Arakaka, Painting

This past week we had a real nice time traveling to one of the towns neighboring Matthews Ridge, which is named Arakaka. You may have heard this town mentioned on the blog before. In many ways it is quite similar to Matthews Ridge, with a bit smaller population. Matthews Ridge is the closest group to this town, and so we try to get out there to preach when we can. Having so many visiting Matthews Ridge this month provided a nice opportunity to go out and work the Arakaka area in door-to-door preaching. There were 12 of us in all who went. 10 made the trip in a pick-up truck, and the other 2 followed on motorbikes. It’s about a 50 minute drive or so from Matthews Ridge to Arakaka. Since we’re still in the end of rainy season here, the regular rains have kept the dust on the roads down, meaning you arrive in Arakaka a lot cleaner than you would if you made the trip in dry season, driving into a dust-cloud the whole way.

As I was beginning the meeting for field service, I was surprised to see the cruiser we had hired to carry us to Arakaka pull up, it being about 15 minutes earlier than I had asked him to come. (for the interior of Guyana, arriving 15 minutes early is quite an anomaly) I went over to talk to the driver, whose name is Moses. He said to me: ‘We have to lef. Dem boys takin de bridge out at 9:00, and nobody gettin tru till it finish.’ Apparently, it was this particular morning that a crew of workers were planning to take apart and rebuild a log bridge on a stretch of the road that leads to Arakaka. And so after a short meeting for field service, we piled into the truck and jumped on the motorbikes. There was only one board lying across the bed of the cruiser, and at least 3 rows of 3 people each had to fit in there. So we looked around the Kingdom Hall quickly to find a couple more planks we could lay across the bed of the truck as 6 additional seats. I quickly found a nice fat plank about the right length, but it was hard to find a good thick second plank. We were running low on time, so I put on a smaller plank I found that was the right length. I’m wondering if the 3 that got relegated to that undersized seating would rather have sit on the floor of the truck bed, though, because after a number of good bumps in the road it snapped in half.

We reached up to the bridge right at 9:00, just as they were about to start dismantling it. We got through, though, and got into Arakaka at about 9:20. We went to the police outpost and told them we were Jehovah’s Witnesses from Matthews Ridge, and we had come to preach throughout the town. They had no reservations about our plans, and told us to park the two motorbikes in their yard right up against the police station. We split into 3 groups of 4 persons each, and went into different parts of the town. We were imagining our visit to Arakaka might also provide a nice opportunity to make some phone calls, as there is no phone reception in Matthews Ridge, and making the trek out to a hill that does get service near Ridge can be difficult. And so after we were finished preaching in the immediate town area, we went over to the call spot in Arakaka. There are apparently only 2 or 3 spots in Arakaka that get phone reception. And by “spots”, I literally mean spots of about 1 foot in diameter signaled by a dirt patch worn in the grass by those standing in that “call spot”. We all tried unsuccessfully to get calls through at these fabled call spots.

We finished working the immediate town area of Arakaka in a couple of hours, and then started heading back towards Matthews Ridge at about 12:00. Over the next 4.5 hours, we worked many houses alongside the road leading back to Matthews Ridge, as well as witnessing to some who were working dredges for mining gold. We were relieved to see that the road workers had just finished building the new bridge as we traveled back to Matthews Ridge. So many we met in Arakaka, and alongside the road leading to it, voiced their desire to have someone come to study the Bible with them along with their families. We told them we would try to come back as soon as possible. We are sincerely hoping we can work to further develop that interest, but balance is certainly needed so as not to neglect the work in Matthews Ridge itself.

Also this past week, we started painting the interior of the Kingdom Hall in Matthews Ridge and making improvements to the sound system. All those who have come to visit Matthews Ridge were able to help with this work, and it has gone well. So far, we’ve gotten two of the walls painted, built a sound cabinet into the wall in the rear of the auditorium, and routed the wiring from the front of the hall under the floor and up into this new sound box. Over the next few weeks we’re hoping to paint the other two walls and the ceiling of the hall, as well as to hang a large mural painting of the paradise that was painted by Ellie Garner, a sister from America who visited Matthews Ridge at the turn of this past year.

The pictures included with this entry are of the service group getting organized in Arakaka by the cruiser and police station, of painting the inside of the Kingdom Hall, and of Kyle working on the sound cabinet.

Matthews Ridge

This past week has been exciting, as there are many new faces here in Matthews Ridge. A number have come to visit to help out in the ministry and in the congregation. Kyle and Reanna Caldwell are a young couple from Framingham, Massachusetts. Dawn Conti and her two daughters, Jessi and Paige, are from Jamestown, New York. Garrett Wilson is a young brother from Woonsocket, Rhode Island. There are also two young brothers from Washington state, Micah Gillen and Blake Weigum, who have been here for about a month, and are planning to stay here in Matthews Ridge until the middle of September. They’ve been holding down the fort here for the last couple weeks. The rest of us just got into Matthews Ridge in the past week or so and are settling in. We’ve been having a nice time going out in the ministry together and enjoying one another’s association.

Rainy season is nearing its end, but it certainly isn’t over yet, as we’ve had some great rain storms. We had an earthquake here a few nights ago as well. I woke up to everything shaking, but there was no apparent damage. Others said they woke up and realized it was an earthquake too, whereas some said they took it for nothing more than someone just jumping around. Why you would get up in the middle of the night and start jumping up and down I don’t know, but the point being the quake wasn’t anything too extreme. It’s been hot hot here the last few days as well. And so as you can see, we get quite the variety of weather conditions in the interior of Guyana.

The pictures included with this week’s entry are of the visiting brothers and sisters in front of the Kingdom Hall, and of some working in field service.

Jim Newton

It is heart-wrenching to report that on Monday, August 9th, our dear brother Jim Newton lost his battle with cancer and fell asleep in death. What a fine person and a faithful brother Jim was. His love of the truth and his self-sacrificing spirit endeared him to us, and no doubt to his God Jehovah. One would have a hard time finding a more determined and hard-working individual as Jim was. I remember with admiration the way in which Jim would spend long days in the ministry, and not long after returning home, he would be digging or drilling, making repairs to the Kingdom Hall. Jim had a sense of humor and a genuineness that made him an approachable shepherd and a trusted friend. No doubt all of us who knew Jim appreciated what a big heart he had. Jim touched many people’s lives, caring for their needs in such a loving way. Jim never drew attention to himself, but always focused on the work that needed to be done and on the needs of others. Jim died at home at about 9:00pm with his family by his side. We are all deeply saddened and will dearly miss our good friend Jim Newton, but have the confidence that he will be remembered for his faith and fine works. A memorial talk is scheduled for 2:00pm on Saturday, August 14th at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Conewango, New York.

District Convention

“Congregate the people,” Jehovah instructed his ancient people Israel, “the men and the women and the little ones…in order that they may listen and in order that they may learn.” Just as the assemblies of God’s ancient people provided much-needed spiritual instruction and upbuilding association, so too today, the annual assemblies and conventions of God’s people are a source of great joy. The 2010 District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses, carrying the theme “Remain Close to Jehovah”, was held this past weekend, August 6-8, here in Georgetown, Guyana. 4,000 individuals were on hand for this exciting event! There were so many stirring talks and demonstrations, and to gather together and enjoy the association was outstanding. There were 51 persons baptized on Saturday, including one of the publishers from Matthews Ridge, Shaneiza Waldren. No doubt a fine witness was given throughout the city as Jehovah’s clean people streamed to the convention site at National Park each day. Even the prime minister of Guyana was in attendance with his entourage to benefit and witness first hand the unity of God’s people.

Prior to the convention, many had the privilege of helping to clean and prepare the site for the convention. Food and litter from a previous event that was held at the park was removed, the entire site was swept, the stage was modified, and additional furnishings were constructed to ready the park for the convention. This setup provided a good witness as people observed the cleanliness and orderliness of God’s people, and it was so upbuilding to work along with the brothers and sisters there and enjoy their association!

The pictures included with this entry are of the cleaning and setup for the convention, the crowd at lunch break, and of Shaneiza getting baptized.

River Preaching

For quite sometime we have been wanting to go and preach in an area called Falls Top, this is where half the community is on the river. We stopped in Falls Top as it is on the way to Port Kiatuma, We were going to do the Watchtower study in Port Kiatuma. Anyhow we stopped and talked to this guy who owns a shop, we had talked before of how he would one day be willing to take us to preach on the river. It turned out that on this specific day he was able to and willing to take us. Which is really interesting since we had for some reason brought along with us plenty of extra magazines. We talked to many and it took us around 4 or 5 hours to get it all covered. We could of easily stayed longer but we had to make some visits short so we could cover all. It was plenty of excitement since most are Amerindian and understand Carib which is the very language that the "You can be God's Friend" brochure was just translated. How good it was to read to them in there own language, many were so grateful we even got a watermelon at one house. The people were what made the whole trip worth it. We hope to eventually return and take some Bibles to a few who could read well and really wanted to learn of Jehovah. Some had never really even heard anything about the bible before. I spent a few minutes explaining who Jehovah is and why we are imperfect, even having to explain who Adam and Eve are and the Garden of Eden at one house. They listen so attentively it is amazing!

Aside from the preaching was the wonders of Jehovah's creation, we saw an iguana swimming in the river. Many tropical birds and even a small black and white spotted snake. Well that’s all for now, we encourage you to keep up the good work!

Goodbye… Again?

I know in my last posting about myself I had mentioned that I had an appointment with my oncologist on June 23rd and it was my hope that I could get a CT-scan just prior to that so I could have an idea if the things I was doing were having an effect at reversing the cancer. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the doctor to order a CT-scan for me. He said that not enough time has gone by since the last one to give a real indication as to which way things are going. I was able to get him to schedule one in three weeks, on July 14th. I will have a CT-scan and then later in the day I will meet with him to discuss the results.

In the meantime I have been feeling fairly good. I have been trying to ride my bicycle everyday, and where we live there a quite a few hills, so it’s a decent workout. I was lamenting that I couldn’t know what was going on inside me, and my daughter told me that I shouldn’t worry so much about that, but rather should focus on the fact that I was having good days and be happy with that.

As you know from the last posting, Jonathan has had to leave Guyana, and he was the one who had been sending me updates to post up. I am happy to report that Andrew has been kind enough to offer to try and keep things going, so here is his first posting.

Recently we have experienced more changes. Governmental changes has allowed some to stay in Guyana, while for other it has caused them to leave. One of us brothers has just recently left Matthews Ridge due to these changes. It is amazing to stop and think about all that can happen in a short period of time. It is always best to leave things in Jehovah’s hands. We don’t exactly as of now understand how this is going to impact the work of foreign ones coming to serve in Guyana. Keep us in your prayers

Jonathon Brewster has left. He was the one keeping up the recent blog entries this far. I thought I would spend a little bit of time telling you about “Brother Bruce” or “John-O” as some would call him. He came to serve in Guyana for as long as his money would carry him. He also greatly encouraged the work and focused on his assignment here in Matthew’s Ridge. What a privilege it has been serve side by side our brothers wherever we find ourselves. Its funny we would always talk about how we don’t know what to talk about on the blog. He probably expected me to write about him. If things work out he may come back. Keep up the good work. We hope all continue to put Jehovah first in your life, especially you young ones.

We are still on rainy season. It is crazy when it starts raining, its like sometimes it does not want to stop. In the carib language you would say: “Konopo tashu’re” It means “rain fall heavy”. It makes getting around messy, but at the same time lots of fun. I also enjoy how everything is able to grow and be so green. We have also had some more greens and vegetables in our diet, which is always good. All thanks to Jehovah in our rain forest home. (Ps 65:9,10) Anyway that is all for now. Your pictures are of Jonathon and the roads after the rain. -Andrew

Jonathan's last post from Guyana (for now)

Rainy season continues here in Matthews Ridge, giving us a good amount of rain on a regular basis. When the rain does come, though, it usually doesn’t last too long, and so it is usually just a good time for a little break.

Last Tuesday Evelyn Daniels, the Bible student mentioned in the last entry, was buried. About 60 people came for the talk and burial. A number of scriptures explaining the truth about death that the Bible teaches were presented, and a good witness was given. It was my first time attending a Guyanese burial, and it was quite interesting. They brought the coffin to someone’s house that lives right next to the burial ground. There they opened the coffin, which they put on top of two bottle crates, for viewing the body. Then we went over to the burial site, where they lowered the coffin into the ground. Well, almost. They lowered the coffin down to almost the bottom, and realized the hole wasn't quite long enough in one spot. And so they had to hoist it back up and a boy jumped down in the hole and dug it a little longer. Once the coffin who resting on the bottom, they started filling the dirt back. One of the local burial customs here that is that after the coffin is lowered, most people come over and pick up a handful of dirt and throw it in. Then a crew of men takes turns digging all the dirt back into the hole.

Some interesting developments have taken place here regarding the process through which the Guyanese government grants visas to foreign volunteers. The Ministry of Home Affairs has told the brothers at the Branch Office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Guyana that they can only sponsor 50 volunteers to stay long-term, which means more than three months. Andrew, and Tyler and Cheri, were happy to be among those sponsored by the branch office. I was not sponsored, but there are other options those who are not sponsored can take, and so I look forward to seeing how things will develop in the coming weeks and months. On Tuesday I flew to Georgetown, on my way out of Guyana. Tuesday night I was able to attend a meeting with the Soesdyke congregation which meets in Pearl, a village south of Georgetown. Our circuit overseer, Leon Stevens, is serving that congregation this week. After the meeting, he talked to me a bit about the situation with the new law. I found encouraging a scripture he read to me, Proverbs 21:1, which reads: “A king’s heart is as streams of water in the hand of Jehovah. Everywhere that he delights to, he turns it.” Br. Stevens encouraged me to trust in Jehovah and be confident that he will work things out in the way he sees fit. The expansion of the good news despite various hindrances from human governments is certainly a faith-strengthening thing to see!

The pictures included with this week’s entry are of Tyler studying with a boy named Bobnesta, and of Cheri helping with the read and write class after the Sunday meeting.