Small steps!

We have found today to be a difficult day as we try to get things sorted and get used to being so far away from loved ones, particularly at Christmas time.  It’s very surreal seeing Christmas decorations everywhere, people wearing Santa hats and hearing carols while it is in the 80s and 90s all the time!  We are accustomed to cold and dark Christmases so it’s odd to be ambling around in shorts and flip flops at this time of year! 

 This morning, one of the circuit stewards kindly escorted us on the bus into Georgetown to try to get a wireless modem to enable us to at least send emails at home until such time as we can get connected to a landline and full internet.  It was however a long and gruelling morning.  We got up at 5.15 to be ready to go at 6.30 and returned to the house at 1.15pm!  The bus journey was interesting as the driver sped along in the rain overtaking in some very dodgy places but we have had worse journeys in Kenya so felt fairly calm! 

 Once we were in Georgetown we went from place to place trying to purchase a modem and kept being told they didn’t sell them, had run out or were getting more in next week.  We finally found somewhere that sold them and then had to get across the city to find a SIM card which involved lining up in three different queues in the same building before we finally got it!  We have managed to get online and at least check our emails (albeit slowly!) so we are very thankful.

 Our freight is apparently due in on a plane tonight so we are hoping and praying that we can somehow get it delivered or collect it tomorrow but that may be wishful thinking! 

An update on Felicity the frog – she was becoming a bit of a nuisance and kept complaining every time I cleaned the draining board as it was killing all the little ants she likes to eat.  She was also leaving her little poos in the cupboard under the sink!  So we decided to put her out (gasp!) but then couldn’t catch her!  I think she heard us talking about getting rid of her because she jumped into the lounge and hid in one of the curtains every time we approached!  Mark eventually caught her and went downstairs to put her out but as soon as he tapped her out of the glass she jumped up the stairs and beat him back in!  So he’s put her out again and we are keeping the plug in the sink to stop her coming back up.  It’s sad but had to be done.  (I can hear you all worrying about my state of mind now!)

Oh and as for the bat, we think it is finding its way into the house as we keep finding bat droppings but up to now we haven’t spotted the actual bat again yet!  The joys of the tropics eh?!!

We have been overwhelmed by all your lovely email and Facebook messages and have loved receiving some actual mail in our little box so thank you everyone for your kindness and for not forgetting us! 

Bat revisited!

15.12.12

Well we thought the bat must have left the house as we couldn’t find it last night but when we came in yesterday afternoon we saw bat droppings at the bottom of the stairs so guessed it must be hiding somewhere!  Then while I was cooking tea it appeared which freaked me out and I hid while Mark tried to get it out.  It was a comical sight as Mark tried to ‘encourage’ it out of the door using the lid of a bin.  He said it was like a weird game of badminton which we have now of course renamed ‘batminton’!!  Finally we turned off the lights and opened the door and it flew out.  I’m sure it was more frightened than we were but nevertheless it was a little disconcerting!!

                    

Post!

 A wonderful thing happened yesterday afternoon as our post girl brought us some post from England.  Usually I get fed up with Christmas cards cluttering up the place but to receive some cards was the most amazing feeling and made me cry as it was at last a contact with home.  One of my friends kindly sent me a little Christmas fairy decoration which is the only decoration we have this year so far so she takes pride of place in our lounge.  I will treasure that fairy always as it was so precious to receive something that linked us with home and to think that someone had been so thoughtful.  The receipt of post has taken on such a huge significance now we are so far away so please do write to us if you possibly can.  The cards only seemed to have been posted about 7 – 10 days previously so it hasn’t taken too long. 

 School

I paid a visit to our local Primary school which is about 100 yards away up the road and although term had ended managed to meet some of the teachers and ask some questions about school life here.  It is very different to England and I will tell more about it another time.  The kids have broken up now until 7^th January so I won’t be able to get into schools until then which gives me chance to get settled in a bit and if our freight arrives to unpack properly! 

                 

Our manse

I thought you may just like to see a few pictures taken around our manse to give you an idea of where we are living.  Our home is lovely and very luxurious compared to a lot of houses here so we are very grateful to the local church for getting this all ready for us.

Our living area

Our bed...the mozzie net makes it look like a four poster! 

Mark in his study

Our kitchen

Our washing machine!

Outside our back door.  You can see the suspended washing line behind me.

Taken looking up out of our bedroom window

And looking down...once the rainy season gets underway this will just be water logged.

Taken at about 5.30 one morning...we have to get up very early now! 

Things we are thankful for:

• We have been given our TIN numbers which we need for our long stay permits.
• That we received some post from England.

Prayer points for today:

• To get phone and internet sorted.
• To get our freight safely.
• To get a car sorted.
• For our visas and work permits to be sorted quickly.

• Plus I have been bitten several times on my feet and one of the bites has caused the top of my right foot to swell and be quite painful so please pray that it subsides – plus any medical advice from my doctor and nurse friends would be gratefully received! 

One step forwards, two steps back!

14.12.12

We do feel we are making some progress but there are still a lot of frustrations and hurdles to be overcome.

On Wednesday we caught a local ‘bus’ into Mahaica village which is about a mile away.  These buses are the only means of public transport in Guyana and are little privately owned mini buses which should carry about 10 people but in reality carry many more plus bikes, baggage etc!  When we got on we thought it was full but as we passed people on the road we discovered there was always room for one more!  This cost us about 20p each for the journey so a good cheap ride. 

We managed to buy another mobile phone for me and get some more food though the local store doesn’t really sell anything fresh so I had to use a lot of ingenuity to make a meal out of what I had been able to buy.  We decided to walk back to the manse and it was good to be able to greet the locals on the road and in their houses.  We also introduced ourselves to the local post office staff and met the post girl who will be delivering any mail to our mail box. 

Our biggest frustration is that we cannot yet get a landline or internet in the house which means we can’t easily contact people.  There is a kind man from the local church trying to help us sort this out but everything here takes a lot of time to achieve!  Sadly, we may now not have connection before Christmas which I found upsetting. 

Yesterday we were taken into Georgetown and a fellow minister in the district helped us try to get some things sorted.  A very long and tiring day queuing patiently at various offices but a fruitful one.  When we got home there was a bat flying around the house which freaked me out a bit but we think it must have found its way out as we haven’t seen it again!  

 Here are some things we are thankful for:

• We managed to get a temporary one month driving pass (though it is irrelevant at the moment as we are still waiting for a car!)
• We applied for a tax identification number which is a number we will need to make any large purchases, apply for visas etc.
• We put in our applications for work permits and were told we will hear in two weeks though our colleague told us he put his in on 1^st September and is still waiting! 
• We opened a Guyana bank account and once we get internet hope to be able to transfer some money each month into it to save us getting charged each time we withdraw cash.
• We went to a pretty good sized supermarket and finally have some food in the house to make some basic meals!  I even managed to find some bacon!  Yay!  
• The plumber has been and we have a better flow of water now so can use the washing machine and wash more adequately.
• A lady from Mahaica church is coming to meet me today and take me to introduce me to the local Primary school head so that will be my first school contact and I am looking forward to that.  We also met a guy who works for the Guyana Bible Society and he gave me some children’s Bible colouring books that he hopes to get given free to every child in Guyana.  I will be able to take a sample to each head teacher that I meet to ask about their distribution so that feels like a great door opening and gives me a good starting point to introduce myself around the schools. 

These are our current frustrations:

• For our freight boxes…we keep hitting brick walls with this and are dependent on so many other factors before we can get them…there is a document we need from the freight company but with no internet access can’t easily email back and forth.
• We have no access to cash unless we go to the ATMs in Georgetown and that is an hour’s drive away and until we get a car are reliant on someone taking us.  We have used all the cash we got yesterday to pay a deposit to an engineer so now have no money for the internet café, phone top up cards or any more food until we get to the city again.  No-one accepts credit or debit cards so we need to operate in cash and at the moment it is hard to judge how much we need. 
• Lack of internet is the most upsetting as I want to be able to contact people easily and then I won’t feel so cut off.  I am feeling the pain of separation as the week goes on and long to be in regular contact again.
                                           
We realise that these frustrations are a daily battle for most people who live here and are very thankful for all the blessings we have despite the frustrations.  It is all making us realise how much we took for granted back in the UK. 


So we would appreciate your prayers for the following:
• To get phone and internet sorted.
• To get our freight safely.
• To get a car sorted.
• For our visas and work permits to be sorted quickly.

Slow progress

11.12.12

We slept really well and our bed is soooo comfortable which is a real blessing.  We had the air con switched on and don’t know if we are acclimatizing already but when we had it on 24 degrees C we were too cold so have turned it up to 28 degrees and it still felt cool compared to the rest of the house! 

Progress is slowly being made.  These are the things we have achieved since arriving:

This shows how small Felicity is compared to the match boxes!

Meet our latest pet!  LOL

• We have moved the bedroom furniture to where we want it!
• We now have one Guyana mobile phone!  (we were slightly worried we weren’t going to be able to get one as they wanted proof of address which we haven’t got…however they very kindly let us have one on production of our passport!)
• We have found the local internet café and been able to at least send a message to everyone.
• We have found the village supermarket and bought a few supplies – though nothing I can really yet make a meal out of. We at least now have bread, peanut butter, eggs, onions and a few tins (but no tin opener as yet!!).  At the supermarket I introduced myself to one of the young Indian girls who works there asked her if another day she will tell me what all the items for sale are and how I can cook them! 
• We have found the petrol garage (for when we get a car!), post office, pharmacy and local market for fresh fruit.
• We have discovered that any post addressed to us gets put into a little mail box at the end of our drive – Mark went to check it yesterday and found it empty apart from a tiny frog which we have named Fernando!  We also have our little frog in the kitchen who we have named Felicity!  We have heard that these little frogs are harmless but sometimes pop out of the tap or plughole while you are washing and make you jump!  Eek!
• I have found out how much a quart is! 
• I have learned to use the washer.  Just need to find where to get pegs now to hang out the washing!
• Our Isle of Wight calendar is hanging up…a lovely picture of Godshill in thick snow to remind us of the cold weather! 
• Our next door neighbour has a cat which is about to give birth so we may get a kitten!  Name suggestions please!  Good grief we must be crazy!!  

Hello Guyana!

10.12.12

We’re here!  Still awaiting internet connection as I write this but will write it anyway and post it once we get connected! 

We checked in quickly and easily at Gatwick and miraculously weren’t over our weight limit on our baggage so didn’t have to pay any extra costs.  While waiting for our flight we enjoyed a final cooked English breakfast and a lovely cup of tea!

Our final English cup of tea!

I felt quite calm and peaceful in the run up to getting on the plane but as we took off and soared away from England I did have a wobbly and felt very upset thinking about how far away from our loved ones we were going.

Goodbye England :-( 

Our flight went smoothly and the transition at Trinidad was easy.  When we arrived at Guyana’s international airport all our baggage had arrived safely and we had a lovely welcome party of all the circuit staff waiting to greet us so we were very thankful.  We then had a 50 mile drive to our manse where a group of lovely ladies were waiting to greet us and show us around our new home.  We were so blessed and thankful to see they had put air con into our bedroom, painted everywhere and even bought a washing machine for the manse.  After a little chat and a welcome prayer they all left us to it and we fell into bed exhausted 24 hours after getting up at the hotel in London!

I was woken up 4 hours later (6am local time…that would have been 10am this morning in the UK) by the following mixture of sounds:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Torrential tropical rain

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->A pack of dogs barking

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->A cock crowing

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Something scurrying in the roof above us (possibly rats?)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Tropical birds welcoming the dawn!

I did think for a moment…’What have we done?!!!’ but quickly recovered and had to laugh as I never realised the rats at college were preparing me for this all along!! 

So, this morning I have unpacked all our cases and started to find homes for things…it is so wonderful to have an actual house to live in again and to spread out!  The water pressure is very low but we do have running cold water, electricity (mostly…though it has just gone off as I am writing!), the local church have put tea, milk, cereal, fresh tropical fruit, eggs and bread in the kitchen for us so we have food for today and we are very warm!  Hooray!  We found a tiny cute little frog in our kitchen this morning about the size of a 50p piece but she jumped away before I could take a photo! 

Our prayer requests today then are as follows:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->For all our freight boxes to arrive safely so that we have all our resources and the rest of our personal belongings.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->For us to orientate ourselves quickly and find out where to get things we need such as loo rolls, washing powder and more food! 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->For us to get connected to phone and internet asap so I can actually send these messages to you lovely supporters!

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->That we can remain calm and peaceful and not panic when we keep thinking about all the things that we need to find out and do!

Right off to make some scrambled eggs for our lunch…I can hear children playing so there must be a school very close by and a little brightly coloured bird is singing melodiously outside my window!

We're on our way!

We’re on our way!  8.12.12

We are finally on our way!  I am writing this from our hotel at Gatwick Airport.

It has been quite an emotional week travelling around the country visiting our family and friends and saying our farewells but now the goodbyes are over and we are waiting for some hellos!  Some of you will be relieved we have gone at last as I know you are fed up of saying goodbye to us for so long!!  We know that God is already ahead of us and his presence will be with us in all that we will face in the coming months. 

Now we would ask you to pray that we, and our luggage, arrive safely in Guyana, and that all our freight arrives intact next week some time.  Also for us as we start to settle in to our new life and our loved ones adjusting to life without us!  In the words of the apostle Paul, ‘Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace.’

As soon as we get some internet connection I will update you all again but for now, goodbye cold old England and hello tropics!  

Last week

It seems hard to believe that we are now in our final week at college.  We have felt a bit emotional and flat since the wedding – that was the top of the roller coaster and now we are zooming downwards to the goodbyes and partings! 

Last week and this week each of us on our course have had to give a 15 minute presentation about something we have learned on the course then we have all prayed for each other and that has been quite emotionally draining.  I didn’t want to get close to anyone as I knew we were only here for three months but spending all day every day with people you get close whether you like it or not and now it is sad to be going our separate ways – to all parts of the world! 

Here are a couple of photos of our group who have been on our course!

Sensible people

And not so sensible!

 

We had a lecture this morning on ‘re-entry’ in preparation for reverse culture shock on our return so I shall file those notes away for a later date and warn you all what to expect nearer the time!

College life itself continues to have its tests!  We kept hearing scurrying feet in the loft above us and upon further investigation a colony of rats was found up there!  Pest control have put down poison but it could take up to 5 weeks to eliminate them all so we are being kept awake at night by scratching, scurrying and digging feet above us!   If one of them breaks through into our room you will hear me scream from wherever you are!!  

So, we have some final end of term events this week including a carol service, a party for our group and a Christmas dinner and party on Friday, then on Saturday we begin our final final tour saying goodbye to family and friends.  We are not looking forward to that and would appreciate your prayers for strength for all of us.  We will then travel to the airport on Saturday 8^th December ready to fly out to Guyana on Sunday 9^th.  Please also pray that our luggage and freight boxes arrive safely and that we don’t lose anything!

This morning in class someone sang the following song as part of her presentation and made us all cry!  I found it so moving and the words are just lovely – I close with a link to the song as this is really my prayer for us for the next two and a half years. 

Lou Fellingham - Build this house

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcco3LFoIhM