It has been raining most of the time since my last posting. Sometimes raining lightly, sometimes heavily, but seemingly always raining. And with the rain comes gray overcast skies. And of course with the rain comes mud!!
Tuesday we were preaching in Baribina, so we walked about ¾ of an hour through the rain and the mud to stand in the rain talking to people. Because we cover the territory so often now, people are more used to seeing us, and are less apt to invite us in to their houses to listen to what we have to say.
Terri spent the day with Amy going on studies around Hosororo. She mentioned that due to the weather, she had worn a sweater all day long and had never broken a sweat, even when walking the hills between Hosororo and Bumberi junction. She said she thought that was the first time she could ever remember walking in service in Guyana without sweating.
Wednesday a group of us went to Wauna. For some reason, few buses were running, so we had to wait over an hour for a bus finally to arrive that was going to Wauna.. The ride to Wauna was just as bad as I remembered it. While it’s only about 8 miles or so, the ride takes nearly an hour. The bus rocks and shakes so much, at one point, I actually thought I was getting motion sickness.
We had hoped to be able to study with a teacher there after school was over, but we were told that the bus was going to be returning at 3:00, which is when school lets out. We passed by the school at lunch recess, and spoke to him. He said he would give as little time then, so we had a nice discussion. He mentioned he used to live in ‘town, and he had seen the witnesses there, and was always impressed at the way they would go about their preaching, even though many would treat them poorly. It impressed on me the fact that even when we are out and think we are accomplishing nothing, we don’t know who is watching.
He had expressed the idea that while he could see from the scriptures that all who claimed to serve God were not necessarily doing so, and he cited Matt. 7:21-23, he felt that regardless of one’s religion, if the were sincere in their worship of God, He would accept their worship. But he mentioned that his time was slipping by, and he had to take care of some matters before resuming classes, so we agreed that we would focus on that issue next week.
After that, Compton and I walked over to Sugar Hill to do some houses. The track to Sugar Hill forks along the way, and he went to the right. We passed by a few houses, so I thought maybe he had a call he was going to, but then we reached the next track and he turned to the right and started walking that way. I then realized that he had intended to go to the end and work his way back. I mentioned that if we had taken the left fork, we would have reached there. He said he had never gone that way, so he didn’t realize where it went. He then stopped and said that that was as far as the houses went, but I told him I knew there were several houses beyond, so he then followed me. He later mentioned to Graem, that he was Guyanese, but he was learning his way around from a white man.
Last night we were walking back to the house after the meeting and I was leading the way with the light. I opened the gate between the yard at the Kingdom Hall and our house and walked through and Terri went to close it behind us. She let out a scream that something had bit her. I suggested that maybe she had just poked it on the fence wire on the post, but she insisted that something had gotten her. She was concerned that it may have been a scorpion, so she wanted to go back to the house to read what the book said about scorpion bites. The bus was just leaving, so she stopped it to ask the locals what to do in the event of a scorpion bite. It seems there were several opinions on the matter, but the final consensus was that she should go to the hospital and they offered to take her. I said that if we were to go there, I would take us on the bike.
We then went in to read what the book said, as well as to consult web MD. The indications there4 were widely varied as well, but seemed to indicated that it was most dangerous to small children or old people. I suggested to Terri that a trip to the hospital at 8:30 at night, might be more scary than her bite, and suggested that we wait to see if anything started to happen. So we went home and had supper, and she didn’t seem to be getting any worse, although she mentioned the pain was still very strong.
I went back up to the house to get online to send and receive emails, and when I got to the gate, I noticed a few very large black ants on the gate (as in about an inch long). When I got back, she said she was feeling a little better, and then this morning she woke up and said that other than feeling a little numb when the bite was, she was felling fine. So now she has one more story to tell.
Since we are ‘between the moons’ right now, the weather has dried up and we are once again having some sun. I mentioned to Terri that as we are planning to travel to Matthews Ridge for a few days two weeks from now, hopefully we will be assured of dry weather for the trip. I have received word that the plans for the building have had to be modified due to the wet conditions of the site. Now instead of a 30X50 two story, with a Kingdom Hall below and two residences above, it will be built as a 30X60 single story with a 24X30 hall and two 18X30 living quarters.
A word on the pictures. We have Compton on the track going to Sugar Hill, Terri & Jaide on their way to Settlement, and JoyAnn, Selina, and the new baby, Chantel.
