Dawali, Wakenaam Island to visit Adolphus, Self Reliance Centers

Elder Beecher on Wakenaam Island in the Essequibo River
Wakenaam means "Island waiting for a name"

On November 13th the East Indian people have a holiday called Dawali or Day of the Lights. They fill small ceramic containers with oil and a wick and light them to decorate their houses. The home across the street from us was decorated with tons of beautiful Christmas lights and the Dawali lights. The people invite their friends and family in to enjoy seven curry which you eat on a big waterlily leaf with your fingers. They had a big parade here with floats and a program with entertainment up by the sea wall. It was a big deal. We drove around with the Cooks and looked at some of the lights. We got stuck on a street where cars were parked on both sides and lots of on-coming traffic and not enough room to get down the street. Elder Beecher had to back up in the dark and so many people and obstacles. Ack.
 Because it was a holiday, our friend Adolphus took us to visit his family on an island in the Essequibo River. Adolphus has only been a member about eight months. He wants to be a doctor. He would also like to go on a mission, but he has to work on Sundays. Hopefully he can get things worked out. We went with our friends the Cooks, the humanitarian missionary couple. First we went on a back cracking speed boat ride. The boat would hit the waves so hard we thought it would crack. The boat survived, but it took our backs a couple days to recover.

When we left the water was at this level.
When we returned the water was up to the
top board. The river flows both north and south. 

The Essequibo is about 23 miles across.

Elder Cook scratching the back of Adolphus's pet macaw, Sparky.

Adolphus's back yard.

We went for a walk along the sea wall.

Adolphus's brother Clifton (also called Blackboy by his mother) climbed the coconut palm to get us some coconuts.

Then he whacked the top off with a cutlass (machete) and gave us a straw so we could drink the coconut milk.  

This is the inside of their home - pretty nice.

They have a farm and they raise pigs which they
feed shredded coconut meat.  They also process the coconut oil.
I bet that is good bacon!

Adolphus's mother, Eleen, has this shop at the front of their home where she sells stuff from the garden.  We were glad we went to visit.  Adolphus is the only member in his family and his dad was giving us grief about the word of wisdom.  The dad sang a little song and he had a nice voice, so we sang,"I am a Child of God" to him.  We hope his heart softened a little.  We went on a bus ride around the island.  It was a fun day.
This past week Brother Angel Negron, who is over employment in the Caribbean came to visit.  He taught us a lot and we had three training sessions to train our PEF Country Committee, our Georgetown branch presidents and Employment Specialists, and the Branch Presidents and Employment Specialists out in Berbice.  Outside of the US, they are combining PEF and the Employment Resource Centers to create Self Reliance Centers.  Guyana will have it own Guyana LDS Employment web site.   Everything went well.  On Saturday we drove two hours out and two hours back from the training.   Driving back it got dark.  There are people and animals on the road.  We are so thankful for the angels on our fenders.  Then Bro. Negron took us to his fancy hotel for dinner.  The First counselor in the mission presidency came with us.  His name is Colin Goodluck.  Elder Beecher calls him Our Goodluck.  He is an amazing guy, and so much fun.  You can almost hear him laugh when you look at his picture.  We really enjoy working with him.

President Goodluck

Now we need to train all the Employment Specialists how to teach the Career Workshop.  We have never taught it before, but we are excited.  It is a powerful program.  We are so grateful for all our opportunities and for Heavenly Father's help enabling us to do the things He wants us to do.  We see miracles every day.
Today Sister Beutler and I fixed Thanksgiving dinner for 12 Elders and President Goodluck.  It turned out great.   It's hard to believe it's Thanksgiving.  It's still hot.

Back yard adventure

November 2012

This is a souree tree

Banana Tree

A mango tree

A golden apple tree
The sour-ee fruit is SOUR.  The outside is soft, but it is like a citrus fruit.  We made a juice by putting the fruit in the blender and adding water and sugar.  It was something like lemonade.  Our friend, Steve Lall, a YSA would not drink it because he said that it is so acidic that it is not good for your teeth.  The Guyanese use it to make pepper sauce which they really like.
The bananas on our banana tree are almost ready.  They are getting bigger and we are just waiting for one to turn yellow.  We are excited because another bunch is starting to grow.  First comes a purple upside down tear drop shaped pod.  As the purple leaves come back the bananas appear.  Then they grow bigger and bigger.  I think there are 40 or 50 bananas in a bunch.  They have small bananas about as long as your finger, and they are apple bananas which are smaller than our regular bananas.  Their skin is thinner and a little blotchy-but tasty.
Someone told us that our mangos are called long mangos.  We are learning how to eat them.  The first time we squished it so bad it was a mess and so stringy it got caught in your teeth.  We learned to cut off the sides and just peel back the peeling as you eat it.  Elder Beutler makes a nice drink with the mango juice and milk and ice.
The golden apples are a citrus fruit.  When we first tried one we were surprised that the peeling was so hard to get off and the white part was so tough. The fruit was pretty sour.  I ate a ripe one today that was pretty gold.  It tasted good, but still sour.  A lady we met down the street gave us some.  She is a cook for a fellow who is a race car driver.  We wanted to go see him race, but the races were on Sunday.  The tree in our yard is a dwarf and maybe the fruit doesn't get very big.  The fruit is only half as big as the ones she gave us.  It is fun to experiment with the new fruits.  They have watermelon here that is about the size of cantalope at home.  They are tasty.

We wanted to take you on a walk around our back yard.  We have been trying out the fruits that are growing here.

First trip to Berbice, and visiting the Institute Classes

A shrimp farm in the Berbice area.  

November 2, 2012
LESSONS LEARNED
It's November and still summer in Guyana.  We are still rookies.  We have had many many tender mercies.  Elder Beecher has had at least two deja` vu moments.  One time when we were leaving the mission office which is about a half mile from our place.  As he was driving past some missionaries pulling their suitcases he had the distinct feeling that this was a familiar scene that he had previously experienced.  It was an over powering feeling. It was like he knew he had this experience before perhaps in a dream.  It was verification that this was where we should be.
We are amazed at the knowledge and sacrifices that members have in their lives.  We have worked with the Young Single Adults for over 10 years.  These Guyanese YSA's know just as much about the scriptures and the Gospel of Jesus Christ as their counterparts in Utah.  They do not have the experiences that those in Utah  have.  They don't know some of the how-to's, but they know their scriptures. There are many very bright people in Guyana.  They sometimes race each other to see how fast they can talk back and forth amongst themselves.  They also change their talk so that others cannot understand them sort of like pig latin. One couple had extra "b's" in their words. For example for the command, "Come here." They something like: "Combe herbe" making single syllable words into two syllable words.  They have many interesting ways.

President Cardon and Sister Marcia McKenzie

We also met President McKenzie and his wife Marcia.  He is the Branch President in the Presaud Nagar Branch.  He met his future wife when he was about 35, but he waited for her while she served a mission.  The day that there was a little civil unrest and the road was closed, his wife was stuck on the other side of the situation.  He reminded us about the story of the Savior when the storm was raging he was sleeping.  He was at peace.  He said that it doesn't do any good to be upset and worry.  We should have faith and be at peace.

Adolphus

We met a young member whose name is Adolphus Rogers.  He is working at the hospital as a lab technician.  His parents and siblings live on an island in the Essequibo River which is 23 miles wide at its' mouth.  They have a farm there.  Adolphus really wants to work in the medical field.  He heard about a course to learn how to take blood.  He worked and saved and his mom helped him and he took the course and did well.  He got a job at the hospital.  He is a great example of determination.

A sugar cane field

The rice paddies.

The sugar factory.  The boats are filled with sugar cane,  the tractor pulls them and then they dump the
  sugar cane out on a conveyor belt.

We went out to Berbice last weekend.  It is a couple hour drive.  Last weekend we had some PEF students to help.  We are going out again tomorrow for the Stake Leadership Training.  It is a more rural area.  We saw the sugar cane fields, rice paddies, shrimp farm and the sugar factory.

A funeral procession

A fun hand made picket fence.

We also just happened to see a funeral procession.  We thought it was a parade, but they were carrying the casket.  This just is a very interesting place.  We went for a ride out along a river.  The Treseders, another missionary couple took us.  Crowds of people were out having bar-b-ques along the river.  Cars were parked on both sides of the narrow road.  Plus cars were coming down the road.  I know we have angels on our fenders, like Marilyn Oxborrow said about their mission in Guatemala.  I love the houses on stilts.
We went to church in the Rosignol Branch.  We were so impressed with the large crowd that was there.    The branch president there is really trying to follow the handbook.  I think I heard that there were 88 people there.  They were so happy to see a missionary couple.  The people just love us because we are missionaries.  A boy named Tyrone who is 12 just came and stood by me.  I talked to him for a minute and then he just stayed there.  So I put my arm around his shoulders and gave him a hug.  He put his arms around me and just squeezed me.  It was a tender moment for me.

We went back to Georgetown.  I finally got a picture of one of the horsecarts.  They haul many things; building supplies, car parts, a refrigerator, everything.  They will give the missionaries a ride, too.
We helped with the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program in the Diamond Branch.  We were blessed that day, because the power was on and Elder Beecher could play the electric piano.
The children are so beautiful and lively.  Fifteen boys in this primary and only four girls.

The Diamond Branch Primary

One of the first things we did in Guyana was visit the Institute Classes.  We knew that because our assignment was with the Perpetual Education Fund we would be working with the Young Single Adults.  We were so impressed with the young people.  They knew their scriptures well and had strong testimonies.  The teachers were usually Young Single Adults as well, and they were very knowledgeable and impressive.  

Simeon Lovell, Naomi, Selwyn Lovell, Cameta Williams, Sophie Henry, and Roger Ramnarain       (Institute Group from Prashad Nagar/ Georgetown)

The Diamond Institute Class, Yvonne Beharry, Melissa Gaspar, Marissa, ? , Kurtis Charles, David Singh, Milton Steven, and Sister Beecher

An Investigator, Vanessa, who was the teacher, and Sister Ruby.  Sister Ruby is Vanessa's aunt and guardian.  She was amazing.  She took it upon herself to keep the Church clean.  She said that it was because she had been to the Temple and learned about service.  The LaGrange Church sparkled when she and her friend, Brother Jacobs, were cleaning the Church.  She was also the Relief Society President.

Sophie Singh, Nadie Bash, Christine Jones, Endash Endardeo, Anneza Cuehlo, SherryAnn, and Mandi Harkissoon
Vreed en Hoop Institute Group

We also visited the Demerara Branch where Brother Barrow was the Institute teacher, and Garden Park where Ronetta Mentore was the teacher.

We know that we are watched over every day.  We feel Heavenly Father's love and his guidance and direction.  We thank you all for your prayers.  We feel your love as well.  The Church is true!

Letter to President Mehr, Starting to Feel at Home Here

At the botanical garden

There are two green parrots in this tree.

I don't know how she caught this fish!

Some places there is a "beach" on the sea side of the wall.

October 16, 2012  Starting to feel at home here.

Looking down our street

A manatee is poking his head out of the water and the bird is sitting on him.

Things are going well here in Georgetown.  It's still a new adventure every day.  We get up at 5:30 every morning to walk.  We either walk to the sea wall where there is usually a breeze or to the botanical gardens.  Many days the clouds are billowing up along the sea.  The streets are quiet.  Later in the day they get busy.




I am including an email that Elder Beecher sent to President Mehr.  This tells all about what we have been up to.

Dear President,
This is the first time that we have accessed this e-mail account. We have been using bkbeecher@gmail.com. We have been very busy. We are getting acquainted with the country, customs, driving... We have cleaned, organized, gotten to three institute classes and had intended on going to a 4th class last night. We had a tender mercy. We got a phone call that lasted for a long time. We have a problem we are working on with a PEF student. The tender mercy was that we would have been on the road where there was a riot and car burnings... There was an alert from the US embassy this morning that the rioting might spread. The people are unhappy with the police. We are very busy. We are scheduled to go to Berbice and help with a leadership training meeting. We are helping with food, talks and break-out sessions. Sunday we are helping in the Diamond Branch to prepare for the following Sunday's Primary Program. We have met with Dr. Charles Van Dyke in regards to the Vision Up Project that is headed by Dr./President Reid Robison. Dr. Van Dyke has given us his blessing and promised help from local doctors with the project. I have helped with two auctions of vehicles that are being offered for sale. We have visited with Global Technology after several attempted calls to clear up a missing payment check. We have inputted many names in the computer so that we can efficiently contact several different groups. We are official Guyanese drivers. I have not hurt anyone on or off the road, which is perhaps a miracle. The Lord is watching over us. We have been given support from the Senior Missionaries and the local members. President McKenzie was here last night until after 10:30 helping with computer problems. We are excited for your visit, followed by Brother Negron on the 15th to do employment training, and then on the 18th a visit from Rufino and Henry Batista. I would say that we have plenty to do. We go to bed tired at night and arise around 5:30a.m. and go for walks often with the Beutlers. While walking we mostly talk about church related topics and culture as related to Guyana. I hope this fills you in as to your requested update. I will mention that we are getting more acquainted with Georgetown, were disturbed by the burned out sections in Linden, and are eagerly anticipating seeing the Berbice area and meeting more of our PEF students. I struggle with understanding people and rely heavily on Sister Beecher especially for talking on the phone. Some Guyanese have some peculiar ways of expressing themselves. We need to attend to the 21 other e-mails that were at this e-mail address. I noticed that there were some e-mails from Sister Mehr. We will get those answered. There are problems here in Guyana, but many incredible people who have strong testimonies and actions that follow those testimonies. We never have a dull day.

We did travel to the Berbice area on Saturday. It is a rural area with lots of mangroves along the coast. There are cows, donkeys, goats, chickens, and dogs on the road all along the way. On the way home in the dark there were lots of people along the roads near the small towns. We helped with the leadership training. There are six branches there. President Goodluck is a counselor in the mission presidency, and part of his responsibility is those six branches. We drove for two hours with the Beutlers and President Goodluck to get there. Elder Beecher and I did a presentation on PEF and Employment. Then we had break out sessions. Elder Beecher worked with the clerks, and I worked with the Relief Society. I thought it went well. The Treseders, a missionary couple who live in that area had us all for supper, and we got to meet the Paghwah family. We met their daughter in the MTC in Provo and she sent a letter for us to give to her family.


Along the Road to Berbice



Drying rice on the road. Do we eat this??



We enjoyed the ride in the country.



Many homes are on stilts.

The members in the Berbice area were so friendly and sweet. We really enjoyed getting to know them. 

One more quick thing. Last week when they had some trouble along the main and only road from Georgetown going south. The road was closed and some people could not get back home. On Sunday we were at church at the Diamond Branch and in Relief Society the lesson was on faith. One sister talked about how her two sons were not able to get home. They send kids as young as two to school here. She prayed and thought to call her niece. Her niece said have them come to her home. The bus driver took them straight there. Another sister and her son were talking about all the people they knew that might not be able to get home. Her seven year old son said lets say a prayer. They prayed and then he said. OK, They will be Ok. Another sister talked about being on a bus (they hold about nine people). with people of all different races. There were five children on the bus. She tried to look brave, and passed out bananas to the children. A black man knocked on the bus window and gave them a bottle of water. They passed it around the bus and everyone shared. A little girl had a sucker and she broke off pieces and shared. Many more women shared stories of faith. They turned to Heavenly Father when they needed help. It was a sweet experience. Well, I'd better sign off so we can wake up in the morning.

Love to all. 

Elder and Sister Beecher

Trips to Linden and Kaieteur Falls

October 1, 2012  Trips to Linden and Kaieteur Falls

Missionaries on the bank of the Demerara River

A chicken pen from the Church's Humanitarian Fund.

Linden is a small town with a river running through the middle of it about one and one half hour's drive from Georgetown.  There is a bauxite mine there, but the Chinese own it and they mine the bauxite and ship it to China.  It does not benefit the Guyanese.  One of the member's homes there blew down so the branch was having a service project to help rebuild their house.  After working on the house in the morning they planned a branch social.  The Summers live in Linden.  They are a missionary couple and he is the branch president.  They are probably the only white people in town.  A couple months ago some people caused riots.  They burned down some of the city buildings including all the vital records, and the church.  They weren't targeting the church, but didn't like the owner of the building the church was renting.  The young missionaries were taken out and the Summers spent a month in Georgetown.  They are back now and things have quieted down.  We got there too late to help with the service project, but the social was lots of fun and there were lots of people there.  I made a friend, a cute little eight year old girl named Sasha.  She hung on to my hand and hugged me all through the half hour program.  What a sweetie.  It made my day.  I hope our grandson, Ruston, will be her penpal.

A cute store with balconies.

Branch President Summers and Sheldon, a returned mini-missionary

Youth singing at the branch social

Sasha, my new friend

They had rioting in Linden a few months before we were there.  Government buildings and other buildings were burned.

View down by the river

President Summers was giving some of the youth a ride home and he took us along.  He reminded me of Indiana Jones as he speedily bounced along over the rugged cow trail roads.  It was like the wild west.  I really liked Linden.  It was very rural and peaceful.  It was cleaner than Georgetown.

Trip to the Falls

It didn't feel quite right to take a vacation as soon as we got here, but the other couple missionaries had planned it and they needed to fill up the plane:)  We had hoped to make it to the Kaieteur Falls sometime.  There were four couples who went, the Cooks, Browns, Beutlers, and us.  Another sister missionary was going to go, but couldn't at the last minute so we took Sister Benn, the District President's wife.  We had to be at the office ready to go by 6:10 a.m. , then we waited for 45 minutes for the Tour Company to arrive.  We all piled into a nice little bus, and thought wow, this is going to be roomy.  Then we went to pick up 10 Chinese doctors.  We had a good visit with them for an hour as we drove to the airport.  They are here in Guyana for two years working/volunteering at the General Hospital.  They are all different kinds of doctors.  We sat by two ladies.  One was a pediatrician and one was a gynocologist.  I felt so bad when they told me that they left their husbands and children in China. The doctors will be without them for two years.  One had a five year old son, and one had an eleven year old daughter. Each year they get a month long vacation in China with their families.  They said they were happy to come to Guyana because the air is so clean, even though they work long hours at the hospital.  We talked to them about watching general conference this weekend.

When we arrived at the airport they took us into an executive lounge where we waited for them to get the plane ready.  When they led us out on the concourse we couldn't believe the antique airplane they were going to take us in.  It looked like it was from the forties!  We squeezed in and held our breath as it rattled to life.  We weren't sure it would get off the ground.   

The plane-not too roomy inside

The clouds were beautiful.  We flew through lots of them

They mine gold and diamonds here.

The view from the air was great.  It really did look like broccoli.  We could see lots of rivers, and mining operations.

We saw the falls from the air

On the runway, in the rain.

A small red carnivorous plant

Our guide, Lee

It was a jungle!

Bob on  a ledge!

Nice view of the river at the bottom of the falls.

Deep in a leaf is the inch long golden frog-very poisonous!

The falls were beautiful

Our pilot was good.   We shook some when he went through the clouds, but he landed nicely and did a good job. We crawled out of the plane and he gave us a bottle of water.  We went into the  building which was empty except for a couple people there.  Our guide and his family live there with another family.  The falls are 741 feet high.  They are the highest single drop falls in the world.  It is the end of the dry season, so they are only 1/3 or so as wide as they are sometimes.  They told us not to wear mosquito repellent there, because mosquitos are an endangered species because of all the carnivorous plants there.  We saw the tiny golden frog, and many unusual plants.  The view of the falls was great.  We were tired on the ride back because it got so hot and muggy.    We are keeping very busy and trying to get it together so we can do what we are supposed to do.  We learn a little more every day.