Ghost Story

'Duppy' still torments Rose Hall family

SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth -- The Junction Fire Department have confirmed that yesterday (Thursday)  fire personnel responded to a fire at an unfinished house close to the so-called haunted house that was gutted on June 5.

A fireman told the Observer by telephone that he and his colleagues responded to a fire call from Rose Hall, south east St Elizabeth at about midday, Thursday. He said that on arrival the fire team found ‘smouldering’ and ‘blackened” items including the frame of a bed, bedding and sheets outside the house. He said he also saw evidence of a broken window.

The fireman said occupants of the house appeared to be among those who lived at the neighbouring house which was destroyed by fire last week. A distraught family member who telephoned the Observer late Thursday said the latest fire followed the same pattern of others which had tormented her and her relatives since April, culminating in last week’s destruction of their house.

She claimed they had moved into the unfinished house next door and occupied one room and a bathroom following last week’s catastrophic fire. She claimed that close to midday, Thursday, occupants heard a window "break" and then saw fire consuming items including bedding and furniture. Householders used water from their rainwater catchment tank to put out the blaze and then threw the damaged items on the “outside”.

The woman who insists she does not want to be named in the media, said family members were at their wit’s end, and simply wanted their recent experiences to stop. “We need help,” she told the Jamaica Observer. “We need somebody to come and tell us a wha a gwaan and try put a stop to it… we can’t live like this…,” she said. She claimed family members had also received death threats by telephone.

Since April 20, family members and neighbours have reported strange happenings at the house which was eventually destroyed. They speak of unexplained “stoning” of householders and mysterious fires which damaged furniture, bedding and settee chairs prior to last week’s major disaster. Family members and residents say they believe the family is being “terrorised” by “duppies” (ghosts) at the behest of others who mean the family harm.

The Junction police who are investigating the destruction of the house have sent samples to the Forensic Laboratory in Kingston to help determine the cause of the fire. Member of Parliament for South East St Elizabeth, Richard Parchment says arrangements are being made to provide emergency housing for the displaced family.

 

- - Garfied Myers (could be a cousin)!

 

 

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/-Duppy--still-torments-Rose-Hall-family#ixzz2aU2G28b4

Just for Fun

This evening I had a delightful conversation with my daughter Lo Lauren Myers who unblushingly confirmed, I am the last person to find out almost everything on TV is also Online – for free. Ruptured my bubble a bit but could not really diminish the joy of watching Fox News and Diane Sawyer, Antiques Road Show and Inspector Morse from the comfort of my bed.  You see only the bedroom of my Connecticut apartment has AC. On a day like today when Stamford is hotter than Miami, the living room verges on the upper reaches of the hot as blazes spectrum. So aside from furtive dashes to the kitchen and powder room, I live in the bedroom.

Rechelle Blakemore Gonzalez and Tressy St. Fleur can now be proud that I finally used the “ Tango” they downloaded to my phone several months ago. What a joy to see my grandson “walk” around with the help of his handy, dandy, cutting edge ambulatory device. I chuckle watching Lo get her workout and Anthony is not even independently mobile yet. This, is going to be fun!

Last, if you enjoy crushed ice and love watermelon,you simply must have frozen watermelon bites for snack, or in my case, desert. Crunch, slurp, Yum! Besides, us must eats da watermelon, yes suh! (I am so not explaining that).

Last #2 — preacher, what can I say? Anyway, talked with Pastor Junior Edsil Myers and all is well, great testimony of God’s greatness throughout the convention. I am hoping he brings me bammy, hand-bun, and cassava pone from St. Elizabeth. Diet enhancers, you understand. LOL, out lot loud like Monk.

Stay cool, stay hydrated and most of all, stay blessed. Special shout out to Alexis Yanaros hale, Stella Muyriel, Elaine Wright Colvin (I see Washington is quite hot as well), Becky Blanton and Betsy Lumsden Smith. Love in Christ my sisters, elect and chosen.

In addition to food, locals received blankets, tarps, and raincoats to keep them warm and dry. (Image, caption courtesy GFA)

India (MNN) ― Nearly 6000 people are missing in northern India due to last month's flooding, the government said Monday. It's a significant jump from last week's 4,500.
"Personally, I think the 6,000 number they're saying is not even accurate. I think it is way more than that," says KP Yohannan with Gospel for Asia.
GFA's Compassion Services teams are on the ground bringing help and hope.
"They said the number of people missing are thousands more than what we are hearing," Yohannan says. What could be causing such a variance in the reports?
"You know, it's not like the United States. Many of these countries do not want to let out the real crisis information," Yohannan states.
"Eventually, in a few months' time, maybe more and more news will come out [indicating] this was much bigger than we realized."
It's not typical for the government to work alongside Gospel for Asia. But right now, officials are flying GFA workers into remote areas to deliver relief aid.
"Unlike some other times in the past, the local government is very much involved in helping, and we are very, very happy and grateful," says Yohannan. "The government officials actually are locating their government helicopters to our missionaries and workers to bring in help: food and clothes and all kinds of things.
"Without that, our people could not get into some places; there was no way."
Yohannan says flood survivors need more than physical relief like food and shelter. They need someone to talk to, someone to listen and provide counsel, hope, prayer. And that's exactly what GFA teams are doing.
"It's very, very complex when you think about the primitiveness because they lost everything," he states. "That is the condition of literally hundreds of thousands of people at this time.
"It will be another six months or a year work to bring any kind of normality…for these suffering people," Yohannan continues. "This kind of situations only compels us to be more active toward praying and bringing help."
Although GFA is doing all they can, the need is bigger than their supply.
"We need financial help, if people will designate, and every penny of that will go toward helping these people," states Yohannan. "The need is a thousand times bigger than we are able to do…but I am glad that through this, many will experience the love of Christ."
Click here to lend a hand. Most importantly, pray.
"Pray that through all this, somehow people will find hope. Our task is [to] continue to share the love of Christ and point people to Christ, who is the only hope," Yohannan says.
"Pray that many will turn their hearts to the Lord, even during this sorrowful time."
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/18763

Ministry In Fiji

Dear Family & Friends,

Warm greetings from Lautoka, Fiji in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ! By God’s grace I arrived here on the 26^th of June 2013. Our trip so far has been filled with blessings from above.

Our team has had divine appointments through which we have had the privilege of meeting various people on the streets of Fiji – loving them and sharing Christ with them. 40% of the Fijian population is Indian, so I feel just at home! Both the Indians as well as the Fijians are such warm and welcoming people. We purchased a couple of Fijiansulus[similar to lungis in India] as it is the traditional attire of the land.

 

On our second night, we were invited by the security guard of our hotel, Tuks, to visit his village. We excitedly accepted the invitation.So the next day, we took a half hour ride in the local bus with Tuks to his village Vitogo. We were taken around the village which was so beautiful and nostalgic for me because the village looked so similar to my father’s villageIntur, back in Andhra Pradesh, India! We were introduced to the friendly Fijians of the village and visited the village school, Vitogo District School. We spent time interacting with the kids and loving them. Us visiting this village opened up a door for future ministry. We asked them if we could serve their village in any way, and they said we could at the school. This was so thrilling because back in Kona, when we asked God what kind of work He wanted us to do in Fiji, one of the things He told me was “schools”! And here we were, with an opportunity to work in the Vitogo District School, starting this Wednesday!

This SundayJune 30^th, we were invited to a Fijian fellowship called New Life Church. Towards the end, they had a time of ministry where the sick and weary were prayed for. The pastor invited some of us to come up and join him in ministering, and I was one of them. I had never ever done this before. Of course I have prayed for people in the past and seen healing before my eyes, but what I saw and experienced on this morning was something I can barely put into words. There were a few people that came up to me for prayer, but among them was a Fijian lady, Elira, who had a severe pain in her neck and chest. I lay my hands on her shoulder and began praying for her. It was a simple prayer. Basically what I said was, “Father thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for your dear daughter. Holy Spirit, I ask that you breathe over her neck and chest right now and enable her to feel Your love flow through her body.” At that, I felt a strange power and suddenly the lady fell over. It was the first time I saw the Holy Spirit move that way. She was on the floor for a while before she got up and walked away with joy. After the service, she came up to me and blessed me saying “Praise God He healed me from my pains!” After Elira, a few others came up for prayer, and among them was Rohini, an Indian dwarf lady. Rohini was experiencing intense pain in her bones. I prayed pretty much the same prayer, but this time while I was praying I got a word from the Lord for her. He told me that He dearly loved her despite her past and despite the negative she’s heard from numerous ones. So I told her that God was telling me this, and it seemed to have brought so much life to her eyes and reassured her of how much the Father loves her. Then, upon asking the Holy Spirit to fill her heart with His love, she too was overpowered and fell back. I did not get a chance to see Rohini after the service, so I don’t know if she was healed, but I have faith that she is!

God is moving mightily among this land and He is using us, His instruments from Kona to fan the flame of revival that is already so strong here in Fiji. The experience I had on Sunday was neither something that I have ever come across, nor something that I expected. But the Lord just showed me that He is the same God of the Bible – always has been and always will be.

Please continue to pray for our team as we have a huge revival conference coming up next week from July 8^th to July 13^th here in Lautoka. The conference involves training and teaching for Christians in the morning and revival meetings for the lost and unsaved in the evenings. It will be conducted by Circuit Riders, an evangelism training organization and we will be assisting them in the teaching and meetings. I will be helping the international team in praise and worship. This will be the first time I will be leading thousands of people in praise, adoration and worship of Jesus. Also pray for God to sustain us with perfect health of mind, body and spirit.

I am ever grateful to you for remembering me in your prayers. I love you dearly with the love of Christ. God bless you!

In His service,

Dan Symonds