Our arrival in Georgetown and Calvary Lutheran Church

We left Winnipeg, Manitoba under very frigid conditions on January 5, 2009 - our arrival in Georgetown, Guyana early the next morning at 7 a.m. was pleasantly warm with spasmodic light showers of rain.

Pastor Richard Young, MD, met us and drove us to our new 'home away from home' and we were very happy to see that our new church family had provided us with a very comfortable well fitted house in Lacytown, Georgetown for the next six months.

The folk within Calvary have been most gracious - the past three weeks have sped by. Jack has preached three Sundays - presided at one funeral at Mount Zion Lutheran at Sand Hills (Dick was in USA) plus assisted in a Communion service in the same church the Sunday before.

Thanksgiving services are very popular here - being 'thankful' for good health, a good job, a comfortable home, birthdays, anniversaries or whatever - initiates the members to truly 'Thank God' for his mercy and blessings. We have enjoyed two of these special celebrations already...much singing, praising God and EATING - have you ever returned from a service or party with a shopping bag full of food? chicken, rice, macaroni, potato salad - cake, roti...other Guyanese specialties. Not to forget the food we've already eaten!

The weather is turning extremely hot...we are seven feet below sea level in Georgetown - humidity plus warmth makes one sweaty. A cool trickling shower before bed at 9 p.m. - then under the always present bug net, with frogs and toads serenading is a great lull into sleep. This morning I was up at 5 a.m. fully refreshed with pelting rain falling - the flood waters in outlying areas continue to go 'up' and then 'down'. We are okay.

The parrots welcome the day at 6 a.m. in the very tall coconut palms outside our balcony and say goodnight as night falls exactly 12 hours later - its like a lightswitch 'on' and 'off', we are all but on the equator.

I will end this first entry - I hope I get this right - if so will send our website blog address.

Mashramani celebrations in Georgetown:

http://www.guyana-tourism.com/tourism//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=146&Itemid=227

Shalom with God's Blessings... Jack & Val