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.