Laugh...Live...Love...Travel!: Guyana Day 5!

Hey everyone!!

We began our day bright and early at St. George's Cathedral in town. This church is the largest wooden church in the world!! Kind of cool! The service lasted close to 2.5 hours which is different than most of us are used to. The pastor had us all stand up and explained to the congregation that PVUMC has been sending teams to Guyana for 11 years. After church, we handed out fans to all of the ladies in the congregation. We then left and had a lovely lunch at a cafe in town.

Leaving the cafe, the team headed to a homeless shelter. Upon arriving, we handed out toiletry items and small snacks to the men and women currently staying there. While these are small gifts, we hope that it eases their daily struggle maybe a little bit and gives them some hope during a time where it may seem that not much hope can be found. They were all very thankful to receive these items!

After lunch, Miles, Michael, Andy, and Derrick all drove into town to pick up the two HUGE pots of food for our homeless feeding. We put the food in one van, and the drinks in another van. We also passed out some flip flops, t-shirts, and cross necklaces! Today, we were able to feed close to 200 men and women living on the streets of Guyana. I have never experienced a homeless feeding quite like this one, and I was beyond blessed to be a part of it. God was so evident throughout the entire process. When we were at our last stop, we quickly began to realize that we had more thirsty homeless people than we had cups. Without even having to ask, team members began pouring their water into the container of Gatorade, and Michael and Miles began cutting bottles in half so we had more cups! I think we ended up handing out the Gatorade container with drink in it so that we had enough. Also, I looked over just in time to watch Derrick take his shirt, shorts, and shoes off and give it to a homeless man because at that point we had given out all of the clothes that we had. The second I started to doubt that we would be able to feed and clothe everyone that came to us was the very second that God provided, as He always does, and we were able to give everyone that needed something what they were asking for. I am so thankful to be part of such a selfless and giving team that truly embodies the very heart of Christ. Obviously, we are not perfect, and we make many mistakes, but God's love is so very present and that is so important to each and every one of us.

After feeding the homeless, we had a quick dinner and team meeting. We are now resting at the hotel preparing for our last day in Guyana tomorrow. Very sad : (

Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. They have most certainly been felt. Thank you also for all of the donations that were given before we ever even left the states. It was because of you that we were able to help those in need today and throughout the week!

Lauren