Weekend Trip to Linden

Hi all

These posts are becoming quite frequent - I hope you are not getting bored by my ramblings.

I just wanted to tell you about the weekend just gone. DC had been asked to attend a sign language meeting in a place called Linden to deliver a talk to the group there. His wife decided that as there would be no opportunity to go shopping on the way there when stopping in the capital, she didn't want to go. As DC is deaf, he needs an interpreter at various points, so he asked me to go with him, so we thought we would make a weekend out of it.

Setting off at 0630, we grabbed a bus to take us one hour to New Amsterdam, where we then switched to a car to take us the two hours to Georgetown. In doing so, we initially jumped on another bus to make the second leg, but it was taking ages to find other passengers to fill the bus up and we decided to jump out and get a cab. Now, the buses don't like you doing this, as they lose the fare, so they lock you in the bus so you cannot jump out - handy! We feigned the need to go to the toilet and then rushed to a car with two passengers in already and locked the doors, much to the consternation of the bus drivers and touts shouting at us! A couple of hours later we arrived in the horrendous cacophony that is Georgetown. People screaming at you, grabbing your arms and bag to drag you into buses and taxis -twas not fun. Whilst DC played the deaf card and pushed them out the way without talking, I felt bad and me being me ended up chatting to them all and getting further drawn in. It actually worked to our advantage as the guy I spoke to pushed all the other touts out the way and shepherded us to a bus where we got good seats and a swift departure.

Another two hours of driving saw us travelling inland to the town of Linden. DC had warned me that Linden was horrible and very run down, but it had been a year since his last visit and the place was actually quite pleasant. It had many more amenities than where we live and most of the houses are proper houses rather than shacks like here in Skeldon. It is situated on the main passageways up river to the small tribes and villages is a thoroughfare of sorts.

The talk was good (in case he reads this) and we were able to socialise with the brothers after, before heading back to the house of the only baptised deaf publisher in the cong. His name is Leon and his story is really uplifting. We went back to his house, running in the rain that had just hit. His house was effectively a load of MDF that had been thrown up and was extremely bare and simple inside. He had built it himself and was a real step up from where he was living before - a shed of about 10 ft by 10ft - in a backstreet. Leon used to be a Rasta and was involved in a lot of gang activity and violence before coming in the truth. He was one of the main drug dealers and is covered in tatoos - he pointed out a load of his graffiti on the way to his house! Having left all of that as he started studying, he had to find honest work and found a job as a cameraman for one of the tv stations. He went from being really well off from drug dealing to earning about £20 a month - basically the place was ripping him off and he was working for hardly anything. Despite this he built his house and bought a TV and DVD player so that he could watch the WT and the KM and could prepare for his meetings. Sadly, he has twice been broken into and had everything stolen - by his father and brothers no less! After saving up once again, he now has to hide his technology and has to lock his family out from his house in case they steal again. He got baptised last year and is making excellent progress. Although he finds things hard, it is a pleasure to talk to him and to see the way he talks about Jehovah and how he feels saved from Satan's world. I was able to interpret the new DVD for him as there are no subtitles and he didn't know about the history of the organisation. He was so impressed and couldn't stop talking about it.

After going for some food, we went to the sister's house who was hosting us. Upon meeting the sister (who is about 70 years old), she said 'Hello David, show me your socks'!!! Turns out she is Brenda Cross' mum (Hampstead reference) and had just got back from her trip to London. It was so lovely to be with someone who I had a connection with and who had lived in England (34 years in Camden) as I got a proper cup of tea and a full English breakfast in the morning! Not Bad!

We were meant to go to the capital and attend the sign language meeting there too, but we felt beat so decided to head back home instead. Man, it was scary. We were herded into a car in Georgetown with these three people who seemed dodgy as anything. They had a spray paint motif saying 'real hustlers' on the car and we were convinced that they were not proper cab people, rather just some chavs trying to make some money. DC decides to alleviate my worries by telling me all these stories about people who had been mugged and robbed in exactly the same situation! Grrr. The driver drove like a maniac, but thankfully, nothing untoward happened and we got back safe and sound.

All in all, it was a lovely trip away and made me thankful for the opportunity to be here and part of such a special work. Sorry once again about the lack of eloquence in this monologue, but I have been on the min all day in stupidly hot weather (even the locals are moaning) and it is 22:11 right now. This evening one of the girls wanted to make sushi (California rolls) so we had that and played Catan (new to me, kinda like the love child of chess and monopoly). Didn't want to miss the opportunity of both the power and the internet working, so wanted to send this before one or both fails.

Love you all.x