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.

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.

Paramakatoi Children’s Class

Wednesday, February 19 was a big day for the village of Paramakatoi. The first lady of Guyana was to visit. She was campaigning for her husband to be reelected for president. She was also dedicating the new water system for this jungle mountain community. There was preparation made for her coming all week and maybe the week before. There were hammers and saws going all day and evening long. Bleachers, stands for concessions and a large platform for the first lady and other government officials were built. There was a stand for the band and the emcee to play music until 2:00 a.m. for three days and nights.

On the same day, I had a very big surprise. About 200 or so elementary school children and their teachers came to the church building to entertain us. They were supposed to quote memory verses and sing for us; they program was supposed to take about 15 minutes. Well, I guess things got a little mixed up. Great for me! Louis came to me about 5-minutes before things were to start and asked me if I could teach the children a lesson. Sure, I can. He asked me how long my lesson would last. I said about 30 minutes.

This is how things proceeded. Brother Nigel led the children in two songs; Louis said a prayer, and then it was my turn. All the men left and had their own class on the porch of a neighboring shop. I introduced myself to the class and started the lesson. One of the men came in and told me about the memory verses. So, I had the children volunteer to say their memory verses. They did a great job!

I started my lesson on “Hear No Evil, See No Evil and Speak No Evil.” I had three children come up and help me. I told them that they were monkey helpers because the hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil were monkeys. (I have two sets at our home in Florida. One set has monkeys and the other has frogs.) They covered the ears, eyes and mouths. Then the whole class did the same thing. I tried to involve them all. Some got restless, but for the most part, the children did well.

Teaching the children has been the highlight of our work in Guyana so far this year. Another children’s class was in Monkey Mountain last year. When I finished, I had about 30 from age 1 to about age 11. I love the children here in Guyana. They want and give attention to Louis and me—maybe because we are white. They are all so loveable. ~ Martha Rushmore

Camping in the Mountains of Guyana, South America

Always before when our team went to Paramakatoi, we were able to lodge in the Amerindian guesthouse there, and over the years, its amenities have been upgraded. This time, however, government officials, who had come for the dedication of a water system, trumped our plan to reside in the guesthouse once more. Consequently, we camped in the classroom of the church building. Martha and I occupied one tent, while brother Nigel Milo slept in a pup tent. Brother Frederick Darrel slumbered nightly in a hammock. On the plus side, we didn’t have to walk to the meetinghouse—since we were already in it! The downside, though, was bucket and cup bathing in the shed for the ATV and using an outhouse.

We flew into Paramakatoi on a small twin-prop plane, and after five days flew out on a larger single-prop airplane. The flight to Paramakatoi in the mountains from Ogle on the coast was direct, but the return trip made stops at Monkey Mountain (a gravel airstrip) and Mahdia.

Martha and I were certainly out of our comfort zone, and our arthritis distinctly worked against us. I also battle low blood pressure.

The mountain village of Paramakatoi is the only place to which we go in Guyana where we get cold. Sweat clothes for sleeping at night and jackets at least in the morning are a must. We even bought a couple of blankets while there—extremely thin but unexpectedly almost too warm.

All four of us taught while visiting the Paramakatoi Church of Christ. Frederick Darrel, Nigel Milo and I took turns day and night, and Martha taught a couple hundred children and their teachers who graced us with their presence one morning.

A few excitements occurred during our time in Paramakatoi. Guyana’s First Lady officially commissioned a new solar-powered water system. Since it is nearly election time, her husband’s political party and the opposing political party were well represented in the crowded soccer field. Venders sold their wares and the music loudly blasted the village until 2 a.m. daily. The whole affair resembled a small county fair. There were more aircraft coming and going in one day than would usually arrive and depart over several months.

Near the conclusion of our time in Paramakatoi, we presented to attendees new Bibles. On our way out of Paramakatoi, we were able to give a preacher and his wife a ride to Monkey Mountain—saving them an 8-hour hike up and down serious hills; the plane was already going that way, so we quickly added them to our passenger manifest.

We believe that we edified brethren from the two congregations which assembled for our workshop. In addition, we encouraged them and commended them as well for their continued evangelistic outreach into distant villages. This little church, which hosted our program, in the edge and on the fringe of an otherwise busy world is self-supporting. Through their own initiative and ambition the congregation launched out with the Gospel comparable to the commendable achievements with the Gospel of the church at Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 1:8). This little family of God meets three days a week for worship and devotionals to praise God and fortify itself.

Martha and I fawn over the little ones. Little girls especially are drawn to Martha, and I enjoy playing with the children, too.

It was a hard outing for us, and we exhausted all the clothes we brought to Guyana. We were delighted to shower and rest in a bed once more. I hadn’t shaved for a week!

Richmond over the Essequibo

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Saturday, February 15 found the World Evangelism & Media Team conducting a workshop in the meetinghouse of the Richmond Church of Christ across the Essequibo River in Guyana, South America. Several congregations were represented, and we also had visitors from the Flatwoods Church of Christ in Kentucky, USA. Members of one of the local congregations attending traveled 65 miles by boat before continuing their journey on land so they could be a part of the workshop. The church building overflowed into the outside front of the structure. We trust that we glorified God and contributed to the edification of all who were present. We know that we were encouraged and built up.

The night before, we lodged in a hotel in Parika. Unfortunately, Martha took another tumble (her 9^th major fall since we married three years ago). Besides hurting generally and literally from head to toe, she sustained a nasty abrasion on her upper thigh. Few of us got much sleep that night, what little night there was before 3:30 a.m. when we arose and made ready for our departure in the still dark of night.

Beyond appreciating anymore the fast, uncomfortable body-beating water taxis, we traveled as pedestrian passengers aboard a car ferry to make the 20-mile crossing of the Essequibo River to Supernaam. Then, we took a taxi to Richmond, some 30 minutes or so beyond the river port.

This side of the biggest river among big rivers in Guyana, brethren always heartily support our get-togethers for fellowship and study of God’s Word. Many talented, longtime preachers, their families and additional members grace us with their presence each year. Lord willing, we look forward to mingling with these saints next year, too.

2020 Guyana Workshops

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Each year for several years, I have been traveling to Guyana, South America once or twice a year to conduct workshops and Gospel meetings across this nation. Guyanese preachers and I together major in edification of our brethren (1 Corinthians 3:6) and minor in evangelism (Mark 16:15-16). Edification is crucial for personal, congregational and brotherhood maturity among foreign nationals for them to participate in a meaningful way in growing the Lord’s church internally and externally among them. In earlier years, my late wife Bonnie accompanied me here and taught ladies and children. Since 2017, my wife Martha and I continue to labor in this ministry together and alongside Guyanese preachers.

The workshop theme this year is, “If Not Now, When?” The corresponding topics address laying the groundwork for and progressing toward the appointment of elders and deacons in the churches throughout the country, encouraging brethren to assume congregational responsibility for their finances, preparing more fully to rely primarily on themselves for their own edification, and analyzing and implementing methods for the churches of Christ throughout Guyana to accept a greater role in evangelizing their own country. Happily, many congregations are already actively working towards these goals, and so far, the lessons have been well received.

Out time here is from January 31 through March 2. We have completed programs in Lethem near the Brazilian border and in Port Kaituma near the border with Venezuela. At the latter location, we had two venues—one in the town and one along the bank of a canal to the Kaituma River. Tomorrow, we leave our base in Linden for two more workshops, like the sites two which we’ve already traveled, distant from each other and in opposite directions.

Wednesday and Thursday, we will lodge in New Amsterdam; Thursday we have a workshop hosted by the Cotton Tree Church of Christ. Friday night, we will lodge at the other end of the coast in Parika. Saturday, we have a workshop scheduled for Richmond across the 20-mile-wide Essequibo River; that evening, we will make the several hours’ drive back to Linden.

In the weeks ahead if our Lord permits, we will have programs near Georgetown the capital, Paramakatoi in the mountains near Brazil, outside Mabaruma near Venezuela and Kildonan once more in the southern coastal area.

This year we minimized the amount of clothes and foodstuffs and maximized the number of Bibles, books and tracts in our luggage. This year, too, I’m taking fewer pictures than in prior years (as well as in the Asian countries to which I go); it’s a matter of been there—saw that before. The more I come here or go to be with brethren in Asia, it is like going home, not to say that I don’t appreciate our home in America. Martha and I solicit your prayers and encourage your participation with us.

We are most fortunate to be coworkers with brother Nigel Milo, his wife Jasmine and son Zab. This year, my additional Guyanese co-speaker is brother Frederick Darrel, preacher for the Kitty Church of Christ in Georgetown. Together, we aim to glorify God, edify brethren and reach lost sous with the Gospel of Christ.

Robert’s Bush

Friday, March 3 was spent in earnest labors on the next Rushmore Newsletter, the February edition of Gospel Gazette Online (yes, I’m late) and a forthcoming issue of The Voice of Truth International. I finalized the efforts of Rebecca (back in the States), Martha and me on the Rushmore Newsletter, and I sent it digitally to a printing company in Michigan. Subsequently, I sent our newsletter information over the Internet to over 700 persons, some of whom responded almost immediately with congratulations on our marriage, which took place on New Year’s Day this year.

I also prepared and sent the next color postcard to be printed by the same firm. One side of the card shows Martha and me in a flat-bottomed boat, wearing ponchos in a pouring rain, with the tide out and experiencing difficulty getting to shore; the back of the postcard contains information about our mission work.

Saturday, March 4 marked the final 2017 Annual World Evangelism Guyana Nationwide Workshop for this year. It was hosted by the Robert’s Bush Church of Christ. It assembles about an hour from our base in Linden. That was Martha and my 16^th seminar this year and over the past six weeks.

Several congregations were represented. Nigel Milo, Martha and I, as at other locations, taught all those present. Brother Milo and I took turns teaching the combined classes as well as classes for the men. Martha taught the ladies classes.

Though this year’s workshops throughout Guyana have just ended, we are already anticipating next year when we will do it all again, Lord willing. Martha has turned out to be a natural, consistently placing the teaching of the Word of God above what is unfamiliar and challenging to her in the surroundings and backdrop of an overseas destination. I think that brethren we encountered have benefitted from the effort of all three of us. However, we are edified and uplifted as much or more than anyone we have visited in Guyana. In any case, to God be the glory!