This past July 2024, Brother John and I, along with our three children (Boaz, Phinehas, and Hezekiah), traveled to Guyana for a few weeks to help support some of the preaching efforts in Guyana.  Brother Rafeek, Sister Rose Soolaman, and our nephew Zarath also traveled with us.  One of the main projects for this trip was to run a Vacation Bible School and outreach in the village of Kilcoy.  Additionally, we intended to spend some focused time with the group of young people form the local community with whom we have been having virtual CYC classes for the last four years. We are happy to share that five young ladies from this group asked us for baptism classes on this trip and have been taking baptismal preparation studies with us for the past few months!  We expect a few members to be added to Kilcoy ecclesia shortly, God-willing.

The VBS was a humbling experience that exceeded our expectations in ways words cannot express. With over 100 attendees, God truly blessed this effort, and the response was so overwhelming that the hall was bursting at the seams with children. The unexpected success of the VBS was a delightful surprise for all of us.

Even though the Kilcoy ecclesia has just a handful of brothers and sisters, they are very committed.  Everyone was enthusiastic about the work, and the many challenges daunted no one; instead, everyone met every obstacle excitedly, a testament to the fervent zeal and passion for God’s work here.  Indeed, we faced many setbacks leading up to the VBS – the flu sweeping through the ecclesial members and our family, Brother Rafeek being hospitalized on the first day of the VBS, and the one bus we had available for collecting the children ending up with a flat tire on the first day of the VBS.

The week before VBS, we went door to door with the small youth group.  The young people led the way as we canvassed the village door to door, passing out invitations and striking up conversations with the locals.  My heart was unexpectedly full when a few locals spoke fondly of a Sister Gladys Hart, who taught them Sunday School decades ago and introduced them to the Christadelphians.  When I was able to introduce myself as her granddaughter, we had an immediate rapport.  Her work in this area has left a lasting legacy, and even though these people were never baptized, they immediately agreed to send their grandchildren to the VBS. We passed out hundreds of invitations and offered to drive around and pick up children. Many responded positively, saying that they would send their children. We didn’t know what to expect.  Would people trust us enough to let their small children load up and leave with total strangers for several hours?

We got to the hall a lot later than expected on the first day of VBS due to Brother Rafeek’s unexpected hospital visit, and the children started arriving much earlier than the posted time.  Brother John, Brother Ray, and Brother Abedi took on the job of collecting children on the minibus. Brother Ray and Brother Abedi are well known in the community as shining lights, which is also a testimony that so many people were willing to send their children. Before we knew it, the first load of the minibus arrived with 20 children, and the bus and car kept coming and coming with loads of children.  We struggled to keep up with registrations.  When we counted nearly 100 children, we stood stunned for a moment! Mentally, Brother John and I had come thinking we’d have maybe 30-50 children – our suitcases had come full of supplies, and perhaps it was the one time he was happy his wife had over packed!

The team had to quickly pivot on handling the large crowd (there was a rush to buy more food), but we were all excited and ready to go.  After the first day, the children were more than enthusiastic to come again.  They had a fun day of object lessons, bible lessons, music, songs, crafts, games, and food!  The VBS was a 3-day event on the Theme of the Exodus and lasted from about 12 pm to 6 pm each day. Though we only planned to keep the children till 4 pm, many lingered, and we had to urge them to head home. On the final evening, we invited all the parents to come after the VBS for a special dinner, music, and a play production involving the attendees. Adding to the challenges, we had a power blackout in the middle of the play, though the play continued forward.

Sister Violet, Sister Bawili, and Sister Seeojnie worked busily, preparing all the meals and snacks as well as teaching some of the age groups! Everyone took on multiple jobs.  God truly blessed this effort, and many students expressed interest in joining the Sunday School and youth group in the weeks following.  It was a small army of workers that made this possible: getting there early each day to set up, run activities, cook, pick up children and drop them off, and stay late to clean a very messy hall – all in the scorching heat.  We have never sweated so much in our lives, and each day, we left exhausted yet energized simultaneously!  I am so thankful for this experience and the inspiration we have gained.  Our hearts are filled, and we are so grateful for every person who gave 110% to sow the seed of God’s word and for the blessing of our Heavenly Father, who gave the increase. The children who attended wanted to know when we would do this again. Brother John and I are already working with the Kilcoy ecclesia to prepare for a 2025 VBS, God-willing, with a focus on continued follow-up with the children and families who joined.