Home Again, Home Again

“Home again, home again, jiggety-jig” is the second line of a very old nursery rhyme. Following, you will see how the phrase “home again, home again” pertains to Louis and Martha Rushmore over the past few months.

Martha and her son, Jim departed Ocala, Florida on January 27^th for Daytona International Airport. They flew from there to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whereupon Martha and her son rented a car and stopped at the grave of Martha’s late husband Bob in Calcutta, Ohio. From there, they drove to Wellsville, Ohio to be with Martha’s youngest son Bryan prior to his cancer surgery.

After worship services on Sunday, January 29, Jim, Martha, Bryan and Bryan’s wife Melissa made their way to Ashland, Ohio to visit with Sharon Noland, the widow of Martha’s late son Bob. He passed away November 25, 2021. Martha’s grandson, Justin, his wife and great granddaughter were there to visit also. Later, that evening they all went out to eat before all separating to go back to their respective homes.

Bryan underwent his first surgery on January 30^th, after which Jim returned home. Martha, however, remained with Bryan and Melissa through 11 of his 12 surgeries from January through March.

In the meantime, Louis drove from Ocala to Meridian, Mississippi on March 7^th and lodged with Therman and Sadie Hodge. The next evening, Louis accompanied the Hodges to Bible study with the Union, Mississippi Church of Christ. Louis and Therman formerly traveled together to teach and preach in Myanmar (Burma) and India.

Outside Meridian, Mississippi

Friday, March 10^th, Louis drove to Winona, Mississippi, where he stayed with Jerry and Paula Bates. That evening, Shane and Emily Fisher joined us for supper and Christian fellowship. The Bates, the Fishers, the Rushmore’s are coworkers along with Betty Choate and others in World Evangelism.

On Saturday, Louis visited his late wife, Bonnie’s grave in Carroll County and later resupplied himself with books from the warehouse. Also, on Saturday, Martha flew from Pittsburgh to Memphis, Tennessee, and Louis’s daughter Rebecca picked her up and took Martha to her home in Collierville, Tennessee.

Sunday morning, Louis made a PowerPoint presentation for the Old Union Church of Christ outside of Carrollton, Mississippi about his and Martha’s mission work in Guyana, South America. He also worshipped with the congregation. At the same time Martha and Rebecca worshipped with the Collierville Church of Christ. Sunday evening, Louis drove to Collierville and reunited with Martha after 44 days of being separated. That was the longest time they had been parted since they wed on January 1, 2017. Wednesday evening Louis, Martha and Rebecca attended Bible study with the Collierville Church of Christ.

On Saturday, March 18, Louis and Martha embarked for Dickson, Tennessee where Louis was to speak in a Gospel meeting from Sunday through Wednesday (March 19-23). Roger and Mary Wright were their gracious hosts. Louis considered it an honor and a privilege to speak for the Sylvia Church of Christ; brethren from several different congregations attended the meeting.

Thursday morning Martha and Louis for left Theodore, Alabama where they were the quests of Larry and Diane Burch. On the Lord’s Day, Louis made the mission presentation during Bible class and preached for the morning and afternoon assemblies. Afterward, Louis and Martha drove to DeFuniak Springs, Florida and arrived in time for the evening worship with the College Avenue Church of Christ.

Monday, Louis and Martha made their way home back to Ocala. Martha arrived after having been gone for almost two months. Home Again! Louis arrived home after about a three-week absence. Home Again. “Home again, home again, jiggety-jig”!

December Rushmore Newsletter

Greetings, Brethren. The December edition of the Rushmore Newsletter is available directly at the following URL address.

Click to access December.pdf

Inside you will learn about our soon approaching annual mission trip to Guyana, South America. Typically, we spend six weeks traversing all or nearly all of the regions of the tropical nation. We rely on the churches of Christ and Christian families to participate with us financially for this to occur.

In addition, inside the newsletter, you will see money in and money out – including a significant shortfall. Of course, Martha also provides a brief summary of our comings and goings. We solicit your prayers.

Chaffee Road Church of Christ

This past Sunday, Martha and I, along with our daughter Rebecca, visited the Chaffee Road Church of Christ in Jacksonville, Florida. We attended the Bible class and afterward worshiped with our brethren there. The occasion of our visit was to touch base with the congregation, which has been helping to support us and enable our stateside ministry and foreign mission work for about 15 years. I was afforded a few moments following the worship period to speak about our six weeks earlier this year in Guyana, South America. Later, I showed the elders my PowerPoint presentation and added some additional details about our missionary labors, not only in South America but also in Asian countries. (On a side note, Chaffee Road appears to be an admirable depiction of a fairly evenly integrated congregation and eldership.)

A few weeks earlier, I was privileged to present during Bible class my PowerPoint presentation about our foreign travel to Guyana February and half of March in 2022. In the worship period, I preached one of the lessons that I presented 13 times during our Guyana mission trip; it was entitled, “Christianity in a Hostile and Challenging Environment.”

The theme of this year’s mission trip to Guyana was “None of These Things Move Me,” based upon Acts 20:22-24. Covid-19 has been and continues to be a challenge facing the worldwide community, though hostile and challenging environments also confront people on a personal level with significant difficulties arising within families, at work, relating to health, death, grief and economics. We all need encouragement from time to time. Our team of Martha and me, as well as Guyanese brethren Nigel Milo and Mohamed Ally, were afforded opportunities to present a series of lessons at 13 venues, plus additional speaking opportunities beyond our workshops.

We were and are thankful for Christian families and churches of Christ who make our work possible. Historically and pre-pandemic, we have traveled with the Gospel to various sites in India, Myanmar (Burma), Singapore and Sri Lanka. Through the generosity of fellow Christians, we are able to print and distribute tracts and books in a variety of languages, give away large print Bibles and facilitate funds for two TV programs (Hindi language broadcasting from New Delhi, India and English language airing from Georgetown, Guyana). May God be glorified and precious souls be edified with God’s Word!

Guyana Mission Trip Review

Well, Martha and I returned to the USA after 41 days in Guyana, South America. We crisscrossed the tropical country, accompanied by Guyanese preachers Nigel Milo and Mohamed Ally. Martha spoke to ladies at some stops, and we three evangelists spoke for 14 events at 13 venues. We traveled by car, minibus, small plane, little boat and car ferry (as pedestrians). Attendees numbered from a handful to hundreds. The theme was “None of These Things Move Me” (Acts 20:24). My primary lessons were “Christianity in a Hostile and Challenging Environment” and “Remaining Spiritually Involved and Focused.” Locations that afforded us more than one day for presentations permitted additional lessons to be taught by each of us. Our ministry is one primarily of edifying brethren (1 Corinthians 3:6). Our series of traveling workshops were well received and are always popular among our Christian brethren in Guyana.

Some places to which we traveled in Guyana had amenities similar to what we typically experience in the United States. Other locations, though, sometimes lacked roads, footrails, electricity, running water and toilets. Occasionally, we needed to cross a pontoon-swinging bridge (similar to a drawbridge) about a mile or so long. Where there was no bridge, we traveled by boat upriver or the 20 miles across one river. We had workshops in the lowlands, in the mountains and on islands. Our trips approached the borders of Brazil and Venezuela as well as sometimes were abreast of the Atlantic Ocean.

A new, 30-minute television program, with brother Nigel Milo as the speaker, will begin in April to broadcast weekly from the capital city of Georgetown. This program will reach about two-thirds of the country. Brother Milo has been preaching on TV for several years in Linden and previously on a station in Georgetown. Nigel Milo and the congregation with which he works distribute literally tons of Bibles and Christian literature that we are able to ship to Guyana. Our collaborative labors in Guyana are among several mission efforts by American brethren in that country. Please remember Guyana and Guyanese brethren in your prayers.

March 2022 Gospel Gazette Online

The March edition of Gospel Gazette Online is available now. My daughter proofs GAZ, and we just made the corrections. She’s in Tennessee in the USA, and Martha and I are in Guyana, South America. We leave our base of operations in the morning at 4:30 a.m., headed to a small airport for a flight to Mabaruma. Upon returning to Ogle outside of Georgetown on Friday, we will make our way by car to the banks of the Essequibo River. There, we will board a boat and go upriver to Leguan, lodge in a rented house for the night and have a workshop during the day on Saturday. We may not have any communication with family, friends, etc. until we return from multiple venues Saturday night. Now, I’ll finish packing for the trip, shower, shave and get some rest. Enjoy and make use of Gospel Gazette Online. Share it with others, too.

To Monkey Mountain and Back

Martha and I returned Friday evening to Linden, Guyana, South America after spending Monday through Friday in the Amerindian village at Monkey Mountain. We conducted a workshop for two congregations Tuesday through Thursday. Speaking also on the program were Guyanese preachers Nigel Milo and Mohamed Ally. Saturday, we had a workshop with the Amelia’s Ward Church of Christ in Linden. The program ran from 9 a.m. past 3 p.m. This was our largest audience yet, and many congregations were represented. Tomorrow, we’ll worship once more with the Amelia’s Ward Church of Christ, where brother Milo preaches. Please remember us in your prayers.

March 2020 Rushmore Newsletter

The printed version of the March 2020 Rushmore Newsletter is in the mail, and hundreds more email notifications about the newsletter likewise ‘are in the mail’ (email). Please take a few moments to read over and view some pictures therein. Martha and I were in all regions of Guyana, South America from January 31 to March 2 of this year. We solicit your prayers and encourage your financial participation. Go directly to the March 2020 Rushmore Newsletter at https://www.gospelgazette.com/Newsletter/2020/March.pdf. You can send me your thoughts at rushmore@gospelgazette.com.

Kildonan, Guyana

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Saturday, February 29, 2020, the World Evangelism & Media Team was with the Kildonan Church of Christ in Guyana, South America. Several area congregations were represented, and as before, Martha addressed the ladies and the male team members spoke to the combined group as well as separately to the men present. This was our final workshop for 2020 in Guyana; Martha and I have been in Guyana for 30 days. Our team of Frederick Darrell, Nigel Milo, Martha Rushmore and Louis Rushmore provided edification for brethren from all 10 regions of Guyana. We hope that our efforts will contribute to the future appointment of elders and deacons, congregations striving for a greater degree of fiscal participation in their presence and labors for our Lord, a move toward a greater role in self-edification and less reliance on foreign teachers, a greater and sustained evangelistic zeal even in the absence of missionaries on the ground with them, and heightened pursuit of modesty and moral purity. Always, Martha and I are likely more encouraged than those to whom we go, hoping to encourage them. Plans are already underway for the 2021 nationwide workshop in Guyana.

Mabaruma

Frederick Darrel

Wednesday, February 26, the World Evangelism & Media team flew from Ogle in metropolitan Georgetown to Mabaruma. That evening, brethren Frederick Darrell and Nigel Milo preached in a crusade or a Gospel meeting for the Church of Christ at Hosororo on a high hill above Mabaruma. The meetinghouse was full of members and their children.

Thursday, the team spoke to a gathering of several congregations in the church building at Hosororo. Nearly every bench was filled. Some brethren had traveled several miles by boat before finishing their trek by land. Brethren Frederick Darrell, Nigel Milo and I addressed brothers and sisters on the theme “If Not Now, When?” Martha spoke to the ladies.

Friday, the team flew back to Ogle. Martha and I did a little shopping in Georgetown as well as walked the ocean side of the seawall so my wife could collect some more sea glass. Leaving Georgetown, we paused at Hope Children’s Home, before continuing our journey to New Amsterdam, where we were to lodge once more in preparation for our final workshop of 2020 in Guyana, South America.

Enmore Church of Christ

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Our venue today for this year’s World Evangelism & Media Workshop was with the Enmore (Guyana, South America) Church of Christ; these brethren were gracious enough to host again in 2020. Many congregations were represented, some of which traveling far to be present. The auditorium was full. Martha Rushmore spoke to the sisters in Christ, while Frederick Darrel, Nigel Milo and I (Louis Rushmore) spoke to brothers and sisters or for one session to the men present.

A large contingent of members from the Amelia’s Ward Church of Christ in Linden were present—three vans full. Burnham Drive and Blueberry Hill churches of Christ from Linden were represented, too.

I have difficulty understanding Guyanese Creole, but I presumed that since we’re all supposed to be speaking English, Guyanese brethren could understand me better than I understand them when they converse with each other. Today, a sister in Christ informed me that this is the first year over the years I have been going to Guyana that she understood my English. She wasn’t sure whether I was speaking more clearly or if she had become accustomed to my speech.

It appears that all in attendance were please to be there and were edified. I know I was happy to be present, and I was edified also. After a long day, traveling to the venue, returning to Linden and approximately six hours of program, we were all tired. A stop at the mall along the way home was a welcome interlude.