Dear Ones!
We just want to bring you up to date with everything that is happening here. What an amazing two months! We arrived September 13. For the first two weeks, we were in Georgetown. The Plane (04T) needed some maintance and we thought…” OH NO! Not Again!”
Allen got to Paruima and stared teaching on September 25th. He has 5 classes, 1 Bible, 1 History, 1 English and 2 HSB (Human Science and Biology). He is also very busy with the Pathfinder Club here. Every Sabbath Afternoon and Sunday mornings at 5:00 AM (yes you did read that correctly). He is preparing to walk three days to the next village. He is walking and running the steep hill next to our house 5-10 times first thing in the morning.
Sara stayed in Georgetown to get the barrel and set up for the two students from Mashabo to get out to Paruima. She flew out on October 11, the day before her birthday. Since then, we have been struggling to get into a family schedule.
We have a 12-year-old boy living with us. He is every smart, but has missed much of his primary education. In the afternoon, after school, Sara and he go over what he learned that day, and try to help him catch up. She feels overwhelmed sometimes. He can spell “Carbohydrates”, but can’t spell farm or burn. (He can spell the big words because of the afternoon training.) Reading and writing are challenging as well. Praise God for patience! Please pray for Sara as she is striving to help Delvin become educated for the Lord.
One amazing thing that happened was that we lead Delving to give his heart to the Lord! THAT was an exciting night. We were reading a story about a man who asked Dwight Moody to give his heart to the Lord. When we finished, the question was asked “Delvin, has anyone asked you if you want to give your heart to the Lord?” He answered “No.” He was asked “Would you like to give your heart to the Lord?” He answered “Yes.” All of heaven, and both of us here rejoiced. He is learning memory verses and trying to learn a completely different way of living. Overall, he is doing well. Including getting a 100% on a test.
Oveta is the second student that came out with us. She is 12 going on 21. Freedom is all she wants, but feels uncomfortable with it. She is living in the dorm, because she said that would be more comfortable. We are watching to see how that works for her.
We are settling down into our half of the white house. When we left, all our belongings were just piled into two of the rooms and the doors locked. Now, Sara has had to sort out everything from the move earlier this year. For the move, it was important to get everything in a container. Now, we must find everything! Kitchen mixed with bathroom, and those mixed with pens and pencils! What a MESS! Sara is trying to get a handle on the house, keep up with laundry (done by hand two times a week), learn how to be a “mom”, help in the campus kitchen, and mentor a 16-year-old girl who doesn’t know what she wants.
On December 1st, our third Child moved in with us. Her name is Keyra and is 16 years .She was living in the dorm until our last single female teacher left to get married. We turned the room that was planned for our bathroom into her bedroom. She is so intelligent, but as many girls her age must fight against the draw of the world. Please pray for her and us as we try to encourage her to make good choices.
We are learning that life in Paruima is harder than Mashabo. The reason is simple…. The plane. We can’t just go and get what we need from a store or even several stores. The village has several shops, but the prices are enough to make you cry $1.50 for a pound of rice! $5 for a small bottle of oil! So, the plane is the only effective way to get food we can afford to the campus. The other thing is that 3 houses are under construction. All the materials (except wood) must be flown in! Right now, the only working plane is in Bolivia getting a paint job and all our pilots are out of the country. We are trusting God to care for our needs.
If you or someone you know would like to help with a mission project, there are several things that are needed:
- Building
We have 3 houses that under construction- both sides of the white house, the windfall house, and the Williams house. If you would like to come for a week or so to help, it would be a blessing.
- Helping with Aviation Costs
Every flight costs money. We are responsible for every flight to and from Paruima. Any help we can get will be a blessing. Each flight costs about $300. Paruima School needs 1 possibly 2 flights a month.
- School supplies
Paruima Mission Academy is a Secondary School with little financial help. The students pay $20/month in tuition (most of which goes to paying the local teachers). If you would like to help, collect School supplies like:
College rule loose leaf paper,Photo paper (for small pictures)
Construction paper, Colored Pencils
Colorful card stock,White board markers
pens, (Blue, Black and Red)Permanent Markers
pencils, Seeds for agriculture Class
rulers, Printer paper
notebooks, Geometry tools
erasers,
music score paper,
- Washing Machine
Handwashing the clothes in our house takes 4 hours on both Wednesday and Sunday. It is tiring and labor intensive. Having a quiet washing machine that all the families could use would be such a blessing! We will have a newborn, 6-month-old, 3-year-old and a 6-year-old on campus this year. Washing diapers, and baby clothes could take all the energy of the mothers. Machines cost about $500- $700.
- Most of all we need your prayers. We are truly on the front lines and need your prayers to hold back Satan and his angels from doing their work on this campus.
God Bless each of you,
Sara and Allen