Those We Love in Guyana: Colin and Vonella Goodluck

At age 29, Colin Ransford Goodluck has already had more leadership positions in the Church than most have in a lifetime! The newly called First Counselor in the West Indies Mission Presidency joined the Church in March 1994 when just a young child in his homeland of Guyana. At age 19, he was called to serve as a fulltime WIM missionary in Trinidad, St. Maarten and Barbados (2004-06). Since his honorable release, he has shared his joyful countenance and deep love of the gospel of Jesus Christ as Branch Clerk, District Executive Secretary, Elders Quorum President, Branch President, Georgetown District President, and most recently as First Counselor in the Georgetown District Presidency.

As the mission's First Counselor, President Goodluck - also recently hired as the Church's Facilities Manager for Guyana and Suriname - will assist in missionary efforts to "bring souls unto Christ" in those same two countries.

His beautiful wife Vonella is a devoted stay-at-home mom to two adorably rambunctious little boys – 18-month-old Jayden and Orande who just turned 3.

Vonella will share her husband with the West Indies Mission until July 1, 2012. In the meantime, he is taking a one year sabbatical from classes at the University of Guyana where he is studying for a degree in International Relations toward a future career in government.

Colin, who is incredibly organized and efficient, refers to himself and his eternal companion as “Chocolate and Vonella” then breaks out in his big, infectious laughter!

Colin and Vonella are two more of the beautiful saints we love here in Guyana!

Lesson Learned: Plan Ahead . . . No Matter What!

Last Tuesday I finished my first 5-week computer class by handing out certificates of accomplishment to 6 students. This Tuesday dawned with no one registered for the second set of 5-classes. The Garden Park branch president told me he had announced it from the pulpit and encouraged people to attend, but no one had called and I was not expecting anyone to show up!

At about 5 p.m. we packed up our three laptops (though I had no lesson plan in mind because I was convinced no one would be there) and headed across town. When we pulled into the parking lot, only the branch president and his family were there.

“See, I told you,” I said to my companion when we pulled into the empty parking lot. However, when we got inside, we discovered there were 8 people anxiously awaiting my arrival, including Sister Goodluck who has never touched a computer in the 60+ years of her life, but wants to be able to communicate on-line with her grandchildren.

Needless to say, I flew by the seat of my pants for the next two hours while reminding myself over and over of that age-old adage . . . “plan ahead, no matter what!”

Trekker Travels to Arrow Point

On Wednesday, August 10 and Thursday, August 11, we packed our overnight bag and our Traveling Tiger for a trip into Guyana’s interior (aka “the bush” or the rainforest which covers more than 80% of this South American country’s land mass). Trekker was excited about this adventure because he has been fearful there would be no more sightseeing since all the sights in Guyana have already been seen!

It was two spectacular days with three other missionary couples – Larry and Karen Harris (Layton, UT), Gary and Christie Ricks (Santa Barbara, CA) and Lynn and Sharon Angus (Vernal, UT). We hiked, mountain biked, swam, ate and relaxed at Arrow Point, a rustic resort located 17-miles off the Demerara River, up the tributary known as Kamuni Creek on the Arawak Amerindian reservation. The boat ride was reminiscent of Disneyland’s “Jungle Cruise” and hiking through the rainforest reminded us of the Sacred Grove, where Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. Each meal was delicious – but typically Guyanese – and we enjoyed lively conversation under a full moon and around a beautiful bonfire. The efficient young staff catered exclusively to our needs since the 8 of us (9 counting Trekker) were the only guests at the resort.

On our mini-vacation, we enjoyed kayaking down a spectacular smooth-as-glass black water stream and a 3-mile hike through the jungle to a 17-year-old plane crash site.

On the way back, I was in the lead and always looking down to avoid tripping on a vine, slipping on wet leaves . . . or stepping on a critter of some kind. When something caught my eye, I stopped . . . and it turns out, I was only 2” away from a Labaria . . . one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. I stood very still until the guide caught up to me and in a steady, but warning voice, told me to take one big step backwards because the Labaria strikes quickly. A bite from this very venomous snake (a cousin to the rattlesnake) results in nausea, black outs, paralysis and, if not treated in time, is almost always FATAL!!! Luckily, the Labaria I almost stepped on was less than a foot long, compared to the 4-5 feet length of a full grown adult of this species, but according to our guide John, even a bite from this dangerous baby would be enough to make me deathly ill!

Trekker got to steer the boat, enjoy the company of the senior couples and lots of peace and quiet away from the office and the city, hike in the jungle, swim in Guyana's black water, and take a nap with Elder Harris upon his return to the resort. Knowing our Traveling Tiger, he will soon be whining about wanting to do something else fun and exciting; but with our mission assignments, it could be a long while before “play” works its way up to the top of our “to do” list.

In the meantime, our trip to Arrow Point is one of the high points of our time here in Guyana!!!

Those We Love in Guyana: Skippy and Marcia

Cardon McKenzie (nicknamed "Skippy") and Marcia Gaspar are pioneers in Guyana (shown here in their wedding day [30 July 2011])!

Cardon served a mission in New York City, then began making a good living in the mortgage business in Mesa, Arizona until one day, the Spirit told him it was time to go home. He questioned this prompting because he hadn’t left anything behind in Guyana - and had 17 loans ready to close in Mesa - but as a man of faith he listened and followed, returning to an uncertain future in Georgetown. Not long after he arrived, he heard about the PEF program and through a series of small miracles, he signed up, attended school and learned everything he needed to know to start a computer repair business. Until we arrived, he was the only student in Guyana to successfully complete schooling through the PEF program. Today, he works for Guyana’s Ministry of Tourism . . . and repairs computers on the side. He is not rich by US standards, but in the Church in Guyana, his is a real success story.

He and Marcia met shortly after he had returned to his country . . . and he is convinced she is the reason the Lord wanted him to come home. When their attraction deepened to love, they set a date and began making plans for a wedding, until she heard about 30“white” missionaries being kicked out of the country in 2009 and began to worry about how this decision by her government would affect the Church she loves! So, she decided she wanted to wear the Black Name Tag! When she proposed the idea to her fiance, his response was, “Go! I’ll wait!”

Sister Gaspar’s service to the Lord in the West Indies Mission was exemplary. She and several of 11 sister missionaries with whom she served during 18-months in the mission field brought many “souls unto Christ.” She returned home in May, 2011 to plan her wedding, but she is committed to always remain missionary-minded, even as she and her new groom begin their “time and all eternity” together!

Cardon shared some thoughts while visiting at our apartment which should be included. They dated for quite awhile before they were married, but, he says, “we never did anything before we were married for which we should be ashamed . . . or for which we needed to repent!” Not many young people in Guyana or in the world can say that!!!

A Computer in Every Home

“A computer in every home” is the current promise of the Guyanese government (funded by "green money" from foreign governments wanting to preserve the Amazon rainforest which makes up about 80% of Guyana's land mass). While that promise sounds generous on the surface, there are many strings attached to this "gift" and most people in this 3rd world country - except for some of the children - have no technical skills.

One evening while bemoaning the fact we were not reaching enough people, it struck me by way of personal revelation, one way I could help is to teach - even a handful of people - a little about how a computer works then encourage them to "practice, practice, practice" in order to develop a marketable skill!

In 5-weeks of classes, as many as 8 students per week learned Microsoft Word (as much as I knew how to teach them) in the first two lessons, followed by a lesson on Excel, one on Power Point and the last class was a “wrap-up” on anything we missed . . . what they had forgotten . . . an introduction to Picasa and blogging . . . then ended with the creation of their very own graduation certificate.

What a wonderful experience to see class members from 14 to 40 experiencing the "magic" of technology; but the magic for me is knowing these few simple lessons might lead them to a good job in a country crying for people with even the most basic computer skill.

I intend to continue teaching these same five lessons - all around Georgetown - every Tuesday night until we go home!

Guyana Plane Crash

You probably didn't hear much about this plane crash on your favorite TV news channel in the states, but here in Guyana it was big news. On Saturday, July 30 a Caribbean Airways Boeing 737, inbound from New York City - with 137 (or 145 or 163, depending on which paper was reporting the story) passengers aboard, overshot the runway at Cheddi Jagan Airport in a heavy rainstorm, crashed into a chain link fence and broke apart.

Thankfully, a miracle occurred when the seemingly insignificant chain link fence was able to slow the plane's trajectory just enough to prevent it from going over a 200-foot embankment . . . and, as a result, all passengers - no matter how many there were - walked away!

It has been the subject of most conversations all week.

Treseders Return to WIM

Richard and Margaret (“Meg”) Treseder, of Queen Creek, Arizona, joined us here in the WIM in late July for the second time in the West Indies where they will provide shadow leadership to the saints in Berbice. They were first called to serve in Guyana in March 2009, but were soon transferred to St. Lucia after spending what Sister Treseder describes as “a fun day in the Georgetown jail” along with approximately 30 other foreign missionaries expelled from the country in September 2009. “It is a favorite story our grandchildren love to tell their friends.”

Calling their first mission “an incredible experience in both places” the Treseders are anxious to renew friendships with those they knew and loved in Berbice as they “madly try to remember names and places. Having been there before is reassuring, although we know it won’t be exactly the same place we left. On the other hand, we are not looking forward to the bugs, mosquitoes, chiggers, and the muggy weather.”

We are delighted to be serving with Elder and Sister "T" - as they were called during their first mission in the West Indies - and look forward to getting together with them from time-to-time.