Today was the first of the lasts. This was the last time we would be having our Saturday afternoon studies in Hosororo, since next Saturday in the afternoon we will be busy getting ready for the Special Assembly Day program. Tomorrow will be my last Public talk, and so it goes until we leave next Monday.
One of my duties ever since Graem left has been to put the dogs away every morning. I usually walk up with some sort of treat, tie Chigger up by the front porch, and then walk back towards the back where the dog house is. Like most houses here in Guyana, the house is built up off the ground. It’s about a 2 ½ foot jump to get into it, and Brunno always jumps in and waits for me to get there, but Chewey acts like it’s too much for him, so I have to lift him up and put him in. Then I close the door and give them each a treat through the side. A few times I’ve forgotten the treats, but they are conditioned enough that I could put them away.
A couple of days ago, all I had was some cassava bread, but they went in. However, the next day, Chewey refused to let me grab him to put him in. He would run around the dog house away from me. Then he ran up to the house and went under the house where I couldn’t reach him. By then I was loosing my patience, so I picked up some stones and threw them at him until he ran out and went back down by the dog house. He tried getting away, but I worked him into a corner, and when he realized he couldn’t get way, he rolled over and lay on his back. I felt like he needed a good beating, but knew that would accomplish nothing. The next day was a repeat, except this time, he hid under the house as soon as I came up. I bought a small jar of peanut butter and this morning I spread that on some pita and took that with me. When he saw me coming, he just laid down and rolled over. I let him smell his treat, and he jumped up and followed me down and let him put me away like old times. I worry how they will be for Rasheeda when she has to put them away herself.
We are starting to wonder if our dry season has turned out to be only three weeks long. We have been getting rain since Wednesday, and not just a few passing showers, but rain lasting for hours on end. The good news is there will be no water shortage when the house is full for the SAD. There will be nine people staying there, so they will use a good deal of water. Plus we still may be having to fill a pool for a baptism. That is still undecided.
Seeta approached me recently and mentioned her next two younger children, Travez and Channel would like to become unbaptized publishers, so Sunday Compton and I will sit down with her and one of them, and then Tuesday after the bookstudy, Solo and I will sit with her and the other. It’s nice to see the congregation continuing to grow. Elroy has turned in an application to Auxiliary Pioneer during May. I’m sure Compton will appreciate the support for mid-week service, and I’m sure Elroy will benefit from working with Compton on a regular basis.
Wednesday Compton and I went out to Wauna. I hadn’t gone in quite a while, because Joe had been going out, and there is only one bike good enough to make the trip. When we first got there, we stopped by the school to see if we could spend some time with the teacher there. We also walked over to a house close by where we had tried to continue a study that Graem had. The last couple of time we had been out we had missed him because he was working. He was home so we chatted with him a bit. Compton asked if he had the day off from work. He said he wasn’t working, he hadn’t worked since his son died. We were shocked to hear him say that. It turns out his eleven month old son had died about five weeks ago, which meant he died about a week after we had last seen him. He had developed severe diarrhea, they had taken him to the hospital and he died the next day.
He mentioned he had asked why he died, and was told that the only way to know was to do a post-mortem. He said that was what he wanted, so they kept the body until the next day. The next day, the doctor told him he should just take the baby home and bury him. He mentioned that a number of people had told him, “The Father had taken your son to be with him.” We assured him, and showed him from the bible, that that was not true. Jehovah never intended for us to die, which was why he had told Adam and Eve, not to eat from the one tree. Death was the result of disobedience, not part of God’s unfathomable purpose. I asked him how it made him feel towards God, when he was told he had taken his son. I could tell he felt uncomfortable saying it, but he said it made him feel bad towards God. I asked him who he thought would want him to feel that way towards God. He said, “Satan.” I said, “So, you know who it is that had that lie told to you.” He asked us when we were going to be passing back by, and we said later in the day. He asked us to stop back by.
It was getting later in the day when we went by, but Compton said we should stop again. He asked us to do a few paragraphs in the Bible Teach book. When we were leaving, he thanked us for coming, and said how he had felt much better that day. He said most days he ended up drinking, but not that day. It was nice to be able to share the truth from the bible, and see it bring such immediate relief. Truly, many are skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.
We had gone on another call that Josh used to call on. The man was happy to see us and invited us into his house. I gave him the latest magazines, and was talking to him about them, when he stopped me and asked if it wouldn’t be appropriate to have a prayer, since we were discussing spiritual matters, we should ask for God’s guidance in getting the right understanding. Of course, I had to agree with him. Before we left, he asked me what he would have to do to be baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I felt so bad, because he lives about an hour and a half from the Kingdom Hall. I encouraged him to continue to do what he could to grow in his knowledge of the bible, and assured him that Jehovah can read his heart. There is just so much work that needs to be done here.
For this week’s pictures I have put in one of Amy at a door. It’s a candid, so I apologize for the back. Next is a picture taken across a valley of a house in the territory. The road runs along the ridge, so you get an idea of what we have to do to get to some of the houses. The final picture is of our fearless guard dogs. Chigger is on the step, Bruno is on the right, and the uncooperative Chewey is in the middle.
It won’t be long now.
One of my duties ever since Graem left has been to put the dogs away every morning. I usually walk up with some sort of treat, tie Chigger up by the front porch, and then walk back towards the back where the dog house is. Like most houses here in Guyana, the house is built up off the ground. It’s about a 2 ½ foot jump to get into it, and Brunno always jumps in and waits for me to get there, but Chewey acts like it’s too much for him, so I have to lift him up and put him in. Then I close the door and give them each a treat through the side. A few times I’ve forgotten the treats, but they are conditioned enough that I could put them away.
A couple of days ago, all I had was some cassava bread, but they went in. However, the next day, Chewey refused to let me grab him to put him in. He would run around the dog house away from me. Then he ran up to the house and went under the house where I couldn’t reach him. By then I was loosing my patience, so I picked up some stones and threw them at him until he ran out and went back down by the dog house. He tried getting away, but I worked him into a corner, and when he realized he couldn’t get way, he rolled over and lay on his back. I felt like he needed a good beating, but knew that would accomplish nothing. The next day was a repeat, except this time, he hid under the house as soon as I came up. I bought a small jar of peanut butter and this morning I spread that on some pita and took that with me. When he saw me coming, he just laid down and rolled over. I let him smell his treat, and he jumped up and followed me down and let him put me away like old times. I worry how they will be for Rasheeda when she has to put them away herself.
We are starting to wonder if our dry season has turned out to be only three weeks long. We have been getting rain since Wednesday, and not just a few passing showers, but rain lasting for hours on end. The good news is there will be no water shortage when the house is full for the SAD. There will be nine people staying there, so they will use a good deal of water. Plus we still may be having to fill a pool for a baptism. That is still undecided.
Seeta approached me recently and mentioned her next two younger children, Travez and Channel would like to become unbaptized publishers, so Sunday Compton and I will sit down with her and one of them, and then Tuesday after the bookstudy, Solo and I will sit with her and the other. It’s nice to see the congregation continuing to grow. Elroy has turned in an application to Auxiliary Pioneer during May. I’m sure Compton will appreciate the support for mid-week service, and I’m sure Elroy will benefit from working with Compton on a regular basis.
Wednesday Compton and I went out to Wauna. I hadn’t gone in quite a while, because Joe had been going out, and there is only one bike good enough to make the trip. When we first got there, we stopped by the school to see if we could spend some time with the teacher there. We also walked over to a house close by where we had tried to continue a study that Graem had. The last couple of time we had been out we had missed him because he was working. He was home so we chatted with him a bit. Compton asked if he had the day off from work. He said he wasn’t working, he hadn’t worked since his son died. We were shocked to hear him say that. It turns out his eleven month old son had died about five weeks ago, which meant he died about a week after we had last seen him. He had developed severe diarrhea, they had taken him to the hospital and he died the next day.
He mentioned he had asked why he died, and was told that the only way to know was to do a post-mortem. He said that was what he wanted, so they kept the body until the next day. The next day, the doctor told him he should just take the baby home and bury him. He mentioned that a number of people had told him, “The Father had taken your son to be with him.” We assured him, and showed him from the bible, that that was not true. Jehovah never intended for us to die, which was why he had told Adam and Eve, not to eat from the one tree. Death was the result of disobedience, not part of God’s unfathomable purpose. I asked him how it made him feel towards God, when he was told he had taken his son. I could tell he felt uncomfortable saying it, but he said it made him feel bad towards God. I asked him who he thought would want him to feel that way towards God. He said, “Satan.” I said, “So, you know who it is that had that lie told to you.” He asked us when we were going to be passing back by, and we said later in the day. He asked us to stop back by.
It was getting later in the day when we went by, but Compton said we should stop again. He asked us to do a few paragraphs in the Bible Teach book. When we were leaving, he thanked us for coming, and said how he had felt much better that day. He said most days he ended up drinking, but not that day. It was nice to be able to share the truth from the bible, and see it bring such immediate relief. Truly, many are skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.
We had gone on another call that Josh used to call on. The man was happy to see us and invited us into his house. I gave him the latest magazines, and was talking to him about them, when he stopped me and asked if it wouldn’t be appropriate to have a prayer, since we were discussing spiritual matters, we should ask for God’s guidance in getting the right understanding. Of course, I had to agree with him. Before we left, he asked me what he would have to do to be baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I felt so bad, because he lives about an hour and a half from the Kingdom Hall. I encouraged him to continue to do what he could to grow in his knowledge of the bible, and assured him that Jehovah can read his heart. There is just so much work that needs to be done here.
For this week’s pictures I have put in one of Amy at a door. It’s a candid, so I apologize for the back. Next is a picture taken across a valley of a house in the territory. The road runs along the ridge, so you get an idea of what we have to do to get to some of the houses. The final picture is of our fearless guard dogs. Chigger is on the step, Bruno is on the right, and the uncooperative Chewey is in the middle.
It won’t be long now.
Is that Billy Joel I hear playing?
