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The Robinsons’ Herald
E·mail version for August Thru mid October 2005
Greetings from ‘Next to Heaven’ in
Carriacou, Grenada, West Indies!
Greetings
once again from ‘Hurricane Alley!’ I hope we are now over the hump of
this record-breaking hurricane season.
Carriacou is green and lush all over from the rains we have had over the
last few months, and our tank is overflowing.
Praise!
As you may recall from the previous “Robinson’s Herald” from back in
August, our rented home had been in severe need of its roofing materials
being replaced. I am happy to report that it was replaced about five weeks
back with much sturdier steel. Each sheet was put down with many screws and
looks very strong. I also think the contractor has eliminated our bat
problem. We have had no leaks even though we have had some heavy rain since
then. There is only one small corner of our veranda that still needs to be
covered. The contractor ran out of roofing materials right before he
finished, but is hoping to get another piece to finish this overhanging
eaves section soon. In any case, we are able to face the remaining six weeks
of this hurricane with more confidence, by God’s grace.
Please praise
God with us for this answered prayer!
You may
recall from earlier this year that Pastor Coy Rice, from Mississippi,
learned of specific Hurricane Ivan damage and needs on Carriacou and Grenada
through our website. In March of this year, he brought materials and
laborers to Grenada to build some homes for those suffering in the wake of
last year’s hurricane. Pastor Coy lived in an area that was devastated by
Hurricane Katrina a couple of months back. This past Saturday (October 15),
I finally managed to get through to him on a cell phone to learn that he and
his flock all survived, though some have suffered some real hardship from
damage and destruction. Their church still had three and one half feet of
water standing in it as I spoke with him. Even though his home was only one
mile from shore, it was fine. (PTL) I was happy to inform him that all the
houses and the church meeting place they had built earlier this year here
survived hurricane Emily back in July. I was amazed to hear him inform me
that he is already planning to bring more materials and another team to
Grenada
again as soon as possible! This time he is planning to focus on ministering
to Carriacou. There is obviously much that needs to be accomplished before
they can come again.
Carriacou
looks good these days, though there are still a number of houses that remain
in ruins or shows signs of damage. If you look closely, you can still see
some remnants of damage from Hurricane Ivan last year too. Nevertheless, all
phone and power lines, including cable, are reconnected. Yet, some are now
living with relatives or friends since their homes were damage or destroyed.
Please pray for Pastor Rice as he and the congregation of Gautier Baptist
Church recover from Hurricane Katrina’s damage. Also, pray for them as they
make plans to come to Carriacou sometime in the future.
News about
Windward Bible Church
As mentioned
in the previous prayer letter, our meeting place in the Village of Windward
suffered much damage from Hurricane Emily this year. It lost all of it new
galvanized roofing material that was installed last year. Over half of our
sanctuary had several inches of water standing in it. The first of this
month (October) the landlord finally phoned to tell me the roof has been
repaired. We have inspected it and found that much work needs to be done
before we can hold services there again. Linda, Jeshua, and I got the small
lake out our sanctuary last week, and many from our congregation worked with
us on last Saturday (October 15) to begin the clean up. It looks better, but
we have much painting to do and we need to replace several sheets of plywood
on the walls. We are still holding services in the basement of our home
since the first Sunday after the hurricane.
Right after
Hurricane Emily, we had good attendance, but it has dropped off some over
the last two months. We still have at least one bus full most services, with
attendance in the high teens or low twenties. We periodically run both buses
when twenty to thirty attend. This past Wednesday (October 19) 31 were
present! We usually see a drop in attendance around this time anyway for
various reasons, but it is more noticeable this time. We have a few faithful
that are remaining so. However, no one from the
Village
of Windward has attended since the storm even though we have visited some
and told them that we would be happy to pick them up for services. Before
this last storm hit, a few from this village would attend one of the night
services each week. Many that have promised to come from this village would
never admit it. Yet, there is still a spirit of fear at work in this
community to keep people enslaved in the traditional religion that has
dominated it for over four hundred years. It has been discouraging for us. Please pray that those who are attending will not get discouraged by
the sometimes-small numbers (15 – 20). Pray for us as well. Pray also for
others to become faithful once again.
Some of our
formally faithful older saints have physical problems that are only
worsening over time, and it hinders them from attending services regularly.
Two of them have severe arthritis that seems to be getting worse. A
gentleman (in his mid 50s) is still in
New York
where he has been working for over a year. He had been one of the most
faithful and helpful in our congregation. He is working and saving to
purchase tools and getting more experience so that he can reopen his auto
repair business when he returns to Carriacou sometime in the future. We also
have a teenager now attending a college in
Texas.
Please remember to pray for the health of Sisters Scott, Stafford, and
Williams, and also Brothers Clement and Alexander.
Jeshua and I
spent many hours installing all the new parts and reassembled our old 1987
Dodge Colt Vista. However, I have a stubborn oil pan leak. I have had it off
and on about three times and it still leaks! I also have what I believe is a
small problem with the transmission. I believe a switch that controls a
pneumatic solenoids that changes gear range is either worn out or of
adjustment that cause the transmission not to go into reverse correctly at
times. I still intend to sell it as soon as I can. In the mean time, I have
been giving Jeshua driving lessons. He has been doing pretty good, and I
believe he will make a good driver with a little more time and experience.
Please pray for me to have the wisdom, stamina,
and strength to fix the oil pan leak and correct the transmission problem.
Also, pray that we will get a good price for it when we sell it. Please
praise the Lord with us for getting the engine and transmission reassembled
and put back into the car.
Changes for Jeshua
Jeshua on the Osprey
Leaving for the Mainland of Grenada
October 20, 2005
One of the most
difficult aspects of serving the Lord overseas is knowing that one day we
would need to say good bye to our beloved children. We said goodbye to
Tabitha in 1996. We have also known that there would be a time when Jeshua
would begin to search for the Lord’s will for him self. Linda and I have
shed tears over the past few weeks as he finalized his plans to return to
the states for this purpose. He going with our blessings, but the tears have
been coming because we began to really miss him once his plans were made.
A couple of years ago, Jeshua had planned to
take some course here for a couple of years. After much prayer and
discussion, he decided that returning to the states to further his education
would be best. This past Tuesday, October 18, many of his friends gathered
here at our home to express their friendship and good wishes for him. There
were over 20 present and they all carried themselves well and respectfully.
He has some good friends that love and respect him very much. We also
celebrated his nineteenth birthday ahead of time (November 13 is his BD)
with a cake and various games geared toward middle teens on up in age. I was
a real good time that we all will cherish for many years.
Yesterday at 3:30 PM,
Linda and I hugged Jeshua and watched him live on the Osprey Sea Ferry for
the Mainland. As I hugged him goodbye, I could not speak a word and could
not hold back the tears, but simply held him tight and trembled in silence
until I finally let him board the boat. I constantly struggle with a
stinging lump in my throat and the need to wipe away tears. Every time I
think of him, the pain starts all over and I miss him terribly. Linda has
the same struggles.
He stayed overnight on the mainland last night
(October 20) and is flying onto the states today. He is traveling through
Puerto Rico,
Boston,
Cincinnati, then scheduled to arrive at
Charleston’s
Yeager Airport (on Delta flight 494) at
11:52 PM
tonight (Friday October 21). His sister, Tabitha, and her family are
planning to meet him and stay overnight in
Charleston.
Jeshua is planning to live with his sister in the
Beckley, West Virginia area, and
get a job and work until he can get into college, hopefully in January.
Eventually he hopes to get into a university and study to become a dentist.
Our blessings and prayers are with him. He is very gifted, intelligent, and
talented. Linda has done a very good job in home-schooling him and he
completed his last four years with a 3.0 average. He is now seeking to
discover the Lord’s perfect will so that he can prepare and serve the Lord
accordingly. Yet, with all the good mentioned, I must admit that it feels as
though part of our hearts left with him on the boat yesterday, and it hurts
very much to be separated from him.
Jeshua’s e·mail address is
JeshuaRobinson@gmail.com. Lord willing, his mailing address will be:
P. O.
Box 2, Crab Orchard, West Virginia 25827. His physical Address is to be:
148 Sutphin Street,
Crab Orchard, West Virginia. (Tabitha’s addresses) The phone number there is
(304) 253-0395. He has a cell phone that should work from now, but it will
work better in Charleston because he will be roaming while he is in the
Beckley
area due to his carrier. His number is 304-541-5773.
Please pray for the Lord to protect, lead, and
provide for Jeshua and give him ongoing good health. I wish we could do more
to help now, but we simply are not able to do so at this time. Please pray
that the Lord will give Jeshua wisdom as he gets re-acclimated to the cooler
temperatures and the
US culture.
Also pray for his mom and dad to get through this period of adjustment as we
still look for him around the next corner, in his bedroom, at the table,
here at the house chatting or playing games with his friends, or in our
services.
Robinsons
Furlough Plans
As mentioned in our last three prayer letters,
we had hope to take
furlough in 2006 or 2007 if someone could take over for us. Our need for
increased support is even more so now due to a recent, tremendous, and
sudden surge in the cost of living here.
For nearly ten years fuel had been about $2.40 (US $ for
US Gallons) About three weeks back it suddenly jumped to $3.45, and the gas
station owner told me recently that it is going to go up again probably this
weekend, though he did not tell me how much. This is affecting prices nearly
across the board from groceries to power, which was already two to three
times what it had been in the
US. Because of this, we
may need to take furlough very soon, even if there is no one here to take
over for us while we are away for about a year.
Perhaps some of you know of someone that is considering
overseas mission work as a church planter or helper. Please put them in
contact with us right away. We need someone not only while we are furlough,
but also on a permanent basis. Perhaps some of you also know of a church or
pastor that is looking for, or is open to taking on the support of new
missionaries – even if it is only temporary – until we take our next
furlough. If so, please send me their contact information. Even better, you
could put in a good word and recommend us to them. They can find all the
information about us they would need through our website at:
www.windwardbiblechurch.org.
In the mean time, please pray for
the Lord’s chosen to have their hearts open to come to Carriacou and work
here at Windward
Bible Church. We need one individual or couple to work twelve months, or
for two to work six months each. The immediate need is to cover for us
during the time for our needed furlough, and later for someone to work with
us permanently. Also, pray for the Lord to lead new churches, individuals,
and groups of like faith to support us to help meet our current needs.
Last Chance
Ministries Website
I still have not done
much to my website this year, except for a little maintenance. Yet, we still
get many visitors each day and notes from them from time to time.
Some (mostly from Africa) have asked me to
send them the MP3 Bible teaching messages in MP3 format on CDs. For many,
internet connections are still slow and expensive, thus the CDs make it
possible for them to listen to Bible teaching that have been given in over
90 services over the last couple of years. Many have promised to copy them
and pass them around to others in their locations. We recently sent audio
Bible teaching CDs to South Africa,
Serbia and Montenegro, Mauritius -
Indian Ocean, and Kigali Rwanda. I have also received requests for the
teaching in Spanish in Chili.
There is so much more that could be done
with the internet ministry if I had the resources, time, and help.
Please remember to pray for the
power and effectiveness of the Word of God being broadcasted through
LastChanceMinistries .com and LastChanceMinistries.org, and
WindwardBibleChurch.org.
Prayer Requests and Praise for
Answered Prayer
1.
(Praise.)
As mentioned already, the roofing material on our home has been replaced!
2. (Revised.)
Car is running again, but I still need to correct an oil pan leak and a
transmission problem. I hope to complete repairs and
offer it for sell ASAP, Lord willing.)
3. (Ongoing)
We need to sell our old bus or recondition it. We must constantly watch the
temperature gauge and add water to it because it needs a radiator. It must
be replaced soon or we could lose the engine. (I now
plan to fully restore this bus or sell it and replace it with the money I
hope to get for its sell and the sell of our car after I have gotten it back
in good shape. We need to get $6500.00 to $7,000.00 (US$) from selling them
both. This past May, we received a gracious gift of $9,000.00 to meet our
targeted goal of 10,000.00 to purchase another bus! We found and purchased
another bus in June! This is a big praise and answer to prayer. Please pray
for us to find the exact one the Lord has for us.)
4.
(Ongoing.)
The purchase of welding tanks so that I
can make repairs to our vehicles and the security bars on our church
building.
5. (Ongoing.)
We need to have a sign made for our meeting place in Windward for
Windward
Bible Church.
6. (Ongoing.)
Purchase of several sheets of decorative plywood to replace paneling
on the walls that was damaged in our meeting place during the storms and
subsequent rains.
7. (Ongoing.)
Completion of electrical wiring for our meeting place so that we can
get our own power meter.
8. (Ongoing.)
A small desk and chair for my office in our meeting place.
9. (Ongoing.)
Paint to repaint the concrete floor of our meeting place.
10.
(Revised) Funds to pay for the purchase of two small window air conditioners and a
closet-shelving organizer arrived in April. We must keep one room in our
house with controlled humidity to protect precious books, electronic
equipment, and recorded media from the salt air and constantly high
humidity. We are currently using my office in our home for this. I estimate
the total cost at $250.00 (US$).
(We received these items in
April. So far, the church that purchased these items and shipped them to us
have not told us how much we need to pay, though I have phoned the pastor
and asked twice. I am currently waiting for his response.)
11.
(Ongoing.) Funds to build a restroom attached
to our meeting place. We need a toilet, sink, pump, and other plumbing
necessities, construction of a septic tank, and a small cistern (or tank) to
store water caught from the roof.
12. (Urgent and
Revised.) For a few additional churches or individuals to begin to
support us until we take furlough next year or in 2007. We would rather take
furlough in 2007, but may have to do it soon because of the pressing need of
additional support as explained above.
13. (Ongoing and
Urgent.) As explained above, we desperately need another family to
come and work permanently with us in the work here. We need a man to work as
both an assistant pastor and youth pastor. A woman is needed to help in the
ministry to young children and help Linda with ministering to the ladies.
They would also help in our transportation ministry.
14.
(Ongoing and Urgent.) We desperately need one
or two families to take over for us when we take a much-needed furlough
soon. We will likely be on furlough for six to twelve months. As explained
above, we may need to take furlough soon even if no one is provided to take
over in our absence. This would not be good for the church. One couple for
twelve months or two couples for six months each are needed as soon as
possible.
15. (Revised.)
Ongoing health and continued improvement for me (Walter). I have been
doing much, much better concerning the health issues that were treated last
year. Linda and Jeshua have also been doing well.
My back has been doing much better the last month. There was a time a couple
of weeks back when I had to take it easy and not do much for about a week,
but it better now. When it acts up it ranges from being just a nagging
nuisance to being severe enough that I need to lie down and try to lay flat
until it gets better. (Please remember to
continue praying for this need, and especially for the Lord to strengthen my
back and heal it.)
16. (Revised -
Ongoing and urgent) For guidance and provision as Jeshua seeks to
learn the Lord’s will for his life as he plans to further his education. He
finished his twelfth year and is now looking forward to attending college.
He is interested in medicine – specifically dentistry. He is considering a
couple of schools at this point, one located in Huntington, West Virginia, and the other in
South Carolina. His mind is not yet made up and he is still seeking the Lord
leading and provision. As related above, he is scheduled to arrive in West
Virginia tonight, Friday, October 21. He then hopes to get a job to work and
save, then begin to further his education in January, Lord willing and
providing.
17. (Ongoing.)
As was predicted, this hurricane season has broken many records. Some on the
mainland and on Carriacou still had not yet recovered from damage and
destruction from last year, and now they are contending with damage and
destruction cause by Hurricane Emily. Please pray that all of Grenada will
be spared from another direct hit from hurricanes and tropical storms this
year.
18.
(Revised - Praise and ongoing
needs) Proper repair of our
meeting place for
Windward Bible Church in
the Village of Windward. Roof is covered once again, but looks iffy with at
least small leak. We have much work to do yet by way of painting and some
wall repairs.
19. (Ongoing)
We need to replace our old standby generator (made in the 1960s). I prefer
another Onan RV twin-cylinder type rated at five or six KW, with remote
start and shutdown capabilities. Either LPG or gasoline will work. This type
is built to run for long periods and they are rather quiet and less likely
to disturb our neighbors. Our old one is worn out and burning one quart of
oil every one to two hours of operation. A used one in good condition would
be great and cost much less in duties to get it into the country. This is
not a luxury for us when the current goes out for long periods after a
hurricane or for other reasons. We need it to keep our refrigerator cold and
to supply water to our house by the
electric pump.
Thanks Very Much!
We do
appreciate each of you that stand with us by your prayers, support, and
words of encouragement. Thanks for touching our lives by your sacrifices and
prayers. We thank God for each of you.
Still looking up for Him,
(Signature omitted from online version for
security reasons)
Walter Robinson II
Note: If you would like to have a shorter bimonthly or even a monthly prayer
letter (instead of the current quarterly ones), write and let me know. I
will consider it in the months ahead.
Copyright © 2000 Last Chance Ministries. All rights reserved.
Revised: September 11, 2006.
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