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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