Randy Hesgard, a chaplain at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, and his son Joel, financial counselor at Portland Adventist Hospital in Portland, Ore., recently joined a team of 12 to build staff houses in Guyana, South America.
Two missionary couples had started an Adventist school in the village of Kimbia, 75 miles upriver from New Amsterdam, which has no electricity or running water.
The couples had no living quarters of their own, and had to live in upper-floor classrooms.
Melvin Brass of Ukiah, Calif., a former teacher of these missionaries, heard of the situation and called on friends and relatives to join him in building two houses.
Relatives, students, and friends joined the team, including the Hesgards, Bill Schonemaker, of Pleasant Hill, Ore., and Eric Stollberg, of Portland.
Undeterred by extreme heat and primitive living, Randy Hesgard says, “It was a great opportunity to help others less fortunate, see another part of God’s great world, and spend quality time with family and friends.” •
Marella Rudebaugh, administrative assistant
