More flooding & Kevon

Feel like swimming?

Try spending a hot afternoon in a trench. These boys seem to be liking it!


This trench is of the small variety in front of someone's house, so instead of alligators, it probably is filled with lots of trash, thick mud and filthy water!

Elders Webb and Fillerup are trying to get back to their flooded apartment. They need to get back and put on their knee high rubber boots so they can do their visiting.

When it rains in Guyana, there is no shortage of water.

The many animals that are wandering everywhere can always find a spot to drink!

Here's a good shot of Jade and Travis's house just after an extra heavy downpour that lasted all night.

Meet Prince (83), his wife, Christine (65) and her grandson, Kevon (14).

They live together as a little family. I've never asked why Kevon doesn't live with his parents, but living with Granny is common around these parts.


They are standing at the top of the stairs of their tiny, tiny house. The stairs are very scary to climb and one of the four posts the house is set on was leaning when we visited Prince and Christine. As we sat on the small couch, which occupied almost the entire room, I was afraid the house would go down at any moment.


The post has been repaired, but unfortunately, the new post wasn't tall enough to make the house level. But the workman was paid, and probably will never return to do things right.

Here are the insides of their house. Everyone is sitting on the small couch...the only furniture in the room. The camera is setting across the room where the kitchen is set up to automatically snap this shot.

All three have been baptized recently.

Kevon has just been baptized by Elder Webb in the little font in the back of the New Amsterdam chapel.

Isn't this just a perfect shot! Kevon is darling and definitely one of our favorites.

He looks like he is just glowing in this photo. I see Elder Young in the background.

Speaking of favorites, I have to add this precious family, Granny and the 2 little brothers of Travis.
Travis, front middle, is the husband of Jade. Here they are having a FHE with Elders Fillerup and Webb. Delroy and Rudy, whom we absolutely adore, are in the back with their Granny. She always wears a hat.

Here's Rudy (13) again. He's on the right and is with his 2 friends on their lunch break from school, at our door looking for something to eat and drink. Rudy stops by our house at least once a day.

And here is darling Delroy (9) with his nephew, little Travis. I am attempting to teach Delroy and Rudy how to read. So many children and adults here in Guyana are unable to read.

I'll end this post with one of my favorite views of these parts...the swaying coconut palmtrees. Guyana is becoming more beautiful to us each day.

Anyone hungry?

Meet Nanda, and her cute daughter, Aliena.

I think you met them once before when I took you for a tour through their flooded house.

Nanda sells spices in the big New Amsterdam market place and helps me pick out my produce when I come in to shop. She has been a member of the church 3 years. That is a long time for around these parts. The church has only been in this part of Guyana 8 1/2 years.

This market place is in a big old building in the middle of our little town. It is has the best selection of every kind of produce available here. It is pretty much the center of the activity in New Amsterdam.

Check out all the cute gals that are selling their fresh greens and stuff.

I bring dad along to carry my heavy bags that are full of pineapples, bananas and etc. to the car. See how the work out is developing his rippling muscles?

Who is that hiding behind this counter full of mangos?

When I walk by these ladies, they always ask, "Are you shopping?" Anyone for a banana?

At the back part of the building is where the ladies sell the fish. It is a little different than I'm used to and I haven't quite gotten the courage to try any of it as of yet. Maybe that will change before our 2 years is up!

She is measuring off the portions carefully so she can take a big whack with that big knife.

What more can I say?

Here are the chickens. They love the feet around here. They make some kind of soup that they all go crazy over. We haven't tried it yet.

There are other places we shop. This is Donna's stand...just down the street from our apartment.

She doesn't have the selection of the big market place, but just check out her big smile. She always has a big hug for me when I come a-shopping to her stand. And, she saves her best for me and Sister Larsen.

She gets up at 2:30 am every morning and travels to buy her produce from the fields. When she returns from the fields, she sets out her produce and sells it all day for 12 hours until way after dark. There is a hammock behind her stand and I've caught her sleeping on the job!

Down the road about 30 minutes is another booming little town, Rose Hall. Their long, spread out marketplace is up and down the highway on Saturdays.

There are always a lot of hazards in getting to this market of which I'll show you a few.

Animals on the road........ (and remember we're in our car facing them),

Cars travelling in a helter skelter fashion.... bikers and pedestrians darting in and around from both sides,

Donkey carts.....do you suppose they are trying to move?

And more donkey carts.

And of course, there are always some big fat pigs making their way through the stands to munch on all the garbage that is everywhere on the ground. Sorry, no pig photo this time around!

I'll end this post with three random photos:

Some choice beachfront property.

Four adorable ladies I met on the street all decked out for church...I think!

And a typical view of Guyana as we drive down the coast.

The Whites in Boots

Elder and Sister came for a visit to our little village of New Amsterdam. They are missionaries who have been living in the "big" city of Georgetown.

And of course, I couldn't wait to show them around our favorite spot, Cow Dam. Notice, we were all sporting long boots for the occasion. Check out the mud and you'll understand why. There was a fair amount.

Jade and Travis were awaiting our visit.



On the way, Sister White had to stop for a moment because she couldn't resist checking out the fish in the bucket of these boys who had been fishing in the trench instead of going to school.



Elder Bullock was leading the way. Jade's house was just down the way at the end of the muddy trail on the left.




On the way we passed a few interesting sites. Yellow shirt lady waved at us and posed when we asked to take her photo.



Pink pants lady was scrubbing her steps. Despite the mud, the women work hard to keep things clean, especially their clothes.

When they arrive at church, they look so clean that you'd never know they had walked through the mud to get there. They wear other shoes or walk barefoot until they have walked to a paved area where they change into their church shoes .


I noticed this path as we walked through the mud and thought it was 1st class. It's too bad they don't all look this good.



These workers were building this big fancy wall all around a very unfancy house. We are wondering why it's sooo big.

When I took their photo, the guy flexed his muscles for me.


Sister White asked Jade (17) if she would tell about her conversion while we video'd it. As she sat on the floor, she shared it with us, smiling all the while.

Before we left, we took this little group photo in their small living room. Jade and I were sitting on the floor and the camera was set on the small kitchen counter across the room where she does her cooking.

There is a kitchen sink that is outside one of the windows where she washes her dishes. They have no electricity or running water.

Little Travis is almost two.

We also took a little ride to the very eastern border of Guyana to Crabwood Creek.

We bought two more pineapples from a stand there because we love them and eat one every day.

Then, we took the elders from this faraway area to lunch at a Guyanese restaurant where we ate Curry Chicken and Rice. It's the favorite dish of the people here.

After stuffing ourselves, the elders invited us to visit one of their favorite families that was about to be baptized.

They invited us inside and their house was completely empty of furniture except one wooden bench. Those who didn't fit on the bench, which was most of us, sat on the floor.



The family was adorable. The little girl (barely 1) wet her panties while we were there. The mom quickly got out the mop, mopped up the wet floor and changed her thin panties. And our conversation continued.

We had such a sweet time visiting both of these young families, who as new members of the church were thrilled about the changes that have come into their lives. We felt so privileged for the opportunity to listen to them share how excited they were for their membership in the church.

Who says sitting on the floor isn't good!

An incredible day in Guyana!

Wow! Twenty one baptisms for one Saturday for 4 elders is amazing, especially when you learn that 17 of them were from one companionship, Elders Jones (on the left) and Westover (on the right), who have been in the mission field only 3 months. Elders Mundy and Willis are in the middle.

More missionary news: Elder Webb, from England, has been our zone leader since we arrived in Guyana 3 months ago. He has been our "father", or trainer, in the mission so to speak. He is being transferred to Trinidad this week for his last transfer before finishing his mission.

I feel compelled to share a few photos of his more serious side!



Naptime in Guyana

"Give me more pumpkin bread!"


"I love these boots. I know they make me look splendid!"