January 2017. Called "... to speak up for the vulnerable and oppressed."

 Each year, I reflect on my mission statement. Which has been:

To do what is right and just,

To show constant love,

To walk humbly with God, and

To share this through service to others.

My 2016 and 2017 reflection caused me to add this:

and to speak up for the vulnerable and oppressed.

February 2017. Maria brought the message to our attention.

Maria heard Bishop County's plea and answered the call. She emailed me through Sandy, my spouse.

“...last weekend, we had a visiting bishop from our sister Diocese at Mass. He was from the Diocese of Kingstown (St Vincent/Grenadines). He mentioned that there is one psychiatrist for one hundred thousand people....and he was wanting to know if we knew someone who would be interested in going there to train others.

I thought of Jerry... Maybe your next trip could be a mission trip...”

I replied: “I'm open to however God would like me to serve and am interested in finding out more.”

My response was honest, but I didn’t believe much would come of it. I thought it was one of those things a bishop might say in passing, more to illustrate a point than actually to recruit help. Was I ever wrong! 

I did some further investigation about SVG -- just in case.

I did some further investigation. The internet gives information about everything -- well, everything in places that are well connected to the internet. I found that, while the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is making great strides to improve, mental health services are lacking in SVG – especially for children. The World Health Organization (WHO) (2009) reports in the AIMS REPORT ON MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM IN SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES:

• There are no specialist services for children and adolescents with mental disorders.
• No psycho-social intervention is available in the outpatient setting.
• None of the beds at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) are reserved for children and adolescents.
• There are no trained mental health workers at MCMH.
• The entire cadre of trained mental health workers is concentrated at the Mental Health Center, where no beds are designated for children and adolescents.
• None of the primary health care physicians, nurses, or primary health care workers received training in any aspect of psychiatry/mental health.
• No primary or secondary school has a trained mental health counselor.
• Non-governmental Agencies (NGOs) and Catholic churches provide services for vulnerable populations that include persons with mental illness.

That’s not “Lions and tigers and bears!”, but it certainly is a big “Oh, my!” I decided I would make this my special prayer during Lent.

The Kingstown Diocese is the sister diocese to the Duluth Diocese in MN, yet no one in MN responded to our request for contact information. So, I took to the Internet to find Bishop’s address – you can find anything on the Internet.

Another “Oh, my!” I learned it is not so easy to find information about anything in a less economically advantaged country. I did my best to find Bishop County’s contact information.

Ash Wednesday, 1 March 2017. Lenten Prayer Discernment.

I both wrote and emailed Bishop County from the Kingstown Diocese in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, offering to discuss and explore his vision and how I might be of service. Well, I thought I had written the Bishop, and we eventually did connect.

7 March 2017. I received the following:

Your e-mail was sent to the Anglican Cathedral, and the Secretary was kind enough to forward it to me... Bishop County is not in office now, but I am sure he will respond to you soon. Sincerely, Daphne Paynter - Secretary to the Bishop.

28 March 2017 I received this email:

Greetings from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I am Bp. Gerard County and would like to acknowledge receipt of your e-mails and your letter dated the 1st March. I would try to communicate with you by telephone in the near future. I have been kept very busy during this Lenten season by my pastoral obligations. Fraternally in the Spirit, Bp. Gerard M. County.

Holy Saturday, 15 April 2017.  Was it meant to be?

Lent is over. No response from the Bishop and the answer to my Lenten prayer seems to be “not meant to be.” Then, on Holy Saturday (not the busiest day of Holy Week, but Holy Week nonetheless) I received an email and a phone message from the Bishop stating that not contacting me was due to his busy schedule. He wanted to connect after his return from the Holy Land and other meetings.

In May, we connected and set a date for me to visit SVG, meet people to get a taste of the culture and conduct a needs assessment. I visited SVG in August 2017 and have shared the story of my first visit.

Maria, the Messenger

An angel is God's messenger. Maria was the one who heard the need, connected the dots, and set this all in motion. She continues to be the messenger by delivering letters to the Bishop of Duluth and speaking about the St. Vincent Initiative. Her belief that "God has chosen us to bring good news to the poor" is what propelled this Initiative.

Brianna, the Strong One

Brianna volunteered in Guatemala, working among the poorest of the poor. She worked five years for Common Hope organizing Vision Teams. The ethnic cultures of Guatemala and SVG are different, but the prevailing culture of poverty is so much the same. Her strength, experience, and willingness led me to believe we could make a difference.

Heather, sent by the Spirit

On Cedarbrook's web page we have a contact form. We seem to get three main types of inquiries: 1) people in crisis, 2) people who want us to link to their website, and 3) well, umm, I should know a professional term for "complete wackos."

Heather used our contact form to reach me. She wrote: "The Spirit told me to contact Cedarbrook. I'm not sure this is the right place, but Spirit is never wrong."

As I read it, I'm thinking, "OoohKaaay. Wacko?" I've been placed in the wacko category enough times that I want to give people a chance. We set up a video chat. She is a 3rd-year law student, a domestic violence advocate, and an airline anti-child-trafficking trainer. She is smart, spiritual, giving, and definitely not wacko!

Before our video chat, I shared my concerns about being a "white guy" going to an island with people of color and not wanting to be an "ugly American." She responded that I was in luck, she was black and, if I wanted, she would come with me for support and a sign of credibility. Her spouse is from Jamacia and her friend (Sherlan) from Grenada -- not the same culture as St. Vincent, but a whole lot closer than my Scandinavian Minnesota heritage. Sherlan calmed my fears and reinforced that my role was to listen. Listening works in every culture.

Krista does things for God.

Krista is a literary publicist and has a passion for helping others and doing things "for God."

Fr. Jan Michael Joncas

Fr. Joncas is a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Artist in Residence and Research Fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas. He is probably best known as a composer of liturgical music. He serves on the St. Vincent Initiative Advisory Committee because he believes it responds to the gospel mandate to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, etc., through cognitive and emotional care for those in need.

Dave Lambert

Dave is a leader at 3M and knows how to get things done compassionately. He has friends who have been missionaries and has learned great insights about helping others in God's name. 

Bill Huebsch

Bill has worked in Catholic diocesan administration and Catholic publishing. Since 1982, he has been deeply involved with Common Hope, a Minnesota-based non-profit that supports development in Guatemala. He will help with this initiative and share lessons learned in Guatemala.