Christmas in Guyana

We had a wonderful Christmas day but very different than any other Christmas in our lives. We were asked by the mission president to help the Elders of Berbice area have a happy Christmas. There are 15 missionaries here. We made plans with the other senior couple, Elder and Sister Young, and the Zone Leaders. We decided to have a service project at the orphanage in the morning and dinner and activities at our home in the afternoon.

We woke very early because we still had many preparations for the Christmas dinner. We had spent much time in the past two weeks looking in many different stores for the ingredients for our dinner. We luckily found some in Suriname and others in Georgetown. It is hard when you have something in mind you want to cook and the ingredients are no where to be found.

On Friday I prepared two pumpkin pies and a banana cream pie and homemade rolls. I was very disappointed to find that the boxed milk they have here (they have no other kind) does not make wonderful pudding for banana cream pie. Even worse than that was the yeast for the rolls did not work and so my rolls were flat. So on Christmas morning I was preparing another batch of rolls. Larry’s job was to peel and cut up 10 pounds of potatoes for mashed potatoes. He made them a head of time and put into the crock pot to keep warm. We wanted to have everything ready when the missionaries came over after the orphanage. We have one Christmas decoration – a small tree and ornaments and lights left from a previous missionary couple. I was very glad to have a tree.







We all met at the Berbice Orphanage at 10:00. There are 55 children ranging from a few months to 18 years old. Most of the children are elementary age. They are beautiful children. They were so happy to see us. The missionaries planned group games. We had three groups and then rotated so every child got to play every game. I was in charge of the game, Fruit Basket Tips Over. They had a lot of fun. It was nice to see the missionaries enjoy the children too.


We then did the nativity with the children. They dressed up like Mary and Joseph, Shepards, wise men and an angel. We even had a missionary be King Herod. Elder Austin read the story as the children acted the parts.


Elder Clark put on a Santa hat and set in a chair to hand out gift donated by our church. We had homemade stuffed toys and balls and homemade wooden cars and blocks. They were very excited to receive a toy. The older children got hygiene kits which they were also excited about. It felt really good to be able to give to these special children. It may have been the only gift they received. Oh, they are so cute. I wish I could take one of these darling children back to Utah. They don’t let them be adopted because they feel like they are family and want them to feel secure and loved where they are.

We came back to our home for a delicious Christmas dinner. We had so much yummy food. The Elders loved it. We had Guyanese food and American food because we have both kinds of elders. We played games (I taught them Jenkins) and had white elephants and watched a movie. Larry gave a devotional. Everyone shared how the gospel has blessed their lives. We heard some great conversion stories of their families.

The last of the elders left at 6:00 pm. We were exhausted and wanted to clean the kitchen and rest and call our family but we had two more sets of visitors. Our neighbors, B.J. and Asha came over. They told us they didn’t have any money for Christmas gifts this year. They have two teenage sons, Immanuel and Josh. Their Christmas was cooking a nice dinner for their family. They shared the food with us too. They are so generous even though they don’t have much. I asked about their Christmas as children. B.J. said they never got anything for Christmas. Asha said she got very little. If she complained that she didn’t get as much as her friends, her mother would tell her to be happy with what she did get. Being happy as a family was more important than getting gifts.

After they left two boys came over. Devon is 16 and his brother is 11. Devon rode his brother on his bike all the way over from New Amsterdam – and it was dark. I was amazed that they would come that far and on Christmas. They had not had any Christmas. They are very poor. Their father had to work. Their mother had left them a while back. There are five children. Devon can’t go to school any more because he has to take care of his siblings and feed them and get them off to school. We set them down and fed them leftovers from our Christmas dinner. I don’t think they had had much to eat that day. They left after 9:00 pm. I hated to see them ride a bike home so late at night.

We finally got to skype. The only ones we could get a hold of were Aimee and her family, Danny’s family and Anne and Mitch. I was so tired that they finally decided to call the next day when I would be more alert. When I finally had a chance to rest and think about Christmas, I got a little sad thinking about my children and grandchildren that I missed and also this being my 1st Christmas without my parents. It was a very good thing I was so busy all day. I had three boys serve missions and I was always so grateful to the women who fed my boys a nice Christmas dinner. This year was my turn to try and bring Christmas joy to some wonderful dedicated missionaries.

Trip to Tobago - 9 Sep 2010

We had the opportunity to visit the small but beautiful Island of Tobago. The church has been there only three years. They have 50 members with only about 20 attending. One of these faithful members, Sister Dookran, never misses church even though she lives up a mountain and it takes her an hour traveling by taxi to get there. We visited Sister Dookran because she is one of our seminary teachers. It was a beautiful drive to her home through mountain terrain of lush green foliage. The last part of the journey we had to leave the car and walk up the grassy hill to her home. We loved getting to know this very special sister and her daughter Linda. They made us feel so welcome in their very humble home.

Sister Dookran teaches seminary faithfully four days a week in her home. Her daughter is her only student but she goes to great effort to make her lessons wonderful. She has very little money. The only money she has is the little she makes by cutting grass two hour a day. She uses a machete. She works very hard to provide the things they need in their home. Since they have no electricity she carries two car batteries down the hill each day to get charged and then up the hill again so they can have enough power to run the TV and lights for three hours. This provides the light Linda needs for her homework.

They also have no running water and no fridge so she also must carry ice and water up the hill each day. The most amazing thing of all was her attitude. She did not apologize or appear in any way to feel sorry for herself. She is grateful for what she has and does the best she can. She taught herself to read by reading the Book of Mormon with the help of her daughter. She has a firm testimony of the gospel. She loves the Lord and is dedicated to do all she can to serve Him.

We walked back down the hill feeling grateful for the privilege of getting to know this faithful sister. Her testimony and dedication to the Lord was inspiring. We look forward to the time we can return.

It was such a beautiful walk back to the car. I felt like we were in the jungle. If you look closely you can see two little children waving good-bye to us.

Later that day we went to teach seminary at the church. This is a picture of the Tobago Seminary students with Elder and Sister Harris. They were a fun group of kids.

More about our trip to Guyana in August

One of our main goals of visiting Guyana was to meet the seminary teachers. It was a great experience. They are very dedicated teachers. It is as sacrifice to teach the young people when the church is so new in these areas. Few people have a testimony of seminary but these teachers are putting their hearts into it and we know in time it will grow strong and influence many. This picture is of a very special family in Crabwood Creek Branch. This is the Persaud family.

The mother, Omawattie, is in red. Her daughter, Daiwanttie at far right is the Seminary teacher. Shaniah is the granddaughter, Devesh is the son and Diana is a friend. They make their living with the tiny grocery store that is attached to the front of their humble home. To get there we drove down a dirt road with the biggest chuck holes I have ever seen. We will never do that again. We will get out of the car and walk! This family was Hindu and now they are a real stable part of the church here. They love the gospel. It has made such a difference in their family life. They are very happy.

We visited this family with their nineteen year old Seminary teacher, Alisha Phagwah. Their names are Dominique, Cassandra and Robert Sunthgolam. It was a special experience as this teacher invited them to her Seminary class. She bore a strong testimony of how Seminary can bless their lives. The mother agrees and wants her children to attend but the problem is transportation. They have to wait for an hour and a half on the street for a taxi very early in the morning to catch a ride to school. They hope one will come by in time so they can get to their school because if they are late the gates are locked and they are not admitted. Even paying for the taxi is a financial burden for them. So they struggle with the added problem of trying to get to Seminary. We pray they will find a way.

We had our first opportunity to sit in on a missionary discussion. I was so excited to be included. This is Rowinda. She is a college student from the Bush near Brazil. She is an Amerindian which means she belongs to the Indians who were here in Book of Mormon times. She is very brave to move so far away from family. In Guyana the Amerindians are considered lower class citizens. She has felt the discrimination here as her class mates call her names and treat her unkindly. She has withstood this hardship. We felt a special bond with her. We were so happy to hear of her baptism on September 11th. Everyone of her friends and family were against her becoming a member but she could not deny the truths she learned and so made the choice. She is so happy.

We drove to Linden with our Seminary supervisor, Nelsion Nurse to deliver Seminary materials. It took us about two hours. It gave us a lot of time to get acquainted with Nelsion. He is a wonderful young man. He is the only member in his family. He returned from his mission to the Dominican Republic a year ago. He is a clothing designer. While we were there we visited his mother. She sews the things he designs for his shows. He was very excited to show us a sight he knew we would love. He took us on a hike through the hills of pure white sand. It was so hot and humid we thought we would not make it. I kept thinking, "This better be worth it". I have to preface what we saw with the fact that all of the water in Guyana is brown - the ocean as well as the rivers - and they have so many rivers! Well, the climb was worth it. We looked down into the most beautiful blue/green lake I have ever seen.

The Blue Lake of Lindon, Guyana.

Two bonus pictures from Port of Spain Stake Young Adult Conference in Trinidad. This is our Stake President and his wife - President and Sister Gould. The Port of Spain Stake of Trinidad is the first and only stake in the West Indies. It was formed less than two years ago. President Gould is a dynamic leader. Sister Gould is one of our outstanding Institute teachers.

My job at the YSA conference was holding this darling baby, Franciline. (Well, OK, I begged). She belongs to one of our young Seminary teachers, Andrea Richardson. She is from Guyana and her husband is from Trinidad. We have met her family in Guyana. They are faithful members.

Our Mission Transfer

On August 17th our mission president, President Gamiette, came into our office. He looked very concerned. He spoke of his worries about Guyana, the country in South America that is part of our mission. One of our assignments is to help with the Seminary and Institute in that country. We had planned a trip there for Aug. 23rd. He was very glad we were going there. He asked us if we would consider living there and making it our home base rather than Trinidad. He said there is a much greater need for us in Guyana than in Trinidad. We were very surprised because we love where we are and never expected to be transferred. Well, to make a long story short - we are going to Guyana to live! We have learned from every missionary who has served there that it was their very favorite place to serve.


So we went to Guyana for a week Aug. 23 - 28 to check it out and to find a place to live. It was very interesting to say the least. It is truly a third world country! Some the things that are very different than what we are used to are: animals in the road such as; cows, horses, goats, chickens, sheep and pigs. They roam freely. We have to dodge them along with people walking and riding bikes; not the mention the narrow roads with crazy drivers.

When we went to see the chapel in Canje where we will be living, it was quite a sight to see a donkey in front of the church house.

At the church house in Rose Hall we found a cow inside the locked gate of the church. How did he get there? We named him the Holy Cow!

This is our new home in Canje area of Guyana. The name of the town is Palmyra. (So I did get one of my wishes of going on a mission to Palmyra. It just happens to be in another country than I expected.)

This is one of the nicer homes in the area although we have no hot water, no air conditioning, no Internet and no dryer. But we have found that the wonderful people make up for any inconveniences.
Yes we will be sleeping under a mosquito net. This is Faleshia who was helping us figure out how to use the net.

A picture of the church house for the Crabwood Creek Branch. Elder Young on the left is a Senior missionary we will be working with along with his wife. The gentleman in the center is the branch president, President Solomon. Of course Elder Harris is the enthusiastic one next to the sign. We grew to love the members in Guyana in the short time we were there. We look forward to serving them. It is going to be a great experience.

We love the Branches of Trinidad

As CES missionaries we have been asked to visit a different branch or ward each week so we can get to know the Priesthood leaders and the Seminary and Institute teachers. We have loved this experience. We have been to the San Fernando Ward, Princess Town Branch and Point Fortin Branch. Point Fortin is the farthest away - 2 hour drive. The branches are in small busy towns. The streets are narrow and windy with many crazy drivers. We are always grateful when we arrive safely.

This is the church building for the Point Fortin Branch. It was very hard to get to. We were very lucky to have Seema Lutchman with us to show us the way. The roads were torn up with lots of big pot holes. We went down the one-way street the wrong way. It is never posted here so you better know which streets are one-way. There are businesses on the street level and the chapel is the upper floor. Parking is limited to two or three cars.

This is a picture of the chapel. It is about the size of a Relief Society room.

There were about 20 people in attendance for Sacrament Meeting. Of course the best part of these little branches is the members. They are so warm and friendly. They make us feel like the most special people in the world. They beg us to come back soon and better yet they want us to be a part of their branch and come every week. We would love too! They are truly faithful followers of Christ even though they have difficult circumstances. Very few have cars so they walk or get a taxi. The taxi fare is a financial burden for many of them. The churches here do not have air-conditioning. Some rooms have big ceiling fans. It can get very warm. No one knows how to play the piano. Some are taking lessons so they can hopefully play the key board. A member has the calling of turning on the CD player with the hymns that will be sung during the meetings. Every meeting is inspirational because of the humble members. We love hearing their conversion stories. It is amazing how close we feel to these dear people in such a short time.

Second Week in Trinidad

We are CES (Church Education System) Missionaries. We are in charge of the Seminary and Institute programs in four of the 13 countries in the West Indies Mission. The four countries are Trinidad-Tobago, Suriname, Guyana, and Barbados. We are to train supervisors and teachers and help in any way needed. We are also suppose to get acquainted with each Bishop or Branch President and build relationships with them. To do this we have the opportunity to travel to each of these countries to visit each ward/branch and each Seminary and Institute as is possible. So we had our first opportunity to visit another country on Saturday/Sunday Aug. 7-8. It was Seminary graduation in the country of Suriname. Suriname is a country in South America which was settled by the Dutch so Dutch is their official language. This was a great opportunity to visit the teachers, students and Priesthood leaders all at one meeting. It was a marvelous experience.

The only flight out of Trinidad to Suriname is at 10:15 pm. We flew to Suriname and didn't leave the airport until two in the morning. Then we had a one hour drive in a small bus to our hotel in the capitol city of Paramaribo. It was an interesting ride to look out the window and realize we were in a very poor country. As we got into the big city we came to a huge beautiful building I thought must be a palace. But to my surprise the bus turned into the parking lot - it was our hotel, the Royal Torarica. It was a 5 star hotel with everything we could want. Our favorite part was the wonderful breakfast that was included with the price of the room. It included wonderful fresh fruits and breads and a chef that would cook any breakfast food our hearts desired. It was a wonderful place. We look forward to returning. Next time we won't forget our swimming suits to take advantage of a most beautiful outdoor pool with fountains and gardens all around it.

As wonderful as our hotel was it didn't compare to meeting the people of the church in Suriname.

Oh, how we loved them. They made us feel so welcome. They are so warm and friendly. We attended graduation that night. I will quote from Larry's journal about the evening. "Sister Ibrahim is the supervisor over the Seminary and Institute in Suriname. She has been very instrumental in the growth of the programs there. The graduation program was so well done. I was very impressed. It is difficult to put into words how we felt watching and listening to the graduation unfold. It will be remembered as a very historical event of the beginnings of a stake of Zion. (At this time there is only one stake in the whole West Indies Mission and that is in Trinidad). We were privileged to be there to witness an event that will be in our memories forever." The final speaker at graduation was suppose to be the district president but he was late so guess who they asked on the spot to talk? You are right - Elder and Sister Harris.

Sister Ibrahim and Elder Harris preparing for graduation in the Chapel

Happy Graduates

That evening the Ibrahim's took us to a dance recital that their daughter was in. The dances and music were from all different countries. It was so fun. Their daughter Beverly did the Brazilian Salsa Dance with her group. Then they took us to dinner at 10:30. The people there stay up very late even all night so 10:30 wasn't late for them. Larry just had to order his favorite food - a hamburger. He discovered that the hamburgers there don't compare to the hamburgers in America. I don't think he will be doing that again!

Sunday was another very special day. The Ibrahim's took us to their Tamenga Branch for church. It was wonderful. I can't describe how it is to be with these happy, humble, warm and friendly people. All of the meetings are in Dutch so the only talk we understood was when the branch president asked us to bare our testimonies! No, we really did understand the meeting because we were fortunate to have Elder Lake from Bountiful who sat behind us and translated for us. We love the young Elders! The chapel does not have air conditioning only many fans on the ceiling and lots of open windows to let the breeze in. I am very glad I brought a hand held fan for me. I just had to go into Primary to visit the darling children. Oh, they are so cute! Larry ask if they would sing 'I Am a Child of God' in Dutch for us. It was beautiful. There were only about ten children in their Primary. After church Larry and I decided we didn't want to leave. We had grown to love these people in such a short time and wanted to stay in Suriname. But we will return.

After church to Ibrahims invited us to their home for dinner. They have a lovely new home. They are merchants and have clothing stores. Brother Ibrahim is from Lebanon. Sister Ibrahim is from Suriname. We had a wonderful afternoon at their home. They have been members for seven years. They are very faithful and dedicated to the gospel and to their family. We love this family. We know we have made some forever friends - Millad and Lorette Ibrahim and children, Christopher 15 and Beverly 14.

First Week in Trinidad

July 26, 2010
We flew out of SLC Airport at 6:00 am. We could not believe we were finally on our way. It turned out to be a very long day. We arrived in Trinidad at 10:00 pm. We spent one and one-half hours getting through customes. Elder and Sister Wheeler picked us up and took us to our apartment. They had our apartment all ready for us. The bed was even ready for us to fall into. We were sooo grateful! We really like our apartment. It is nicer and bigger than we expected. It has recently been refurbished with new tile floors, cabinets, counter tops, appliances and new furniture. The funnest new addition was the paint-Bright pink walls in our living room and kitchen. The missionaries were nervous that we wouldn't like it. But we love it. We and the missionaries have named it the Pink Palace. This is Trinidad and everyone here loves bright colors. We also like our high vaulted ceilings. We have two bedrooms that are air conditioned. So we spend most of our time in the bedroom where we have cool air and our computer. It is very hot and humid here. But we go from our air conditioned apartment to our air conditioned car to our air conditioned office. So we are getting along fine. The other thing we are trying to get used to are the bars around every door and window of our apartment. Also we have to use a remote to get through the locked electric gate into our parking area. This is a picture of our apartment. It is top floor on the left. Some pictures of the inside of our apartment are below in a previous post.

The rest of the week was spent trying to get use to our new country. The biggest challenge was driving! We have to drive on the wrong side of the street and the wrong side of the car. It has been very difficult and at times very scarry! Larry is the designated driver. I am the very observant 'back seat driver'. These people drive crazy and it takes two of us concentrating to keep us safe. We are either gigling or close to tears or terrified as we drive through the cities. It only adds to the adventure!

We are really enjoying the other senior missionaries and of course the young missionaries as we work with them in the mission office every day. We are making some wonderful friends. We have met with the mission president, the stake president and our area director. It has been very interesting. They have a lot of challenges here but they have strong testimonies and are working hard. We had a great first week - filled with daily adventures. We love it here. We are so grateful for this opportunity.

Two of the highlights of our first week were going to the Maracas Beach and attending our first church meeting in Trinidad. The beach was so beautiful and the water was warm. We had a great day with our new friends the Wheelers- senior missionaries from Idaho. They have been out a year. Pictures of the beach are on a previous post. We visited the San Fernando Ward on Sunday. It was so delightful to be in their small ward of about 50 people. They were warm and friendly and made us feel so welcome. We loved meeting with the Seminary teachers of this ward. We are so excited to work with the dedicated teachers. They have many challenges but are willing to serve with all their might. We are so happy to meet the people in Trinidad and feel of their spirit.