Blue Hills visit

Focusing today on the next newsletter, blogs, and school work. Eli returned to college after spring break but will enjoy a 4 day Easter weekend.

Yesterday we headed out before sunrise to visit the Blue Hills Wesleyan church for their special harvest festival day with the special offering going toward a generator for the church.

Not sure if the service started at 7:30 as announced as we arrived about 20 minutes to 8 but the church already was almost full and they were over 1/2 way through the first part of the program.

These special services come in two parts. The first follows the same basic formate of a normal service but generally has 3-4 groups for special music who only perform one song. Then following the sermon the second part starts.

First, all the special visitors were introduced and stood up to be acknowledged, then they had about 6 special music groups sing, one song each while different groups of people came forward to put in the special offering.

The women's group sang their way to the front of the church while bringing in their harvest offerings: coconuts, cooking bananas, eggs, carrots, beets, green beans, cabbage, grapefruit, custard apples, soursop, eggplant, chayote, squash, Italian squash.

Most people placed their offering in the provided envelope. Something else special about this service was that the whole service was video taped with frequent filming of those sitting in the pews as well as the speakers and special music.

You could watch a screen on the stage as the camera zoomed in and out.

Not sure how many people attended as being seated inside we could not see the overflow crowd outside. The service ended with the final prayer and benediction about 11.

Then refreshments were served. We visited a bit with Pastor Burnell Pudwill, who served as a Wesleyan missionary in Haiti with my folks when I was a child. He reminded the people how 20 years ago he planted the idea of this church and challenged them to plant for the Lord.

We were also able to visit with some other Pastors and finally got to see Pastor Rigo's baby daughter.

Before leaving Cory checked on one of his dwarf breadfruit trees planted in the church yard. It was planted in 2012  and now produces at least three times a year.

The pastor thanked us yet again before we left and gifted us some of the fruits and vegetables given as offering.