Goodbyes

So here we are in our final few days in Lincolnshire, busily packing up and sorting things into piles for freight, storage at the depot, storage in lofts, storage for the summer and stuff to take in the car over the summer!  It has been very complicated and my organisational skills have been tested to the limits! 

We had a wonderful leaving service on Sunday with a packed hall of people and came away feeling very loved, supported and encouraged as well as affirmed in our calling to Guyana.

There has been a constant stream of goodbyes and some difficult partings but we have so appreciated the supportive prayer of so many people as we negotiate this period of loss and adjustment.

I have just read a book about the life of Lilias Trotter, a missionary to Algeria from 1888-1928 which has been inspiring.  An excerpt from her journal in 1902 really spoke to me:

''As an eagle...fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings - so the Lord alone did lead him.'  Fluttereth over - the early stages of faith are reaching upward, like the eaglets for their food when the mother bird is overhead...it is an older faith that learns to swing out into nothingness and drop down full weight on God - the broken up nest of former experiences left behind - nothing between us and the abyss but Himself - a rejoicing in every fresh emergency that is going to prove Him true - The Lord alone - that is trained faith.'

We do indeed feel that we are about to leap out of the nest into nothingness but we know that all the while God's hand is underneath us and his love surrounds us and we put our trust completely in him.  We know there are potentially difficult times ahead but are learning to take each day as it comes and not look too far ahead! 

So we say goodbye to our old comfy nest in Lincoln hello to the big blue yonder!

Keys

I wonder how many keys you have on your key ring?  I heard a talk once in which the speaker said that the more keys you have, the more it represents control of your own life.  A child has no keys, neither does a prisoner.  But as an adult we usually carry many keys…to the house, office, car; maybe even to other people’s houses!   As we draw closer to our departure from Nettleham we have begun to realise that we are slowly but surely losing all our keys!  This weekend I handed my little car over to our daughter, Emily along with the keys.  Soon Mark will hand over his chapel key and the keys to the Godpod.  And then, on 30^th July, we will hand over our house keys to the Methodist property steward.  All we’ll be left with then will be the key to Mark’s car and yet in December when we fly out of the UK we will hand even that key over to someone and leave the country with no keys!   We will have relinquished all control over our own lives for a time!

This thought has been profound for us this weekend as we contemplate and prepare for the many losses we will face in the coming weeks and months.  We both feel very unsettled and it is hard at times to focus on things that are happening day to day.  Our house is becoming less and less like a home and more like a shell of a home and we know that from 30^th July we will have no base until we reach our new home in Guyana. 

As we sort out all our earthly belongings and decide whether it is going into storage, being sent out to Guyana, travelling in the car with us for the summer or being given away; as we cancel all our standing orders and terminate all our contracts and commitments we are acutely aware that our lives are about to change in so many ways.  In some ways it is quite liberating to lay it all down and start again without all the trappings we usually hold so dear but in other ways it is quite difficult to come to terms with.

We value the prayers, support and patience of all of our friends and family at this time of transition and apologise if we don’t seem quite with it at the moment!!   A comment in my Bible notes today really struck me.  It said, ‘If you have a home don’t get too settled because actually you are not home yet.’  We know that we have many moves ahead of us in the coming months and years and yet we are always just travelling through.  It doesn’t pay for any of us to get too settled because one day we will leave everything behind and Jesus has promised those who love him will have a room in his Father’s house – then we will be truly home and settled.  And we won’t need any keys!

As I've had a lot of spare time I have written some observations on our trip so far!

Our visit to Guyana

We started this visit with mixed feelings and since arriving here have been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster!   We came with some excitement about what God has in store for us this year and beyond, but also with some apprehension about what life in Guyana would really be like, as well as many questions about the practicalities of moving here!   However, throughout our trip we have been uplifted and encouraged by the love, prayers and support of so many people.

I include some entries from my travel journal to give you a flavour of the trip and some of our thoughts and experiences! 

Arrival

When we booked our luggage in at Gatwick we were told that the bags would be checked straight through to Georgetown and that we wouldn’t have to recheck them at Barbados.  However, while waiting to leave Barbados airport a lady in the queue noticed we hadn’t got cases and we explained they were checked through to Georgetown.  She told us hers had been checked through as well but she’d found them lying at the end of the arrivals area!  Lo and behold our cases were also left on the floor at the end of the hall and without her throwaway comment we may never have seen them again!  What an angel and a lesson to us for future travel in these parts!! 

Domestic life

We stayed in the manse next to the Trinity Methodist church, which is protected by iron gates, bars at all the windows and a night guard! 

Most meals consisted of chicken and rice, sometimes with cabbage or potato.  No-one drinks alcohol out here so I had a 2 week detox!!  We saw some wine in the supermarket which was about £20 a bottle so guess I won’t be having much for 3 years!  The people here don’t eat or drink between meals so it was hard to get used to spending a whole morning or afternoon out without a nice cup of tea!   Our host kindly took us to several supermarkets so that I could see the kind of foods that are available to buy.  We found most common ingredients and even some British things like Marmite, Cheddar, Weetabix and Cadburys Dairy Milk! 

One of my concerns has been the state of my hair this trip!  It has remained flat, lifeless and greasy all the time and even after washing it doesn’t seem to improve at all!  I gave up really and just kept clipping it up but have felt ugly all the time.  Mark’s comforting words to me were ‘Well your beauty comes from the inside now!’  He knows how to woo a girl!

Having access to a lap top and internet was a Godsend and we have heard that we will have internet access at our manse.  Being able to talk to people at home by email and Facebook was a real blessing and lifted my spirits when I needed to be cheered up.  It made everyone feel closer and will be so important once we live here.   

Electricity supply seemed to be sporadic – there were a lot of power cuts but most didn’t last for long. 

I had a go at making a cake while Mark was out at a meeting and had to make it with a wooden spoon!  It turned out reasonably well though the  calor gas oven took AGES to cook it!  

The driving here is mad and dangerous – people swerve all over the road and I have seen so many near misses.  Add to that the animals roaming the streets and it is a lethal combination!  They all drive on their horns and just push out of junctions etc – no-one waits!  There are no road signs so you just have to know your way places or you’re stuffed!

Animal life

I asked one of the minister’s wives whether it was safe to walk in the roads and she said it was fine but you had to watch out because sometimes alligators and crocodiles come up to the roads.  She said that the alligators won’t hurt you unless you attack their babies but the crocodiles are more dangerous.  I asked her how you can tell the difference and she said, ‘Oh that’s easy, the alligators are cute!’  Well I guess we won’t be going out walking then!!   They also said you have to be careful swimming in the rivers because some of them have piranha in them!  Mark said he can see the benefits of infant baptism now!  We haven’t seen any wild animals but have seen some beautiful coloured birds which are prolific everywhere.  Lots of mosquitoes around which are irritating and we have had to stay covered up as much as possible and use our mozzie net and spray at night.  In the house there are lots of little mini ants which get all over everything.  We are learning to keep all food in sealed containers and in the fridge if possible and not leave any crumbs or food waste around!  There are many animals wandering the streets such as cows, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, donkeys and dogs. 

Conference

We had arrived late on Thursday night, and on Friday morning at 9am we had to attend the final day of the Guyana district annual conference.  The morning started well with some lively Caribbean worship and good Bible teaching.  After that they were focusing on discussing points of accounts and didn’t break for lunch until 2.45pm – by which time I was gasping!  The ‘afternoon’ session resumed at 4.30 and ended at 9pm when we finally ate some supper!  I got restless and wandered out of the church onto the verandah and saw the general hubbub of life going on in the streets, including prostitutes walking the streets and couldn’t help wondering how much more use it would have been to be out there rather than spending 12 hours in a meeting! 

Services

We were invited to attend a funeral of a lady from the church and that was an interesting experience.  The tributes to the lady were from 2pm and we were invited to the thanksgiving service at 3pm.  We arrived at 2.50 and they were only half way through the tributes!  The thanksgiving didn’t begin until 3.50pm!  The casket of the lady was open at the back of the church so people could pay their respects.  Interestingly, even the children didn’t bat an eyelid at the sight of a dead body and are clearly used to death being a part of everyday life.  So much healthier than our way of shutting death away and making it taboo.  People were even taking photos of the dead body and videoing it! 

On the first Sunday we attended a joint service attended by everyone in the district as a celebration at the end of the week of conference.  At the celebration service Mark and I had to process in – me with the ministers’ spouses and Mark with the clergy.  All the people turned out in their colourful Sunday best and looked wonderful.  I had been asked to do a children’s address so all the children were asked to come forwards up onto the stage with me.  They looked TERRIFIED of this strange pale woman trying to talk to them!  I tried to teach them the song ‘Great big God’ and a few joined in.  Since the service lots of adults have told me how much they liked the song so I think action songs will be a hit! 

American Mission Team

A couple of days after we arrived, a team of 9 people arrived from North Carolina to work at painting one of the churches and to run an after school Bible club.  We met them and quickly established a good relationship with them. On their first day we tagged along to their sightseeing tour of Georgetown.  They immediately treated us like one of their group and we felt very welcomed by them.  

Another day we went to visit the church where they were working and they were doing an amazing job.  Some of them were running the after school Bible club and they were so sweet with the kids, really valuing them and taking a genuine interest in each one.  It was touching to observe.  Apparently they have sent a team every year for about 13 years now so next year we’ll be welcoming old friends. 

Our manse

It is a newly built house (within the last 3 years) and was clean and spacious, with a light airy feel to it.  It had 3 bedrooms, western style toilets and clean furniture.  It also had a little balcony in the lounge overlooking the church.  The manse is surrounded by swamps and coconut palms and is in a village out in the countryside.  The problem might be the extra mozzies in the countryside but the windows have mesh on them and we hope to get air con in the bedroom and a mozzie net!  

The work

There is so much good stuff going on in the churches here and we feel excited to have the opportunity of being a part of it.  Mark’s work will involve being minister of a circuit with eight churches along with 3 lay workers – one of which will be me!  He has told them he wants to be involved in men’s ministry and in evangelism and bible teaching.  My job description is much more flexible but I have expressed that I want to be involved in family and community work – as well as getting involved in local schools.  I have also been asked to join a district group who help support and train teachers which is exciting.  During our stay we visited a child feeding programme in one of the villages which I would very much like to get involved with.  They explained that they try to feed the children at least twice a week as many of them don’t get meals from one day to the next.  I found that project very moving.

The people

We have met some amazing and wonderful people while we have been here.  Everyone is so positive and joyful and have made us very welcome.  I was worried that people might feel resentful of partners from overseas coming to work amongst them but everyone has assured us that they want us to come and are excited about working alongside us.  We have told them we have much to learn from them and they are keen to learn from us too – especially with regard to time keeping!   We need to learn to chill a bit more for certain!  Two of the ladies were telling me about the Creole language and trying to teach me some words and it was such fun!  You really need a lot of attitude to speak Creole properly and I hope I can learn some while we are here.  There are a lot of issues for people to deal with and hurdles to overcome but they are so resourceful and full of hope that it is an inspiration.

General feelings

This trip has been an emotional roller coaster.  We have fluctuated between excitement about what we could do out here and all the good things that are going on, as well as the warm welcome of the lovely people, to feeling fed up that nothing happens when it is supposed to and no-one keeps to any time scale and that so much time seems to be spent in meetings discussing matters instead of getting on with stuff. 

For me, I have struggled with thinking about all the things that I am going to have to leave behind and manage without.  I think the reality of it has hit home.  It feels strange because I have just dropped my hours at work and am loving my new less stressful life and I know that here I will be worked hard and have little leisure time.  I have also struggled with the fact that there are actually no leisure activities to be had here…no beaches, parks, shopping centres, swimming pools, cinemas, theatres, bowling alleys etc.  It made me wonder what we would do on our day off…we would be living in the middle of the countryside without easy access to anywhere and it scares me a bit!  I will also miss my social life – seeing friends and having a good old laugh!  I’m not sure anyone here will get my sense of humour!  Mind you no-one in the UK gets it either!

I have felt quite low at points and at other times I have felt positive and excited – the people are warm and open, they are willing to support us and work hard with us and seem excited about the gifts we have to offer here.  And for me, being with the children here just lifts my spirits and puts a smile on my face. 

Despite everything, we both still feel that this is where God is calling us to come and we are willing to be obedient to that call. 

Helpful Bible verses that we have been given during this trip

‘Go and make disciples of all nations…and surely I am with you always to the end of the age.’ Matthew 28 vs 19-20   The first message we heard being preached was based on this verse!

‘If you do away with the yoke of oppression and if you spend yourself on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your night will become like the noon day.  The Lord will guide you always, he will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.  Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age old foundations.  You will be called Repairer of broken walls and Restorer of streets with dwellings.’ Isaiah 58 vs 9- 12

Matthew 6 vs 25 – 34  ‘Do not worry…about food and drink and what you will wear’ etc.

Introduction to Guyana

Since being accepted for overseas work with the Methodist Church, we have been awaiting news of a possible placement.  Then in December we received a message out of the blue inviting us to visit Guyana with a view to a possible placement here.  At the time we knew little if nothing about this land and have been assimilating information ever since!  I write this from our host’s home in Georgetown, Guyana and want to share some information about the country.

Guyana facts – a brief summary!

Guyana is the only South American country with English as its official language, though Creole is widely spoken, along with Amerindian dialects, Hindi and Urdu.  Although part of South America, the feel is more Caribbean than Latin, and the people consider themselves to be part of the Caribbean.  It is on the north coast of South America and is bordered by Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil.  It has a tropical climate with two rainy seasons Dec/Jan and May/June. 

The main religion is Christianity and there are also many Hindus and some Muslims.  The majority of the population lives on the coastal strip which lies several feet below sea level at high tide.  The Atlantic is kept at bay by a sea wall running the length of the coastal strip and there are many creeks and gullies to help prevent flooding – though they are nowhere near adequate for the task and the roads often flood.  For this reason all the houses are built above ground on stilts. 

The coastal area was once swamp land but the Dutch settlers from the 17^th Century began to reclaim the land from the water (using slave labour).  Eventually the British took control of Guyana in 1781 and the country finally gained their independence from Britain in 1966.   After the British left, the country was ruled by an increasingly autocratic leader who tried to implement a socialist society.  He ripped up the railways, banned imports, human rights and liberties were suppressed and Guyana fell into a period of serious economic decline.  As standards of living fell, migration increased dramatically and the population has been gradually declining since. 

In 1992 Guyana held its first free and fair democratic elections though we have been told that subsequent Governments have been corrupt in different ways and have not put the needs of the nation ahead of their own agendas.  The country is in desperate need of massive investment in many areas.  There are few roads and most of the country is completely inaccessible except by air, boat or foot!  Public buildings are in a state of disrepair, litter fills the streets and drainage creeks as there is no rubbish collection and no recycling, once beautiful parks and gardens are now overgrown and waterlogged, there are no leisure facilities or modern shopping malls – all shopping is done is small local stores and markets.  (A cinema is planned to be built in 2013 – yay!) We were told that Georgetown was once known as the ‘Garden City’ but is now known as the ‘Garbage City’.  That just about sums the place up. There is no social security system so people rely on extended family if they can’t work and there is much poverty.  Even though it is classed as part of the Caribbean there are no beaches and the sea is not clear and blue!  The country has one main beach which is 90 miles long, but completely inaccessible – a haven for wildlife but undeveloped as far as tourists or local visitors are concerned.  Despite the general disarray and sorry state of much of the area, people are upbeat, positive and full of hope for the future.