We have arrived back safely in Mabaruma. We left Matthew’s Ridge about 8 AM Tuesday, and arrived in Kumaka about 2:20 PM. We had a chance to rest up a bit, and then we had our Tuesday bookstudy. I was struck by the difference between the meetings here and in Matthew’s Ridge. But that is to be expected, with everything being so new there. I told Joe if he could have been at Matthew’s Ridge, it would have been like déjà vu. He understood completely what I was talking about.
When we got back, we learned that a number of our studies had come to the Memorial, so that made us feel good. The Memorial attendance here had been 101 which was also down. There were a few other holidays occurring here at the same time this year, so some speculated that that may have contributed to the lower attendance. One of the studies at Matthew’s Ridge mentioned there had been a ‘shout’ (that’s what they call it when a quantity of gold is discovered in an area) a couple of weeks ago, and most people left the Ridge to go into the ‘back dam’. So that too many have contributed to the lower attendance there. We had 54 at the Sunday meeting in Matthew’s Ridge, which was about 8 more than were in Mabaruma.
Of course while we were away, Compton gave his first Public Talk, which I was sorry to miss, but I had Joe record it for me, though I haven’t listen through it completely yet. Compton mentioned to me that after the meeting he was overcome with emotion, by how the congregation is as he put it, ‘turning the corner’ after all the work done by the ‘need greaters’. I later learned that his wife mentioned that was the first time in all the years of knowing him that she saw him shed a tear.
The main reason for this posting was to share some pictures from the Ridge. I had some technical difficulties in posting up the pictures, so the order is not as written, but I think you can figure it out. The first picture shows the hall as it looked when we left, with the railings completed, If you look close, you can notice the windows down the side. The first three are the Kingdom Hall, the next is for the first apartment, then the two doors of the apartments, and then two windows in the second apartment, one in the main living area, and the other in one of the two bedrooms. The next picture shows the princess on her throne. She had this installed the first day we arrived. It was funny because when she wasn’t using it, Richard was apt to be there.
Next is a picture of the four brothers before the Memorial. Stephen Johnsen from Colorado is on the left, then Blake Bailey, who is from Oklahoma. And Richard Cruz on my left (your right), from Oregon I believe, (maybe Washington), The next picture shows the inside of the Kingdom Hall during the Memorial, and the last picture shows the benches that we borrowed from the school being loaded up for taking back. We had brought them in three trips, but apparently when taking them back, the first two loads weren’t as big, and since we were paying by the load, they were determined to not have to make a fourth trip. The benched arrived back without incident.
I’m not sure if I will be posting up anything at the end of the week, so if I don’t, don’t get worried that something has happened to us.
When we got back, we learned that a number of our studies had come to the Memorial, so that made us feel good. The Memorial attendance here had been 101 which was also down. There were a few other holidays occurring here at the same time this year, so some speculated that that may have contributed to the lower attendance. One of the studies at Matthew’s Ridge mentioned there had been a ‘shout’ (that’s what they call it when a quantity of gold is discovered in an area) a couple of weeks ago, and most people left the Ridge to go into the ‘back dam’. So that too many have contributed to the lower attendance there. We had 54 at the Sunday meeting in Matthew’s Ridge, which was about 8 more than were in Mabaruma.
Of course while we were away, Compton gave his first Public Talk, which I was sorry to miss, but I had Joe record it for me, though I haven’t listen through it completely yet. Compton mentioned to me that after the meeting he was overcome with emotion, by how the congregation is as he put it, ‘turning the corner’ after all the work done by the ‘need greaters’. I later learned that his wife mentioned that was the first time in all the years of knowing him that she saw him shed a tear.
The main reason for this posting was to share some pictures from the Ridge. I had some technical difficulties in posting up the pictures, so the order is not as written, but I think you can figure it out. The first picture shows the hall as it looked when we left, with the railings completed, If you look close, you can notice the windows down the side. The first three are the Kingdom Hall, the next is for the first apartment, then the two doors of the apartments, and then two windows in the second apartment, one in the main living area, and the other in one of the two bedrooms. The next picture shows the princess on her throne. She had this installed the first day we arrived. It was funny because when she wasn’t using it, Richard was apt to be there.
Next is a picture of the four brothers before the Memorial. Stephen Johnsen from Colorado is on the left, then Blake Bailey, who is from Oklahoma. And Richard Cruz on my left (your right), from Oregon I believe, (maybe Washington), The next picture shows the inside of the Kingdom Hall during the Memorial, and the last picture shows the benches that we borrowed from the school being loaded up for taking back. We had brought them in three trips, but apparently when taking them back, the first two loads weren’t as big, and since we were paying by the load, they were determined to not have to make a fourth trip. The benched arrived back without incident.
I’m not sure if I will be posting up anything at the end of the week, so if I don’t, don’t get worried that something has happened to us.
