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Last Updated: March 10, 1997
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SUBJECT: Three Presidents visit Kaikan - Part 2 of 2
AUTHOR: David Gates, his wife Becky, and four of their five children - Lina, Trina, Carlos, and Kristopher, work together with Becky's sister and family, the Burgdorffs, in a medical aviation program in the jungles of Guyana, South America.
DATE: February 4, 1997
PARUIMA
As our twin-engine Islander left the runway at Kaikan, the Wenamu river located down in the trees just past the end of the runway flashed under the wings. I pulled the plane into a left bank, leaving Venezuelan airspace and re-entering Guyana once again as we crossed the river on a Southeasterly heading towards Paruima. Climbing at 700 feet per minute allowed us to just clear the mountain ridge in 10 minutes and to continue the climb along with the terrain for another 8 until the terrain suddenly dropped away revealing the fertile Paruima valley below. As the village became visible, nestled in a curve of the Kamarang river, the beautiful new white church building was clearly visible from the air. We flew across the runway to check its condition adding 50% flaps. Then, in a descent, circled to the right adding full flaps as we rolled out on final approach across the church courtyard...just over the village...flared over the dark waters of the river and touched down on Paruima's grass runway.
Unlike Kaikan, there was no large reception waiting at the runway. A few brethren met us at the plane, gave us a warm welcome, and advised us that we were to accompany them by canoe to the church where the welcoming party awaited. The two large canoes were soon filled and outboard motors started. We circled the village to arrive at the beautiful landing spot just below the church. The path up the bank was lined beautifully with poles and flowers. People strategically placed along the path greeted us as we climbed towards the church. At the top, the OPGGC (Official Pathfinder Girls Greeting Committee) greeted us with a welcome speech, a handmade wreath made from peanuts and flowers, and a welcome kiss.
We were then escorted a platform where we witnessed an awesome display of championship quality marching by the Pathfinder drill team for 20 minutes. The whole village was present to witness the event. They are obviously very proud of their disciplined children, and have every reason to feel that way. After the drill, four lovely youngsters reminded us of their proud heritage as Davis Indians, and placed their needs for education before us. Their question, "Have you forgotten us, and our need for education?" stills rings in my ears. However, I was happy to know that plans are still going forward to open up a secondary industrial school this coming school year. At present, draft plans include the teaching of carpentry, agriculture, home economics, nutrition, basic health care, and bible teaching specialties in addition to regular secondary school courses. Please pray that full government approval will be acquired in time for school to begin in September.
Entering the church, we were seated on the platform in front of a packed, standing-room only church. Everyone enjoyed special music from the Paruima and Kako church choirs, as well as from the children's choir in Spanish from our Venezuelan churches. Elder Leito greeted visitors from Venezuela and Brazil in Spanish, and gave a short report of the work around the Inter-american Division. He told of his telephone conversation with Pastor Folkenberg the night before, and of his intention to visit Guyana (and if possible the interior) in June of this year. Dr. Prime had some words of encouragement from the Caribbean Union, and Pastor Gudge's words of thanks from the Conference were warmly received. Brother Rudi Monsalve from ADRA International and Dr. Wally Ammundsen from ADRA IAD, both widely travelled, brought a unique development emphasis to the reunion. Final words were brought to us by brother Van Thomas, the Conference bible worker who for 20 years has served the Paruima Mission area.
My part in the program was to have the benediction. However, before doing so I brought special greetings from the Tol family, as represented by Mrs. Rilla (Toll) Klingbeil. The Tolls worked for many years in Paruima, and were instrumental in opening many areas by building of new runways, including the one at Kaikan where we currently live. When I asked how many remembered the Toll family, dozens of persons raised their hands, including some children under 5 years of age. Every enjoyed a good laugh at this since the Tolls probably haven't been back to Paruima since 60s or early 70s.
Having still two smaller villages to visit, Kamarang and Phillipi, we began to feel pressed for time. Elder Leito asked me what I thought we should do since the church had prepared a special meal for us after the service. Remembering how good last year's welcome meal had been, I suggested we delay our departure for another 15 minutes in order to enjoy a quick meal for courtesy as well as for health sake. The suggestion, which was readily accepted, proved to have been the right one. The church ladies had prepared a wonderful meal of mixed vegetables and rice. Several types of fruit followed. To drink we had lemonade and coconut water. My mouth waters even now as I write this. Soon we rushed off to the plane where the air taxi captain had the plane ready for boarding. Within a few minutes we were climbing out of the valley along the Kamarang river on a 20-minute flight to the small town of Kamarang.
KAMARANG
By radio we made contact with another aircraft approaching Kamarang Westbound from Georgetown. The aircraft was estimating a touchdown a couple of minutes earlier than we were, so I made a few S-turns in order to allow the first plane a few extra minutes. As we watched the plane land, I turned to final approach. Completing the checklist, fuel pumps on, flaps lowered, mixtures rich, prop controls forward, I setup for touchdown. Just at that moment, 4 men crossed right in front of us casually heading for the other aircraft which was parked at our end of the runway. Evidently the noise from the turbine engines of the first aircraft was loud enough that they didn't hear us coming in for landing. Due to this strange turn of events at the last moment, I asked the captain who was more familiar with this aircraft to do the landing. He took the controls, gave a quick burst of power to alert the persons on the runway. As the men heard the noise behind them, they all looked up and with faces full of incredible surprise they scattered in all directions. The pilot glided the plane over their heads and touched down just beyond them. It was quite humorous to us pilots, but for the passengers behind us it may have been quite different. Anyway, we only heard silence from the back.
We taxied the plane to the far end of the runway where the Pathfinders and church members awaited us. Calculating that we only had about 50 minutes until departure time if we were going to be able to make our last visit of the day, I advised everyone that we had only 40 minutes. On hearing this Pastor Leito requested that we reverse plans, entering directly into the program inside, with the Pathfinder marching coming on the way out. The meeting, held in the school building beside the runway, was packed with adults and children. Welcome speeches and special musical renditions by the choir and a small girl followed. Our members were introduced and each had an opportunity to say a few words of encouragement and greetings from overseas. With time running out, we were unable to really enjoy the small meal and drinks, but pouring down a glassful of fruit juice, and grabbing a handful of sandwiches, we headed outside to watch the Pathfinder drill team perform on the runway. Undoubtably of a Catholic background, one of the brethren quickly retrieved an umbrella and walked beside Elder Leito the whole time with the umbrella shielding him from the Sun. Such a simple expression of love and concern for their leaders can only be compared with the Widow's two mites. We lifted off enroute to Phillipi, almost exactly 50 minutes from landing. We were still on schedule.
PHILLIPI
Spotting the runway at Phillipi was quite difficult since it really is only a wide spot on a foot path. It looks kind of like an ox-cart trail. However, the landing showed nothing more unusual than a regular grass strip. Getting out of the plane we were escorted to the nearest building, a government primary school. Inside, hundreds of children sat courteously while one of the teachers introduced us. Unlike most villages where most belong to only one denomination, Phillipi has four main denominations, Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, Assemblies of God, and Pentecostal. As we flew over the village I had not noticed that many houses, but the several hundred children present at the school belied appearances. Later I discovered that many families live in the surrounding area away from the village proper.
The last person to speak to the children was Pastor Leito. With his usual friendly style he stepped forward and quickly asked, "How many of you enjoy stories?" Almost every child raised his hand. We all sat expectantly waiting for the tale to begin. "Before I begin my story..", Pastor Leito continued, "I want to tell you about something else." With this he began a discussion of some spiritual themes. It was the end of a long, tiring day, and after some time, I began to suspect that somewhere in his head, he was desperately trying to come up with an appropriate story for the event. When the story finally began, my suspicion was confirmed. The central point of the story was about a young girl that was saved from being burned to death as a witch because she was able to run to a public scales, get herself weighed, and receive a certificate stating how much she weighed. Since witches are supposed to ride brooms, it was believed that witches didn't have any weight at all. Thus, with the certificate of her weight, she saved her life. The moral of the story: "Aren't you glad you don't have justice today, and don't have to be running to get yourself weighed in order to avoid being burned?" It was a very interesting story indeed, though quite unexpected. At the airplane, I put my hand on Elder Leito's shoulder and ask him if he had been stalling in order to think of a story. He confirmed the suspicion. It encourages me to know that even Division Presidents are human just like the rest of us.
As we were buckling our seat belts in the plane, several of our passengers mentioned that before we left on the 90-minute flight, it would be nice to empty the bladder. "No problem," said the captain, "With no outhouse nearby, you'll have to step out into the bushes over there." This turned out to be quite a predicament with several hundred children curiously looking on. However, the only alternative was suffering all the way back to Georgetown. We all had a good laugh at the fix, but finally the call of nature won out over etiquette.
BACK TO TOWN AGAIN
On the flight back to Georgetown, I caught a 45-minute nap knowing I was facing a 2 hour night flight back to Trinidad with my CUC team. During the last half of the flight, I continued the captain's Instrument Recurrency Check ending in a full instrument approach into Georgetown's Timehri International airport. There I was dropped off near our twin-engine Seneca II while the team continued on into the Georgetown's local Ogle airport from which we had left earlier that morning. My student co-pilot, Osita Anaku from Nigeria, had already made arrangements for refueling the plane, so I headed over to the tower to file the Instrument flight plan and pay the proper landing fees. By 7:00pm all seven of us were in the air heading back to Trinidad. We landed at 9:00 pm, cleared customs and immigration by 10:00pm, refueled and parked the plane by 10:30 pm, and were home by 11:15 pm.
God had protected us during our 22-hour travel experience, and blessed us with a memory-filled experience. Several of the students (who had stayed in Georgetown during our flight into the interior) stated that it was the most memorable day of their lives. At least 4 of those students stated that they plan to come serve in Guyana upon graduation for at least a year. The story of their trip spread around campus, resulting in a wide-spread interest among the students in voluntary mission service. Though "eye has not seen, neither has ear heard what God has prepared" for His children when they go to Heaven, I am convinced that the promise can be also applied directly to our experience here on earth if we are willing to submit our lives completely to God. If you have not made that decision in your life, allow me to encourage you to do so now. On doing so you will begin the greatest adventure of your life...an adventure with the Monarch of the Galaxies.
Your brother in Christ,
David Gates
You may write to David at: gates@andrews.edu
Last Updated: March 10, 1997