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Last Updated: March 10, 1997
![[Ted Burgdorff]](../images/ted.jpg)
SUBJECT: Providences of God - Preparing for the move to Kaikan
DATE: November 24, 1996
AUTHOR: Ted Burgdorf, his wife Betsy, and three girls - Heidi, Kristen, and Kara, work with the Gates family in Guyana.
It's 0530 Sunday morning, and I couldn't sleep any more. I must let you know that last events before were off to the interior. First off we would like to ask for your special prayers. Last night we met again with Gordon and Jannet Forte. She is a professor at the University of Guyana. We met here by a recommendation that Captain Anselmo (Chief of chiefs)gave us when we inquired about getting an Akawaio dictionary. Her husband is in to publishing via Mac software and also runs a photo copy business. They have been and are very helpful in giving us recommendations. We first me with her late Friday afernoon and found out that she will be working on her PhD in Ameridian Studies. She currently heads up the area at the University and is planning of being in a couple of villages farther north, or down stream from Kaikan, within the next few months, for a couple of months. Last night is our talking with them we discovered that for anyone to go to the interior it takes a special permission from the Government. She apparently is the individual that one has to go through to get a recommendation from to get into the interior. When they found out we were going into the interior they were very surprised. They said that it was difficult for a Guyanese, who wasn't amerindian, to get permission to go into the interior, but it was unheard of for a foreigner to go into the interior, especially right on the border with Venezuela. (The 2 countries have been in dispute over the area ever since 1966 when Guyana received it's independence from England. Before that they had the current borders agreed upon since 1889 or so.) David explained to them that we have been talking to the minister of health about our plans, and have been working with the equivalent of FAA, and have been sending and receiving radio messages, thru the dept of the Amerindian affairs, from Kaikan explaining our plans and time of arrival. In fact David was There recommendation on Friday with Captain Anselmo and everyone knows were going this am. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gordon said: "It's better that you do it the way you are doing it, because if you go through the official channels it would take years to get permission, if they would give it to you." and, "In the government the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing". They further suggested that we go ahead with our plans and do a good work, and then it will be difficult for them to get us out, because the Amerindians will want us to stay. The other interesting development was that they said: "We would like to help you in your project". I was shocked and wondered how. They went into the back room and come out with 2 bundles of 100 pamphlets each on dealing with and getting rid of Malaria. They said a few years ago the government started this program and that since then it has more or less been abandoned. She has tried to carried it on on her own for the Amerindians, but has had difficulty since it is difficult and costly to get into all the villages. (a side note is in order here. The current ADRA director had told us of the treated mosquito nets that they had distributed in the past, and that some lady at the University was the one who was doing the treating. He didn't remember her name and we had no way of know that this is her.) Surely God has brought us in contact with this family. They want to work together with us in helping us help the Amerindians, and they know the "who's to see" and the "how's to go about doing it". We praise the Lord for we can see His leading in these "happenstances (?)".
Must run and start the day. It will be a long one. We all have the adrenalin rushing and are very excited. One more thing. At the airport that we are leaving from there is a sign that says something to the effect that those tourists / foreigners who are going to Kaiteur Falls need to make sure they have permission from the government first. We aren't going to Kaiteur Falls, and all of the pilots and office personnel are personally acquainted with where we are going and what we will be doing. Again, please keep us in your prayers that we may be good witnesses for the Lord.
Love TED
You may write to Ted at: gates@andrews.edu
Last Updated: March 10, 1997