Preparing for Paruima

The call came fast. One day we were living life as usual at Bethany, the next we were on our way to to the interior of Guyana. When Melissa asked me and Michael if we would be willing to go teach at the school in Paruima we didn't have much time to think things over. It wasn't a hard decision for either one of us though since we have both been wanting to see more of the country. From what I understand it is quite rare for missionaries to get the opportunity to see the other Adventist schools of Guyana. We didn't want this opportunity to slip by. We said yes with very little hesitation.

There are four Adventist schools in Guyana so far (that I know of anyway): Bethany Medical Missionary College (Bethany), Davis Indian Industrial College (Paruima), Kimbia Mission Academy (Kimbia) and Sipiruta Mission Academy (Sipiruta). All of these schools are under the umbrella of an organization called GAMAS (Guyana Adventist Medical Air Services). This organization was started by a very energetic and extremely dedicated man named David Gates. It is cool because all these schools, though very different, have one thing in common. They all have the aim of spreading the good news of our dear Savior all across Guyana.

DIIC in Paruima is where we were asked to teach. It was a bit of a trip to get there. First Michael had to make a trip to Georgetown to work our some banking issues. The plan was that he would fly into the city with James Ash (principle of DIIC), take care of things there and travel back to BMMC by boat with Gilbert, who happened to also be in Georgetown. James would pick up a plane load of supplies for his school and then come back the next day to pick us up.

As is opt to happen, that's not quite how things worked out. Michael went to the city as planned, but late that night I finally realized he wasn't coming home. I went to the Sissons' house to see if they had any information to share and Gilbert said that Michael wasn't ready to go when he was, so he left without him. That was a bit frustrating to me, but I called Michael from their house and luckily he answered so I could get the real story. I found out that plans had changed and James wanted to fly out of Georgetown the following day instead of Bethany. That meant that I had to make sure everything was packed and toted to Georgetown by noon the following day.

I was much relieved that Liz and Alexis were heading out to Parika the next morning too so I would have someone to travel with. It's always nice when you don't have to go alone, plus they would be able to help me carry the two large backpacks I was bringing along. I made it to Parika without a hitch and crammed myself and my bulky luggage in a mini bus that was headed for Georgetown. I was grateful I had remembered my earplugs this time. Mini buses in Guyana are infamous for playing super loud music on their poor quality speakers. But they are significantly cheaper than taxis, so a bus it was.

When I arrived at the drop off downtown, I had to look for another bus that would take me by the mission house on the other side of the city. I threw Michael's fully loaded pack on my back and linked my arms through the shoulder straps of my own pack, hanging it in front of me. I must have been quite the sight! I staggered through the zoo of buses, hoping the number 40 buses were close by. I asked someone where I might find them and it turned out it was about a block away. "Ok. I can do this," I thought to myself. I determinedly hoisted my resting pack back into my arms and began the long walk. As I walked I had several men making all kinds of comments to me like "hey strong white girl!" I politely smiled at them, giving them the attention they were seeking, and walked on thinking, "Oh brother!"

When I got to where I was suppose to find the number 40 buses I realized that there were none parked there as I was expecting. I saw one drive by but by that point I didn't feel like playing the flag down game. I finally conceded to take a taxi. It would be worth the extra cost, my arms were killing me! Upon my arrival at the mission house Michael told me that plans had changed yet again. No big surprise. We would be spending the night in Georgetown and hopefully be leaving the next day. Luckily we had plenty of entertainment for that evening as David Gates himself was in town and also happened to be utilizing the mission house with his travel companion, Mark. They captivated their eager hearers with amazing tales of faith and the incredible work David is currently doing around the world. That night as we settled into bed we did our best to ignore the yapping dogs outside our windows and focus instead on the work we were about to dive into in the far away village of Paruima.