Incredible Weekend in Shea

I knew the moment the wheels touched down in Kamarang that I had six minutes to unload the airplane, pick up the Bible worker and be airborne.

As I shut off the engine, I scanned the airstrip for sign of the Bible worker. Far in the distance, I saw his lonely figure walking toward the airplane, without his bag.

I groaned - my goose was pretty well cooked. I had no choice but to overnight in Kamarang Village. I had just enough gas in the airplane to get to Lethem the next day. I would need to buy more gas, and pick up a few supplies before I could go on to Aishalton and Shea.

The next morning, I called my wife on the ham radio to ask what the weather satellite picture looked like. I could hear her voice faintly in the background static, but it was so faint I couldn’t make out her words. "Oh Lord, you have to help us get through!" I breathed. Almost on cue the static cleared for about sixty seconds and Joy’s voice broke through: "Everything is clear… clear in region 8 and 9… except for a few clouds around Kopinang" No sooner did she deliver the message then her voice was gone. "Thank you Lord!!!"

By 9am, we were airborne out of Kamarang, headed for Lethem with a quick stop in Kopinang to drop off Pastor Casey. Joe (Bible Worker) in Kopinang had just concluded a new evangelistic series and he needed the district pastor to conduct the baptisms and help organize the church.

We continued on to Lethem. Lethem is a South American Cowboy town of about 4000 individuals, bordering Brazil. They have many modern amenities, and most importantly gasoline for the airplane.

After fueling up, we were off for Aishalton. There, we dropped off a returning student and picked up Gregory (Bible Worker) and a Shea church member. The flight from Aishalton to Shea was only 13 minutes. By motor bike it takes 2-3 hours.

We landed in Shea just in front of a huge thunderstorm. We barely had time to unpack our gear and hurry inside before the driving rain hit.

About sunset, the church members gathered for a Friday evening service. The church building that the members are presently using is an old thatched roof house that someone has gutted for public use. During the heavy rains the roof leaks in like a sieve. I happened to be under one of those leaky spots when it rained, and needless to say I quickly repositioned myself! In spite of the bad weather, 15 people show up, half of which were children. Some had walked several miles to get there and had to walk back in the dark. Since Shea is so close to the equator, when the sun goes down, it gets dark very quickly.

Fortunately, someone had brought a truck battery, a 15 foot length of wire, and one lone light bulb. There in soft white glow of the 12volt florescent bulb, we welcomed in our first Sabbath together. What an awesome experience!

The church members at Shea are an exciting group of new believers. They all listened intently as I preached Sabbath morning on ‘How to be Ready for the Second Coming’. Gregory is teaching them some hymns out of the Adventist hymnal, but they don’t know very many yet. They love to sing, and really come alive when they sing the gospel songs in their dialect (especially the kids!).



Sabbath afternoon at A.Y. (Adventist Youth), Gregory taught them about stewardship. He emphasized the meaning of true stewardship as being more than merely giving money. I shared a couple stories and illustrations from my life. After the program finished something very special happened. The people didn’t want to go back home! In fact they did a little impromptu concert just for us! Everyone (including us) had to get up front and share a song or two. Several hours later we finally wrapped everything up.

Sunday morning the weather, and my emotions, were mixed. I could see that the weather was beginning to change for the worse and I was worried that I might not be able to get out. On the other hand, I really wanted to meet with the captain and council before leaving the village. Out in these villages, no one seems to be in a rush.

Eventually, the captain and council members showed up and we talked together outside under a cashew tree. We discussed the up coming move and the modifications that are needed in order to make the health clinic habitable. The building is in good condition but when it rains water comes through the windows soaking the floor. We also found out that the 30-year-old well outside only produces two buckets of water during dry season. Not good.

The council’s main question to me was "How soon can you come?". A day before we arrived they had just encountered a fresh malaria outbreak (34 people) and were desperate for a full time health worker. Fortunately, the regional health office sent some medical personnel to help test and treat the people. Things appeared to be under control by the time we left.

Malaria is an issue during rainy season in Shea Village, but most of the cases occur in the outer lying farm areas. Even so, we’re taking precautions and will be putting screens on the clinic windows.

I told the council that our plan is to be completely moved down by July 20. As we concluded our meeting together, we all bowed our heads and prayed for the Lord’s blessing.

The weather from Shea to Aishalton went from bad to worse and I ended up landing in a light rain storm, but there was sunshine in my soul. It was clear that God had moved in a mighty way over the course of the weekend and we were excited to be a part of it.

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