HOME

Yes, we are now home, so the title, JOHNANDKATHYINGUYANA, is not true of us presently. We are waiting on the Lord for the future ministry the Lord has for us.

The last week in Guyana was the frosting on the cake--John preached 5 Crusade services, baptized a man and had a young lady ask to be restored to fellowship! Can it get any better than that? It was exciting to say the least. Ellen and Katie posted some pictures of the Crusade on their blog. They sang a number of times and helped others to sing as well. They were a real blessing to the people, both by their singing as well as having helped them to sing. It was fund to learn new songs and to have lots of nice special music. They will be missed when they leave the 19th of May.

Our trip home was uneventful except going through security in Guyana. Our suitcases were overweight according to the scales we tried to weigh them on, so John said lighten them. So I found several heavy things and switched them to the carry-ons. That was a big mistake when it came to the silverware and paring knives I wanted to take home...... We barely made it on the plane in time for lift off. They took the knives of course and the table knives and forks. I had taken 4 place settings so we would have all matching silverware. Then when we went out to board the plane, it was my 2 checked bags they wanted to examine. John is telling me to get on the plane and security says they want to examine these bag. Needless to say, I was confused but John won and the security folks must have agreed on it because the suitcases arrived with us. PTL!

We flew into Miami and was to meet Brother Almond but without a cell phone and not knowing his cell number, it was difficult. I spent $3.10 trying to get his son's home number without success and then decided to page him, when I heard him having us paged so we did get together. However, his driver (because Brother Almond's car had died the day before) was parked ahead of where we were waiting, so in trying to circle around to us, his GPS told him to go the wrong way 3 times......We finally all got together and loaded and on our way. We went to Mitchell and Alana's for dinner and to discuss our future in Guyana. My sister, Sandy, met us there and we spent 2 days with her and her husband before returning to Anniston and our impatient children.

Our getting together in Atlanta with Heidi, our daughter, went well and in no time we were on the road headed home. We got in about 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening, May 2.

Everyone was glad to see us and, of course, vice versa. We have our '96 Dodge Ram Laramie double cab pickup on the road and are looking forward to visiting folks who want to hear about Guyana. Let us know if you are interested.

GRADUATION PICTURES

Mr. Wilfred Gomes was the MC of the Graduation Exercises on March 19. He is a Board Member and works with Adult Education Association in Georgetown. He did an excellent job of MCing the programme.

These are the young ladies in the garment making class. They each designed and made their graduation dress. Ellen and Katie assisted in the song they sang.

Mrs. Indrowattie Autar, Programme Director of the Centre, gave the Annual Report on the Centre. She was assisted by Shamine Rohit.

The main speaker was Ms. Sandra Hooper, Community Development Specialist for Educare.

Rebekah Timram gave an address on Kathy's contributions to the Centre over the past year. Brother Terry Rohit honored John in his address.

Thoughts

Things are quickly coming to an end here in Guyana for us. It seems strange that 14 months has passed already and soon we will be headed back to Anniston. There are many things that need to be done like trying to decide what to bring back with us and what to give away and what to store in case we return in the future. Knowing the Lord's will in advance is not ours to know, so we trust to Him to give us wisdom for all these matters.

It would be great if we could just flit back and forth whenever we wanted to, but the cost involved is prohibitive. People here want us to come back and be here for this and that and our children can't wait until we are home so things can "get back to normal"--whatever that is in their minds. Things will be different when we return and they will be different as well as we will be different. Our coming home doesn't automatically fix their lives, so we pray that the Lord will work in each of our hearts and minds to make us what He wants us to be. That includes being content in our circumstances even when things are difficult.

We look forward to seeing everyone and having fellowship with them. But we have made many friendships here and will miss many of these people. They have become a part of us, even as everyone at home is a part of us. We rejoice in the privilege this 15 months has been to us. How great our God is and greatly to be praised!

April Newsletter

SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST MISSION
5440 HIGWAY 202
ANNISTON, ALABAMA 36201

April, 2009

Greetings from Guyana!

This will probably be the last time I am writing to you from Guyana as we will be leaving Corriverton on April 29 to begin our journey home. We will meet with the Katryans in Miami, Lord willing, and spend a couple days in Stewart, Florida, with Kathy's sister, Sandy, and her husband, Harvey, and then head for Anniston.

The fifteen months we have been here have flown by. We came to replace the Katryans as they spent the year in the States visiting supporting Churches and taking care of some personal business. It has been a unique experience. The Lord has taught us as we have taught others. This is a multi-faceted ministry with 2 Churches, Corriverton Baptist and Roadside Baptist; 3 mission works and a Skills Training Centre.

The Churches are as all churches are, each it's own particular ministry. The mother Church at Corriverton has suffered much from immigration overseas and defections. This is the Church where I have pastored. The Church has been up and down but, by in large, those who attend most regularly have grown in the Lord. The Lord has used the 2 young ladies from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and the Northwoods Baptist Church, Ellen White and Katie Mathews, to provide evangelistic opportunities with the children and teenagers. Much seed has been sown and we wait for the fruit.

The Roadside Baptist Church although under my supervision, has been pastored by Brother Terry Rohit. He is one of my students and has exceeded my expectations. He seeks to exalt Christ in his messages, to edify the saints and expose the lost to the Gospel. They also suffer from the exodus to the States and Canada, but have held their own. This Church has been home to the four men that have regularly attended the Pastors' Training sessions. Normally, I only preach once or twice a month in this Church.

The #57 Mission is the largest of the missions and this is where the new Church building has been built with funds from the supporting Churches in the US and some from Guyana. Brother Motilall Harlall will be the pastor as he presently leads this mission work. I have preached almost once a week here. Brother Moti is also one of my students. Those attending this mission are most eager to hear God's Word. The young people here have always seemed interested in not just hearing but trying to put into practice what they hear. When Ellen and Katie joined us, that interest grew.

The Mission at #77 has been somewhat of a disappointment. The road leading back to this work is difficult especially in rainy season and our host family has had many personal and physical difficulties that eventually led to the decision to suspend services for the time being.
The Mission at #69 has been more of a home Bible study to strengthen the Roadside Baptist Church. We usually have 10-15 folks here and have recently seen some students from the Centre start to attend. This mission is led by Brother Troy Dhalu, another of my students.

The Roadside Baptist Church Skills Training Centre is what is called here--an N.G.O. or Non-Governmental Organization. While the Katryans were away, I was the Managing Director of the Centre. We recently graduated 147 students in a number of programs, some funded by donor organizations including the US government. We were able along with morning devotions, to bring regular Bible lessons to many of the students. The training is in life skills. We graduated in electrical installation, garment making, computer skills, cooking, and cake decorating. Also, there are remedial programs and exam preparation programs as well as a number of computer upgrade classes. The Lord has given us many opportunities to present Christ to these students.

Also during the year, we had a monthly meeting for Senior Citizens that involved 18-25 people where we shared a gospel message, flannelgraph Bible story, or a Moody Science video. They were also fed and received a small package of household items, food items or personal products. These folks have been very appreciative.

One of the highlights of the year was our 4-day Evangelistic meetings at 3 different locations. Those who participated did so seeking God's glory and the salvation of souls. These meetings were well attended with high interest. We have heard of some professions of faith and believe we see increased interest in others. The #57 group is desirous of two more days before we leave.

I can't put on paper what a blessed opportunity this has been to exalt Christ and seek God's Glory. In His sovereign mercy He has made Himself known and we trust eternity will manifest the results. It is ours to sow the seed and His to reap the fruit. To Him belongs all the glory.

The Katryans will return in early May and take back over this work in which they have been involved for 38 years. What the Lord has for Kathy and I we are still trying to determine. Continue to pray with us for our future.

Thank you for your investment in us by way of prayer and financial support. I hope it will please God to richly reward you for what you have done.

In Christ, John Hunter

GRADUATION 2009 NEWSLETTER

SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST MISSION
5440 HIGHWAY 202
ANNISTON, ALABAMA 36201
MARCH, 2009

Dear Friends,
March 19th Roadside Baptist Church Skills Training Centre graduated 147 persons. I thought that deserved its own news letter, so here goes.

The centerpiece of our Centre was the Educare Program which has been funded by the good old USA. The program took students from 14 to 17 where were dropped out of school and trained them in either electrical skills for the boys or garment making for the girls. We started with 56 and finished with 50 which I think is great considering these were all at one time dropouts. All of these students went through my classes on Bible in the counseling segment of our training. At graduation I had one set of parents with twin boys in the program thank me that the boys had "reformed". A group of these boys paid especially good attention in my class and said that they wanted to follow Christ. Time will tell the reality of their commitment.

We also graduated classes in computer literacy, advanced computering, computer repair, cooking, and cake decorating. The graduation was attended by several high level education department officials and was covered by the television news media. The young woman from the TV station told me she was very impressed by the Church's commitment to the community.
The program consisted of: Mr. Wilfred Gomes as Master of Ceremonies, who did a great job of handling the proceedings; an opening address by Ms. Patricia David, Adult Education Association; a brief address by Mr. Claude Johnson, Education Officer II; featured address by Ms. Sandra Hooper, Community Development Specialist for Educare; distribution of certificates by Terry Rohit and Lucy from the AEA; Varsha and Mr. Claude Johnson, and Stephen Bactawar and Mr. Simon (N.A.T.I.) for the various programs. Shaminee Rohit read the names of the students receiving trophies and Hani from Educare presented them to the following students: Overall Best - Satesh Kumar Singh, Most Disciplined - Kumar Bissoon, and Most Improved - Dhanmattie Ragnauth. The students presented 2 songs as well.

During the ceremony they surprised my wife, Kathy, and I with a tribute for our service and we were indeed surprised.

As I write some of our students as well as teenagers from the neighborhood and from the #68 Church and #57 Mission are having a pizza get-to-gather hosted by Ellen and Katie, our volunteers from Rhinelander, Wisconsin. These two Christian young ladies have helped us a great deal with their fine testimonies and personal work abilities.

Keep praying for the Centre. This was the last year for the Educare program. The Centre will miss that funding and avenue into the lives of these teenagers. We also want to be more focused on presenting the Gospel.

In Christ, John Hunter

Please visit: ellenandkatieinguyana.blogspot.com for more pictures and information.

March Newsletter

I haven't learned to do blogs very well. I was trying to put the pictures after the Newsletter and they are in the opposite order in which I expected them to upload so the first is last and the last is first.....

This is Katie and Ellen working with some of the young people at #57.

This is the 3rd night of the Crusade. John led them in an action song before the message to wake everyone up. This was at someone's request.

This is part of the crowd that attended the Crusade at Ronald's house. We were seated in an "L" shape. Some were under the house and some extended out to the main road which is immediately behind those standing in the back.

#57 Group song at the first night of the Crusade.

SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST MISSION
5440 HIGHWAY 202
ANNISTON, ALABAMA 36201
March, 2009

Dear Friends,

We have had quite an exciting few weeks with the final stages of the #57 Village building project going on and our four-day Crusade just past. The Lord has blessed us on every hand in these last days of our 15 months in Guyana.

The Crusade was a highlight of our time, but God has crowned much of His work with blessing. The girls, Ellen and Katie, were a real help in the special meetings singing often at each of the four nights and organizing the special music. They sing a lot here! The music when we first arrived was in need of help and they have been teaching all of us proper timing and harmony. Many folks from the Churches helped with the music and the teens and pre-teens from #57 delighted everyone. The Lord gave good liberty in my preaching and I believe Christ was exalted. I will not speculate on how many were saved or otherwise positively affected by these meetings but we are hearing good things especially among the teens.

Attendance at Corriverton Baptist is up although it could be better in our own feeble estimation. Those who come give their full attention.

Kathy has the Library in better order now and we are adding some new titles. Part of my work on returning home will be to collect a number of Christian books for the Corriverton Library. It is open to the public 2 afternoons a week. We have a number of children and young people coming.

The portion of my own library that was shipped to Guyana for my own and the Pastors' Training School will apparently remain. It would have cost me well over a thousand dollars to ship it back. The Katryans will buy the books at a bargain price and I will replace what I can with the money. It was very good of the Katryans to help me out in this way.

The Centre at #68 is about to graduate another group of students from the electrical, garment making, computer classes, and some other smaller courses on the 19th of March. Most of these students have heard the Gospel many times during their education. This is a good group and we hope many will come to Christ. Some have attended at Roadside Baptist Church where Brother Terry Rohit is presently pastoring. He is one of my students in the Pastors' Training School.

Kathy and I hope to arrive in Florida on April 30 and spend some time with the Katryans before they fly out on the 1st or 2nd of May to return to Guyana. Our return to Guyana depends on this visit and Kathy's knees and a few other considerations. The Lord's will be done. I have filled out all my paper work for Social Security, but that is not enough to sustain she and I if we return. If the Lord closes the door here we will look for some ministry elsewhere. Please pray with us about this.

The Lord bless you for your prayer support while we were and are here and a special thanks to all who helped with financial needs all along the way.

In Christ, John Hunter

Our Day Camp plus 2 extra

We had a Day Camp on February 16 in which Katie and Ellen conducted a time of singing, a flannelgraph story, games and refreshments. The pictures loaded the opposite of what I expected, so they are the opposite of chronological order. This is the group of children who got tagged and were out of the game. We were lined up on the stairs to the Library.

This is the beginning of the game where Katie is explaining the rules. Dian is catching 2 little ones that needed to be somewhere else so they didn't get mowed down by the children running from the back wall to the opposite side of the court trying to not get tagged.

This is Ellen giving the flannelgraph lesson. She chose Nehemiah. There were about 25 children when she was finished with the lesson. The day was a great success and the children all wanted to do it again the next Monday. We decided once a month was good. We will have another on March 16th. Pray for these children. Several have come to the services. They come to the Library too and always ask, "Where are Ellen and Katie?"

This is our neighbor, Kenneth, taking his donkey cart out to the main road to sell his food. This is as close as you get to "fast food" here in Corriverton. I shouldn't say that as we do have a Church's Chicken in town. I took this from the Library window. I want to get a picture of him on location but haven't had my camera ready at the right time.

In all fairness to Ellen, I felt I needed to post a picture of Katie in one of her study poses, too. She is out on the court. They both will plop down on the ground most anywhere to sit and relax or study. Ellen likes to go to the sea wall.