The goodness of God in Guyana

Samaritan Outreach Ministries International (SOMI) is a short-term missions agency that aims to share the good news of Jesus in remote villages that most people are reluctant to go to because of how difficult it is to get there. I had been on two trips with SOMI before, so I was excited when I found out in April this year that another trip was being planned to the interior of Guyana in August. For once, the dates did not conflict with ISCF camp, so I made the commitment to go. 

In the lead up to the trip, however, I started questioning the wisdom of my decision. I had a packed calendar of activities, both ministry and leisure, from the beginning of July straight through to the day before I left for Guyana: a regional conference, Vacation Bible Schools, a baptism, ISCF Camps, a family trip to Tobago, limes with childhood friends. It is only by the grace of God that I was able to fit in the preparations for the Guyana trip in between these activities and embark on one of my most meaning mission trips to date.

So happy I said yes to this trip!

God's hand of protection and favour over us was evident from the start of this trip to the very end. Before we left the airport, I experienced a mini crisis when I realized that I didn't have my passport; it had fallen out of my pocket when I retrieved my luggage from the carousel. Thankfully I realized it was missing within a few minutes, and the person who picked it up had handed it to an airport official, who was searching the floor for me. 

Securing our luggage on top of the bus to
maximise our space inside :)

We had been warned about the condition of the road we would have to take to get to Potarineau - the village we were going to be ministering at. In the past, team members had to ride on the back of trucks for hours, and then transfer over to a cart pulled by a bull to get to the village. If the rains fell, the trail would turn to mud and on more than one occasion, they had to get out to push the truck when it got stuck. However in recent years since the discovery of oil, the government was able to invest in improving the roads, even the ones through the jungle, so we were able to make the 15 hour journey in an air-conditioned bus! God knew what my body and mind needed after the intense schedule I had prior to this trip, so He ensured that we had no drama on the way in to Potarineau.

Driving on solid roads instead of a mud trail

We even got some rest and breakfast at this
rest stop along the trail

We drove onto this pontoon to cross the Essequibo
River first thing in the morning 

We arrived in Lethem at 11am the next morning - this is a small town at the other end of the jungle trail. We had lunch and bought supplies we would need for the village, including fans which were solar-powered - these were welcome blessings to take us through the hot nights at our base. The drive to the village from Lethem took only two hours, thanks again to the improved roads. The Chief welcomed us to Potarineau, and expressed his hope that our programs would help with some of the social ills they were experiencing. After settling in, we spent some time in prayer for a fruitful four days of ministry. Our base had running water, supplied by a tank that was filled with water that was pumped from a well. Flushing toilets, an indoor shower and bunk beds were considered luxuries for a SOMI trip!

One of many stunning sunsets seen from our base

We awoke early the next morning to prepare the materials needed for our outreach to the children. On that first day, approximately 40 children and teenagers came out. They were very excited and engaged in all the activities we prepared to bring across the messages that God loved them no matter what and that God was with them through all the difficulties of life. There were songs, games, craft and prizes, as well as the Bible focus on the life of Joseph. We challenged them to invite more children and the next day we had over 100 children! The teens who came out were invited to the Youth outreach after lunch, and we saw many of the children coming out to the evening meetings with their families as well.

Sorting and prepping materials

Keeping the early birds occupied on the first day

Let the games begin!

I loved hearing the squeals of laughter during the activities

Acting out the story of Joseph

Special guest you would only find when
you do children's ministry in the Interior :)

We solicited the assistance of the teenagers when it was time for craft, and they did an excellent job helping the younger ones. The review games we had after each lesson showed that the children understood and remembered the biblical truths that we shared. On the last day we gave an invitation for those who wanted to commit their lives to Jesus, and over 20 of them responded. We are grateful to God for the strength He provided so we could effectively minister to these precious ones, and we pray that the seeds of His Word which were sown in their hearts would find good soil on which to grow and bring forth much fruit.

Grateful for the assistance of the teens during craft time

Every child left with a craft to remind
them of the biblical truth taught that day

Full house for our last day of ministry

Precious ones who responded honto the call to
surrender their lives to Christ

My primary ministry responsibility was the outreach to women. On the first ministry day, 6 ladies showed up. We had a lovely time of fellowship, with each lady sharing honestly about where they were at in their relationship with God, and identifying what needed to be changed in order for them to be closer to God. They were grateful for times when missionaries come and teach God's Word to enable them to draw closer to Him, but we challenged them to hold each other accountable for the commitments they made to get closer to Christ.

It was a privilege to pour into the lives of these
women during our time in the village

Most of the women who came that first day were from the church, so we decided that the next day, we would take the meeting to the benab at the center of the village, where we had noticed women the day before making costumes in preparation for Amerindian heritage month in September. During these sessions, we shared about the forgiveness from sins that is available in Christ, and the freedom from guilt and condemnation that is found in Him. One exercise required them to write their sins on a piece of paper, and then cover it with 1 John 1:9 as an illustration of how our sins were covered by Jesus' blood once we confess them. One lady commented that her paper was not big enough for all her sins. Please pray for these women, that they will find the peace and lasting joy that is freely available in Jesus.

Engaging in the session while making their costumes

Team member Shamdai was called upon to introduce an additional ministry to encourage more ladies from the village to come out - teaching them to cook Trinidadian dishes. Those who were free met in the morning period and learnt to make delicacies such as coconut bake, kuchorie and sweet bread. During these times of cooking, she shared a short word of encouragement with them, and they spent time in prayer and worship in the indigenous tribal languages of those who were present. Those who turned out for the afternoon ministry sessions benefited greatly from these culinary efforts :)

Sharing the sweetbread

During the final session for the women, we shared about the power of the Holy Spirit in enabling us to live in a way that is pleasing to God. The ladies were challenged to move beyond accepting Jesus as Saviour, and truly make Him the Lord and Master of their lives. We also shared about the fruit of the Spirit, and encouraged them to examine their lives to see which fruit they needed God's help in cultivating. We are trusting God to continue to help those who made commitments that day to live fully surrendered to Him.

Who needs chairs when you have hammocks?

Team member Ria was responsible for the outreach to the teenagers. We initially planned for them to meet in the church building, but when no one showed up on the first day, we changed the location to the football field in the village and this made a huge difference. Ria shared with them about their identity in Christ, and challenged them to think about their goals and what they needed to do to achieve them. On the last day we invited them to consider whether or not they were truly surrendered to Christ, and if they were happy with where they currently were in their relationship with God. We praise God for the four teenagers who stepped forward, indicating that they wanted to make a change and let God be the Master of their lives! It was also encouraging that one of them overcame her shyness and agreed to pray the closing prayer.

So encouraged that they came out even
when rain clouds were threatening

Competition to see who can build the
tallest tower out of paper

The proud winners

Closing challenge on the last day

The ministry to the men of the village was a bit more challenging. Although when we drove around the village on the first day to invite them to the sessions they agreed to come out, no one did. The men from our team resorted to meeting the men of the village where they were, having one on one conversations in hammocks, or conversing with a group of them who were drinking beers outside of the village shop. It was good to see the men accompany their families to the night meetings though, where team members took turns presenting the gospel. On the final night of meetings, one team member was privileged to lead one of the men who attended with his family to Christ!

First night of meetings

After our first day in Potarineau, persons from neighbouring villages who had been invited by our hosting pastor started showing up. Families from Katoonarib, Mappi and Shulinab drove for hours so they could benefit from the sessions we delivered. They walked with their hammocks to sleep in, and meals were provided by the women in the church from the supplies which we purchased, so they were well taken care of. On the second to last night, we had the evening session at the benab to encourage more persons from the community to attend and the turnout was great. We had an extended time of worship, praising God in different languages as groups from the neighbouring villages took turns in leading the singing. It was a beautiful glimpse of what heaven would be like with every nation, tribe and tongue uniting to worship the true and living God.

Worship team from a neighbouring village

The church was packed for the final night of ministry. It was encouraging to see many women from the community who came to ladies' ministry in attendance. Team leader Sunil shared about the need for forgiveness towards others in order for us to be forgiven by God. The team was able to pray with those who came forward after the message. After sharing a meal with those who came, there were over two more hours of worship and testimony - the service concluded just before midnight! We trust God that His Word that went out to all who attended would not return to Him void, but would accomplish the purpose for which it was sent.

Full house for our final night of ministry

Sunil shared his personal testimony about the 
freedom that comes when we forgive others

Team members interceding for those who
came up for prayer

Feeding the bellies after feeding the souls

From the first day we arrived, our hosting pastor issued a call for persons who wanted to get baptized to indicate so that it could have been done while we were there. It wasn't until our last day that four persons responded - one young lady, two teenagers and one little girl. I spoke with each of them to ensure they understood the significance of baptism, and they all indicated their readiness to make this public declaration of their faith in Christ. That afternoon we journeyed to the river where we were able to participate in this joyous milestone in the lives of these four precious souls. 

The baptism candidates

Making her public declaration of faith

The journey back to Georgetown was filled with much more drama than the journey into Potarineau. A few hours after leaving Lethem, there was a sudden heavy downpour with high winds that pulled our bus with our high load from side to side. God brought us safely through that storm, but a few hours later our engine suddenly stopped. Within minutes we were surrounded by other buses - two in front, one to the side, and one behind. The drivers and passengers jumped out and someone was able to diagnose and rectify our problem. A little further along the trail we had an issue with our brakes, but thankfully we were able to get to the nearest village where we got the tools we needed to fix it. Lastly, with just a few hours more driving to go, we hit a pothole hard, and the damage left us unable to drive in anything higher than first gear. After crawling at 30km/h for a few more hours, we finally were able to find someone who was able to fix the problem.

The code of the jungle trail: No bus left behind!

The day we left Potarineau, I was not ready to go. I wrote letters to some of the girls I had gotten particularly close to, to encourage them to remain close to Christ. As I reflected on some of the people we met in the village, I thought of Matthew 9:36 - When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. During our time of ministry there we were like Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:6, planting seeds of truths from God's word into the hearts of the villagers. God has already provided the 'Apollos' to water the seeds in the form of Milisa, who wants to continue with the children's ministry, and Semone, who has agreed to lead the women's minstry. These two women saw the impact of these ministries while we were in the village, and after we left, indicated their willingness to continue what God has started. We have no doubt that God will bring the increase, and that the village of Potarineau will be transformed, one life at a time. Please keep these precious souls in your prayers.