Twenty-seven Americans worked in Guyana, South America, under the direction of Partners In Progress, conducting a medical clinic for 4 days at Stewartville with the assistance of members from the local Church of Christ. Eight hundred seventy-eight patients were examined and treated. Nearly every patient was taught the Gospel and given religious literature. Lots of Bibles were distributed. Maximum attendence at the nightly preaching service was 216. Twenty-one people obeyed the Gospel.

A detailed account of this mission follows:

Eighteen members of West-Ark Church of Christ, ranging in age from 13 to 73, gathered on 4 June 2005 at 4:45 a.m. at the Fort Smith airport. Our flight on Northwest Airlines departed on time at 6:40 a.m. We changed planes in Memphis, where three additional team members joined us for the flight to Miami. The full team of 26 left the U.S. about 2:30 p.m. on British West Indies Airlines. After a meal was served, our 737 jet made a stop in Barbados, where we remained on the plane.

A change from previous years, we were not given a snack on the hour-long flight into Guyana. We landed at 9 p.m., about an hour later than scheduled. Passing through Immigration was slower than usual, but we were processed before our luggage was delivered. All personal bags and medical supplies arrived with us. We were quickly cleared through Customs with the help of Steve DeLoach, Director of Operation Guyana, a division of Partners In Progress.

The trip to the hotel was uneventful as we (re)adjusted to left-sided driving. Check-in at the Pegasus Hotel was rapidly completed. Refreshments were provided and much appreciated by our people.

On Sunday the team assembled for breakfast at 8:30. We departed the hotel in 2 vans at 10:10 and arrived for Sunday school about 11 a.m. After a few songs were led by a young Guyanese man, Roy Dunavin taught Bible class till noon.

Our worship assembly of 70 people was conducted by Guyanese Christians. The large open building is near the paved road through the village. It is often noisy as a car or truck passes. The only air conditioning is an occasional slight breeze blowing through the building. The wooden benches were barely uncomfortable enough to keep the sleep-deprived American team members awake.

Shortly after 1 p.m., we departed on the 45-minute van ride to our hotel. After lunch we spent a couple hours counting and packing pills to dispense at our clinic this week.

We attended a reception by the hotel management at 5:30, then went to supper at 6 p.m. The annual orientation lasted from 7:00 till 9:30.

On Monday, 6 June, breakfast was served at 10:00. The team and our supplies departed the hotel at 11 a.m. We set up the clinic inside the Stewartville Church building and began seeing patients by 12:45.

One hundred fifty-eight patients were examined and treated for medical or vision problems. All people were offered private Bible studies. Three precious people chose to be baptized.

By 4:30 Monday afternoon, we had seen all who had presented to the clinic. We packed and locked away our supplies, then took a break for snacks and Cokes.

At 6 p.m. we began the evening service with singing. About 6:30 the children were dismissed to meet outside the back of the building, where they were taught Bible stories. Roy Dunavin preached until 7:00. We had 93 in attendance. One asked to be restored. Our team returned shortly after 8 p.m. to the hotel, where we were fed a buffet supper.

Everyone on the team seems happy with the different schedule this year. Rather than two round trips as in previous years, we only made one trip this year to the clinic site and back each day. This saved much gasoline and cut the transportation cost. Someone pointed out that we reduced in half the risk of an accident on the highway, compared to previous years.

On Tuesday morning our team assembled after breakfast for a group photo (below). Many patients were awaiting our arrival at the clinic at 11:45. It was a day similar to the previous day, except we more rapidly had the clinic set up. It was a sunny day without rain. The afternoon temperature was 86°F. We treated 181 patients and witnessed 7 conversions. Another was baptized at the end of the evening service.

Thirteen-year- old Azia Blasdel was baptized by her dad about 11:30 p.m. in the hotel pool. It was a thrilling experience for all involved.

On Wednesday we left the hotel about 20 minutes early and stopped briefly at the Anglican cathedral in Georgetown. This is reported to be the tallest, free-standing wooden structure in the world. To enjoy the awesome acoustics inside this beautiful building, our team sang "Our God, He Is Alive."

We arrived in Stewartville a bit earlier than on previous days. There was a big crowd of people waiting in line for treatment. We quickly put the clinic together and were able to see 264 patients by 5 p.m.

Most patients had Bible lessons taught one-on-one. No patient was treated any differently if they declined a personal Bible study. Four people were baptized during our clinic hours on Wednesday. One person, who was converted several years ago when our team was at Leonora, asked to be restored to the church after this evening's service.

Thursday, our last day at the clinic, seemed hotter than other days. We saw 274 patients before closing down the gate at 4:30. Everything was packed up and on the truck by 5:30. We began the evening service with singing at 6 p.m. The children were dismissed about 6:20 for a Vacation Bible School experience, while Roy Dunavin preached to the adults. Though it was the rainy season and the children met outdoors, there was no rain during the time of their class each night.

Five were baptized on Thursday, bringing the total number of conversions to 21. The total number of patients seen this week was 878. Our final evening service had the greatest attendance with 216, including 134 children.

On Friday morning we departed for the one-hour trip to the airport at 8:20. By 4:30 in the afternoon, we arrived at the beautiful Hilton resort in Tobago. Saturday was a day for shopping, bird-watching, swimming, snorkeling, reading, and other leisurely activities.

On Sunday morning, 12 June, shortly after 4:30 a.m., we met together for a brief devotional and took Communion together. Then we boarded our bus to the airport about 4:50. After changing planes in Trinidad, we were back in the United States by noon.