RECHARGE AND PREPARATION

I am at home today while the rest of the team is distributing in another area with many Guyanese helpers. Yesterday I was contemplating staying home today to prepare my message for tomorrow and to spend time in prayer for the distribution ministry and tomorrow’s church service. This morning I woke up with a slight I-need-to-be-near-a-bathroom problem and that confirmed my decision to stay home. Having spent the morning in message preparation and prayer I realize that I definitely needed this time to renew my spirit, mind and body. A number of my teammates are looking forward to time off tomorrow afternoon with an optional distribution being offered for those who want to go out on Sunday afternoon. We are ahead of schedule to distribute to all the homes in two (Berbice and Demerara) of the three provinces of Guyana by Thursday. The third province will be covered next year Lord willing. This mission has been encouraging on many fronts – church unity, challenging the local Christians, providing Bibles (Suliman will be shipping another 5,000 Bibles to Guyana when he returns to Canada), providing evangelistic hand out materials, getting a long-term prayer vision for Guyana, introducing first timers to missions, stimulating your prayers for Guyana which I pray will continue, and renewing my own heart for missions. Ask God if he would have you join the team next year to finish the distribution task in Guyana.

As I have walked through the villages I have come across many small evangelical churches from different denominations and independents. I have also seen Jehovah Witness and Mormons active and well established here as well as a strong Hindu and Muslim presence. A number of the Christians I have met are first generation Christians from mostly Hindu backgrounds. Many are young people who will have families later on. Islam is growing here but with your prayers and the ongoing work of the local churches this trend can be reversed. God has put the task of missions into the hands of His people. We can give more, we can pray more, we can get more actively involved both locally and globally.

Have a wonderful time of worship and learning tomorrow.

DAY 7

Today it is hot and the usual breeze is not so evident. We are distributing DVD packets in more remote areas which means more walking. Did I mention it was hot with less breeze? My feet and ankles are doing well under the circumstances.

Atlantic Ocean with Suriname in background

Some of the team

  I was working with Lena today in Guava Bush, a poor and predominantly Hindu area. Lena is 21, a first generation Christian from a Hindu background, the oldest from a family of five. Her parents are still Hindu but some of her younger brothers and sisters are Christians. It is wonderful to see those young ladies come out with us each day, some even taking time off work.

A number of the Hindu houses have flags in their front yards to honor their gods. Here is a quote from the internet, “It is a custom for Hindu homes to have flags in their yards. Four flags were blessed – one each for Shiva and Lakshmi, and two for Hanuman. The Pandit explained that Hanuman had to get two (one more than the others) because he is still ruling the earth at this time.” The flags are red, yellow and white. We also met a group of about 8 Jehovah Witnesses in this more remote area. Some must have been American and some were locals.

flags at a Hindu house

We finished around 3:30 and had a rest before supper. Tonight hopefully we can get home early and rest. I am preaching on Sunday so pray for my preparation and delivery. Here are more pictures.

pigs eating and bathing

fishing in the sewage ditch

GOING EAST

[Got home at 10 last night and we do not have internet here so I am sending this Friday morning]

Go Blue Jays! A couple of our team members have data coverage on their phone so every so often they gave us an update on the score. It would have been great to watch at least part of that game.

The trip to the rough neighborhood in Georgetown was without incident. Last night we had a mini church service of praise and preaching. I thank God for Rosedale Baptist that still has a mid-week meeting completely given to prayer. (I missed you guys yesterday.) God will bless such a church not only with salvation but with worldwide fruit if we continue to be faithful to God’s leading. Pray and then obey.

Today will be busy with distribution at the eastern end of the country, a visit to the beach, a look at the border of Suriname, and an evening meeting on bringing the gospel to Muslims for Pastors in the area we will be visiting. It will be a late evening. Half of the team (8 people) will be leaving at 5 am tomorrow morning.

Loading the van

After breakfast we drove to Skeldon at the complete East side of the Guyana. Along the way we dropped off a case of New Testaments to a small church and another 150 DVD’s to another Pastor who is distributing in his area and ran out. You see we are not covering the country by ourselves but helping the Guyanese to evangelize their own country by challenging them and providing DVD’s and Bibles.

Skeldon is a heavy Muslim and Hindu area with two large mosques and many Hindu temples. As soon as I stepped out of the van a Muslim man came to me and asked what we were doing and I told him we were distributing DVD’s of the life of Jesus. He immediately began to quote scripture with references about Jesus being a man. He left no room for discussion, was not interested in my questions or comments but continued to proclaim his beliefs about Jesus the prophet and man. After I left, others gave him a DVD and continued in the one sided monologue.

Muslim school

 We spent a number of hours in distribution. I had some help along the way.

 At six pm we had a meeting with a small church and the area Pastors and Suliman shared again about how to reach out to Muslims and challenged the people to evangelism.

 Here is a service you can perform unto God this week. Write SKELDON on a piece of paper and tape it to your TV and pray for God to use the Jesus DVD’s in Skeldon and bring Muslims and Hindus to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Let us pray and believe that God will work powerfully in SKELDON this week.

Thank you and good night.

 

LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the [swelled] feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’”. (Isaiah 52.7) My feet are not beautiful in the physical sense but they are fulfilling God’s plan this week by publishing the good news of peace and salvation in Jesus Christ in Guyana. Thank you for partnering with Diane and me.

 

I forgot to mention yesterday that the Campus Crusade for Christ team at the University of Guyana will be distributing the Jesus DVD in 3 neighborhoods surrounding the University as part of this campaign to reach every home in Guyana with the Gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Today we will be distributing in the area where we are living while a team of Guyanese men only will be going into a rough neighborhood of Georgetown to distribute the Jesus DVD.

We pushed hard today and distributed many DVD’s. I worked with Ruthie a young 17 year old Guyanese girl whose mother is Christian but whose father is Hindu. She said she loves to testify about Jesus and hopes one day to work in nursing but does not like the sight of blood. We were in her Hindu neighborhood distributing to her Hindu family and friends. We saw houses with pictures of the Hindu gods and the good-works flags they put up. What was that pig doing in the neighborhood?

 Tonight we are going to a church service and we will also get a report on the results of the distribution in Georgetown and I will update you on that tomorrow

I had not slept well for the last couple of days and was so tired last night. I slept all night and was so refreshed this morning and we also had some extra time which I spent with the Lord and was much refreshed. Even after a hot day with much walking I feel energized and refreshed like the old days so thank you for praying.

For all of you who are going to prayer meeting tonight may God bless you. Enjoy Him and His people tonight.