As I mentioned in my last posting, Wednesday, Stephan, Eugene, Compton, and I went to Arakaka to preach. As I had also mentioned, I had Eugene and Compton work together, and Stephan and I worked together. I sent Eugene and Compton off to an area which didn’t have too many houses, but there was a place where a couple of Rastafarians lived. Compton and I had bumped into one of them earlier in the week in Matthew’s Ridge, and it turned out that Compton knew him. I told them that after they finished that street, they could work their way towards us. At one point, Stephan was trying to get someone to come to the door at a shop, so I was standing out in front, and a woman came up to me and started trying to talk to me, but I could hardly understand her. She came really close, like to give me a hug, but I could smell no alcohol on her. She continued to babble away, so I told her we were trying to reach all the people in the area. She then started to walk with us as we went. At the next house, I called out to see if anyone was at home, and she also started calling out too. As it was no one was there. But at the next door, Stephan found someone to talk to, and this woman was trying to join in the conversation. The woman at the house asked Stephan if she had come with us. At first he said she had, but then quickly added that she wasn’t with us, she had just started following us. It reminded me of the account in Acts 16:16-18. She finally left off following us. I asked a man who had been watching if the woman was drunk, and he said, “Yes”. I told him I wasn’t sure because I hadn’t smelled anything. I said I thought she might be crazy, but he said, “No, drunk.”At a shop we went into, we met a girl who was from Georgetown. She mentioned she saw the witnesses there everyday and would always get tracts from them. She asked me if I had any. I started to take out a magazine, but she said she didn’t care for a magazine, she would rather have a tract. I didn’t have any, but Stephan gave her a couple. While we were talking to her, she excused herself, and then came back with a cold drink for each of us.We continued to work our way back towards where we had left Compton and Eugene. Stephan mentioned they must have been working the rest of the village before they came working down the road we were on. I told him not to be too sure of that, as I knew how Eugene liked to try and debate with the Rastafarians, since he at one time had been one of them, at least in appearance. We finally met up to them almost where we left them (I think they did two or three houses on the road we were working. It turned out they had been talking at the one place almost two hours. I don’t know how much was accomplished, but at least they can’t say we avoided them (a claim they have made in the past)At one point, I had mentioned to Stephan I sometimes wondered why we went to places like that, since we couldn’t really follow up easily on interest we might find. But then I remembered the recent Watchtower article reminding us that we never know how the ‘seeds’ we plant may develop in the future. It’s all in keeping with our text for the year to bear a thorough witness.After we finished the settlement, we started working our way back up the road. At that point, Compton and I were working together, and Stephan was with Eugene. Compton and I ended up taking a side road leading back into a mining area. At the first camp we came to, we found someone to speak to. It turned out he was from Mabaruma, and he and Compton knew each other. We talked to him about why we worked so hard to try and reach everyone we could find. He thanked us for making the effort to come to him.As we walked into the next camp, I remarked to Compton about all the pieces of heavy equipment that were lying around. I said that must have been quite the operation in its day. I asked a man we met about it, and learned that at one time, between two and three hundred people were working there. The man seemed happy to see us, and asked if we were in a hurry, or if we could come and sit and talk with them. It turned out he also was from the Mabaruma area (White Watta). In fact, Compton studies with his brother on Wednesday, a study I had been on a couple of times. The man said it was a shame we couldn’t come more often, and expressed a strong desire to be able to get a bible. I told him that when we got the ones we had on order, I would bring one to him. He was happy to hear that.In other news, I spoke again to the branch about a Memorial for Kaituma. I was told they were sending a letter suggesting that someone from Mabaruma might travel to Kaituma to hold the Memorial. So I called Bro. Gomes to let him know. He said Compton had mentioned the possibility to them and they had talked a little about it, but in view of what I had told him, they would get more serious about it. I told him I thought we could do a lot of the invitation work there, and I would try to learn more about what was happening there when I went Wednesday.I also spoke to a sister in ‘town that I had heard was planning on coming with another sister to Matthew’s Ridge for the Memorial. She confirmed those plans, so I asked her if she could bring a bottle of wine with her that can be used for the Memorial, and she assured me she would be happy to do that, so that’s one less thing for us to worry about. However, I learned that rather than two sisters coming, there will be three, so it will be cozy in our guestroom for the week. But I know at least one of the sisters is quite petite. The weather here has taken a very wet turn. This should be well into dry season, but we have had pretty steady rain for the last five days. In fact today when I was walking out to my far study, there was more water in the track than I ever saw, even in the middle of the rainy season. Here’s hoping that things dry out by Wednesday when I go to Kaituma. It will be a busy day, since I have to look more into the Memorial arrangements (only about 3 ½ weeks away), as well as arrangements for getting to the Special Assembly Day in Mabaruma (less than five weeks away).This week’s picture is of the four of us returning from Arakaka. No, I haven’t put on serious weight. I have to wear my backpack as a ‘frontpack’ when having someone ride behind me on the bike.
