Our home in Guyana

This is us standing next to our trusty Toyota and house. We live upstairs. we have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, hot water (no other missionaries have hot water) and A.C. We are spoiled with our apartment. We took over the apartment that several other couples used over the years. It's quite comfortable except for the security. We have to lock the gate in front, lock our cars up, lock two different locks on the front door and then de-activate the alarm system when we use it.

Outdoor market

This is an outdoor market a few miles from our home. It has hundreds of vendors and has lots of different things to buy. These poor people sell anything to make a living. We buy fruit and vegetables there.

Koker dam

Guyana is about 8 ft. below sea level-like Holland. They have a 265 mile long sea wall made of concrete that holds the ocean from flooding the country. When there is low tide, they open this koker dam and let the water from inside the country to escape to the ocean. They have several hundred of these koker dams. Sometimes they pump water over the edge of the seawall into the ocean. The water here is very, very dirty! Yuck!!!

Happy kids

This is a picture of us outside of the school with lots of happy kids. They don't have a thing but smile all the time. Maybe we could learn something from them.

A school in Guyana

This is a school with over 500 students. It is an old church and inside they don't have dividers for the different classes. It is very hard for the kids to hear because of the rain on the roof and no accoustics. This school is for the very, very poor people. They don't have a thing.

Butcher shop

This is a picture of a roadside butcher shop. Notice the knives and what they are selling. At least we didn't see any flies. They would cut the meat up with an axe.

Wash Day

Today was a sunny day to hang clothes out so I took advantage of it. This is outside our back door. We have a washer in our apartment but no dryer. This is considered the rainy season so most of the time we hang clothes all over the apartment to dry.

Farewell and welcome dinner

The couple we are replacing (Tanner's) had a farewell dinner. It was also a welcoming dinner for us. It was also the best food money could buy in Guyana. For 16 people it cost $48,000. There are 200 Guyanse dollars to every American dollar. Figure it out.

Can you see the baby

We were at the ocean the other day and a bunch of monkeys came out of the tree. One of them landed on top of my head and shoulders. This is a picture of a mother with a young monkey on her back. They were very friendly and seemed very clean. Tourists give them lots of fruit.

Little boys room

Here is a picture of the little boys room at the day care center. I'll bet there is a mess to clean up after all the little boys get through.

Day care center in the Dominican Republic

This day care center which received many things from the Church has over 150 beds for the kids while their mothers work. A lot of the children have mothers that work the street.

Santo Domingo

This is the LDS Church we attended in a very small village outside of Santo Domingo. The service was very loud because of the traffic in front of the building.

MTC

This is a picture of us in the MTC.

Today was the big day! Yes it is official, Elder and Sister Whitehead are currently living at the MTC. Elder Whitehead was so excited that both Cameron and I got the feeling he wanted us to leave promptly so he could go and investigate. (Does that surprise you?) Sister Whitehead however was more relaxed and happy to be spending time with the family. The atmosphere at the MTC was so relaxed and calm, not like when a young Elder or Sister arrives at the MTC. We were able to see the accommodations set up for them. "The little dorm room". You should have seen Sister Whitehead's eyes when she saw her new home! That was priceless!! Hopefully they are now all unpacked and thoroughly enjoying the first day of their mission. Elder Whitehead was a true joy to watch, because he was so eager and excited to put on his name tag and represent the church. Cameron and I are very grateful to have shared this experience with them. God be with you till we meet again Grandma & Grandpa ! We love you- Amy & family

(Ok, ok, I will try and let Vince post something himself after this, since his personal photographer is not longer near by. )

Missionary Training Center (MTC)