We are FINALLY here!!

Hey everyone!!

After a very long day of traveling we are finally here! Our day began bright at early at 5 am and was complete with a pizza "breakfast" in Charlotte and then Pizza Hut for lunch in Miami haha. Our options were limited! Getting here is always quite the adventure but thankfully all of flights went smoothly (well minus a little Coke explosion by Tony, but hey at least there is never a dull moment!). We were greeted by our missionary and local Guyanese friend, Clement, as soon as we got off of the plane, and we were able to go straight through customs and start collecting bags. Many of us had to check our "carry on" bags in Miami so seeing all of them at luggage pick-up was a HUGE relief.

I think my favorite part about these trips is getting to watch all of our new travellers to Guyana experience it for the first time. I purposely positioned myself in the van between Caitlin and Pastor Tim! Watching them experience driving on the left side of the road for the first time and seeing people, dogs, cows, and donkeys roaming about is so much fun! They were shocked at first, but everyone seems to be settling in nicely! We are now safely at the hotel, supplies have been put up, and we are anticipating a very early local breakfast and church service. I am so excited to see what God has in store for the team this week. No doubt it will be a wild, crazy, beautiful reflection of His love for us and for the people of Guyana.

Thank you to all who prayed us here. Please continue to pray for us throughout our trip, and check the blog for updates and pictures. I will update as much as time and WiFi allows.

Lauren

Standing in line to check our foot lockers!

Pastor Tim and Tony having a little fun!

Got to have a plane selfie :)

Team picture leaving the Guyana airport!!

Last Meeting!!

Hello again! We haven't quite left yet, but I totally forgot about our last packing meeting!

After a wonderful service this morning led by Pastor Tim and a beautiful commissioning by Pastor Trish, we all grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to the church for our packing meeting. We had lots of fun, and even had some extra friends to come and help us!!

We had about 15 foot lockers to fill full of generous clothing and shoe donations from church family and friends as well as medicine, toys, and building supplies for the playground. It is quite the puzzle to figure out how to sort everything and bring as much as possible with only 50 pounds per foot locker!! We are beyond thankful for every contribution to this team and the Guyanese people! For the first time this year, we had an abundant amount of baby clothes (we usually have very few) so I can already anticipate the caregiver's faces at the baby orphanage!!

I could definitely tell everyone was getting excited. We were able to talk about last minute plans, and we will see each other again bright and early Saturday morning!!

Miles and I packing foot lockers with medicine for the children! He was not very impressed with my packing skills... Can you tell who has the engineering brain?

Sorting, packing, and weighing foot lockers to bring to Guyana! 

Pastor Tim on box duty!! Someone had to do it :)

It's About that Time Again!!

It blows my mind every single year how quick the in-between time goes by before we head out to Guyana once again!! I am so very excited to announce that our team will be leaving March 8th to head back to one of the best places on earth!

It is my pleasure to introduce this year's team to you led by our fearless leaders, Jeff and Melissa Butler!

New members:

Caitlin George
Elizabeth Sharpe
Pastor Tim Reaves
Tony Brigman

Returning members:

Pat Everett
Miles Butler
Katy Butler
Lauren Prevatte (me!)
Andy Sam- in Guyana!
Clement Gonsalves- in Guyana!

We will be finishing up last minute packing and planning this Sunday and fly out bright and early the following Saturday. We are so very excited for what the Lord has in store for us this year, and we ask that you please keep us in your thoughts and prayers while we are traveling and spending time with the Guyanese. We will be, once again, running our homeless street feeding program as well as spending much time with children in various orphanages and will even be building a playground (pray extra hard for that one ;) )! I look forward to being able to share recaps and pictures on a daily basis (Guyana internet depending)!

Thanks for your love and support!

More in-route to Guyana,
Lauren

Back Home!

After a very long day through Guyana, Trinidad, Miami, and Atlanta, we got back safely last night. A huge thanks to James Smith for picking us up late at the airport! We were so thankful for a ride home :)

Our trip was such an incredible experience for everyone, new and old. We are so very thankful to be back home yet missing our sweet Guyana all at the same time. It is definitely a bittersweet homecoming.

Thank you all so much for following our journey. We, once again, are so blessed by your sweet thoughts and prayers! We would love to have some of you join us when we return in March!!

Until next time,

Lauren

Goodbyes are always the hardest part.

Today was our last day in Guyana. It was a day full of much laughter, joy, games, and so many children. It was also filled with sadness and anticipation for the journey home.

We chose to spend our last day at Joshua House. This orphanage is very different from most of the other children's homes we visit. There was a very clear difference in the way the children interacted with us and responded with each other. They have very little supervision or structure and because of this, they crave attention. This attention we were happy to give them :) Michael immediately became a climbing wall and a punching bag. Miles ended up going out of his comfort zone a little to sing "Lean on Me" over and over again because they desperately wanted to hear it. Of course, Derrick chimed in with some Bob Marley songs, his trademark!!

We were able to do many crafts with them which included decorating a butterfly with colorful stickers and making a spider out of oatmeal cookies, frosting, raisins, and licorice. That was of course a huge hit!! I was also able to read two books to them which they loved hearing. They got very quiet and paid close attention. We spent the remainder of our time at Joshua House playing, blowing bubbles, coloring, getting our hair done (painfully and very funny-looking :), and just truly getting to know the children on a personal level. We have realized that while construction projects and painting are important spending time just listening is even more so. These children have stories and have things they want to share, and they often do not have the opportunity to share them. We were all more than happy to be a listening ear for these lovely ones.

The goodbye was hard as it always is at Joshua House. The children form bonds quickly and feel very rejected when we leave. One little girl in particular was crying because she did not want Holly to leave :( They always walk us to the vans and walk as far along the side of the vans as they possibly can. Leaving definitely tugs at heartstrings, but it helps everyone get more and more excited to hopefully return.

After dinner tonight, we will head back to the hotel to rest and make our way to the airport VERY early in the morning. Please pray for the ones we leave behind, for a smooth exit for us, and for safe travels as we return home. We are sad to be leaving so soon but thankful for such a great week filled with many blessings and so many evident ways that God has been at work here.

Thanks again for all of your love, prayers, and support!!

Until we are home,
Lauren

Group picture!

Holly had stickers :)

Leah and some new friends! 

Nakise and I!

They were enjoying bubbles and some crazy glasses we brought!

They thought Miles needed some stickers!

Holly and I with some of the kids!

Derrick talking with a few :)

Mike with some of the children!

Making butterflies and spider cookies!

Hair time!

This is how my hair turned out :) They asked me if I would wear it on the plane... haha

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

Holly and Leah enjoying breakfast at Oasis!

Preparing to feed the homeless!

Passing out needed items at the homeless shelter

Untangling crosses before heading out!

Jeff and Melissa surveying the wonderful food for the homeless!

Melissa, Leah, and I getting ready!

Michael and Jeff having a little conversation :)

Derrick giving someone food!

Lovely pots of food we were distributing!

Lining up for food!

All sitting back down to enjoy their meal!

Derrick praying with a homeless man

Giving food and drink to a homeless man

Preparing to take the food to the homeless

Improvising so that we could distribute more drinks!

A little arm wrestling to finish the day off! Sad to say Josh beat me :)

Michael and Miles-- So that we didn't break the table, we called it a tie :)

Guyana Day 4!

Greetings from Guyana!

Tonight's blog is being written by Leah, Lauren's little sister. Before I start talking about our adventures today, I would like to briefly talk about what I have learned so far on this trip. It is amazing how easily we can take things for granted like family, a home, or even an air conditioned building. The first question I asked as soon as I stepped foot in Guyana was "Is there wifi here?" Boy, was I in for a life-changing trip. After one morning of being here, I began to slowly learn that there is much more to see than the nice cell phone screen, and I am learning to not solely rely on it all the time. I realized the fact that I had been living a fantastic life compared to the many here who are on the streets and in orphanages yet I was never thankful for it. I have been blessed with something as simple as air or food, but we never seem to truly respect these essential items that so many do not have. One of the most impacting moments was when we fed the homeless right outside a housing for prostitution. Instantly I thought of the fact that Jesus was always with the prostitutes and sinners reaching out to them because He knew their life was full of purpose. Instead of judging people, I have definitely learned to accept people and be a light for them. In closing, I just want to say that I have been so humbled by this trip and all the opportunities I have been given to finally pour love into the lives of the people of Guyana. Without further ado, below is the update of today's events.

Today was another great day here!  After our morning devotions and breakfast, we headed out for our first stop of the day, Joshua House. The visit here was productive and touching at the same time. As we pulled up, the children happily ran towards the gate and greeted us with many hugs. This instantly reminded me of the Bible verse Matthew 11:28 which says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The team then split up and the children blew bubbles, colored pictures, or played fun games with Miles and Michael. A few team members helped install a swing that the children loved, and they each waited their turn as patiently as children can to try it out.  Each child, without even knowing our names or stories just wanted to be able to feel love from someone. It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to be the love the children longed for.

In the afternoon we traveled back to Ruimveldt to install twelve door knobs. While many of us learned a new skill, they were very grateful for the newly installed door knobs. Each child was given either a bracelet or necklace as a reminder that Jesus truly loved them, and we said our goodbyes and departed. When leaving, we could clearly see that these kids formed a family and truly looked out for each other in all situations.

For dinner, we had the opportunity to try some authentic Guayanese food and celebrate Joshua's birthday. We are now back in our rooms preparing for another wonderful day tomorrow.

Much love from Guyana,
Leah :)

Preparing to chase after the bubbles :)

 

Kids enjoying the coloring books brought by Holly!

Michael and Miles leading games for the children!

Here's a picture of the new necklaces each child received!

Andy and Mr. Butler constructing the new swing.

Playing with Derick!

They loved playing tug-of-war with Michael!

Getting love from some sweet girls!

Holly with some of her new friends!

Holly had the chance to have a close bond with this girl and even gave away her name badge to her, which is a BIG deal for these kids.

Moments like this make being here beyond worth it!