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She had promised God and she was determined to keep her promise. Grateful to Him for blessing her womb after years of barrenness, Hannah handed young Samuel to Eli, the priest, with the words, “For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him: therefore also I have lent [given] him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent [given] to the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:27-28a, KJV). Samuel was not only asked of and received from God (v.20); now he was being given back to Him.

On this point, Bible scholar Matthew Henry writes, “(1) Whatever we give to God, it is what we have first asked and received from Him. All our gifts to Him were first His gifts to us. Of thy own, Lord, have we given thee, 1 Chronicles 29:14, 16. (2) Whatever we give to God may upon this account be said to be lent to Him, that though we may not recall it, as a thing lent, yet He will certainly repay it, with interest, to our unspeakable advantage.” Reread the second point – “Whatever is lent to God . . . He will certainly repay it, with interest, to our unspeakable advantage.” So how did God repay Hannah?

Remember, before God answered her prayers, Hannah longed for children but “the Lord had shut up her womb” (1 Samuel 1:5-6, 11). One child would have been enough for her; however, God was not finished. The narrative continues, “And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, ‘The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord.’ And they went unto their own home. And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:20-21). For the act of “lending” her firstborn to the Lord, she who was barren was “repaid” with interest – five more children! She went from being seen as a cursed woman to one who was blessed to her “unspeakable advantage!”

God is no man’s debtor (Mark 10:28-31). As Creator and being all-sufficient within Himself, He is never in debt to anyone. Everything that we have – the house, the car, the finances, the children, and everything else – come from Him “and of thy own have we given thee” (1 Chronicles 29:13-14). In other words, we are giving back to God what was already His and was always His. However, it is comforting to know that He often rewards those who joyfully give back to Him from what they have been blessed with. And when He does, it is often “with interest.” Awesome God; amazing grace.

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It was a momentous occasion last week in Plantation, Florida at the Island Space Caribbean Museum, which played host to VP Records’ Matriarch, Patricia Chin (affectionately referred to as ‘Miss Pat’’), as part of Jamaica Consul General Oliver Mair’s Lecture Series.  The discussion and Q & A session with Miss Pat was moderated by Calibe Thompson.   Located inside the Broward Mall, the Island SPACE Caribbean Museum (which was co-founded by David Muir) is the first and only brick and mortar pan-Caribbean heritage museum in the USA.  A chief purpose and mission of this colorful museum is to showcase the history and vibrant culture of the Caribbean diaspora.

Jamaican Culture and Music Icon

Regarded as the ‘Godmother of Reggae’, Miss Pat told the story of VP Records from its humble beginnings in Kingston, Jamaica.  Of course, we all know that since then the iconic VP Records has grown into a behemoth of a record label that is much heralded throughout the world.  This one-of-a-kind and intimate opportunity to hear Miss Pat tell her story in-person was memorable indeed, and apart from Consul General Mair, there were several other notable attendees were on-hand as well, including:  Angela and Howie Chin of VP Records as well as other family members;  Dr. Lydia Malcom of Authentic Behavioral Health, LLC;  David Muir (Street & Lifestyle Photographer – ‘Pieces of Jamaica’); Eddy Edwards, CEO of Jamaican Jerk Festival USA, Inc.; Cheryl Wynter Public Information Officer at Consulate General of Jamaica. Miami; and Copeland Forbes, who is one of the most consequential figures in the history of modern Jamaican music.

Kingston Native with Global Impact

Patricia Chin grew up in the heart of Kingston, Jamaica.  VP Records was created in 1979 by co-founders Patricia, the “P” and Vincent, the “V”.  Over the 40 plus years that have passed since then, and VP Records—which began as a small used-record shop in Kingston called Randy’s Record Mart—grew into a central pillar where reggae music is concerned.  It would be remiss to not note that ‘Miss Pat’ and her late husband, Vincent “Randy” Chin’s Randy’s Record Mart and Studio 17 is where the careers of artists, Bob Marley & the Wailers, and Toots & the Maytals got their start.  And they all had magnificent and unforgettable careers to say the least.  A Grammy winning record label, the tentacles of the VP Records reggae empire have indeed stretched across the world.  As such, VP Records has since grown to become the largest reggae record label in the world.  The legions of reggae and dancehall aficionados and fans the world over are certainly thankful for ‘Miss Pat’ and VP Records family for their ground-breaking contributions to reggae and dancehall music.

Up Close and Personal with Miss Pat

Following Miss Pat’s insightful presentation chronicling her and her late husband’s journey in building the mighty VP Records, she took the time to take photos, as well as sign autograph copies of her book, titled:  “Miss Pat:  My Reggae Music Journey.”  This fantastic event was made possible with the support of Dr. Lydia Malcom of Authentic Behavioral Health, LLC and her husband, Mr. Waynewrite Malcolm.

Photos by Nick Ford

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Jamaican Olympic champion Hansle Parchment took to social media on October 2, 2023, to dedicate the silver medal he received at the 2023 World Athletics Championships tournament to his coach of 14 years, Fitz Coleman. In regard to the dedication, Parchment posted, “He deserves this as much as I do,” gaining cheers and praise from his social media followers and displaying one of the character traits that have made him a favorite among track and field fans worldwide.

Special Meaning of Medal

Parchment noted in his social media post that the World Championships in Budapest was special to him and that the silver medal meant a lot. His Facebook post described Coleman as a friend and mentor in addition to being his athletics coach, adding that Coleman “has been a guiding force in all my achievements” and that he wanted “to send a heartfelt thanks” to his coach with his dedication of the medal.

Parchment’s Career Achievements

The Jamaican field athlete specializes in the 110-meter hurdles and is the current Olympic champion in this event. He won Jamaica’s Olympic trials in 2012 with a then-personal best time of 13.18 seconds to qualify for that year’s Summer Olympics and then went on to win the bronze medal in the 110-meter final with a then-Jamaican record of 13.12 seconds. At the 2015 World Championships, he won a silver medal in the final, and in 2021 took third place in the Jamaican Olympic trials with 13.18 seconds to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics. In the 110-meter final at the Olympics, he won a gold medal, clocking 13.04 seconds. He then placed second at the 2023 Jamaican National Championship with 13.13 seconds, a performance that brought him to the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. In Budapest, he won a silver medal with his then-season’s best time of 13.07 seconds.

Performance at the 2023 Diamond League

Parchment won his first Diamond League trophy in September 2023, in Eugene, Oregon, running the 110-meter hurdles in a lifetime-best and world-best time of 12.93 seconds to defeat American Grant Holloway, the  three-time world champion. Parchment’s time in this event made him the fastest Jamaican in the world. Parchment plans to defend his 110-meter hurdles Olympic title at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

About Fitz Coleman

Track and field coach Fitz Coleman is a specialist in hurdling events. He currently serves as the head coach and technical director of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)-recognized High Performance Training Center in Kingston, Jamaica. The Center is responsible for the training of Jamaica’s track and field athletes. Together with Glen Mills, Coleman is a member of the team that coaches Jamaica’s Olympic track team. Coleman has been named Person of the Year by the Jamaica Gleaner in honor of his contributions to sports in Jamaica. Other athletes he has coached include sprint champion Usain Bolt and 400-meter Commonwealth Games medal winner, Jermaine Gonzales.

Photo – Hansle Parchment’s Facebook Page

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