2004-2007 – Term Five – Guyana

2004-2007 – Term Five – Guyana

2004

Perry continues traveling to raise our support. In September we return to Guyana and quickly are involved in many projects. Just after we left Perry’s mom sells the house in Kenosha. This means we will have to find other housing when we return.

Plans for the orphanage take shape. Nancy and her two friends travel to Washington DC to present the project to an aid agency. Though interested they decide not to become involved. Thankfully a similar group in Florida agrees. In meetings with the Mayor of Georgetown they are directed to a property near one of our churches and work begins on the orphanage.

The teams are now coming. Most of them are to help build the new orphanage. Perry is busy supervising both the construction of the bible school and the orphanage. Perry is only able to make a trip to Mexico where he presents a seminar in three different locations.

We are able to host a team from the LOGOS ship. They are with us for a couple of months organizing the visit of the LOGOS to Georgetown.

Book 5 – Developing Missions in the Local Church – Global Partners asks Perry to write his thoughts on key issues that affect the development of missions. He is asked to present this to the advisory committee at headquarters.

2005

In January we travel to Minnesota to attend the wedding of John and Val in Worthington, MN. Because of the severe illness of the person asked to perform the wedding Perry steps in and takes the place of that person.

Perry travels to Barbados for a meeting of leaders from the Caribbean, Guyana, and Suriname to talk about cooperation in the area of missions.

Perry travels to Venezuela, Trinidad, Peru, Chile, St Lucia, St Kits, St Croix and attends the Jibacam congress in Puebla, Mexico. Nancy and Jessica join Perry for the seminars in St. Kitts, St. Lucia, and St Croix. The trip to Peru is during the National Congress and Perry presents a new seminar on the Principles of Missions. The concept of one dollar per person for missions is launched during this conference. Also, the first missionary from the region is confirmed. Her name is Anita Carrion, and she will be going to Equatorial Guinea for a year. She has served as the National Superintendent of Peru.

Many countries ask Perry to return and present more materials.

One other detail, Guyana experiences 100 inches of rain in a week. This creates extensive flooding throughout the country. We are involved in distributing food and clean water in affected areas. We too are affected and have to sandbag the first two feet of the lower level of the house. Besides that we need to pump water continually to keep the lower floor free of water. We have a team that arrives in the middle of the flooding.

Perry is able to organize a meeting of all the directors for bible schools in the Caribbean and Iberoamerica, which is held in Trinidad. A key goal is to help the schools see the importance of including courses on missions in their curriculums.

The puppet ministry continues to develop and the team travels to an indigenous group at Bamboo Landing to present their ministry. At least once a month we visit churches to share and once do so in the streets of a depressed neighborhood as well as in the hospital for children with aids and other serious illnesses.

Book 6 – Communicating Missions – Perry develops this material to present to the Jibacam congress in Chile.

In early December a lump is discovered in Nancy’s breast. It is removed and sent to Canada for analysis. It will be four months before we receive the results.

2006

Perry travels to Florida for a regional board meeting and then to Chia, Colombia for a national leader’s conference.

In April we get the results for the lump in Nancy’s breast. It is positive for cancer. She immediately travels to Minnesota for follow up. The first exam shows that the cancer has moved to the lymph glands in her left arm. Another test is scheduled and Perry flies to join her. The test reveals that the cancer is now stage 4 and is in the hylar nodes of her chest. She begins the first of a series of cancer treatments. We return home and plan for her to return every month for the next set of treatments. It is a difficult time as we deal with packing to leave Guyana and plan for Jessica’s graduation.

The orphanage is progressing. It will not be finished before we leave. The bible school is completed and is dedicated and the church holds a farewell/thank you reception.

We get home and Perry and Jessica promptly leave for a church conference in Indiana. Nancy finishes her last treatment and joins them for a missionary retreat. From there they take Jessica to SWU to begin her years in college. Jeff has done well and is now captain of the school’s football team.

We receive good news. According to the doctor Nancy’s cancer has gone into complete remission. According to the tests it looks like she never had cancer. He is amazed. We are thankful.

In November the orphanage for children with Aids officially opens. They have 20 children who are now receiving the care of a Christian community. The government agrees to supply all the medicines for the home.

This time home Nancy is able to travel with Perry during all of the trips related to home ministry and fund raising. They find a place to stay in Burnsville, Mn, but it will not be available until October. A family in Kenosha agrees to let them stay with them until the duplex is ready. They move all their things in storage in Kenosha to a container Val’s parents have allowed them to put on their farm.

2007

From January to July, we continue traveling, raising funds and doing home ministry. At this time, it is agreed that we will relocate to Panama as our base for continued ministry in Iberoamerica. It provides direct flights to all of the countries that are part of Jibacam. A blessing since in Guyana it would take at least three flights to arrive anywhere. Guyana, Trinidad, Miami, and then on to the final destination. To do so Perry often has to spend the night in the airport in Trinidad to make his connection.

Book 7 –  Spiritual Powers in NT – One of the mentors in the doctoral program challenged Perry to write a second volume related to his doctoral thesis. It is finally completed. It is dedicated to Paul Hiebert the mentor who made the recommendation.

Book 8 – Reflections on life and Holiness –  While in Sierra Leone Perry prepared a series of notes and thoughts on the book of Job and the meaning of sanctification. These are now organized into a book.

Book 9 & 10 – Perry decides to build on the concepts in the study on John and so writes two volumes of commentaries and studies on the life of Christ.

Book 11 – Principles of Growth in Missions – A question by a friend leads to a study of the critical issues related to missions.

Book 12 – Missions: A Sunday school Course – Sensing a need for materials to teach missions to adults in the church Perry prepares a 13-week study for the churches to use.

Nancy, Jessica, Julie, and Julie’s friend Dixa travel to Guyana to visit the Children’s home. They are able to help with a number of small projects and Nancy gets to see the fulfillment of the vision for an orphanage for children with AIDS.

We are able to attend Jeff’s graduation from SWU. He finds a job as a PE teacher in Seneca, SC.

Shortly before we leave to begin language school in Costa Rica Nancy’s father dies from esophageal cancer.

Just before we head to language school we are able to make a trip to Panama to visit the leaders and church. During the visit Perry presents the seminar on missions.