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)

Home

I am finally home after a very long day. We flew from Guyana, stopped in Trinidad for 2 hours, flew to Miami, drove to Ft. Lauderdale, flew to Orlando, flew to Raleigh, and then finally drove back home. It was quite the adventure! I must say, however, that all of the traveling was well worth being home.

I miss Guyana so much.
I miss the little children.
I miss Reshma and Naresh.
I miss the selfless love they all give, regardless of their circumstances.
I miss hugs from the little ones every single day.
I miss the Guyanese food.
I miss part of the team who we left behind-- Tessa, Peter, Josh, Andy

Tonight, I'm thankful that I can use the sink water to brush my teeth.
I'm thankful for my family and my best friends who were anxiously awaiting my return.
I'm thankful for the memories I made.
I'm thankful that those stories will be told to people who might join me on my dream to continually change the Guyanese people's lives.
I'm thankful for American food.

Painting security fencing to keep thieves from entering the orphanage 

I may have been a little tired...

Guyana, once again, was a trip of a lifetime. The children blessed me and helped me more than I could have ever helped them. God is so good, so so good. He revealed himself to me over and over again on this trip; I left Guyana comforted by the fact that He is in control and that He will keep the beautiful children and homeless men and women safe. He has a plan-- a good and perfect plan. I have many more stories, pictures, and videos to share later after I get back to the American way of life. Thank you for all of your many prayers and much support.

**Update
God moved in a powerful way. We were able to get all of our medical supplies back from customs; everything was like we had packed it, and we got it in time to deliver it to all of the orphanages and the rehab center. Just the fact that we were able to get it back so fast is huge! Praise God!

Guyana Day 5

Once again, we enjoyed another wonderful day in Guyana! We had breakfast at the hotel very early and headed out to Hope Home to we our friends there. Seeing Naresh and Reshma again was definitely a highlight of this trip; Naresh still has my name badge from last trip and Reshma still has my letter. She told me she wants to write in my journal again tomorrow which of course she can do! She also asked that next time I come I bring her a Rihanna cd. I think I can do that :) Our project at Hope is painting metal grates that will become part of a barbed wire fence to keep out thieves; that is becoming a problem there. I have many more stories to fill my blog with when I'm state side. We are about to leave to eat dinner at a US ambassador's house whom we met because of the medical crate incident. She is from Mississippi and wanted to eat dinner with some fellow Southerners. We happily accepted! More stories later... I need to focus on enjoying my last few days here! Much love to everyone back home, Lauren

Guyana Day 4

Today has been yet another incredible day in Guyana; something about this country is incredibly captivating. We enjoyed another morning of "sleeping in" and an amazing breakfast at the hotel. We then went to church and due to a little mix up got there early but it allowed us to participate in the Palm Sunday march with the church children! It was an awesome experience and definitely something I'll remember for a lifetime. The church service was really good too although it lasted three hours. It was kind of a Guyanese version of Life CC which of course made me really happy! After church we enjoyed a fried chicken lunch at the hotel and headed on to the streets again to feed the homeless. What an eye opening experience!! Those people have so much potential and I pray to God that they can somehow see it. Miles says his favorite part was having Clement, a former street resident and now an addictions counselor, join us. While riding, he saw alot of familiar faces and told us their stories. After the feeding, we headed to the Pegasus for a nice American style dinner! We have an early busy day ahead of us tomorrow. Much love from Guyana, Lauren and Miles

Guyana Day 3

Just a short post because Im having to use an iPod. Today has been alot of fun so far!! We went to the market this morning to do some shopping. That was very exciting, but extremely hot. Tessa says the temperatures will be extreme today!! We will be going to a little cafe for lunch and then back to Joshua House for our last few hours there. I'm so not ready to say goodbye but at the same time I can't wait to go back to Hope Home to see everyone there! Dinner tonight will be at Tessa's house tonight... probably an authentic Guyanese meal. Lots of chicken curry :) Hope all is well back home!! Continue to pray for our team and our safety. Much love, Lauren and Miles

Guyana

Just a quick update to say that I am back in Guyana again, and it is so completely wonderful! I feel like I never left; everyone is just so welcoming. We spent our day yesterday seeing all of the beautiful children at Joshua House and at the Red Cross orphange; we had Easter egg hunts at each place. We then went on the streets to feed the homeless around town and give out the flip-flops that CCHS collected. They were so thankful!

Today we went back to Joshua House to do some construction projects and hang out with the kids. It was so wonderful to see all of my old friends and to meet some new ones. We are just getting back to the hotel now, and we will have some lovely "pizza" for dinner tonight!

** A Little Sidenote***
When we arrived at the Guyana airport, the corrupt customs officers took all of the medical supplies we were bringing to help all of the kids. We have contacted many people within Guyana to try and help get them back. Please pray that God's will can be done in this situation. Also, pray for those officers who felt the need to take them; pray that they will realize we need those supplies to help their people. God has an incredible plan, and I can't wait to see it revealed, whenever that may be.

Thank you everyone for all of your continued prayers and support! Much love, Lauren









Just One at a Time...

Bob Pierce once said, "Don't fail to do something just because you can't do everything." These are wise words to anyone overwhelmed with the magnitude of human suffering in our world. We are not asked to help all of them at once, just one at a time. - Richard Stearns

Travel plans were confirmed today.
April 12th through the 21st, I will get to go back!

Planes, RVs, vans...
It will be a long travel journey, but one well worth it.
I can't wait to go back to those people.
Acceptance, love, humility, gratitude.
They teach me more than I could ever teach them.
I want God to break my heart for what breaks His. No matter what that means.
That's scary to me. It will hurt; I will not want to leave because a huge chunk of my heart belongs to those people. He will sustain me though.
Exactly how He sustains them every single day.
Like Bob Pierce and Richard Stearns have said, I can't fix everything.
Just one orphan, one widow, one homeless person at a time.

I have no doubts that when I get back, my heart will rebreak all over again.
All I will want to do is go back. I will have to be patient and wait which is really NOT easy for me.
So what does that mean...
It means I love them with everything in me, with love like Christ, the entire time I'm down there.
I play whatever silly games they want to play; I go out of my comfort zone to join in their dance parties.
I try and remember everything that happens and everything they say to me.
I have them write me more letter to read when I'm thinking and praying for them.
I have the sweet feeling of sheer exhaustion the whole way back to the states; it's such a sweet feeling because I know I gave all my energy to the people of Guyana.
I tell them that they belong; I love like crazy...

Amer-indian People

     While we were in Guyana, we took a boat ride (well, a few boat rides) to this beautiful little Amerindian village in the Amazon interior. After a terrifying run-in with the military, we were left there to explore and get to know the people.

There were no roads.
There were no cars.
There was very little technology.
No air conditioning.
Only thatched roofs.
Poisonous snakes that bit a little boy while we were there.
Military miraculously in the area to help him.
There were monkeys as pets.
The wives were usually left alone because their husbands had to seek work off the island and could only return on the weekends.
Alcoholism among the men ran rampant.

The thing about this village is all they had was each other. They simply knew how to love authentically and just be there. It was so encouraging to me to see how they had next to nothing but lived like they had  everything in the world. I need to learn how to live like that here...

I wasn't working on the particular medical project that day so I got the opportunity to just explore and love on the people there. We walked all over that island. We saw all of the huts; the places where the children play and too many little neon blue lizards : )

I met a girl there who was about 15 or 16 whose dream goal was to get to the United States and become a doctor. She was absolutely brilliant; she blew me away with everything that she knew. Had we had more than a few hours there, I would of really wanted to know how in the world she learned all of it. I really hope that somehow someway she gets here and fulfills that goal. Unfortunately, we won't be going back to that village this April, but I pray that God leads people to her that have the ability to help her fulfill this dream. I hope that somewhere down the road I see that little girl, grown-up and a doctor, back in her village helping her people. I believe she can do it.

One of the nicer houses in the village, and one of the cutest kids : )

Typical housing...

Why Guyana? Part 2

So I got the yes from Dad, but I still needed the money and to overcome a few fears. I prayed and prayed that God would provide the money and upon sending out support letters, I had enough money to go in a little over a week. I was thrilled!!

The next problem... I was terrified of planes. I didn't even like going into airports. I knew, however, that if Guyana was where God wanted me, I would just need to face that fear. My boyfriend and his family picked me up the day of, and we drove two hours to the airport. The whole time I was praying that I would be able to get on the plane and not be scared. When we got into the airport, I was fine. We went through security and even as we were waiting to board, I was okay. I assumed that once we actually got on the plane, I would freak. Thanks to God and Miles, I was perfectly calm. I actually really enjoyed flying! God is so incredible : )

After finally getting to Guyana, I was ready for the adventure. Surprisingly, I didn't get car sick like I usually do on the bumpy car ride to the place we were staying. The boat ride down the Amazon didn't scare me like I thought it would. I was able to eat more meat than I usually do without getting sick! God calmed all of my fears and anxieties so that I could truly enjoy my time there. Fortunately, my parents were willing to let me go again so spring break while my friends are on their senior trip, I'll be seeing my Guyana loves again!! I can't wait!

Why Guyana? Part 1

I just realized that I never really explained "Why Guyana?" Part of this journey is how I got there! Plus, the story is kind of funny : )

Ever since eighth grade, I had watched tons of my friends go on foreign mission's trip. The one the church I was going to at the time sponsored a church in the Dominican Republic, so every summer I would ask my parents if I could go. Their answers were usually "yes" because they knew I was too terrified to do anything like that to begin with. Obviously, a few years had passed, and I really felt like God was calling me to go somewhere. I really thought it was going to be Belize, but long story short, my parents said no and the trip ended up falling through. So I kept praying...

About this time, my boyfriend, Miles, threw out the idea of Guyana. I think he figured I would say no because I was terrified of a lot of things the trip would entail. My answer was a little different. I said that I would go if my parents would agree. There's the catch. Neither of my parents have ever been on a mission's trip, and my dad doesn't really like me even leaving my city. I knew, however, that if Guyana was where I was being led, God would answer my prayers. So I walked into the kitchen, "Dad, I really want to go to Guyana this summer... Can I go?" And Dad says "Yes!". I was shocked and almost 100% I was hearing it wrong. DAD SAID YES!!!

My Community

         A few summers ago, I had to privilege to go on a domestic mission's trip to Bluefield, West Virginia. It really opened my eyes to how much need we have within the United States. The children we worked with were in horrible home situations and lived well below the poverty line. It made me realize how fortunate I am to be where I am and to come home to a safe and loving environment. I'm to the point now with high school that I am so ready to be done; so ready to move on and see new things. Start my own life. Sometimes I feel as if God is telling me to just stop and realize what I have. Be thankful for family, friends, and the memories I have made with them. When I graduate and leave this town, things will not ever be the same.

    
      I think I get so completely caught up in the moment that I forget how badly my community needs me too. There are plenty of people within my own city who desperately need help, whether it be food and shelter or love and support. I'm currently trying to plan an outreach event for my school's Beta Club, and I'm excited to see how God is going to move within my city. As badly as I long to be back in Guyana, there is no need to waste precious time. I need to get to serving my own town!!

Before I Left

I had just returned from an awesome trip to Massachusetts with my best friend, and I was frantically packing to leave the next morning for Guyana. She was helping me, as usual, and talking to me about her two recent trips to Haiti. She's absolutely incredible; her passion for those little Haitian orphans she spent her time with is something that I truly admire.

Back to the story : )

I was half listening because I was so "busy", and then she quoted something that hit me...

It was from the book The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. I can't find the exact quote but it went something like this:

Those who have God and everything have no more than those who have God and have nothing.

She reminded me, with this quote, that I had nothing more than the people I was going to be with. She also told me to remember while I was there that I wasn't God, I couldn't save them or even offer a huge solution to their lifelong problems. I was going to be there to love on them, to be an extension of Christ, and to make Him known. It was a powerful reality check for me because honestly, I probably would of stepped foot in Guyana thinking I was going to be their savior. How wrong would I have been...

It's still something that I think about. I really, really want to know the magic solution to ending all of their hunger, pain, desperation, etc. but I won't ever know it. No human ever can know it.

I need to keep this mindset when I go back (God-willing) in April. I have nothing more then they do.

Reality checks are a very good thing sometimes...

Wouldn't it be wonderful...

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had a solution to the problems of this world?

If we could take every little orphan home with us and comfort all the hearts of the broken. The fact that I can't do that really bothers me sometimes.

That's when I realize that God has a plan, and He really cares for His people. He will never leave us or forsake no, matter how hard that is to grasp.

The fast-paced society we live in often makes in hard for us to focus on Him and give Him the attention He deserves. We are often too "busy" to spend time with Him. But as my pastor said this past Sunday, what is busy? Do we really know what it is? Or is it just an excuse to put important things off for less important things?

We should never be too busy for God or the ones who need us the most. There are so many hurting people in this world. So while we rush through the unnecessary parts of life: smile a little bigger, hug a little tighter, read your Bible a chapter longer, always tell those who mean something to you that you love them. Never be afraid to let your guard down and just cry, but then pull yourself back together and know you'll be okay. No matter what the circumstance or situation, we all have something to live for. For me, He is my refuge. My strength when I'm weak. My shelter from life's storms. My Savior.

It's time for me to slow down, live, and make memories. Because what is life if I'm only watching it pass me by?