St. Lucia
- Phil and Trena Gould
- Feb 2
- 3 min read
In 2017 we were commended to the grace of God from the Parkview Street Gospel Hall in Winnipeg. It has now been just over eight years since we arrived on island with our three children. We came knowing the Lord had called us to serve Him here but not knowing exactly which areas He desired us to focus on.
A small fishing village called Anse la Raye had been on my heart and gospel work commenced in that village. There are also seven local assemblies, most of which are smaller in number and generally getting older in age, where we felt a burden to seek to assist in building up with teaching and helping in assembly meetings.
Gospel work in Anse la Raye began initially with gospel meetings and then focused on children’s work over the course of three years. The village is also visited each week for street evangelism and the distribution of gospel literature. We are still looking to our Lord for salvation of souls in this village. The onset of COVID changed our focus, closing the door to children’s work, but personal witnessing and street work has continued these eight years.
With one door closed, our Lord graciously opened a door of opportunity for us in the teaching of the next generation. In His grace some have been saved over the past five years. Both Trena and I have taken responsibility for individual Bible studies with these young men and women, often needing to start with the very basics of the Bible and Christian living. There are some that have brought us great joy as they grasped truths, grew spiritually and bowed to the Lord. Others have not progressed well spiritually, and we ask for your prayers for each.
At a similar time, the Lord opened the door to begin a Saturday Bible Class in our home with younger believers, focusing on the few teenage ones associated with families that are a part of four assemblies within a 30‑minute drive. This has been a real blessing also for our own three children in developing friendships. The Bible class has been held in sessions through the past five years and there would be about 10–12 from the ages of 13–25 that regularly attend. We are grateful for spiritual growth and really value your prayers for the preservation of these younger believers. Future assembly testimony requires those who are willing to dedicate themselves to the Lord and develop their gifts for the edification of all. Lord willing, these times of teaching will continue this year.
We are thankful for the ability to print on island a customized version of the International Bible House gospel calendar. The number printed has grown substantially, with 32,000 printed and distributed at the end of 2025. The calendars are asked for by many and are a great work for believers in the assemblies to be involved with. With an island population of just 180,000 there are a large majority of homes that are impacted by the gospel in this manner.
We would ask for your prayers as we seek to work among the local assemblies with an increased focus this year on teaching both in series of ministry and in weekly Bible readings. We are constantly being reminded that “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Ps. 127:1).
Written by Phil & Trena Gould