Thanksgiving 2011

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord for He is Good, His Mercy is everlasting, and His Truth endures to all generations."  

Gurudatt with missionaries for Thanksgiving

Nadira and Nathan enjoying their Thanksgiving meal

World Team's Thankgiving Celebration with Friends

Marco & Marjolein, missionaries from Holland seconded to
World Team

October Ministry Update

“Glorifying God by working together to establish reproducing

Churches focusing on unreached peoples of the world”

Once more we give thanks to God for all that He is doing through the ministry in Suriname.  Your continual prayers and support have enabled us to keep on proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples among the Hindustani and Guyanese.  The Lord continues to give us many opportunities to disciple believers, preach, teach, coach, and evangelize.  It seems like there is so much to do and very little time to get it all done.  Thus, keep on praying that the Lord will send forth more workers to come and join us in our efforts to make disciples and establish local churches. 

October 27, marked the completion of the first training model for the Guyanese leaders.  I began to teach the leaders and their wives on Church Organization and Leadership with the purpose of helping them to establish the local churches they are shepherding.  Although it was difficult at times to get the men to come weekly because of working outside the church to supplement their salary, yet we stuck to the goal of equipping them with practical teachings on how they can work toward getting the churches established.  I plan to teach another module on Making and Multiplying Disciples in January 2012.  Pray that the Guyanese church leaders will implement what they have been taught in order to get the church organized and established.

A few weeks ago, we met a Hindustani man who professed to believe in Christ.  We visited his home a couple of time to build friendship with them.  Last week, their son had a birthday and he was disappointed that his parents did not do something special for him.  As such, we invited them in our home for a meal and we surprised him by having a birthday cake for him and the living room decorated with balloons.  The family was delighted to see that we did this for their son.  We spent time learning about each other and sharing stories about our upbringing and experiences.  It took the family about 2 hours to get to our home with the bus and we drove them back to their home. We are planning to have a Bible Study in their home on Wednesdays.  Pray that God will use this time to make disciples among this family and others in their community will be impacted with the Gospel.

Marco & Marjolein Schuurmans, who has been seconded to World Team to come and work in the jungle of Suriname, has arrived safely for their vision trip.  Thanks for praying for this couple during their successful application process.  They have been accepted to join our Suriname team to train Wayana church leaders.  The Schuurmans are here with us for about 6 weeks.  We had a good orientation time during which I was able to encourage and challenge them to stay focus on our vision and purpose of training reproducing Tribal church leaders who will be able to establish the Wayana churches to be all that God would have them to be and to do.  Roy and Margaret Lytle, veteran Wayana missionaries, and the Schuurmans have already departed to the Wayana village of Lawa where they will spend two weeks, and from there they will move on to Apetina for another two weeks.  The Schuurmans will be introduced to the Wayana people and the church leaders in both villages.  They will also be able to see some of the needs in the area of leadership and discipleship and what can be done to meet those needs.   In addition, Roy and Margaret will also spend some time teaching them  the culture and some basic Wayana language.  Upon their return to the city, we will have a time of debriefing and working on the paperwork so that the Schuurmans, upon their return to Holland, can begin the application process for their resident permit.

Pray that God will use this time to give the Schuurmans a greater vision, burden, and love for the Wayana people and the desire and determination to learn the language upon their return to the field for full-time ministry in April 2012.  Pray also that God will provide for all of their needs so that they will not be delayed in their coming to the mission field.                                   

Thank you very much for standing with us in prayer, encouragement, and giving so that we can keep on making Christ known by making disciples.

September Ministry Update

We are thankful once again for your prayers for us as we continue to reach out to the Hindustani with the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Indeed, your prayers have contributed toward a successful weekend of reaching out to the Hindustani through at short-term team from Missouri. We praised God that the seven team members of Extend Global arrived safely on September 15 and they were ready for ministry from day one. We felt, in a powerful way, the prayers of God’s people as we visited homes and shared the gospel with those who do not know Christ and encouraged and prayed for the believing Hindustani who are struggling. In everything we did, God was glorified and His message was proclaimed to those who have not heard the gospel. 

After orientation and lunch on Saturday afternoon, the team traveled to the Hindustani community where we visited from house to house and shared the gospel. We had two teams that went into different streets with a translator.  We also had some young Surinamese believers who came along as apprentice to see how evangelism was being done among the Hindustani people.  I led one team and visited several families who have not heard the gospel.  We were able to get a hearing from them, give out the gospel, and pray for them.  They all appreciated us for taking the time to listen to their needs and to pray for them.  We also visited some who were opened to the gospel and would like for us to come back and visit them. 

On Sunday afternoon, we all went out again and visited more families and were able to share the gospel and giving out tracts and portion of the Scriptures in the Hindustani language.   We praise God that we were able to connect with the people we visited and for the many doors that were opened for us to go back and share the love of Christ.  On Sunday evening, we had a special gathering (Satsang) in which the truth of the Gospel was proclaimed, the Scipture was read, and songs were sung. The Satsang was the highlight of the weekend and we were pleased that over 110 people attended.  At first, we had no idea how many unsaved Hindustani would accept the invitation which was given out by the believers.  We also had very good support from other believers who came with a band to sing songs in Hindi, Sarnami, and Dutch.  One of the team member shared a powerful testimony how Jesus changed her life and this in itself showed that Jesus can change the Hindustani lives.  Another member brought a very practical message on the truth of the gospel and how one can know Jesus Christ and have their sins forgiven.  We praise God that the message of the gospel was clearly communicated to many who have not heard it before.  The believers prepared and served a meal to everyone who attended.  Pray that God will use the open doors and the contacts for us to continue to share the gospel with the people and that the seed of the gospel that was sown will be used by the Holy Spirit to bring forth fruit.

On Saturday evening, the team did a seminar on Marriage and the Family.  There was one session with the women and men apart and then another with both groups together.  We requested that the team shared on this topic because without a strong family the Hindustani believers will not be able to positively impact their unsaved loved ones, neighbors, and friends in the communities.  It is essential for the unsaved to see that Jesus is able to change lives at conversion and to empower toward godly living.  One young believer shared how he made a mistake by marryiny a non Christianwith the idea that he would lead her to Christ.  He shared his struggles and the group encouraged him to keep on being a witness.  Pray that the Hindustani believers will indeed be the light of the world and the salt of the earth in their daily lives.

Michael and Erin Pfleegor and their one year old daughter Lyla came on a vision trip on September 14-20 to visit the ministry in Suriname.  Last year Michael came alone when Erin was pregnant with Lyla.  They have three other children who stayed with friends in the U.S. during their visit to Suriname.  It was great having them with us.  Michael had opportunities to teach and preach among the believers and do evangelism among the the unsaved.  We were able also to have some team time to talk about what it would be like living and working in Suriname among those who need the gospel.  We also did a surprise birthday celebration for Lyla who turned one year old in Suriname.  The Pfleegors will need to raise full support and go through the rest of the process to get to the field.  Pray that God will prepare them and supply all of their needs to get to Suriname to work do their ministry.

Thanks for your partnership with us in proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples among the least evangelized people of Suriname.

We are thankful for all your prayers and support as we continue to share the love of Christ with those who need to hear about His saving grace and to equip leaders who will positively impact the kingdom of God.  The opportuni-ties to evangelize, disciple, and equip workers are many and we are seeking to grasp it as they come our way. 

My shoulder has been doing a lot better.  The medication has helped and the pain has been reduced.  I have been careful not to put much stress on it.  I will need to see how it all goes in the weeks to come.  Keep on praying that the Lord will do His work of strengthening my left shoulder and bringing complete healing.

Thanks a lot for praying for us during our ministry in Guyana.  We had a very profitable time preaching, teaching, counseling, and interacting with different ones who were having various problems in their lives.  I spoke a few evenings on Marriage & the Family to encourage those who were struggling in their relationship.  We also helped with the planning, preparation, ceremony, and the reception of the wedding. It was a delight to be actively involved in the marriage of Vinal and Alicia, a Guyanese couple.  We spent time counseling both of them about their duties to one another and encouraged them to stay close to God and give Him first place in their lives.

Since we are living in a time when traditional marriage has been rejected, redefined, perverted, and seen as irrelevant, I used the occasion not only to challenge the married couple but also the audience to see marriage not as a contract of temporary convenience but a permanent bond and a covenant between two souls and a divine institution ordained by God. 

The annual memorial service for Nadira’s sister-in-law who passed away in August 2010 went very well.  It is traditional after the passing of a loved one to invite relatives, neighbors, and friends to reflect back on the life of their loved one, eat a meal together, and to worship together.  There were about 130 people gathered together on July 30 at 3:30 pm.  A lot of work went into the preparation of a meal to serve to the guests.  I had the responsibility to lead the worship and to preach the Word of God.  It was a great opportunity for me to share on The Cure for a Troubled Heart from John 14:1-6 and give a clear presentation of the Gospel on how to receive Jesus Christ as

Lord and Savior.  The majority of the people who came were Hindus and they have never attended a church before.  Pray that the Spirit of God will convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment and that the precious Word of God will not return void but accomplish what He has purposed.

We spent most of our time counseling with different families and we saw some positive results.  One relationship was plagued with an unfaithful spouse and as a result of confession, repentance, and forgiveness; the couple committed themselves to one another and to make their marriage work.  Another family was affected by a passive husband who has neglected his role to lead his family and discipline his rebellious son.  We have reminded the parents to take their role seriously and to implement it.  A widower who was struggling with loneliness and the need for companionship was encouraged and he was able to get a better perspective on his future with regards to remarriage and honoring the Lord in the process.  We interacted and shared biblical principles to help these families in their struggles.  Pray that these families will lean upon God to help them with their weaknesses, struggles, and trials and that they will have the faith and strength to live out the principles of God’s Word in their lives so that they can experience His victory over their problems.

Our prayer is that God will strengthen your faith, provide for all of your needs, and give you divine wisdom to honor and glorify Him in your daily walk with Him. Thanks again for your partnership in “God’s kingdom work” of calling a people from the nations to be His very own. 

June Ministry Update

For the past few months we have been giving much of our time in discipling and training church leaders and potential leaders among the Guyanese and Hindustani.  We see this as the key to reproduce leaders who will not only serve competently in the churches but also to go out and make disciples with the end result of planting other churches.  Your prayers and partnership have enabled us to keep on pursuing our goal of making disciples in Suriname.  There is a lot of work yet to be done.  The challenges and tasks are great, and therefore we all need to pray that the Lord of the Harvest will provide faithful, reliable, and capable laborers to join our team.  

On June 12, the two Guyanese churches that we worked with gathered together for a worship and baptism service at Cola Creek.  A couple of weeks prior to the baptism, the Guyanese pastors spent time with the candidates to determine whether they clearly understood what is salvation and the significance of baptism.   They worked together on planning the fellowship and hiring a couple of busses to transport the people to the meeting place which was an hour drive from the city.  It was a wonderful experience to be in the open air with people sitting on benches and on the ground to sing praises to God and listen to the preaching of God’s Word. 

It was a delight for us to see 17 people baptized in the creek with most of them between the ages of 13-17.  I remembered some years ago when most of these young folks were just young children.  After the baptism service, the believers had a picnic together.  There was a lot to eat and to share with one another.  There was also a time for chatting with one another, swimming in the creek, and walking in the park.  Join us in praying for the continual growth and commit-ment of those baptized.  Pray that God will give them a hunger and thirst for the things of God and that they will be conformed to the likeness of Christ and not to the way of the world.

This wonderful couple are members of our Hindustani house church.  A few weeks ago, we celebrated their first year marriage anniversary and  the wife's 20th birthday.  We have been encouraged that this couple has been faithful to the Lord and their marriage has been a testimony in the community.  The young man has come from a Hindu home where the rest of his family members are practicing Hindus.  After his conversion, he got married to his wife and he has been growing in the Lord and He desires to be used of Him.  I have been discipling and training him to serve in the church.  I recognized his potential and his servant’s attitude of wanting to live for the Lord.  Pray that God will give this couple wisdom and strength to be steadfast in the Lord and courage to be a witness to the unbelievers in their community and faith and perseverance to face the challenges that that will come upon them.

R is one of the young Hindustani Christian that I have been discipling and equipping for the ministry.  I knew him since he was a teenager.  Our house church meets in the home of his parents.  He is a respectable young man who is looking for a Christian life partner.  In his community, there are only unsaved Hindu girls.  We have seen how some of our young men and women have ruined their lives by marrying unbelievers.  We are planning to have him spend some time with us in the city in order to introduce him to other potential believing partners in the churches.  Pray that God will lead him to the right individual who will be compatible and a blessing to him and that God’s purposes for him will be fulfilled.Thanks for standing with us in praying and giving to make disciples and equip leaders among the Hindustani and Guyanese people of Suriname.

May Ministry Update

The Sovereign God, who alone knows the day and the hour when our Lord Jesus Christ shall return for His people, has not raptured the believers on May 21.  How unwise is it of man to think that He knows the day and the hour when the Son of Man shall return!  A few in Suriname were wondering whether the world would indeed come to an end.  It struck fear in the hearts of a few but we paid no attention to it since we know what the Bible says. Like Paul, at times we desire to depart and be with Christ but to remain and proclaim the Gospel to those who are yet to hear and to rescue souls from the power of darkness is more necessary.  In the meantime, our hearts are fixed on making disciples, serving Him faithfully, and living in anticipation of the return of our Blessed Hope, Jesus Christ.

The opportunities to reach children for Christ are many and we need to seize it before rebellion, rejection, hardness of heart, indifference, and a lack of fear of God takes over.  Nadira has working with the Hindustani children in Jarikaba and with the Guyanese and Bush Creole children in the city.  Some of the children are from broken homes where is little or no supervision, discipline, and nurturing.  There are rejected, abused, and deprived of some of the basic needs.  When they come to Sunday School, they display anger, lack of respect for authority, and stubbornness.  Pray that Nadira and others will be granted the patience, and wisdom to reach out to these children and lead them to Christ.

Nathan has completed K-4 and he has done very well.  When school reopens on August 15, he will be in first grade.  He has a lot of free time and now we are looking at ways to keep him occupied.  Nathan is 6 years old and he has been very sensitive to the things of God and he is learning about God.  He understands what sin is and the judgment of God on sin, and God’s love through Jesus Christ. In our busyness of sharing Christ, discipling, and training others to impact the kingdom of God, we did not want to neglect sharing Christ with Nathan and leading him to the Lord.  Each night, Nadira tells him a story and explains the Scriptures to him. A few weeks ago, Nadira talked to him about sin, God’s holiness and judgment, and the provision of Christ to forgive him of sin and he prayed to receive the Lord Jesus.  As adults, we tend to down play the simplicity of the faith of children and their willingness to receive Christ.  I spent some time with Nathan to find out whether he understood what he did.  I was delighted that he trusted in Jesus and he is opened to the things of God.  We are spending time nurturing him in his faith and explaining the Scriptures to him so that he will grow to love the Lord and serve Him.   Pray that we will continue to set time aside to teach him to love and respect God and that he will respond to the teachings and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Schuurmans were born and raised in Holland.  They served for a little over 10 years in Suriname in children’s work, in marriage and the family training, education, and pastoral care, and helped with other ministries in the city.  Upon their return to Holland, he served as one of the pastors in a large evangelical church since 2003 to the present.  With their three children grown up, the Lord has opened the door for them to be seconded to World Team to come and teach and train church leaders among the Wayana churches in the jungle of Suriname.  They are working through the rest of the process to get to Suriname to begin their ministry.  They will be coming at the end of October for several weeks for a vision trip to get more acquainted with us and the tribal ministry.  Lord’s willing, they are hoping to begin their ministry in April 2012.  Pray that God will provide for all of their needs, take them through the rest of the process to get to the mission field, and prepare them in the language, and give them the faith, wisdom, and skills to teach and develop leaders.

April Ministry Update

We are once again reminded of what our Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection.  In Suriname, on Good Friday and on Easter Sunday (Eerste Paasdag), it is traditional for Christians to dress up and go to church with their families.  Even though most businesses were closed, many small grocery stores were opened.  I had opportunities to preach on Good Friday and twice on Sunday and Nadira taught the children. We had a blessed and worshipful time with the Guyanese and Hindustani believers.  We also thank God for you and your continual partnership with us as we seek to make disciples and equipping leaders among the Hindustani and Guyanese people. 

We have been working with three young Hindustani men who have potential in being equipped for the ministry.  We have met with them on Wednesdays to disciple and equip them to use their gifts and abilities to build up the church and to multiply disciples among the Hindustani.  Our desire and burden for the Hindustani ministry is to see potential leaders equipped to make disciples among their people and plant house churches within the Hindustani communities.  Pray that these men will commit themselves to God and His ministry and that they will receive the teachings and apply it in their lives and ministry.

I have been meeting with a Guyanese Hindustani man to disciple and help him in areas of his life where he is struggling.  He came to Suriname as a young child from Guyana.  After his parents divorced, he remained in Suriname with his mother.  At an early age in Sunday School, he was led to the Lord by World Team missionaries.  Later, as a young man, he went astray from the Lord and his life has been affected in a negative way by sinful habits.  He is desirous of living for the Lord but he needs a positive role model and discipleship. Pray that I will be able to work with him through his problems and that God will liberate him from unwholesome habits and he will draw near to God and find his strength and delight in Him.

We have been training Guyanese pastors to get the churches organized and established in the area of its leadership and outreach. The pastors need to be more intentional and committed to making and multiplying disciples.  We are also seeking to prepare potential leaders in the Guyanese churches to be involved in the leadership of the churches. These men need to be equipped and encouraged to maximize their gifts and potential and be all that God would have them to be to impact the kingdom of Christ. 

Our desire is to see the Guyanese churches established with able and faithful leaders who will reproduce disciples by crossing cultures and planting multi-cultural churches.  The Guyanese churches have been focusing in the past on reaching English speaking Guyanese people but the Guyanese population has dwindled and the churches have stagnated in growth. There is a great need to plant multi-cultural churches by using the trade language Sranantongo or the official language Dutch.  The Guyanese children are attending Dutch schools and they speak Dutch and Sranantongo.  Pray that God will give the Guyanese leaders the vision, passion, and burden to make disciples among the other ethnic groups that are in their communities.

Opportunity to Preach the Gospel

On March 9th Nadira and I had an appointment to visit a Hindustani lady in a hospital who was suffering from Aids.  Sister M, a believer, wanted us to visit and pray with her sister.  M shared with us that her sister had attended church for a while and then drifted into the the ways of the world.  She was into drugs and had illicit relationships with different men which resulted in the birth of four children.  Two were given up for adoption, one has Aids and is in a special home, and the youngest is with her father.

Some assumed that she was a believer because she had attended church, but we were planning to find out about her spiritual condition and  share the gospel with her.  On our way in the hospital to visit, we met M who was troubled and crying.  She mentioned that the nurse had called her and told her that her sister was not doing well.  We believed at that point her sister S passed away but the nurse was waiting for her to come to her office.  Once we got to the office, the nurse took us to the place where S was lying.  Her body was reduced to bones and some flesh.  The disease had already destroyed the immune system and taken away the desire for food and nurishment.  It was a very sad situation when I saw other family members came and wept.  My heart was saddened when I thought about coming too late to share the gospel.  I realised more than ever that I need to seize the opportunity to visit and share  the gospel with people who are sick befor their state worsen.  That incident made an impact on me personally to be more diligent and more intentional in sharing the gospel with the lost. 

On Friday 11, I went to the preach the message for the funeral service at the cemetary.  About 50 people gathered together under a leaky shed and with the rain pouring  and flooding the areas.  At one point, I nearly did not find the cemetary since someone gave me wrong directons to get there and I almost ended up in a pasture.  It was raining heavily that I did not know where I was going.  The thought even came to my mind that I should return home since the pastor could take charge.  I drove a little longer until I spot the hearse in a side street and headed in that  direction.  At last, I found the place.  I took the opportunity to share the gospel in Dutch and Sarnami to several Hindustani families who do not know the Lord.  I shared on how they can passed from death unto life and be prepared for the future without fearing it.  Keep pray that God will use us to minister to M and her family and seize the opportunity to share Christ with the lost.

Gurudatt & Nathan's Birthday Celebration

On March 12, I celebrated my 50th birthday and Nathan celebrated his 6th on March 11th in the city. We invited friends, church folks, and neighbors to join us for a time of worship, praise, fellowship, and hearing from the Word of God.  It rained a lot during that week and on the day of our celebration it rained most of the day.  Even though it rained heavily, we had about 70 people.  We were hoping for over 100 to come but the weather prevented the rest from coming.  We had a lot to eat and to give thanks to God for.  He has indeed been good to us and His mercies are evident each day. 

Nathan had his celebration at school with 27 of his classmates.  He served cupcake, pop corn, candies, and a drink to the children.  He was looking forward to his birthday celebrate many months ago.  Finally it came and he was excited to celebrated with his friends and also to receive all the gifts.

On March 13, we had another celebration among the Hindustani people in the district.  We had about 40 people who came and joined us.  Our friends brought in a small band and surprised with wonderful songs of praise in Sarnami and Dutch language.  We also heard a short message from the Word of God. 

The Lord was truly glorified in our celebration.  It was a testimony of His goodness and greatness to His people.  His name was honored and praised among His people and even some non Christians were able to hear about the Gospel.

CELEBRATION OF PRAISE

"The rain came down and the floods came up" but the celebration when on to honor the Lord.  It rained heavily each day last week.  Homes and streets were flooded in many districts in Suriname.  We also got a lot of it in our area in the city.  In the midst of it, we had several birthday celebration.  Among the people we work with, it is common to celebrate one's birthday by having a "Thanksgiving Service."   It is a time when relatives, friends, neighbors, and church folks gather together celebrate and give thanks to God for His protection, sustainance and goodness.  During this celebration the Word of God is proclaimed, special songs are being sung, and a hearthy meal is served.   

             Equip to Serve



Rakesh, Nandanie & Joshua

 On Thursday 10 Joshua celebrated his 5th birthday.  I remembered the day when we visited him in the hospital at his birth and prayed for his well being.  Rakesh and Nandanie have been special to us since we led them to the Lord when they were teenagers.  During their marriage in September 2003 I brought the message and walked Nandanie down the asle to give her away.  Her father lived in Guyana and he had abandoned the family when she was a little child.  Her mother took the two daughters and moved to Suriname to find a better life for her children.  She worked very hard and made many sacrifices to provide and care for her children. In the early 90s Nandanie came to church with her mother and sister several times.  They stopped coming to church for a while and we did not know what happened to them. One day while we were out doing evangelism, our path crossed again and we encouraged them to visit the church since they moved into our area to live.  Then one evening, we visited the family Nandanie and her older sister and her brother-in-law prayed to receive the Lord.  The mother had received the Lord in Guyana.

Rakesh came from a Hindu home where his father was abusive and a heavy drinker of alcohol.  He lived in the same street where we lived and had church meetings.  Rakesh came to church whenever he was not busy with chores at home.  It was during our weekly evangelistic outreach in the community that we visited the family.  After several visits, Rakesh and her mother and sister came to church a few times but his father, Harry was a regular visitor at the bar.  Eventually, the father suprised everyone by coming to church with his whole family.  We followed up with the family and then in 1994 the entire family prayed to received the Lord.  We discipled the family and Harry gave up drinking and took better care of his family.  Rakesh has been involved in leading the worship and preaching occassionally.  Presently, he has been attending our Thursday evening Leadership Training Class.  Rakesh has potential in becoming a leader in the Guyanese church.  Pray that God will work in Rakesh lives and make him to be the leader that He will have him to be and that Rakesh will lead his family well for God's glory.

       Salvation Celebration



Gurudatt & Nikki

On March 10, I had the opportunity to share the gospel with Nikki, an 11 year old, who prayed to receive the Lord.  She has been attending church and Sunday School for almost her entire life.  Her father Harry, whom we led to the Lord, told us that Nikki was ready to receive the Lord.  Since I led his family to the Lord in the past, he wanted me to talk to Nikki about salvation and the need to receive Christ.  It rained a lot that afternoon but that did not stop us from visiting the family.  Once we got there, Nikki was ready and prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.  The seed was planted many years ago and it was a matter of simply reaping the fruit. 

Now, the entire family has become believers.  Truly a household has been reached for the Lord.  Pray that Nikki will continue to grow in the Lord through the discipleship process.  Pray for Harry who is on the leadership team of the church and he will be officially ordained as Deacon of the church.

Big 50

How times fly by so quickly.  I remember where I was and what I was doing 25 years ago.  I was working in the kitchen in Bible College when a dear friend of mine, bought a birthday cake and brought it in the dining room.  He lighted the candles and called me to blow it out.  As I tried to blow out the candles, it would not go out.  It was then I realized that he bought the type of candles that won't blow out.  So I had to put it own with my fingers.  He really pulled a trick on me.  Later he came into my room in the dormitory and brought a large box with a gift wrapped up inside.  I opened the box to find out that there were several boxes withing the boxes and all neatly wrapped and taped.  It took me quite some time and with some effort before I finally got to the final box with the gift.  When I opened the box, the gift turned out to be a bag of Doritos, my favorite.  We sat together and eat Doritos and drank Cola.  

I remember a few years ago I was celebrating my 45th birthday and Nathan his first birthday.  It was a sobering when I thought about when I will be 50 years old on March 12 Nathan will be 6 years old.  In the midst of it all, I must conclude that God is good all times and He is in total control of every things that happened to us. He works everything after the counsel of His own will for His good pleasure.  Indeed, He is directing the affairs of our lives.  All that we are and all that we will ever become, we owe it all to our Great God and our Great Savior who keeps on loving us and blessing us.

Pray that we will continue to rejoice in Him regardless of the circumstances and look to Him to sustain us each day of our lives.

February Update

Dear Friends, 

We are in the rainy season in Suriname.  It has been raining a lot each day.  This morning many of the streets have been flooded thus making driving on the road difficult.  The rain has enabled us to discover several places where the roof on our house is leaking.  We will be working on getting that fixed.

Americas Conference 2011

On January 24-29 about 60 of us who are serving in various ministries in the Americas got together at the Christian Retreat Center in Bradenton, Florida.  It was good to see, hear, and interact with fellow workers who are laboring on the mission field.  Our focus was on studying the “Upper Room Discourse” in light of making and reproducing disciples. Jesus had a lot to say to His disciples about their attitudes, sufferings, living for Him, and serving Him.  We were privileged to have a former missionary to the Philippines and professor of Columbia

International University who started us off each morning with a study on John 13-17.  We spent time in triads to share our lives and experiences and in small groups to interact on what it really means to be and make disciples.  Much time was also spent in prayer for one another and for the mission field.  All in all, it was a very profitable for me to participate.  It has encouraged and helped me to strive to be more faithful and fruitful as His follower and to multiply disciples for His glory.

Equipping Leaders to Serve

On Thursdays, I have been meeting with the Guyanese church leaders to encourage and equip them in the areas where they are lacking.  Vijay is one of the Guyanese leaders whom we have taught and ordained in the ministry in the late 90’s.  He is the pastor of the Guyanese church which we planted in 1992.  In addition to shepherding the flock, he has a job on the outside which takes much of his time away from feeding and caring for the flock.  As such, the church needs to be established further with a plurality of faithful and capable men to share in the responsibilities. I have been working with him to mobilize others in the congregation and delegate responsibilities to them rather than doing everything.  There is a need to enlist, equip, and release others who can make a contribution to the work of the ministry.  Pray that God will enable me to effectively help Vijay in the areas where he is lacking and not comfortable with; that God will give him the courage, strength, and wisdom to lead in spite of his limitations; and that he will cast himself on the All-Sufficient One through whom he can do all things.

                        

Two Friends

On Sunday, Nathan’s best friend and cousin, Victor celebrated his 6^th birthday.  Nathan wanted to know why Victor had to be born before him and thus celebrated his birthday before him. He woke up this morning asking, “Is it March?”  He will be celebrating his birthday on March 11.  We showed him on the calendar how many days more are left and he exclaimed, “Oh, it is too long to wait!” Nathan and Victor go to the same school, spend a lot of time together, caring and protecting each other.  He is always excited to see his friend and rushes to his home to visit and get him to come to his home to play with his train sets and to watch Thomas and Friends.  Pray that both of them will learn to love, honor, and trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Economic Situation

In the month of January the economic situation in the country has drastically changed and it has already started to affect everyone.  With the devaluation of the Suriname dollar by 20 percent and the government removal of subsidization on fuel, it drove prices at the pump to 50 percent more and almost everything else.  It costs a lot more to travel to various areas of ministry.  Utilities have also gone up by 20 to 30 percent and basic food items such as rice, bread, milk, etc. have increased.  Seeing a doctor or specialist is a lot more expensive now.  Although the devaluation meant a better exchange rate for the US dollars, the inflation and cost of living is much higher so that the purchase power of the dollar is weak. 

We look to the Lord to supply all of our needs.  He has been faithful in providing for us.  Pray that God will continue to meet our financial needs as we give ourselves to His work and that the people will be opened to the Gospel of Christ that liberates.

Prayer Needs

• The Shiwdats need your daily prayers for wisdom, strength, guidance, good health, perseverance to stay focus on the Lord and to carry out God’s purposes in making disciples and equipping leaders.
• Gurudatt is meeting on Wednesdays with a few young men who need to be discipled and equipped to serve among the UPG.  Pray that the men will be faithful and develop as disciples to reproduce others; and for Gurudatt’s protection as he travels in the night. 
• Marco and Marjolein are interested in working among the Wayana. They are going through the process of joining the Christian Mssionary Alliance in Holland and then seconded to World Team.  Pray that God will lead the Schuurmans through this process and provide for their needs to get to the field. 
• Margaret Lytle and Jan Blind are close to completing the concordance for the Wayana New Testament after many years.  Pray that the Lord will enable them to reach this goal, provide the finances for the printing, and to present the concordance to the Wayana churches.