I've been distant in that I went to South America! :D And lots of other places for that matter.
And I'm finally going to be mailing out my Guyana report letters within the next few days! Yay! Guyana letter written: CHECK!
So...
"Dear friends,
The Guyana Mission trip this year was a huge success! I want to thank you once again for the donations, prayers, thoughts, and moral support that you provided to me and others involved in this work! Because of the generosity of others, there was over $1000 in extra funds that we were able to give to the Amelia’s Ward church of Christ to further the Lord’s work in Guyana! I hope you will consider continuation of this support in coming years. I am more grateful than words could ever express for the worldwide network of loving Christians that I am a part of.
As you probably already know, I and fifteen other Americans spent seven days in Linden, Guyana at the house of preacher Nigel Milo of the Amelia’s Ward church of Christ. On Sunday, the men taught classes and preached sermons at the Amelia’s Ward church of Christ as well as the Burnham Drive church of Christ in a nearby area. Monday through Friday, we had a pretty regular schedule. At 10 o’clock, we and some brethren from Amelia’s Ward met at the church building to begin door-knocking. We were spilt up into several groups and, together, we conducted over 50 home Bible studies throughout the course of the week!
In addition, several correspondence courses were started. At 2 o’clock, we returned to the house for a wonderful lunch prepared by Nigel’s wife Jasmine and her mother Birney. If there were any Bible studies that had been set up for a time after that, those groups would go back out to conduct them.
Each night, there were maturity classes at Amelia’s Ward that addressed the subject of growing as a Christian in many different ways. The children studied a different story about David each night.
There were classes for children under 6, 6-12, teenagers, women, and men taught by the Americans. The attendance was absolutely amazing! The 6-12 year old class had to move benches outside because the classroom was too small for the up to 40 students that were present in that age group alone!
During the week, there were 4 souls added to the body of Christ through baptism!
Each one was a beautiful sight to see, and I felt so privileged to be able to witness them! Although there were 50 Bible studies and 4 baptisms, the seed was planted for all of the others. They may not have responded to the Lord’s invitation while we were there, but maybe they will weeks, months, or even years later. God always gives the increase.
Though, we go over there to help the Guyanese, I think it is just as much of a help and encouragement to us! I cannot thank you enough for providing me with this marvelous opportunity! I love you all so much!
In Christian love,
Bethany Rose Iversen"
Apart from the more professional-looking letter, here are some more pictures. :)
Oh my, oh my... :) Well on the left is Megan from my congregation, then Kierra, then Mrs. Beckie (who is met in Guyana. Love her!!) and Aesha (who I also love and met in Guyana!)
That, on the left, is Brother Nigel Milo...making a funny face. :D Heehee
On Monday, it rained while we were door-knocking. Usually, Guyana rain last five minutes and is gone, but it rained aaaaall morning this time. I loved it because that meant it wasn't hot. It was actually a bit cold. One thing we ran into, though, was out Bibles getting wet. And this was one person's solution. :P
Nertz was our favorite past time when we had a bit of free time and weren't napping or studying like those behind us on the couch. :)
The coffee pot broke halfway through the week, but we made do with what we had.
This little girl was so adorable! I adore her! She looooved taking pictures with my camera. It made me a little nervous, but it's still in one piece. :D She is Brother Cy's daughter, Shariah. He's the preacher at Burnham Drive church of Christ.
See all those bottles of bugspray sitting on the ledge in the upper right hand corner of the picture? Those are the already used up bottles. Did we still get bit? Yes.
And last...Macy emailing...SOMEONE...*at least* three times a day...every day. -_-
I can't wait till next year! It was a great mission trip!
~Bef
