Hey campers...
I must apologize for the elongated hiatus from the bloggersphere - things have been variable manic or dull, thus either no time to talk or time to talk about nothing...
So what has been going on? Well, the biggest thing has been the convention: twice. Much time prior to convention was spent doing prep work and the days all seemed to mush into one. I am involved in the oversight of the sign language department which is a lovely privilege. Our deaf from skeldon and the deaf from new Amsterdam all attend our convention and we have a great little team of interpreters. Before we can embark on the real thing, all speakers have to be contacted to gain all the scriptures to be used and this all needs collating into handy packs for the interpreters. I am the office slave in the department so this all falls on me. The upside of this was that I can count the time against my hours and we have had terrible rainstorms of late!
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| Georgetown convention - the big one! |
Convention came and went with an amazing turn out and some lovely talks and releases - no spoilers. The great thing was that we got the releases in English, along with four new releases for sign language. The turn out was over a thousand at our site with many coming for the first time, or ones returning to the fold. There were less deaf than normal, but the ones that were there are showing their determination and faith which is great to see.
I then got to do it all over again! I was invited to help out with the interpreting in the capital at big convention for the rest of the country. This was a much bigger stage! Friday - three thousand. Saturday - four thousand. Sunday - over five thousand! It was immense compared to our small affair on a race track. There were 60 baptised with two deaf. The prime minister even came with a police escort!
The only other real news I have is that I am going to be going to the states, yes the united ones, for a month and a bit from August. One of my clients in London has been given the opportunity to come to America and work and he needs an interpreter for a month! As I can sign ASL and BSL - thanks Jehovah! - flying me to America to work actually saves them money. So, I am heading off on August 18 to Trinidad for a few days to see my lovely buddies Che and Natalie and then going on to JFK. I will be fulfilling a long time desire to attend an ASL convention, and what is more, this is a bethel circuit so most of the speakers are from the translation team at bethel. I'm so excited. I then have a week by myself to relax in the big fruit bowl. Jo has some lovely friends who are going to escort me to the bethels and take me out for a day, and I hope to connect with a few Guyana need greaters who are based there.
My client and I don't want to waste money on hotels, so we are taking the route of renting an apartment for the duration we are in the states. We will be in NYC, Washington, D.C. and then Rochester, NY for September. I have been given a website to use from our employers - www.airbnb.com - and it is hard work to find a place that is big enough to house two people who get on but who don't want to share a sofa, yet not pay thorough the nose! I am excited tho as some of these places have gyms and pools and are in the Camden of Brooklyn.
After the America trip it is back to Guyana, where I will be thrown back in with our special assembly day and the annual general meeting. Then... I am being flown to Qatar to interpret at an international conference for two weeks!
It all sounds glamorous but is going to be really hard work. Honestly. But Jehovah really is blessing me with these opportunities as money is running low and this saves an expensive plane ticket home.
Apart from all that secular stuff, studies are doing well here. I am trying to reconnect with lots of them whom I have had to neglect with convention assignments, yet I have had some amazing chats and two of my studies came to the meeting the last two weeks for the first time. Another today re-expressed his desire to get back to meetings and get back to progressing towards being a publisher. Another I started on his way to preparing for baptism questions. All in all, a lovely day in the ministry. It is amazing that I saw ten studies today and had amazing chats with all of them - only in Guyana people!
Right, I did a ten hour day today on the ministry and have another planned for tomorrow, so I must turn in. Haven't eaten yet, but might just nibble on one of the amazing chocolate treats brought by my friends Luke and laura from England and purchased by my darling twin (33 today!).
Hope all are well and you are all in my thoughts.
David
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