Women’s Church group donates to Mother’s Day Twins
By Stanford Conway
Editor-in-Chief, SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WHAT is the best or perfect gift a woman can be presented on Mother’s Day? Most women believe it is a child, but a young woman in St. Kitts thought it best to be twins and a bumper hamper from a group of Christians.
Led by Patricia Farrell-Heyliger, members of the Mothering Support Group [MSG] of the St. Johnson’s Methodist Church yesterday afternoon donated a basket filled with babies’ necessities to Sandrine Richards, who had given birth to twins [a boy and a girl] at the Joseph N France General Hospital on Mother’s Day.
SKNVibes was present to witness Sherline Archibald, on behalf of the Group, hand over the bumper hamper to the delighted mother who responded by thanking the members for their donation and praising God for having sent them.
Archibald, who resides at Main Street, Sandy Point, told this media house that even though she is happy to be the mother of twins, she was surprised when the doctor told her that there were two children within her womb and not one as she expected.
“I am happy to bring forth twins into the world but I did not expect this to happen, because when I took the ultra sound last Tuesday I was told that there is only one child. Even when they put me on the monitor there was only one heartbeat, but Doctor Hodge later told me there were two children and the little boy was hiding behind the girl,” she said. 
Other than being surprised, Richards said she cannot stop thanking and praising God after she learnt that the boy is no longer on the danger list “but both of them are in the incubator and they are doing fine”.
Richards said she was scheduled for delivery in June, but her water bag broke on Sunday morning when she went to urinate and she was told that delivery had to be done under surgery.
“On hearing this, I immediately called my mother who cried and together we prayed to God and everything was alright after then…I had a safe and trouble free delivery.”
The proud mother of a 10-year-old- boy and a girl age one, declared that she came from a family of twins, noting her uncle and two first cousins from her maternal grandmother are also the parents of twins.
Farrell-Heyliger, President of the Mothering Support Group, said the association was established some three years ago, and since then the members would compile baskets with some of the basic needs of babies and deliver them to women who had given birth on Mother’s Day. This year, however, as in the past two years, only one mother had given birth on this special day.
Asked what motivated the Group to make donations on Mother’s Day, Farrell-Heyliger said, “Just the giving spirit…we believe a lot of persons have items that they don’t use. We have babies and everybody gives us things, they sit there and somebody else less fortunate can use them. Most importantly, as a mothering support group, we support mothers.”
The President proudly explained that the child of each mother presented a hamper was adopted by the Group and the twins have taken the count to four. She also explained that the first donation was made in 2006 to a 16-year-old, who had given birth to her second child and was more in need of the bumper hamper, valued more than EC$800, than the person they visited on the previous day and had expected her to be the recipient.
Addressing the issue of teenage pregnancy, Farrell-Heyliger said, “I believe it all depends on choices and sometimes on unfortunate circumstances. One may say planning but sometimes it might be just God’s gift, God’s way, God’s divine intervention…I can’t really say but I will advise that young women wait until they are financially, emotionally and educationally secured before thinking about becoming pregnant.”
She said the MSG believes in empowering women and by doing that they could do almost anything, especially from the educational, financial, spiritual and emotional perspectives. ~~Adz:Right~~
“Our group is involved in a number of programmes that teach us different things. Educationally, we deal with budgeting our monies and spiritually we get prayer support. Emotionally, we learn to speak out because if something is bothering you, say a problem with your son, and when you come to the Group and speak about it you may realise that somebody else has the same problem and we can come together and do something about it,” she said.
The President further explained that the MSG’s theme for this year is “Into Year Four With Dedication and Reliable Information Sources To Open New Doors”.
“It’s all about education empowerment of women for this year, but all the other programmes will still form a part of our planned activities. In June, we have a social event because we need time out and we need to lime and interact with each other. For example, in June 2006 and 2007 a few of our members celebrated their birth anniversaries and we went to the Marriott and had breakfast,” Farrell-Heyliger said.
She explained that whenever there is a sixth Sunday in any month the MISG would organise a family day. She also informed that the Group would prepare for its back-to-school programme in September, with members sending off both teachers with prayers and small packages of school supplies for the latter.
The Group’s President indicated that in an effort to encourage students’ involvement in their programmes, they had announced last year that the school with the most attendance at a certain function would receive an EC$500 incentive.
Dr. William Connor Primary School was the winner and another such function is being planned for this year during the summer break.
Among those present at the handing over ceremony were the Group’s Vice President Jasline Williams, Secretary Petra Newton, Assistant Secretary Agnes Farrell, Public Relations Officer Juliet Russell and Venetta Hazel, a very staunch member.
