Dear Editor,

  As a concerned citizen, we are all entitled to our own opinion, and should also respect the opinions of others as well.

  However, I do believe everyone would agree with this one. To request a Registration Form at the new Government Building you have to make an appointment, which, in my mind is totally ridiculous.

  At the old building, when you came to request a Registration Form, you got it the same day, and you went along and did your business.

  At the new building, they give you a number (542-0652) to call for an appointment. When you dial the number it rings out.

  They gave me that number yesterday to call for an appointment, and I tried to call from then up until today and finally got true, and now that I got true, I was given an appointment for February 5th, 2018 and today is January 9th. 2018. I believe a child would have set up the system a lot better than how they have it organized now.

  The minister in charge of that portfolio, please have the head of that department organize the system in a much better way. We are living in modern times, and so we have to act like professionals.

  The minister in charge, please try and handle that as quick as you can. This is opinion for requesting a Registration Form.

Lemuel Fleming

Dear Editor,

  Thanks for the opportunity to share God’s message.

  Last week Sunday morning Christmas Eve while I was on my way to Church I saw so many people busy shopping, gathering material things and not even having a consciousness or reverence for the things of God after we just passed a devastating hurricane. And my spirit was grieved because it was all about materialism and worldly pleasures instead of seeking the things of God.

  I began the church service by telling the congregation that this morning I sensed that God was not pleased. And that judgement would fall and so I cried out for mercy. In the book of Matthew 24:6-7 it says in the last days that there will be many earthquakes in various places.

  “And you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.”

  Just recently there was an earthquake in Trinidad that was 4.9 magnitude. There are many earthquakes happening as we speak. But, because it doesn’t affect us we are ignoring it as if it could not happen to us.

  The Iran-Iraq border earthquake is deadliest that happened November 3 of this year. The most powerful earthquake struck Iran’s mountainous border with Iraq, killing more than 413 people and injuring more than 7,000.

  Well while we were worshipping an earthquake shook St. Maarten Sunday at approximately 11.35am and it had a magnitude of 5.5. I felt the whole building shake. Thank God it wasn’t longer just a couple of seconds. Or we could have had dire consequences. We began to pray for mercy and cover ourselves with the blood of Jesus.

  I heard that many people were shopping at Sunny Foods when the earthquake shook, children began screaming and people started to run out of the food stores. The same thing happened in Philipsburg many individuals ran out of the shops. It was total pandemonium, chaos and confusion. People were terrified, that’s why I am sounding the alarm. The Bible predicted that in the last days that these things would happen. People of St. Maarten, God is coming back to fix a broken world and we have to be ready.

  You may have heard this before but the word of God says that when you see these things happening things like wars and rumours of war, hurricane, earthquakes and tsunami look up because our redemption draws near. This means that Jesus could come anytime. This is not a cliché, it is a warning.

  We have just experienced Hurricane Irma the worst recorded in recent history to hit the Atlantic and it caused so much destruction throughout the Caribbean. Yet it saddens me that no one is turning to God. So many people are busy seeking for material wealth and pleasures, things to satisfy their emptiness instead of seeking after God. Many people are saying SXM strong without taking one minute to say thank God for life. We are doing as if there is no need for God and we can do it on our own. Nothing is wrong about being positive and saying we are going to rebuild but we should be mindful that in everything we must put God first. This is what we should be saying – we are going to rebuild by the grace of God. Without God nothing will happen.

  Every year the government of St. Maarten would invite the Council of Churches to pray against the hurricane season. But what bothers me is this. Someone complained about the nativity scene that used to be in front of the government building, but for a couple of years now it was not allowed to be placed there anymore. The same God that they don’t want to pay homage to that is represented by the nativity is the same God they want to protect us during the hurricane season – what hypocrisy. God is not mocked, whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap. Selah, pause and think about that.

  Just like the days of Noah, people were merrymaking, eating and drinking until the flood came. When Noah and Lot warned the people of God’s coming judgment and destruction, the people would not listen. Instead they treated Noah and Lot as “extremists.” Then the destruction that DID come found the people unprepared. This is the same way it will be when Jesus Christ returns. As in the days of Noah and Lot, the soon return of our Lord Jesus will be a snare unto the people who do not heed the warning and surrender their lives to Him who knows all. (Luke 17:26-30)

  This world is hearing and seeing the last warning message from God. Multitudes are in the valley of decision; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision! (Joel 3:14)

  The rapture of the Church is about to take place and yet people are stubborn and are hardening their hearts. The Rapture is when the millions of believers who are truly born again will suddenly disappear and God is going to take them to heaven. For those who don’t believe in the Rapture He is not coming for you. The word Rapture is not in the Bible but in first Thessalonians 4:16 talks about caught up to meet Him in the air. Read it for yourself, you cannot say you did not know.

  There is a man of God from the French side who got a vision from God that Marigot was no more, he saw the hills coming down, the seas high, high coming in. He said a lot of lives will be lost. He spoke some time in June about the shaking of the nation and it happened on September 6. God always warns through His prophets before he brings a judgement to a nation.

  God is a God of love but He is also a God of Judgement. The Bible says “except you repent you all likewise perish” LK 13:3. It also says “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” 2Peter 3:9. We are truly living in the last days. I truly believe that Irma was Judgement on St. Maarten. Jesus will return suddenly without warning just like the earthquake that came last Sunday. Are you ready to meet Him?

  As a pastor I am praying for God’s mercy but unless the people change their heart, judgement or His wrath is about to fall. St. Maarten has a long way to go before we build back to what it was before Irma. Some major hotels could rebuild after 2 years or more and that is why there will be a crisis because of the unemployment we would be facing. Although some cruise passengers have started to come back unless we have stay over passengers this island will take longer to recover.

  After Hurricane Irma people have changed for the worse. There is no love in people’s hearts. Some are cold and heartless. Right after the hurricane we had landlords throwing out tenants out of their houses and buildings. And to make matters worse now that we are hurting we have price gouging that is going on in all sectors of our community, what a shame. Even our government owned companies are doing it and allowing this to take place. At least give people a chance to rebuild before you jack up the prices.

  I am calling on all Believers to pray. Pray for mercy, pray for change, and pray that people may repent before it is too late.

  My prayer is that people would turn to God and repent of their wicked ways. There is still a chance and God would be merciful towards us. God wishes above all that none would perish but all come to repentance.

Pastor Wendell Philips,

Christian Living Ministries International

Dear Editor,

  As far I know, none of the political parties has any idea on how to deal with immigration.

In fact, in the last 7 years, it seems to get worse with no clear solution on that matter. As we know from the past, all parties support the 3 grace period that was created by law a few years ago. This is the liberal social democrat ideology on immigration. They believe in rewarding illegal immigration, hoping that those lawbreakers would become good citizens.

  Liberals or social democrats believe that undocumented immigrants have a right to all educational and health benefits that citizens receive, including financial aid, and welfare regardless of legal status. Liberals believe in raising taxes to pay this expense off the back of St. Maarten people. In St. Maarten, as I explained, none of the political parties is conservative.

  A conservative believes in always protecting his country first, in this case, St. Maarten first. A conservative believes in strong border control and supports legal immigration only. Conservatives oppose grace periods for those who enter St. Maarten illegally (illegal immigrants). Those who break the law by entering St. Maarten illegally, do not have the same rights as those who obey the law and enter legally. The borders should be secured before addressing the problem of the illegal immigrants currently in the St. Maarten.

  I personally believe immigration should be separated from the police, because it provides clarity and better control to avoid corruption. The electorate of St. Maarten (voters) must make it their business to ask what plan does each political party have to solve the immigration challenges, and can St. Maarten government really afford to handle this matter?

  Immigration is an expensive portfolio and it is not only stamping a passport at a port of entry. It is supposed to gather intelligence on security matters for the national security of St. Maarten, and have a plan to extract illegal immigrants rapidly while maintaining the security. Illegal immigration puts a financial burden on St. Maarten and has also become a major concern to our national security. St. Maarten is multicultural and we do not have enough information of who can be involved in the drug cartel and terrorism, not forgetting all other criminal elements.

  Another important example of immigration control is that we do not have information on people we do not know, or are any of those illegal immigrants infected with a contagious disease, which our healthcare system is not able to deal with. Immigration goes hand-in- hand with national security.

  The political ideology on immigration matters for the voters of St. Maarten is a lose-lose situation, because we do not have any conservative party.

  So, ask all the political liberal parties of St. Maarten what their solution is to rectify the immigration challenges. Stay tuned for the next subject on political ideology of conservative versus liberal.

The Patriot Miguel Arrindell

Dear Editor,
The first national decree promulgating the dissolution of parliament was dated November 3, 2017, (LB-17/0575) with the first convening of the new parliament on January 31, 2018.