Things I have learned in the last 5 months...

Today is our five month day and I have been reflecting on some of the things I have learned since being here…

• I can be adaptable and find creative solutions to problems.
• I CAN cope with insects and animals everywhere!
• I like sunshine and never being cold but don’t like too much heat!
• Communication with family and friends means the world to me.
• I don’t need as much in the way of food, drink, material things as I thought I did – usually I find I can manage without most things I thought I needed.
• I can make my own recipes depending on available ingredients.
• To trust God for every day as it comes.
• I can make a difference in a person’s life without doing much at all.
• Even here my life is easier and more luxurious than most people in the world.
• God has equipped me to deal with these trials.
• I can be content with a little or a lot.
• Following Jesus and surrendering to his will is not without cost.
• Presents and cards on special occasions are not important – it’s the thoughtfulness of people in small ways that counts and the being with those you love.
• With God’s help I can have peace in all situations – waiting in long queues, sitting in long services, in the midst of loss, turmoil an chaos, and when things don’t go my way.
• Counting your blessings does help me appreciate what I DO still have.
• I NEED a social life!
• I love being in control of my own diary and never want to go back to full time teaching.
• God only asks me to do my best and leave the rest to him – I can’t do everything or help everyone.
• I love Jesus but HATE dead religion – oppressive systems, pointless committees and man made rules.
• My hair isn’t as important to me as I thought it would be!
• Mark and I can work through any problem together with God’s help.
• That I am so thankful not to be forgotten - we have some wonderfully supportive friends and family – support hasn’t always come from where I would have expected it to but some unexpected people have risen up and shown us such love and kindness.
• What we are doing here seems to be affecting people at home as well as here.
• I still hate it when people are late for things.
• I still REALLY miss a lot of stuff – exercise (surprised myself there!); seasons; walks; hot water; abundant food; having a cat; ordered roads and most of all being with people I love and who love me and being able to be myself and let my (now messy!) hair down! 

Here is the trifle I made using some of the single cream I accidentally bought!  Creative solutions! Ha!

And for a profound ending I quote a hymn of Charles Wesley which was sent to me and sums up my trust in Jesus really through all this…my prayer is that it may be a comfort to those of you that I know and love who are going through tough times at the moment…

Thou hidden source of calm repose;

Thou all sufficient love divine
My help and refuge from my foes
Secure I am if thou art mine;
And lo!  From sin and grief and shame
I hide me Jesus, in thy name.

Thy mighty name salvation is;

And keeps my happy soul above
Comfort it brings and power and peace
And joy, and everlasting love;
To me, with thy dear name are given
Pardon and holiness and heaven.

Jesus my all in all thou art

My rest in toil, my ease in pain;
The medicine of my broken heart
In war my peace, in loss my gain;
My smile beneath the tyrants frown
In shame my glory and my crown.

In want my plentiful supply

In weakness my almighty power
In bonds my perfect liberty
My light in Satan’s darkest hour;
In grief my joy unspeakable
My life in death, my heaven in hell.

Rainy season

Guyana has two rainy seasons each year: Dec – Jan and May – June.   We got away with it lightly during December/January this year and it wasn’t too wet but in the last few days rainy season has come upon us with a vengeance! 

As the rains start and the ground becomes waterlogged, thousands of beetles which were under the ground come out and form flying plagues which come out at night and gather around any light source.  It is gross!!  Sitting in the house you can hear the flapping of thousands of beetle wings outside and you do not want to walk through the swarm!  The next morning the roads are black as they are covered in the dead bodies of all the beetles.  A feast for the chickens who roam the streets!!

We have been kept awake the last few nights by torrential rain storms and the ground around the house and church is waterlogged with huge puddles – we remember when we visited in Jan 2012 the ground around the house looked more like a swamp and it seems it is reverting to that again now!  Sadly that brings with it more mozzies!  We can’t allow the cows, goats and sheep into the garden at the moment to eat the grass or it would become a quagmire!  It is also a hard time of year to get washing dry especially with the high humidity. 

The rainy season means that the main road in and out of Georgetown gets flooded especially at high tide so it brings more chaos to an already overstretched road lay out.  The drainage gullies and trenches originally built by the Dutch and British to prevent flooding have all become blocked up by all manner of refuse and dead dogs and so there is little to stop massive floods.  It certainly isn’t pretty! 

We feel sad for the people here whose lives are already difficult and arduous enough – the rainy season just makes things even more miserable – for those waiting hours by the side of the road for mini buses to get around, those whose houses leak and are crumbling and for those who are homeless.  Thankfully it means the temperature is cooler - a chilly 24 degrees C, plus we have a car, wellies and good umbrellas - but we will still be very glad when the rainy season has passed! 

Some photos from Florida

We cycled each day to the pool...I cycled to the gym once only!  Don't want to overdo these things!

At a British pub - Mark is happy with his bangers and mash, Colman's mustard and Boddingtons!

 

And I'm happy with fish and chips and Pinot Grigio

At the club pool - looking like I have been decapitated!

A sign in the car park at the church we went to!

Our wonderful hosts, Tricia and Sam

Ready to go out to the dinner theatre

Old friends!  I have known Tricia since I was 13!

Mark kayaking!

At an outlet mall - one of many shopping trips!

On the plane - feeling a bit sad leaving!

At Sanibel island

Waiting to watch the sunset at Captiva island

Lovely sunset

I took dozens of the sunset!

Ah happy people!

With Shelby, one of Tricia's daughters - I used to babysit her when she was tiny!

Hershey the dog trying to join me in the pool!

Back from Florida

We have just returned from a wonderful and much needed break staying with friends in Florida.  The holiday was amazing and there was so much we appreciated…hot water, plentiful and tasty food, delicious wines, swimming, cycling, sunbathing, hair cuts, skyping family with a REALLY clear signal, watching TV, water sports, watching the sunset, shopping, relaxing, peaceful nights, pleasant temperature, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.  It made us realise all the things we have been missing! 

While staying with our friends, we found out that one of their friend’s daughters had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and it was a real privilege to be asked to get together with the group of friends to pray for them all.  We continue to pray for them all at this difficult time.  We also managed to attend worship at a local Methodist church and I found it very moving to be in a church with musical instruments, electricity for the whole service, projectors and video clips and a pleasant temperature with air con!  It was wonderful to worship and not be responsible for anything! 

Coming back has been hard and we took off from Miami with heavy hearts, knowing we are doing what God wants us to do but knowing the reality of life here and the difficulties and frustrations we face day by day.  We got home about 1.30am this morning and had to make do with a dribble of cold water to wash before we fell into bed exhausted!  That didn’t cheer us up too much BUT we were thankful no-one was having a loud party! 

We could hear the Mahaica congregation singing this morning in church (it’s just outside our bedroom!) and they were singing the well known hymn, O Jesus I have promised to serve thee to the end’ and the words really struck home to me today.  I realise that I HAVE promised to serve Jesus to the end, not just when things are easy and smooth but also in the tough times – come what may.  One verse says, ‘Oh let me feel you near me, the world is ever near, I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear.’  I have been dazzled in the last two weeks and I have to admit I like it!  

The other hymn they sang was ‘Take my life’ and the verse ‘Take my will and make it thine, it shall be no longer mine, Take my heart it is thine own, it shall be thy royal throne.’  I realise I have sung that song many many times and it is easy to sing when everything is going my way and not so easy when God’s will and mine are different and I have to learn to submit to him again day by day.  I can’t do it without God’s help and the support of all my lovely friends and family who keep on remembering us and sending their love in many different ways.   

So tomorrow we are back on with the task – I have a lot to do and prepare for – coming up I have several training sessions on phonics for schools, we are leading a marriage enrichment day, confirmation classes for some of the young people, another training day for children’s workers and many other things!  I shall be glad to be busy and the time will fly!! 

 

 

On my last legs!

Yesterday we hit the ‘four month’ day and what a four months it has been!  We can honestly say it has been the most emotionally draining period of our lives as we have adjusted to this new climate, culture and our new roles in Guyana.  We feel that we have settled well and the initial pain of separation from our loved ones has subsided, though I do still get bad days where I long to see someone who knows me well and with whom I can just be myself! 

We feel that we have already begun to make progress in our work here and are thankful to God for all the doors that are opening to us in the churches and schools.  It has been a delight to see the joy on people’s faces as they realise you can have fun in church and particularly the children who beam from ear to ear when we lead activities with them!   We have met some amazing people and it is humbling to see their faith and perseverance despite great difficulties and struggles in their lives.  God is changing us and we feel we are becoming more forbearing when irritations come our way and instead of allowing it to get to us, most of the time we now just seek for another way of doing things or getting round obstacles!  I say most of the time as we still have our days of feeling completely tormented and aggravated by the frustrations of life in the third world. 

Next week we go on holiday to stay with dear friends in Florida and we SO need a break and a change of perspective!  This week I feel I am on my last legs and have no energy to do anything!  We have had a difficult week as there have been some horrible unfounded accusations made against our youth group and youth leader so it has been a sensitive time pastorally.  On  Saturday I am leading my second training day for children and youth workers, this time in Berbice which is about an hour and a half’s drive away from here in the direction of Suriname!  Please pray that I have the energy and strength to do the day justice and share with enthusiasm! 

 

 

A sad hospital visit :-(

4.4.13

A lady from one of Mark’s churches has been expecting twins and last Sunday went into hospital to have a caesarean section – they delivered two baby boys, one of which was very small despite being carried full term.  We called in to see the mother and the larger of the babies on Tuesday but the smaller one was being treated for an infection so we didn’t get to see him.  Sadly today we received the news that the smaller baby didn’t make it and died in the early hours of this morning.

We went over to the hospital this morning to see her and there was nothing to be said.  All I could do was to hug her and cry with her.  It was just so sad and confusing for her as she has one healthy baby but has lost the other.  People here are not very forthcoming with their feelings and often people just issue glib platitudes to the bereaved and suffering which while they may be true, do not really help or show understanding for their pain.  It was such a sad visit though lovely to see the other baby doing well.

What saddens me is that if that was in the UK the baby would undoubtedly have survived.  This little boy had contracted an infection – hardly surprising in such cramped conditions and they couldn’t save him. 

In a UK maternity ward there would be several feet between the beds but in this ward there was no more than 2 feet between beds and they were packed in not only along both walls of the ward, but more beds were jammed in the centre aisle leaving no space to get between – we had to ask some people to move in order to get past to her bed.  The bedding was dirty and worn on the beds and it is a stark contrast to the cleanliness and efficiency of our hospitals back home.  I would have loved to have taken a photo to show you what it was like but didn’t feel it was appropriate. 

We passed the antenatal clinic on our way up to the ward and there were literally dozens of women lining the walls and blocking the corridor clearly waiting to be seen by someone.  As we passed what I assume was the birthing ward, we could hear the women giving birth so guess they wouldn’t be having a lot of privacy. 

We also heard a story today of a lady from another circuit who gave birth on Sunday but died in child birth because she lost a lot of blood – again that wouldn’t have happened in the UK.  Another stark reminder that we really are in the third world and that completely preventable things are taking people’s lives prematurely. 

Please pray for this lady and her family and for us as we prepare the funeral for this little baby who we entrust to the arms of Jesus.  She has asked for the funeral to be tomorrow (Friday) as she is being discharged from hospital and horrifically has to bring the body of her dead baby home with her along with the live one so she wanted to have a service and bury him as soon as possible.  We have to wait for her call to tell us when she is being discharged so we can zoom over to her village to meet her and take a simple service. 

 

The rest of Easter week

At the Catherineville activity morning we only had one child for the first half an hour and I was beginning to think that we would have to pack up and call it a day, but gradually they drifted in and by the end of the morning we had 35 kids!  Amazing in a church where currently there is no children’s work at all.  This proved to be a more difficult morning than the one at Mahaica as the children were very demanding and kept asking for things but not saying thank you for anything – at the end of the morning, carrying all her crafts and puzzle sheets, one little girl asked, ‘What else are you going to give me?’  I found it hard not to get really cross!  I know she was probably from a needy family but it is hard to give without perpetuating the image of ourselves being here to give people things.  The morning seemed to drag and I was glad to get home! 

Wednesday morning we were at Mahaicony and that was better!  We eventually had about 50 kids – the last ones were still arriving about half an hour before we finished!  I had great back up here from some of the girls in the youth group who provided lots of snacks and drinks for the kids and were a great help with the crafts.  We noticed that the adults who were meant to be there helping each morning were also enjoying making the crafts and colouring the puzzle sheets so weren’t a great deal of help with the children!!  Ha!  

VERY loud ‘music’ = another sleepless night L

We have also had four evening teaching sessions that Mark has been leading, two services on Good Friday and another two services today so it’s been a busy and tiring week.  Yesterday we managed to have a relaxing lunch at a hotel called Duke Lodge in Georgetown but sadly last night was a TERRIBLE night with another hideously loud party going on down the road.  Mark went down to ask them to turn the volume down and they wouldn’t oblige. At least he didn’t get beaten up!  He said the speakers outside the house were the size of doors and although about half a mile down the road it sounded like the DJ was in our yard. 

We called the police three times after midnight but they did nothing and we had to just endure it until it ended at 1.45am.  Not a happy night as we knew we had to then get up at 6 for the services.  L  Someone told us that people pay the police to turn a blind eye to the loud music so that may be why they didn’t respond to our calls.  We are feeling worn out now and can’t wait for our holiday in two weeks time!