Church's back steps

Weeds

So, when I was living in the States, I HATED to mow grass. I mean I did it, but not even slightly my favorite thing to do. Now we live in Guyana. The villages we have lived in HATE grass. They love clean white sand around their houses. Why? Snakes can hide in grass if it gets tall and the only way to cut it is with a cutlass. So, now in order to be a 'good' housewife, I am expected to keep the sand around my house completely free of all weeds. Mowing grass is looking lovely right now. 

   This week as I have been cleaning out 9 months or grass and weeds, I was reminded that sin is a weed in my life. If I want a clean life before God, I am required to look to see what plants (fruits) are growing in my life and ask God to weed out (prune) the ones that don't belong. Just like weeding sand or push mowing a lawn, this isn't a painless process. Praise God! We are promised that He will give us all we need for the process. 

Weddings and… funerals?

Tomorrow makes our third pair of wedding/ funeral this year. The father of one of our students died last week and another couple is getting married here in Mashabo. This time, both are on the same day. Please keep us in your prayers as we go to the funeral and attempt to get back here in time for the wedding. 

This is a picture of the baptism of the man who past away. Praise God, we have every reason to believe he died in the hope of the resurrection.  

So what's happening?

I wanted to bring you up to date, so here is a composite of what has been happening with us in the short time we have been back in Guyana.

First the fire: we were going to Georgetown to meet a group coming from Fletcher Academy in NC. We were running late, and our taxi caught on fire. We were in a van that has its motor between the driver and front passenger. My feet were up on the engine cover when we saw smoke coming out from by the gear stick. Allen said that the car was on fire, but at first it didn't sink in. Then all I could think about was the documents we were carrying. I said for Allen to get his backpack. Our hard drives as well as ALL our personal documents were in the car. After we got out, we unloaded the van (1 rice bag of dry coconuts, 1 LARGE roller duffle bag 1 small bag of concrete tools and 1 large blue plastic tote), Allen and the driver started throwing sand (by God's unending mercy, we came to a stop near a large pile of sand someone had bought to put in their yard) on the fire, but wasn't going out. I heard the panic in the driver's voice. I knew he couldn't afford to loose the van. I started praying 'O Father God, you have stilled the seas, put out fires conquered kingdoms, please help us!' One of the houses we stopped by came to see if we needed help. We asked them for buckets of water. The buckets they brought were about a 1 gallon bucket then a half full 5 gallon, then the 1 gallon one again. After the third bucket, the fire was out. Sometime in there, the driver disconnected the battery and Allen says that after that the fire lost much of its heat.

Once the fire was out, The Lord sent another taxi and we made it to the ferry with 15 minutes to spare. So,Allen went to get the cook who was running late, he got back just as the ferry was closing up for the trip! We got the the other side and met the cook who missed the boat, and went to Georgetown. We took a taxi, and we had so much stuff, that I had to sit at an angle holding a pile of stuff off me.

We got into town and unloaded, then Allen went off to the Conference Office and set up the last minute things and I started cleaning the apartment that the girls used (also the kitchen and general meeting area). We did some running around and settling in then it was Thursday and the group had arrived! That was a crazy time! The cook and I were working on breakfast and lunch as well as planning the food for the weekend. We packed breakfast up and carried it to the conference office. Then the leaders of the group had a long boring meeting that really covered nothing and off I went with several students to finish lunch and clean up.
Before we knew it, the whole group descended on us and we ate lunch. Then we loaded into buses and started to BMMC. On the way, it got dark, rain fell and soaked all our stuff, and we traveled on the slow methods available.
The weekend went quickly. Friday we ran around getting settled, one group did a VBS program in the village, another power washed a building, and others helped in the kitchen. Sabbath, after breakfast, everyone but me went to church. The only way there was walking and my knee wasn't up to a 3 mile hike. So, I put out lunch so it was ready when everyone returned. After lunch, about 17 people went with Allen to see our house in Mashabo. They returned after dark without Allen! I was unhappy, because you never leave anyone walk alone if there is a group. So, I went looking for him. I found him in less than a mile. He had really bad blisters, so Sunday he got the day off. Monday morning, we were off again! This time we took speed boats from the dock in Bethany straight to the docks where the buses waited! We bought some fruits from the venders then on to Georgetown.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were taken up with projects. Feeding the homeless, going to the orphanage, pouring concrete, building a bench, painting the trim on the hospital, weeding the front yard of the hospital. Then Friday… we took them to see Georgetown. Up until this time, they had been only where it was 'safe'. Now we took them through the streets without the safety of buses. They saw the largest wooden cathedral in the world, Guyana National Zoo (sounds better than it is), then we took them out to eat at a food court in a mall (mostly safe food and drink). After that, souvenir shopping and ice cream for this who wanted it. Finally the sea wall and home.
Their last day in Guyana was Sabbath. They were divided into 3 groups and sent to different churches. One group did everything at the church, the others nothing. I spent the day cooking and getting their breakfasts for the next day done.
Sabbath night, there was a fair well party. The group handed out awards. Allen got the 'know everything about everything award'. The cook got the 'Heavenly cook' award. I got the 'real trip leader' award. (All week I had been telling people that all I was was the scullery maid.)
They were a great bunch of young people and we have been given a standing invitation to come to Fletcher and visit. If it falls over a Thursday, we will give the assembly for the school. They take the school every year on a mission trip and we are hoping to get them to come here next year. I would love to see a children's department built for our church, or the church finished. Anyway, we will see what God does.
The conference told them that it would cost $3500 US to feed the group while they were here. Sandra and I did it for $2300. They gave us the difference! Plus the money to buy the materials to build a boat! They think that we did something wonderful for them, but they answered so many prayers for us! With some of the money, we bought a weed eater. So no more going to get the one from the village that is in bag condition and praying that it holds together until we can get it back.
We have applied for our Guyanese Drivers licenses and when Allen goes in next week, we hope he can pick them up. We also have cleared several other really big decisions. 1. We are going to apply to be residents in Mashabo. There are several reasons for it, but on my part it is mostly about removing walls. 2. With becoming residents comes becoming an active official part of the church. We have decided to move our church membership down here. The rules of our interaction with the church in the NAD still stands. We will take ONE job in the church. We will not be any of the main leadership. We are willing to educate, support, encourage, even lead, but not carry.
BMMC starts a week from Monday. So far, it looks like they will have 5-6 students. We start teaching in April. Allen first and then me. I have 100 hours of class time and Allen have 50. I will be teaching massage and hydrotherapy and he will teach A&P. We don't know yet how the teaching thing will work out. There are several options: walk 10 miles everyday, stay over there during the week and come back on the weekend, so some variation of the two. I don't want to lose all that we have worked for not only here in Mashabo, but also out on the coast.
Every month, the Pathfinders from Bethany will be meeting with us in preparation to go to Oshkosh in 2014. An invitation was extended for 15 Pathfinders and staff to come (food and lodging paid at the camporee). We are working to get them their visas, and travel. We of course can't pay for anything, but we have faith that they will find ways of raising the funds. So, the same weekend that school starts, they come over here for the first time. We are working in building up the club, not just those who are going. We will see if the excitement holds.
Speaking of the weekend that school starts, the Pastor is coming in that week to do His family life seminar again. He is wanting to marry some more couples that are living home. We will see how that works.
Weddings seem to be in the air this year. It sounds like there will be at least one wedding a month for the rest of this year, starting with my favorite couple. One of our students, Kevin Williams, is getting married to a friend of ours (Areefa- Fazil's sister-in-law). We are excited about the wedding. I plan to be as involved in the prep as possible.
We have started the process of getting Tim Roosenberg here. We hope that by the time we leave to come for a visit, it will all be set (that probably won't happen, but it is a hope).

One more thing, I have a new cupboard! One more step to having a good usable kitchen. Uncle Syd has been working on it this week and I hope by tonight it will be done except the doors- no hinges yet. Just in time for the barrels to arrive.
Oh, I guess there is another thing. The barrels got here a week early! Which is a blessing otherwise, we would have been going to care for them at the same time as the Family Life Seminar and school starting. The barrels should be quick (relatively) and easy. The pallets on the other hand may take some time. Well, Praise God!

I think that is the most of what is happening for now. Every time I type that last sentence I think of something else I haven't told you. Felts, ASI convention, forms of travel, and if I keep at it, it will be tomorrow before I finish this post.

Classes almost finished…

We have spent the last almost 8 weeks at Bethany Medical Missionary College. Allen taught A&P (anatomy & physiology), and Sara taught massage and hydrotherapy. We are in our last week and soon will return to our little house on the lake. In under 80 days, we return to the States for a visit. 

Layers of Sadness

This year has been hard. Tomorrow, we will attend our second funeral this year. A young man past yesterday. We had been praying and working with him, but God in His wisdom let the boy sleep. Hearts are breaking all over Mashabo tonight. Please keep us in your prayers.

Allen's broken leg