I am sure that most of us, if not all of us, have been in love. That feeling of love and affection directed towards one person or thing can be so strong that it has the potential to feel like it is consuming all your time and energy. The love I want to tell you about is my love for my place of birth, my home and people – Anguilla and my fellow Anguillians. Some may refer to this as patriotism because it is a feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to a homeland and an alliance with other citizens who share the same sentiment.
I was born and raised in the small island of Anguilla and left for London, over eight years ago to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Business Management and Marketing. I did not return to Anguilla upon completion of my studies, as God had other plans for me. Someday I will return to the land of my birth and once again be reunited with my people. There is never a day that goes by that I do not lift up my homeland in prayer. Most persons I know and love, reside in Anguilla, and I am a proud Anguillian. We are a unique people. We are resilient, talented, gifted, skilful, bold, and brave. Our history is testimony to this. We have come a long way. We have overcome a lot. I am always in tune with all the happenings in Anguilla. I feel a strong sense of national pride when I hear good things about Anguilla and Anguillians. Because I am Anguillian, I see their successes, accomplishments, and opportunities like mine.
Those who are closest to me can attest to the fact that I get emotional when it comes to things about Anguilla. I get upset when I hear negative comments about my island and my people, I get defensive. It saddens me when I hear about chaos, confusion, incidents of gun violence amongst my people. It makes me question why can’t we get along and live in love, unity and peace. It is mind-boggling as it appears, from time to time, that the beautiful island that I call home is sometimes a paradise – another time it is overwhelmed with sadness and another time with chaos – and less often there are moments of celebrations. Oh, how I pray for more moments of celebration and togetherness as I want love and peace to reign over Anguilla more than anything else.
Life has its challenges, but many of us were anticipating great things for 2020. Obviously, God had another plan. A lot has happened and none of us were mentally, physically, or emotionally prepared for it. A few months ago, a dear friend of mine from childhood days, Mr. Lendon Williams, telephoned me to see how I was doing. At that time, London was under full lockdown because of the threat of the COVID 19 Pandemic. I explained to Lendon that I was OK and was doing well despite the circumstances. He asked a second time if I was sure that I was ok. I insisted that I was because I had been keeping myself occupied with my projects and these helped to distract me from all the negativity. I told him that I had been busy working on my songs as he knows I love to write and sing about the Goodness of God. I also write inspirational pieces, poems, articles. I also told him about my newfound interest in writing skits. I am a strong believer and my life’s experiences have strengthened my belief and faith in the Most High God. I am always talking and testifying about God. I am always sharing with others how even in my imperfections, and in spite of my circumstances, how I still see his hand in my life. I encourage and motivate others using the Word of God. I do not know any other way. I am a living testimony that God is real. I have recognised how he has changed me from the inside and out. He is still working on me as I am on his training ground. I strongly believe “without a shadow of a doubt” that “JESUS is the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIFE.”
When I mentioned writing skits, Lendon expressed that he does the same thing and has been doing so for a few years. I told him that I started writing during the lockdown. I always knew that Lendon had a keen interest in some of the art forms. In secondary school, he would write and sing songs and rap as well. He always had a way with words. Many in the local community would also recognise him from his Spoken Word performances at places like Veya Restaurant.
It was also in secondary school where he displayed his love for cooking. After graduating from the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School he worked at Mangoes Restaurant as a Prep Cook. It was no surprise to me that he then furthered his education in this field by attending the Florida Culinary Institute where he obtained an Associate’s Degree in Food and Beverage Management with extended studies in Culinary Arts. Upon completion of his studies, he became a Head Chef at Sullivans Restaurant in the USA – and thereafter returned home and was a Private Chef for many of the high-end villas in Anguilla through a concierge company out of California. Thereafter he ventured into the retail world where he held the position of Sales and Purchasing Manager at Merchants Market and four years later became General Manager of the same organisation. He is a chef at the family-owned Ruthy’s Yum Yum in Little Dix. Once you try his creations the taste is forever lasting.
So it is in 2020 Lendon has shared with me his love for writing skits. Was this a phone call of destiny? Throughout our conversation, Lendon continued to explain how he always imagined putting on a local show, like a Tyler Perry type of stage play in Anguilla. Now, that very statement surprised me. It felt like déjà vu. I had a similar conversation before now. The only difference was that I was having a remarkably similar conversation with someone else.
About one week earlier, I was talking to another dear friend, Ms Melissa Hamm. We both attended the Orealia Primary School (O.K.P.S), formerly the Stoney Ground Primary School. Since then we have kept a close bond. Melissa obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Theatre Arts at Towson University. She is currently in St.Maarten employed at Charlotte Brookson Academy of the Performance Arts as the Arts Coordinator and Drama Teacher – and also at the Methodist Agogic Centre Comprehensive Secondary Education as a Drama Teacher. Melissa’s degree gave her the technical ability to build stage sets. She launched her Honey Bee Studios business in 2018 where she creates many arts and crafts and clothing designs and so much more for her clientele. She is filled with so much talent and ideas and, during our conversation, I made an encouraging statement and said, “Mel, you could be the next Tyler Perry of Anguilla, No! The Caribbean!” Was this a coincidence or was God saying something?
While on the phone with Lendon, I felt something in my spirit. I immediately told Lendon about the conversation I had with Melissa prior to me now having a similar conversation with him. He too was in shock that I had a similar conversation with someone else. Lendon then suggested that we should do something together in Anguilla. I replied that since the three of us are passionate about the arts, we should arrange a meeting to explore this some more. AND SO IT STARTED…
Our Secretary, Ms Danielle Connor, and our Treasurer, Ms Malika Depasois, both willing came onboard and proudly accepted their roles, duties and responsibilities. They both agreed that this was a timely initiative – it is something that was desperately needed not only in Anguilla but in the world at large. They understood our vision and mission and have been committed to our cause, ever since, to aid us in achieving our goals and objectives. We are all are passionate about various art forms and we believe that this initiative was orchestrated by Almighty God.
In today’s world negativity, chaos and confusion, wars, catastrophes, pandemics have become the norm. When one tunes in or logs on to the media, the reports are depressing. Even in our personal lives, many of us are going through seasons of struggles and challenges. These situations have the potential to affect our physical, emotional and mental health. I am sure many of us may have heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” That statement is true because if you have a healthy diet, then it is more likely that you will be healthy physically. Therefore, the saying, “You are, what you think,” also has merit and can have a powerful impact. Ann Wigmore sums this up when she stated that, “Your health is what you make of it. Everything you do and think either adds to the vitality, energy, and spirit you possess or takes away from it.”
The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 that we must, “encourage one another to remind each other of the truth that God loves us that God equips us, that we are cherished and that our struggles are worth it.”
It is against this background and a burning desire to encourage and inspire others to live lives that radiate positivity – lives that are pleasing to God – that three friends, Lendon Williams, Melissa Hamm and I, Zonelle Richardson (LMZ), decided to establish Luminous Motivational Zealous Outreach Media a.k.a LMZ on 26th May, 2020.
The activities of the organisation are intended to inspire and encourage people to share their skills and talents via various art forms. In so doing they will live more positive and spiritual lives and glorify God. The ultimate aim is to bring hope, confidence, and joy into people’s lives so that they can continue living UP.
Our vision statement is to “uplift and encourage people from all walks of life no matter their race, age, colour, or Creed”. Our mission statement is to “inspire and motivate people through the Arts, by providing them with the necessary resources, knowledge, and counsel, to spiritually evolve into who we are to be”.
Our goals and objectives are to:
• Inspire individuals and expose the audience to different art forms.
• Encourage Anguillians and residents of Anguilla to use our media platforms to showcase their artistic talents by delivering a positive message and glorifying God.
• Suggest ways to become a better individual.
These objectives will be achieved mainly through daily presentations on our social media platforms of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. We will be present in The Anguillian newspaper and other radio stations monthly as well as our soon coming official website.
Our virtual launch was held on the 24th August, 2020, via Facebook and YouTube, and from the 31st August, 2020 we will be presenting content daily. Each week we will have a theme/topic, and every day we will post encouraging and positive content supporting the topic while featuring us, Anguillians and residents of Anguilla.
Lendon, Melissa and I are true friends who love Anguilla. Through this initiative, God has allowed us to do something to help bring about real, positive and spiritual change – spiritual change to the lives of people. No longer will we sit back and complain and get emotional about the happenings. We are asking the Holy Spirit to lead us as we come up with content and creative ways to bring hope into the lives of many. The truth is by encouraging you; we will be encouraging ourselves.
Anguilla and beyond, a hearty Welcome to the LMZ Family!
Positive Life, Positive Mind. A source of Inspiration to All. Stay tuned and may God bless you all!
Zonelle Richardson
Co-President (Founder)
LMZ Outreach Media
