Guyana 2012

The dates are finally set for Guyana 2012.

This July, I will be back where I belong, God-willing!

We are taking on a new project this year, and a new area of Guyana. I can not wait to meet new people and make memories that last a life time. It will be a bit sad not seeing the old crew as much, but I am resting in the fact that I know God has a plan and that He is in control. His plan is good all the time.

Beautiful little Guyanese girl : )

The People of Guyana

I had to write a paper for English about Guyana so I figured I would put it here as well!

After a week of planning and anticipation to receive my dad’s permission to go on the trip of a lifetime, it all boiled down to one moment. “Dad, can I go to Guyana for ten days on a mission’s trip? I’ll be super careful, I promise.” With a smirk, I was told I could go if I could pay for it. Three days later, money in hand, I received his permission to go on a trip that would change my college major, career plan, and my life. We arrived in Guyana, South America extremely late at night and made the one-hour trek to the city we would be staying in for the next ten days. On the way there, I witnessed the worst living conditions I had ever laid eyes on as the people had relatively no access to clean drinking water, no sewage system, and no way to purify food. We drove by little huts made of cardboard and whatever else could be found where families were forced to live with many relatives and even friends that had no means of securing other housing. The next day proved to be no different as I met members of various orphanages all around town. The “they are extremely sick or have a rare condition with basically no chance of survival because there is no help here” story became all too familiar. I knew right then and there that I wanted to be the one to change the response to that question. The CIA lists Guyana as “high” on the degree of risk for infectious disease scale. Guyana also only has approximately 372 registered doctors in the entire country, and ranks 68th on the list (out of all countries in the world) for highest infant mortality rate (CIA). Clearly, their lack of essential environmental items that we take for granted in the United States is making its way to the forefront as we see it claim too many victims.



The story that stood out to me the most is one that is nothing extreme or spectacular, but one that left an imprint on my heart. Hope Home, the orphanage we spend the most time visiting, houses around sixty children, many with special needs. Our task for the week was to put up a type of barbed wire fencing to protect the children because break-ins had become very commonplace. The barbed wire was stored in the room the children were not supposed to have access to, but unfortunately, Reshma managed to get in and step on the wire. She probably needed a tetanus shot and stitches, but because the only legitimate hospital for miles had recently been burnt down and she was scared of the scolding she might get for wandering somewhere she was not supposed to be, she simply walked around on it until she finally got the courage to show it to me. My only solution was a Band-Aid and some Neosporin I found in our team’s first-aid kit. Had I been medically trained, I could have easily stitched it back up to prevent infection that likely ensued after we left.


When I returned home from Guyana, I was burdened by the enormity of the problem I had witnessed and wanted to do anything I could to help. The entire experience was enough to convince me that the medical field is the place for me. So now with a biology major I am hopeful to continue on to P.A. school and eventually return to Guyana to help right the wrongs society has placed on these precious people.


At the end of all my thinking, I came to the conclusion that people today feel the problems of society and even environmental issues we have discussed in class are far too large to slowly be handled one person at a time. In all reality, however, isn’t that what starts revolutions and movements that change the world? In the words of Dr. Seuss, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.” (Inspirational)

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