We had a most wonderful time out in Shea Village this last weekend. We got there Thursday evening just in time to see a beautiful Savanna Sunset. The sunrise and sunsets in the bush are absolutely fabulous!
Since we weren't set up to cook, we ate dried fruit and nuts for supper. Both of us were tired from the long day, and fell asleep to the sound of a horse ripping off grass. In the middle of the night Joy woke up to what she though was Jenna snoring. As the noise got louder she realized it was  a pig grunting. The animals weren't too bad. Once James had to drive off a cow who was trying to eat Jenna's ark, and twice James had to chase a pesky rooster who started crowing right outside our bedroom window right at 5am.
Friday we spent the whole day cleaning. The floor was filthy and our stuff was pretty disorganized. We made banana bread and corn bread in our new oven. We praise the Lord for this little luxury in the midst of our jungle living.
Friday night James went to the meeting at the church and had a nice time there. Joy stayed back and put Jenna to bed. She seemed to like it out there, especially playing with the kids.
 While we were making breakfast Sabbath morning, somebody came to tell Joy there was a lady in labor who needed her help. The lady informed us that the mother was "passing out". So Joy went to help out. The clinic had a wooden fetoscope, but Joy couldn't pick up any fetal heartbeat whatsoever.  This was the third baby for this girl and indeed she was "passing out". She would hyperventilate then hold her breath and effectively "pass out" and stop breathing for 3 or 4 seconds. Joy was worried about how that might be stressing the baby out. So, she tried to help her keep her breathing a little deeper and more even. That seemed to help the problem. Joy was also able to get the father involved too, although he was more nervous than a cat on a tin roof! Joy's plan was to have James fly the mother to Aishelton or Lethem but in the end Joy ended up delivering the baby, in a hammock no less.
Thankfully, the baby started breathing on its own immediately. (Joy says - "Having no oxygen handy makes me nervous.") Everything really turned out to be just fine, thanks to God's help. So many things could have gone wrong, but nothing did. Joy did have a little trouble figuring out what to clamp the baby's cord with though. The clinic is so poorly supplied that there wasn't much to choose from. Eventually the cord was tied and cut. Joy says that in the future she'll have a delivery kit ready, so that when she's called on, she can just grab and go in a moment's notice.
Joy washed up and made it to church in time for the sermon. The church members had asked her to teach the children's Sabbath School, but they decided to do a group study instead. The dilapidated adobe church building that they're presently using was packed out. That little building needs more benches for the people they have. We didn't count but there were probably thirty to thirty five people.
Sabbath afternoon Joy got her opportunity to do her Sabbath School presentation, during the AY presentation. James did a second sermon on the topic of the Second Coming accompanied by a "multi media" felt presentation. The kids really like felts and when we were done they got up and sang for us in English and Wapishana (their dialect). It was very sweet.
 Sunday morning James got up at 5:30 to "fetch" boards for the new church. The people in Shea are not waiting for anybody. They have their plan and a lthough they are poor they are starting to cut lumber whenever they have gasoline for the chainsaw. James came back about noon. He was exhausted and said he thought he had walked at least 10 miles. He carried out four boards. Those boards are extremely heavy too since they haven't dried out. At least the weather was dry and not raining!
 When he did it before in Paruima he would sometimes slip and slide in the mud and that made it infinitely harder. Anyway, almost all the church members came out to help even the kids and the grandmothers carried boards which was very impressive! Joy felt a little guilty for not going herself. She cooked though and when James and some of the church leaders arrived back they were ravenous! The church members brought us a huge pile of plantains and bananas and sugar can and a few greens. It was very generous of them since this is what they use to survive.
When James came back and we got our stuff together we barely made it to Lethem before sundown.
 Part of the reason for getting such a late start was that several more people came for treatment. One of them was a mentally ill girl. The family wanted Joy to do a physical evaluation on her so that they can send her to Georgetown. Joy doesn't think that her evaluation will count but she did it anyway to make them happy. This poor girl was so scared. She is really like a baby mentally. She can walk and feed herself and follow simple directions but that is all. She doesn't speak at all. They said she was normal until she was two and then something happened and she has been like this ever since. They couldn't tell Joy what happened exactly. This girl pinches and bites and wanders around and gets lost and eats dirt and other non food items. She also is not toilet trained and goes all over the house. The back of her hands are terribly scarred where she has bitten herself repeatedly. The family is at their wits end to know how to deal with her. It's such a sad situation it almost makes you want to cry. There is a real person inside that body because you could see her looking out at you, but it's like you can't reach inside the box to touch her.
So many hurting people in this world. Some cases are just more severe than others. James had a special prayer with the girl and her family. We'll have to see what happens in her future.
God bless,
James 874 South McDonald SW
McDonald, TN 37353
1 (423) 473-1841 or 1 (423) 473-1842 | 
