HIS ENTIRE LIFE has been spent with the Salvation Army serving others.
Born in Barbados to Haitian parents who are ministers in the Salvation Army, McGino Exantus has travelled throughout the Caribbean doing his part to assist the needy and minister God’s word.
Exantus left Barbados at three years of age when his parents who served as pastors at the Speightstown Corps were transferred to Haiti, and spent his formative years experiencing the culture of various Caribbean islands.
Owing to his parents’ travels, he and his siblings have different birthplaces – his brother was born in Haiti and his older sister in Jamaica, where he spent three years.
His parents also spent ten years in the Dominican Republic before moving to Trinidad for two years. He would later move to the United States before moving back to Jamaica, all the while actively involved in the Salvation Army.
In 2009 Exantus moved back to his homeland Barbados where he is currently a third-year student of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, pursuing the Bachelor’s degree in management with a focus on Spanish.
He recounted that growing up within the Salvation Army with parents who moved frequently, he and his siblings always knew not to get attached to people because they saw from an early age the effect it would have.
“Knowing that our parents were pastors and had a calling to preach the Gospel around the world, we knew there was no getting attached to friends since we were not ‘normal’ as other kids [who] would have grown up in the regular family setting,” Exantus said.
He said that this developed within him an adapting mentality that allows him to deal with different personalities, environments, societies and cultures.
“It allows you to understand people better,” he said.
Even though Exantus has returned to Barbados, he is not likely to put down roots since he, too, plans to become a minister in the Salvation Army.
“I love the work of the Salvation Army. It is there I was born, it is my home, it is there I grew up, and it is out of being in the Salvation Army that I understand what it means in the Word of God for Christians to love others, to work with others and help each other, especially those who are less fortunate,” the 22-year-old said.
“I have a calling to ministry, to serve others. It is in my heart to work and preach the Gospel within the Salvation Army,” Exantus said.
He has been working the Kettle Appeal from the time he was 11 years old, recalling that his father did not give him and his siblings much choice in the matter.
“I remember the first time my brother and I went – we left the pot and just went walking around the mall,” he said with a laugh.
“That was one of the fun experiences because I did not really have the concept of it and its purpose. I just saw my parents and others doing it but did not see the value until I was about 16 years old,” he explained.
Exantus had taken a break from the Kettle Appeal after a while because some people had a very offensive and negative attitude toward donation collectors, but carried on when he understood that it was for a higher cause.
“I realized that it was for people who could not receive some kind of help or were in [no] condition to supply themselves,” Exantus said.
The young Christian man attends the Salvation Army church in Speightstown where he is the praise and worship leader, the singing company leader and also plays in the band.
However, he wants to continue his studies in management and also plans to study theology in his journey to minister the Gospel.
He said he wants to continue working in any area that would allow him a voice to change the lives of young people.
