If there is one thing Simone Antrobus credits her mother and family for, it is giving her a foundation within the church.
“I thank God for my family and the foundation they gave us to make the right decisions,” Simone said.
“Every activity at church, we were present for and we enjoyed it. We had to go to Sunday School and then the adult service; then we would go over to the Methodist Church, and then night worship. That was our life in church.”
Simone never saw it as a bad thing, the long hours on Sunday spent in church. In fact, she saw it as something positive.
“I thank God for the family I had,” she said.
“I’m grateful for my parents who had the knowledge that this was the foundation we needed to have because with that foundation, we were able to make right decisions. We were able to decipher . . . the right thing to do.”
Growing up, Simone never wavered in her belief in God or tired of working in the church.
“At the Methodist church I held the position of Sunday School teacher, youth fellowship president, we were in the women’s league, and we were in every activity,” Simone said.
“At one point people said the church belonged to us. We had the opportunity of preparing the church for every service.”
Simone said there were times they even spent their own money looking after the needs of the church, but it was an honour for them to do it.
As Simone got older, she found herself at times wavering in spirit, especially when she started looking at what other people were doing that she could not do.
“My mum sternly said to me, ‘Simone, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything else will be added unto you’,” she recalled fondly.
“So then you realize that as you grow older, there were some mistakes you would make. That’s why it’s important for you to realize that there are always consequences for your actions.”
Even as Simone spent her formative years in church, it was when she got older that she would really deepen her own personal relationship with God.
“I had applied to the University of Technology in Jamaica and I was accepted. But because of other financial constraints, I deferred that acceptance until the next year,” Simone revealed.
“While I was accumulating the fundy sometimes I found myself helping other people especially if there were in need. So instead of saving, I was helping other people. Then the university called me and said you deferred last year, are you still coming, but then I told them I would go. At this point I had no idea where the money was coming from.”
In an effort to get the money for tuition, Simone tried to make some loans but was finding it difficult.
“I guess God had a bigger plan, because I was just trying to work this out in a very logical way,” she said.
“I left my job at the time and packed up my things and shipped them to Jamaica. We knew a Jamaican minister from working in Guyana, and he helped me to find someplace to stay.”
Before Simone left for Jamaica, her mum and nieces came to see her before she headed out.
“My mum and I would pray daily,” Simone said.
“But the weekend before I left, my mum said to me, ‘Simone you are walking on water’. That was to describe the level of faith that I was showing at the time under the circumstances.
“She said that she had a vision where I was standing on a white marble road and the fire of God was going before me in a cyclone fashion. Every place where the fire had passed was clean and white.
“So she told me don’t be afraid, because God has already gone ahead to prepare the way for you.”
Simone left for Jamaica in 2005 eager to begin her studies, yet burdened because she was still short on funds.
“I went over to the university to the programme coordinator and told them I do not have enough money. In fact, I only had US$500 and the cost of the programme was US$10 450.
“She said go over and speak to student finance. I told her this is all the money I have and she said that wouldn’t cut it,” Simone said, smiling. “She said you need US$450 to register for the first semester. So I told my family I need to get US$450 and they told me they would work on it.”
So Simone registered for classes despite not knowing how she would pay her rent or where the money would come from even to feed herself.
“This lady Dorothy Britton, who was in charge of the place where I stayed, every day she would cook for me and make sure that I had something to eat,” Simone said.
“That was not included in my rent, which was only for accommodations. She didn’t have to do it but if God takes you someplace, he is going to put people in place to take care of you, especially when you have been taking care of his business.”
During that time in Jamaica, Simone got closer to God because she had no one else but him.
“I would get pieces of paper and write scripture verses on the wall to help strengthen my faith,” she said. “I would have my radio on the gospel stations where I could hear a word, something to keep me grounded. Even now here at my apartment I still keep my radio on the gospel station.”
While in Jamaica, even though she was studying, Simone never missed church, and some Saturdays she would fast.
“I had acknowledged that God is the source of everything and when He blesses us, he does so through various channels,” she said.
“One day I was praying in my room because I got home from class and I didn’t have anything to eat. I told God he didn’t bring me here to starve. As soon as I got up from praying, Mrs Britton called me and said I have something here for you. I could not stop thanking God for all the ways he helped me when I was in Jamaica. He sent so many people to come beside and support me.
“One day a classmate called me and told me to meet her by the gate. She gave me an envelope with cash and told me to continue praising God.
“Coming down to the final exams, God started opening doors miraculously. Before the final exam, I had paid all the school fees. Some was wired into the school’s account and it was paid. When I left Jamaica, I did not owe the university one cent.”
Simone completed her studies in Jamaica and today she is a pharmacist working with Knights Pharmacy here in Barbados.
“That’s why it’s important that we remember that God will never abandon us in any situation,” she said.
“No matter what you’re going through, always pray and read your Bible. We need to know that God will keep his promises, and I know that first-hand.”
