Contact
Melanie Pitcher
info@barbadossurftrips.com
Groundswell 2010 Report
by Brett Davis
Since as early as 1994 there has been a Christian Surfers contact in Barbados, Paul Marshall, who has largely been the lone voice to the surfing community. In the past couple of years God has touched the life of a friend of Paul's, Melanie Pitcher, who has run a surf hostel and now a surf coaching school.
During the recent America's Conference Mel came along and shared her heart for the surfers of the island as well as the vulnerable younger girls. "I have been amazed at how we have used surfing to connect with many young girls and share God's love for them through these girls surf camps. Issues of boyfriends, sexuality, self identity, trust and more are discussed along the way as we teach surfing. I am also coaching many tourists and other families who want to learn to surf, God seems to have placed me in a position of influence and connection. We are now at the stage of exploring what is next in setting up Christian Surfers."
Mel is a great woman surfer in her own right and with a fresh breakthrough in her own walk with God and solid supportive people like the Marshalls, she is positive about the future. "Barbados has many tough hard core guys, many into the rasta scene. There is a lot of drug and alcohol abuse as well as broken relationships. We are praying that God might break through into this." Barbados has the highest percentage of black surfers in the world and they are a strong surfing force in the Caribbean. Pray for Mel and her vision to see surf mission established.
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