[Guyana-Mission-Report] Dragon was Wroth with the Woman...

Here is a fresh report that indicates how the Devil is working overtime to undo the gospel work in Shea. The Church of Christ has been very active in Region 9 and is doing a strong evangelistic push into the villages. Wherever they go they preach a watered down gospel, and offer all sorts of material gifts (i.e. food, clothing, T.V.'s, VCR's, Bicycles, and even money itself!) Naturally thousands are flocking to the free "loaves and fishes" and are getting baptized. The sad part about this is that it makes a mockery of the true gospel, and feeds the covetous spirit of the poor Amerindians. Just within the last two weeks a group from this church traveled up to Shea Village to meet with the Adventist members to get them to join their church. They met with the new Adventist believers and began to tell them erroneous teachings, such as 1) The Sabbath has been switched from Saturday to Sunday due to Christ raising on Sunday. 2.) Pentecost happened on a Sunday (flatly false) 3) The Law was nailed to the cross, therefore we need not worry about keeping Saturday Sabbath. They also brought out gifts and offered the Shea church members money if they would become baptized into their church! Many prospective Adventists were taken by their ploy, and at least one known Adventist member was "baptized" into their church. Also they performed an instant wedding service for the deputy toshao and baptized him and his wife. The new Adventist Members were confused and many were inclined to join the movement. Fortunately the leader (Sandra Rodrigues) sent a letter to Sand Creek telling them what was going on and implored them to come quick otherwise everyone (including herself) would join the Church of Christ. A group from the Sand Creek Seventh-day Adventist Church set out immediately for Shea. When they arrived the Church of Christ group was just leaving. The Church of Christ people were planning to stay another three days, but when they heard that the Adventist members from Sand Creek were coming to town, they decided to leave early, promising to come back to baptize the others. The group from Sand Creek has spent about a week with them doing bible study, and answering their many questions directly from the bible. Fortunately most of the members didn't apostatize, and the one who did confessed with tears his error and wants to be rebaptized. The members have also talked with the deputy and explained how marriage in Guyana works, and that they aren't legally married. Needless to say he's pretty confused as well. The good news is that the group from Sand Creek helped the Shea members frame up the new temporary structure. This fulfills the Shea Council requirement of starting the building within eight months. This coming week, I'll be traveling with a team into Shea Village and we'll begin building the permanent structure.. I know this report may be shocking, but this underscores several important things. The Devil is not happy that the work is going forward in Shea, and he's going to do everything that he can to disrupt the gospel. The Church of Christ group has promised to come back at a later time to rebaptize the other members. We must not leave the Shea members open to attack until Joy and I can move there permanently. Please pray for the last documents to be written giving us permission to move out there. Part of the group from Sand Creek are staying in Shea until we can go back there to work on the church building. We must work diligently to ground these new believers in the word of God so that they will not be blown about by every wind of doctrine. We must move forward quickly with the church structures as it will encourage the members and send a statement to the community. While it is true that the devil is hard at work, it is also true that the Lord is even harder at work. We praise the Lord that a major disaster has been averted. Please pray for the work. We're moving forward together with NAPS to finish the first phase of the church building and prepare the way for the second phase when plan to come on a mission trip in December. Sincerely James Ash James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 www.guyanaaviationevangelism.org James & Joy Ash Gospel Ministries International Project Name: Guyana Aviation Evangelism 874 South McDonald SW McDonald, TN 37353 1 (423) 473-1841 or 1 (423) 473-1842

[Guyana-Mission-Report] Man's Extremity...

Someone once said, "Man's extremity is God's opportunity"  If this is true, then the great news is that we are facing some awesome opportunities for God to work.   About a week and a half ago I flew the airplane back up to Georgetown for some aircraft maintenance, and to do some errands for the church building project..  I was driving the van around Georgetown when I received the cell phone call from the mechanic.  His first words were, "James, I have some bad news for you".  He then proceeded to tell me that when they drained the oil out of the engine, that they picked up an alarming amount of ferrous metal in the oil filter.  This is concerning since it could potentially cause a break down in the engine.  The mechanic said that we would need a new engine or do a major overhaul, but flying it any further was totally out of the question. I finished up my tasks in Georgetown and took the bus back to Lethem (13.5 hours).  Today I got the results from the oil sample we sent to the States.  The results conclude the same as the mechanic, indicating that we're picking up a higher than normal ferrous content in the oil.  Probably one or more of the bearings are disintegrating causing the foreign particles in the oil. So where do we go from here?  The answer is forward.  We don't know how but God has miraculously provided us this opportunity to work in Shea Village, and we must answer that call.   While we're praying for another airplane engine for the airplane, we'll have to rent or buy a truck so we can keep moving forward.  This is a critical time in our mission, and we can't afford to lose what God has provided for us. Please take sixty seconds to pray for us right now so that we would have lots of wisdom to know how best to move forward. God bless, James, Joy & Jenna James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 www.guyanaaviationevangelism.org James & Joy Ash Gospel Ministries International Project Name: Guyana Aviation Evangelism 874 South McDonald SW McDonald, TN 37353 1 (423) 473-1841 or 1 (423) 473-1842

[Guyana-Mission-Report] First Delivery in Shea

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 James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 www.guyanaaviationevangelism.org James & Joy Ash Gospel Ministries International Project Name: Guyana Aviation Evangelism 874 South McDonald SW McDonald, TN 37353 1 (423) 473-1841 or 1 (423) 473-1842

[Guyana-Mission-Report] Today's Medivac Flight

It appears that the pregnant lady is going to be ok, but her baby is probably dead.  The medex at the field hospital in Aishalton said that the mother appears to be stable, but they couldn't hear the baby's heartbeat.  We prayed at the airstrip for the mother and baby and I flew her immediately back to the main hospital here in Lethem.  Tomorrow I'll find out what happened. Thank you so much for the prayers and continued prayers for the family.   James James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 www.guyanaaviationevangelism.org James & Joy Ash Gospel Ministries International Project Name: Guyana Aviation Evangelism 874 South McDonald SW McDonald, TN 37353 1 (423) 473-1841 or 1 (423) 473-1842

[Guyana-Mission-Report] Urgent Prayer Request!

Dear Friends and Family, I'm just sending a short note asking for you to pray.  James just flew out to bring a pregnant lady from Aishelton Village.  When they called asking for help, they said they could barely find a pulse on her.  So unless God performs a miracle, she won't get through. Thank you so much! Blessings, Joy James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 www.guyanaaviationevangelism.org James & Joy Ash Gospel Ministries International Project Name: Guyana Aviation Evangelism 874 South McDonald SW McDonald, TN 37353 1 (423) 473-1841 or 1 (423) 473-1842

[Guyana-Mission-Report] Digging for water

Yesterday we began digging for our new well in Shea. Shea Village has a problem with drinking water. The government has promised to dig some new wells for them, but so far they've not come through. Politicians here aren't any different than elsewhere. They make all sorts of grandiose promises until elections are past, and then they are promptly forgotten. Some in the village have grown tired of waiting, and dug their own wells but they're pretty primitive. They're not cased, and don't have protective coverings to prevent contamination or small children or animals falling in. The Health clinic where we will be staying at does have some rain water tanks, but they only work well during rainy season. When the weather turns hot, the tanks dry up. So we realized right away that we would need to dig a well. Believe or not, this is the perfect time to do it because it's been really dry, and the water table has gone way down. Yesterday morning we measured approximately 100 feet from the outhouse and started digging the ring. I got about 1" down and hit concrete. Opps! It was a left over project from a long ago. So we moved the site over about 5 feet and begin digging the 5 foot perimeter. Since we were in a rush to get this project done we drew up a contract with the Toshao (captain) to hire 4 men to work on this full time for the next five days (except Sabbath). The soil is hard clay mixed with volcanic stone and a little sand. It's pretty hard digging but definitely doable. The nice thing is that there is no danger of the well collapsing. By Monday this next week they should be down about 20 feet and hit water. What's so cool about this well is that a major path in the village goes right past the well, and when we set up our water tanks on the tower, we'll set up a faucet so that the villagers can help themselves. I just hope that when they come for water, that they'll stay and learn about the "Water of Life". God bless, James James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 www.guyanaaviationevangelism.org James & Joy Ash Gospel Ministries International Project Name: Guyana Aviation Evangelism 874 South McDonald SW McDonald, TN 37353 1 (423) 473-1841 or 1 (423) 473-1842

[Guyana-Mission-Report] Riding to Georgetown

By the time you read this email, I should be on a minibus traveling 11 hours to Georgetown to pick up the airplane. I was supposed to leave on the big bus this morning, but unfortunately they cancelled it. After a month of delays, the airplane is finally through with its annual, and tomorrow the official from Civil Aviation will inspect the aircraft. If everything goes according to plan (like we're praying) I should be able to do some test flights, and have the airplane ready to go by the early part of next week. The Lord tells us in Isaiah 55 that His thoughts and His ways are much higher than our thoughts and ways. We wondered why God allowed such a long delay with the airplane. One of the things we did recently is help with a Vacation Bible School at the Lethem Church. We consistantly had 30+ kids come out to the program, and even though Joy and I had never done anything like this, it sparked some ideas of what we would like to do in Shea. Now the kids are calling out to me as I pass on the road. It was fun. Right across the street is a family of Jehovah's Witnesses. One of the ladies is dying of colon cancer. A couple days ago she was in such excruciating pain that she was praying for death. Joy has been going over there frequently during the day, and even at night to administer injections and bring comfort to the family. They are very grateful for her help. Two nights ago we baked the family a whole pan of cinnamon rolls. With six kids and five adults, I doubt they lasted more than 24 hours. Please pray for us as we minister to these people. God bless, James James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 www.guyanaaviationevangelism.org James & Joy Ash Gospel Ministries International Project Name: Guyana Aviation Evangelism 874 South McDonald SW McDonald, TN 37353 1 (423) 473-1841 or 1 (423) 473-1842