Saturday, April 29, 2006

OOPS!

Blog 4-26

Oops! What do you get when you cross a backhoe and a Toyota Wagon—read on?

A crowd of people waiting to see if this white man will get angry and yell and scream at the backhoe operator for messing up his nice silver car.

Pray that it will result in people hearing the gospel that might not have otherwise. The Lord enabled me to be cool, calm and collective. J

We have a nice car down here that we were able to purchase through the gifts of God’s people like you 2. It is a 1999 Toyota Station Wagon--Silver in color. Already it has had 2 altercations. One was with a taxi driver who thought I wasn’t merging fast enough and tried to get around me but didn’t fit. The other was an accident today when I stopped at a crosswalk (the law) and a BACKHOE rammed me at the back right corner. His brakes were faulty. Can you believe that It only broke the light assembly and crunched the quarter-panel about an inch. So our Toyota is initiated real well. The owners of the construction company are paying for it since they admitted that it was their fault.

Pray for our safety down here.

Aiming to drive safely and sanely.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Wow-Are you an ornithologist?

Wow—Are you an ornithologist?

Just the other day we spotted a Great Black Hawk, several Snail Kites and some swallows chasing about a thousand bugs in what looked like an aerial dog fight—all during our time on the veranda.

Still no phone and our voltage is 80 volts at night and 90 during the day so we limp along trying to make do while we get up to speed. We have to run a generator to do the laundry. Please pray for the new electrical lines to be installed in this community by next month as they are scheduled to do.

A few days ago one of our governmental ministers was assassinated. He seemed to be a good man but we do have our troubles down here. Politics here gets kind of dirty before the elections especially.

On a good note, we went back in to Canje Sunday to visit some of our former church folks. What a blessing it was to see people carrying on for the Lord in the face of adversity. More on that later. Gotta run as we say in Guyana, no no, I mean in the States. Bye.

Guyana Gaff

Wow—Are you an ornithologist?

Just the other day we spotted a Great Black Hawk, several Snail Kites and some swallows chasing about a thousand bugs in what looked like an aerial dog fight—all during our time on the veranda.

Still no phone and our voltage is 80 volts at night and 90 during the day so we limp along trying to make do while we get up to speed. We have to run a generator to do the laundry. Please pray for the new electrical lines to be installed in this community by next month as they are scheduled to do.

A few days ago one of our governmental ministers was assassinated. He seemed to be a good man but we do have our troubles down here. Politics here gets kind of dirty before the elections especially.

On a good note, we went back in to Canje Sunday to visit some of our former church folks. What a blessing it was to see people carrying on for the Lord in the face of adversity. More on that later. Gotta run as we say in Guyana, no no, I mean in the States. Bye.

Guyana Gaff

Finally—My first shower

After moving into our house we only had a faucet for buckets about 18” off the floor of our shower. The shower didn’t work. But not to worry, we simply got our stretching exercises done while we showered way down under the pipe. Slowly things are coming together. We do really love our little house with the big breeze.

We rise somewhere between 5:30 and 6:30 and have a beautiful sunrise at 5:30 to awake with the birds with and then drink in the breeze with a good cup of local coffee.
Terri is putting up curtains and has worked really hard but happily to make it a home. J
The house (21’ x 27’) has 2 small bedrooms and a small bath on one side and a living room and a kitchen on the other side. It has a front and back veranda. AMEN. Then downstairs we have a storage room that we are going to turn into an office. We will build a couple of other storage areas downstairs as well.

It’s hard to get on the net these days since we don’t have our own phone yet so please be patient, the blogs will come eventually.

Talk again soon.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Hobo Joe

We have surfaced after a long absence. It is very hard to get onto line here so we can't be regular bloggers. Thanks for being patient. HoBo Joe is referring to our living situation. We live in a small 2 br house with inside bath (that's optional by some standards) in a squatting area. That means that people can build a house on a lot and then after so many years it becomes theirs. We pay rent from one of the pastors who is buying the house and land. Right now we have a one burner kerosene stove, a 5 gallon cooler, and one or two other things. Some running water is available if the water tank has rain water in it. It will be pleasant when it is finished. Terri has worked hard at cleaning it. Some church folks have helped too. I am still working on locating parts for the stove and the water system. Our shipment arrives on Tuesday.

Joel and family leave for Indonesia on Monday. Its especially hard for them since Bethany's dad is experiencing serious health set backs.

Oh me moma, its hot already. Abee gon naw.

Jhia-go-bin and Terriwati (our fun G names)

Thursday, April 06, 2006

fresh green cow dung, anyone?

Creative cooling. Yesterday I experienced a cool breeze--most refreshing--but then I had to close the refrigerator door! Oh Well.

Truly though, yesterday we shopped for necessary things to begin living in Guyana and then at 4pm we took a break at a very civilized place. The Oasis is a free wireless internet Starbucks type of place with real coffee (not instant), nice reasonable food—even a buffet at lunch and yummy desserts, with air conditioning and service! All in one place—amazing.

We do really need your prayers though. Everyone in our extended family is going through newly discovered difficulties that we all need God’s wisdom and grace for. Terri will have more in our next email update.

2 missionaries here in Guyana have emergency health needs. One has a shoulder that quit working due to Bursitis and the other has internal bleeding.

We will be going to Berbice after the weekend, then back to here to Georgetown, and then back to Berbice—all next week, Lord-desiring.

One parting note—Our new to us car just ran the Guyanese gauntlet. While driving the speed limit, a van pulls past us on the shoulder of the road, we swerve to allow that van to not run over a bicyclist in front of him and then an on-coming car splatters our car and windshield with freshly deposited cow dung. Have a nice day.

Guyana Joe

Guyana Gaff

Creative cooling. Yesterday I experienced a cool breeze--most refreshing--but then I had to close the refrigerator door! Oh Well.

Truly though, yesterday we shopped for necessary things to begin living in Guyana and then at 4pm we took a break at a very civilized place. The Oasis is a free wireless internet Starbucks type of place with real coffee (not instant), nice reasonable food—even a buffet at lunch and yummy desserts, with air conditioning and service! All in one place—amazing.

We do really need your prayers though. Everyone in our extended family is going through newly discovered difficulties that we all need God’s wisdom and grace for. Terri will have more in our next email update.

2 missionaries here in Guyana have emergency health needs. One has a shoulder that quit working due to Bursitis and the other has internal bleeding.

We will be going to Berbice after the weekend, then back to here to Georgetown, and then back to Berbice—all next week, Lord-desiring.

One parting note—Our new to us car just ran the Guyanese gauntlet. While driving the speed limit, a van pulls past us on the shoulder of the road, we swerve to allow that van to not run over a bicyclist in front of him and then an on-coming car splatters our car and windshield with freshly deposited cow dung. Have a nice day.

Guyana Joe

Guyana Gaff

Creative cooling. Yesterday I experienced a cool breeze--most refreshing--but then I had to close the refrigerator door! Oh Well.

Truly though, yesterday we shopped for necessary things to begin living in Guyana and then at 4pm we took a break at a very civilized place. The Oasis is a free wireless internet Starbucks type of place with real coffee (not instant), nice reasonable food—even a buffet at lunch and yummy desserts, with air conditioning and service! All in one place—amazing.

We do really need your prayers though. Everyone in our extended family is going through newly discovered difficulties that we all need God’s wisdom and grace for. Terri will have more in our next email update.

2 missionaries here in Guyana have emergency health needs. One has a shoulder that quit working due to Bursitis and the other has internal bleeding.

We will be going to Berbice after the weekend, then back to here to Georgetown, and then back to Berbice—all next week, Lord-desiring.

One parting note—Our new to us car just ran the Guyanese gauntlet. While driving the speed limit, a van pulls past us on the shoulder of the road, we swerve to allow that van to not run over a bicyclist in front of him and then an on-coming car splatters our car and windshield with freshly deposited cow dung. Have a nice day.

Guyana Joe

Fresh green cow dung anyone?

Creative cooling. Yesterday I experienced a cool breeze--most refreshing--but then I had to close the refrigerator door! Oh Well.

Truly though, yesterday we shopped for necessary things to begin living in Guyana and then at 4pm we took a break at a very civilized place. The Oasis is a free wireless internet Starbucks type of place with real coffee (not instant), nice reasonable food—even a buffet at lunch and yummy desserts, with air conditioning and service! All in one place—amazing.

We do really need your prayers though. Everyone in our extended family is going through newly discovered difficulties that we all need God’s wisdom and grace for. Terri will have more in our next email update.

2 missionaries here in Guyana have emergency health needs. One has a shoulder that quit working due to Bursitis and the other has internal bleeding.

We will be going to Berbice after the weekend, then back to here to Georgetown, and then back to Berbice—all next week, Lord-desiring.

One parting note—Our new to us car just ran the Guyanese gauntlet. While driving the speed limit, a van pulls past us on the shoulder of the road, we swerve to allow that van to not run over a bicyclist in front of him and then an on-coming car splatters our car and windshield with freshly deposited cow dung. Have a nice day.

Guyana Joe

Sunday, April 02, 2006

The Good Life

Saturday afternoon we had a date. For $15 we were able to go to a local hotel in the middle of town and go swimming in their big pool. So after about 20 laps and a little reading behind my Foster Grants we sashayed over to the poolside cafe and sipped and sipped tropical fruit punch with a slice of fresh pineapple atop it while the cooling breeze and swaying tropical foliage lured us into another world.

While there we saw some visiting celebrites. A group of actors and actresses from New York came to Guyana to shot a film about a guy trying to get a Guyanese band together! I even had the opportunity to talk with the Art Director of the Set.
Alas, he got called away before we had much time. Better luck next time.

Awesome opportunities!

As I look around here in Georgetown, Guyana I am heartbroken for the protestant Afro-Guyanese who have churches that just don’t teach a clear gospel message. God used that heartbrokenness in my life to search out some people like Jesus at Jacob’s Well in John, chapter 4. While out shopping for a car for a few days I found myself eyeball to eyeball with some Afro-Guyanese (Blacks) while test driving cars and getting details worked out for the purchase of our car. The Lord gave me the courage to simply talk to them about their relationship with God. Oh, it was so good. (I forget when I come back to the states how hard it can be sometimes to do that.) One man I just asked carefully with out scaring him, “if you were to die today do you know for sure that you would go to heaven to be with God? During the 15 minutes we were together in the car he learned about forgiveness of all of his past and future sins and I believe he trusted Christ to save him. In the other case I just talked with the man about the church he went to and then shared the gospel through my testimony and he too I think, got the assurance of his salvation. They were both amazing. Pray for Arthur and Kesto.

May God bring someone down here to fill the gap that will be left by Ken and Karen Glover when they retire in 18 months. Dwight and Gloria Lehman were here doing a great job right beside the Glovers but God moved them to the home office to oversee several countries’ missionaries. These Blacks fill Georgetown but are blind to the Savior. As someone on TV used to say, "Come On Down".

May God bring someone into your path or go out and make your own path, praying as you go. Let me know how it goes. A big thanks to Marie C. for telling me—you changed my life for eternity. She and her husband Don pray, support and love us even now, 38 years later. We love and pray for you too.

This morning we walked by the seawall which is just 75 yards away. A Hindu lady was in the water with a brass pot doing her devotions. Others were simply chanting. Next door, a half dressed drug-spent lady sits day after day arguing with some imaginary adversaries. Not exactly a deed-restricted community. The lost are blindly wandering,..wandering

Pray for those in the chains of unforgiven sin and those in chains for sharing the life-giving message and for us too.

Well, may God by glorified in our lives today. Love ya, Joe