Sunday service

Sunday was one of those days that started very early.  I flew  several bags of cement (doesn't take too many to reach gross wt.) and some food supplies out to a remote village that is building a church. Then I picked up 2 health workers from the hospital out in the bush and flew them to 2 different very remote villages where they gave vaccinations to the villagers. They started with the babies, giving them several vaccinations depending on age and weight. Then they moved up to the adults giving vaccinations for "swine flu" and "yellow fever".

 As they were finishing up in one village, we had a downpour of rain for 30 minutes.  As many as possible stood under the wings of the plane trying to stay a little bit dry.  After everyone was vaccinated, and when the rain stopped, I returned the health workers  to the hospital. Then I proceeded on to another village to bring in a lay worker and her family as she needs an ultra sound.  It was an eleven hour day with 5.5 hours in the air. The weather was great (except for the downpour), and over two hundred people received vaccinations.

We still don't have our van back yet. We're still waiting for a court date. School starts here next week, so there will be lots to do flying students and supplies to the different schools.

Thank you so much for your prayers (they are really needed) and your support.

Gary and Toni Lewis

Blessings & Trials

We have just returned to Guyana after our trip to the States to visit family and friends.  It was good to see so many of you and many more we wish we could have seen and visited with.  Won't heaven be great, when we can visit as long and often as we want and travel will be free?

Our family surprised and blessed us by flying our daughter and granddaughter from Hawaii to see us for a week!! What a treat and blessing that was to us. Something unexpected, but God knew the desire of our hearts to see all of our kids. We had a great weekend with all 3 kids and Gary's sisters, and Toni's mom.  Toni got to spend a week with her sisters and dad in Florida and that was special for her. Then friends provided airfare for us to visit friends in San Diego for a week. Toni was also able  to attend a wonderful women's missionary retreat, due to the generosity of friends.  Our cup runs over with blessings sometimes 

The Lord knew we needed some things taken care of which we knew nothing about. Two serious medical issues came to light near the end of our stay and thanks to some very kind and considerate doctors in Asheville, NC, they worked us in on short notice and corrected the problems and then greatly reduced the fees and one even provided the services for free!! Oh the God we service is so kind to us. It was a little stressful though trying to get it all done at the last minute, it even looked like we were going to have to postpone the return trip at great expense, but here we are in Guyana again.

When we returned here we found our house smelled very strong of mildew-- bedding and clothing were green and damp.  One computer won't boot up and .......   We are making progress on the war against the mold, though, with bleach.  The washing machine didn't work so that we could wash out the mold, but we were able to fix it today so now we can wash this stuff away!!

While we were in the States, the other pilot here was driving the Toyota van that we use to make all of our purchases with and haul fuel to the plane and cargo. It was confiscated by the authorities under mistaken identity of ownership. They thought it belonged to another organization here that has an outstanding judgement against it.  They were shown that we are not connected or a part of them, but it is locked up and now someone will have to go to court to try and convince the judge.  In the meantime, we have no wheels to do our work. 

So many of you have been so faithful in your support and prayers for this project down here.  We don't know how to say thank you enough, only that your reward will be waiting for you in heaven.  We continue to ask for your prayers as we meet the challenges before us . Our God is Faithful and He will see us through.!!

With thanksgiving,

Gary and Toni Lewis

Stuck in the Sand

It has been rainy season here which has made flying in the mountain areas of Guyana a real challenge. Along with the rainy weather, of course comes wet airstrips, bad weather, awesome waterfalls and the bugs.  A couple of weeks ago I was flying health care workers, Bible workers, medical emergencies and supplies, all in one day.  At one short strip, as I was taxiing to take off with 3 people on board, I suddenly found myself stuck in the wet sand. We had to shut the plane down and push it out. Everyone got out and some villagers came to help.  While I was up front trying to pull and steer the plane I noticed some oil on the front of the engine cover right behind the propeller. I looked on the other side and there was more.  There is not to be any oil in that area at all.  I knew I had a problem on my hand and a prayer went up asking for guidance.  We got the plane out of the soft sand and I taxied it back to the other end of the strip so we could get it off the runway.  As soon as I had it off the runway, I took the engine cover off to see where the oil was coming from.  Earlier that same day, I had been at this same strip and a local commercial plane came in with supplies and left. They usually come in there only once or twice a week.  While I was looking for the oil leak, the people said here comes another plane.  It was the commercial plane coming back to pick up some more passengers.  It's very unusual to it come in twice.  With the top cover off, I could see oil all over the front of the engine and that it was running down inside the front cover as well.  It looked like the front oil seal had blown out of our new engine.  I knew it could not be flown until fixed, and I was 200+ miles from home in the bush.  I went over and asked the other pilot if he had room to take me out as my plane was grounded.  He said was full, but  made room for me.  I hurried and closed the plane up, and climbed on board for the trip home.  When I got to Georgetown, I asked the 2 airplane repair shops if either of them had a front oil seal for my engine.  Neither of them had one, and there were none to be found in the whole country, plus it would require special tools to install it.  Now what Lord?  I have lots of people needing flights and the plane is stuck in the bush?  No worries, God already had it planned out.  He had already gotten me back to town in an expedited way.  I called my friends at AWA and they said, "Hey we have an airplane mechanic leaving Canada in 2 days.  Get the part number and he can bring it."  I raced home and got the numbers and emailed them to him.  This was Thursday evening.  He got the part on Friday, and left Sunday, arriving here Monday morning with the part.  AWA flew me and the mechanic straight out to the bush to work on the plane.   When the mechanic saw it, he said, "You are right, looks like the front oil seal."  So we removed the prop and engine covering etc so we could access the seal.  When we got it opened up, we discovered the seal was dry and there was no oil on it.  Where did the oil come from?  There is a little oil pressure switch on the front of the engine and it had oil on it so we started the engine, and sure enough, out spurted the oil.  The mechanic said, "For some reason, when I packed last night, at the last minute, I threw a 1/4 inch plug in my bag--not knowing why-- but just in case".  It was the exact size and thread we needed.  We installed it, and we were ready to go. 

If I had not gotten stuck in the sand, I could have lost all my oil out over the bush, and not known it, until it was too late. It could have caused engine failure with no place to land except on 200 foot tall trees.  God is so Good!   He provided the ride out, and  the mechanic coming in at the right time, with the right part.  What an awesome God we serve.

We are so grateful for your prayers on our behalf.  God does hear and answer them!  Without them, we would be in real danger.

urgent need

That time of year has arrived when we say a lot of goodbyes. We say them to students who have graduated and attended our schools this last year.  We have to say goodbye to our wonderful volunteers who have given so much to spend time this year here in Guyana answering God's call to "go tell the world about Me".  Is God calling you to put aside some time to answer His call to service? Maybe 9 months to a year or longer?  The harvest is ready, but where are the reapers?  All 4 schools here, need staff for the coming school year.  Your help can be anything from the cook, to the dean, to a teacher, to a gardner, or builder.  We need people to help share their love of Jesus to the children of Guyana.  You can even do it in English.  School starts in early Sept. so we need people to start planing now.  If you think you might be interested or know someone who might be, please contact us and send in an application to Gospel Ministries International. You can do that by going to http://www.gospelministry.org/ and filling out a volunteer form online. If you come for 9 months or longer, it will change your life forever. That is a guarantee you will not regret. The paycheck is out of this world.  Will you answer the call? If you can not come physically, please be a participant with your prayers and  financial suppor. Without these, those of us here can not do our jobs.  We crave and need your prayers each and every day.  Let us know you're praying for us.  God is faithful and hears  those prayers.

May God guide you as you seek to do His will,

 

Before we ask

It is great working for a Boss who knows what is going to happen before it does and plans things to be ready when the need arises! We see it quite often here. Today we got an urgent call from one of our volunteers in the bush asking for bandaging supplies to make wound care kits to send out into remote villages. Just this week we had received a box of those very supplies-- wondering why the person in the States had sent it to us a couple of months ago. Today we found out and the supplies were delivered!  Yesterday one of our other mission pilots here in Guyana left us his house keys as he was going back out to the bush so we could take care of some matters for him while he was gone.  This morning we got an urgent call from him asking us to go to his house and get a set of tires for his plane and a tire pump. His other pilot had a flat tire out in the bush and needed a replacement. Since we had the key (first time in 2 years) we were able to run over, get the tire and send it out on another plane going that direction.

In the last month, we were given the equipment to set up our own internet service here in the house. We have been using the neighbors, as they were kind enough to share it since they know we are volunteers and do a lot of emails for the ones out in the bush.  We accepted and hooked up our own service, even though we didn't like having to pay the bill each month. Then just a week later the service we had been using was no longer available to us. So by the friends offering us their equipment and then getting our own service, we were able to keep online without interruption or the expenses of buying equipment. God is So Good!

Gary and Toni

Another perspective

This was written by one of our volunteers (Loren Mandigo) who has been serving with his wife and 4 children this year at our school in Paruima. Thought you might like to hear what we do from another persons perspective.  Gary

Guyana Bush Pilot


"That is what we call broccoli and cauliflower." Gary's voice crackled through the headset as I peered down at the scene passing below the little single engine plane.  "From up here the jungle looks like broccoli and the clouds are the cauliflower."  I nodded, smiling in appreciation as I thought of the times I had enjoyed a steaming plate of broccoli and cauliflower back at home in North Idaho.  It would be a long time before I would see either of these vegetables where we were going.


We had first met Gary, the mission pilot, and his wife Toni through a DVD sent to us by Gospel Ministries International.  As we had listened to his experiences of piloting a small plane in the jungles of Guyana my wife Lisa and I had felt that old familiar tug of the heart, drawing us to
another mission adventure.  Our oldest children had been very young when we had last had the privilege of going on a mission trip and now all four of our children were old enough to catch the excitement of traveling to another country to work for God.  When we sent our application to work with GMI in Guyana it was Gary who contacted us and gave us the call to work here.


I was brought back to the present as my stomach pitched and rolled with the little plane.  I shot a glance at Gary wondering if he were ok but instead of witnessing some sort of emergency I saw that now familiar mischievous twinkle in his eye as he looked around the small cockpit to see the reaction he had achieved in his young passengers.   All the excess motion had brought my son Jonathan out of a much needed nap, eyes wide and clutching at his sisters on each side of him.  Gary grinned broadly as he saw the good reaction he had achieved with Jonathan.


"Oh, were you asleep?" Gary's voice rose above the noise of the engine.


"I'm awake now" Jonathan yelled back, a sheepish grin on his face.  "I just dreamed that the plane was crashing."


At this Gary grew sober and said above the noise "I don't even like to talk about planes crashing!"


We later learned that Gary had survived a plane crash while still in the states.  Here in Guyana, however, it is a lot different; when a plane goes down in the Jungle there is seldom any visible trace of the crash site. Downed planes are often never found.   Just the previous year a pilot
friend of Gary's had gone down in a neighboring country and had not been found.


 "We are not too far from Paruima now." Gary's voice came through the headset again. "But I want to show you a nice waterfall that is not far out of our way."  The plane banked smoothly as we headed for a ribbon of water winding lazily through the jungle.  After leaving Georgetown we had flown over flat low lying terrain for over an hour before the ground rose sharply to meet us as we neared the mountainous area that we would call home for the next seven months.  As we circled the falls I aimed my video camera at the beautiful scene.  The river dropped abruptly over the rocky cliff, falling free till it ended in billows of spray on the rocks far below.  Gary held the plane steady as I captured the last of the scene and then aimed the small craft back to our destination.


 "The name Guyana means 'land of many waters'."  Gary said, motioning to the river below us.


"A fitting name." I said into the mouthpiece.  We had already seen several rivers during the flight and I could imagine that there were many more in this tropical region.


A few minutes later we were flying over the Davis Indians Industrial College Campus (DIIC), circling back to land at Paruima's little grass airstrip about one mile from the college.  As we bounced down the rough strip of runway I had hopes of settling down to a comfortable routine at
the school.  I had seen enough over the weekend we had spent with Gary and Toni to know that there would be no settling down for them as long as they chose to continue the work of flying in the jungle.  They had come to Guyana as volunteers with no monthly paycheck.  They depended entirely upon what God would provide through the generosity of those back home who would support the work with their means.  As the demands have increased so has God's blessing.


Little did I know just how much we would depend on the work that Gary and Toni are doing in Guyana.  So far they had picked us up from the airport in Georgetown, transported us to and from our hotel, fed us at their home, taken us shopping, taken us to church and now flown us out to Paurima all at their own expense.  Just after we arrived in the country Gary had flown the body of a young boy out to Paruima just as a courtesy  to the grieving family.   At a cost of about $200.00 US to fly out as far as Paruima the expense adds up fast.  Gary and Toni do this sort of thing on a daily basis month after month.  They fly students to and from schools like DIIC (GMI operates four such schools in Guyana), fly pastors, bible workers, medical emergencies, and just people traveling to and from Georgetown or other villages.  Gary transports letters and packages, flash-sticks with all important emails, even produce.  One of the important services he does is bringing food to the schools like DIIC such as rice, beans, flour, oats, etc.  When someone at the school needs something they send out a shopping list with Gary and then Toni goes around town to fill the list, then Gary brings it out to the jungle villages.  Gary also sits on the GAMAS board (Guyana Adventist Mission Aviation Service) and coordinates the work being done in the four schools.  Each morning Gary is on the radio checking in with the schools and communicating with the various villages determining the needs so he can plan his flight schedule.


"We seldom have any time to ourselves," Gary says "and the work keeps us going constantly, but as long as the Lord supplies our needs we will keep the work going here in Guyana."  So far the Lord has supplied their needs and as their budget increases month by month the donations from God's faithful people increases to meet the increased demand.  Thank God for people like Gary and Toni our faithful mission pilot family.


"I sure am going to miss you kids." Gary says while turning Jonathan
upside down and tickling him till he wriggles free.

After praying for God's protection for Gary as he flies the group standing at the end of the airstrip waves affectionately as Gary turns the plane and taxis down the runway.  "I sure like it when Gary flies in." says one of my kids.  "Yeah, I wish he could stay longer but he has a long way to go before he can rest tonight."  I reply as the plane disappears in the distance.

Written by Loren Mandigo

Missionary Volunteer

More blessings!

More blessings from Heaven this week!  We had a large bill come due this week. We were visiting with a friend and mentioned that we were concerned about it. He said, "why are you worried, I just sent a check a couple of days ago that will more than cover it". He didn't know about the bill or the amount, and we didn't know he was sending us money, but God knew all about it and took care of it before we knew it had to be paid right away. God is faithful!!  Then mid week we received an email from another friend offering to give us airline tickets to Calif. from their frequent flier miles, if the airlines could find seats to where we wanted to go and when. God came through and we now have first class tickets "never flew first class" to San Diego, July 13-19!!!!  It was a desire we had to go to SD to visit friends there and share what God is doing for us here in Guyana, but didn't see how it would happen. God says He wants to give us the desires of our heart! We are really excited to be able to make this trip. Anyone in the San Diego area like to hear mission stories from Guyana??

This week I also experienced one of those bush airstrip take offs that one only wants to read about, not experience, but my angels who fly with me on each flight came through and provide the extra lift! When one is serving the Lord, you can't have a better boss!!  He is faithful, all the time. So many blessings so little faith.