[Guyana-Mission-Report] Launching a New School

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[Guyana-Mission-Report] Sad Flights

Today is a sad day of flying. Last Tuesday I was sitting in an exceptionally boring meeting at Ogle Aerodrome when I got called out by our other pilot to do a medivac to Philippi village in Region 7. Two villages are notorious for having poisonous snakes.  One is Chenaweng and the other is Philippi.  This time it was a little girl about four years old who was bit on the calf by a large Laborea Snake.  When I arrived on the scene six hours after the incident the leg was already swollen up and she was starting to spit blood (a very bad sign).  I immediately made a charcoal poultice and applied it to the bite.  I also mixed up a solution of charcoal water for her to drink.  She was alert and I was hopeful that she might pull through, but when we arrived in Ogle and loaded her into the Ambulance, she threw everything up.  Sadly, like other snake bite victims, she died on the operating table the next evening. Today I'm going to fly her body back to Philippi, and the body of another man back to Chinaweng. BUT...  I'm planning to take some time on the ground in both areas to talk with each of the health workers, and give them some charcoal and instructions.   I have a scar on my left ankle from a brown recluse spider bite that was successfully treated with charcoal.   I plan to use it if I need to to try and drive home that charcoal really works. Then I must move a bible worker to another village so he can start an evangelistic campaign, and then I must fly down South to meet some new Russian volunteers who are coming to help at our industrial college.   Please pray for me, because this is going to be a day of many challenges. God bless, James James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 http://guyanaaviationevangelism.blogspot.com/ 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] Perfect Timing (again!)

I sense that the Lord is quietly putting more pieces of the puzzle together, preparing us for what could very well prove to be a landmark year of outreach and evangelism. Just three days ago I was walking into the Davis Memorial Hospital compound just as another gentleman was catching a cab to leave. The timing couldn't have been better. Incidentally, I had talked with this gentleman on the radio about five months back, and in general terms explained that I needed him to be a bible worker in Region 8.  Since we were on a public frequency, I decided not to discuss details.   Anyway, when we saw each other in the Hospital driveway we were both pretty shocked. Since the taxi driver was waiting on him, I asked if he would be willing to come over for supper.  That evening I spent a couple hours sharing with him my burden for opening up some new work.  I could see that God has been working on his heart and convicting him that he needs to become a bible worker again.   Four years ago he had been a GAMAS bible worker in Kopinang village, but when his fiancee left him, he lost his missionary zeal, quit bible work, and went to work in the mines.  But like Jonah running to Joppa to get away from his calling, Ray has been working as a foreman in the mines in Jawalla making good money, but still feeling a deep longing to serve the Lord. No - it wasn't a coincidence that we bumped into each other.  And at the conclusion of our evening together, I challenged him to quit mining and go to work for the Lord again.  He says he'll need 30 days to wrap up his mining work and then he'll come on board full time. Before we parted ways we had a special prayer together with him, praying that God would open up new opportunities as we move forward.  The next day he caught a commercial flight back to Kamarang. Timing – Perfect once again!  One or two minutes one way or another and we would have missed each other. One other piece of good news is that the minibus is back together again, but the engine knocks pretty badly.  The mechanic calls it a diesel knock, and says that it is caused by too much diesel injected into the cylinder.  He'll try to fix it tomorrow, but says that he needs the whole day to adjust it.  Hopefully it won't take too much time to fix. Must run, James James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 http://guyanaaviationevangelism.blogspot.com/ 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] Do Angel's Drive Golf Carts?

Lot's of exciting stuff happening. I'm convinced that at least one angel resides at JFK International and she drives a stretch golf cart!  No joke!  Ok, ok - I'm not totally sure that she was a real angel, but when we stepped off of our flight from Salt Lake City a little after midnight, we had not idea how close we were squeezed for time.  I vaguely knew that we'd had lost some time on the previous flight, but unbeknownst to us, the moment we arrived, they were already boarding the other aircraft in a whole different concourse.  Only if you've traveled through JFK International can you fully appreciate the tremendous size of the airport. As we stepped off the airplane the black lady was quietly waiting there, watching us from her limo-cart.  I vaguely remember seeing her but decided first to ask someone who would know where we were supposed to go.  As I strode past her over to the nearby Delta counter to ask where we were supposed to go, the lady in the cart turned to my wife and asked, "Why didn't your husband ask me where you guys are headed?  I know all the flights around this place."  A little taken back Joy said to her, "We're going to Georgetown Guyana".  And without missing a beat she said, "Flight 383 - I know the flight well.  It's boarding right now.  You'll need to hurry"  "Uhh...  Is there anyway you might take us there?" my wife asked. "I can take you to the shuttle, and they'll take you directly to the flight.  But you need to hurry, the shuttle is about to leave." At this point in time Joy started giving me sign language across the room that we needed to leave immediately.  We loaded up in the golf cart and she sped us down the concourse past all the other passengers loudly telling people to clear out of our path.  Soon we pulled up at another counter where they checked our passports and put us on the last shuttle bus that night.  Then it was that we began to piece together the details.  The skytrain which normally runs all night wasn't working beyond 9pm due to construction on a new Delta Concourse.  Buses were running, but we had narrowly made the last bus four our flight.  Less then ten minutes after we found our seats, the 757 was pushing back from the gate.  Life hasn't slowed down since arriving.  Gary Roberts and D.J. Knott with their families have been in Paruima working on the damaged Maule.  It appears that the damage isn't quite as extensive as once though, but it will take lots of hard work to get it out of Paruima in the next ten days.  Meanwhile we're working on getting the minibus going again.  Today we picked up a new head and hopefully by some time this week we'll be back up and going again.  It looks like the van may have been driven after I left the country.  Sigh.  Whoever picked it up (it would seem) may not have wanted to tow the vehicle so they may have tried to drive it back, just adding water whenever it needed it.  Sigh...  So a simple fix probably escalated into a $1000 USD+ problem.  On a positive note.  Last thursday Gary and DJ were able to put the new tires on the 182.  They look really nice, and I'm itching to try them out. I need to run catch some lunch.  I've got a bazillion things to do, including gettinginternet at the house.  James   James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 http://guyanaaviationevangelism.blogspot.com/ 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] I smell something burning!

The acrid smell of burning rubber is a very distinct smell - regardless of the context of which you smell it.  But when you smell it in-flight at 7,500 feet with nothing but raw jungle and rivers below you, it takes on a whole new significance! Yesterday I was returning to Georgetown to do some maintenance on the airplane and prepare for our next big push - flying bible workers back to their home villages. We were maintaining 7,500 feet above sea level, and I had pulled the power and propeller control back so as to get the best fuel economy.  45 Miles from the international airport I detected a strong smell of burning rubber.  It was so strong that my front seat passenger turned to me and said "I smell something burning!"  Immediately I kicked into action.  Hit the "Nearest" button on your GPS to see where the nearest airport is - should the situation escalate into an emergency.  The nearest airport was Linden about 20 nautical miles away.  Instantly I got on the radio and requested ATC for a right deviation, and a descent.  Then I started trouble shooting.  Engine Instruments - All Indicating normal Felt under dash - No abnormal heat Circuit breakers - Nothing noticeably popped Smell - Burning rubber but nothing particularly electrical After 20-30 seconds the smell went away.  The closer I got to Linden the more I debated what to do.  I could land and try and find out the problem, but the airstrip didn't provide anything in the way of repair facilities.  It was just a strip out in the middle of virually nowhere.  The situation appeared to have stabilized somewhat (i.e. the smell was gone), so I decided to split the difference between Linden and Timehri (international airport) and if everything went well I would continue on to Timehri.  Airplane continued to perform like normal, and I was just about to Timehri Airport and considering making a run for Ogle (our final destination), when the smell came back stronger than ever.   It was clear that something was very wrong, so I took a deep breath, keyed the mike and told the tower that we were experiencing some electrical problems and needed to land.  Two weeks earlier a Carribean Airlines Flight to New York had ingested a couple birds soon after takeoff and had to circle back for an emergency landing.  I think this was fresh in the controllers mind, when I told him about my situation because he immediately cleared me to land on either of the two runways. After landing I taxied over to the Texaco Refueling Area and cut the power.  My passengers and I sat for a few minutes and debrief on what everyone smelled.  After climbing out of the aircraft, I opened the little hatch to the oil dipstick and immediately saw the problem.  The pully on the alternator was missing a belt.  Ahhhhh!  It all made perfect sence now! I handed a screw driver to one of the other guys and we proceeded to take the cowl off to have a better look.  Somehow the belt had loosened up and started slipping and eventually it torqued completely off and was laying on the inside of the bottom cowling.  We buttoned the airplane back up and flew back to Ogle using our battery for the radio.  I praise the Lord that it was a simple solution.  Now we have to locate another belt to keep going.  The work has been nothing short of a flood and we've probably flown 60 hours in the last three weeks. Starting this next Sunday we plan to make four to five flights to transport bible workers back to their home village. As things slow down a little I'll look at traveling back to the US to take a little break. Thank you for your prayers in our behalf.  Flying over the jungles of Guyana always carries a certain amount of risk, but in order to get the gospel into these remote areas we must assume that risk.  Rest assured, we do our best to keep our aircraft in top flying condition, but airplanes are made by fallible humans, and can break on occasion.  This is why your prayers are such a big encouragement to us.  We know that we're not just flying on wings of a Cessna - but also wings of angels. Sincerely, James James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 http://guyanaaviationevangelism.blogspot.com/ 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] Aircraft down

Dear Family and Friends   As some of you may have already heard.  The other pilot in our organization had an accident with his aircraft in Paruima Village.  From the reports it sounds like Gary was hoping to get three students out of Paruima Village, but was uncertain whether to take two or three.  So he wisely decided to take two in order to assess how the airplane would perform.  He took off just fine, but when he turned around and landed down-wind to pick up the third student, the wind caught the airplane at the wrong moment.  He tried to stop the plane, but the grass was extremely slick and the aircraft skidded off the end of the runway down an embankment and into some small brush-like trees.  All three occupants were able to get out of the airplane with not a scratch on them.  By the next day the villagers had pulled the plane which was partially submerged out of the Kamarang river and set it up on the river bank.   What does this mean for the GAMAS flight program?  Good question.  At this point there are many variables in the works and it remains to be seen what the final outcome will be. Without a doubt, the flight program has experienced a serious setback, and at this moment we're the only remaining GAMAS airplane flying in Guyana.  This increases the burden on my shoulders as I seek to cover the entire region with the Cessna 182 the Lord has provided us. Gary Lewis is tentatively making plans to travel back to the States to prepare another airplane to bring down.  How long this will take is also another key variable.  Let's hope for the sake of the work that it is quick. The good news in all of this is that Davis Indian Industrial College has closed early.  This last Monday I flew into Paruima to evacuate the remaining four teachers.   For the immediate moment we're not making plans to move anywhere.  Shea's new health worker is back in the village, but she's pretty new and will need a lot of training and coaxing to break out of her shell.  She's very young and quiet.  So the reality is that Joy needs to stay on at Shea longer to effectively wrap up the project.   This is accident reminds me again how quickly a situation can develop.  One unguarded moment can spell disaster for the airplane and others lives.  That's why I'm moving very cautiously, taking extra precautions.  I'm so grateful for the army of people who are standing shoulder to shoulder with us in their prayers.  I know that it may seem to you that your petitions disappear into the blue atmosphere, never to be seen again.  But a number of times I've felt God's guiding hand reach down and intervene in my behalf.   Thank you from the bottom of my heart.                                                                                                                                                   James James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 http://guyanaaviationevangelism.blogspot.com/ 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] Fast Forward

PICTURED - Our bible workers in at the secondary school in Paramakatoi Village Joy's medical work in Shea Village is wrapping up.  I just saw Bernice (the newly trained health worker for Shea) and she told me that she's supposed to travel back to Shea Village in two weeks.  We're not sure yet where our next assignment will be, but until that time we're stuck on "fast forward".  Last Thursday I met together with the couple in Maururinau Village (Fred and Kateri).  It was a vigorous 30 minutes mountain bike ride, ending with a steep climb up the hill to their house.  We spent an hour and a half together studying the bible with a series of lessons from Amazing Facts. I also talked with them about doing some training so that they can form a branch Sabbath School in their village.  This is ground breaking since most religious groups have been flatly denied access to work in the village. Praise the Lord.  We now have about 10 different bible studies going in our village.  God is truly blessing the outreach efforts. Some of our friends and family have inquired about the Church of Christ group in Shea, and what is happening with them.  They are continuing to meet together, but strangely their bible worker isn't coming.  Joy and I are continuing our studies with them.  Gregory (our bible worker in Aishalton Village), just arrived back from his trip to Bolivia.  We had sent him to Bolivia to record some programs in the local Wapishana dialect.   He spent three weeks preparing, and recording 10 sermons, but as an added bonus, he also did 24 bible stories in Wapishana as well.  Now the media team is taking the raw footage and in a couple weeks we'll be able to replicate these messages and share them out.  It's like multiplying our bible worker many times over! We also have plans to replicate select programs off 3ABN and use them for evangelism and edification of the churches. There are other exciting developments happening.  The district pastor just told me yesterday of a village in the North Savanna of Region 9 that is located in a mountainous region.  Since they are so remote few religious organizations have been able to visit them.  But Pastor Garnett reports that he's traveled there several times already, and the people are so happy that any church would be willing to come teach them from the bible, that they are seriously considering deeding their local Anglican church (which isn't in use) to the Adventists if they will continue to come!  It sounds like we must put a bible worker in there immediately who can nurture these people.  Reports are coming from several other villages where the people are crying out for more knowledge.  We've got to train, equip and send more bible workers.  If you would be interested in sponsoring an Amerindian bible worker (only $150USD a month), we would personally train, equip them, and send them to places like I just mentioned. Please contact me and I can give you the details of how this would work.  ashjam7@yahoo.com James James & Joy Ash 121 Durban Backlands Georgetown, Guyana 011-592-629-5141 http://guyanaaviationevangelism.blogspot.com/ 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