The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

International Pinky Promise Founder Heather Lindsey and GEMS Radio CEO Debbie Bartlett headlined a women’s empowerment conference in the Bahamas last week, organised by Wings of Hope Charity and Pinky Promise Bahamas. Over 150 women gathered under the theme Standing Together As Righteous Sisters (STARS) for the conference held to “break the barriers” of today’s society.

Wings of Hope is a charity geared towards helping young women and children in need. On a daily basis they reach out to women who are pregnant and going through issues. “We just work to talk to them, help them and let them know that they have people they can reach out to,” said Simone Gibson.

Pinky Promise Bahamas is a faith-based group that operates on the principles of honouring God with “your body and your life”. Members gather monthly to support one another and grow in their relationship with God.

“The turnout was really good for our first conference and other events going on that night, like FamFest. We had a turn out of 150 plus women, it was more than what I expected. I wasn’t sure if people were really going to support it because it was new to the Bahamas, but we had more persons who were not apart of any of the local groups in the building and that really was awesome. We had the opportunity to meet other girl groups that have the same beliefs as us,” said Ms Gibson.

The free conference opened its doors to women and entrepreneurs of all ages who were interested in setting up booths at the even, to sell their products. “I believe in uplifting women and supporting them. These women just wanted to get their names out there and showcase their work and products,” she said.

Speaking about the importance of such events, Ms Gibson said there are many barriers to progress in today’s society, such as family background, how much money one has in the bank and the sound of one’s last name. She said people tend to separate themselves in ways that at the end of the day are of no concern to God.

“He looks at us as all of his children, regardless of our social status, so the conference was about breaking those barriers. We are women and Pinky Promise is about women, so we are standing together as sisters in Christ, regardless of what.”

Ms Bartlett spoke about her experiences going through college, and not wanting to fit in with the crowd. She shared stories about how hard it was being different. She encouraged the women not to be afraid of being different and standing up for what is right. She spoke about her challenges coming back home and working at ZNS and being under constant attack because of what she stood for. 

Ms Bartlett made note of the mistakes she made and encouraged the women in the audience that they do not have to make same mistakes. She said she knew her potential and capabilities even though people tried to hold her down. She encouraged the crowd to ignore the noise in the market, because people will always talk negatively about you.

In her speech, at the event Ms Lindsey spoke about relationships, living for God and guarding one’s heart. She said to the crowded room: “You cannot afford to admire this world. As soon as you want what it wants then the portion that God has for you will seem less desirable and appear to take too long because to get things the worlds way, you do worldly things. To do things God’s way, you live for him. The cost is much higher to live for Christ and the road is less travelled. Admiring the world will open the door for discontentment to pour into your heart. All that glitters is not gold and is temporary. Guard your heart,” said Ms Lindsey.

She added: “Just because a guy is nice to you, doesn’t mean that he wants to marry you. Stop creating wars in your head about your future with a guy that doesn’t even know your last name. Tell your emotions to calm down and refocus on Christ. You shouldn’t know if a good man is hard to find, you shouldn’t be looking. Let’s stop searching for fault in others while we have our own backyard that is filled with our own issues.”

“Dr Debbie Bartlett, we know that she is a pioneer in her industry and the struggles that she has went through. We have Heather Lindsey who shared her story about courting her husband and waiting until marriage to kiss. Sometimes we feel that God doesn’t have someone for us or we have been dating for a while, and hearing these stories will encourage a woman,” said Ms Gibson.

She said Pinky Promise and Wings of Hope will make a number of appearances at schools and girls clubs to keep the message going.

“We have groups that have started at several schools, like Kingsway and Anatol Rodgers. The numbers are increasing. Our focus right now are on the younger girls, to help them stay focused and keep their eyes fixed on Christ,” said Ms Gibson.