Moving On

Since our last blog a lot has happened.  

From the months of January thru March we spent the majority of our time working on the new Kingdom Hall.  Here are some picture.

These two pictures show what the property looked like when we first saw it.

This is about month into the project.

Me working feverishly on the dishes in the kitchen, as for what Crystal is doing...???

All the work is done free-hand. This talented brother does this for all the new KH's.

All done.

 We finished the kingdom hall at the end of March than we immediately had to get ready for the Circuit Assembly that was to be held the following weekend which meant also getting ready for the Pioneer meeting prior to the assembly.  Ah, but remember the Memorial which fell on the Thursday before the Pioneer meeting, needless to say the first week of April was a flurry of activity.  

But once the pace slowed down we could begin to enjoy some down time which allowed us to get back into our ministry routine and begin preparing for our back to back Circuit Overseer visits in May. Even though we were busy we still had time to enjoy the company of some good friends who came and stayed for a couple of weeks, Vinson and Janet Jones from Pensacola, FL.  They helped out on the construction, got to do some ministry, went to the zoo and unfortunately got really sick.  The flu was going around and they spent the week trying to recover. 

Crystal and Janet at the zoo.

Vinson with a sister who sells ice-cream at the market.

Vinson doing what he does best, getting more on him then the wall.

Something we did about a year ago is move into a new place and we really have enjoyed being closer to the congregation and the neighborhood is more quiet so I've been sleeping better which is always a good thing especially for Crystal, (I tend to get a little moody when I'm sleep deprived).  Here are some pictures of the outside of the house, we live in the bottom apartment.  The woman who owns the place lives in New York and she only comes to stay for a couple of weeks out of the year, so it's nice having the whole place to ourselves.  On the property we have a Guava tree, Banana trees, Guyanese Cherry tree, Lemon grass and Coconut trees.

So, let me explain why I entitled this blog, "moving on".  Last year our daughter got married and was hoping to have a baby within the next couple of years but life is a fickle thing and so it goes with all well laid out plans, it changed.  We're happy to say the baby is doing great and all is coming along as it should.  So, with this new change in our lives we feel it's time to recalculate our current direction and point the needle north.  We have decided to move back to the United States in order to be closer to my daughter and our first grandchild.  We have our Regional convention in July 10-12, shortly after we'll be "moving on".  Our goal is to move to Vero Beach, Florida, to support the local congregation and continue to Pioneer.  We have had an amazing four years in Guyana and will never forget the deep connections we've made with the congregation and the lives of those we touched in our ministry.  Many tears will be shed by us in the coming days but our eyes are now fixed on the coast of Florida and the wonderful memories we'll make in that new chapter of our lives.  Yes, we're moving on and we're excited to see what it will bring.  

Thanks for all the support and encouragement that we have received over the years.  Crystal and I are forever grateful for the prayers and love that has been shown to us.  We hope that our blogs have in some small way strengthen your love of the ministry and maybe prompted some to taste for themselves the incredible blessings that come when you take that leap of faith and serve in a foreign land.  

With much love, 
Scott & Crystal Shoemaker

Below are just a few of the Deaf whom we have had the privilege of knowing and helping along in their spiritual growth.

My buddy, Errol (Junior).  I will miss his mood changing big smile.

Robin and Michael, both of them will surely be of great value to the Sign Language Group in the years to come.

Gave their wedding talk, hopefully they will make the truth their own.

Naiasha and Anthony.  They are two young people who could do anything they want in Jehovah's organization, the door's are wide open. 

Sorjini and Rosie. 

Patrick.  He is on the Theocratic Ministry School and could progress to baptism if he stays on track.

We love and will miss them all.

Plenty To Do

I wanted to begin this blog by telling a nice experience I had in my ministry. I have a deaf bible study who just turned 73 and is someone I always look forward to spending time with.  In our study we've been discussing how Jehovah went about creating the world around us as described in the Genesis account.  Now you have to understand Sign Language here is not ASL, it's usually more about how they grasp the thought in their own special way and convey it their own signs.  When we completed our lesson I wanted to do a review and ask him to explain to me what he learned and this is what he signed.  He looked at the sky and covered his eyes and wiped his brow, (Jh created the sun).  He then made a sign of a rocket going into space and landing, (Jh created the moon), at last he held up both of his hands and rubbed the tips of his fingers together in the direction of the sky, (Jh made the stars.)  I just hugged him and said, "you got it man."  I'm constantly amazed at how I can learn from those I'm supposedly teaching.

So as the title of this blog indicates we've been very active lately because there is "plenty to do."  For instance, Crystal and I been working with an NGO (Non-Govt. Organ.) called the Special Needs for Life Learning Center.  One of it's objectives is for local teachers to attend a 4-6 month seminar (twice a month) in which they learn how to be more effective in the classroom when they have Deaf students.  We're filling the roles of instructors till others can make themselves available.  So far we have had about four sessions and the 25 to 30 teachers present expressed a real appreciation for what there learning.  Here are some pictures of the classroom and our students. 

 

This keeps us busy and it helps to make a little income because the organization pays us a small amount for our time and travel expense, every little bit helps. 

 

Another project that has been keeping us busy and physically wiped out is the work we've been doing in connection with our new Kingdom Hall.  Here the work is labor intensive and reminds me real quick that I'm not a young lad anymore.  Though the work is hard the end result will make it all worth it.  Here are some pictures of what the property looked like and the progress we've been making.

 

 

So we were tearing this structure down and frankly it was taking to long so we had a brother with a car and a tie-down strap, the rest is history.

 

 

 

We're going to stay steady at it and hopefully by April we'll have a beautiful new Kingdom Hall. 

 

In addition to what has already been discussed there are those things that demand your attention in other unique ways, like fixing the toilet at the Kingdom Hall.... 

 

 

.... taking pictures of yourself with big cheesy smiles...

....relaxing in the hammock....

 

....keeping the beast looking good.....   

 and then my favorite pastime, spending the day with my wife doing cart-witnessing.

Yes, even though we have little time for the dilly-dally, we are ever determined to make the most of the precious time we do have.  Crystal and I truly have plenty to do but rest assure we will always find time to take a moment and think about all that we have been blessed with and those with whom we have enjoyed those blessings. We send our love to all and dream about the day when we'll be together on a better planet earth, staying equally as busy with plenty to do in that amazing new world. 

Scott & Crystal

 

Back In The Groove

Hello to everybody.  We have been back in Guyana now for about 2 months, and I can say with confidence that we're truly back in our groove.  Back to long days in service, getting reconnected with our studies, and staying busy with one theocratic event after another.  For instance, in my last blog I mentioned about having our first Circuit Overseer visit for the Sign Language Group, well it has come and gone.  It was so nice to have a week of activity totally focused on the Deaf and conducting all our meetings in sign language, even the C/O and his wife tried to learn some signs so they could better communicate with the deaf. 

In addition we had our Circuit Assembly, we were very happy to see a long time study finally reach the point of dedication.  His name is Robin Munilall, he's 16 and has truly made the truth his own.  The day of his baptism I asked him, "This is first day of your new life, what do you think about that?"  He looked at me and said, "When can I start controlling the camera?".  For those of you in Sign Language, that is one of the privileges a young brother can reach out for. He is so full zeal.  Robin is the one on the far right.  All these young men are deaf.

Being out in the ministry everyday we see some interesting things here in Guyana.  For instance you come across all different kinds of fruit bearing trees, this one is called Bread fruit, it's best served fried like plantain. 

Or if your out when they're burning the Cane fields it can be an impressive sight.  They burn the field to remove the long stalks of grass that grow around it and to rid the area of any snakes or other unsavory characters.

On one occasion I was out walking along and I came face to face with this big boy.  I gave him all the respect he deserved and thanked Jehovah that he was in a gracious mode.

We recently had a little gathering at a local swimming hole and these pictures reveal that a piece of rope, water and some courage can make for a good time.  The last picture is a brother visiting from Scotland, he'll be with us for about 3 months.  It was funny, one of the younger boys did not know how to swim but he so desperately wanted to get in the water.  So we took several of the large empty soda bottles and strapped them on his stomach and back and amazingly that keep him afloat, he was thrilled!

One day I had to travel to a distant part of our territory, so I caught a car and was enjoying the ride because I was the only one in the back seat, so I was feeling pretty comfortable until the driver stopped and picked up a bunch of little kids just out of school. My quiet solitude was soon to be shattered-this what I endured for the next 20 minutes. Hopefully the video will play, but even if it doesn't, I think you can capture the level of crazy that was unfolding.

 

Crystal has been studying with a deaf girl at an orphanage, when she goes the other children are curious to see what's playing on her fancy TV. 

 

So, there you have it.  We never know what we are going to see or be subjected to when we go out our front door but I try to take pause and take it in and remember it best I can because I realize these moments are the snapshots of this chapter of our lives.  So for now, we're back in the groove and taking our experience in Guyana on day at a time as we eagerly look forward to what is around the next turn.

We send our greetings to all. 
Scott & Crystal

Traveling With Us

They say, "absence makes the heart grow fonder".  If that's true those of you who have been following our blog must be feeling very fond of us by now.  The lapse in writing has been due to both a busy schedule and missed opportunities.  But I have reserved this day and hour to put my mind to the task and attempt to capture months of activity into one interesting and hopefully encouraging blog. 

Since last April we have moved from our yellow house into a smaller apartment much closer to the Kingdom Hall.  It's a nice little two bedroom, one bath apartment that suits us just fine.  The rent is cheaper, it has better water pressure and best of all it comes with the absence of a horse in our bedroom window.  Our previous neighbor decided he wanted to try his hand at raising a race horse so he built a stable in his back yard which was basically about 15 feet from our bedroom window.  So no longer having the sounds and smells of a large domestic animal in our bedroom is a nice change.  (I'll provide pictures of the new place in a later blog).  

As July drew closer we began preparing for our Regional Convention.  Preparing for the convention in Berbice, Guyana is a major undertaking and requires more than the usual amount of effort.  Needless to say we only accomplished all that was needed to be done with the aid of holy spirit and for me personally a steady flow of Pepsi.  It was thrilling to see two deaf get baptized, (picture) this now brings our group to 6 deaf baptized.  This is Anthony and Naiesha.

After the convention, Crystal and I immediately went into travel mode.  Our itinerary for the next month or so would take us to three different countries and involve all forms of travel with the exception of a boat.  It all started with a flight from Guyana to Trinidad, from there we connected to a flight bound for JFK.  Upon our arrival in NY we had to catch a train to the inner city so that we could catch the Grey Hound bus for a 13 hour westward trip to the little town of Anderson, Indiana.  The bus ride was not so bad and it gave us some nice opportunities to do a little witnessing.  I struck up a conversation with the man next to me who seemed normal enough until the subject of illegal immigration somehow came up and next thing I know he's making very loud and uncomfortable comments about his solution to the problem.  Here is where years of being in the Theocratic Ministry School came to benefit me for I kindly said after his proclamation, "well, that's one way to handle it." (end of quote and conversation).

Sadly our trip to Indiana was not for mere social reasons.  Crystal's dear Grandmother (Wilda, 86 yrs. old) was dying of cancer and it was our hope to be back in time to see her before the inevitable.  We did arrive in time to spend some brief moments with her until her death.  Interesting thing happened after she passed away, the family who is not very religious, (some are Atheist) agreed to allow me the privilege of giving the funeral talk.  Of course it goes without saying I was extremely concerned about not saying anything that would offend or make the day more difficult then it already was.  Happy to report when it was all said and done everyone seemed satisfied and comforted by the expressions and verses selected.  Jehovah truly does qualify and equip us to bring comfort to those in need of it.  Here are some pictures of us in Mounds State Park. (Crystal's father on far right)

From Indiana we headed north to Madison, Wisconsin.  What a treat to be in the company of good friends and beautiful scenery.  Although our time there was brief we thoroughly enjoyed our stay, we made some new friends and amazing memories.   I had a chance to go on a bible study and come to find out that the man lived not more then 20 minutes where we lived in Pensacola, Florida. While in Madison we spent a day at Devils Lake State Park. We hiked, climbed rocks, had stimulating conversation and got lost.  It was awesome!

Kevin, Liz and Makayla who have served with us in Guyana, they happened to live nearby where we were staying and they made the trip to come and see us. It was a beautiful evening, here are some pictures of us enjoying dinner as we talked about life in the new world.

As we continued our travels we headed next to Pennsylvania, which meant a 14 hour road trip in a car, worst of all it pretty much rained  the whole way.  Our reason for PA was to visit my family for a week before entering our next leg of the journey.  We especially enjoyed time with my brother and his family, his one daughter who is 3 yrs. old really liked Crystal.  At one point Crystal noticed she had only a one dollar bill all neatly folded in her little purse, Crystal acted like she was going to take it and put it in her pocket but his daughter (Maxine) was not going to have anybody snatching her money, she took her dollar and back in the purse it went.  A couple days later we were saying our good-bye's and Crystal feels this little hand go into her pocket, she reached in to see what Maxine had sneaked in there, low and behold it was her neatly folded dollar bill.  It goes without saying Crystal will have that price winning dollar for many years to come.  Below is a picture of my brother and Maxine, (with her purse).  After spending time with family we were taken to Harrisburg, PA in order to catch a train back to NY for our flight out of JFK to Heathrow, England here we come!

 

Are you tired yet?

Now we're off to the International Convention in London, after 8 hours of flying over the Atlantic we finally arrived in England.  We were greeted by our spiritual family at the airport, the brotherly love and unity of Jehovah's people was immediately felt and continue throughout our time in the UK.  From the airport we caught the tub (subway) to our hotel, once at the hotel we were again treated like royalty by the welcoming committee set-up in the lobby.  During the week the table remained a hub of activity as each day introduced new activities all planned and coordinated as only JW's can.   Transportation, meals, entertainment and other theocratic events unfolded and we were just simply along for the ride.  Some things we did during the week leading up to the convention were; visit the British Museum, the museum of Natural History, Victoria and Albert Museum, the London Bridge, the London Towers just to mention a few.  Of course on our way to the convention site we also passed many other famous landmarks such as, Buckingham Palace, The House of Lords, Big Ben, the Parliament.  Obviously the convention itself was spectacular!  Almost 50,000 in attendance and 300+ getting baptized it was truly a historic moment for Crystal and I.  These pictures show the view we had of the speaker, (the section vacant behind the speaker were later filled), the crowd leaving after Fridays session, (it took the buses almost two hours to get out of the parking lot).  Crystal (wearing her Sari) with a sister from Romania and a picture of the Missionaries as they walked around the field.

We stayed in England for two weeks, all that I have written so far happened in the first week.  After the convention week was over we headed West across England to a little town called Sedgebarrow in the Cotswald.  A couple from England who is serving with us in Guyana, the brother his parents live in that area.  They have visited Guyana and said if we ever found ourselves in England to come and stay with them.  What a treat it was to soak in the landscape and spend a few days walking amongst the hills and villages and to be in the company of someone who is intimately familiar with the history of that area.  We ate at ancient pubs and Crystal drank beer called "pigs ear".  I ate fish and chips and green peas "till me belly was full".   We loved every minute of it even when it was raining.  Here is some of what we saw, every where you looked could have been framed. 

Crystal and I are eternally grateful for the wonderful hospitality shown to us by some pretty cool folks.  Thanks so much.

 

Steve and Jacquie Bradbury

Pete and Phyl Hancock

Along the way we bumped into some old friends that had been with us in Guyana.  Nick and Emily the two on the far right are now learning Chinese and planning on visiting China in the near future with the goal of moving there permanently.

 

It was really nice seeing Sarah and Lorraine Giles again.  They had served in Guyana for many years in the sign language field laying the foundation of what is now the Sign Language Group.  They too are learning Chinese and already had bible studies with them at the convention. 

Finally it was time for us to say farewell to England and make the long 24 hour plus journey back to Guyana.  We have had a whirl-wind of activity these last few months and things are not slowing down for us.  For instance, soon we will be having our first Circuit Overseer visit for the Sign Language Group in October and right on the heals of that is our  Circuit Assembly.  This service year may also bring other added blessing to our area, two new Kingdom Halls.  We hope to be laying the ground work for our new hall sometime soon and with that comes more work.  But of course it's all for the advancement of pure worship and that's always work we're willing and grateful to do.

 

Thanks for taking the time to enjoy the blog and keeping up with our travels.  Please be patient with me because it may be awhile before the next one.  I would like to leave you with a video clip of an evening we had during the week leading up to the convention.  The local brothers and sisters put on a talent show for the delegates and let me tell you it was fabulous.  They were really good!  In the last performance they all came out on stage and sang a song, the video captures the main chorus and I felt it was appropriate to end the blog with such a sentiment.  (in case you can't hear it says "thinking of you, thinking of me,  it's the love we have in a worldwide family")

Crystal and I are doing well.  Thanks for traveling with us.