Tuesday the group that meets in Kumaka went to finish up the territory in Hosororo. I was working with Compton. At the first house we went to, I asked the young woman what church she went to and she told me she was a Jehovah’s Witness. I thought she misunderstood what I had asked, so I asked again and got the same response. So Compton asked her where she was from and she said she was from Baramita. She said she had been here for about a month. There is a large congregation in Barimita, so we told her she should come to the Kingdom Hall while she was here. She said she didn’t know how long she would be staying there. We explained that all she would have to do was walk to the foot of the hill and catch the bus as it went by. But the only ‘church’ allowed in Barimita, which is an Amerindian reservation, is the Kingdom Hall. So everyone in Barimita who wants to go to ‘church’ goes to the Kingdom Hall, and then call themselves “Jehovah’s Witnesses”. So I asked the girl if she was baptized, and she said she wasn’t.
Also that morning, we were talking to a young girl and shared the scripture at John 17:3, where Jesus said that it meant everlasting life to take in knowledge of God and Jesus. So I asked her if she knew what everlasting life was, and she said she didn’t. So to try and explain, I asked her how long she would like to live. She thought about for a minute and then said, “Until I am sixty.” So then I asked her if when she got to be sixty, would she be ready to die, and she said, “Yes.” Compton and I both had to laugh at that one. But it worked out well, because the rest of the morning I was able to share the story with the older ones I spoke to and they all laughed as well.
As I had written previously, I wanted to paddle back to the nearby village of Kubarimo. We had paddled there in the rainstorm, but had had several nice calls and very much wanted to try and return to see about hopefully starting some studies. Since they are actually so close, it would be very easy for them to come to the hall. All they would have to do is paddle out to the landing and from there they could catch the Kingdom Hall bus on Thursday and Sundays. I had figured Fridays would be best for our schedule, and most should be home since Tuesday and Saturday are the days they come out to go to market. There is a landing along a road where all the children and others who come out park their dugout canoes when they go to school or work. I had wanted to go there one day and ask to use one to get more practice before trying to go when I wanted to be sure to stay dry, but it just wasn’t happening. I didn’t want to keep putting it off, so Friday Terri and I went, with all our things inside ziplock bags just to be safe. We agreed in advance that if the only ones available were small narrow ones, we would just come home.
I wanted to be there when all the children came to be able to ask to use a canoe, but we ended up getting there a little early. There was a man sitting there and I told him what we were planning He pointed to a rather large one tied up there and said that it would be there all day as the man who had brought it was out working. It was a rather large one, but it also was rather warped so it didn’t sit even in the water. We decided to give it a try and I got in and then Terri got in. She sat in the middle of the front seat, but I had to sit all the way to the side of the back seat due to the warp of the canoe. But we set out just paddling slowly along. The tide was coming in, so we had the current to help us. It actually was very beautiful and serene paddling along the narrow creek. We reached our destination without incident, and tied the boat up at the landing. We then spent about four and a half hours revisiting ones we had spoken to before and explaining that we were planning on coming now every Friday. It was a very nice and encouraging time. When we got back to where we had left the boat, it was gone!! Terri suggested that I hadn’t tied it good enough, and it had drifted off with the current which had now changed and was going out. I said I didn’t think so, but if it had, we should try and find it. So I said, “Here’s another nice sized canoe, I guess we’ll just take this one.” So we did! We started back down, again going with the current and enjoying the beauty. A little ways down we met a canoe coming up, and we said, “Hello.” and passed by. Afterwards I told Terri that I had half expected them to say, “Hey, where you going with that boat?!”, but nothing was said. We again reached our destination dry, and there was a group of people hanging out at the landing. They watched as these two white people came paddling up in a canoe, and one of they asked where we had learned to paddle. Terri explained about the canoes, but no one seemed concerned that we had appropriated two different boats that morning, and we have not be visited by police in regards canoe theft, so I guess it’s common practice for them to use whatever boat is available. We are looking forward to our Friday canoe trips.
It has been quite peaceful as late with only three people in the house, and it has helped to stretch our water supply as we have not had any meaningful rain. Hopefully we will get some good rain from the new moon at the end of the week.
Hope you all are able to keep warm.
