Thank you to all the persons who sent greetings and very inspiring messages during August. The positive energies carried me with great enthusiasm in September to celebrate Amerindian Heritage month.

My heart was filled with joy and satisfaction after I concluded the last event, an awesome virtual thanksgiving service. It is only natural this will be the fitting end to a month that was super impactful. The mighty men of God who shared all have a history in my hometown Bartica.

Hardat and I have been friends for decades. Our friendship began as fellow teachers in Bartica, my hometown.  He is loved and respected by my entire extended family, especially by my mom and many in Bartica, because he added value to so many lives.

He is a graduate of UG, UWI and Caribbean Mission Bible Seminary, Guyana’s University Debating Champion for three years, and the Caribbean’s top university debater in 1997. He is a communicator, musician, singer, poet, public speaker/ debater, etc.

He is the Godfather of my older daughter Mariska. His daughter Anna is gifted with a singing Ministry, and his song Elijah plays the drums. It was a blessing to have him and an extra blessing to have both of his children and his band part of this significant event.

It was an honour to have these three mighty men of God who knew more for more than three decades.

Pastor Ivor Melville is a Bartician and the pastor of Faith Prophetic Ministries.  I grew up seeing him and his dad living on Second Avenue, not far from where I lived years ago. His deceased dad was fondly called “Papa” by the people in our community and was a master joiner and great storyteller. Pastor Ivor and his dad are both respected members of our society. I visited his church many times and he hosted my first book launch in Bartica.

I have visited Apostle Jones’ family house many times as a teenager because his sister Nerlene and I were in the same class. He is the leader of  Faith Renewed Tabernacle Church. I have also visited his church many times and am good friends with his wife, Monica.

All three of these mighty men of God shared profound messages that resonated with the audience. I am sharing some of the comments we received.

“Thank you so much. The service was really refreshing and reviving. As Pastor Hardat Singh said, you are a leader by nature Bartica and Guyana by extension, is proud of you.”

“The programmme was beautifully put together. If God is not a part of the plan, then it is of no value. Your exaltation is secured [sic] in your humility and your impact is felt in the many leaders you activate through the use of your God-given endowments; you have the right attitude and a gentle spirit.
Blessings”

“This service was a big blessing at this time in my life. So much was shared that I look at it more than once not to miss anything.”
Ms Nebiola Toppin, who participated in EXPO 50, sang one of my favourite songs. Most days, she sends me a song and she is great at selecting.

God has sent some awesome people to be part of my journey and he also directed me to be part of many people’s journeys. I was looking at the group shot I took with Nickey, Raquel,Sabanto and Cheryl and thought how great it is to have love and respect for each other. The entire celebration reminded me of the importance of great friendship. I am still going to dinners and lunches with friends and colleagues, although August is over. My friend Pamela Nauth, who is always good, invited me for lunch at Hardrock Cafe to celebrate and it reminded me of how terrible the service in most places in Guyana is.

I love pasta, so when I saw chicken Fettuccine Alfredo was my first choice and Pamela who is a regular there, decided to order the same. You know when you like a particular meal you wait anxiously while sipping wine. This is by far the biggest disappointment I had in a restaurant in years. The meal not only looked like Kraft macaroni from the box with a few strips of chicken on top, but it tasted like that too. Pamela’s reaction confirmed that she felt the same way. I decided to sip some wine and give it another shot and the verdict was the same. We expressed our disappointment to the waitress who alerted the manager. She was making all these silly excuses which were pathetic. She never once asked if we wanted to order something else. She did not eat the meal and decided to order dessert, which was good. Can you imagine although we did not consume the meal it was on the bill? Even if I don’t go back, it is not a big deal, but Pamela said she is not going back and she goes often. At least the company and cheesecake were good. We need to provide better service in the hospitality industry.

I had a totally different experience at my friend Raquel’s house. I love my indigenous food, especially tuma and it does not have to be Heritage Month for me to have some.
Rickey Caesar is the Tuma King and his sister Yvette is strong competition for him, lol.

It was delicious with cassava bread and farine prepared by Raquel. The fly wine by Calvin Roberts complemented this dish well and we had a blast. We will be celebrating for the entire month of September and I am inviting you to join us.

Many blessings and thank you to our indigenous brothers and sisters as we celebrate this beautiful journey called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY.