Quickening the pace....

Here in Guyana the pace is one that is easy to keep, at least for me.  This evening I was riding back from  New Amsterdam heading toward home, the sun had set and the moon was keeping an eye on me as I drew closer to the bridge.  As I reached the apex of my crossing I stopped and took it all in and this is what I saw.   Beneath me lye a waterway running swiftly to the Canje river, within it are filled numerous boats of all shapes and sizes, some ferrying the local fisherman and others as cargo vessels carrying sand, sugar, and various types of heavy machinery.  In the distance you can see two tall black smoke stacks that find residency at the sugar cane factory, each in a constant state of eruption, billowing the smoke of Guyana gold.  Houses dot the landscape, some brightly clothed in Hindu flags and banners, whiles other seem to strain in an effort to stay erect.  Here wealth is not measured in neatly landscaped yards or fancy cars but on the amount of concrete holding your house together.  My eyes are cast toward the sky, there the moon is full and shrouded in a soft vanilla veil, though not alone.  In the foreground a grumpy little electrical storm makes it's presence known, infrequently flashing across the sky as if in competion to capture my attention from the constant lunar glow.  It is in this moment that I find this life of mine to be perfect.  I know that once I start my descent and the wind fills my face with pungent smells of decay and mosquitos and cars will speed by periliously close and no doubt I will probably hit several piles of manure before arriving home, none of that matters because here I can go at my pace.  This is especially true in our ministry.  I've come to appreciate that so much happiness and joy in the field is often missed because we are so focused on the work at hand, getting to the destination, helping the student to progress, trying to teach effectively.  All these things ARE important, but stopping at the top of the bridge is equally as vital.  Here are some pictures of us doing just that.

The last picture is a hive of African bees.  If you notice beneath the tree and in the center is the hive, it's huge and as long as you don't disturb them they wont become aggressive.  Recently a man died as a result of being attacked, what's amazing is that he died because he drowned.  He was being chased by a swarm and decided to jump into a pond, the bee's just waited until he came up for air then would attack him again, he eventually never came back up.  I was out on the Savannah and a man invited me in to see the hive, afterwards we talked for awhile and I got a chance to mention why I was in Guyana, this lead to a nice witness.

Recently we had our Circuit Assembly and the District Overseer mentioned for us to "quicken the pace".  He said that in conjunction with the need to remove ourselves from things offensive to Jehovah, he compared it to the way in which the Guyanese tend to cross the street, very casually.  Yet, if you were to see a car coming at 100 mph would you maintain that casual pace?  The point, we are deep into the fulfillment of bible prophecy and need to take seriously the invitation to "Get out of her" false religion. (Rev. 18:4)  At that same C/A I had the opportunity to interpret, my first time in front of such a large group of people.  Here is some video...

 

Crystal and I have been really enjoying other aspects of our ministry such as, every Tuesday at 11:00 we go to the local school for children with disabilities and conduct a class on sign language, the class has 15 students who are either deaf or hard of hearing.  They seem to appreciate what is being taught and with time maybe some will go on to help other deaf to learn and love ASL.  In addition, on Wednesday we go to an orphanage and teach a short class introducing basic signing using bible based publications in ASL.  I think they are just happy to have some attention and the chance to actually learn something.  Here are some pictures, the top two are of the orphanage, the bottom two are of the school.

Here, there is a real need for patience and an even greater need for perserverance. Some JW's who have come to help out leave after a short while. The reasons are many but the most common is becoming frustrated over the lack of order and urgency about getting anything done. I too have struggled with those feelings and admit that I must keep reminding myself that Jehovah is setting the pace for advancement, one person recently shared this illustration with me, she said, "if you see a house and the front door and frame are crooked yet it still functions properly, but you tear out the frame and make it square, can you use the same door." The point, appreciate what works and don't focus on what is "crooked".   As a result of focusing on what is "functioning properly" notice the end result. Here are some pictures of deaf ones who are striving to keep Jehovah's pace in these critical times.

So, in the end we are very busy with theocratic activity but  also seizing the moments when we find ourselves perched on the top of a bridge on some random evening or watching as a mother sow leads her piglets to the pen or sipping slowly on an ice cold RC from the snackette.  Guyana is a place where I'm learning to slow my pace yet still keep up with Jehovah's.  Till the next blog, may all those who read this and know us take care of be safe.