Well the International Convention is now history. We had delegates from 26 countries. Our peak attendance Sunday was 20,834, with 160+ baptized. Brother Barr from the Governing Body gave about three talks and the concluding prayer. Every day they would do the morning session with the speakers facing one way and the afternoon session on the other side of the tents facing the other way. Sunday morning the speakers were on our side so I figured in the afternoon when they did the drama, we would only hear it. When they were introducing the drama, they mentioned they had had two brothers working with their groups in preparation. I wondered if that was in case people got sick or something. But then it was announced that the drama would be performed simultaneously on each side of the stage. Everyone on our side started applauding wildly. I spoke to one brother who mentioned he had sat on our side in the morning and after lunch, he had walked around and stood on the other side. When the arrangement was announced, he walked back and sat in his seat.
The stage area was set up on an area of interlocking tiles. I had noticed that each day the walkway out to the stage was in a different location, and I figured it was done to minimize the impact on the grass of the playing field. What I didn’t know until it was mentioned in the concluding remarks was that all the tents and the entire stage area was taken down (or more accurately up) each evening and then reassembled early in the morning.
On the second day of the convention, we were walking around and as we were passing a sister, she and Terri stood there looking at each other, and Terri said, “You look very familiar.” The sister looked at her and said, “Terri?” It was a sister from her old congregation that she went to when we were first married. They hadn’t seen each other in about ten years. So a period of crying out and hugging followed, just like you see pictured at large gatherings like that.
During the program, there were six parts where they gave reports from the different lands or interviewed missionaries, asking what things they had had to adjust to or what obstacles they had had to overcome. One sister mentioned the challenge of learning a new language, and how difficult it was to go from being able to comment freely to having to, “fight with the children for the opportunity to offer comments like ‘Jesus’ or Jehovah.’” Another one had spoken of the practice of eating from the ‘common bowl’. There the custom was to cook what ever there was to be cooked in a large pot, and then everyone would just reach in and take out food with their hands and eat it. And in that pot all kinds of things were cooked, including small fish that fed on human excrement in the swamp. The children referred to them as “poo poo fish”.
Tuesday, our hosts took us to a beach on the north shore of Trinidad. There is a ridge of mountains (3,000’ elevation) along the north side of the island and the beach is just beyond them. The drive over was breath-taking and the beach was incredible. It was crescent shaped in between two arms of cliffs that stretched out into the sea. The water was clear, the bottom was all sand, the water was warm, and the waves were great. It was a nice added treat. While there, we had one of the local delicacies, ‘bake and shark’. It is like a fried dough, sliced open and a large piece of shark served on it. You then add your choice of a wide variety of condiments. It was delicious.
Wednesday morning we went out in service. It reminded me a lot of preaching back in the states, many were not home, others chose not to come to the door, and others just waved us off, saying they were too busy. It made us appreciate the blessing we have to be preaching where we are. In fact, by the time we had to leave Trinidad, we were starting to get anxious to get back home.
We had a nice treat at the airport in Georgetown (besides being let back in without incident). As we were standing in line, a sister approached Terri to introduce herself. Terri just looked at her and said, “You look familiar. I know you. From Africa.” It turned out to be a missionary couple who had at one time been assigned to the Ivory Coast. Because of political turmoil there they had been evacuated to Ghana, and were serving there when we were serving as International Volunteers, working on the branch in Ghana in ’03. Two years ago they were reassigned to Guyana, but serve in the east of the country, so we had never met them. As they say, “It’s a small world when you are not in the world!”
Tomorrow we will be getting picked up at 4:45 AM to travel back to the northwest. We will fly into Port Kaituma and then find a vehicle going to Matthew’s Ridge. Gary mentioned Ellie Garner is ready to travel with us. He ended up spending three days taking her around to get things she wanted to take with her. She is serious about staying for a year, so picked up everything she feels she might need. He mentioned she has filled a small suitcase with various pills and crèmes and such. We of course know what is and isn’t available there in the northwest, but I guess she wants to be prepared.
While we are in Kaituma, we will have a study with the group there. Since Andrew has been alone at the Ridge, (although Compton Baxter traveled up to help him with the meeting last week) we had told the group no one would be coming for the study for those two Wednesdays, but that since we would be flying into Kaituma, we would have a study before we leave for the Ridge. It should be a nice one since Stephan and I will both be there as well as Terri and Ellie. Hopefully we will find a vehicle going to the Ridge, but if not, we may just hire one for ourselves.
For this week’s pictures I’ve included one of the beach we visited and a couple from the convention. Terri enjoyed going around and taking pictures of the delegates in their native dress.
