People who have God in their lives are able to succeed despite obstacles that confront them, says a Barbadian government politician.

Kerryann Ifill, who is visually impaired and the Deputy President of the Barbados Senate, has encouraged more than 8,000 Grenadian women, men, youth and children to seek God and allow him to use them.

“My life has been a testimony that there is nothing greater than God who is within you,” Ifill said Sunday at an International Women’s Day gospel concert at Cuthbert Peters Park, Gouyave.

“Those who have God in your life, nothing can come before you and stop you,” she added.  “I  am not saying that there won’t be obstacles or challenges.  But, to me, that is what makes life worth living.”

The free concert, organized by the women’s arm of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), was advertised as a family event.

NDC leader Tillman Thomas, speaking at Sunday’s event, said it was “timely,” coming as it did at a time when the country was seeking answers to a recent spate of murders.

Several female members of the NDC delivered messages, expressing their commitment to working to find solutions to crime and other social problems plaguing Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique.

Senator Ingrid Rush, for example, announced that she was going on a seven-day fast and will continue in prayer for the nation.

“Men run things but God rules things,” she said.

Ifill, a devout Christian, invoked the name of God in her speech.

“My life has been one in which some people think I should have sat down and be content to live on charity.  But that is not what my God intended me to do,” she said.

Ifill, 37, lost her sight at age five.  However, it didn’t stop her from pursuing a university education and taking an active part in extracurricular activities, including achieving a silver medal in Ballroom and Latin Dance. 

The Research Project Officer for the Barbados Council for the Disabled, Ifill holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from the University of the West Indies and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Durham.

She was the first totally blind person to attend a regular high school in Barbados and the UWI, Cave Hill Campus.

“God can use all of us,” Ifill emphasized.  “What God intended by using persons like me is to show persons out there like you that anything in this life God can use and turn into a triumph for him.  It is in these things that our God is glorified.”

Ifill paid special tribute to the women of Grenada and the Caribbean, calling them “unsung heroes.”

“We are the nurses and doctors of our families,” she said. “Tonight is the beginning of a new era for us as West Indian women.  We are the women that will steer the future of all our West Indian nations.”

The Barbadian Senator urged women not to limit themselves or allow anyone to set limitations for them.

“I encourage you to be all that you can be,” she said.  “Do not let anyone set a limitation for you because you are a woman.  As a woman, we are called to lead our country; we are called to stand up and to take charge.”

The four-hour gospel concert was spiced with songs of praise and appeals for a turning to Jesus and accepting him as savior.

The cast of performers included Jamaican recording artistes Carlene Davis and Papa San.  They were joined by Grenadians such as Dr. Linda Waldron, Shamar, Richard Simon,  Jade, Volda Crowe, Corey George, Samantha Felix and Zedel Jeffrey.

NDC MP Glynis Roberts, one of the key organizers of the concert, said she was “heartened” at the huge crowd turnout.

 “I want to thank the Grenadian public for all the support they gave to us on this initiative,” she said.  “It tells us that the yearning for family life is not only felt by us but a lot of people nationwide.”

Roberts, the MP for St. George South, said NDC will continue organizing other events to bring all Grenadians together.

“Our message,” Roberts said, “is one of restoring the principles that we grew up on, where we support and love each other, where we respect each other, where we develop tolerance, where we see ourselves – all of us – as having a stake in moving this country forward.”

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