Blackwater Part 2

The Blackwater trip this Sabbath was good. I spoke to the women about how last week went and she said that teaching had gone well. She and a friend had used the Moses activity book that we provided her with and they had taught the kids memory verses from another book. “Just like you’alls do.” That was really cool to hear. They had had 8 kids at their home-she explained that it is rather a long way to paddle for the others. Well shoot. Can’t argue with that. I can not say I know many 10 year olds who paddle themselves to Sabbath School. This Sabbath (March 17, 2012), I read the “Baby Moses” story from My Bible Friend Book 1 and we did a craft. I have been coming out to Blackwater with the Wickwire’s since November and it was rewarding to watch the kids work today. They are starting to get the craft procedure down. They know how to use their benches as tables now, have figured out the “paste”, and are getting better at coloring. Part of the craft included writing or pasting Jeremiah 29:11 (For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and to give you a hope and a future) onto the blue background. I asked one of the boys, Akin, if he wanted to know how to find it in the Bible. Yes. I taught him and Lisa and another boy. They found the book, the chapter, and then carefully read the verse. We practiced together during the sermon, the three little kids lined up on a rough bench, Bibles open in their laps.

After potluck, Greg Van Fossen used felts to teach some anatomy and physiology to build a base so that we can help these people combat their “sugar” (diabetes) and high pressure problems. It was noisy and chaotic. When it became apparent that the kids weren’t going to listen to the health talk I brought out shape and color cards (thank you Prep leadership conference group) and taught them to play “matching”. They also thoroughly enjoyed an Alphabet reader (thanks Courtney and Bailey).

I’ve heard it said that every church has a building project, and on the way back to Mabaruma, we stopped at Blackwater’s. A new Adventist church is being constructed on land adjacent to the home of one of the baptized members. The frame work is up and now there are boards sawed and ready to put up on the frame. Tyler Quiring raised money to purchase the paint for the building. This coming week the president of Adventist World Aviation, Ric Swaningson, is coming to visit the Guyana team and we hope to be able to worship in the new church. I am hoping it gets finished up because if we can have church at the new location there is a separate building (a kitchen) where we can do the kids program without worrying about being too noisy during the adults’ lesson study.

Good mission story huh? I get to travel up a jungle river and teach poor little children about Jesus and the Bible. A great “missionary” thing to do. But is that what makes a missionary? Going to new places and teaching people about Jesus? I think there is a whole lot more, and a whole lot less, that goes into being a missionary. Something that isn’t location specific or dependent on the knowledge base of the people....more to come.