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Prayer
Letter
Progress Report - 2nd Quarter - April, May, June - 2010
Deuteronomy 13:4 “Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep
his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.”
The “Scripture Songs” have been an amazing part of our life here in Guyana!
The Word of God is SO up-to-date and can sometimes be SO personal... If we just stay tuned to
Heaven’s antenna as we read and study, we hear that “still small voice” speak to our hearts. I taught this verse as the Scripture Song for May 12th. Not long before that, I fell right on my back. As I lay there not moving, I pictured myself back in the hospital. Of course in those few moments I imagined the worst. I figured the 4 screws and the steel rod in my back had come loose! Patty came in and carefully helped me to turn over, just in case. We were both amazed as I got up and walked with NO help!
Shaking and nervous from the tricks my mind had played on me, (no doubt that is where the loose
screws are), I was fine! It was a couple weeks later that I moved a generator and did some damage. Now I am having a hard time bending, lifting and walking, but am doing well and getting stronger everyday, by the “Grace of God”. My desire is to continue to “Walk after the LORD” as the verse says!
Blessings:
Our men picked up the slack and have done a great job preaching, as I have missed some services. They seem to be glad when I can't make it, and they get more opportunities to preach. It is a great encouragement when men pull their socks up and jump in... Amen?
Between church, visitation, the Port Kaituma Primary School and a new school along the Kaituma River, there were 38 salvation decisions in April and May! Leon, one of the men that got saved
last year, was baptized on his birthday. He has been faithful to every church service. With Father’s
Day coming up we are trusting the Lord to work in the hearts of the men in this community!
It was a real blessing to have Jessica DeBord and Kristin Steele with us for the month of May.
They really got involved in the work helping in every area of ministry. They even sang twice for
our daily radio program! Patty surely appreciated their help in craft preparation for V.B.S. in July!
We had 70 “Moms” for Mother’s Day! What a blessing that Patty was able to teach them and do a craft project with them. We had two Jr. Church services and I had the teen guys and the men! We have been through some testing, but the Lord is at work. Aaaamen!
Patty and I shared our 34th Wedding Anniversary on May 22nd. We now have 68 years of
“combined experience”.
Our Web Site: WWW.MissionaryTeam.Com, is going through the mill. Hopefully it will come
out “finer”. Please visit often. The front page will have the up-dates. We are in the process of
opening a new web site, called “ WWW.DailyScriptureSongs.Com”. Eventually the two sites will
be combined, so bear with us during this transition.
In a time when the economy is lower than we all thought it would go, our support has stayed pretty
consistent. Thank you for all that you do so that we can serve the Lord here in Guyana! We could not do what we do without those that give to missions!
Final Prayer Requests:
We have made four trips to Kumaka. We need your prayers as we rebuild this work. We have torn down the old building that I built 16 years ago. The drains are being cleaned out so that the land
can get dry again. Then the big tent will go up for a “Crusade” and the re-opening of this church! I don’t know about the timing yet - please pray! We broke down on our last trip. While fixing the boat engine, Patty did a class at the “Lower Primary School”. As soon as seven kids got saved, we found the problem with the motor and had it running within minutes, and were on our way! Some would call that a coincidence. I call it the “Hand of God”.
When we reached Kumaka, we got the work lined up, and I had the privilege of signing a 99-year lease for the land which was still in
our name after all these years! We saw the Lord at work and again realize that He is in control.
We have a team coming from our home church for V.B.S. in July led by Brother Mike Basile!
Pray that the Lord really uses us this year! Our theme is “The Whole Armor of God”.
Thanks again for your prayer support, the finances, and for trusting us to do this work!
Dean
D. Runyon
Prayer
Letter
Progress Report - 1st Quarter - Jan, Feb, March - 2010
Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
The Lord has truly blessed the closing of 2009 and the beginning of this New Year. There are many new developments and plenty to do! He is able to do more than we ever thought possible! Your part and my part is to stay busy and pray and then He does “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think...” “Unto Him Be Glory..." Amen, Amen, Amen! The Scripture Song for Ephesians 3:20-21 ends with 3 Amens! So be it...
Blessings:
· We have had a number of new men coming out to church lately! You will never know what an encouragement this is to me! We get women and children, but the men? Well, that’s another story! God has been working in some hearts and we refuse to give up on anyone! Recently two of our young men preached: Eyon 18, and Reynold (Tiger), 18 years old in April. They led a youth night service! Singing, preaching, invitation and all, and did a great job.
· There were 102 saved and 32 baptized last year. Our salvation decisions have been down, of late, but we hope to see more saved this year than in 2009.
· Our Web Site: WWW.MissionaryTeam.Com, has a few up-dates - please visit often! There is a page under the “Scripture Songs” that has the “ABC Verses”. You can down-load the MP3 files for all 26 Scripture Songs! There is a verse that represents each letter of the alphabet, and some ideas on how to use them in V.B.S. or Sunday School.
· Patty finally reached the old speed limit of 55 (see picture). No, she wasn’t riding that fast. We rented the horse for her birthday party at her Saturday Master’s Club on March 6th. The children had never even touched a horse before! They all got to ride for a couple minutes. Patty teaches three Jr. Churches, a class at the Government School, and has her Master’s Club every week.
Prayer Requests:
· Pray for the new work in Kumaka. We are taking back an old work that we started there over 16 years ago on our first term. This work was abandoned by another missionary! This hurts all of the missionaries in Guyana and breaks our hearts. Only a week after we made the decision to go to Kumaka rather than Matthew’s Ridge, we had the funds to pay for the boat (pictures at bottom) that will get us back and forth. It is 64 miles by river. We can make it in less than three hours! Desmond Prince is the church leader and needs your prayers as we rebuild in Kumaka!
· Pray for the men that pastor the existing churches that have been started as a result of the Lighthouse Baptist Church in Port Kaituma! Franklyn Henry (4-Mile); Kevon Thompson (Red Hill); and Alfred Henry (Koriabo).
· Pray for wisdom! Our correspondence has been slow and I, “once again” apologize! Our e-mail responses have been about as slow as snail mail. Our connection speed sometimes is as slow as 9.6 kbps and never faster than 21 kbps. During the month of December and up to now, we rarely even get a connection that can last long enough to do anything on-line. We are trying to get set up with a “Wireless Connection”. There is a lot of expense involved. The prayer request is that we find the right service that works well here in the jungle! We already have the funds to get started, thanks to our regular faithful supporters.
Thanks for praying for us.
Dean
D. Runyon
Prayer
Letter - December 2009
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 12:17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Mark 2:2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
Merry Christ-X From Guyana,
I am AMAZED at how people make ROOM for what is important to them! Even here in the jungle, business people and others use the phrase “Merry X-Mas”. They just don’t have space in their ads and on their windows for “Christ”. I surely hoped you noticed the top left of my envelope, and the greeting for this letter! Why not leave out the second part of the word “Christmas”? NO ROOM is found only 3 times in the Bible! In reading Luke 2:7, I was thinking that if they only knew who these folks were and how that pregnancy came about, they would have MADE ROOM, instead of putting them up in the barn! In reading Luke 12:17, I see a man that was planning to make room for what was important to him. Prayer is not mentioned in the context of that passage. “He thought within himself”... It was all about him, and he forgot about his neighbors, God, and even his own soul! If he would have known he was leaving for eternity THAT NIGHT, he would have MADE ROOM in his heart for the Lord... Then I read the passage in Mark 2:2 and the context shows you men who MADE ROOM, even though the house was full... It was important to them to get to Jesus! They did what was necessary to MAKE ROOM.
Blessings & Prayer Requests:
· If you did not receive our “October E-Mail Up-Date”, please let me know. Details are there about the teen conference results, the radio broadcast etc... Since then we had a “Crusade” with Brother James Hoffmeister, (missionary in Trinidad). What a time! We are still following up on those that were saved. (men, women & teens) from both the teen conference and the crusade! The church is solid, but still lacks men that will stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that they will follow on! Please pray for wisdom for me in working with them.
· We are hosting an “All Night Activity” for 25 folks that quoted Titus Chapter 1... word perfect.
· Ray & Kim as well as Buck & Shannon are continuing on their deputation trails, raising their support to come to help us! Please pray for both of them. Their information and prayer letters are available on our web site.
· We got part of the paper work for the twins, (Cheo & Charlene)...
· Plans to start our 4th church are coming along slow but sure! We are making another trip into a village called “Matthew’s Ridge” and will give the results in our January letter!
· “Scripture Songs” is a daily Radio broadcast... The Radio programs are available in MP3 format, through our web site. You can listen and/or download the files! Pray for this ministry, please...
· Visit our Web Site for more information about us or the work here in Guyana!
Once again I say, “Thank you for your love, prayers, and faithful support”.
The support amount totals for 2009 will be on the bottom of the January/February prayer letter.
God has been good to us in giving friends and family like you... “Merry Christmas” to you and your family. “Jesus is the reason for the season”. I know that you will “Make Room” for Him!
Saved & Serving The Lord Jesus Christ,
Dean
D. Runyon
Prayer
Letter - September 2009
“For
the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared
to all men,” Titus 2:11
Greetings
From Guyana,
Once again, God has blessed the work with Salvation decisions
and Baptisms! A lot of work was done in getting ready for the VBS that
3rd week in August... It was a 5-day program with 8 stations,
including: Preaching, Snacks, How To Be Saved, Crafts,
Mike’s Magic Room (object lessons), Art Work, The
Puppet Show, and Games. We had an opening assembly and
then dismissed the 8 different age groups. Each class
was 17 minutes and then they rotated. What a time! Lots
of work and lots of rewards. There were 54 Salvation Decisions!
We are still seeing an increase in Sunday School at the
main church and the 4-Mile church, as a result!
We
had some special guests from the U.S.A. A special “thank
you” goes out to Joy Harrison from Beaver Dams,
NY... Joy came down prior to VBS and helped get the craft
projects ready! We were expecting 500 and prepared for
it. We fell short with only about 350 on our best day,
but we will still be praising the Lord for a long time!
Autumn Arp from Bellevue, Ohio also came down 2 weeks
prior to VBS and took Joy’s spot in finishing up
the crafts... She also was able to be here for the program.
She did all of the animal voices for our puppet show!
We called her “Awesome” instead of Autumn!
The “newlyweds” - Buck & Shannon Woodworth
(deputation missionaries to Guyana) also got to come for
VBS... Brother Buck was our featured Preacher and Shannon
worked in the Salvation department... What a blessing
it was when I walked over to the “Round House”
and saw her on her knees with 5 girls! Wayne Garrick,
from our home church, also worked in the Giving of the
Gospel in the Round House! He also spent much of his time
working on old and failing equipment. We thank the Lord
he kept the riding mower going each day for the train
rides! He is planning a return trip in November to rebuild
our generator and possibly put in a well... (There are
some financial needs for this trip). We also had Mike
Basile! The kids just love Brother Mike with his fast
hands, balloons and Gospel Illustrations! We call him
the magic man and are careful what we say, so that he
doesn’t make our face disappear! This Brother has
been here 3 times and already has a sign up sheet at our
home church for next year’s VBS. (Mission Trip -
July 10-20 of 2010) If you are interested in coming during
that time, let us know!
Prayer
Requests:
·
Youth Alive Teen Conference will be coming up September
23-27... Brother David Brown from our home church, will
be preaching to the teens 6 times. Patty and I had the
privilege of going into every class at the Secondary School,
handing out flyers and inviting teenagers. We are praying
for 300, which would be over half the enrollment... There
will be competitions and snacks after each service! Pray
for a real revival...
·
We are trying to work out the details for our twins, Cheo
and Charlene, to go to the States while Ray & Kim
Boltz finish up their deputation! Lots of red tape to
cut...
·
Please pray for the support level to raise up quickly
for the Boltz family, who will be starting and running
our Children’s Home. Contact them at: eight4jesus@yahoo.com
·
Please pray for Buck & Shannon Woodworth, now on the
deputation trail full time! The sooner they can come the
better. Contact them at: whiteharvest777@yahoo.com
·
With all 3 churches doing well... we plan to start our
4th church soon! We are just waiting to see how the finances
will hold up! So far, so good... But there is a need for
new support to replace some that have been hit hard by
the financial situation in the States! We had a lot going
out for our building, but now that is slowing down a bit
and we can get to the real work of reaching out to the
people in another village!
·
“Scripture Songs” will be back on the Radio
beginning December 1st... Pray as this daily radio broadcast
reaches out to thousands of people! This is the only station
in Guyana! We will be on at 9:00 PM every night with a
Scripture Song and a short message for everyday of the
year! Two years proved that it is worth the time and money!
Calls came in and people got saved... Pray that God will
use this daily program!
·
Please continue to pray for Patty and I as we soon finish
11 years “on the field”. Thank you for trusting
us to get the job done! We are still in love with each
other and are truly blessed with good support and good
friends that love this work! Visit us on the web and/or
plan a trip anytime of the year that is best for your
schedule! E-Mail us for more info about coming down to
visit. Thanks for your support and for praying...
Happy
In The Service Of The KING,
Dean
D. Runyon
Prayer
Letter - June & July 2009
“The
words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a
furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep
them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation
for ever.” Psalms 12:6-7
News
from the RAIN forest...
May
and June are typically part of the rainy season! It was pretty dry in May, but it broke loose in
June. We have had hard rains and a terrible flu that has
turned into an epidemic here in the northwest... I am
not talking about one or two isolated cases, I mean dozens
of people are really sick. This germ “bird”
even “flu” came into our home... Many of our
people had to be hospitalized to receive drips (saline)
because of dehydration! As I was typing that last line,
the bell rang at our gate and another one of our ladies
was taken to the hospital a few minutes ago! Several deaths
have occurred and many have been flown out to the Capital
city to the public hospital. God has been gracious through
it all and has gotten the attention of many of our people.
The singing, praying and church attendance is all better
and sweeter because death’s door is open wide!
We
have had about 25 salvation decisions since our last report...
By the way, I mentioned we are working on the harder cases
and that not as many have been saved as in the early days.
Let me say that God is still doing a great work in the
hearts and lives of the people in our villages! We just
don’t rush the salvation decisions! These people
would be glad to pray with us... And we could report big
numbers, but it wouldn’t be real. They are so steeped
in works and superstition, that they would just add “that
salvation prayer” to all the other things they are
trying to do! We have been here long enough to know and
understand how these people think. The ones that really
stick are the ones that have been in the preaching and/or
someone has really worked with them one on one for more
than just one short “soul-winning” visit.
Don’t think for a moment that we are not soul-winners!
We are out there regularly with house to house and street
preaching work... Just pray for us that we can balance
it out.
I
have been in churches that are against, what they call,
the quick, 1, 2, 3 style of soul-winning... They call
it picking “Green Fruit”. Many are so worried
about picking green fruit that they never pick any. My
Saviour said that the fields are white unto harvest. The
problem is that the laborers are few... People just don’t
want to labor at soul-winning. There has to be a balance
between the micro-wave style and the crock pot slow cookers.
Let’s get them under the sound of the gospel preaching,
and the “pure words” of God will do the work!
Special projects up-date... The 8 guitar players in my class are about to graduate
and are now playing in every church service. Our Sunday
School area is coming along slow but sure! The concrete
work is finished. The electrical work is near the finish
line! It looks like we are on target for V.B.S. which
is coming up the 3rd week of August. We will send a page
of pictures with our next letter.
We
now have enough money to buy the mini bus (van). We are
just waiting on the auto dealer... And last but not least,
the Lord gave us Patsie from our home church to re-build
the web site. Please take a look at the up-dates and stay
in touch. A very special “Thank you” goes
out to all of you who have prayed and supported us and
this mission work!
The Harvest really is Plenteous,
Dean D.
Runyon
