For my second interview I chatted with Judith Chambers, my husband’s aunt, who has been very involved in women’s work in the Maritimes and around the world. She very graciously agreed to talk with me even though she has been undergoing treatments for cancer which are still ongoing.

Q: Judith, what is your official position?

A: I’m President of the North American Baptist Women’s Union and one of the several Vice Presidents of the Women’s Department of the Baptist World Alliance.

Q: What are your responsibilities and duties and how long have you been in this position?

A: It’s a five-year elected position. The position itself – one of our aims and goals is to bring women together that wouldn’t in any other way be able to be brought together for fellowship. So we have seventeen conventions that would be actually probably several hundreds of thousands of women. Because when you look at the black conventions throughout the United States, they’re huge. So what we try to do is once a year we bring together all of our executive members and we have open sessions for discussion and for fellowship and we get to know each other. So presidents of all the seventeen conventions have a chance to meet other presidents and it is really very special in that way. Otherwise, these women would never meet.

Q: What are some other aims and what are your duties in terms of those positions?

A: One of the things that we do is we raise money for women and children and we have one woman who looks after all the grants. We give out $35,000 every year in grants. Typically it’s for women in need and children in need. Sometimes we alter programs and we do just teenagers. There is a program with the Southern Baptist Women that is very, very popular and it does a beautiful job with teenage girls so we support that as well – we will give money to support these teenage girls.

For me it’s an administrative job. I’m on the computer in my busiest time, five and six hours a day. Right now I’m not busy because I’m almost through my term of office and the big Assembly is going to be on and so I’m almost through. I am supposed to be, more or less, overseeing all of the various facets of our work. We have a young woman’s work – I don’t get involved in that at all because Evelyn Tully has taken that on and she is superb. This same Evelyn Tully is my salvation in many, many ways. She’s taken on the website and she’s taken on the magazine. And then when I said I need someone to take on Assembly, no one offered. So Evelyn just said, “Then I’ll do it”. Which means that’s fine with me, but that means that nobody who had the opportunity to say that they would do the Assembly should interfere at all with what Evelyn Tully is doing at Assembly.

Q: So how did you get involved with North American Baptist Women?

A: I was an Executive Director for the UBWMU and each Convention has an Executive Director. So there would be probably 12 or 14 Executive Directors. That would mean that we would get together once a year at the meetings and the Executive Directors would meet together and discuss the areas of our concerns and what we felt we needed to know and be doing and that worked out very, very well. I was asked to let my name stand and I said “No”. And they said no we really want you and I said, “I just can’t see why” and in the end when my name did go forward and was elected, I said to them, “Now tell me why”, and they said, “You didn’t chose one mission, you’ve been eclectic and gone to many different missions.” That was one of the strengths they felt I had. The other was in my writing, I do so much writing. I’d written a book stuff. And then of course the fact that I have traveled so much and will travel alone, regardless of the messes I get myself into. And I love to travel, so they said these were the strengths they felt they needed in the person that was going to be in this position.

Q: As you look back on your term, as you are coming to the end, what are you most proud of and most grateful for?

A: The assembly actually starts either tomorrow or the next day. I am not going to Assembly, my Doctor has told me not to go anywhere where there are 100’s and actually 1000’s of people, and where I could potentially pick up an infectious disease. Evelyn Tully will be in full charge and she is meticulous for detail so I know that it will go very, very well. I know that.

In my five years in office, I have loved my officers, warts and all. They are wonderful, wonderful women. They have such strengths, and many of them are elderly and many of them have husbands who are ill – and they are fighting themselves against many different odds, but when they get together to work on a project together, they’re superb, absolutely. I couldn’t ask for better people in the positions. I loved my officers – I have a tremendous respect for them. I feel they are my friends and even though we there were times when we had some heated words I’ve been able to laugh because often it’s cultural and there is not a lot you can do about some of this.

Q: You alluded to something we haven’t talked about yet – you said your Doctor didn’t want you to go somewhere where you could catch any infections – can you talk a little bit about the journey you have been on these last six months – has it been six months?

A: Yes, it would be. The first disappointing thing is that my GP did some blood work and found that my thyroid was out of kilter and therefore without touching me, without humanly putting a hand to where the growth is, said that the whole problem is your thyroid. So for months I kept calling her on a weekly basis saying that I could not stand the pain. And she kept saying, just stay on your thyroid medication. So that was very bad news. I left home to go to a woman’s retreat and when I was there I went into a walk-in clinic. The first doctor that saw me said I think that you have cancer of the bowel. I said that I could live with a colostomy and I was fine with that, it was good news. But when they sent me to Kentville for the CAT scan they found cancer in the pancreas, in the lymph nodes, in the liver, in the back and in the stomach. I said to take out the pancreas and they said to what end Judith, you’re not going to live. That was the bad news, that was the scary news.

Now I’ve had 4 chemotherapies and have had absolutely no illness with it at all. The Doctor Kahn who is my oncologist is going to do a CAT scan on the 24th of the month and he says he doesn’t even need to do it. He knows that the pancreatic growth has decreased because I’m doing so well. I couldn’t possibly be doing so well if it hadn’t decreased. That is really good news.

You look very well.

I feel terrific. The only time I’ve ever felt sick is when I couldn’t eat, the chemo does not make me sick. My experience with the chemo has been good.

Q: So the next steps in terms of the cancer is that you have another chemo treatment you are expecting right now?

A: Coming right up, very soon.

Q: In a few days? And then they will do an evaluation?

A: Then they will do a CAT scan and that will show whether things have shrunk. There is a possibility that if the growth has shrunk they may do something with the liver, which may be radiology.

Q: Is that all done here in Charlottetown, or do you need to go to Halifax?

A: It’s fantastic, it’s here. The whole program for hospice and for palliative care is here and is in the old hospital and I have said to them, now when you can no longer do anything for me, what is going to happen to me? There indication is that I will go to palliative care at the old hospital and end my days there. And I couldn’t ask for anything better – that would be my wish.

Q: We’ve talked a little bit about what you’ve been doing with North American Baptist Women, and we’ve talked a little bit about what you are dealing with personally right now, I just want to re-visit the NABW for a minute. What are the challenges for the NABW, and secondly what are challenges for Atlantic Baptist Women, if they are different?

A: The NABW it is to somehow soften the tensions between black and white leaders. I’m told that the new president, whose name is Linda Webber, with her background in ESL and extensive travels will be a good fit in this position.

Finances are also terribly important. The catastrophe in the United States was the beginning of the financial difficulties. Canada’s response was to give to the United States for the catastrophes and continue to give for the Baptist Women’s World Day of Prayer. However, the Americans tended to just give to the American catastrophes. So we were down by close to 50 thousand dollars this year and that’s bad news. The big expenses come for example in 2010 when we go to Hawaii for the next conference because if we have at least 7 or 6 women going on that will be very expensive. Finding the money is always a problem.

Q: So overall when you look at Atlantic Baptist Women and their challenges for the next 5 years, what are the most important challenges that they have to face up to and meet and find ways of overcoming?

A: Atlantic Baptist Women are down by about $50 thousand as well. Our big event is the Day of Prayer which is on November 11th every year. Finances are always going to be a bit of a problem. The women’s department has no way of getting any money apart from receiving a portion from the Day of Prayer monies which helps support the travel for the executive.

Q: You’ve talked a little about your travels, can you give me a little look at your journey up to this point and where you’ve been and where you lived in the world.

A: When I have the opportunity to travel it’s two pronged. I want to go. Therefore I don’t mind sometimes even subsidizing to help myself go. The thing is I get into trouble everywhere I go. You probably heard the story about me going to Brazil without a visa and being arrested and put into incarceration. And the story about losing my camera in Korea and a wonderful man heard me talking to the front desk clerk at the hotel who was saying that it had been three days and my camera hadn’t been brought in and that I would not see my camera again, and I said, yes I will. My roommate and I are praying for it and God has told us that our prayers will be answered and besides, you Korean people are very honest people and I will get my camera back. There was a man standing behind me who leaned forward and put his hand on my shoulder and asked if I really meant that – and I said yes, Korean and Japanese people have a tremendous reputation for honesty. So he without saying anything to me determined that he would get that camera back. And he found out that many people knew who took the camera but they weren’t telling. He found out who and went to her house and said, “You have a Canadian woman’s camera.” She said, “Yes I do”. He said, “You need to go the hotel and turn it into her”. “No I’m not”, she said – “Yes you are”, he said – “Give me the camera”. So he took the camera and I got my camera back. There are so many stories like that, just wonderful, wonderful, wonderful people. I have traveled a great deal. First of all when I traveled it was with Canadian Teacher’s Federation and I went to Cameroon and I went down to South Africa and I went to Mozambique and Eritrea and to Australia for a year with Ted. We went 4 or 5 times to Australia. Then, because of my position I went to Europe, Korea, and Brazil.

Q: So you taught in Australia and in Eritrea as well?

A: Yes I taught teachers in each country I went to.

Q: When you think about people who have been influencers for you does anyone come to mind?

A: Monica Wenga – when I first knew here she was a classroom teacher who came to my class where I was teaching in Cameroon. And she said to me one day, “You’re a Christian aren’t you.” And I said, “Yes, I am.” She said, “I want you to come home and meet my family”, and I said, “I’d love to”. She attended one of the American Baptist churches. I went out and visited her and the leprosy mission. Monica became a dear friend and over the years we’ve stayed in touch. She is now a leader of the women of Mozambique.

Q: So how has she influenced you – what made her come to your mind?

A: Because she is so forward moving. She would go out on a limb even though she has 7 or 8 boys, most of them unemployed, but if she felt they had had a bad time of it, she would go out on a limb for them. She is a lovely, lovely lady, she is very, very capable. She is a leader and she needs to be encouraged and supported in that position.

Q: Can you tell me when you look at your life from where you began in Sackville to here, can you think of worst things and best things that have happened to you?

A: I presume you know the story that when I turned fourteen my brother said I had to leave home. I had to go to work and that was it. So I sat down and wrote to Dr. Myron Brinton and said if you would let me come to finish my high school, I’ll do anything and he wrote a letter that said come. That’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Dr. Britton letting me finish my high schooling and he made it possible for me to stay on and finish my Bible School training as well. Dr Britton was very, very instrumental in my life. I don’t know that I’ve had a worst thing. I can’t think of anything that was so bad that the Lord couldn’t help me rise above it.

Q: Do you have a favorite movie or book that you have read or watched just for fun over the last few months?

A: I have two videos and the first one was, “When Stanley searched for Livingston”. The most powerful Christian video I have ever seen in my life. Have you seen it? (no I haven’t). Well, it’s fantastic. And the second one is the story of Martin Luther.

Q: When you have free time are there any particular things you like to do?

A: I love to read. I watch CD’s. Connie brings me over popular CD’s and I watch them with the girls. I’ve watched “Bend it like Beckham” and I watch it because my girls love to watch it. But its Christian videos that I love that I want to watch.

Q: When you talk about your girls, who are you talking about because there will be people who won’t know who you mean?

A: My two granddaughters. The youngest, she is full of vinegar. She has so much energy. Lyndon is Gram’s girl, she would be sitting on my lap if she were here. She’s great. Eleanor is quiet and very much into girlfriends. Connie is my daughter, their mother and David is her husband.

Q: If there is one thing you could say to the Atlantic Baptist constituency, what would it be?

A: I would like to say, take part in as many mission opportunities as you can. If that’s to go to Kenya, or if that’s to go to another area such as where Hans and Graciella are – they are looking for teams to help them out in the orphanage. Whatever it is, just open your life to having these experiences of mission programs. Whatever it is, do it. It’s a life changing experience. And if you can’t go, contribute what you can so that somebody else can go. Certainly that is what has radically changed my life. It’s because I went out as a teacher to teach, but in every place I went, they soon found out that I was a Christian, so that became the focus. We live in a day that the world is growing smaller and we need to expose ourselves to what is going on out there and see the needs.

Q: I just want to go back to one thing you said – “it radically changed my life” – in what way? Can you expand on that a little bit, how did it change?

A: My world was too small. When I started going from one country to another, such as Mozambique – war was still on when I went to teach in Mozambique. There was a six-block area that they said was safe for us to be in. This was in the day when they would cut children’s hands off and that sort of thing. So I would buy all kinds of souvenirs from these little kids just to give them money and one thing I did find was that there were no street children. No child slept on the street at night in Mozambique, with all the poverty , the women took in these children and sheltered them for the night and they slept safe in the compound. And I thought I had been so hard done by because I had to leave home at fourteen. There is just so much to learn out there.

I appreciate your time Judith – thank you for answering these questions.

It’s been a pleasure.