Sister Edith Garnett
On September 22, 2024, Sister Edith Garnett officially reached the age of 100; “officially,” because that is what is written on her birth certificate. However, Sister Garnett’s mother told her she was born on September 25, 1924.
This humble woman, whom the Lord has led and sustained through many rough paths, continues to give God praise, knowing that she could not have made it this far without her Saviour, Jesus Christ. “The LORD is keeping me alive and I pray night and day, and the LORD answer my prayer!” was her confident response to her church family at Tarrant Baptist, where, as the oldest member, she was recognised and celebrated on her birthday.
“FIRST TIME I SAW THE HAND OF GOD IN MY LIFE”
At a very tender age herself, Sister Edith was put in charge of her younger siblings while her mother went to work. This cut short her regular school attendance, and when the JAMAL programme was introduced at Tarrant, she enlisted to gain “more teaching,” she said.
Sister Edith recounts how at age thirteen, her mother sent her away from the family house in Maryland, upper St. Andrew, to make her own living. She sat in a bus shed with her small “grip” by her side, crying uncontrollably, not knowing what to do. “This was when I first saw the hand of God in my life,” she remembers, “as a woman in a car stopped to ask the reason for my distress and took me into her home as caregiver for her young children.”
Over the decades, Sister Edith served as a domestic helper in several homes until she recognised that she had to retire. She also saw helping as one way in which she
Sister Garnett being helped from church by Sister Veronica Dillon (left) and Sister Beryl Thompson (right).
could give back to the Lord, and it was not uncommon to hear of how she would visit sick people to help clean their homes or wash their clothes.
BAPTISM AND FASTING
Sister Edith had started visiting Tarrant in the early seventies when she moved to the neighbourhood. She remembers that it was at a morning worship service that she accepted the Lord and was baptised by the then pastor, the Rev. William Edwards (who also became a centenarian this year). “That was how Sunday mornings became my time of fasting and up to today, I still do that,” she said. The Women’s Federation and Sunday School ministries have benefitted from her faithful involvement, and in later years, she joined the Senior Citizens’ Club.
In her eighties, Sister Edith felt that she should be doing more at Tarrant and offered to clean the benches each week in preparation for church. She was not happy when she was kindly told to leave that for younger folk, as she believed she still had the strength to labour in her place of worship.
With no known living relatives, Tarrant Baptist is her family, and she is grateful for the friendship, love, and attention she receives. Psalm 122, verse 1 says, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” This verse embodies our dear sister, who, although challenged in coping with the full length of church services, still wants to attend regularly.
BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR
Thus far, the LORD has truly been our centenarian’s “Ebenezer.” A breast cancer survivor, she is particularly grateful for the times when members would take her to the doctor, to the hospital where they would visit frequently, and assist with purchasing the needed medication.
“I can never forget the members of the Brotherhood (now Men’s Fellowship) who helped me with the house when I moved to Spanish Town” Sister Barnett beams. “They helped with the repairs and smoothed the rocky path to my front door.”
She praises God for the destiny helpers He continues to provide, and is assured that He will never leave her nor forsake her. May the Lord, Jehovah Jireh, continue to cover Sister Edith Garnett with His gracious hand until He is pleased to call her to her eternal