SUBJECT: I was a student missionary in my own country

AUTHOR: Martin Constantine is a junior college student at Caribbean Union College in Trinidad. He hails from the country of Guyana where he served during the Fall of 1997 as a volunteer missionary working with the Gates family in a medical aviation program.

DATE: October 26, 1997

Martin learning from the native women how to grind casava and make casava bread

At the earliest opportunity, I sought to share my enthusiasm with Bro. Gates, and I told him how eager I was to be involved. he arranged for students of CUC who wanted to serve with the Guyana Adventist Medical Aviation Service (GAMAS), to travel to Guyana in the Summer of 1997 to serve for a few months. More than 30 students who were interested signed up, but unfortunately, none of the other students managed to go, and I was the only one who eventually did. The short initial period of time that I was able to spend amoung the Amerindians in their villages near the Guyana/Venezuela border has made a big impact upon me, and I have been richly blessed by the experience.

The first village I visited was Kaikan, when Bro. Gates flew me in from Georgetown on Friday, September 5. This is where the family of missionaries is based, and I spent a beautiful Sabbath there with them. After church I went for a cool dip in the Wenamu river to escape the heat of the day and swam over to Venezuela, then back across to Guyana when I heard the call for lunch.

The next morning we took off for Paruima, which is the centre of Adventism in the entire Upper Mazaruni District. It is a journey that takes about 2 days to walk, but by plane we were there in 15 minutes! This village is where the mission school is being built, and I spent almost two weeks in this village. While there, I helped in clearing land for the school, as well as participated to a small degree in the plannning of the curriculum and facilities for the school. As I stepped into the house where I would be staying, it occurred to me that the face of the young man before me who was occupying the house was familiar. It was my friend of two years ago whom I had met at Summer Camp in Guyana! I had to remark afterwards how nice it was to come to a strange faraway place and meet an old friend. Riley is a teacher at the government primary school in the village and a dedicated SDA Christian. His married sister and her family were very kind to me and took very good care of me, and I spent happy days with them. I enjoyed worshipping and fellowshipping at the big Adventist church in the village, where I sang special music each time I was asked, as well as deliver the message at one of the church services. The brethren made me feel very welcome, and in a short time I had a number of friends who greeted me and chatted with me and offered me lots of bananas.

All too soon it was time to leave for Arau, where I would be spending a few days. Before I left, however, my friend Riley celebrated his birthday, and that night we had a lot of fun in a get-together with his friends. I left Paruima with the promise that I would return as soon as I could, a hope which by God's grace I should realize in the next couple of months. The first thing that struck me about Arau was not the village itself, but a unique feature that Bro. Gates pointed out to me long before I actually saw the village. Arau is located at the base of a peculiar and spectacular mountain, which is in turn part of a huge mountain plateau many miles wide. This is the most scenic of the locations I visited, and the others are in themselves quite beautiful. Paruima for example is surrounded by

Martin at Arau with mountain in back

mountains, one of which I enjoyed climbing. Landing at Arau was very challenging, beacuse the runway is quite short and the surface was of soft sand, since the villagers had not yet completed spreading pebbles over it. Once again, I was made welcome and treated very kindly. I was grateful for the good treatment as I shared freely in what the villagers ate, yet I was apologized to for not being treated better!

The villagers enjoyed a video presentation based on a Bible story and on nature which Bro. Gates had brought, as we gathered together in the little church my first evening there. I was asked to be the speaker at the divine hour on Sabbath, and this gave me an opportunity to declare the urgency of the times we live in and the imminence of Christ's second coming, for His return is much sooner than many of us probably think.

For the time I arrived in the village I had determined to climb the mountain that looms overhead, Pacarambur, but I never guessed how difficult it would be. I learned valuable lessons on the side of that steep mountain. Lessons of perseverance when the going is hard and I'm tempted to turn back, and lessons of trusting in my Lord's protection when I felt great peril of falling. During the five days I spent in Arau I gained more friends and heard interesting folklore, as well as being taken to view the fascinating scenery. As I trekked the two miles or so over the hills and across creeks to the airstrip where Bro. Gates would pick me up to fly me back to Georgetown, I reflected once again on the privilege that was mine to visit these wonderful places and be amoung these caring and interesting, though simple, people. I thank God for Bro. Gates and his family, and the wonderful work they are doing in Guyana to spread the love of Jesus and the Gospel of the Kingdom through GAMAS. I continue to pray that the privilege would soon be mine once again to return to serve my Master and Kingin this enchanting corner of His vineyard.

Martin H. Constantine
Caribbean Union College
October 26, 1997

Note: Martin is returning on January 21 to Guyana where he will be working until April. He looks forward anxiously to returning to serve his Amerindian brethren in Guyana's interior.

You may send E-mail to Martin at: gates@andrews.edu or GAMAS@solutions2000.net

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