A few months back, we had a visiting Authority come for a training visit. In preparation for his fireside, the young adults sang a special musical number. These are the young adults who preformed. I taught them the song, but Sister Kippins, a Returned Missionary and current District Young Womans president, actually conducted the song. Afterwards, it was rice Krispie treats all around. They did a fabulous job. I was so proud of them. They really brought the spirit as they sang How Great Shall be your Joy. Very appropriate, since Elder Johnson taught us about who our sheep are.

This is a typical house in many areas of Guyana. Many of them are one room. This house is about 10 by 12 feet. An amerindian family of 6 lives here. We had to walk over a plank over a little trench to get to their home. This trench is where this family gets their water. Quite a humbling experience.

One day when we were out in Canje, Scot was asked to do a second interview with a man who was to be baptised. He does all the second interviews for all the baptisms of the country. A person needs a second interview if they have had an abortion, have been in prison, or have children from another woman. When we arrived, he had just gone to visit a friend who had a family death. So we visited with this sweet family. The wood structure behind the family is their outdoor cooking area. You cant see the outhouse, there is no electricity or running water. They live upstairs but spend time under the house playing and cooking. That is how it is with many of the people here.

Amerindian Primary children

Look at the sweet faces of these three primary children at their home. Only one was old enough to be baptised, but the other two were anxiously awaiting the day. After a short visit, we all sang, I am a child of God. Nice to know that some things are the same everywhere in the world.

Earlier this month we went to Canje to attend a zone conference there. These fine sisters can make a mean hawiian haystack meal for hungry missionaries. Afterwards we went shopping for bread for a delicious spagetti dinner at the Lingrins home. It is so fun to get together with the other couples. Seems like all we do is meet and eat.

Sister Missionaries

During this weeks zone conference, which is actually is made up of 3 zones, our zone the La Grange zone, prepared a special musical number to sing . These Elders sounded great! They sang How Great Shall Be Your Joy. We even had an award for the best smiler. This was a special zone conference. It was our President and his wife, Reid and Diane Robisons last conference here before they go home to Provo, Utah in about 14 days. They have been wonderful models for each of us. We wish them the best of luck in their new chapter as they leave this West Indies Mission and pick up where they left off at Brigham Young University.

This is our new zone. We are called the La Grange zone. But everyone has ordered alligator scripture covers, or hymn books, or tote bags. We are thinking of changing our name to the La Gator zone. We look pretty snazy with our gator scriptures. The Elders even convinced me to purchase an alligator purse. Not a fan of so much gator, I did get a purse (which I needed) but the purse I got does have a alligator on it. Oh, how I love to be part of the zone.

Shadetts anyone??

Here we have Scot with a Shadett. What the heck is this? Well, it is better than a grapefruit. In St. Lucia, they weren't quiet this large. This one is huge. They are hard to come by. They are not as juicy and you peel them and eat them as an orange. This is our favorite fruit here. It you love pink grapefruits, you'll love Shadetts

One of the things we just do here in Guyana is eat out a lot. We seem to celebrate birthdays, going aways, its monday, just about any reason to get together and it seems to be more often than not. But we love getting together and we love working with these other couples.

Our last time as a Diamond Zone

Here is the group we occasionally hang out with. Great group of guys and sisters. Imagine serving this crew breakfast every 6 weeks. We tried something new this time. The night before, we made a breakfast casserole with cut up pieces of bread, cheese, eggs, milk, vanilla and added cooked sausage and beacon on top, and let it sit overnight. In the morning you top it with diced tomatoes and green onions and bake. Was pretty easy and made the for a smooth dish. Sister Handly brought tons of fresh pineapple, watermelons and bananas. I think we might just have to do that again. Don't these elders look well fed and content?

Testing out the ping pong table

These fine elders of the Diamond zone love not only to get together every six weeks for an hour or so, they just love each other. Did you know they end all their phone calls with "I love ya" which was sort of weird when the first one said it to me. I don't really hear it often, but they sure say it to each other. They are really known as a band of brothers.

Pre transfer missionary breakfast

Look at these goofball elders. At this point our lovely breakfast is over and they are waiting turns for pingpong on our dining room table. Most of them get to stay, and oh, how we will miss the others as they transfer to a new area. Good luck gentlemen!

Manatee's at the Park

Today, we were suppose to drive to Canje for an interview after church, but it was postponed. So on the way home from church, we stopped at the Botanical gardens (not what you are imagining) for a little picnic and to see the manatees. We spotted about four of them. They posed for us as long as we fed them a little grass. They are about 8 feet long and live in this large pond. We were a little suprised that they let us pet them. A face only a mother could love.

A green parrot day

One day this week, I was on my way to pick Scot up from the church after an afternoon with the sisters and I heard this loud cawing sound. I pulled over the car to catch these green parrots up in a tree. There were about 15 in all. How often do you get to see a bunch of parrots in the wild, or shall I say in the neighborhood. It was pretty neat. Glad I had my camera. For a really good glimpse of these parrots, just click on the picture and you can see their beauty up close and personal.

Sister Juman and the Prime Minister at the Celebration

Sister Juman and I happened to be walking toward the enterence of the National Indian Arrival Day Celebration just as the prime minister was entering the grounds. He was surrounded by body guards, but she wanted to shake his hand, so she did and there I was with my camera. It was sort of a thrill. He even shook my hand. Probably because I was the only white person on the entire celebration grounds. He didn't stop for anyone else. I just drove by his house yesterday in downtown Georgetown. Perhaps I should pop in for a visit sometime and bring him rice krispie squares or brownines or something. You never know when it might help to know people in high places. Then again, maybe he wants to learn about the church. You never know.

Indian arrival Day Celebration

May 5 was East Indian Arrival Day. I went with sister Juman and she explained the festivities. Here we were on a ferris wheel. It was her first time on one and she kept her eyes closed the whole time. There was traditional dancing, floats depicting the history of the people, music, dancing, traditional costume, food and all sorts of cultural mixes. It was fun and there is so much to learn about these people. And this is just the East Indians.

The East Indians comprise of the Hindus, the Muslums and the Christians. Each with their own traditions. But they all get along because they all came as endured servants 171 years ago. They share that important part of history.

These children represent the early school children. They don't dress like this now, but all the students here from kindergarden up through high school do wear uniforms.

Apparently, these children on this float represent the way the early hindu people were married. They had arranged marriages of children and later, when they were older, lived together. The boy here wasn't too happy about the whole thing, but the girl seemed pretty happy.

This was just one of the performing groups. It is all drums. And frankly...... I don't get it. It sounds to me like 10 minutes of the same beat. So I must be missing something. But they seemed to know what they were doing. We also watched the Haricrishna groups play and dance. They might be hindus that believe in Christ. I'll have to look into that more.

Cute little frogs

See this cute little frog? We have these visitors each evening. We think they climb in through one of the drains. They are only about an inch big. But we end up chasing one around the living area each evening. See, what they don't realize is that if they come inside for the evening, they will shrivel up and die by morning. So it is rather important that we catch them and save their little lives. By save, I simply mean I catch them and toss them outside near the drain. This one was found in the dishes in the kitchen sink. The chase is on. If I win, we both win, or, another another one bites the dust.

Mother's Day preparation in the Garden Park Branch

Check out this great group of Garden Park Primary kids. They were preparing three songs for mothers day next week. They are singing some song I vaguely remember from my primary days as a youth, Love is Spoken Here,

and a Happy Family. They are also having two primary children speak and one child give a poem. What an awesome tribute to mothers. They practiced smiling and the whole performance bit. I can hardly wait to see them next week. They Rock. And their leaders are pretty cute too. I love that where ever I go in the world, Primary children are learning the same songs. I need to brush up on some of them. I get to teach them songs when I visit their branch and we have such a fun time.

Seminary Rocks in the West Indies

Here are some pictures of some of the seminary students in our district. We had a special seminary fireside this saturday. Elder Gamiette, our soon to be mission president and current CES director for the West Indies came to spend a day with the youth. They played a fun Scripture Bingo game that really challanged them. They were split into 4 teams. If a team thought they had a bingo, they had to either stand and recite the scripture (one of the 25 they are to learn for the year) or read the scripture and relate a personal experience. So many of the kids are receint converts to the church and were so quick to apply the scripture to their lives. I was in AWE. Guess I'd better buckle down and learn these scriptures. They were so into it and Brother Gamiette is soooo motivating. He will be replaced by Brother Alverado of Peurto Rico. He too is a really fun guy. He lead a great discussion with the young Adults that evening. WOW!

Two of our favorite friends

Here are two of my favorite people here in Guyana. This is the darling wife and son (Rande)of our new District President. They got to spend a little time at our home one sunday afternoon while our husbands had meetings. It was fun. Is this not the cutest kid you have ever seen? He is always smiling. Sister Vonella Goodluck happens to be the sister of one of our St. Lucia friends, Kendrea from the Castries Branch. The world is getting smaller every day.

The sheep and the goats

This land is full of wild life. This troup of about a dozen goats and kids crossed out path the other day. We stood on the side of a bridge to see if they would confront us or not. They didn't seem to have a problem sharing the road with us. They are cute little critters. They are all over the place. Makes us feel a little like we live in the country.

Shrimp for dinner, maybe

On our way home from Conjie the other day, we stopped on the side of the road along this trench to visit with this little family. A mom, her 4 year old boy and these 3 daughters were attempting to catch shrimp in this trench. The two older girls about ages 12 and 10 were swiming in the water with their net while the rest of the family walked the bank with a basket to hold the caught shrimp. When we asked them how long it would take to catch, they said this was their first time and that they had no idea. What a fun family activity, catching dinner.

Rice Drying on the Road

Guyana is famous for their rice. Part of the rice drying process is to pour the rice out of its 50 lb bags onto the road and spread it out to dry in the sun. Every 15 minutes or so the workers walk through it to help it dry. After several hours of drying, they scoop it back up and take it back to the mill to separate the rice from the dried outside cover. Here is a father working with his son and sister Hymas who thought it looked fun. What a way to toughen your feet.

Trenches of Guyana

In order to get to many houses, you have to cross these planks or bridges as they call them here. We were doing a little exploring and saw these kids who wanted a picture with us. So we all made our way onto the plank for the perfect picture. That trench below is where the little caiman alligators and who know what else live. We never did touch the water, but my friend, Sister Bullock fell in once at night. Creepy.

A glimps of nature

We often interact with nature out here in Guyana. We compete with roaches, ants and tiny frogs on a daily basis. But the creatures I love to watch are the birds. We have two kinds that really draw our attention. The first is this bird that jumps. Every morning we look out our bedroom window and watch this bird hop off the wall or branch of a bush about 3 feet in the air and down again. He will do this repeatedly. We call him the jumper. But there is this other bird that we love to watch. This colorful character is called a kisadee. This kisadee is sitting on the wall, watching for grasshoppers in the field below. He enjoyed a wonderful breakfast.

Shampooing in the Rain

I was taking a shower one morning and as it happens often, the power went off. Now, I don't really understand why the water goes off when the power goes off, but it does. So there I am with a head full of shampoo and no water. I wrap myself in a towel and head downstairs to see if Scot has any bright ideas and he does. He reminds me that it IS raining. Surely there must be a pipe that catches the water on the roof and drains in the yard somewhere. And sure enough, right outside my kitchen door I see the pipe above. So towel and all, I finish my shower, under the drain pipe and in the rain. What a refreshing shower it was. Only in Guyana.

There's a New toy in town

We figured that there really wasn't a lot of things for the elders to do here. I remembered Nathan played ping pong on his mission. So we purchased some ping pong balls and paddles, taped up a paper net on our dinning room table and let them have at it. They were thrilled. Let the games begin!!! The chocolate chip cookies at the end completed the activity. We'll have to restrict this activity to preparation day, but it is nice to have laughing young men with a little competetive edge in our home again. We sort of miss all our hockey-boy live ins. We are responsible for 8 of these fine young men in our District. If they have any medical needs, need supplies, need help with interviews, or need an occasional meal, we are the parents away from home.

Power of the Priesthood

We visited the little branch of Parika yesterday. After everyone had left, I had just finished picking up and arranging chairs after a YW lesson. On my way out, I caught sight of this sweet moment. A new member, David, who was baptised the day before, and given the Holy Ghost in sacrament meeting just hours earlier, was quietly being ordained to the priesthood. His wife and daughter were present along with a 17 year old who had been a member 1 week. He was next to be ordained. It was a sweet, quiet moment. Just a little family, 2 elders, 2 priesthood visitors, the branch president and the only other active priesthood member. I was thrilled to be a fly on the wall this day to see the kingdom strengthened with Christ's priesthood authority.

A visit to the Parika primary

Yesterday, we went to a small branch about 40 minutes away. The branch usually has more people, but this particular day, this was the wonderful size of the primary. The primary president was scurring to prepare a lesson and cover for a teacher, so I got to teach these children some primary songs. They didn't know hindges, a happy family and teach me to walk in the light. We had a great time together. I just happened to have some chocolate chip cookies with me and there was pleanty to share. This was such a great group of kids. I have 7 new great younger friends there. Each time I go to visit that branch, I get to teach a few more primary songs. Guess I'd better get learning. They are hungry to learn and sing.

Caiman's make good pets

Here we are with Elder Leishman and a few boys in the neighborhood who caught this caiman in the trench that lines the streets. The boys said that it is their pet, but I know that people eat them. Our friend sister Bullock, who is taking us on visits in her area, has had occasion to fall into one of these trenches. Who knows what else learks in these trenches. This is the first one we have seen, but something tells me it won't be the last.

Caiman for dinner???

While we were walking to our car in Canji, some boys noticed us and invited us over to see the Caiman they had caught. They have him by a rope by the tail. They just pull him out of the trench when they want to play and let him live in the trench during the night and when they are at school. This Caiman was about 4 feet long. That is a missionary tag along side his mouth. Isn't he cute? Other missionaries have been known to cook and eat Caiman.

Kids in the neighborhoods in Canji

When we were strolling down the streets in Conji earlier this week, we stopped to visit with some of the neighborhood children. They were all smiles and totally delightful. As we walked through their streets, I was struck as to how little they had. But they seemed so happy. Most of the homes didn't have real runnng water, or electricity, and in this particular area, homes were made of wood slats and very small. Happiness is an attitude. I guess that is why the elders love teaching the gospel here in Guyana. Theses humble people are hungry for the gospel.

The latest Gumboot Fashion

Now it isn't all sister missionaries that have the opportunity to wear these fashionable gumboots, but here we are. These three friends, Sister Hymas from BC, Sister Leishman from St. George, and Sister Bullock from Oregon have been reunited in the wonderland of Canji, Guyana for a day. We were told that if we click our magic gumboots together and say we want to go home, it will happen (one day). But for now, we are more interested in showing off our stylish boots, our lilly white knees and sharing the day together. What a lovely combination. I'm quiet sure that these special addition boots are only sold here in Guyana. Perhaps we can take special orders.

Mundy's Angels

Here we have the three amigas, Thelma, Louise and their side kick. Elder Mundy prayed all three of us here to Guyana. He thought we would be his dream team, but because we are separated two hours apart geographically in a triangle, we will have to be Mundy's angels.

Here is another family who travels to church together. Everyone knows their spots and travel in the most economical way they can think of. How daring. What some people will do to keep their covenants and bring up their little family with the life changing principles of this gospel. WOW!

Priesthood bretheren bike to their meetings

This is one of my favorite all time pictures. Here are two members of a branch biking to their leadership training meeting. They biked about 10 miles each way to get to their meetings. Most of the members here don't have cars. It makes me pause to wonder if I would be as dedicated to do the same. Where there is sacrifice, there is growth and power. Love to see those ties flapping in the wind.

We have a neighbor named Layla. She is so sweet. We were driving by her home and saw here out watering her plants. So we stopped to introduce ourselves. She knew who we were and took us to her back yard, where she cut open a couple of coconuts, gave us the coconut water and jelly and introduced us to her parrots. They were beautiful. She then introduced us to her two grandsons ages 6 and 8. How nice to have neighbors who are willing to share themselves. She even invited us to dinner on the spot, but we had to decline. We have been told not to eat at anyone's home for health reasons. So I guess I might have to learn how to cook after all.

A few sights of Guyana

There are about as many dogs as there are people in Guyana it seems. We live outside Georgetown. This was a little bit of an unusual sight. Every where there is building going on, there are these piles of white sand, which aid in the making of cement used to build houses. Her we have one lazy dog sitting as king of the hill. He was so relaxed, off the road and didn't seem to bother anyone. That is kind of how it is here in Guyana.