During their years in Guyana, David and Becky opened Davis Indian Industrial College (DIIC) to provide an education for young people. Soon they added a successful Bible training school. As usual, God opened the way.

A 35-year-old mother of eight asked, “May I come to the secondary school at DIIC?” David felt sad to tell her they had no more room. But she continued to plead, for she wanted to learn. “I dreamed to go to school so I can read my Bible and share with others.”

That gave David and Becky the idea to open a school for older people who wanted to be volunteer Bible workers. But they had no volunteer teacher to lead them. Then David thought of Dr. Sheila Robertson, a retired doctor in her mid-seventies, who was working in an isolated village about four or five days walk from Kaikan.

David flew there in about twenty minutes and asked her if she would be willing to open a school to train adult Amerindians to be Bible workers. “This is very important for outreach, because the government will permit Amerindians to enter any village without a permit,” David explained.

Dr. Robertson accepted.

“I remember the joy on the faces of those nine Amerindian Bible workers at the first graduation.” Becky smiled at David one Sabbath afternoon as they enjoyed a rare opportunity to sit on the porch of their Kaikan home and think about what God had done for them. “Now the Bible workers have already begun pioneer mission work in unentered places, going out two by two.”

“Without volunteers, our work here would be impossible. I thank God for the teachers who stay throughout the school year, but I’m glad for the short-term volunteers, too,” David added.

“Yes, like the ADRA volunteer engineer from Canada, Mr. Hosick!” Becky remembered.

Mr. Hosick had given his skills to DIIC at a time when they were greatly needed. The school’s source of water from Rain Mountain had suddenly stopped. Mr. Hosick hiked up the steep trail to a large rock, the source of the spring, and found that mud and debris had filled the tank and clogged the water pipe that flowed down the mountain to the school. With student help he cleaned out the collection tank, lifted it out, and dug deeper. Then he skillfully built a concrete dam around it to keep the water clean. An overflow pipe kept the water level at 18 inches.

A villager told Mr. Hosick that 400 feet above the spring he would find a waterfall coming out from under a huge rock. With the help of students, they built a concrete catchment basin and covered it with metal sheets to keep out animals and debris. Slashing away jungle growth, they created a 50-foot drop straight down. With water from both sources flowing through a two-inch plastic pipe to a 1,000-gallon cistern at the foot of the mountain, the school would have water even in dry years. The first time it was filled, the empty cistern overflowed in five hours. Soon every building on the campus had pure water piped to it.

Becky marveled, “I get thrilled anew every time I hear about that water provided by Jesus, the water of life. And to think God brought an engineer to the town of Paruima at just the right time, when no one there knew what to do but bathe in the river and drink its black water. How thankful we are for volunteers like Mr. Hosick.”

* * * * *

A short time later David urgently needed to make a trip to the United States to find more volunteers who could come to Guyana. But before he could go, he needed to pay all his debts. He added up everything he owed, including airplane fuel, roofing and construction material, wages for workers, food, etc., and it totaled $4,000. Once more he turned to his heavenly Financier.

“Father God, I’m in trouble again. I have only $2,000 in cash, and I need at least $2,000 more. This is Thursday morning. Friday is the last banking day before my scheduled departure to the U.S. on Sunday night. I need You desperately. Please help me.”

Knowing that previously God had provided emergency funds by putting cash in his briefcase, David confidently believed that God would do it again while he slept. David rested well that night. He began his devotions the next morning by reading the story of Elijah and the widow. He praised the Lord for having met the need, believing God had performed a miracle as before. Then he opened his briefcase.

He began counting. Only $2,000! He counted again. Still just $2,000. “How could you do this to me, God? You know this is only half of what I need. And I must pay my bills before I leave for the U.S.”

Upset and disappointed, David felt God had let him down. In his bad mood he forgot the promise, “Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing” (Ellen White, The Desire of Ages, p. 330).

Suddenly the thought came to him, like God’s still small voice whispering, “Use what you have.” David thought, That’s the problem. I don’t have enough.

Accustomed to conversing with God, he waited. His eyes fell upon the notebook computer on the bed beside him. The voice in his thoughts persisted, “Didn’t you get an offer last week to buy your computer for $2,000? You decided that the volunteer teacher could have your computer the day you left. Then you’d replace it with a new one as soon as you arrived in the States. She agreed and gave you a check for $2,000.”

“But God,” David began to object aloud, “You know that for the last 15 years I’ve bought and sold computers, but I’ve always kept the money for replacement only. I need that $2,000 for a new computer. How can I function without one? I use my computer for everything.”

Instantly the thought crossed his mind: Is the Holy Spirit speaking to you? How can you expect others to sacrifice to send you funds, when you yourself are not willing to give until it hurts?

Suddenly a whole string of Bible promises flashed through his mind. “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, KJV). “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24, NKJV).* “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7, KJV).

For a few moments the struggle in David’s mind became intense. Then came the peace of surrender. On his knees, he submitted himself. “OK, God I’m convinced. I’ll use the computer funds to pay bills. I’ll trust You about the purchase of another computer. If you want me to have one, You’ll get me one somehow.”

Peace came with the decision, but he felt depressed at the thought of working and living without a computer. After landing in Georgetown, he cashed the $2,000 check at the bank and hurried back to the airport. Two patients waited at the plane to go back to the interior. Before he took off, he remembered he hadn’t checked his e-mail. He still had his computer with him. Eighteen messages had come in. One from his father entitled “Funds” caught his attention.

He read, “Son, your mother and I felt impressed by God last night regarding the urgency of the work being done in Guyana. We felt we need to give sacrificially to supply those needs. We deposited a check for $4,000 to your Guyana account. Dad.”

God had done it again! He had changed David’s heart and moved on his parents. God had blessed both of them with the call to sacrifice.

As David walked back to the airplane, he praised God, “I feel most blessed. Thank You for the privilege of working completely by faith. I love you and am certain that You are able and will provide for Your own and give me another computer when You know it is best.”

On arriving in the States David felt lost, handicapped, and hardly able to function without his computer. During that time he received an e-mail on his father’s computer sent from his friend Pastor Israel Leito, the Inter-American Division president. “I’ve collected some funds for you personally. I’d like to buy you a satellite cellular phone. I know you could use one in your travels.”

Several days later David thought, Maybe the president would allow me to buy something other than a cell phone. So he sent him an e-mail. “Appreciate your kind offer. Would you allow me to purchase a notebook computer instead?”

The answer: “My dear friend and inspiration, the money is yours. You may use it to purchase any piece of equipment most needed.”

This David gratefully did. God replaced the computer he had sold with a better, faster computer. David thought, We never really sacrifice for God. He always gives us something better!

* Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright ©
1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.