Well it’s a new year. One of the tasks associated with a new year is getting the new year’s text put up in the Kingdom Hall, “Bear Thorough Witness to the Good News – Acts 20:24”. A sister who had been here early on, had hand-painted the old text. I had thought about what we would do this year. I decided that I didn’t want to have to paint out the previous years text and letter in a new one each year, so I turned the sign over and planed it to a smooth finish. I then put a clear sealer on it. I was happy to see a beautiful wood grain pattern come out. Krystal then made letters using black electrical tape. This way we can just peel off the old and put on new each year.We have had added another unbaptized publisher to our ranks. Eugene Smith has joined us in the preaching work. He has been on the Theocratic Ministry School since I arrived. A while ago I had been discussing his spiritual goals with him and asked him what was holding him back from joining us in the preaching work, since I knew he was always talking to various ones about what he was learning. He said there was nothing holding him back, he just liked to take things in a deliberate manner. He mentioned he had planned to start when he finished studying his second book, but now he had changed books, so it was going to be longer. I asked about thoughts of baptism and he said he was hoping to be baptized at the next Special Assembly Day in Mabaruma in April. I told him that if that was the case, he needed to get moving on the preaching work, since before one can be baptized, they should have been preaching for a period of time. I think that kind of surprised him, as I could see him doing some quick thinking.I let a little time pass and then I asked him again about his plans. He smiled and said he had spoken to Stephan about it. He said he was going to start in December, he had wanted to surprise me. Well, December was rapidly drawing to an end, so I asked him again what was happening. He said, “The first of the year.” I arranged to meet with him after the meeting Sunday to go over the questions. Afterwards I mentioned that if he were to join the group Wednesday, he could turn in a report for December and have announced at the next Service Meeting that he was now an unbaptized publisher. He said that would be fine.Wednesday was a Kaituma day. However I had decided that I wasn’t going to be taking the bike there until the weather dried out, instead I would take a bus or cruiser. I asked Stephan if he would care to alternate visits with me, and he said he would. Since he is planning a trip into Georgetown later in the month, I suggested he go this time. So I was able to stay back to go out with the group here. It was raining in the morning, so I was glad I wasn’t trying to take my bike to Kaituma. I worried whether Eugene would come out in the rain, but right at 9:30 he came walking up. We worked together and after the first door, he walked ahead of me so he could reach the houses first and start the talking. At one point we were waiting for the sisters to finish at a door so we could talk about which way to go next, and Eugene said to me, “I’m going to go over to that house to see if anyone is there.” And off he went to try and find someone else to talk to. Afterwards, he told us it was even better than he had imagined.When Stephan returned from Kaituma, he assured me that I should be thankful I hadn’t tried to take my bike. It rained most of the way there and back, and the road was a mess. He mentioned though how hard it is to be at the mercy of the drivers. They hadn’t gotten there until 10:30 and the driver said he was planning on leaving at 1:00. So Stephan had to cut the study with those there short so he could be back to where he was to meet the driver. When he got there he was told they wouldn’t be leaving until 2:00, and it was close to 3:00 when they left. He said Carolyn had said she really wished we could come and give a Public Talk and Watchtower Study. I told Stephan that maybe sometime when we have extra help, we will try to arrange that. Also with the beginning of a new year, is a new Examining the Scriptures Daily. Since getting literature deliveries is a challenge here in the interior, our new Daily texts haven’t arrived. However this year the Watchtower Library on CD-ROM contained the daily texts through the end of February. So I was able to cut and paste the day’s texts and comments into a Word document and then print that out to give to all those who keep up the program of considering a scripture each day. I also printed out a picture of Eugene’s first day out preaching to go with one that had been given to Mary of her first day. He was very surprised to receive it, since Mary’s had been mailed back to her from the states. I have included a copy for the blog.
