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Welcome to the Heart for Guyana Web-site. We encourage you to look at all the pages in the
web-site listed at the upper lefthand corner of this page. Each page contains information concerning missions completed
and on-going in Guyana. Mission opportunities for you and/or your church group to become involved in are listed also.
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CURRENT NEWS NEW TEAMS BEING FORMED NOW FOR 2014 For information please contact us at: kendebra@aol.com or 1-210-413-0202 ( Ken or Debra Baker ) ****************************** Teams continue
to bless Guyana. Last year several teams went down and worked at the Hope Children's Home, Joshua House, Holy Family Home,
Phoenix Home and an Amerindian Village. A new sewing program was begun at Plastic City under the able guidance of Angie
Hemric, a full time missionary in Guyana. Pictures above represent some of the work and relationships formed by the Community
Bible Church and Coker UMC in San Anonio, TX. Many of the projects
still need work to complete. We hope you will review all the pages on our site and if God leads you to come join us please
contact us at: kendebra@aol.com or 1-210-413-0202 ( Ken & Debra Baker) |
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Team visits Hope Children's Home & Holy Family Home What a joy! To visit a children's home and an elder care center on the same trip. HOPE CHILDRENS HOME: Located about 25 miles northeast
of Georgetown Hope Childrens Home cares for about 45-50 children at any given time. The facility was built for 25. Several Teams have visited in the last year, Coker UMC, Northern Hills UMC and
Mountainside Worship as well as teams from their own sponsoring churches in the U.S. The 1st United Methodist Church in Cheyenne, WY collected a substantial number of books for a Team to bring down
in September. The books were given out at Capoey Village, Hope Home and Ruimveldt Home. It's wonderful how a seemingly
simple act of a donation of a book can be a blessing to so many people! Teams have an opportunity to play, have arts & craft time, mentor in the school and worship. Northern Hills UMC last year even brought "childrens theater" to the Home and many
of the children were able to take on acting roles. Coker UMC visited
the Holy Family Elder Care Home again this year. Besides providing company, singing and new dresses made by ladies at
Coker the Team also brought Communion to the ladies. They installed
outside benches for the ladies on the patios in buildings 2 & 3 so the ladies could enjoy the cool afternoon breezes.
Additional work was done on the flower garden at building 2 so that the flood waters would not destroy the garden again next
year. (see additional info on Hope Home page and Holy
Family page)
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( seen
above: Ruimveldt Childrens Home; one of the projects listed below. The children need a covered play area to protect them from
the sun and heat ) Missions and Projects: * Hope Children's Home * Elder Care - Holy Family Home * Amerindian Village(s) * Men/Women in Recovery [Phoenix Home and Salvation Army] * Ruimveldt Children's Home & Care Center [ RCHCC ] * Red Cross Children's Home feeding program * Eye Clinic * Church building repair and construction
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( seen above: Water collection tanks
being transported across Capoey Lake to the village. Four tanks were installed in Sept. ; more are needed ) Team Member Testamonials: Sally
& Emmett Owenby In April , we made plans for our first trip to South America and to a country we had only known from
history books and news reports. There are so many separate stories we could impart of God’s hand at work in Guyana
to include the little boy at Hope Family Home who arrived at 14 months weighing about 5 lbs. (the weight of a small newborn) and against
all odds is now a very lively 4 year-old. In August, while we were helping serve the children dinner, little Dominic
picked up sardines another boy had dropped to the floor, put them back on the little boy’s plate and told him not to
waste! Little Dominick’s survival against all odds is a true testament to what a few dollars can do to improve
the life of children in Guyana. While in Georgetown, we helped lay a foundation for a new school and dormitory for Hope Children’s Home, and to
build a small retaining wall for a flower garden at the Holy Family Home for elderly women. The work the Guyanese are
doing for their own countrymen is commendable and heartwarming. We were especially impressed to see that they
were not there with just an open hand, but rather were willing to roll up their sleeves and work alongside us to get the job
done and continue the work after our departure. All this was a bit overwhelming to see, but little prepared us for the
next phase of our journey. After an early breakfast, we piled into a van and headed across town to the river dock where we boarded a shuttle boat
to cross the river. This was the first of three boat rides we took to get to our final destination of Capoey, a small
village on the edge of the Amazon Jungle. What we found waiting for us was a large group of Amerindian children and adults
who were just as excited about seeing us as American children are on Christmas morning. For this trip, we brought reading
glasses and sunglasses. Although the villagers were excited about getting new reading glasses (“to be able to read
my Bible”) we did not see them wear the glasses or sunglasses. The children had them carefully stored in their
pockets and the adults had them displayed on a shelf in their homes! How to get them to wear the new glasses? Then,
as if God were saying “Oh ye of little faith.” The mayor of Capoey came into the clinic to tell us she needed
reading and sunglasses. We quickly fitted her for both and then sought her help to get her fellow villagers to wear their
glasses. After she walked out of the clinic wearing them, we began seeing children and adults also donning theirs. It
was not until we departed Capoey and made our trip across Capoey Lake that we were overwhelmed with emotion. There, waiting
on the dock, was a man we had earlier fitted with reading glasses with his hands raised to the Heavens. When we were
close enough for us to hear him, he announced, “because of you, I can now see!” All through the Spring and Summer, his simple testament would
return to us at the strangest times. When asked if we would like to return to Guyana in late August to help install water
retention tanks for Capoey, we immediately started packing our bags for the return trip. We did not really understand the impact the water retention
tanks would have on the quality of life of the villagers until we saw a glass of the water they were drinking on a daily basis. This
water comes from Lake Capoey and looks more like a glass of cola than a glass of water – “water” we
would never allow our own children put near their lips let alone drink! The most heartwarming though is when we recently
received word that the villagers are actually drinking the purified water and the children are carrying home water bottles
for their families to use. See page 5 for additional mission stories........
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FUNDING
& TEAMS NEEDED TO COMPLETE PROJECTS: TEAMS: Matthew 5: 14-16 " You are the light of the world .... Let your light shine before
men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven " If you are interested in joining a Team or forming a Team please contact us through
the link above kendebra@aol.com or feel free to call 210-413-0202. Thank You !
Hope Home:
Milk & food program $500 month
Furniture for the boys dorm $2,800 Holy Family Home: Drainage repair $6,500
Complete security wall $ 670 Capoey Village
Water collection tanks $350 each (8 needed) Childrens Library
$8,500 Ruimveldt Childrens Home
Cover for childrens playground $ 2,800
Paint & Tile walls
$700 Rome Church
Paint stained glass $250
Paint exterior
$1,650 Other
Ways to Help:
See page 5 (Other...) for fund raising ideas
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