Greetings from Carriacou! Even
though the rainy season is not due to begin until June, it has rained heavily on repeated
occasions to the effect that our cistern overflowed in late March! What a blessing for
which we are greatly thankful to God!
First, I am very sorry that some of you did not get a prayer letter
from us the last quarter of last year. Our copy machine had been down since November, but
thanks to the Lords help and direction, I believe I have recently got it working
well enough to get this prayer letter out. Please overlook any black spots and streaks
because I still need to replace a couple of rollers and also a cleaning web and blade.
PLEASE NOTE!! Many of our friends did get an
e·mail edition
of our prayer letter back in January of this year. If your church has not supplied us
with an e·mail address as of yet, please e·mail us as soon as possible so we can communicate
with you in that manner in the future on special occasions. You may
find our e·mail address on our "Contact Us"
page." Once in a while we send out special updates and prayer
requests for occasions that often pass before our quarterly prayer letters reach the
United States. If your church office does not have e·mail, perhaps someone in your
congregation would be willing to send their e·mail address to us and act as a go between.
Thanks for your cooperation. But regardless of supplying an e·mail address or not, we will
continue to send each a copy of The Robinsons Herald four times a year.
Thanks for praying for my (Walters) health. I am still being
treated with antibiotics and depending upon Gods grace to help me through each day. I
still have difficult periods when I get very little done physically, so please continue to
pray for my health needs.
Sunday morning and Sunday School attendance at Windward Bible Church
ranges from the low to mid twenties. Sunday and Wednesday nights are in the high teens and
low twenties. We have a family of six that has been attending services for several months.
The wife and four children (ages five to twelve) have been the most faithful. The husband
attends Sunday morning services about half the time. This is the same man that I wrote
about in previous letters who had me to cut his long Rastaman hair locks last year. The
wife and two older children professed faith in Christ last year, and the woman appears to
be sincerely growing spiritually. The husband; however, still leaves me wondering at
times. He is carnal at best, and can sometimes be a downright trouble maker at other
times. Please remember to pray for this family to grow in Christ, and pray especially
for the husband, and for me to have wisdom in dealing with him. So far none of them
have followed the Lord in Believers Baptism even though I admonish our congregation
regularly that this is the first step in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. Several
others are dragging their feet in this area as well.
Another couple that had been attending Windward Bible Church the last
couple of years has been in England for check ups and medical treatment for about three
months. They have an Anglican (US Episcopal) background, but I believe the wife was truly
born again in one of our services last year. The man also made a profession, but after
talking to him on numerous occasions I am concerned about his understanding and sincerity.
I am going to have to go slow with him and patiently allow the Lord to work in his life. Please
remember to pray for this couple regularly. Just call them the older couple from England
as you mention them in prayer. We hope they will be back on Carriacou in the next few
months.
There is another lady that normally attends our services on Sunday and
Wednesday nights that is also in England for medical treatment. She is an older lady that
lives just down the road from us, but she has been in London for about a year. It appears
that she will not be returning until sometime later this year. She has to have surgery
on her eyes. Just call her Sister G as you pray for her.
Over the years we have had several young adults to move from Carriacou
as they seek "a better life." You can not blame them much because the island is
not doing very good from an employment perspective right now. Jobs are fairly scarce and
unemployment is high. Even though the young adults who leave Carriacou to get jobs have
done okay to well materially, most have suffered spiritually in their new locations.
We have never dictated what adults should do in their lives. But in
each case before someone leaves to look for greener pastures, we council them to seek the
Lords will. We also advise them to insure ahead of time that there is a good church
where they plan to relocate. I have even told them that I do not believe the Lord would
lead a new believer to move to a location where a Bible teaching and practicing church
does not exist, just as I have also taught from the pulpit. In each case they have eagerly
nodded, "Yea, yea, yea. There is a good church where I am going." But when we
ask for more information about the church they suddenly become vague and uncertain. Yet
they continue to assure me that a good church is there. I cringe because I know what
likely lies ahead for them, but there seems to be no way to get them to see it for
themselves.
One young man, I will call him "CC," went to the Grenada
mainland to attend the "national college" a couple of years ago. In his case we
had repeatedly advised him to attend a good local church that happened to be in close
walking distance to his new location. But he did not follow our counsel and went to a main
line church where he could be with more people his own age and enjoy social events and
activities of a worldly nature. This surprised us because in the past he had told us how
thankful he was to learn about the importance of remaining separate from ecumenical
worldliness and ungodly ecclesiastical tradition. The last time I spoke with him I
gathered that he hardly attends church at all now. When he does go he attends one that is
part of a very worldly denomination. He is no longer the person we knew before he left.
This young man is extremely intelligent and held great promise, but his love for the world
has thus far choked out any fruit the Lord would have produced through him.
A young lady I will refer to as "MS" moved to the mainland
last year looking for better employment. While she was with us she was growing gracefully
like a flower in rich soil. Unlike so many other young women here, she was pretty, in her
early twentiesand pure. She was faithful to services and also helped Linda
with childrens Sunday school. We had such great hopes for her. But she recently
confided to Linda that she had gotten involved in immoralityand the last we
heardshe was afraid that she was now pregnant. She now says, "I wish I had
never left Carriacou!"
A young man, I call him "MB," moved to Canada last year to
"better himself." He has been going to school, working, saving money, and has
even gotten engaged to be married. But the last time I communicated with him, and the last
time I heard from him, he was still looking for a "good" church. When I asked
his mother (who also attends WBC) whether his perspective bride is a believer or not, she
could not say. Please pray for all of these young people to remember their first love
toward Christ as they professed years ago.
As mentioned above, most young people here dream of growing up and move
overseas to make their fortune. Many will eventually find a way to do just that. This
sometimes leaves us feeling as though we are in a transient ministry like some
missionaries that focus mainly on military people stationed at bases around the world.
Just as the new converts begin to grow and produce fruit, they are often transferred to
another location where they may not have the same biblical teaching and encouragement.
This can be frustrating and discouraging at times to missionarieslike us. Yet, those
who abide on Carriacou need to hear the gospel and be fedfor as long as they are and
will be here. What they do with the teaching and training later in life is in the
Lords hands. But many of the older ones who return from overseas to retire are
likely here to stay, except for an occasional trip abroad for health reasons or needing to
report back to maintain their overseas citizenship. Thus, it is likely that these are the
ones that will ultimately become the pillars of the faith in a church like Windward Bible.
Pray that the Lord will lead us to such older ones and that they will be won for
Jesus sake.
Then of course, there are also the precious, innocent, and lovely
children that need the teaching. Many live in environments from which US public social
authorities would likely seek to remove them. They often live in one parent homes with
many brothers and sisters, but each often has different mothers or fathers. Some are cast
off on grandparents or other relativesand they are sometimes even placed with
non-related individuals. Often those who take in the children raise them with all the love
and care that they would show their own flesh and blood. But sometimes such children
become child servants or laborers. Other times they are abused in ways that would make you
sick. Biblical discipline is rarely taught and the children often raise themselvesor
they are raised by their peersprofanity, immorality, drunkenness, and all.
Sounds dismal doesnt it? Sometimes we are almost overwhelmed with
a sense of helplessness at the seeming enormity of the task we faceespecially when
we have physical problems; or when needed appliances, vehicles, and office equipment
breaks down; or when some in our congregation seemed to be bent on remaining worldly
despite our teaching, praying, counseling, and encouragement to the contrary. But this is
largely what leading people out of darkness and into the light of Jesus Christ is about, isnt
it?
Didnt Jesus say that he did not come to call the righteous, but sinners?
The Greek expression translated "sin" in the New Testament means to "miss
the mark." In means simply to miss the mark or fall short of Gods character,
holiness, His will, etc. Sin manifests itself in people in all the ways I have enumerated
in the above paragraphsand more. So perhaps the work at Windward Bible Church is not
struggling anymore than anywhere else. Perhaps we are just dealing with real people who
have the real need to learn about Gods grace, His power to help us overcome sin and
the world, His faithfully leading his children through dark times, His provisionand
His forgiveness for us when we fail.
For example, late in March a young lady (20 years old) who was active
in our congregation confessed that she had gotten involved with a young man who was not
savedand she was now pregnant. (This is such a problem here!) She had professed
faith in Jesus Christ at a street meeting we conducted in Windward some four years ago.
Linda and I both had spent hours upon hours at a time, repeatedly talking with her about
the dangers of such relationships over the years. She had experienced several ups and
downs and struggles since then, but she finally seemed to be growing and maturing
spiritually as a young adult last year. She had even began to help Linda with the
childrens Sunday School. Three weeks ago I had the difficult task of going before
the church and conveying her remorse and desire to be forgiven for the reproach and shame
she has caused. She was graciously forgiven and we are reaching out to her as before, but
she is not the happy carefree young lady she was just a couple of months ago. I am very
concerned about her. I am also concerned about the child she will bring into the world in
the months to come. She is not ready to be a mother as is the case with most young
ladies who do not have husbands. Please remember to pray for her. You may call her WS.
In one of our other previous prayer letters I wrote about a young man
who had entered studies to become an evangelist. Shortly after we began our studies he
began to complain about his eyes bothering him, and he said he could not study beyond just
a few minutes each day. His studies had to be put on hold until he can get his eyes
checked and probably get glasses. Unfortunately, this same young man has also been pretty
off and on in his attendance the last several months. He will be very faithful for several
weeks, then suddenly he will miss several services in a row for a week or so and will not
volunteer an explanation. I have visited him and talked with him on numerous occasions,
and each time he says he simply "decided to take some time off," or he was
"discouraged." Even though he sometimes says he is discouraged over not finding
work (he is a self-employed carpenter), he often seems nebulous about just what it is that
discourages him. He has been like a right arm to me in the past, and had even led our song
service and prayer time for each service for several months. But I had to curtail that
until he resolves his problems and becomes more consistent. Please remember to pray for
the evangelist to be. When he is right he is an encouragement to everyone, but when he
becomes unfaithful he becomes a discouragement of the same magnitude.
Linda still makes one to two trips each service to carry people to and
from church in our Vista. She often stuffs up to fifteen adults and children into this
seven passenger station wagon! Our regular bus driver says his bus is still not ready. I
am beginning to wonder if he no longer wishes to run our route for some reason, but does
not want to come right out and tell me. Portions of our route are very rough, especially
when you have a heavy load.
I still ride the motorcycle to church and often take Jeshua or one of
the men home on it to help make more room in the Vista. Our transportation problem can be
very difficult and discouraging at times, and I believe it is affecting our attendance.
Some people know that they will have to wait at church some forty-five minutes after
services are over before Linda can take them home because they know she has to make
another trip first. They also know it will be very crowded and hot in our car going to and
from the services.
We were not able to get the bus we had mentioned in our
e·mail prayer
letter back in January. We simply did not have the funds. It will likely take about
$10,000.00 (US$) to get a good bus that will give us lasting dependable service for some
years. Until the Lord supplies this we will continue as we have been. Please pray
for our safety, the soundness of the Vista, and our transportation needs.
Our property and building fund continues to grow slowly. We are
thankful for each gift, yet, we are a long way from realizing our answer to prayer
concerning the acquisition of property. We currently have $1,155.00 (US$) in a special
account at Holy Mount, and we will need about $54,000.00 in total.
Since November we have had several special church functions. Some
twenty-five adults and young people from WBC visited the two nursing homes and hospital to
conduct Christmas services as we have for the last several years. We also had a church
banquet and New Years fellowship on New Years Day. Lately Linda has been getting the
children together in two groups on separate occasions for a time of fun and spiritual
challenge every month or two. The groups are ages ten and under and ages eleven and older.
Two more gatherings are scheduled for the last two weekends of April. The last weekend in
April we plan to host a church barbecue, and many of our people seem to be really looking
forward to it. These times of fellowship seem to encourage our folks and help bond us
together.
Our mens and womens weekly Bible studies continues on
Thursdays and Friday. I had suspended the mens Bible study for about six weeks due
to health problems and ongoing medical treatment, but have resumed it as of the first part
of April.
My goal as Pastor is to teach through the entire Bible to help our
people get a well rounded understanding of Gods word. After almost seven years the
Lord has enabled me to teach completely through the New Testament and I have started over
again in the book of John on Wednesday nights. I have also been blessed to cover much of
the Old Testament, but it will likely take several more years to cover all the books. For
several months in Sunday school I have been teaching through the book of Proverbs and
applying it to everyday events and decisions that our people face here on Carriacou. In
Sunday morning services we usually emphasize salvation, grace, and evangelism, and we are
currently going through the book of Galatiansthe second time in several years. On
Sunday night we are going through Jeremiah and are so far learning how backsliding and
spiritual disobedience led to the downfall and captivity of Gods people. What
applications for the church today! Pray for me as teaching through this book is a real
challenge!
Jeshua and Linda are doing fine and home school is proceeding right on
schedule. A couple of months ago I began to teach fundamental electronic theory to him on
Tuesdays and Thursdays. He seems to be really enjoying it and we both find it very
interesting.
We appreciate your ongoing prayers and financial support. We are often
amazed at the way the Lord provides. A few months back I reevaluated our support
situation. Having been here since 1991, and having been in the work of starting Windward
Bible Church since 1992, we now have a full understanding of what it takes to do the job.
We are currently some 10-15% under supported, yet the Lord makes a way each month.
More recently a couple that now lives in Georgia notified us that the
Lord had led them to start a Bible church in their community of Leesburg. They are good
friends that we met years ago in our sending church, Cross Lanes Bible. They also informed
us that they were going to begin supporting us as an outreach of their new church. They
are definitely missions oriented and I am sure the church will be also. I am happy to
report that they are off to a good start and we have great hopes for them and what the
Lord is doing with them. We also appreciate their gracious support.
A few weeks after hearing from the above people we were informed that
one of our other long time supporting families is taking early retirement and getting more
directly involved into ministry. We believe the Lord will use this family greatly and we
expect to hear good news about them in the months and years to come. Our prayers will be
with them. We are also thankful for the little over seven percent of our total financial
support they were able to supply during the past years while the man was employed. We do
not yet know how, but we trust that the Lord will supply each and every need for this
precious family and ours as well.
Rest assured that we do appreciate your prayers and financial
support. Much has been done, but more can yet be accomplished as a result of your faithful
sacrifices for Jesus Sake.
Still looking up to Him as your coworkers,
Walter Robinson II