Christians in Tivoli say God spared their lives
Published:Saturday | May 29, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Daraine Luton, Gleaner Writer
AN ELDERLY woman prayed aloud on her veranda in Tivoli Gardens on Thursday as her family members clung to a burglar bar at the front of the premises.
"Lord, continue to be merciful on us," the woman prayed.
For many residents of Tivoli who survived a blistering firefight between the armed forces and gunmen over accused drug baron Christopher Coke, it was only faith in the mercy of God that brought them through.
On Thursday, as journalists went on a guided tour of the community, some residents said it it was the divine blood of Jesus that saved the entire community from further disaster.
"Me never experience nutten like this inna mi life. People a think that is everybody in here bad. We have good people in yah weh a serve God. We tell dem seh serve God, and dem deafen dem ears," one woman said.
"If we, the Christians, never in here, unnu wouldn't come see no structure. We haffi deh pon we belly a pray and a beg mercy. That's why the Lord bound we. We did a plan fi lef' but the Lord bound we and say stay, and we did haffi stay fi pray because the people dem take everything fi joke," the woman added.
An elderly woman who has been living in Tivoli Gardens since 1969 agreed that it was God's mercy that saved the community from a total wipe-out.
"It is terrible. I have never seen anything like this in my life. I have to give God thanks that he has spared my life," the woman said.
Time to repent
One apparently devoted Christian woman said it was "time the people leave out politicians, leave out gunman and serve God.
"We have been walking through the community. We march and we tell them about Jesus, and nobody never turn to God, but all o' this a God wrath. All I know, His mercy still prevails. Everybody in western Kingston, turn your life to Jesus that this disaster may not come up on us again! Me lose my sister ... but me still a glorify God in the midst of it," the weeping woman said.
"This is a warning, not only fi Tivoli Gardens, but fi di whole o' Jamaica. We need to seek God," she added.