Short Stories from Summer 2008

Hope

Wally is 14 and quite small in stature for his age. He goes to school half the time during the school year, if that. His family background includes theft, murder, poverty and he himself brags about committing arson -burnt a pastor's son's house right to the ground last year.
He curses a lot and bullies other kids and is asked not to come back to camp again.
I taught his class one day. I watched him try to write the memory verse on a piece of paper. I saw his big brown eyes glancing up, looking down, straining to figure out the letters and make sense of them. And in that brief moment, in those big brown eyes -I had so much hope for him that I nearly cried.
“Oh, God, rescue him from the possibility of what might become of him! Help us to be a light in his life!”
I think about kids like Wally and I become so eager to have our basketball court set up -a place of fun and discipleship. I get excited about doing a literacy program where he might commit to attending and learn to read. I thank God for opportunities I've had to tel l him God has a purpose for his life.
And I have hope.

Imbaimadai

I walk the trail in the early morning mist watching thin clouds whisk their way into the , rising above forests and mountain ridges. In a couple hours kids will come walking, skipping, running down this same trail for another morning of games and songs and lessons and snacks.
I feel so privileged to be a part of the only organized recreation they'll have this summer. They arrive early and stay late and I believe I could come back for them in a heartbeat.
God blessed us so we could be a blessing, equipping the clinic with information about incest and molestation (a big issue in this community), Kim and others counselled with a family that is dealing with this same issue at first hand. A mother cried. A father repented. A child forgave.
We visited a village up-river and noticed some serious medical needs -a child who needs physical therapy to increase the use of his legs and another young boy who appears to have hydrocephalus. It's difficult to get them to Georgetown for care because their mothers will need to accompany them along with their younger siblings. We're following up with the local healthcare worker to see how we can help. We're hoping to raise $400 per family so the children can get the care they need. If you woul like to contribute please email us at guyanayouthwithamission@yahoo.com

Children's Day Camp with Faith Community Church

Parika Backdam

I jaunt over to the neighbours' to pick up participating children and we head to the school to wait for our transportation... Escaping threatening rainclouds, we pile into the back of an old flatbed truck with no benches. Kids squeal and scream as we trundle along the dirt road, dipping in and out of puddle-filled potholes. It takes us about half an our to travel approximately 10 km to the camp site, which is bordered by cabbage patches and other vegetable farms. Five-year- old Kevin clutches my pants as we sway and jolt back and forth with the motion of the vehicle. At times I strain to hold back the kids pressing against me, bracing myself on the bars overhead and the back end of the truck that reaches to my calves. We bump alongside the drainage canal passing numerous kids bathing, playing, defecating; women who are chatting while washing clothes, and cows leisurely grazing. Green and brown dragon flies chase us like tiny airplanes zipping through the air. This week more than 200 kids learned about God our Creator and how to take care of the environment, they made crafts, ate hearty lunches and played with each other.

I can't help but be grateful that God's ideas for my life are so much better than my own.

Thank you for all your support. God hears your prayers!

"All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace." Isaiah 54:13