On a mission to give back

As the chief executive officer of her newly formed charity, Helping Hands Productions, earlier this week, Sharon Purser-Cooper, donated a $750,000 incubator to Port Maria Hospital (PMH) in St Mary to aid the facility's treatment of premature and jaundiced newborn babies.

Purser-Cooper who was born at PMH, but has lived in the Bahamas for more than 30 years, described the gift as part of a "God-given assignment" to help regenerate Jamaica's flagging healthcare system.

She told Family and Religion: "My parents were really the inspiration for this donation because they were helpers in this very community. I would like to help improve healthcare in our community and throughout Jamaica, and so I formed this company to assist community-based entities.

"When you have destiny and purpose in life, even if you are a non-believer, an evolutionist or whatever, I believe the highest point of one's existence is when you begin to impact humanity and your community.

"So, after you've done all the groundwork and have grown and developed yourself, you get to that stage where you share what you've learned so that when you are no longer here, your footprint will be here to let people know you were here and that you made a difference.

"I don't seek wealth or fame, but I want to touch and lives and refine spiritual existence because we are tripartite; we have our body and soul where we have our intellect and emotions, and then we have the spirit, which is Godly, and no one is totally whole unless they become a fully-rounded tripartite being."

BECOME GOD-FEARING

Purser-Cooper believes the only way Jamaica and its citizens can overcome their multitude of problems is to once again become a God-fearing nation.

She explained: "I was grown up in the Christian Brethren Gospel Hall church, but at this point in my life I'm multi-denominational and more inclined to charismatic faith, believing in the supernatural working power of God, and the work we have done at today at PMH is testimony to what God can do when you ride out your storm and get where you're going.

"I have a very vibrant and dynamic relationship with God through Jesus Christ and I think Jamaica needs God and needs to get back to being God-focused. I'm very concerned about moral decay in our country, but that moral decay is not to be misunderstood. We have a very powerful Church with strong believers in God, but we need to get out into the communities and take marketplace ministry more seriously.

"We need to take the truth, the love, the word, and the practical aspect of our faith into where it is needed, like osmosis. I'm concerned about the youth in particular, the future of our nation, and their perception of their need for God and to prioritise their faith as a guideline and moral compass. I think religion plays a very important role and is going to be the salvation of this nation."