand in the Spirit of the living Elohim.  Once again, I would urge you at this juncture to review the Biblical definition of Yahweh’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 13) and nature.  This is how Yahweh conducts Himself in the heavens, and it is time we begin to follow Yahshua’s example here on earth.  Yahshua’s Model Prayer in Matthew 6 was not placed in the sacred text as filler.  It is accurate teaching which leads to everlasting life!      While the main thrust of the trip was to unify the brethren throughout the islands, its supporting teaching centered upon an accurate understanding of Yahshua as the Messiah, His mission and purpose.  His purpose is to lead us all to the Father, (John 8:12-21).  Intrinsic to His words in this passage is the reference that He cannot judge by human standards, but rather, as Yahweh is Spirit, we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.      As we read in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that the Messiah has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”  The accurate message of salvation must contain as one of its integral elements a spirit of openness and freedom.   If we allow men to enslave us with their “policies” and enforcement of the physical law, then Yahshua died in vain.  It is a tremendously immense step of faith to allow the Holy Spirit to regulate Yahshua’s Body, but permit me to insert a personal observation at this point:  the Holy Spirit is far superior as a policeman than any man who seeks to control the brethren through fear.  Yahweh’s tools of control are the internal reward of peaceable fruit, self discipline, and a clear conscience that accompanies walking in accord with His Spirit.      Our human tendency is to look at life, salvation and our existence from a finite earthly perspective.  However, Yahweh as the inspirator of Scripture has a view of His creation which far supersedes any one man’s understanding.  By emulating the example of Him who was sent to this earth, Yahshua the Messiah, the very image of the immortal Elohim (Hebrews 1 and Colossians 1), we can more clearly comprehend the consistency of Scripture.      This trip centered upon imparting a clearer understanding of Yahweh’s plan and purpose among men, and more specifically, His people.   To that end I must count this one of the most productive and fruitful ministerial trips I’ve undertaken to date.  Much groundwork for future growth was laid, and the brethren are ready to be used in a great way for Yahweh’s honor and glory.  It is my prayer that we all develop the attitude of serving one another in love, and that this Spirit will sweep through all Yahweh’s people so that in all things He receives the glory.  "Now Elohim is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of Elohim is, there is freedom.  And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect Yahweh's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from Yahweh, who is the Spirit. " (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). FINAL NOTE: It is indeed an indication of the times in which we live to have folks professing themselves "the Truth" to threaten lawsuits and legal action over the results of this trip.  Satan is certainly displeased when his ongoing efforts to keep Yahweh's sheep divided run into the stumbling block of unity.  He can only lash out and seek to halt the forward progress of the message of reconciliation . We have been called as fellow laborers with Yahshua our Savior to fulfill this calling. HalleluYah!