Easter Kilcoy Bible School 2011
Unforgettable and the highlight of my 10-week visit to Guyana.
We left about 6.30 a.m. from Georgetown and drove all the way to Kilcoy via the eastern coastland of Georgetown in the county of Demerara, continuing through the western coastland of the county of Berbice, crossing an expanding bridge over the three-quarter mile wide Berbice river (previously crossed by a large ferry boat), then on to the east coast of Berbice to Kilcoy. The drive was still enjoyable despite the continuous heavy rain, as it was a bus-load of us driven by our capable sis. Dawne Semple, and it was quite lively with chatter, and the roads were good. I was busily viewing all the new developments along the way.
Bro. Abedi Ndjelekulu and his family have done wonders to the compound, which is fully planted from the front with fruit trees, of which the children take full advantage, throughout to the fair-size kitchen garden at the back of the house, which helps to feed the family. One morning I saw him picking beans to be used for meals for those attending the school.
The entire week-end activity was very well organized and attended by many from all the other ecclesias, necessitating accommodation for those from the three ecclesias in Demerara – Georgetown , Eccles, and Mocha along with their children. This obviously complicated task was capably managed by Bro. Abedi. Along with meeting with these brethren, it was equally exciting to meet with those visiting from overseas - our beloved Brother Jerome Linton from Georgia, USA, who,(on the lighter side) I was told was the first to occupy a new shelter built for battered women, and which he seemed to have quite enjoyed. I must mention that he did not in any way look battered, neither could he ever be mistaken for a woman. We also were happy to see Bro. Eon Campbel from Tobago, Sis. Dawn Hutchinson, formerly of Plegt Anker, now resident in St. Lucia, and Bro. Lennox (Lekram) Prashad, formerly of Kilcoy, now resident in Ontario, Canada.
The catering for the entire period was done by the Sisters, organized and led by our Sis. Eleze Bailey who has since migrated to the US. As one of the Georgetown Sisters stated, Guyana serves a good purpose in training brethren for the benefit of the overseas ecclesias, though not entirely lost, as some of them do return periodically to continue their support which is very much appreciated. So please keep visiting as often as you can brethren, your continuing interest and presence are certainly encouraging. The food was very tasty, professionally prepared and served at the appropriate times, and we were all well fed throughout the entire period. Most of the cooking was done by the Sisters on the premises connecting to Bro. Abedi’s kitchen. Sis. Bawili and daughter Rose, were among them, while also taking care of the number of people accommodated in their home, myself included. Another Sister, Shameen Autar hosted about four from Demerara at her home, yet she was there early, assisting with the cooking for the school, cleaning and preparing the hall for the meetings. Her creative ability was displayed in the tasteful floral decoration around the platform, pretty white laced embroidered cloths on the tables, equally nice-looking doileys covering the emblems and adorning the Bible Stand – all together presenting quite a pleasing picture, and which to my mind greatly honours God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ in our commemoration of the tremendous sacrifice they made for us.
Those Sisters, in their joint and co-ordinated operation, helped me to comprehend the tremendous support and comfort provided by the Sisters who ministered of their substance to our Lord during his ministry, also those who laboured with the Apostle Paul - Romans 16 1 “I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: 2...for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also. 3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: 4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. 6 Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us”. This certainly proves how valuable Sisters are in God’s service in supporting the work of our ecclesia, and should stimulate us in giving our best to Him. I cannot forget those young Brethren who were assisting at the back in the kitchen and also serving.
Our speakers were Bro. Nathan Badger, son of our late bro. Colin Badger who had formed a close bond with the Guyanese in his ministration to them. Nathan had missed his flight, but then finally made it. He later told me that he would not have missed that experience for anything. The other speaker was our warm and lively Bro. Dev. Ramcharran, from West Toronto meeting, a great favourite and well known to the Guyanese Brethren. They were dynamic, coordinating their theme of the Gentiles being a part of God’s plans and purposes from the very beginning. What emerged in the presentation of their subject, was the obvious amount of effort and research that went into its preparation, as they brought out information and thoughts that we found remarkable. I saw here the value and reward of paying attention to details, making Bible reading more interesting and productive. It has certainly awakened awareness for me, of associating some of those names in the genealogies, and not just quickly bypassing them. At the end of each day, there was a public lecture, and the one which drew a lot of discussion was the subject of demons presented by Bro. Nathan
I was also very encouraged and touched by the development of some of our local Brothers who presided at the different sessions. A few years ago one of them confided in me his feelings of inadequacy of performing any duties at his ecclesia. With some encouragement however from others, he tried, and I was blown away this time by the way he presided – the confidence and zeal he displayed. There was another young Brother who showed a tremendous amount of promise in this area too, despite obvious disadvantages. I recall that it was my ecclesial activities when I was young which prepared me, unknowing to myself then, for the important aspects of my job career later on. Young people must carefully consider that serving the God who has created and is continuing to effectively maintain this powerful universe, closely following His guidelines, adhering to His principles, will develop in them His wisdom and ability, which will be totally effective, far surpassing man’s way, seen in the resulting chaos and hopelessness all around us.
The fellowship was, as with the case on these occasions, very warm and enjoyable, giving a taste of what awaits us, by God’s grace, in His Kingdom.
Sis Esther Worrell (Canada)
