My last post for today...

After delighting you all with recent photographs, I thought, "enough of this loveliness and Guyana fancy. Why not have a break for a change and give the Guyanese something to look at"... So, for reasons of parity and fairness to all, I am changing the focus of this blog from GUYANA to the UK!!! 

That's right peeps - I am finally following through on my threat and am coming home. I have a few false starts on making this happen, but tickets are booked and bags... well, they are still empty, but you know what I mean.

I leave these fair shores on Tuesday, to have a week in Trinidad with my friends who hosted me for pioneer school (I know you read this Che and Nats - get cooking!) and then Dec 12 I arrive in the arctic and foreboding Gatwick airport. I am in London / Scotland / Wales (sorry Ireland, not you) and back to London until Jan 7. Then I am yo-yo'ing back to Guyana to continue with my adventures.

I am sure I won't get to see all of you in the short time I have, but I hope you know it is not intentional. It is so over-whelming thinking about coming home and seeing everyone. I can't believe it has been a year and a half - the bets were on for a return within two months! I have had some amazing experiences and am sure Jehovah has many more for me to revel in. But, it is definitely time to come home and take stock, have some mulled wine and bask in the best season on the calendar - WINTER (not the pagan festival that goes with it... naughty!!! ;) Tho Matt Humps has promised me some traditional fare in the form of cooked meats and pigs in blankets!). 

I can't wait to walk the Embankment with a mulled wine in my hand, walking around the tree in Covent Garden, taking a stroll on the Heath and having a touristy pic outside of the Science Museum and the V&A. Big jumpers, scarves, Indian curry, some good wine and some even better hours spent with long-not-seen friends. Fish, dim sum, SOUP (oh how I have missed SOUP), slow cooked lamb (actually, cook it quick and get it in my stomach), TELEVISION!!!, did I mention Indian curry!?!?!

Watch out Londondinium, your child is returning...

Coffee

Okay,

This deserves its own post. For the last year and a half I have been asking everyone who is coming in and out of the country to mule some coffee with them (thanks Jo). You see, here we cannot buy it - nowhere in Guyana! On our trips to Suriname, we can sometimes unearth a pack or two, but that is all. We are indeed in the last days...

Well - imagine our shock and horror at learning that not only does Guyana have coffee plantations, a sister owns one and another owns a factory. They process and export the coffee, but never does it touch the lips of a resident of this fair land. 

It was such a lovely smell. The sister gave us a huge sample bag and I am now in talks to hook up a supply to Berbice, through a brother who sells in the market. Good times ahead!

Pay attention now:

These, my friends, are the where the magic begins. The red beans on the right are the coffee beans in their natural state. I am not sure why the ones on the left were dried, as I dont think they are used like that... not sure... not a good start

The beans are put through the first machine that strips the skin and they make a lovely big pile

Their now naked selves waiting for a make-over

Then they are planed in this sun-bed to dry

Once dried, (perhaps the black ones up top) they are placed in this roaster. It was amazing to see the machines - it was like walking around a museum, but that is what they use everyday to do their work

The smell coming off this was amazing

And that is it - then they are sent off to grind in another machine

And are then dressed into their bags - 180 GUD for a pack, which is about 50p

And then into my belly... Mmmm

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A COFFEE BEAN - FASCINATING!!!

More Essequibo...

Sorry for the hiatus in posts - the all-day blackouts and tropical rain is thwarting my uploads: Rainy Season has begun!

Forthwith - more pics:

My transport to the assembly - soooooo cooooooool

Stayed with a family who are rice farmers. They let me drive a tractor baby!

This was our lil river preaching crew on the second time out

This is bro and sis McAlman - of the Guyana yearbook fame. They have been preaching on the river for over 30 years and pretty much everyone you talk to at the hall studied with them. Hilariously, despite 30 years on the river, neither can swim!!!

Essequibo...

Hi All

It has been a long time since my last post, or so it feels. Things have been very busy indeed. I was invited back to the north of the country - to Essequibo - and the delightful Charity. They were having their two day assembly and needed help organising and delivering sign language interpreting. I jumped at the chance to go, as it is a beautiful area, on the Pomeroon river, at the mouth of the interior and literally the other end of coast to my home, Skeldon.

So, myself and a team of brothers and sisters from Skeldon and Georgetown headed over to Charity. I stayed for what ended up being two weeks, whilst others came for just the weekend. Here are some highlights (I have to break this into two posts, I fear, else the post will be too heavy).

My adventure began with this! MMMM - I ate them all - kinda like mini-burgers

Charity is so different to Skeldon. People really take care of their house lot - so lovely

Charity is on the mouth of the Pomeroon, so we got to go river witnessing! So cool.

You just pull up to the jetty and yell 'INSIDE', like we do with the normal ministry.

More to come in the next post...

Never the Twain Shall Meet...

It is funny here in Guyana. They say it is an English speaking country and people are very proud of that. They lull us into a false pretense and we all arrive thinking we can get off the plane and get on with things. When one looks, and listens, a little closer though, a new world opens up - that of Creolese.

I seem to spend a lot of my time explaining to different foreigners, both long serving and new, that the general populace do not understand us properly when we speak, and therefore, when and what we teach. I Skeldon, our area is very agricultural and many have only a basic schooling. When I go on studies, I speak Creolese and naturally translate when I read the Bible Teach book into a Creolese slant. I have been criticized for this by some foreign brothers, as they say everyone speaks English and SHOULD learn to do so at a higher level. It is an ongoing debate.

Anyway, thanks to Nikki who posted this on her site, which I have subsequently stolen. It highlights that even in their newspapers, they use Creolese. The kids learn it at school, they speak it in their homes, they speak it to their children, in the street and when they eat. Why can't we speak it when teaching them about Jehovah, reaching for their hearts and not their heads.

Enjoy...

Dem boys seh…Dem gun lef de thiefing money

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER DEM BOYS SEH, FEATURES / COLUMNISTS,NEWS

There is a true, true saying, Failure is an orphan, success has many parents. When a man become successful and get plenty money he does get nuff relatives. Dem got people who only got to hear that somebody rich and dem does identify demself as some far off cousin sister pickney.
Dem got all description fuh how dem tun relative.
Tek de case wid de doctor wha dead. He still deh in de parlour waiting fuh somebody bury he. Is when people hear bout de money he got in de bank and de property he own all over de country is then dem come. Some come from England, some come from Australia, from South Africa and one come from Papua New Guinea. Some of dem ain’t know wheh dem come from.
Dem boys seh that dem never know that de man had so much family. One woman come from America and claim how she is de dead man daughter. Dem boys sure is a man name Peter, called Petes fuh short, who bring she in.
She ain’t know she mother name, she ain’t know she date of birth and she ain’t know wheh she born. Dem had other relatives tun up but when de parlour people ask dem some question dem go home fuh come back and never come back.
Well dem boys seh that dem got nuff people who gun end up like de doctor. Tek de Bees, especially de big Bee. Dem tek so much from de treasury and through dem contract that dem got more money than dem and four generation can spend. Some of dem ain’t got a chick or a child because dem couldn’t get.
Imagine when Bharrat pass on and people coming fuh claim that dem is he children. Then dem got de other Bees. People gun find out that dem dead and forge documents. Dem same Bees use to forge contracts and collect money without doing any work. Some of dem, like de fat one, even forge de children birth certificate.
Well imagine de line fuh claim de palace at Sparendaam, or de wine parlour pun Lamaha Street. That is because fuh all de thiefing nobody can’t carry nutten when dem dead. That is why when some of dem realize that dem gun dead and lef all of that dem gun bawl pun dem dying bed. That is when dem gun got to prepare to answer to Peter, not Petes.
Talk half and put back wha all yuh thief while you got time.

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Going the extra mile...

Just wanted to share a story about this young man.

He is from New Amsterdam and fourteen years old. He has had a bad trot of late. Without going into it, he was taken off the school temporarily and has been labeled by many in the congregation as the 'bad-boy'. It is so sad - he has taken it all to heart and so has stopped coming to meetings.

Everyone in the hall is really worried about him, as I am. So, I came up this weekend with the goal of seeing Robin and giving some encouragement. Success! We get on really well and were able to have a good old chat about what's been going on with him. I took him out for a ride in a taxi and went to a KFC-type place for a treat. He is from a poor family, so was nice to treat him to something. We talked at length about how he feels about meetings etc and he said he would come with me to the meeting on Sunday and sit with me. I wasn't sure if he would make it, as he has apparently said this every week.

Success again! As the meeting is starting, in walks Robin - the second meeting he has attended in seven weeks. He did really well and answered a load of times from pictures in the magazine and that I had drawn. I took him out again for food and then we went and played football with the English congregation and he loved it. It was so nice to see him thriving and enjoying being with everyone.

The brothers here have asked me to come up regularly and study with Robin and a couple of others, but it just isn't possible at the moment. I am just going to try and be a friend-at-a-distance for him and try and catch him each time he falls from the net. Leave the rest to Jehovah. It is ones like Robin who make Guyana worth it for me. I had Robin on one side and another study of mine, who is fifteen, on the other - Vishal, who has also been missing a lot of meetings. It was so nice to see them attentive and eager to answer. Smiley face.

 

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Maintenance day at the hall...

 

 

 

 

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Mmmm

So, after complaining about being hungry, I thought I would share something I love to eat here in Guyana. It is originally African and is a hearty, end of day of ministry meal. I always get one Aunty to make it for me, as her family love it and it is a special thing to have so much food going around. They eat the left overs for a couple of days, there is so much of it.

Friends, meet Metagee, or Metem as some call it. The Aunty who makes this does it a little different, depending on whats in the larder and in the market. We never have steak, just the catfish, or salt fish.

Enjoy:

Metagee

Weight or Volume Ingredients

6 ounces flat iron steak, cubed

6 ounces pork shoulder blade, cubed

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups coconut milk

1 pound sweet potato, peeled, cubed

1 pound yam, peeled, cubed

1 pound plantain, peeled, cubed

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

2 habanero, seeded, finely chopped

1 pound catfish, cubed

1 red onion, cut into rings

1 pound okra, sliced

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons butter, small cubes

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup milk

Procedure: Dust beef and pork with flour and sauté. Add stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Add coconut milk, sweet potato, yam, and plantain. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add habanero and thyme. Place fish on top of meat and starches, then red onions, then okra. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Rub flour and butter together. Add baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add enough of the milk to make a stiff dough. Form into balls and place on top of veggies. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

I'm hungry...

I have just got back from the meeting (123 in attendance! Wow) and am hungry!

I must say lunch is the thing I struggle most with here in Guyana, in terms of food that is. Ha. There are other challenges that exceed this, but on a day-to-day basis, lunch is such a pain. You would think that after a year and a few months of this, I would have developed some sort of system, but alas no.

I used to make extra for dinner and save for lunch, but got out of that habit when a teenager started frequenting and eating what was left in the pot on a daily basis. The girls downstairs used to always do big cook ups so I could steal from them, but now there is just one of them down there so it is a no-go area.

In a land of blackouts that last whole days, it is hard to gather enough food to always have something in the fridge, whilst not having too much that it wastes away during a blackout or two.

So, here I sit on a Sunday afternoon after meeting, with a hungry belly and a lamenting heart. Oh for a marks and Spencer's!

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He who persists...

I'm not sure of the rest of that statement, but yesterday I felt like someone blessed for doing so.

I have a study called Vishal who is a great young deaf lad here, 15 years of age. He used to study and attend meetings regularly but recently has dropped off due to his now working late hours and generally being a teenager. He has so much potential - he was almost a publisher for a while - but I just haven't been able to get him to come to meetings.

The other day I thought enough is enough. I visit him three times a week - one study and two meeting prep discussions - but with him not attending the meetings, I can spend my time better by visiting others. So, I told him so. Well, it was obviously enough to get him moving. He came early to the meeting last night, answered several times in the book study and told me after how he wants to answer six times on Sunday! He even apologized about wasting my money to come and see him for studies, so he wants to come to mine this week to save me money!

It was such a nice meeting last night. Denzel, one of my young studies, had his second bible reading and did a sterling job. His heart was racing before but he got through with gold stars!

Today, I'm tired! Have come home early to get out of the sun and have some well needed hammock time. Almost done my hours for the month, so deserve some feet-up and chillaxing.

Vishal

Denzel before his talk

 

 

 

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1 Cor 9:19

19 For, though I am free from all persons, I have made myself the slave to all, that I may gain the most persons.

I had a nice study with our newly baptised deaf brother today. As I think most of you have seen on previous blogs, we recently had one of my studies baptised who is deaf. He has been studying for about 9 years and finally made the leap of faith to get baptised.




It was interesting to speak with him before baptism about how he felt he was doing and why he wasn't baptised yet. He told me that he felt scared as he doesn't understand enough. Now, this is part of a huge discussion here about how much ASL should hinder a person. I have studies who can tell me all about the truth, but don't know any ASL. Yet, for them to get baptised, they need to understand the DVD and go through the Teach and LV DVDs. It's a hard one that I continue to debate internally.




Anyway, this now-baptised brother and I were talking about his ministry. He has one study who is studying and finds the ministry hard. He actually prefers going on English ministry to going on sign language - the reason: no-one understands him when he signs, as he uses ASL. When he goes on English ministry, he signs ASL and we voice-over for him. When he goes on sign ministry, he has to talk directly to deaf ones.




In Guyana, 99% of the deaf do not attend school, and if they do, they learn very little. They have never seen ASL and in the most part, don't need it. They have a very clear and understandable way of signing here, with a distinct vocabulary and set of rules. It employs all the features of a sign language and is lovely to see the deaf express themselves fluently in their own language. The sad thing is this is how the brother used to sign, yet when he learnt ASL he threw out his native language. Now, both hearing and deaf tell us that they do not understand him as he only signs ASL.




In our chat, we discussed the scripture above. I was asking about his approach to preaching. He told me that he visits them and teaches ASL and then the truth. I asked him how this was going and he said that most do not want to learn. I explained to him that most of my studies also don't want to learn, that is, they don't want to sit down and learn vocab for ASL. They do, however, love learning about the bible. We talked about the need for us to be willing to adapt to the way that the locals sign here, so we can jump straight to teaching them the Truth. For those that want to learn ASL and are capable, then fine, but this should never overshadow the reason that we go on the ministry - that is, to teach them about Jehovah and draw them to Him. Jehovah doesn't need them to sign ASL to do that!




We watched the scripture and he saw the point himself - we need to 'change to match', not expect them meet us. He made it a resolve to try to open up his signing to make it more visual and less wordy, and to try and touch the heart in his ministry, rather than just the head.




At pioneer school, I wrote a phrase in my notes 'we preach, to teach, to preach' - that is, when we preach, our goal is to make disciples that will then in turn go and preach. If we isolate them into an ASL community that doesn't exist, how can they then go and preach to the majority, who do not know ASL.




It is a very interesting question and topic to think about. Do we teach our students in a way that shows them that the Truth is the important thing, and not the language? Are we giving them tools to take and go and teach others that cannot sign, or even learn to sign? Are we using pictures as much as possible? Are we studying the way that our students sign and copying them, to make it easier for them, or do we insist on signing 'proper-ASL' and expect them to meet us?




In translation at bethel, they taught us that whilst lots of people sign higher-level sign language, or a more English version of signing, their brain is still a 'Deaf brain'. This means that they still think in pictures and in a visual way - they are hard wired to do this. So, if we sign visually and conceptually, using signs that are part of their heritage and culture (thinking ROTI rather than the ASL sign for BREAD), they will understand. By making a shift in our approach, we are actually opening up our work and message to the whole community, rather than focusing on a very small part of it. It has given me a lot to think about

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Red sky at night, shepherd's delight

Amazing storm and lightening one night. Amazing sun rise the next. Jehovah, you are clever

 

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Me again... The pen is mightier than the sword

Or in this modern day age, one could say the stylus is mightier than the sword! I talk of course about the use of pictures and technology when preaching.

Today's meeting was combined with our sister group and I had a young lad sit next to me for the talk and watchtower. He is a deaf study of about 14 years and hadn't been able to study the watchtower for some reason. Today's was the Proclaimers article, about the history of the Organisation etc. He had not one clue about what was being discussed, so I took out my iPad and went to work. Within a few mins, he had a full grasp of the content, had answered twice and had commandeered the iPad and was now drawing his own pictures from what he understood! I know most of you don't understand how amazing this is, but to us, this was brilliant to see.

It was made more poignant to me as the young lad has missed a month of meetings. He is having a really rough trot at the moment as he lives in an extremely alcohol fueled, abusive house and is currently taking some severe beatings. Some days he has been prevented from attending the meetings, other days he just doesn't want to go. Seeing him there today, his face lighting up when he saw me and seeing him thrive through using pictures, it made me so desperately to spend time teaching the lad. In Jehovah's care do we leave him.

I enclose a few pictures of the type I try to use in my min or when showing deaf how to note-take. They are not great works of art, but they work!

 

 

 

 

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Through new eyes...

Through new eyes do old sights become clear...

 

Good evening my lovelies. We have just got back from our 'monthly' combined sign language meeting with our sister group. I paranthesize monthly, as we haven't had one, or I haven't been at one for about five! There were forty something in attendance, with twenty-four deaf. Lucas, the brother visiting from the U S of A delivered the talk in fine style and did himself proud, having only been here for a few weeks. He actually delivered a talk in the morning in English and then this one in ASL - not uncommon here to give two talks, but I am sure it was strange to him.

It has been nice to have Lucas and Dan here for the last few weeks. First and foremost, it is fab to have other blokes around! True they are American, but they cannot be blamed for that and science has taught us that even monkeys can learn to communicate, so there is hope for them yet! Honestly tho, the serve where the need is nicer crew tend to be wholly female and there is only so much a man can take. The guys arrive with beer and don't turn up their noses to 'its gone midday - anyone for a rum'. Bliss.

I was with the two of them on the ministry the other day, doing the thing I enjoy the least here - search work. I have become jaded to certain things - familiarity breeds contempt I guess - but being with the two of them was just refreshing. Everything and everyone we encountered was met with enthusiasm and delight - their taking pictures of flowers I have seen a thousand times, laughing at the transport, marveling at the accents. It is nice to see through a borrowed pair of eyes the wonderful richness of Guyana (tho buried under a pile of rubbish) and the absolute privilege of having served here uninterrupted for over a year now.

This refreshed perspective becomes more poignant as I contemplate a trip home. It has been a year and a month since I left blighty - I missed the riots, the Olympics, the rains and the sun. I miss the people and the white wine! Hopefully it will be a small visit before returning to Guyana, not the one in Africa, but we will put that in Jehovah's hands. I am thinking of five weeks or so from the middle of dec. Whilst at times I have wanted to run from this place, it does feel like home. Having the boys come and throw new light on it, illuminates me to the place that this country occupies in my heart.

'Anyone for rum...?'

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Quite a sight I did see...

You know how I love to share the good and the lovely with you all, so here is a treat.

 

Whilst sitting in the bus that had just parked to wait for more passengers, I turn to my left to see that we had stopped by a gentleman dressed in sackcloth - not completely out of the realms of bizarre in our fair town. Then looked more close did I to see that he was peeing into a coke bottle. 'Gross' me thinks in my naive manner, for next, he raises the now fully and certainly warm bottle and...

 

 

Welcome to Guyana! Figured you would like pictorial support of this part of the process, rather than the literal front end section.

 

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Back in the groove

Hey all

 

Well, it has been a long week so far! Trying to get back into the routine of everyday ministry after finishing my hours early, having a week away, Jo come, a week away, convention and then school in Trinidad and a week in Tobago, topped off by a week preparing for circuit assembly - its hard! I am sun burnt, spotty from the sweat and all over tired: it's only been three days! Three days but twenty hours later, it has been fun.

 

I promised myself I was going to post more ministry experiences, to prove that I am actually doing something out here, so here are some pics.

 

This is Denzel. He is the amerindian lad who accompanied Jo and I upriver for a few days. He is the son of a witness but wasn't really doing so well and had no interest in moving forward. I was asked to study with him and literally a few weeks later, he was on the school. Fast forward a few months, he was a publisher and now he is talking about baptism. He is such a joy to study with - so intelligent, so articulate. To top it off, he is learning to sign so hopefully when he takes that final step of baptism, a whole door of opportunity will open for him.

This is Lucas explaining a paragraph to my study Vishal. Lucas is an American (!) who has come for five weeks with another guy, Dan. They are from Albany in New York and whilst Dan is in English, Lucas is in sign language. It is so nice to have the support and company of some brothers for a change! Vishal is a 15 year old boy who up until three or so years ago had no communication and was so lethargic he couldn't get up. When contacted by the witnesses, he showed no interest and no movement was made. After taking a few months up in the north of the country, he came back and was thirsty for knowledge. The deaf brother who was here made him a pet project and he suddenly was signing near perfect ASL and coming out with some really profound stuff. Sadly, once that brother left, vishal got a job, fell into a crowd and has been terrible at coming to meetings and assemblies. I went to see him yesterday and he was really excited about the study, about coming to the meeting and was able to explain the whole Listen to God brochure to us with every detail correct. We talked about him getting back to meetings and he said he wants to be able to join the school and preach and he knows that Jehovah has not been happy with him of late! So amazing to see him. I think he will be having at least two studies a week, maybe three for the next few months to really give him a chance to thrive and get back to where he was.

This couple are a deaf couple at the edge of our territory. It takes about 40 mins or so to get to their house. Their story is interesting. He is the same age as me and is known as the dumb boy tyre shop. He runs a tyre repair shop and is one of the only ones on his part of the coast. Like a good hindu boy, he lives with his parents and cares for them. When I met him, Navin was a true kid, like a teenager and really ADHD - couldn't get him to focus or pay attention for more than two minutes. The brother who had visiting was at his wits end and was ready to give up on him. As you all know, I like a challenge and said I would take him on. I soon found out that he knows some ASL and a whole load of bible knowledge from a couple who visited years before. He was married to a deaf lady, but they separated due to family conflicts. Anyway, he was looking for a new wife, I kept pleading with him to take his wife back and then suddenly one day she was back in the house with the two kids in tow. Whilst very shy at the start, the wife is coming more and more out of her shell and today she came and sat with me and chatted for ages. They are having problems again but both were very open with me and accpepting of the counsel and encouragement I was able to offer from the bible. They asked me to come back on Friday to talk to the children as they are being very unruly too. So, looks Ike their study is back on too. Hopefully, something can come of it, even if it is just that they become a happier family.

 

Anyway, a lovely day on the min. Good to be back. Just what I needed!

 

More to follow in due course.

 

 

 

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