Looking ahead to 2018

Wow, happy new year! I am so glad that 2017 is over and done with - it was not the best of years for me. Not totally awful (I did learn I was going to be a grandma for the first time) but overall, disappointing and troubling. But I am taking a page from Philippians 3:13-14: "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (NIV) So I am going to concentrate on looking ahead. See what I can accomplish in this new year. There's a lot to look forward to. Here are just a few of my goals for 2018: • Write 182,500 words • Submit at least 1 short story/month to markets • Publish 12 short stories/novels • Get “Laura’s Look: 2001” published • Blog at least 1x a week • Reach goal weight • Keep better track of administrative stuff. I hope you will join me on my journey to become a better Christian, writer, person. Looking forward to it!

Guyana, Day 7

It's hard to believe that today is our last day in Guyana!  Don taught his last set of classes this morning.  Afterwards, we were presented with some small gifts to thank us for coming here.  We were very touched.  The brethren asked us to try and return again.  I think Don and I would like to do so if God is willing for it to happen.

We took a quick tour of the area before getting back to the hotel.  There are several congregations that meet in this part of the country and Anil showed us where other congregations meet.  One is near a major sugar cane business.  We saw cane and the factory where it is processed.  Also some rice fields.

Right now Don and I are trying to clear out our email and pack - we have to be ready to leave at 1 AM!  We are going to try to get a little sleep before then.

Last night I used Skype to call a friend in Georgia.  We managed to chat for a half hour despite the wonky Internet.  It's amazing what technology enables us to do these days.

While I'm glad we've been here, I also look forward to going home.  I do love the United States and my friends and family there.  Also, I haven't had chocolate the whole time we've been here - I think I'm having withdrawal symptoms! 

I hope you've enjoyed my little reports of Guyana. 

Guyana, Day 6

Tonight for a change Don and I went to a Chinese restaurant across the street from our hotel for dinner.  The food was excellent.  Don had stir-fried vegetables and chicken, and I had chicken in garlic sauce.  We had to change some of our US dollars for Guyanese money before going there.  The current exchange rate for US to Guyanese is 1 to 200 - that means our meal was over $4000 in Guyanese money!

Today I taught my last classes for the women.  I will miss my Christian sisters here when I leave.  They have good hearts and are eager to learn about the Bible.  My lessons took less time then we expected - I had hoped for more discussion than we had.  But the ladies appeared to get something out of my teaching, and for that I am grateful to God.

Tonight Don and I watched a television program some of the brothers here have.  It was very well done and we are excited that they are using this avenue to reach out to the community.

Tomorrow will be our last full day in Guyana.  It has gone by very quickly.  I hope you've been enjoying these little posts of mine about our trip!

Guyana, Days 3 and 4

Greetings again from Guyana!  I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday - the Internet was particularly wonky last night and I didn't get started trying to post until late.

On the plus side, Don and I learned yesterday how to coax warm water out of the shower.  Before that, we've been taking cold showers, a chilling experience.    The trick is to turn both on the cold and hot water taps.  Let them run, and volia!  You have at least a warm shower, maybe even a hot one.

Yesterday Don taught three lessons on the godly man, the godly husband, and the godly brother in Christ.  The lessons went well.

Today was my turn to teach.  A large number of women sat in my classes on the godly woman, the godly wife, and the godly sister in Christ.  My lessons turned out to be short, and we finished early.  But they were well received by the sisters here.  An adorable six year old girl even participated in the sessions, sometimes answering the questions I asked.  I got the ladies to laugh a few times and even though I was nervous I think God used me to reach out to them.

The days have a sameness about them.  We get up and have breakfast then wait for Anil to pick us up.  We drive over to the church building and Don or I teach until around 12:00 - 12:30.  Anil brings us to his home afterwards, where his wife Camille serves us lunch.  We relax, tallk for a while.  Anil has a Magicjack on his computer, and we are able to call home and check on things there.  Afterwards, we go visiting in the area, and then Don and I are back in the hotel room by early evening.

Right now I'm not doing a lot of writing - I'm tired when we get back to the room and sometimes just want to get a few things done and go to bed. 

That's all for now.  Tomorrow I will be writing my column, which may well be on my trip here.  Hopefully the Internet will cooperate and I will be able to email it to the paper.  Until tomorrow!

Guyana, Day 2

Today Don and I worshipped with our brothers and sisters at the Inverness Church of Christ. It was wonderful to sing with them and take part in the worship service!


Don taught the Bible lesson and also did the sermon. We ran late due to transportation issues, but people didn't get upset. Don did a great job (no surprise as far as I am concerned) and will teach three classes tomorrow. I don't have to teach until Tuesday, when I will conduct classes for the women.

Afterwards we had lunch with Anil and his family. They are very gracious people who welcomed us into their home. Anil has been our chauffeur for the trip and I truly appreciate that, since in Guyana you drive on the left side of the road and that would be very confusing for Don and me!

After doing some visitation, Anil drove us back to the hotel where we grabbed dinner and are now winding down from the day. The weather has been cooler than usual, which has been a blessing for us.

Anyway, that's a summation of day 2. Hopefully I will be able to post about day 3 tomorrow!

Guyana, Day 1

Don and I arrived in Guyana, South America, last night around 9:30 PM.  We are here in the country to conduct a leadership and family seminar for a congregation we help support.

Looking at my passport, I realized it's been 5 years since I traveled to Guyana.  It is the first time I've done so without a mission team - it's just Don and me.

Anil, the preacher we support, met us at the airport and drove us to our hotel in New Amsterdam.  We arrived here at the Little Rock Suites at about 1 AM, which is one reason I haven't updated sooner . 

Today was a day of rest and goofing off before things start up tomorrow.  Don and I spent it setting up the room (it's smaller than an American hotel room so we had to place our luggage carefully so we don't trip over it) and trying to get on the Internet.  We have DSL here, but it's not stable, so sometimes we have to try to do things multiple times.

I did get to email family and let them know we got here okay.  I also made a few notes about Guyana for a novel I'm planning to write that will be set here. 

I don't know if I'll be able to post every day, but I'm going to try to keep this updated as a good exercise for me and maybe to increase traffic here.  Anyway, if you have any questions,, ask them, and I'll do my best to answer them.