Summer Classes Finished!!

Friends and Family,

Hello! I greet you after one very long week. Last weekend I went to Santa Rosa with three of my friends. Santa Rosa is an Amerindian village in the interior. We left on Saturday morning at 6am and returned home monday morning. Our trip was really fun and relaxing. Santa Rosa is a village where there is both beautiful savannah and yet jungle! When we arrived at Santa Rosa we relaxed and went over to the village police. We met up with some friends and had a "bush cook" - we threw a bunch of stuff in a pot and cooked it. It was a fun evening where we all sat around cooked and ate.

The next day I got up and went to church at the mission church. It was really cool to see the church and all of the people there. The rest of the day was spent walking around the area, talking a nap, drinking a coconut water, opening up a coconut, and visiting my friend who I work with.

The next morning we had to leave Santa Rosa at 5:30 am because that is the only time that the boats leave. We had to take a boat, then a taxi, then another boat and then a bus. I felt like I was on a crazy adventure.

I don't have very many details for my trip other than it was just really great to get away. My co-worker/friend Marietta who grew up in Santa Rosa showed us a good time. I went by her house and she was joking with me that they have so many avacado's dropping from their trees that they throw them at the dogs for fun. :) They fed me an entire avacado and some kassava bread for dinner! Interesting combination.

As I laid in bed sunday night waiting to come back to Georgetown I felt a little bit anxious. I was ready to come back and be home. It made me feel really good because it made me realize that I really do feel at home in Georgetown. I don't feel like I need to go away anywhere - rather I find my peace exactly where I am. It was a good reassurance for me that I am where I am meant to be. We don't always find that peace in life so I am very thankful for this. Georgetown will always have a special place in my heart....


I had two last computer classes to teach and then the summer classes were finished! I was glad to finish the summer classes but now I am just realizing that just means I need to start preparing for the school year again! Before I know it September 5th will be here. Audrey and I taught the summer computer classes together and I wanted to take a moment to talk about how much I appreciate that. Audrey and I have had to both live together and work together for the past four weeks. Many times when you spend that much time with a person you find yourself getting frustrated and annoyed. Audrey and I have a very beautiful gift of being able to see the needs of others and being able to know what the other person needs. This is something that I would have never guessed because Audrey and I are exactly opposite in personality. I will always be thankful for the love and compassion she shows me on a daily basis which has allowed us to work so closely together without any problems! :)


At the hospital this week work was VERY SLOW. I don't know if it is because so many doctors are taking vacations or what - but I barely saw any patients this week. I did end up having a lot of very good conversations with my co-workers though. One day my co-workers were talking about how much we need to trust God and it was a really good motivation for me. Some of them have had to be so trusting just to get basic needs for their own families. I realize now how much doubt can inhibit our faith. Do we really believe that God will provide for us - or is it something that we are trained to say and tell ourselves. If we really believe that He will provide in a time for need why are we always so anxious about what is coming next. I feel like I am starting to learn that to truly overcome to obstacles of doubt we must learn to let go of this anxiety and be confident in hope. For me this seems impossible - but it's a process right. Let go, Let go, Let go.


Friday the orphanage boys had a sports day put on by food for the poor. Audrey and I went when we had finished teaching classes. My job was basically to take the boys to the bathroom, tie shoes, and do other things that were needed. It made me feel a lot like a mother with the ability to be able to go home at the end of a day. I really love those boys and enjoy all the time I spend with them. I feel like the more I see them the more they let down their guard and come running to you. I really enjoy being able to feel completely at ease with so many of them. When I was there some little girls came running up to me for attention while I was with the boys. I helped the little girl go wash her hands and then chatted with her. It made me realize how many children all over are just starved for attention. Just a little bit of love goes a long way - Oh but make sure you wear clothes that can get dirty... small children like to put ice cream all over their hands and then hug you.


The heat here has been very intense lately. I can't wait for the month of august to pass by and for it to begin to cool down. I don't know how accurate the weather readings are here but today it said that it felt like 104 degrees at 10:30 am. I was so hot all day and felt like I could never cool down.


Last night I went with Audrey to the Movado concert. It was a good night - I enjoy going to concerts but it is always kind of disappointing when the main artist don't sound nearly as good as you think they should. In the end it was a good night had by all. Vybz (pronounced: Vibes) Kartell was suppose to also be one of the main artists appearing at the concert. Unfortunately he ended up not coming to Guyana. This is actually the third time this has happened and I can't believe he did it again. Many people that I knew were really disappointed and ended up not going and waiting for a refund on their ticket on monday.


Anyway today I got to spend a good amount of time talking with friends and family. I got to talk to a lot of my good friends from highschool and it was a huge blessing. Talking with them makes me realize how much I have changed and also helps to ground me back to earth. Its always a good feeling to talk with someone and feel as if no time has passed by. Friendships like that are always a huge blessing.


Anyway - I hope you all have a blessed week. Please continue to pray for us as we are almost at our year mark of this journey in Guyana. Thoughts and prayers go out to you!


Love always -


Ashley Ann