Laugh...Live...Love...Travel!: Guyana Day 2!

Today was yet another wonderful day in Guyana! I for one absolutely love being here, and I know that is how everyone else feels as well.

After breakfast and devotions, we headed back to Hope Home for our last day there. Last days at the orphanages are always bittersweet because it is amazing to see work come to a completion but extremely hard to say goodbye for the year. We began the morning by finishing up the painting in the boy's dorms. Michael and Miles continued to paint the ceiling while the rest of us put the finishing touches on the storage cubbies. We had a ton of fun and debated whether or not some of us had more paint on our bodies or on the walls :) After a quick lunch on the balcony at the orphanage, we broke off into groups. Jeff, Melissa, Derrick, Miles, and Michael went back upstairs to finish painting while Holly, Leah, and Clement, and I went downstairs to Ronita's classroom to do crafts with some of the younger children. This was by far the most well-behaved group of little ones we have ever worked with. It was a sheer pleasure to do crafts with them! It also gave me some time to talk one-on-one with the teacher and get many answers to questions I have had for many years. She explained to me that they are currently at max capacity, and the government places children at various orphanages throughout Guyana when they become orphans. I had always wondered particularly why certain children were at certain orphanages.

We also were able to give Hope Home the pillowcases made by a women's sewing group at PVUMC. The children and workers alike loved them!! A little girl with special needs was able to receive one in her crib and was propped up for the first time that we had ever seen. Every time that we have ever been here she has been laying flat in the crib. We also were able to stay a little bit later today to greet some of the older children who were coming in from school. It was wonderful to see so many more familiar faces.

After leaving Hope, we went to the Red Cross orphanage which houses children from infants to three years old. From the minute we stepped in the door, we were rushed by so many little toddlers. I looked around and every team member was carrying at least one child; many even had multiple. We ended up having to all sit down and became a personal climbing toy for all of the children :) It was so much fun to be able to play with the little ones. We sang songs with them at the end, and it was such a sweet reflecting time singing along and watching all of them sing in unison with us. There is something particularly special about the innocence of the babies.

We left Red Cross and headed back to the hotel for some wonderful Pizza Hut. Yes, they have a Pizza Hut here, and it was such an amazing treat :) After dinner, Tessa, Derrick, Andy, Holly, Joshua, and I walked over to feed some adorable monkeys and see a sloth and a baby leopard. We walked out on the sea wall and were greeted by some rather large rats! We were also able to walk on the sea wall and on the beach. The sand is mainly shells here which is a huge change from what our sand is like back in Wilmington!

We are now sitting outside enjoying a wonderful sea breeze and bonding as a team! We are so excited for what the rest of the week holds and, as always, continually thankful for your thoughts and prayers!!

Lauren