Leann Chong, our Director of Missions & Travel, is excited to lead our first group mission trip to Guyana from March 6-11, 2017.
On my first trip to Guyana, the “Land of Many Waters,” I followed the advice I give to all mission trip participants: travel without any expectations, but go with an open heart and mind.
The best part of my visit was traveling by ferry across the Essequibo River, the largest river in Guyana, to visit the area where our mission group will help build and paint two houses. I then traveled about another 50 miles on a small speed boat on the Pomeroon River to visit a primary school in Karawab. Most of the children row themselves to school in hollowed-out tree canoes. Food For The Poor provides the only hot meal many of the children will eat for the day.
Next, we went further down river into a small village called Batcreek, where thankfully it was high tide or our boat might not have made it. We met eight families who live in open-air, wooden huts on stilts. Many of the children do not go to school on a regular basis, as they have to row four hours to get to the nearest school. Some of the children also had diarrhea because of the contaminated river water. The families do not want to leave their land, so we will have to think of how we can help them even though there are many logistical challenges.
Unfortunately, the people of Guyana suffer the same problems as other developing countries — malnutrition/food security, a lack of clean drinking water, a lack of safe shelter, fewer chances to get an education and few job opportunities. While we cannot solve all of the problems in a one-week mission trip, we can give the people we meet the gift of our presence, depositing hope and love everywhere we go. We can make a difference one person, one family, one community at a time.
I hope you will consider joining us on a mission trip to Guyana from March 6-11, 2017. For more information, click here.
