I just got off of
the skype with Becky. I had to see that chubby baby one more time and
admire 7 year old Landon and see his birthday gifts. We are really
getting excited that we will be able to be with all of you for the
Christmas holidays Our only concern is that we might get sick,
adjusting to the extreme weather change coming home at that time of the
year.
This weekend, the Guyanese are celebrating a
national holiday called Diwali. It is a Hindu holiday which they also
call the Festival of the Lights. The people put lights around their
homes and light firecrackers and fireworks. We visited 4 families
tonight and all the neighbors were outside enjoying the fireworks.
Interestly enough, there were no dogs barking, like they usually do
every night. They are all hiding. Dogs hate the loud noises of the
firecrackers.
We have had a good week. The training is going well
with the Surujbhans. They visited a couple of the elders Apartments
this week. One of them needed some fixing up and they have 5 of their
own apartments which they rent to people so they know where the best
places are to find things for the apartments. They will be great with
the elders.
We had a area day of service yesterday. Every
branch chose some type of community service. Our Georgetown branch
chose to work with the local Lion's club to clean up the main street on
the east side of town. There was a great turnout. Between the branch
members and the Lion's club there were probably 60 people wearing yellow
vests, picking up garbage and cleaning up the street. It looked really
good after the work was done.
The downside of this service project is that my hamstrings are so stiff and sore from all that bending down to pick up trash
We have one more service project to do with the
Lions club this next couple of weeks. We are going to hem 500 baby
blankets and then make 500 newborn kits to give the the Georgetown
public hospital. There are several private hospitals in Georgetown, but
this one is public, and it is free.
If anyone has any doubt about the benefits of
socialized medicine, they need to visit the public hospital in Guyana.
Anyone who can afford a private hospital would never go to the public
hospital. You have to wait all day (literally) to see a doctor and the
facilities are over crowded and run-down.
Some of the women who go to the Georgetown public
hospital to have their babies are so poor, that they have nothing to
take them home in. They will love the newborn kits, with the blanket,
baby outfit, hat, diapers, pins and soap that goes with it.
We hope that all is well with you. We are grateful
that Deborah is at Becky's tonight helping out with the boys. We wish
we could be there to hold little Blake for a few minutes.
Abi, hang in there for a few more weeks. We pray for all of you
and hope that you are happy. Esther, we enjoyed the beautiful pictures
of your halloween costumes. The children looked about as serious as we
have ever seen them.
Love the All! Mom and Dad
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