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.

Sightseeing in Guyana

We enjoyed a short visit of a couple of days from Elder Ralph and Sister Paulette Childs when he came to Georgetown to provide audit training for two new branch presidents. During our time together, we enjoyed catching up on mission news, had dinner out and hit the last of the “tourist” spots in our fair city, including St. George’s Catholic Church, a (fairly) nice arboretum and walked a few hundred yards along the famous Georgetown Seawall.

The Georgetown Seawall is part of a stretch of 280 miles of dyke built originally by the Dutch, in the 1700's, to protect Guyana (which is below sea level) from the frequent ferocity of the Atlantic Ocean. The seawall is solid concrete – or rock – about 5 feet wide and is a popular place for locals to walk, fly kites or people watch. Much of the original seawall has been damaged or washed away over 400 years, but there are still small sections built by the Dutch.

The Childs told us this is likely the last trip they will make to Guyana before they go home in December. We assured them, it’s just as well, because they have now seen everything there is to see (except Kaietuer Falls which requires a plane ride)!

Poor Trekker! He's pretty bummed he will not be doing much traveling for the rest of our mission, unless we get to go to Suriname.

Entertainment in Guyana

Trekker has had to change his thinking about what constitutes "fun" because in the entirety of Guyana, there are no movie theaters, no bowling alleys, no water parks, no public swimming pools, no television, no iPads or iPods . . . no anything! An evening out with friends involves people gathering to visit along the side of the road after dark, when it cools down, or for noisy fun, playing board games around a broken down table in their apartments with fans blowing at high speed.

New Convert night at the Georgetown Branch draws a hundred people who sit around for hours playing “Monopoly,” “Chutes and Ladders” or “Jenga”, but Guyanese – no matter their age - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE dominoes and play with unbridled enthusiasm, slapping the tiles down so hard you almost think they will shatter in a million pieces.

For these impromptu get-togethers, food of any kind (except pineapple or coconut which most Guyanese have eaten all their lives and find disgusting) is always welcome – especially the chocolate cake with ooey-gooey thick chocolate frosting I made for Family Home Evening tonight at Jewel Baccus’ home down a dark alley in a scary part of downtown Georgetown (Our Traveling Tiger was a little nervous). She had prepared a lesson on “differences” which made us all laugh since the differences among her guests were pretty darned obvious! Jewel’s 4-year-old Sherwin fell in love with Trekker and with Grandma Linda and wanted both of us to stay. As we started for the door, he begged his mother to let us sleep “on the sponge” upstairs.

At home, we rarely get more imaginative than dinner and a movie on Friday night or seek fun in some other “canned entertainment” but these wonderful people - who have very little in life - find their most simple pleasure is in spending time together. Isn't there a lesson in this?

From St. George to Georgetown . . . Rotary!

With permission from our mission president before we even entered the MTC - and not long after we arrived in Guyana - we began searching for the right Rotary club to join, out of four in Georgetown.

We first found Georgetown Central which meets on Thursday at noon, but there was no warm, inviting welcome at this club! Perhaps their coolness was because of our skin color, our Black Name Tags . . . or both, but it was evident this was not our club so we continued to research our options. The Wednesday noon club was the exact opposite. We felt welcomed from the first minute we came through the door, with club members shaking our hands and inviting us to sit with them as several vied for the right to sponsor us as new members.

In December, I left the warmth and friendship of RI Club #1079 / District 5420 - the Rotary Club of St. George (the original Washington County club chartered January 1931 with a current membership of 66). In July, in the usual spirit of this international service club, I found the same warmth and friendship in Club #6810 / District 7030 - the Rotary Club of Georgetown (the original club in Guyana chartered May 1959 with a current membership of 68)!

It is good to be back . . . and just in time to witness the recent installation of the first female Rotary club president in Guyana - Anna Lisa Fraser-Phang!

One-third of the Way Home!

Dear land of Guyana, of rivers and plains,
Made rich by the sunshine, and lush by the rains.
Set gem-like and fair, between mountains and sea,
Your children salute you, dear land of the free.

~ Guyana's Natl. Anthem (first verse)

Though it is almost impossible for us to believe, today - June 27, 2011 - represents the six month mark since we entered the MTC in Provo on December 27. The time is absolutely rushing by because every minute of every day is full as we work to develop the Employment Resource Services Center in Georgetown, sign up "worthy, ambitious and needy" young people for PEF loans . . . and manage the day-to-day work of the mission office.

It has been a wonderful adventure so far filled with exciting travels, amazing friendships with wonderful people, memorable missionary experiences and life-changing opportunities to grow in the gospel.