Participants: Narrator: Chet Damron/Bill La Bore
Series Code: OTG
Program Code: OTG000034A
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00:01 Adventist World Aviation
00:02 has a mission outpost in Guyana, South America, 00:05 servicing the northwestern part of the country 00:07 with Aviation Services, such as medivacs, 00:11 delivering supplies, and spreading the gospel. 00:15 This mission outpost has been in existence 00:17 for well over 10 years now and just thriving. 00:20 They use airplanes as a vital tool 00:23 to serve the local Guyanese people 00:25 and share the love of Jesus with them. 00:28 There is such a great need for emergency flights 00:31 from deep in the jungle 00:33 that they need two aircrafts to keep up 00:35 with the flight request demands. 01:29 In Guyana, South America 01:31 the Adventist World Aviation missionaries 01:33 run a busy aviation ministry. 01:37 But their project is not just about flying airplanes. 01:41 Oh yes, they use airplanes as tools to save lives. 01:47 But they're also interested 01:48 in the daily life of those in their communities. 01:53 They are interested in helping everyone 01:55 not just those with medical emergencies. 01:58 There are so many needs present around them 02:01 that the missionary simply cannot ignore. 02:05 In Mabaruma there really 02:06 are not a lot of job opportunities. 02:08 There's not a whole lot for people to do 02:11 to earn income for their home. 02:13 They live on a day-to-day understanding, 02:16 what do they have to do today so they can eat today. 02:20 And then tomorrow will worry about itself. 02:22 There's no planning or thought about the future 02:24 and how they might provide for their families. 02:26 They just live day-to-day. 02:28 So we've really been striving to develop ideas for industries 02:34 where they can do things in their home, 02:36 where the materials 02:37 for whatever they're doing is provided here, 02:39 and they can produce something 02:40 that could earn an actual income. 02:42 When they aren't making a flight, 02:44 each of the missionaries busy themselves 02:46 with projects they've started to help the local community. 02:51 They want to provide opportunities for growth 02:54 and a hope for better life. 02:57 Opportunities for employment in the jungle are very few. 03:01 Because of this, 03:02 many do not have enough money for food 03:05 or to send their children to school. 03:08 It's an oppressive cycle. 03:11 And AWA missionaries want to help these people 03:15 break out by helping them establish industries 03:19 where they can earn an income. 03:21 The ways that we're looking at right now, 03:23 one of them is soap. 03:26 Coconuts are very prevalent here. 03:28 We have coconuts everywhere, so they can make coconut oil, 03:31 which, when mixed with caustic soda 03:34 and a couple of other ingredients, 03:35 some sweet-smelling perfume 03:37 and various things, makes a lovely soap. 03:40 And so, our team has been teaching local women 03:44 to how to make soap for themselves. 03:47 Supplies in this remote region can be hard to acquire. 03:51 So this means they have to get creative with items 03:55 that can be found naturally in the jungle. 03:59 With some experimenting, 04:01 Laura LaBore has come up with a recipe for coconut soap, 04:07 that the ladies in the village can make using coconut oil. 04:11 Coconut trees provide 04:13 an abundant natural resource, oil. 04:17 She visits the small community around her area 04:21 and offers to teach them how to make this soap 04:24 and how to set up 04:25 a small business for themselves. 04:29 Today, Laura has arranged 04:31 to hold a class to teach village ladies 04:34 in a village just over 20 minutes 04:36 from the air base, 04:37 how to make soap for themselves. 04:40 She travels to their village and brings all the supplies 04:43 she will need for the class. 04:46 So we are here to learn how to make soap. 04:49 All right, as you know. 04:50 And then I'm going to talk to you 04:52 more about soap 04:53 and how you can make money and that sort of thing, right? 04:56 Right, so the first thing you're going to need is water. 05:02 And everybody has water. 05:06 We can add a recipe for sweet soap or salt soap. 05:09 You're going to make sweet soap today. 05:11 The local ladies are excited about the possibilities 05:14 of acquiring a new skill 05:15 and hopefully providing for themselves. 05:19 Many of the local young ladies come to learn today. 05:23 Even at such a young age, 05:25 they too have babies and families to provide for. 05:28 They curiously pay attention 05:30 to the instructions Laura give them. 05:33 The recipe Laura is teaching today 05:36 was formulated especially for local jungle households. 05:41 Each of the ingredients in this recipe was picked 05:45 because they're items 05:47 that are easily available in this remote area. 05:50 The tiny village marts 05:52 don't carry a large inventory of items. 05:56 It was very important when formulating this idea 05:58 that the ladies be self-sufficient 06:02 and not rely on the missionaries. 06:04 Laura wants the women to be independent 06:07 and to be able to continue 06:09 to make soap on their own long after she leaves. 06:13 You can make just plain soap and using just a coconut oil 06:18 and, yeah, this is, there's not much set to it. 06:22 Okay, now I know that Guyanese like them soap smelly, smelly. 06:26 Okay? 06:27 And, but when you make it just pure like this, 06:29 it doesn't smell so much, 06:31 and go ahead and just smell and you can pass it around. 06:33 This is a next one. This is clove. 06:37 I got a clove oil that I got in Georgetown 06:39 and then I get a spice. 06:41 And I just mix the two together, 06:43 so it has a little bit of a smell. 06:46 She shows the class several different types 06:49 and fragrances of soap 06:51 they can make using local flowers 06:53 and spices readily available in their community. 06:59 She encourages them saying, 07:01 there's a market for these soaps 07:03 and this could possibly be a way to generate income 07:07 for your families. 07:08 This is really good 07:10 and he is willing to buy from you. 07:12 I have to get people 07:14 who are willing to make enough soap to make us, 07:16 who can take out and to sell it to them. 07:18 If you get to where 07:19 you're making batch a week, two batches a week. 07:22 I'll fight out to him and get the money. 07:23 I'm not going to make any money 07:25 or bring the money back for you, right? 07:26 Laura agrees to even help 07:28 deliver the soaps to different parts of the country 07:30 when she has a flight to those areas. 07:34 She wants to do all 07:35 she can to encourage the community 07:38 to think on a larger scale. 07:40 She even helps them create 07:42 a simple business plan for themselves. 07:45 Most of these people 07:46 have never even heard of a business plan, 07:49 so Laura must go step by step. 07:52 So the ingredient is oil 07:54 and that's going to cost nothing, right? 07:59 What's the other ingredient that you have to use? 08:02 Soda. The caustic soda. 08:06 You will put oil, caustic soda. 08:09 How much is that going to cost? 08:12 Okay, so that turned out 08:13 and what else do we use in here? 08:15 Water. How much does water cost? 08:21 I know this sounds silly, 08:22 but this is called the business plan, right? 08:24 You need to know how much each thing 08:26 is going to cost to know if it's working. 08:29 Okay, so add all and this doesn't include 08:32 if you have to buy a glass thing or you know, 08:35 whatever people can bring in. 08:38 This is going to cost $200 to make one batch of soap. 08:42 Each batch of soap makes nine bars. 08:47 Nine bars of soap for each batch. 08:49 Does that make sense? 08:51 Nine bars, okay, for each batch. 08:54 How much do you think you can sell the soap for, 08:56 for one bar, 08:58 like say something like this size? 09:00 How much do you think people would pay for this 09:02 if you're going to sell it? 09:06 In Mabaruma, they're selling it for $200 to women for one bar. 09:12 Two hundred for one bar. 09:14 So I don't know in this area if we can get that much or... 09:20 Do you think people will pay that much? 09:22 How much for shipping? 09:24 You think so? 09:25 I don't know because this is your community. 09:27 Okay, let's say $200. 09:29 Okay, so if it's $200 a bar, 09:33 and nine bars for each batch, 09:37 that's going to be how much? 09:42 So $1800 for every batch, 09:45 that's how much you're going to make, 09:47 but then you have to subtract the $200 for the lot, right? 09:52 You make 18, 09:53 but you always have to calculate 09:55 how much you put into a product 09:56 and how much you really are going to take home. 09:58 So that's $1600 for every batch of soap 10:03 that will be carrying more money 10:05 that you can take. 10:06 After showing them how much money 10:08 they could make with soap making, 10:10 Laura further encourages them 10:12 and she gives ideas of places to sell the soap. 10:16 Why can't we go to Georgetown and go to hotels and make, 10:21 you know, in a standard hotel, 10:23 you get a small bar, yeah, so maybe like a bar 10:27 that's about this size. 10:29 And so it's in the hotels, 10:31 and then each hotel can put a little sign 10:33 there saying this hotel made 10:35 by the Amerindians in the jungle, 10:38 whatever, because the people who come from this, 10:40 from different countries are like wow, 10:42 100% coconut oil made from people in the jungle. 10:47 And they can even sell it more there. 10:49 And there's some booksellers who would do this, 10:51 but this is something 10:52 that you would have to be interested in doing. 10:54 And I'm happy to assist you as much as you want, 10:57 but this is something 10:58 that needs to come from you, okay? 11:00 You are going to have to do the work, 11:01 I'm here to assist, 11:03 you have to be independent doing this, right? 11:05 Why, she even goes through 11:06 the list of items needed to make soap. 11:09 Again, she selects items that are free 11:13 and readily available in the jungle. 11:16 The main ingredient for this soap is coconut oil. 11:20 The ladies here already make their own coconut oil 11:23 from fresh coconuts growing in the forest, 11:27 so there's no additional cost to them. 11:29 The other missionary had her husband 11:31 make these just pieces of wood. 11:34 And I like it because it's all good. 11:37 It's all square. 11:38 Before using this I was using brake pads. 11:40 You can use brake pads, 11:42 you can use whatever shape you want on 11:45 but I like the square and this was easy to make. 11:49 And what I do is you 11:50 have to line it with plastic first. 11:57 See, you don't need anything fancy new, 12:00 okay, just any piece of plastic. 12:02 What we'll do is when after we mix it, 12:04 we're going to pour it into here that 12:06 just push the bar of soap out, and I get a big knife 12:11 and then we just cut it 12:14 and you push a little bit more 12:15 until it's at the end here, cut it again. 12:18 And so by the time you're finished, 12:19 you have nine bars all perfectly of the same size. 12:23 Laura continues on her step by step process. 12:27 She really wants these women to learn this trade 12:30 so they can better their lives 12:33 by having funds to meet the needs 12:34 of their families. 12:40 Right, now you're going to take the lime 12:41 and why don't you come up and see this, just pour it in. 12:46 I don't want to splash it into children's eyes. 12:49 See it starts to turn white. 12:51 That's already turning into like a liquid type soap, 12:56 and then you can just start stirring it. 13:00 Now this is the part that takes the longest for do 13:04 and because you need to stir it until it gets thick. 13:09 Adventist World Aviation missionaries 13:11 deeply care for the well-being of their community. 13:14 They want them to prosper 13:17 and have a hope of a better life. 13:20 Not all their work here 13:21 in Guyana is focused on aircraft, 13:23 but rather on a larger picture. 13:26 Their primary purpose here 13:28 is to develop relationships with the people 13:31 and share the love of God with them 13:34 by showing the people 13:36 that they care about the quality of their lives. 13:39 They're forming bonds of Christian love. 13:44 Laura gives them hands-on training, 13:47 and instructs them each step of the way. 13:50 She even marks the lady's water bottles, 13:53 so they can use them as measuring cups 13:57 since they don't always have access to kitchen supplies, 14:01 Laura shows them to use whatever items 14:04 they might find lying around. 14:08 The villagers are excited 14:10 about the soap making potential. 14:12 They crowd around the table all anxious 14:14 to see every step of the process. 14:18 It's a simple idea, yet, they've never had anyone 14:22 teach them how to generate income for themselves. 14:25 The idea of a small business 14:27 is foreign to these Amerindians. 14:30 This simple class opens 14:32 all kinds of new opportunities to them. 14:35 The LaBores want to do all they can to help 14:39 the Guyanese in their area 14:41 to be self-sufficient and to prosper. 14:45 See then I stir a little bit longer. 14:47 It is still not, it leaves kind of marks. 14:51 So you got these kind of a mark, 14:53 but it's even better than these more in mark two. 14:56 And if it gets a little more thick, 14:57 you can do a design on the top like this. 15:01 They've shared the vision to the local ladies of just 15:04 how much they could better their lives with soap making. 15:09 They offer to help get them started 15:11 and even find ways for them to sell their products. 15:15 Jungle soap is a simple idea, 15:17 which could have a powerful effect 15:20 for these Amerindian ladies. 15:23 With this knowledge and some hard work, 15:26 they could transform their community 15:28 into a flourishing one where no one goes hungry 15:31 and every child 15:33 has the opportunity to go to school. 15:37 The LaBores have even found ways 15:39 to make jungle soap an international product. 15:43 When they return to the United States, 15:46 they always bring a batch home with them to sell. 15:50 This ministry in no way benefits 15:52 the missionaries but instead, 15:55 all the profits go right back to the local ladies 15:59 who make the soap. 16:00 We have a student missionary at Pacific Union College, 16:03 guy named Brian Solder Bloom, who's involved 16:06 with the business club there at PUC. 16:09 And they actually, their interests 16:11 and their focus is in developing businesses 16:13 in foreign countries. 16:15 And so he spoke to them about our work here. 16:18 And they've actually talked 16:19 to a company in Southern California 16:21 that has an interest in possibly buying soap 16:23 that we would send to America. 16:25 And so now we have a market. 16:27 And, so we are working on finding, 16:30 we find that when we teach in a village, 16:32 usually a couple people will take it 16:34 and really go with it. 16:35 And we need a few of those to start producing soap, 16:37 and as we produce a soap, we'll ship to the States. 16:51 The need for women to make extra money 16:54 to feed their families is needed indeed. 16:58 Family structures 17:00 in these small villages often leave women alone, 17:03 to provide their large families with finances. 17:08 Often there aren't enough jobs and sadly the children suffer. 17:13 If there were more opportunities 17:15 for women to make extra money, 17:17 it would alleviate much of the suffering 17:18 these families have to endure. 17:21 One of the things in Mabaruma that, you know, 17:23 I'm still shocked by it frankly is just 17:27 that there are very few examples 17:30 of good families here 17:31 where the husband and wife 17:33 have been together for many years 17:34 and they've raised children successfully together. 17:37 There's a lot of infidelity here, 17:39 and there's a lot of alcoholism. 17:41 Alcohol is very prevalent all over here. 17:45 And the typical scenario 17:47 is that the husband will go to work and will work 17:51 and make a small income for the day. 17:53 And before he gets home, he'll go to the bar, 17:56 and he'll drink there until all the money 17:58 that he's made is gone, and then he goes home 18:02 and expects the wife to have food on the table 18:05 for him to eat, 18:06 but she's had no money to buy any food. 18:08 And so he beats her. 18:10 You know, I mean, 18:11 that's not really that uncommon. 18:12 It's not that it happens everywhere, 18:14 but is common enough. 18:15 There's a lot of broken homes here due to infidelity. 18:19 There's a lot of spousal abuse that goes on. 18:24 And, so women don't have really a lot of options here 18:29 and hope that if their husband is abusive, 18:30 what do they do? 18:32 How do they provide for themselves, 18:33 there's nowhere to go. 18:34 So the idea behind the industries is that 18:38 these industries are primarily focused around women. 18:42 Not that men can't do it, 18:44 but it seems that women have bought into 18:46 it more than anybody else. 18:47 And it's an opportunity for them to develop 18:49 an income where if they, you know, 18:51 if they need to be on their own, 18:52 they can provide for their children 18:54 and provide what's needed for the family. 18:58 And so that's, that's the hope in way that we're aiming for. 19:01 Almost daily, the LaBore family 19:03 witnesses the reality of abuse in the family and neglect. 19:09 Broken families and spousal abuse 19:12 plague their community. 19:13 They desperately need 19:15 the healing power of the Holy Spirit 19:17 to heal their broken homes. 19:20 The LaBores do all they can to share the love of God 19:26 with these communities. 19:28 But sadly, the abuse still continues in many homes. 19:34 When they first moved to Guyana, 19:36 they met a woman named Milly. 19:39 She was a victim of her husband's 19:40 constant battering. 19:42 The LaBores couldn't just sit idly by 19:45 and allow the abuse to continue. 19:48 So they offered Milly a job 19:50 and a way to escape the abuse of her husband. 19:53 By having her own income, 19:55 she could afford to feed herself 19:57 and her children 19:58 and she was able to leave 20:00 the torturous life she was stuck in. 20:03 Me alone, trying to do me handicraft work. 20:06 Forget this, for sale also. 20:10 It's lucky, the first time I make a little one about here, 20:14 while Miss Laura used to sell. 20:18 She throw away piece, piece in the rubbage, 20:21 and I pick up them, and I start to make, 20:24 and I make a little mat about here 20:26 so, big about this. 20:28 Then me carry it and say, 20:29 "Miss Laura, I bring a mat for you 20:31 to put on your table." 20:33 And she done put it. She say, "Oh my! 20:35 It's so beautiful! 20:37 You just make the handicraft work? 20:40 Me say, "Yes, Miss Laura. I just make that." 20:43 And so I start to make for she now. 20:46 It's all is me work here. All me working. 20:52 Why I'm making this handicraft, 20:55 because I need my generator. 21:00 So she telling me she was, 21:01 she said, "Sister Mill, when you make, 21:04 me going to take it to town 21:05 and then you will get your generator. 21:07 Miss Laura is a good lady. 21:09 Yeah, that lady is a good woman. 21:12 So me got to do more handicraft work, 21:15 more me got to do. 21:17 During this time, Laura encouraged Milly 21:19 to make crafts and crochet items 21:22 to produce extra income for herself. 21:26 Laura helps Milly sell the craft 21:29 and also procures yarn for her to continue her work. 21:34 These crafts literally saved Milly's life from a husband 21:38 that nearly beat her to death. 21:40 Well the working with she a lot. 21:42 A good time now. 21:44 And since me working me... 21:46 me seen me way a little bit now 21:49 because me ain't getting no work nowhere here. 21:52 Nowhere. 21:53 It's only this handicraft work, she trying to buy it from me 21:58 and carry it away. 22:00 Over the years, Milly is less 22:02 and less able to do physical labor. 22:05 She now needs a way to provide for herself. 22:09 Laura has found a buyer for her handmade crafts. 22:13 And she takes the craft to town to sell for Milly. 22:17 Milly's had a very difficult and painful life. 22:21 She was a victim of spousal abuse, 22:24 and it almost cost her, her life. 22:27 I say Lord, what is in my life? 22:30 What really happened to me? 22:35 She was fortunate 22:36 to find a way to provide for herself, 22:39 so she didn't need to rely on her husband. 22:42 Milly got married as a teenager. 22:45 She was subject to an arranged marriage 22:48 to a man she hardly knew. 22:50 I don't know if he's a good man or a bad man. 22:54 I don't know. 22:56 From the very beginning, 22:57 Milly had a bad feeling about the man 23:00 she was being forced to marry. 23:03 And me never liked the man. 23:05 But them people tell me like he put something upon me 23:08 when he must have gone to town. 23:10 And when he come back, 23:12 like I get to like this old man. 23:15 "Mr. How you getting so ugly old guy? 23:18 And me no want you." 23:20 And you know the man passed the hands upon me head. 23:24 The abuse started early in Milly's relationship. 23:28 Milly's husband permanently handicapped her from his abuse. 23:33 He pushed her so hard, which fractured her hip. 23:37 She received no medical care. 23:39 And since then Milly can hardly walk. 23:42 When I fall, 23:46 the iron bed is like this. 23:49 Me must have stood up here, 23:51 and this edge now, make this bone for slip. 23:57 I fall upon this iron, me fall side now. 24:01 And when me fall side, won't get up. 24:04 I don't know nothing, I lost all away. 24:07 When I get up, all my head, from my head to me foots soak, 24:11 soak, all me clothes wet. 24:14 Now me down laid up on the floor, get up, 24:19 when I go for mash upon this foot. 24:23 So like I fall upon it again and me know nothing again, 24:28 and they dash water upon me. 24:30 Oh! 24:31 Ah like when he beat me on Saturday. 24:35 Every Saturday, he just drink. 24:38 And when he drink, he come home every day 24:42 the man drinking from Monday, 24:44 Saturday, Sunday he got home. 24:48 Monday he gone to work again. 24:50 When he got to work, 24:51 oh his mother going to come from far from his... 24:54 She house, she left she house 24:56 and she hollering up 25:00 on Brooms Hill top and then now, 25:03 she going to say, Oh me daughter in law 25:05 must straight put up all the knives, 25:07 the cutlass and all them thing yah you put them up 25:10 because my son, he come drunk he going to want 25:12 to beat you for stupidness. 25:14 Oh, you're not too well, 25:17 you're sick already with your foot. 25:20 Her husband's abuse escalated to the point 25:23 that Milly was fearful for her life. 25:26 In his drunken stupor, 25:28 he would often try to cut her with a machete. 25:32 If it wasn't for Milly's daughter's intervention, 25:36 Milly might have been killed. 25:37 Well, he now come and scramble me hair here. 25:41 Me got a lot of hair, like how me got this hair now. 25:44 Hold me hair, and then she pick up a wood, 25:48 a long wood about here and whip him. 25:51 And she loosed me hair and she said, 25:54 "Left mommy, why you want to kill my mother! 25:58 Don't kill me mother! 26:00 And then now he had a man, he come from Barabeast. 26:05 He tell me, He said, "Miss lady, 26:08 please left you husband. 26:09 He have no interest in you. 26:11 Left him and go along! 26:14 Meanwhile you're looking sick, 26:15 you must get some work and you must work in the house. 26:20 And so I start to work. Yes, me work. 26:24 Friends, Milly's story of abuse is all too common. 26:28 Women feel trapped with no way 26:29 to earn enough money to feed themselves. 26:32 So they stay with their abusive husbands. 26:35 Milly was fortunate enough to have Bill and Laura find her 26:39 and offer her a job and a way to escape her abuser. 26:43 It isn't long before her husband tries 26:46 to get Milly to return to him. 26:48 He entices her with promises of his money. 26:53 He phoning and telling me that I must go home back. 26:58 He getting pension money, NIS money, 27:02 time to come so you can draw on my money. 27:05 I felt my duty to tell my boss Mr. Bill. 27:09 I said, "Mr. Bill, my husband who got me 27:13 in this condition today with my foot and my punishment, 27:18 he tell me that how I must left my work 27:21 and go and stay with him 27:23 and me ain't go to do work, make a work. 27:26 And he go work and give me the money and so. 27:29 Then me tell Mr. Bill, 27:31 "Mr. Bill, no don't want the money you know, 27:36 I don't need my husband at all." 27:39 This is couple years me left he and I never go back. 27:43 Because this time, he might dead. 27:45 And me now want he back no more. 27:47 So Mr. Bill did tell me, he said, "Don't go with him. 27:51 Left him. Left him alone." 27:54 The last time when he come by me here, 27:57 I put police upon him. 27:59 Since that time, 28:00 he ain't come back no more to me. 28:03 No come back again. 28:05 Me no want back atoll. 28:09 Done me mind have been broken from him 28:12 because today he got me in this condition with my foot. 28:16 But I just move about in the house, work and so. 28:21 Today Milly's conditions have changed. 28:24 She has a new life, free of abuse and pain. 28:29 She was truly saved from misery 28:32 and given the opportunity to make a life for herself. 28:36 A large percentage of women 28:38 in this region lead a life of fear and pain. 28:43 Adventist World Aviation 28:45 wants to be a changer for these women 28:49 and provide them with a hope of better life 28:52 and the knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ. 28:57 By helping to establish these industries, 29:00 they're opening doors of opportunity 29:04 and setting captives free. 29:07 Praise God. 29:09 I am so happy. 29:11 Sometime Mr. Bill hug me. 29:13 "Oh, Sister Mill, how you do?" 29:16 I said, "Mr. Bill, I'm going all right, 29:17 praise the Lord." 29:19 Miss Laura come and "I hug you also." 29:22 She hug me and then she tell me, 29:24 Miss Laura will say, "I love you Sister Mill. 29:28 You come!" I say, "Yes me come." 29:30 Me happy with them and praise the Lord 29:33 and I got a loving boss, a loving mistress and all too. 29:38 I am happy with them. 29:40 And praise the Lord for that too. 29:42 I get happy with them. |
Revised 2020-07-21