News from the
Mission Field

Christ told a parable about a man starting to build a tower or a king going to war and not "counting the cost". One lesson in life is that when you suggest an event you need to follow it through to completion. Many months ago we began planning a Bible School to be held in Chile for brethren in South America. The location in the mountains about an hour outside of Santiago is called ‘La Bella Durmiente’ – with cabins and outdoor recreational facilities in a quiet area away from the busy capital of 7,000,000. In the back of our minds we had a figure of about 20 attendees, assuming that many wouldn't be able to make it due to other commitments or distance. Assumptions! continue reading

In the summer months of July and August this year, ecclesias in Guyana organized a really wonderful activity called "The Vacation Bible School" for Sunday School age students.  The idea of the VBS is that for a week, a day camp is organized at where young people from Kindergarten age to teens within the community and their own Sunday School are invited come and enjoy lessons about the Bible. continue reading

For the second year the Bank Hall Ecclesia in Barbados hosted a Bible Exhibition.  We give thanks to our Heavenly Father for this opportunity. Thanks also to the Brooklyn and Atlanta ecclesias in the U.S. and to Bro. David Corbin for making this possible. continue reading

Way back in 2009/10 we (Andrew and Shaye) spent almost 6 months in Chile working for a New Zealand company.  During that time we experienced first-hand the isolation of the few brothers and sisters here.  Though our Spanish was extremely limited (well actually, Andrew’s was totally non-existent), simply turning up to the meetings giving an extra 30% to the numbers was helpful to them. continue reading

During our February visit to Jamaica, we had an enjoyable mini-fraternal at the Broughton Ecclesial Hall, with members from Argyle Mountain and Harvey River present.  There were about 20 in attendance for the Remembrance Service and a hot meal together.  The exhortation topic was on our use of ‘Time’, with the consolation of Revelation 10:18, when there will be “time no longer.”  continue reading

The year-end conference in Costa Rica took place from the 23rd to the 25th of December, 2016, with just over 40 attending. The campground is a beautiful site they have used for quite a few years with comfortable cabins with bunk beds and hot water for showers. The location is very picturesque, full of lots of big shade trees and lush tropical vegetation and a lovely swimming pool with a fountain. The campground also has a dining hall where a staff prepares hearty, typical Costa Rican food for the campers. continue reading

The month of October 2016 was indeed a spiritual blessing from our Heavenly Father!  The Jamaican Brotherhood was encouraged with overseas support from Brother Don Luff of Ontario Canada, Brother Nigel & Sister Devonna Small from New Jersey USA and Brother Andre George from the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia.  We are thankful that Hurricane Matthew, which threatened to cause serious damage to the Island October 2nd to 4th, veered east of Jamaica, allowing the efforts of our visitors to go forward.  We were saddened though at the resultant devastation from Matthew in Haiti and areas north of us.  continue reading

One of the challenges of the mission field is providing service to brethren and sisters and contacts in isolation. Email, telephone and Skype are a tremendous help in teaching, maintaining friendships and providing spiritual support. But even then, members need the lift provided by personal visits and it's important to meet and talk personally with promising contacts as they grow in the Truth. With these factors in mind I was able in July and August to visit two brethren and two friends in South America. continue reading