More help

We are currently enjoying out visit from the Circuit Overseer and his wife. Our regularly assigned one was unable to come so we are again having Bro. & Sis. Alleyne. They were the last ones to serve us as well. They had come over after the Special Assembly Day in Barimita in May. They were supposed to arrive on Monday, but Monday’s flight was cancelled so they came on Tuesday.

Sister Garner had moved to the hotel Sunday afternoon in anticipation of the arrival of the CO and his wife. There is still much work to be done the place she is getting. Stephan and I went and painted there Tuesday evening, and we will probably do doing additional work to try and assist with the preparation.

Wednesday was an exciting day here. We were joined in the ministry by a new publisher, James Daniels. James is blind. He has been studying for about a year and a half. At one point he had become quite depressed due to his having become blind. He even questioned the point of living any more. I helped him to see that while his condition posed a challenge, he was still closer to being able to serve God fully than were many of the ones coming to the meeting, such as those who weren’t married and who would have a very hard time getting married. I encouraged him to start committing scriptures to memory so he could then recall them to share in the preaching.

At first it was very difficult for him, sometimes taking several weeks to get a new scripture firmly in his mind. But as time went on, he seemed to get better at it. He was able to get one of his last ones in place in less than two weeks. I had turned the study over to Andrew while I was back in the states, and he continued to work with the scriptures. When I returned, I went on his study and heard all the additional scriptures he had learned. I commended him and asked when he was going to start in the ministry. He said he needed to get some more teachings.

I asked Andrew if I could have the study back and have enjoyed seeing him progress. He has been regular at the meetings almost since he started studying, walking about a mile to the Kingdom Hall with the help of some who he lives with. I had asked him about commenting at the meetings and he told me that when there was a scripture he knows, I should call on him. It has been a little unnerving because I would ask, “Who can tell us what (a scripture he knows) says?” I would look at him and not be sure he was even paying attention, since we couldn’t make eye contact, but I would call on him and he would share the scripture.

A few weeks ago (just before we went out for the International Convention), I again asked him when he was going to be ready to join us in the ministry. He said I would have to tell him when he was ready. He mentioned though, that he was concerned since he didn’t have any long boots and he couldn’t see where he was walking and worrying about walking into mud. When I got back from the convention I again asked him about starting and he said I should tell him when. Sunday after the meeting, Stephan and I sat with him and went over the questions to see if he qualified for the ministry. Stephan was impressed with his ability to call scriptures in answer to the questions he was asked, Tuesday morning before his study, I bought him a new pair of boots and gave them to him and told him I would pick him up Wednesday morning to come out with us.

I had spoken to Eugene about working with him in the ministry since I was concerned that some might think it was a gimmick for the ‘white preacher’ to be leading around a blind man in the ministry. Eugene said he would be very happy to work with him. As it turned out, Bro. Alleyne also joined him and he said he was so happy to be able to accompany a new one on his first day preaching. Later I heard James tell several different ones he would see them tomorrow. When I took him home, I asked if he wanted to go out again tomorrow, and he said that if I would come get him he would be happy to come. He asked about clothes to wear and I told him that if he took the ones off that he had been wearing and put them up, they would be fine to wear again the next day. I asked how he had enjoyed the morning and he said it was wonderful and he felt very happy.

This morning (Thursday) I again picked him up and he worked with Eugene. Stephan, myself, and Bro. & Sis. Alleyne went on the bikes to Arakaka to preach. I wanted to let him see the area since I think that that is some place that I would like to give more attention in the future. When we got there, there was loud music playing by the police station where we have to check in. I started wondering if going there December 31st had been so wise. But later we were able to find many people home, whereas, in the past many houses were empty since the owners were in the ‘backdam’. But since it was the holidays, most people were at their homes. We had a nice time preaching there and Bro. Alleyne was very positive about trying to expand our ministry there.

I heard some disappointing news today. I was told that the internet café was going to be closing today since it wasn’t generating enough income to justify staying open. I will have to learn more when I go tonight to send this out.

For this week’s pictures I have one of our new publisher with Eugene and myself, and one of the group getting ready to go to Arakaka.

From Jonathan

The following is a few thoughts that I, Jonathan Brewster, wanted to share. I had the privilege of working in the ministry in Guyana in September through November 2009. The experiences I had in those few short months really changed my perspective in many ways. Seeing the appreciation for the truth that so many there showed really helped me to better appreciate the great and incomparable effect that learning Jehovah’s ways has on people. Seeing how simple life can be, compared with the complexity and busyness of everyday life in more “developed” areas, certainly changed my perspective as to which things are really important, and which things are not. I can truly say that I felt more happiness, fulfillment, and contentment than I’ve ever felt in my life while serving in Guyana.

The area that I spent most of my time in during my visit to Guyana was Matthews Ridge. It took me a bit to adjust and to really get into the swing of things in such a different place than I was used to, but once I did, I can say with sincerity that I could not have felt more at home. The wonderful need-greaters I had the privilege of serving with there felt like my family, and to have the privilege of working with a group like that, so focused on Kingdom interests, was surely one the best and most cherished experiences of my life.

One of my favorite experiences while in Guyana was going to the Circuit Assembly in Baramita. As you may know from previous entries on this blog, it was a long journey, but it was such a great experience! There were about 25 local people that went, and about 30 in all. The program was translated into Carib, the local Amerindian language. Many that went said how much they enjoyed and benefited from hearing the program in their native language. One local woman that traveled with us on the 10-mile hike through the bush was in her 80s, yet she hiked right along with us and really enjoyed the program. Her example and attitude really encouraged me.

While serving in Guyana, I was helped to further appreciate that the truth just makes sense, and that even a person with a limited educational background who is honest-hearted can get a firm hold on the truth. I had the privilege of studying with multiple individuals who could not read, yet they got the sense of Bible principals, which had a very real effect on their life. Seeing this first-hand led me to a greater appreciation of the outstanding way Jehovah teaches those who want to know him, no matter what their background or how any human may view them.

The interest among the local people and the progress among those associated with the congregation made working there such a joyful experience. I was able to get to know many of these ones. There were a few in particular that especially encouraged me. Their love for Jehovah and their determination to live according to his standards, despite great obstacles and opposition, had a powerful effect on me. It really heightened my zeal to find more honest-hearted ones like these. I would highly recommend to anyone who has the opportunity the privilege of sharing in the ministry in an area like this where there is such a great need. I can confidently say that making the sacrifices needed in order to take advantage of serving is an area such as that, are so far outweighed by the blessings Jehovah gives, “a blessing until there is no more want.”

Back to work

We are once again back in Matthew’s Ridge, although the trip back didn’t go as planned. We flew into Port Kaituma Friday morning as planned. When we got there, I started walking around letting people know that we were looking for transportation back to Matthew’s Ridge. I realized we might have trouble when I saw all the luggage that Sis. Garner had brought with her. We decided to take all our things over by Caroline’s shop and then we would have our transportation pick us up there.

The agent for the air service we flew in on had a nice new extended cab cruiser so I asked him if he would drop our things by Caroline’s, it was maybe an eighth of a mile from the airstrip. Granted the box on the cruiser was short, but our things pretty well filled the truck. I also was planning on picking up a new mattress in Kaituma, so that would add to the load.

While I was walking around, I checked out mattresses. They only ones they had were double mattresses and they wanted $17,000GD. I also looked at sheets of bare foam which were about six inched longer and wider than the mattresses and were $4500. I made arrangements to pick up two pieces of foam. I also went by a shop where the man who lives next to us in the Ridge works and asked him to keep an eye out for vehicles coming from Matthew’s Ridge. He said he had recently seen a cruiser pass by. I walked around and found it, but he said he was on a private hire. He said he might be making a second trip later in the day. I told him if he did to check by Caroline’s.

Shortly after I got back by Caroline’s, a man came by with a bus and said he had heard we were looking to get to the Ridge. Since it was looking like rain, I thought a bus would be much better than a cruiser. It was still early, but I knew that both Ellie and Terri were quite tired, so I decided that I best seize the opportunity while it presented itself. I asked Stephan if he would be upset if we left him to do the study and then drive back on his bike. He gave me a funny look, so I said I would be willing to stay as well if he would ride me back on the bike. He asked if I would be willing to stay and drive his bike home. He had hurt his foot while swimming in Tobago and it was hurting him so much he was getting a headache. I told him that would be fine. I gave him the receipt for the foam and told him where to pick it up.

We ended up having a small group for the study, just Juliet, Sharon, and Caroline. I later told Terri that I didn’t know if the smaller group made it feel like a personal bible study, or if it had just been so long since I had had the joy of doing a study, but I really enjoyed the study, in spite of the fact that it wasn’t what I had been hoping for. It rained quite heavy during the study, but it had stopped by the time we finished. I drove back to Matthew’s Ridge on wet road, but kept dry and didn’t have any mishaps on the way home.

When I got back to the Ridge, I learned that the house we had hoped to get for Sis, Garner was not going to be available. Andrew and Eugene had gone around and found another possibility. Terri went with Andrew to look at it because Sis. Garner was not feeling well. Terri said the place needed a little work but she thought it would turn out nice.

Sister Garner ended up being sick all night long. When she was still vomiting in the morning, Terri had me take her on the bike to the hospital. The medix gave her three different kinds of tablets to take, but she chose not to take any thinking instead it would pass and it did. Sunday afternoon I walked with her to look at the apartment and also the hotel since the woman who owns the apartment is the mother of the woman who runs the hotel and they had said that she could stay at the hotel until the apartment was ready. It turned out that they were asking as much for the apartment as had been asked for the four bedroom house ($150US), plus they wanted an additional $50US for current.

Everyone here thought that was way too much, so we told Ellie we would try to find something else. The next morning a couple came by the Kingdom Hall because they had heard we were looking for a place to rent. They said they had a place they would rent for $75US and that would have current from 6 PM until 11 PM. I said we would come by to look at it later. I had studies to go on so I asked Andrew if he could take her around to look. He said he would. As I was walking to my first study, I saw Eugene and mentioned that Andrew and Ellie were going to look at the other place. He said he would go with them. When I got back in the afternoon I learned that after seeing the other place, Ellie had gone back to the first place and got them to agree to include the current in the $150 so she agreed to take that place. Now it’s just a matter of them getting it ready.

There is a bit of a push though because the Circuit Overseer and his wife are scheduled to arrive Monday morning for their visit. I think Ellie has decided that if the place is not ready, she will take the offer to stay in the hotel.

Andrew went out Wednesday. He is flying to Barbados on Friday to spend a week with his father.

School is closed for the holidays so we had a nice group for service Wednesday. All of the locals were out and Sis. Garner joined the group for the first time.

For this week’s pictures I’ve included one from the convention in Trinidad, this was our hosts, Tony and Donna DeGale. The other one is of Ellie Garner so her friends can see she really came to Matthew’s Ridge.

Trinidad II

Well the International Convention is now history. We had delegates from 26 countries. Our peak attendance Sunday was 20,834, with 160+ baptized. Brother Barr from the Governing Body gave about three talks and the concluding prayer. Every day they would do the morning session with the speakers facing one way and the afternoon session on the other side of the tents facing the other way. Sunday morning the speakers were on our side so I figured in the afternoon when they did the drama, we would only hear it. When they were introducing the drama, they mentioned they had had two brothers working with their groups in preparation. I wondered if that was in case people got sick or something. But then it was announced that the drama would be performed simultaneously on each side of the stage. Everyone on our side started applauding wildly. I spoke to one brother who mentioned he had sat on our side in the morning and after lunch, he had walked around and stood on the other side. When the arrangement was announced, he walked back and sat in his seat.

The stage area was set up on an area of interlocking tiles. I had noticed that each day the walkway out to the stage was in a different location, and I figured it was done to minimize the impact on the grass of the playing field. What I didn’t know until it was mentioned in the concluding remarks was that all the tents and the entire stage area was taken down (or more accurately up) each evening and then reassembled early in the morning.

On the second day of the convention, we were walking around and as we were passing a sister, she and Terri stood there looking at each other, and Terri said, “You look very familiar.” The sister looked at her and said, “Terri?” It was a sister from her old congregation that she went to when we were first married. They hadn’t seen each other in about ten years. So a period of crying out and hugging followed, just like you see pictured at large gatherings like that.

During the program, there were six parts where they gave reports from the different lands or interviewed missionaries, asking what things they had had to adjust to or what obstacles they had had to overcome. One sister mentioned the challenge of learning a new language, and how difficult it was to go from being able to comment freely to having to, “fight with the children for the opportunity to offer comments like ‘Jesus’ or Jehovah.’” Another one had spoken of the practice of eating from the ‘common bowl’. There the custom was to cook what ever there was to be cooked in a large pot, and then everyone would just reach in and take out food with their hands and eat it. And in that pot all kinds of things were cooked, including small fish that fed on human excrement in the swamp. The children referred to them as “poo poo fish”.

Tuesday, our hosts took us to a beach on the north shore of Trinidad. There is a ridge of mountains (3,000’ elevation) along the north side of the island and the beach is just beyond them. The drive over was breath-taking and the beach was incredible. It was crescent shaped in between two arms of cliffs that stretched out into the sea. The water was clear, the bottom was all sand, the water was warm, and the waves were great. It was a nice added treat. While there, we had one of the local delicacies, ‘bake and shark’. It is like a fried dough, sliced open and a large piece of shark served on it. You then add your choice of a wide variety of condiments. It was delicious.

Wednesday morning we went out in service. It reminded me a lot of preaching back in the states, many were not home, others chose not to come to the door, and others just waved us off, saying they were too busy. It made us appreciate the blessing we have to be preaching where we are. In fact, by the time we had to leave Trinidad, we were starting to get anxious to get back home.

We had a nice treat at the airport in Georgetown (besides being let back in without incident). As we were standing in line, a sister approached Terri to introduce herself. Terri just looked at her and said, “You look familiar. I know you. From Africa.” It turned out to be a missionary couple who had at one time been assigned to the Ivory Coast. Because of political turmoil there they had been evacuated to Ghana, and were serving there when we were serving as International Volunteers, working on the branch in Ghana in ’03. Two years ago they were reassigned to Guyana, but serve in the east of the country, so we had never met them. As they say, “It’s a small world when you are not in the world!”

Tomorrow we will be getting picked up at 4:45 AM to travel back to the northwest. We will fly into Port Kaituma and then find a vehicle going to Matthew’s Ridge. Gary mentioned Ellie Garner is ready to travel with us. He ended up spending three days taking her around to get things she wanted to take with her. She is serious about staying for a year, so picked up everything she feels she might need. He mentioned she has filled a small suitcase with various pills and crèmes and such. We of course know what is and isn’t available there in the northwest, but I guess she wants to be prepared.

While we are in Kaituma, we will have a study with the group there. Since Andrew has been alone at the Ridge, (although Compton Baxter traveled up to help him with the meeting last week) we had told the group no one would be coming for the study for those two Wednesdays, but that since we would be flying into Kaituma, we would have a study before we leave for the Ridge. It should be a nice one since Stephan and I will both be there as well as Terri and Ellie. Hopefully we will find a vehicle going to the Ridge, but if not, we may just hire one for ourselves.

For this week’s pictures I’ve included one of the beach we visited and a couple from the convention. Terri enjoyed going around and taking pictures of the delegates in their native dress.

Trinidad I

We are presently in Trinidad. We arrived Tuesday afternoon. We had flown to ‘town on Friday. When we arrived, Gary picked us up and we ran a few errands, including stopping by the branch. We mentioned to Gary that we had about a day of errands and discussed whether to do them Monday before we went to Trinidad, or wait and do it Thursday. Gary mentioned that we should do it before we went because when we get back the holiday shopping would be in full swing and what would normally take 15 minutes to accomplish would take over an hour. He mentioned that most people get their holiday bonus on the 15th and after that the stores are packed.

Saturday morning we went out in service and then we caught a bus to take us into Georgetown where Terri got a haircut and we picked up a few more things on our list. Then we went to meet a sister who had recently arrived in Guyana from Washington state. She is hoping to spend up to a year in Guyana. She mentioned to the brothers at the branch that she wasn’t a city person and asked if there was somewhere they could suggest she go. Brother Hazel suggested she consider Matthew’s Ridge. She had somehow gotten in touch with Stephan and he told her that we would be in ‘town Friday and she should give me a call. We made arrangements to go by where she was staying to share with her info in the Ridge and see wheter we thought she would be able to function there.

Her name is Ellie Garner. She had previously served in Ecuador as well as Mexico. She is 66 years old. One of the big issues was housing. I mentioned that there is a house there that is fairly nice. It is next to a hotel and gets current from the hotel whenever the hotel’s generator is running which is about 10-12 hours a day. It is expensive by Guyanese standards, but it has four bedrooms. We mentioned that if she could see her way to rent it, that it would open the way for other young sisters to come and serve at the Ridge and then they could help with the rent. The long and short was she is going to travel back to the northwest when we go back. She will stay with us for a short time while she checks things out first hand and decides if she thinks she can make a go of it. We shared with her things that she would need to get to stay in the ridge and made arrangements for Gary to take her around on Tuesday.

After we left Ellie, we caught a bus to take us back into Georgetown where we caught a next bus to take us back where we were staying. As we were making our way back, I asked Terri is she could have imagined going around on our own like that. She said. “No way.” But then she mentioned that no matter how comfortable in Guyana, unfortunately we will always stand out in the crowd. Monday we met Gary in ‘town and took care of all the things we needed.

Tuesday we flew to Trinidad with about 40 other delegates. When we were leaving the airport in Trinidad, we were greeting by a group of witnesses singing a welcoming song and then there was an even larger group to welcome us to the Assembly Hall where we were given a light meal and then introduced to our hosts. Wednesday evening the congregation that our host goes to had a gathering for all the delegates that were being hosted (14).

Tuesday when we were traveling to the Assembly Hall, Bro. Rainey was asking how things were going at the Ridge. I told him about the attendance we’d been getting and all the studies we had. He asked about the studies and I mentioned that I didn’t have the exact figures but it was something over 70. He asked me if I could get the number and get it to him because he had a part on the convention and he would like to use that. I had put most of the report together before I left, but Stephan had to get the report from a few others and he was bringing the report with him. I was able to email him on his phone and he passed the numbers on to me. I wasn’t sure if I would see Bro. Rainey in the stadium, so I emailed the info to him, figuring he would have some way to check his emails.

Today, he was interviewed early on the program and he related some of the things happening at the Ridge (without specifically saying where in Guyana it was from). He mentioned that when he had last been with one group, they had been conducting 56 bible studies but now there were 13 publishers conducting over 70 studies. I realized he hadn’t gotten my email because last month, we had reported 86 studies and 12 publishers. One reason for the jump was that Jonathan had left and all the studies he had been conducting previously had been reported back where his cards are, whereas now we had them and so they were added to our report.

Today before the session, we were walking around the stadium looking to see who we might know since there were a number of delegates from the states. We saw a couple, Lou and Frocine Travis who had been in Warwick when I was there. They used to be at Watchtower Farm, but are now serving as Special Pioneers in Maryland. We also saw a couple from Walcott how are one the WNY RBC as well as a couple from Orchard Park. The attendance today was 15,034.

For this week’s pictures I’ve included one of the welcome group at the airport, one of the delegates and hosts from the congregation get-together, and a panoramic of the stadium, or as it’s officially known as the Queen’s Park Oval (that’s what they call a cricket stadium).

It's different here

I had written last week about possibly getting material for a ceiling soon. The man who said he was coming to get the money never came by, so I figured it was one of those ‘just now’s. But Sunday morning about 8:30, a large truck stops in front of the Kingdom Hall and someone called out that they had plyboard for us. We unloaded the truck and put the sheets on some sawhorses under the house. I asked Stephan how he felt about leaving it there and he said he would worry that it might ‘walk off’. I said I was thinking the same.

We decided we could store it above the Kingdom Hall. I figured since we had it and since that was where we would put it, we might as well try to put it up before the meeting and spread it around between the webs of the trusses as much as we could to start benefiting from it. So I climbed up in the trusses and Andrew carried the sheets into the hall and Stephan passed them up to me. By that time the sun had been shining for awhile so it was like a sauna up there. We got them laid out with about half an hour to spare before the meeting. I mentioned that I was so hot from working that I could not judge whether they made any difference or not. We will paint one side of them and then attach them to the bottom side of the trusses.

Last week on the way to a study, I was on my bike and I passed a group of people sitting by the road. They waved as I went past, so I waved back. As I was passing I heard one of them call out, but I had a study to get to so I just kept going. On my way back from the study, I saw the person walking toward me on the road and he again waved at me and as I was passing, I could tell he definitely wanted to talk to me so I turned around and came back. I could tell he had been drinking and I could see he was a little agitated. He asked me why no one came to study the bible with him. He said we study with ‘everyone else’, but why not him. I asked him where he lived and I told him I would be happy to come and study with him. Afterwards I marveled at how that was the first person I had ever met in service who was irritated because someone wasn’t calling on him, rather than the other way around. When I went by this week he was not there, but his daughter studies so I told her to tell him I would study with him on Fridays after her study.

Andrew mentioned that one of his studies, Juliet, had been approached by someone who was trying to get her to start coming to their church. He told her that if she would come, she would be given clothes and money. She asked him what good clothes and money would be if she wasn’t learning about God. He then asked what benefit she was getting for going to the Kingdom Hall. She offered to get her ‘book’ (the Enjoy Life brochure) and show him what she was learning. He then told her that the white people were just waiting to kill her (alluding to the incident at Jonestown). Must be one of the churches is about to be visited by one of its supporters from the states and they want him to see the church full of people so their funding will continue.

We were so encouraged to hear that. Because sometimes when we are trying to teach people who can’t read, and whose first language is Carib so you aren’t even sure how much of what you are saying is actually getting through, we wonder what is actually being accomplished. Truly we are experiencing the truth of 1 Cor. 3:6.

We are currently without a Post Office here at Matthew’s Ridge. I understand that an inspector had come in last Friday to audit the accounts and he sent word to the Post Master that he was to come in Saturday so they could go over the accounts. The Post Master sent back word that Saturday was a holiday, so he wouldn’t be available. The inspector then put a lock on the building before leaving so that nothing could be tampered with until he returned. Monday was the first of the month when people normally pick up their old-age pension, but when they got to the Post Office they found it locked. I have no idea when the matter will be resolved and the Post Office will reopen. No doubt, just now.

A new air service is starting flights into Port Kaituma and as a result there is a price war going on. We had seen a flyer which one of the existing companies was circulating which listed fares of $11,000GD to fly to ‘town and $13,000 to fly into Kaituma, also $95/lb for cargo. Currently it costs $21,500GD to fly either way from the Ridge and $150/lb for cargo. So when I was in Kaituma Wednesday I went to see about arranging to fly into Kaituma when we return from the convention and then pay the $3000/person for travel to the Ridge. I was told that they have reduced the outbound fare to $9000. I mentioned it to Stephan because he still had to get a ticket to fly to ‘town whereas we had come to the Ridge on a round-trip ticket so ours was already paid for. He checked first with the new service and was able to book a flight Monday for $7000. Hopefully the new company will consider adding service to Matthew’s ridge and our prices will improve.

It appears our cat is no longer with us. I don’t think Terri is too distraught though. I think she recognized how it was just one more thing to have to worry about. But maybe we’ll be surprised and find him waiting for us when we get back. There is still no sign of activity at the internet café here so I will wait and send this out when we get to ‘town on Friday. My next posting will be from Trinidad. I will try to get something up next Thursday after our first day of the convention.

This week’s picture feature Juliet. One is of her at the Kingdom Hall, the other is taken at her house with Stephan and Andrew. She is standing next to Andrew. But it helps you appreciate how little she has and yet the offer of money didn’t influence her.