Round Two!

Well, its that time again! After nearly eight months we are ready to head back to the “jungle”, and as usual the feeling is very bitter sweet. We have had such a great time seeing everyone and making new friends, and the support from everyone has been overwhelming! We would like to thank everyone for your encouragement and we especially thank those in the Woodlawn congregation for your loving support and assistance while we served there.

Our plan is to return back to the same area we were serving in which is the far east coast of Guyana, in the Brighton Congregation. We are even able to return back to the same house as when we left, which has become home to many others while we were gone! We were so happy that so many were able to use this home as a landing spot when coming to Guyana!

As some of your previous readers may know, when we left Guyana, Lara was suffering quite a bit with an old injury that flared up. We were uncertain what our efforts in finding treatment would lead to, or whether we could even find affordable treatment. Boy, did Jehovah answer our prayers!

Our first step was in Venezuela to visit a doctor there who worked wonders on us both. This doctor has been practicing natural medicine for many years and treats all the bethel family of Venezuela, and has even treated some of the Governing body members. Sadly he speaks very little English but we spoke mostly with his son who gave us an amazing education on how to keep healthy and active. He also treated Lara for parasites which were preventing her back from healing

After leaving Venezuela we stayed with a loving family who opened their home to us for three months. While here we heard through a few witness friends of a therapist who specialized in conditions like Lara’s and had an amazing success rate. Lara consulted with him and he was confident that he could help but we couldn’t afford him! But since this doctor loves witnesses so much he decided to give Lara the therapy for a fraction of the normal cost! He even taught us several therapies that we could do on our own while in Guyana. So after about three months of this Lara steadily returned to full strength, work and service.

Speaking of work, things turned out very well in the long run, pretty much the “floodgates” effect. The first few months or so were pretty slow actually, I would do a few jobs on my own here and there, and Lara had a little work through the temp agency, but it was just enough to make ends meet. So needless to say we were feeling anxious. But we decided to try and set a return date anyway, kind of like stepping in the spiritual Jordan, in hopes that Jehovah would bless the decision. We added up our expenses and income, figured out the soonest we could leave, set the date, and made a vow to Jehovah in prayer to stick to it. Within a week I got a call from my father saying his worker had left and asked if I needed some work. I agreed of course, even though my Dad made it clear that there had been very little work for months, just enough to pay the bills really. Strangely enough from the first day I started there was literally more work than we could handle. We both joked that Jehovah must really want us back in Guyana! Not long after this Lara did a little temp work for her old employer that she left two years ago. And while there she was able to tell every one of our adventures in Guyana. One of her co-workers was so enthralled by the experience that she decided to go on an expedition of her own to South America for two months! This wasn’t something Lara recommended but her boss called Lara and said “Since you are pretty much responsible for this, you should be the one to come in and cover for her”. So Lara was able to go back to work at the original rate for over two months!

Along with these encouraging experiences we were very encouraged by the love and hospitality shown us while in the Woodlawn congregation. Everyone has been very positive and some even opened their homes to us to stay with them! For the last six months we had the wonderful privilege of staying with a pioneer sister in Woodlawn who we “persuaded” to let us stay there. Actually she was more than willing and we are both greatly strengthened by the time we spent with her. She is yet another example of the unique spiritual family we are part of!

The way things played out assured us that Jehovah was directing matters, and we are now bolstered and ready to return to our assignment! Of course it was no easy task to balance work with pioneering, and I personally have a new found respect for the Pioneers who have to maintain a schedule of work And full time service. Keep up the good work! That said, we are both very excited to be leaving work behind to return to the ministry in Guyana.

So thank you again to all our Family and Friends and we look forward to keeping in touch with you!