Canada travels

I am happy to welcome Ruth from Mom’s Musings to my blog today to talk about a lesson learned by her son on his last mission’s trip…

My son, 13 at the time, went on a mission’s trip (humanitarian aide) to Guyana with a church group affiliated with our church.  They had a great time helping a local church in Georgetown. One of their tasks was to fix up the building and the outside washroom.  My son was up on ladders taking down spider webs and painting, they were digging pathways and filling them with cement. 

But the highlight of the trip was handing out the shoes.  Our church collected 3 suitcases full of shoes for the boys to bring with them.  Shoes are very expensive there and when we asked the pastor at the church in Guyana what they could use the most – they said, “Shoes”.  So the team dumped the shoes and sorted them all, then the kids and adults came in to “shop” for a new pair.  My son said he couldn’t believe how fast they disappeared!!  It didn’t matter if a pair of shoes were pink, if it fit a boy, he was thrilled to have them.  Really makes you think about our life of over abundance here in North America!! 

 

Their trip wasn’t only to work – they also got to enjoy some time travelling and experiencing the country.  They went to the ocean and played in the waves and the sand. They went on a boat to a small village where they played in the trees and enjoyed meeting some new people, and they went to a market.  This is where my son had an experience that he would not forget – and we have pictures to remember it!!  He knows that he is allergic to cats, but usually it is just a small respiratory problem.  Well… this particular “market” cat that they found and he befriended… must have had more then just “cat” on him. 

 

My son petted the cat and a short while later ended up with what the locals called “pink eye”.  His eye had swollen so much that he couldn’t open the lid anymore.  He looked like he walked out of a boxing match!!  I am glad that he didn’t need to use the travel medical insurance that we had bought for him.  It seemed to clear up over the next day.  I couldn’t imagine how I would feel if I had gotten a phone call back here at home, saying that my son was in the local Guyanese Hospital!!  We learned through all this that it is better to be prepared for sure always have your insurance, you never know when you may encounter a market cat!!

Thank you Ruth for sharing with us your son’s experience. Hopefully he’s learned his lesson! Ruth writes a blog about her life, her passions and her 5 amazing children, it’s called Mom’s Musings. You’re welcome to go check her out, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind!