The preaching work has been continuing here with good results. We continue to find those who seem to have a sincere interest in learning what the truth really is from the Bible. I had opportunities to reach some living along the roads that go towards Arakaka and Baramita recently. Traveling out of Ridge to reach persons in those areas was a nice change of pace, and I found a number who said they’d like to learn more, especially on the road to Arakaka. Andrew told me what a good time he has had studying with a shop owner here in Ridge named Eddie who recently started studying in the evening when his shop closes. Garrett has been able to have a number of studies with a young man here named Esan. I was with Garrett the first time he talked with Esan. When he answered our call from outside the house, he had in his hands a Bible Teach book and a cell phone playing reggae music. He said he had just begun reading the book after having had it for some time. He said he likes to read it while listening to reggae songs that have scripture quoted in them. Esan has many questions about what the Bible teaches, and how it compares with was he thought to be the truth taught in churches. The great joy that is experienced in the ministry here is always accompanied by unexpected events that make for a very interesting experience week-to-week. For example, I wrote in a recent entry about having gotten a flat tire. Since then, we’ve gotten three more flat tires between Andrew, Garrett, and myself. Things always work out, though, and these inconveniences have surely heightened my appreciation for when travel and such does go smoothly.
This past weekend, the Circuit Assembly program was presented in the Carib language in Baramita. It is hard to express just how refreshing and up building the assembly was. I think we’ve all come away from an assembly or convention thinking “That was just what I needed!” And that was truly the case here as well. For well-thought out reasons, this year it was decided that we would not hire vehicles to take the whole group of us together to Baramita for the assembly. Instead, it would ultimately be up to each person to finalize their travel arrangements for reaching Baramita. Since we were going to have to jump on a vehicle as it was heading out of Ridge for Baramita, last Tuesday morning I decided I would pack my bag and go to the market area to wait and see if a vehicle going to Baramita would pass. After about an hour of waiting in the market, a driver named Baldhead (keep in mind that most people in Guyana are known by their call names instead of their real names) drove up in a bush truck, and I found that he was planning to head to Baramita. I was very thankful for this. I waited for about another hour while Baldhead and his crew had a little breakfast, during which time Andrew joined me. Then we were finally on our way. The first two or three hours were smooth sailing. The trek slowed to a crawl, however, once we hit an area named Warapa. This is basically where the road building crew has reached up to in building the road from Ridge to Baramita. From that point on, the next 3 to 4 hours were full of winching out of deep muddy ruts every few minutes. Andrew and I helped the bush truck crew in doing this, and in that way paid our passage to Baramita, which we reached at about 4:00pm.
After arriving in Baramita we walked up to the house a Witness family, the Smiths, who are pictured in part on page 183 of the 2005 Yearbook. We were shown such hospitality in Baramita, especially by the Smith family. Once we got to the Smith’s house, we unloaded our bags and had something to eat. A number of other brothers and sisters came into Baramita during the week before the assembly. Among these were 12 more brothers and sisters from Matthews Ridge, 5 from Georgetown, and 3 from Berbice. During the next three days we went out in service in the mornings. The field ministry in Baramita is very unique. Baramita is a Carib Amerindian reservation, and so nearly the entire population is Carib-speaking. There are no territory maps, as the camps where residents reside are constantly shifting. We had between 20 and 30 present for field service each day. Many times the entire group would walk to each camp area. Most who went out in field service wore long boots, as there are often muddy patches and creeks to pass over. As we talked with Eustace Smith regarding the arrangements being made in preparation for the assembly, it became clear that an outdoor toilet needed to be built for use by those attending the assembly. And so on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, I worked along with Gordat Bepot, a brother from the Soesdyke congregation who serves on the Country Building Committee here in Guyana, on digging a pit as well as constructing walls, a seat, and a door around the pit. Friday we had rehearsal for the assembly.
Saturday and Sunday came, and the program featuring the theme “You Are No Part of the World” truly bolstered our faith. The parts presented were wonderful, leaving those present more determined than ever to keep focused on Kingdom interests. Andrew has been working hard to get a handle on the Carib language, and it was exciting to see him present his assignments on the program in Carib. Monday was a day of departures, as 18 of the 22 visitors to Baramita boarded planes headed for Georgetown and Matthews Ridge. Only a limited number could fit on the flight to Ridge, leaving four of us to find alternative transportation back. This ended up being quite the adventure, as we had to wait until Tuesday morning to board a bush truck headed in the direction of Matthews Ridge. The bush truck took us to the Warapa area mentioned earlier. From there we took a cruiser back to Ridge, reaching back home just after 4:00pm. It was a very exciting week, offering a nice change of pace and an assembly that was so refreshing!
As you can see, there are no pictures included with this entry as my camera connection is down. I promise to include extra photos if possible with the next entry.
