A fruitful place

These avocados and mangoes are from our yard in Trinidad

Oh, and Trinidad is fruitful in another way - things are looking very good for a the first stake in the West Indies to be created soon in Trinidad!

Beautiful children of the West Indies

We have been working in the mission home for a few days so I don't have exciting new pictures to share.

Here are some from my archives - pictures of children from all over the West Indies

Guyana's Big Zone Conference

All four Guyana zones traveled to the new LaGrange chapel near Georgetown to attend zone conference today with President Johnson, the Caribbean Area President.

What a powerful sight to see so many Elders (so many that it was impossible to get them all in one picture!)


We had a great conference

Followed by Guyanese lunch - a favorite of the Elders




Some 'dinner' music


And, of course, some tie trading





The Elders loved visiting with President Johnson



Look at all these matching cars - the mighty Guyana couples are here!


Last night we all gathered at our favorite Guyanese Chinese (thats fun to say!) restaurant.

Guyana Travels

I love Guyana and I want to share its charm with you!

Guyana is the only English speaking country in South America. The church is growing rapidly. The people are sweet, the land is majestic, and the culture is fascinating.

Tuesday we traveled from Parimaribo, Suriname to New Amsterdam, Guyana. We flew from Suriname to Guyana on a plane chartered weekly by local gold miners (about 1 hour) and then drove across Guyana to New Amsterdam (about 3 hours).

Here are some images of the journey:

To the plane


Tight fit


Elder Walker being his friendly self


It was a smooth flight (not always so). We landed in Guyana where Elder and Sister White (wonderful missionary couple) were waiting for us. I caught this shot in the fountain in front of the airport. You've heard about a dogpile, right? This is a 'frogpile' enjoying a cool shower


So - off we go with the assistants in the mission van


But first a stop at a 'snackette' for a quick treat


Remember - you divide by 20 to get to USD


Then we hit the road


Here are a few sights along the way

Three little fishermen (I hope whatever is stored in the pump station is safe)


Children on their way to school (hiding from the sun under their umbrellas)


Transfiguration Church - the blue open structure on the roof is where they say Jesus will enter when he comes again - really! They are certainly ready


I think He is more interested in this building


No - this is not the missionary's apartment


Interesting towns


Poor houses


Sugar cane


Can you tell we are in South America?




Driving in Guyana is crazy. I've heard couples say it's like playing one of those wild video game where you bounce around avoiding enemies. Here are some shots out the van window:









Quick stop (on the road) for a snack


After 3 hours of driving we made it to the ferry to cross the Berbice River - where the Whites planned to drop us off. But when we got there men were racing towards us saying "lunch, lunch!" (we thought). "We have already had lunch", we replied politely until we realized they were saying "launch, launch," referring to the other smaller boat that crosses the river. The ramp was broken so the ferry wasn't running. They were taxi drivers wanting to take us to the "launch". So we climbed back in the van and drove a few miles down the road and waited for the "launch".

Elder Heslop being his friendly self as we wait for the launch (not lunch)


Here it comes!


On the launch



And we are there!


Another wonderful missionary couple, the Bullocks, picked us up at the dock and drove us to our hotel. The next day, after President Robison interviewed the fine Canje and Berbice Elders, we did the whole thing again in reverse.

We are having Zone Conference in Georgetown tomorrow with all the Guyana Elders. President Johnson, our area president, will be there.

Hurrah for Guyana!

Boys and Trees

We were driving from Canje to Georgetown today and spotted this:


Can you see the boy?

Here is a closer look


Climbing higher



Success!