March Update 2010

Dear Friends,
We are thankful for your prayers and support which have enabled us to keep on sharing the love of Christ with the Hindustani. Our prayer is that the Lord will bless you and use you continually for His glory and honor.

                               NATHAN’S 5TH BIRTHDAY

On March 11, Nathan became 5 years old and on March 12, I became 49 years old. The next day, we invited friends, neighbors, and church family to join us for a birthday thanksgiving celebration. About 60 people gathered with us to give thanks to God for His goodness and His blessings. I showed a special slide show from Nathan’s birth to the present. He has really grown and developed. He has been a blessing to us and we truly honored the Lord through songs, fellowship, and hearing from His Word. Pray that God will bless and sustain Nathan and give us His wisdom and strength to raise him for His glory.

                                       MEDICAL LEAVE TO THE US

We have made reservation to come to the US on May 3 through August 2 to get some help for Nadira to manage her problem with Asthma. Nathan’s school closes on May 20, but he should finish all his tests by the end of April so we have decided to come after that since he was doing very well in school. Nadira has not been driving for a while because of some of the side effects from her medication. She has good days and bad days but in the midst of it all, she is managing from day to day. Hopefully, she will be able to find some better medication in the US. Nadira has also been suffering from severe allergies which cause sneezing and runny nose and affects her sense of smell and taste. Sometimes, it is difficult for her to sleep. She will need to do some tests to determine what is causing the allergies and to get some medication that will not interact negatively with her asthma medication. We have made several appointments for Nadira and one for Nathan to see a pediatrician to get a check up and to get the additional immunization shots which are not given in Suriname. We do not know how long it will take for Nadira to follow through with all her appointments but we hope that she will get the medical help that is needed before we return to Suriname. Pray that God will open doors and make the path straight for us to come without any hindrances and that God will bring healing and restoration to Nadira’s health.

              HINDUSTANI OUTREACH

Three more Hindustani have been attending our house church in Jarikaba. We are presently going through some basic teaching to help the believers to be rooted and grounded in their faith. Koemar, one of the leaders, has been teaching a discipleship class on Wednesdays to several Hindustani believers, including a young Hindustani couple who have turned to Christ.
On April 17th, Reuben Stephen, an Indian Evangelist from South Africa, will be visiting for one month to work with us in reaching the Hindustani family and equipping the Hindustani believers for the ministry. Pray that God will use him to motivate and encourage all those who are working in reaching the Hindustani
Thanks for your continual partnership with us in making Christ known among the Hindustani in Suriname.


In Him,


Gurudatt, Nadira, & Nathan

Two Friends

Nathan (on the right) and his cousin Victor enjoys playing with eath other.  Both of them go to the same school. Nathan loves to share everything he has with Victor.  Whenever I purchase anything for Nathan, he would ask, "Did you buy one for Victor?"  Nathan is four years old and on March 11, he will be five years old,  He is really looking forward for his birthday.  It seems more like he cannot wait for the day to come.  He is already asking for his birthday gift.  As a matter of fact, everyday he would say, "Did you buy my birthday gift?"  Nathan has been having a cough for some time.  Pray that the Lord will heal, strengthen, and sustain him daily.

House Church

One morning, I took a short-term group from Trinidad to visit the village of Jarikaba for a prayer walk. We walked around the village and prayed for each Hindustani home that God would bring them to saving knowledge of Christ. On Sunday, the group sang in the Hindustani house church in Jarakaba and Pastor Mitch challenged the Hindustani believers to recognize who they are in Christ and how much they have to offer to the unsaved Hindustani community by sharing the hope, the peace, and the light that they have received from Christ. Pray that the Hindustani believers will be bold to share their faith with their unsaved relatives, neighbors, and friends.

The home of Brother K is where the Hindustani believers gather each Sunday for worship.  Brother K has been discipling several of the young believers.  He is having difficult reading and needs a new pair of glasses.  Pray that God will supply all of his needs. 

The Shiwdats January Update 2010

Dear Friends,

The country of Suriname welcomed the New Year with the shooting of fireworks and celebration. The sky was lighted up with all kinds of fireworks. In the city, districts, and in our neighborhood, many were celebrating with music, dancing, and of course, eating and drinking. We gave thanks to God for you and your family that He has enabled us all to see yet another year. Indeed, we are living out of His grace daily.

During Nadira’s last visit to the specialist, the doctor said that her symptoms are that of asthma. In addition to the inhaler, the doctor prescribed prednisone. After using the prednisone, Nadira began to experience dizziness, shaking, weakness, headache, and constipation. She visited the doctor again and shared her side effects with him. The doctor decided to put her on the spray form of the prednisone. This supposes to have fewer side effects. Nadira continues to improve and breathe a lot better but some of the side effects are still there.

Steve Miller, trainer from World Team, taught the Galatians study in the mornings for six three-hour sessions and the Coaching Seminar in the evenings for another six three-hour sessions. Those attended were pastors, lay leaders, and other workers in the church. Steve did an excellent job in communicating the materials by incorporating his personal life experiences and he got the group to participate in numerous discussions and practice sessions. Many who attended are looking for ways they can implement the training in their lives and ministry. I have been personally blessed and challenged.

                    Prayer Requests



• Our co-workers, Roy and Margaret Lytle will be returning to Suriname.. Pray for their safety and good transition back to their ministry.
• Pray that the Lord will bring complete healing to Nadira and give her the strength she needs. Pray for the Lord’s protection upon as she drives Nathan to school in the busy traffic.
• Pray for the short-term team of six people that will be coming from Trinidad on February 9-18 to minister to the Guyanese churches
• Pray for those who took the seminar on Coaching and the Galatians Study/Gospel that they will apply in their lives and ministry.
• Ruben Stephen, an Indian evangelist from South Africa, will be coming on February 3 for three-week of ministry among the Hindustani. Pray that God will use him to equip workers to effectively reach out to Hindustani.
• Pray that the Lord of the harvest will raise up two couples to do leadership training among the Trio and Wayans Indians in the jungles of Suriname.

Thanks for your continual partnership with us in taking the gospel to the lost, discipling converts, and equipping workers for the ministry.


In Him,

Gurudatt, Nadira, & Nathan

The Shiwdats July Update

Dear Co-laborers in Christ,

We trust that all is well with you. Although we are still in the rainy season and we get some rain almost everyday, it is still hot. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the evenings and in the nights. With the dry season approaching in August, it will be hotter but with no mosquitoes. In the month of July, we have been busy with several activities.

A Day of Fellowship

First of July was "Keti-Koti" (cutting of the chain) in Suriname. It commemorates the abolition of slavery in Suriname in 1863. Several of the Guyanese churches came together for a day of fun and fellowship. The group had a time of worship together and I brought a challenge from the Word of God on Our Liberty in Christ. There were several sports activities for the different age groups. The children as well as the adults had a wonderful time together. It was encouraging to see believers from the different churches sharing and getting to know one another better. We are hoping to have several of these get together in the near future.

Father’s Day Celebration

We joined the Guyanese believers on Father’s Day for a time of celebration. On Mother’s Day, the men prepared and served the ladies a delicious meal. It was neat to see the men planning and working together to get the job done. Likewise on Father’s Day, the ladies got together and fixed a meal for the men. The children sang, recited poems, and gave gifts to the fathers. We need to see more men being faithful and fulfilling their God given roles in the homes and in the churches.

Short-Term Team: Extend Global

On July 10-19, a group of six from St. Louis, Missouri came to partner with us in a week of ministry among the Javanese and Hindustani. The flight was delayed and the team arrived about 3:00 a.m. with one team member’s bag missing. We had a time of orientation with the team, going through the schedule, and eating a meal together. They were involved in several areas of ministry. They had a workshop on training teachers to work with the children and another on training youth workers. There were five churches that participated in the training. In the evenings, the team ministered to Javanese and Hindustani men and women in several communities. The team also went out in groups to visit several Javanese homes. During the house visit on Monday, Eddy (ca. 48yr) prayed to receive the Lord while his wife Nancy was at the Ladies group and his 9 year old daughter was visiting the children’s club. The family lives in a small house with 5 children. Pray that the rest of the family will come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.

On Sunday afternoon, three of the men came and shared at the Hindustani House Church in Jarikaba. John Tucker, the team leader, brought a very encouraging message on "Our Inheritance in Christ." On Thursday evening a mixed group of about 50 men came together for a seminar on Marriage and Communication. The men appreciated the time together.


Vacation in Guyana

Last Saturday, we were planning to leave for Guyana for a week of vacation but all of us came down with the flu. Hopefully in a few days all of us will be healthy again and ready to travel. We are thinking of traveling on July 28 and returning on August 3. My last visit to Guyana was in 2006 when my mother passed away. We are looking forward to encourage family members who are Christians and share the love of Christ with those who have not yet trusted in Christ.

Prayer Requests


Pray that we will be able to develop a practical curriculum for the Portable Bible School to develop leaders in the tribal churches.
Pray that the Lord will protect us during our travel to Guyana and that He will give us a time of rest & meaningful fellowship with family members.

Thank you for your continual prayers and support as we partner to make Christ known to those who still need to hear the Gospel. May the Lord bless you and bountifully supply all of your needs. In Him, Gurudatt, Nadira, & Nathan