Stopping in the Dominican Republic on our way home

March 3, 2014

On the way home we stopped in the Dominican Republic to visit Phil and Liz.  Phil is the MTC President for the Dominican Republic MTC.  They had been there for just over a year.  We knew some of the same people because we worked with the Perpetual Education Fund people from the D.R.  We had to fly to Miami and then back to the D.R. for the visit. We had a great four days resting up after racing around trying to finish up and get things in order before we left Guyana.

We went whale watching and then stopped on an island for lunch.

Phil and Liz

Here we are enjoying lunch.

Bob made some friends.

We went to Juan Dolio Beach and stayed in a nice condo.  It was just like in the movies - Beautiful.

We loved the beach.

Sunrise

Looking for shells.

Fish Dinner

We ate at a little restaurant on the beach.

What a fun time.  We were so glad we got to visit Phil and Liz before we came home.

The condo at Juan Dolio

Phil and Liz on the whale watching boat.

We went whale watching

It was a challenge to get a good picture.

We went to a wharf to catch a boat.

Phil and Liz took us down to the Old Town Square for dinner.

There were lots of tourists.

Phil, Liz, Katie. The buildings were from the 1500's.

Elder Beecher with Reed Cornish whose father was in the Area Presidency.

Too bad I don't have a picture of our family there to welcome us at the Salt Lake airport when we arrived home.  It was so amazing to see how much the kids had grown and to get hugs and kisses.  Wow!  It's great to be home.

Final Goodbye's and a Stop to see Phil and Liz on the Way Home

 March 2, 2014
It was so sad to leave Guyana and so happy at the same time.  We were sorry to leave our wonderful friends and their beautiful country, but so excited to see the family at home.  What a bittersweet time.

Elder Beecher, Cameta Williams, Aran Stephen (home from his mission) the D'Oliviera's, Chrissy Tsaturyn - whose husband works for the U.S. Embassy, and Sister and Elder Monson.

 Our last Sunday, we went to church at Prashad Nagar for fast and testimony meeting.  We started out mission in that branch, and knew many members there.  We knew it would be hard to say good-bye to our friends in LaGrange and Vreed-en-Hoop where we went to Church for the last year of our mission.  We went up together to bear our testimonies and cried together.  It was a great meeting and an emotional time.  Later that day we met with the Celebration 2015 committee.  Elder and Sister Monson were there helping.  The Celebration was to commemorate the Church being in the Caribbean for 25 years in 2015.  They were planning talent shows with singing, stories, dance, cooking, and many other talents.

Brother and Sister D'Oliviera, wonderful members of the Church.

President Keon Taylor, Courtney Douglas, Brother Tillock,  Elder Beecher, Cameta Williams, etc.

President McKenzie and Brother deJonge with Elder Beecher.  They came home with us to help us clean out our fridge.  We left early the next morning.

Our Friend Harry, the Alligator Man

August 2013
The elders in the West Indies Mission all know about Harry - the Alligator Man.  He makes wallets, belts, scripture cases, purses, and whatever else you want out of caiman hides.  The elders loved to go home with some of his products.  We were introduced to Harry and after that we took most of our out-of-country visitors and others to visit him.  We brought him so much business that he gave us a belt, and then before we left he made me a purse of his own design, and gave me a good deal on it.
He lived in Vreed-en-Hoop with his "mistress" and their two children.  He also had five grandchildren.  He would go out when there was a full moon to hunt the caiman and snakes.  When we talked to him he would quote scriptures from the Bible.  The elders knew him and would visit him.  He lived in a "comfortable" home on the other side of a large trench close to the cemetery.  To get to his place you had to park your car, walk along a cow trail and cross a bridge.  If it was rainy, it was muddy.  Often he had live caiman or snakes to show us.  He was very friendly, personable, and a hard worker.

Harry, the Alligator Man, with a caiman hide at his home in Vreed-en-Hoop.

Harry showing Elder Beecher his processes.

Kerron Thompson and Kevin Roach, Elder Stephen's companions.

Live caiman in his barrel.

Fishing the caiman out of the barrel.

They put rubber bands around his snout.

oogh!

I'm doing it.  I'm holding one!  Kevin and Elder Stephen look on.

We loved Elder Stephen!

Kevin was a newly baptized member out helping the missionaries.

Harry rolls out his anaconda skins.

Harry does part of the work with his sewing machine, and part by hand.

The hides he has drying.

Harry's son making an art project.

This was a big one.

The bridge we walked over to get to Harry's house.  We brought home scripture cases, purses, and wallets for the kids.

Where are we anyway?

All the little villages along the road had names.  As we would ride along in the car, I would try to snap a picture.

This one should start with an "F".  I think it says farsighted?

The names came from several different languages.  Guyana was ruled in the past by the English, the Dutch, the French, and probably others.

The Princess Hotel

There is a small airport along this road called the Ogle Airport.

There were a couple backwater resorts along this road to Linden.  When you put your hand in the water it looked orange because of all the iron oxide.

There were many Hindu and Muslim Temples in Guyana.  I think this one is a Hindu Temple because the Muslim Temples were green and white. The pile of white sand is a common sight.  Sometimes the pile would completely block narrow streets.

There were many other names of villages.  Some of the others that I remember were "Letter T", and "Glazier's Lust".