2018 Guyana Trip Itinerary
Our team verse for this year is, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:58. We are excited to enjoy laboring together with our American team and our Guyanese team.
Please pray for Kristi Buttles. She and Bruce were supposed to go with us and week before last, she got a concussion and whiplash. Her symptoms have not subsided and she had an appointment this afternoon with a concussion specialist. The doctor did not clear her to go on the trip and said Bruce also needs to stay home to run the household so Kristi can rest and heal. This is a huge disappointment for them and our team. Please pray for healing for Kristi and for peace in this hard time.
SUNDAY- July 15—Team #1 arrives in Georgetown just before 10:00 PM. Please pray for ease of travel and for the families we are leaving at home.
MONDAY- July 16—After getting in very late last night, this morning, we will have team time and get to know our Guyanese team members. We will make salvation bracelets to prepare for the week where we use them everyday with the children and prisoners.
The colors on the bracelet stand for the steps to salvation:
---Black bead—Sin that separates us from God and we can’t get rid of it on our own
---Red bead—Jesus’ blood that he shed to cover our sin if we accept His free gift of salvation
---White bead—A clean heart. This is what God sees when he looks at us after we are forgiven.
---Yellow bead—Symbolizes the streets of gold where we will spend eternity since we have been forgiven.
---Green bead—Stands for growth-We need to grow as a Christian by prayer, Bible study, involvement in a church and time with Christian friends, etc.
After lunch, we will go to Hill Foot Full Gospel Church. There will be about 200 children that we will serve. They will be greeted with friendly smiles, hugs and a salvation bracelet tied onto their arms so they can reference it throughout the day. We will have fun songs and worship songs. We will teach the Bible story from Matthew where Jesus is asleep during the storm. Children of all ages will be reminded that when we go through scary things, Jesus is always there to calm our storms. He didn’t keep them from being in the storm but is there with them. We will see how we can cast our burdens upon Him. We will go over the plan of salvation and the new life they can have in Christ.
As we wash the children’s and teen’s feet, we can point to the bracelets that they were given and go back over the plan of salvation. We do not try to force anyone to accept Christ because we know that is the work of the Holy Spirit. We just want to make sure they understand and have the opportunity if God is drawing them. We pray with the children and love on them. They will be given new shoes. Please pray for the children to go home feeling loved and that many will accept Jesus as their Savior. Many times parents come to bring their children and end up understanding the Gospel for the first time. We have had parents saved on numerous occasions.
In the evening, we will have dinner, have team time where we share testimonies and things that happened during the day and play games.
TUESDAY- July 17—In the morning, we will make bracelets and put a Roman Road bookmark in the hundreds of Bibles that we will be giving away. After an early lunch, we will go to Timehri Prison at noon. We will have worship songs, testimonies, solos (some from the prisoners) and then either Jai or Dave (they will share the preaching duties and I don’t know who will preach each day) will preach an evangelistic message, clearly explaining that even though these men are behind bars, they can be free. If they accept Christ, they can be free from the guilt of sin and be seen as cleansed by their Heavenly Father as they start a new life in Christ. Next, the men are brought in groups to have their feet measured and to be given a pair of shoes. Our team will sit with a basin at our feet and a chair across from us. The prisoners will be directed to a chair and we will wash their feet and talk to them about what they heard. If they accepted Christ in the service, we will affirm their decision and if they have questions, we will talk to them and pray with them. Those who accept Jesus as Savior will be listed so they can have follow up. All will be given a toothbrush and toothpaste and a Bible if they don’t have one. Those who are serious about growing and are willing to commit to doing a Bible study will be signed up for a class and learn from Kristi Buttles’ Bible study. This is going to be a huge help to the men who need a solid foundation for their new faith. Please pray that their growth will be huge because of Kristi’s faithfulness in writing this Bible study.
Those who would like to be baptized will have a chance at the end of the foot washing. We will make it clear to them that baptism doesn’t save them but that it is a public display of their faith and a symbol of their death to their old life and the beginning of a new life. Please pray for open hears and that the Holy Spirit will make the message of salvation very clear to them. In the evening, we will have team time and play games.
WEDNESDAY—July 18—In the morning, we will make bracelets and early afternoon will have another children’s ministry day at Kitty Community Church. Please see Monday the 16thfor the specific prayer requests for this children’s ministry. We will serve about 150 children. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to touch hearts.
THURSDAY-July 19—Today, we will leave very early to take the boat trip to the Mazaruni Prisons. We will be on the Essequibo River. There are 365 islands in this river and the river is so big that one of the islands in it contains two prisons. We will do ministry at both of them today, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Please read the prayer request for July 17 to remember the things to pray about when we do prison ministry. May God move in a powerful way as the truth goes out clearly to these men who need to accept him and to those who are already believers, that they will be encouraged.
FRIDAY- July 20—Today we will go to Kurt Kultura Squatting Area with about 100 children. This is where poor people don’t own land but just squat and build a little shack. There is no electricity or running water. We will have a children’s shoe distribution service like the one describes on the 16th. Please pray that we will make each child feel very special and clearly explain to them and the adults around how they can have a personal relationship with Jesus.
SATURDAY-July 21--Today we will spend the morning touring Georgetown. We will visit the largest wooden church in the world and see the sea wall that was build by the Dutch. Georgetown is below sea level so it has to have a sea wall. We will shop for souvenirs and then have our last lunch together at our favorite Chinese restaurant. There we will have a special team time where everyone will tell his/her favorite story from the week of what took place. This is always a very special time. We will have fun in the afternoon at the hotel, playing games and will go to bed very early as the Sunday flight is at 5:35 AM so wake up time is about 2:30 AM.
SUNDAY—July 22—Goodbye to team #1 and tonight team #2 will be flying in. During the day, we will have a worship service with our Guyanese team and 3 of us who are staying for 2 weeks. We will also make more bracelets to use this week.
At around 10:00 PM, 7 more team members will arrive.
MONDAY—July 23—Since the team got in so late last night, we will have a late breakfast and team time for the second week team to get to know our Guyanese team and make bracelets. After lunch, we will do a children’s ministry at Yawrakabra Community Church. We will have about 200 children and will do the same type ministry that was explained on Monday, the 16th.
TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY—July 24 & 25 & 26—On Tuesday morning, we will make salvation bracelets, and after an early lunch, we will do prison ministry at Lusignan Prison. This is the crudest prison in Guyana. We will do the same ministry we did on the 17th. We will have a wonderful time of worship and intimate time of washing feet and one on one conversation. Please pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to be moving through the prison.
On Wednesday and Thursday mornings we have a different situation. Last year, the large prison in downtown Georgetown burned down and hundreds of prisoners were moved to the other men’s prisons. Most of the overflow were brought to Lusignan and they stay in the pasture on the prison grounds. We will take two days to do services with these men. We have rented a big tent and chairs so they can have a service because there is no place inside to have our services. Please pray that all this will work out and that God will be glorified as we show love to these men. Many of them are not convicted but are just awaiting a trial. Sometimes those arrested wait years just for a trial. There is a lot of need for comfort and peace in this situation.
FRIDAY—July 27—Today, we will do a children’s event at Word of Truth Church. (See prayer details on July 16 for children’s ministry) There will be about 150 children. Please pray that these precious children will understand how much God loves them and that they can have their sins forgiven by accepting Jesus. We don’t just want to see a group of children but want to see each child as an individual who is immensely important to God and know that he has a plan for each one of them.
SATURDAY—July 28—We will spend the morning touring Georgetown. We will visit the largest wooden church in the world and see the sea wall that was build by the Dutch. Georgetown is below sea level so it has a sea wall. We will shop for souvenirs and then have our last lunch together at our favorite Chinese restaurant. There we will have a special team time where everyone will tell his/her favorite story from the week of what took place. This is always a very special time.
We will have fun in the afternoon at the hotel, playing games. We will go to bed very early as the Sunday flight is at 5:35 AM so wake up time is about 2:30 AM.
SUNDAY—July 29—Please pray for safe travels today and good travel logistics, no delayed flights. We will look forward to sharing about our trip when we get home.
Thank each of you for praying for us. Your role as prayer warriors is just as important in the Kingdom as the work of those of us who go. That is how the Body of Christ works. Hallelujah!!!!!
