Church News

Josh and I wanted to show you what church is like in Dominica. Prior to this August, a formal congregation of members in Portsmouth was virtually non-existent. The nearest church would have been an hour bus ride down to Roseau. Fortunately in August, the church opened the building we now use. It is about 2-3 miles from our house but we can usually catch a transport for about 35 cents each. (Not a bad deal!) Surprisingly there are about 40 members who attend every Sunday. A good majority of the members are fellow medical students with their wives and children. But a large portion of the congregation are local Dominica members. They are very humble and devout members. I heard a story today of one man who has to walk around 10 miles to church every Sunday. And he never misses a week.

This Saturday, Josh and I attended a baptism on the beach! This was our first oceanside baptism experience. Since the church building doesn't have the proper facilities for baptisms, the church resorts to the ocean. The boy being baptized was an 8 year old son of a 4th semester medical student. I think he is going to remember this day for his whole life. We have really enjoyed going to church here. It is nice to have something familiar from home as well as to meet fellow med students. Hope you enjoy the pictures.