Before Dr. Hilton Paul Garnett was three-time President of the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists; before he was Executive Secretary of the East Caribbean Conference, and before he was a counselor and psychotherapist, he was a bright-eyed boy growing up in the mixed-race community of Lusignan, entirely unsure of what the future had in store for him.
After evading a mysterious illness that snuffed the lives of his two older brothers, cautiously, he began his childhood journey with the hope that education would allow him a brighter future.
However, when finances failed and he was forced to drop out of school at age 12, he took the next best alternative and got to work. He ran beside the mules of White plantation managers, manured cane fields, bailed sugarcane punts and greased tillage machines throughout his teens.
When racial tensions led him to relocate to Linden, Garnett began working in the bauxite industry, securing a favorable job with the possibility of upward mobility.
It was at that point in his life, when he thought that his trajectory was set, that God presented another path through an impromptu invitation from a stranger in church.
“Young man, how would you like to attend our College?”
Though judged by his family and workmates for accepting the invitation and letting go of his coveted job, Garnett ventured out in faith.
He traveled to the Caribbean Union College in Trinidad and Tobago to complete his high school education in his early-20s. From then on, he wasted no opportunity to add to his academic qualifications. Over a span of years, he worked his way towards achieving his doctorate degree.
Along the way, he experienced love, friendship and loss, met his wife, became a father and grandfather, baptized well over 1,000 in the Caribbean and Canada, brought positive change through his leadership and reminded countless through therapy that there is always hope.
The resounding theme throughout Dr. Garnett’s life is one of unwavering determination despite the hurdles. It is one of unmatched perseverance for higher education and a closer walk with God. His story reminds us that no matter how rough the beginning, with heaven as the goal, our path is sure.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” — Jeremiah 1:5
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