"Where
in the World is..."
This
was our first trip to Guyana, and the decreasing size of aircraft in our
journey there did little to allay our apprehension about the journey ahead.
By Russell Gibbs
By Russell Gibbs
Most people think of the African continent when you mention the country of Guyana. Or maybe they've heard about the mass suicide of 900 people that took place there in 1978. A paranoid American preacher, Jim Jones, convinced his cult followers to escape the troubles of this world in a bizarre act of sacrifice, in a place he named Jonestown. You can understand the hesitancy of today's Guyana government to grant any concessions or privileges to religious groups.
Guyana sits on the northeastern shoulder of the South American continent, its vast interior covered with dense tropical rain forest, interspersed with wide expanses of savannah. The country is criss-crossed with a network of mighty rivers and spectacular waterfalls. Most of the country's population of less than one million has congregated in the few cities along the coastal plain, remnants of the Dutch and British colonial past. There's a rich cultural mix of Africans
and East Indians, descendants of slaves and indentured workers who were brought to work the sugar plantations in the eighteenth century. There are also Portuguese, Chinese and the indigenous Amerindians, who mostly live on vast tracts of land or reservations in the interior. Access to these areas is limited and requires government permission. But here you will also find Adventist volunteer teachers, nurses, and pilots, working in some of the remotest parts of the country.
Armed with the above information, my production assistant, Brian Belleau, and I set off to capture parts of the country on tape. This would be another segment in a video on volunteers around the world, commissioned by Elder Vernon Parmenter at the General Conference, and produced by Adventist Media Productions, of California. We wanted to record firsthand the daily challenges that confronted our host, David Gates, and his band of volunteers.
| This was our first trip to Guyana, and the decreasing size of aircraft in our journey there did little to allay our apprehension about the journey ahead. We had heard a little of David Gates' amazing experiences as a mission aviator. He was once hijacked and beaten by his drug-running captors! Also, the aircraft which was to be our transport for the next 5 days was a tired looking Cessna 172. We could only just squeeze ourselves and our equipment, plus extra fuel canisters, into its tiny compartment. |  Author Russell Gibbs, adds oil to “Golf Hotel Juliet,” the Cessna 172 piloted by David Gates in remote areas of Guyana. One of God’s miracles, this Cessna brings medical supplies to needy villages, responds to emergency evacuation requests and brings news from home to isolated volunteers. |
Over the next few days we would treasure this little machine, as it carried us over wild gorges, through drenching storms, into "airstrips" that were nothing more than hand-cut clearings in the jungle, and finally out to civilization. For me it was a journey into the past, when twenty years ago I spent thousands of hours flying our mission planes over similar terrain in Papua New Guinea on the other side of the world.
David, who has been ADRA Director, pilot, nurse, manager, and has held numerous other responsibilities in Guyana, told us of the miraculous way he was able to buy this aircraft. It was the only affordable one that had come on the market in Guyana for many years. He literally ran across to the seller's office to put a check for the full price on the table in order to secure the sale. A much larger organization had tried to reserve it for their use. Because the aircraft was registered in Guyana, the SDA Church became the sole denomination to have a license giving nation-wide access to the interior airstrips. There are no roads to most areas of the country, so air transport is essential.
Golf Hotel Juliet
But today, the tiny Cessna carries us safely into a neatly-cleared patch of green nestled in the surrounding hills. This is Kopanan, home to volunteer missionaries Joe and Melody McWilliams. As we circled overhead villagers emerged from their wooden and thatch huts and ran excitedly to the parking bay. The tall, loping figure with his petite wife running and waving by his side just had to be Joe and Melody. After quick introductions and hugs all round, we delivered the most important items first - the mail. No Internet connection here. But the letters we brought, and a disk of downloaded greetings from the Internet café in Georgetown, were welcome news from home.
These were special people! Just a young couple, who sold their house, car, and just about everything else they possessed in Washington State, USA, to become self-supporting missionaries. Now they live among the Amerindians on this reserve. Joe has supervised and helped drag logs from the jungle and has built a two-storied dwelling, simple in design, yet a suitable shelter for them, with a small chapel on the lower floor.
As we visited over a humble meal of rice and beans, we came to admire their dedication and even envy the exultation that Joe showed over the recent baptism of twelve precious locals.
Melody is a registered nurse and is kept busy attending to everything from snakebites to treating malaria, which fortunately is pretty rare in these parts. One day she hopes to be able to use her other skills in God's service as a qualified pilot. She gave us a wonderful interview, detailing daily life in this jungle outpost. When asked about discouragement, Melody was silent for a moment and then reluctantly shared their recent emotional lows. But our visit was most welcome as a highlight of the week, and as we prayed with Joe and Melodie our hearts yearned for the Lord's return, when separation will be no more.
 The author with production assistant, Brian Belleau, arriving at Paruima. |
After
"buzzing" the strip to say our farewells, we headed over
the mountain range, past dramatic waterfalls plunging hundreds of
feet, to Paruima, where the Davis Indian Industrial College is located.
The late afternoon sun gave a golden edge to the varied buildings
on the neat campus below as we swooped low to alert the canoe crew
that we had arrived. The Davis Indians took their name from an early Adventist pioneer missionary, Pastor O. E. Davis, who stayed with this group and taught them Bible truths for several months before dying of disease in July 1911. For decades there was a strong mission outreach to the Davis |
|
Indians by the Church, but for the last 30 years or so the school
has been idle. Several years ago David Gates and some dedicated laymen
decided to revive this darkened light in the jungles of Guyana. With
new buildings, renovated dwellings and dedicated volunteer educators,
young Amerindians once more have the opportunity of learning practical
skills in a Christian environment. Their education has eternal significance
as they learn the ageless stories of salvation from a truly dedicated
staff. Even though the college was on vacation, we sensed the spirit of the place and sampled the wide variety of fruits and vegetables available there. At night the air was crisp and clear, giving the most vivid view of the starry sky that I can remember. We met some young Amerindians who were gracious and gentle and had a good grasp of English, probably due partly to the good teaching of student missionaries. This idyllic setting, on the banks of the beautiful Kamarang River, is an ideal location for both short and long term volunteers to give service. Opportunities exist in the following general areas: medical, education, construction/engineering and aviation. Many student missionaries have said they found a new set of values after spending time at Paruima. |
|
Huge Challenges |
 Principal of the new school at Kimbia, Warren McDaniel, takes a refreshing drink of coconut juice. |
| Warren
and Jodi McDaniel live on a beautiful riverside parcel of land with
swaying palms and gentle breezes. Warren calls it paradise compared
to his former life in the "rat race." As an executive for
Caterpillar, he traveled the world, had a beautiful home, nice car,
with solid prospects of promotion for years to come. But it came at
a cost. With little time at home to spend with the family, Warren
and Jodi's future looked rather rocky. They decided to sell it all
and seek a different kind of happiness, which only comes through service
to others, and to God. They're building a new secondary school at Kimbia, in the southern part of Guyana, and count it a privilege to work for God. Paradise it's not. But fulfilling, it certainly can be! "We're facing huge challenges trying to get the |
|
| school up and running this year, but God is blessing us, and I'm having a ball," says Warren as he paddles a tiny boat, with Jodi and the kids aboard, to attend the neat wooden Adventist church across the river. | |
It's Sabbath morning, and already the sounds of joyful singing drift over the deep, dark waters.
We met quite a number of others that day who were volunteering their time and talents so that the young people in this area of Guyana might have the benefit of a Christian education. We interviewed Gilbert and Melissa Sissons, a young couple attending to medical emergencies and treatments at a nearby clinic. They have just returned to the USA for Melissa to have her baby. Marilyn Hanley will be taking over the clinic while her pilot-husband, Clint, will be helping the aviation program. Carolyn Parnell says its never too late to offer your services to God. She's a wonderful cook and will be looking after the girls in their new dormitory. Overcoming her intense fear of drowning, she manages to negotiate the river in an unstable dugout canoe. "See, God still performs miracles," she cries on her nervous journey to Sabbath School.
As we pack the cameras away and prepare to return to our busy schedules in another world, we're happy with the stories and interviews, but sad to be leaving our new friends. We have a new admiration for their selfless service, and a sneaking suspicion that their apparent inner peace and joy is genuine. Maybe David Gates is right. "Once you've given God everything, there's nothing left to worry about. Your life is changed. Forever." God knows your
gifts. Why not contact your Adventist Volunteer Service office to
see where He can use you? |
 Pilot David Gates, tops up the tanks while local volunteer, Claude Anselmo, and his family, greet us. |
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