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The Robinsons’ Herald
E·mail version for
June thru July 2007
Greetings from Carriacou Once More!
Thanks to
all who have prayed for and continue to pray for us. We arrived back on
Carriacou on Wednesday, June 6, 2007.
Out Trip Home
Due to a
problem with US Airways, our trip from the US was delayed by one day! They
didn’t bother to tell us until I went by the airport the night before we
were due to leave! However, overall our trip on Wednesday was relatively
good. Our planes ran mostly on time. The only other difficulty we had was
changing planes in
Jamaica.
This was due to Expedia and US Airways apparently not knowing
that US Airways does not have a baggage agreement with Air Jamaica.
When we checked our bags at
Charleston’s
Yeager Airport,
the US Airways officials told us our bags would be checked all the
way through to Grenada. We had to pay $240.00 US for three extra bags beyond
what we were allowed. This was much more economical than shipping the same
bulk and weight through the US Postal Service. We had a number of
items and literature that we needed to have with us on Carriacou right away.
When we
arrived at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica, we
learned that it was necessary for us go through immigrations, then reclaim
our bags, then check in at Air Jamaica, then recheck our bags, then go
through security once more! We also learned that our flight was closing out
15 minutes after we reached immigrations there! Thankfully, the gracious and
kind Air Jamaica and Jamaican immigrations and customs officials all
helped us immensely to get through the process in time. Air Jamaica
also did not charge us for the three extra bags. We were thankful for much.
We arrived
on time at the Point Salines International Airport in Grenada, and we
were very happy and thankful to see that all of our bags had arrived intact
with us. The Lord also blessed as we went through immigrations and customs
there without any problems. The Grenadian government officials were also
patient and gracious.
We had
planned to stay overnight on the mainland of
Grenada because
we did not think we would arrive in time to catch the ferry going to
Carriacou that same day. However, we were thankful to clear the airport in
time to get to the Osprey Sea Ferry before it left for Carriacou,
which was normally at 6:00 PM. We saw a few people from Carriacou at the
jetty and many even hugged us, including one policeman!
The
Osprey finally left around
7:00 PM,
and it was the smaller ferry. The larger ferry normally makes the trip in
about 75 minutes on relatively calm seas. The smaller one can take twice
that long. The sea was not that bad, and I have been on much rougher rides.
However, I got sick and “fed the fish” two or three times on our trip to
Carriacou. I normally do not eat anything for several hours before I get on
the Osprey. However, Air Jamaica gave us a nice snack on the way to
Grenada.
Apparently, the food on my stomach with the much longer ride got to me after
about two hours on the sea. However, I was fine after that, and glad to
arrive finally at “home.”
We were
surprised and thankful to be met at the jetty by Brother John McPherson,
pastor of Open Door Independent Baptist Church, of Beausejour,
Carriacou. He transported Linda and I, and all of our twelve pieces of
luggage to our home in Meldrum. We were met there by our happy and healthy
four-footed pooch, Shadow. It was good to see him! We were also met by
Franklyn Scott,
Windward
Bible Church’s
young and faithful gentle giant. He had been watching our home and taking
care of our pets since the Stolls had left a weak earlier. He had even
prepared a special rice and chicken treat that Linda and I enjoyed very
much. We got a good night sleep that night.
We thank
and praise the Lord for the good trip and for all our possessions arriving
safely!
Getting Back into the Work
The next
day, Thursday, we drove the bus into town to buy groceries because our
cupboards were bare. However, after we got there we learned that it was a
Grenadian holiday and that all stores, shops, and the gas station were
closed! We then remembered that the night before we left the
US, the family
that had supplied us with a vehicle to use on furlough had given us a gift
and specifically asked us to use it to get “something to eat.” The amount
was just what we needed! We went to the Silver Beach Resort beside the beach
and got a nice meal and enjoyed being back in the Caribbean.
That Friday,
we went to town to get groceries since all the stores were open by then. We
also had to take care of several business matters. While we were running
around, we discovered that the radiator on our 1999 Toyota HiAce bus was
leaking. It has a plastic radiator and will have to be replaced. Right now,
we carry water with us and top it off often whenever we drive it.
Please pray with us for this need
to be met soon. It is the only vehicle we have for both personal use, and
for transporting our people back and forth to services.
In
any case, it truly is nice to be back on Carriacou. It is heart warming to
pass people on the streets and have several tell us that it is nice to see
us back! We hardly knew some of them and were surprised that they had even
noticed that we were gone. Please pray for the
Lord to open many hearts as we endeavor to reach them with the wonderful
gospel of Jesus Christ.
We have been
getting back into the work by God’s grace. I am getting re-accustomed to
preaching and teaching three times a week. I have also been “fine tuning” a
few things around the house. Linda is working at playing the piano for three
services a week and teaching the small children on Sunday mornings and
Wednesday nights.
We are
slowly being re-acclimated to the constantly hot and humid weather. The
temperatures have been in the high 80s during the day and in the low 80s at
night. The humidity runs 65 to 75% in the day and 80 to 90 % at night. We
have been receiving periodic rain shows and quite blustery wind the last
week or so. As I recall, it has been unusually windy for this time of the
year. I am truly thankful that we had a couple of weeks of very warm weather
in the US right before we left. My office bedroom is air-conditioned, which
helps us to sleep better.
As you may
recall, we sold our old 1987 Dodge Colt Vista station-wagon before we left.
The Stolls had purchased the car and used it for a work vehicle as they
cleaned off their lot here. We were also able to sell the older 1991 Toyota
HiAce bus while we were stateside in October last year. A bus driver here
purchased the old bus for parts. That bus had over 350,000 miles on the
chassis and body and needed many repairs that would have cost more that it
was worth to make it safe and presentable for the ministry here. We used the
money from the sell of both vehicles to help us with our travel and other
expenses for furlough.
Earlier this
year the Stolls had wanted to sell the car before they left for the states.
However, even though they advertised it, they did not get any true offers
for several months. A couple of weeks before they left and we returned, they
phoned to let us know that they believed the Lord had led them to give it
back to us to use and sell if we could. They desired that any money we get
for selling it would be used toward purchasing another bus that we truly
need. We are thankful for the Stolls gracious and sacrificial gift and
appreciate it very much.
Last week
Linda was going to town in the car to shop, and it stopped and we could not
get it started again. We had it towed home. I suspect that the starter is
worn out. I don’t understand it! It is only twenty years old and has
about 150,000 miles on it! I hope to check it out later this week when I
pull the radiator out of the bus. Fun, fun, fun!
The car
looks very rough inside and out, and I am hesitant to spend more money on
it. It will likely continue to be hard to sell to anyone. I would prefer to
be able to buy another bus outright and then give the car to someone who may
be able to get some service out of it before retiring it permanently. I fear
that if I sell it to someone, it could hurt our testimony if it breaks down
or falls apart right after the sell. In such cases, here, the purchaser
could demand their money back or ask us to stand behind it for a month or
so, which we cannot afford to do.
Please ask the
Lord to help me and give me wisdom and strength to get these jobs done, and
the deposition of our old car.
We
were pleased to find our home clean and in very good shape when we returned.
The Stolls took care of it well. In fact, Bill made a number of improvements
for which I am very thankful. He and Frankly Scott made a cement ramp along
side the hard road in front of our home. This will make it much easier for
us to get on the road and better for the tires and suspension for the bus.
Bill also screened-in the basement. That has truly cut down on mosquitoes
and other vermin getting into the house. The Stolls also painted that part
of the our basement, which is still the meeting place for Windward Bible
Church. It looks very good. There are numerous other things they did
around the house and with the bus that has helped us tremendously. We are
thankful for their help in these areas.
News about Windward Bible Church
It is good to see that
many of those that were here when we left are still here at Windward
Bible Church (WBC). There seems to be some kind of virus going around
that has been making people sick for about a week. It is has been making its
way through our congregation as well. Overall, attendance has been good. The
first Sunday morning we were back we had about 27 present. That night we had
about 23 present -- which was amazing since it was the first Sunday night
service held at WBC in over seven or eight months. Bill had
previously informed me that he had stopped the Sunday night services because
driving the bus that much in one day was causing problems with one of his
legs. So I was encouraged to see that many on our first Sunday night.
Notwithstanding, school has recently let out and some of the children that
normally attend here have traveled to the mainland for the summer.
In addition, one of our
elder charter members and a dear sister (Sister Williams) went to be with
the Lord while we were gone. Another other sister (Sister Gweny) left for
England a day or two before we arrived. She needs medical attention and she
has children there that can help take care of her.
Many of you have prayed for a young lady in our congregation that was
diagnosed with breast cancer two or three years ago. She had the cancerous
lump removed in May, and two or weeks ago, she receive the biopsy report
that indicates that they got all the cancerous growth and she needs no
additional treatment. We are rejoicing with Wendy and it was truly a
privilege to hear her testimony in a Sunday night service.
Thanks to all who prayed and praise the Lord with us
for this answer to prayer.
Sadly, one of our
middle-aged men relapsed into not being faithful, as has been the case with
him for years. Yet, two of our young adults now have good jobs, but
sometimes the jobs require them to miss services. To their credit and the
Lord’s mercy, so far they have not missed very many services. This is
encouraging to me very much. A family that attends WBC is building a
home on the road above us. The husband and wife have been working hard on it
most evenings after they each get off from their daily jobs. They also work
most Saturdays. Their two strong teenage sons usually work with them. This
family need to get their house up and finished quickly because they need to
move from their current rented place as soon as possible. The wife, and the
four children they have here, are usually in each of the services, unless
the older daughter has to work. (She is one of the young adults I mentioned
above.) This past Sunday morning the entire family (three adults, two teens,
and one small child) were absent because they were working to erect the
walls of the house. Many of their fiends had agreed to help only on that
day. Please pray for the Lord to provide for and
make it possible for all of our folks to be faithful in each of the
services.
Our Crate is Waiting to Be Shipped
A week
before we left to return to Carriacou, we built and packed up a crate to
ship to Carriacou. It has some personal items in it, but it is filled
predominately with items we need for the work here, including literature,
special occasion gift items for those that attend WBC, etc. The crate
is 4’ X 4’ X 4.5’ and weighs just under a thousand pounds. We left it with a
friend who has a business just outside of Cross Lanes,
West Virginia.
He told me that he would ship it to
Miami
for me. He will hold on to the crate until we are sure we have enough money
on hand to receive it on our end here. We will need to pay for the crate to
be shipped from Miami, Florida to Grenada. We will then need to pay for
government handling fees, trucks and shipping fees from Grenada to
Carriacou, plus customs, etc. I am hoping and praying that we will soon have
the funds to allow the crate to be shipped.
We ran into
several unexpected expenses the day before our trip and during our trip. We
also experienced some unplanned expenses that we encountered right after we
arrived. Thus, we really must wait on the Lord to meet the need of getting
our crate to us.
Please pray
for this need to be met soon.
Linda and Walter’s Health
We are thankful to
report that our health has been relatively good. Linda did have some pain in
one of her legs that slowed her down for two to three weeks after we got
here. Thankfully, she is better now. About two weeks before we left the US
for Carriacou, I had an echocardiogram done to check on my heart and the
aortic valve that was replaced back in 1990. A week or so after we got back
to Carriacou, my doctor phoned to tell me that he saw nothing that concerned
or alarmed him. I am so thankful for this. I just celebrated my 53rd
birthday this past June 16. It is marvelous to see each day and have more
opportunities to serve the God of heaven. Please
remember to pray for our health often.
Thanks
I have several personal notes of thanks to specific individuals and
churches that should be sent out very soon. However, I realize that there
are many that pray faithfully and regularly for us based upon the things
shared in our prayer letters. To all of you I sent my sincere and deep
thanks for laboring with us in your prayers. Thanks also for the gifts and
notes of encouragement.
16Confess your faults one
to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17Elias was a
man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it
might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years
and six months. 18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain,
and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Still looking up for Him,
Signature omitted from Email Version for
Security Reasons
Walter Robinson II
The Vista Exterior is
faded, dented, and patched all over for rust. I have not looked under
the bottom recently, but I will get a look when I
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crawl under it to check out the starter
to determine why it is not working. The shifter does not like to go in
and out of reverse properly as well.
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(Left) The Vista
interior is cracking and falling apart.
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(Right) The ramp beside the road is truly good to have, and our 1999
Toyota HiAce bus seems to be in good shape, except for the
leaking radiator.
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(Left)
The meeting place in our basement is brighter and truly looks good with
a new coat of paint.
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(Right)
Here are some of the folks that came for our second Sunday morning
service.
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 T
hey all seem to be happy
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and enjoying the fellowship!
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I am
happy to be home and to see what the Lord is doing in the lives of our
folks.
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Even
Shadows seems to smile quite a bit and be upbeat these days.
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Copyright © 2000 Last Chance Ministries. All rights reserved.
Revised: January 08, 2008.
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