New Sights & New Friends

Finally we made it beyond the city lights of New Amsterdam and set our eyes upon some of the real beauty Guyana holds within her borders.  The flight to Kaeituer Falls was about an hour long and it was at times turbulent, leaving some of the passengers feeling uneasy and a little nauseas but once the terrain below us began to rise and reveal the shapes of steep mountain sides and sweeping valleys of lush tropical forest all of us forgot about our discomfort and began snapping one memorable picture after another.  The trees are so dense it looks as if you could leap from the plane and land softly upon their backs.  The rivers snake through the jungle and flow in a hap-hazard zig-zag way that seem like they were drawn in  the landscape by the hand of a child.   Then like some surprise guest the Falls suddenly appear and in that moment all exclaim, "whow!".  The pilot makes a loop and allows you to take in it's grandeur which leaves you wanting more, soon you're on the ground and meeting the local few that act as caretakers and tour guides.  As our group moves toward the roar of the falls the guide makes stops along the way and points out the indigenous fauna that only grows in that part of the world, he also introduces you to some tiny little poisonous frogs that again are found only at this spot on planet earth.  We make our way down a trail that resembles a prehistoric movie, seeing several different species of plants growing up the side of a tree and spider webs in the shape of a box. We walk across rocks dating back thousands of years, (which you're not allowed to touch or take, it's illegal to remove anything from the area).

At last you're brought to a look-out point and it's here that you have your first real introduction to what is heralded as the tallest single drop waterfall in the world.

80 % of the population lives on the coast line, so much of the interior is lived in only by the Amerindians.

 

I would love to have had the opportunity to do some trail riding here but I don't think a bike tire has ever laid it's tread mark on this sacred soil.

 

 

Our faithful guide.

 

Female on the left, both said to be poisonous but only to those predators that attempt to eat them.

 

This is the boxed shape web.

 

Another view down the trail.

 

This plant has a very soft leave which the locals use for toilet paper. It was actually much softer than the t/p we use.

.....something you have to see with your own eyes to fully appreciate.

 

This is a view of what lies down stream of the falls.

 

These pictures that follow are for your viewing pleasure. 

 

 

Cool ain't it!

 

Now let me talk some about our new friends, the Phipps family and those who came with them.  At the end of July they arrived all the way from England in the wee hours of the morning, tired but with smiles and eager eyes.  They started things out a bit rough, Mom forgot her purse on the plane and with it her credit cards and other essentials.  So after working through that ordeal they settled in and embraced the ministry and Guyanese culture with amazing ease and real enthusiasm.  During their visit with us they were able to start quite a number of bible studies and meet many who expressed a real desire to learn more about bible truth.

 

The Phipps family numbered five altogether, they are as follows: (left to right)
Adam, Melinda, Kevin, Iona, Kisiah (not sure if  those names are all spelled right)

 

 

....those who traveled with them were,  Olivia (on the left).....

 

 

....and Tom (far right).  My buddy Tom demonstrated real courage on the airplane ride, you see Tom does not like the take off part of flying and the pictures below shows his level of fear and determination to hold on till it's over.  He only screamed a little. :)

In addition, we enjoyed the company of some dear sisters who also came from the UK and shared in the preaching work. On that day our group of 12 JW's did what we do best, enjoy the amazing works of creation and have a great time doing it. Below are the girls. (left to right) Shantelle, Maxine and Rachael.

 

 

 

Here's the group in full color.

 

 

Well as you can see we've been very busy in our efforts to see new sights and spending time with our new friends.  But, now it's time to get back to the business at hand, our friends have all left us and gone back to their lives in the UK and the new service year is now upon us, so putting our best foot forward we stubbornly keep moving ahead and in the days to come we're anxious to see what new sights and new friends await us along the way. 

For those of you who are still reading our blogs, we say "hello" and miss you much.  Stay joyful and keep putting up a hard fight for the faith because it's worth fighting for!

                                                                   Scott & Crystal

Random Moments

Hello to all.  When I sit down to prepare our next post I have always tried to have some theme or purpose in writing.  But this time I've decided to go rogue and simply provide pictures of us doing random things with only brief comments for the moment captured in time.  Enjoy...or not.
 

 

Every Sunday the brothers get together and play soccer (football).  It had rained earlier in the day and so the pitch (field) was a mud pit and we loved every minute of it.

 

Sarah (from Indiana, USA) and I out in the ministry.  On Wednesday we work in a town called Rose Hall, at around 11:30 we usually all gather at a place called Spready's and have lunch.

   
   
Sometimes the neighbors garden grows over into our yard and we get to enjoy the spoils of his hard work.  This is a pumpkin that will get slightly bigger than this, once you cut if from the vine the locals say you can carve an X on the side ( just on the surface) then put it in storage and it will stay good for a long time.  Not sure if it's true, Crystal just cut it up and made soup and pies of out it, that I know is true.

Meet this guy out in the ministry.  I was amazed at how soft and friendly he was however I still felt like he was trying to figure out a way to steal my wallet. 

One of my favorite pictures that I've taken in Guyana.  Let me explain, when any painting is done here it usually ends up on everything and this poor little bee was no exception.  I just laughed when I saw this little fellow limping away from a freshly painted wall. 

How many would you like to order?  These little cuties are orphans, good Mommies and Daddies are desperately needed in this area.  Rum and drugs steal many of these children's parents away.

My lovely wife, enjoying the good life in Suriname.  We actually got a chance to relax and swim in a real pool.  Serving in Guyana, moments like these you cherish because they are few and far between.

The Deaf class of 2013, New Amsterdam Special Needs School.  For us, these kids are what it's all about.  All of them are so like able and easy to love and we do love'em all and hope the best for them.  Many of them are studying the bible with us and making good progress, others are slowly being drawn into the world and already suffering the consequences of bad decisions.  All you can do is point them in the right direction and hold your breath.

In closing, here a picture of the Savannah we pass everyday when riding out of our scheme.  It doesn't seem like much to us but to the people living in those rustic shacks it is their home and for most it is the only view of this world they will ever see.  I'm thankful to Jehovah for the hope we have and look forward to the day when all those living on the earth will have the opportunity to see what lies beyond the Savannah. 

So there you have it some random moments and brief comments. Crystal and I send our love and greetings to all.  Be safe.

Scott

Been Away To Long.

Seems like not so long ago that we posted the "House for Sale" sign in our front yard and began our first steps toward serving in another country.  Now, here it is almost two years later and we're getting around Guyana like natives, (with the exception of the local accent and word usage).  Anymore, (speaking for myself)  when I ride around town I find myself waving to countless people I know, the local snackettes and restaurants know my eating habits and begin getting my order ready as they see me coming.  I'm known by many who I myself do not know.  However, even with all this familiarity I still feel like we've been away to long and think often of what was, not so long ago. 

With Jehovah's support, Crystal and I have managed well and have settled into a comfortable, yet busy lifestyle. 

Pictures of our house and yard. 

 Together we're preaching long days, getting plenty of exercise and meeting good people all along the way.  Yet, not a day goes by that I don't see in my mind the face of some family member or hear the voice of a good friend whose company and conversation I miss.   I think a lot of the evenings I would go trail riding or when it was just me and my dog watching TV on the couch and eating way to much pizza, more me then him. 

My father and daughter.

 

Good friends...Jason & Danya

 

Mr. Gus, waiting on the pizza.

Serving in another country is amazing, but sometimes you feel like you have been away for so long.

I think it's important for any who are considering this avenue of service to GOD that they understand the unending list of things that you will forgo and at times painfully wish for again.  And what can also be difficult when trying to adjust to a new culture and lifestyle is accepting the fact the majority of the local congregation will not understand how much you've sacrificed, (although Jehovah is fully aware).   They see you as another one of the many who will come and eventually leave, so they might tend to be more reserved at getting close to you or embracing you as a "real" member of the congregation.  Now, let me be clear.  I'm not saying any of this to dissuade someone from taking a leap of faith and putting your complete trust in Jehovah because let me tell you the rewards of such courage is unceasing.

For instance, Crystal and I have drawn closer than we have ever been in our 19 years of marriage and we can't wait to see what's around the next corner in our sacred service. 

 

 

I can not begin to imagine what our lives would have been like had we stayed status quo, although I'm certain we would have been happy.  However our desire to do more has compelled us toward something many will never experience.  We have come to realize that so much of what we had we truly did not need, it was an anchor holding us in place.  We feel more prepared for the challenges that will come as we drift ever closer to the end of this system of things, especially when it might require walking away from our worldly possessions.  And of course the incredible privilege of helping deaf persons to learn bible truths in a language they can grasp and understand. Here a but a few....



This is Emil.  He is deaf and 71 yrs. old yet he rides his bike to the meetings, he lives near 15 miles away.

This is our beautiful Marianne. She will soon be going over the questions for baptism, she is 16 yrs. old and all her family are Hindus.

Me with Cordell.  He hopes to get married in December and build a house for his family.

Sorojini, Rosie & Crystal.  They are both deaf and recently baptized.

 

 So, at this moment this is where we are and if in the future we must move on and begin a new chapter in our theocratic history book, so be it.  And no doubt as time goes by in that new place I will inevitably start yearning for the days when we served in Guyana and feel once again that I have been away too long. 

We miss EVERYBODY!  Stay safe.
Scott & Crystal

Memorial, Special Assembly Day, and the Simmons (Not in that order)

Well, chalk up another busy month in Guyana. In our last blog, Scott wrote about a visit from Kevin and Liz. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit. The day they flew out, another couple flew in to "spy out the land." Some of our friends may know Wayne and Cheryl Simmons, formerly of the Florida Sign Language Circuit. They recently moved back to their native home of Trinidad after living  30some years in the U.S. After reading articles and listening to talks encouraging those who can to move back to their home country, they decided to take the plunge. Well, after spending some time in Trinidad, they found that the Branch Office in Trinidad is encouraging friends who wish to expand their ministry to "step on over" into Guyana, so they decided to check it out for two weeks. We ended up getting to know them a lot better and making new friends!

Wayne and Cheryl Simmons

(hoping and praying these guys come back real soon!)

 

 

 

While they were here we had to do a quick trip to Suriname for our visa renewal. Wayne and Cheryl went with us. We stayed at a hotel on the river, the view was great!

Wish we could have said the same for the rooms, but sadly, this was not the case. They did, however, have a decent swimming pool...

 





...so it was almost worth the money we paid!

 

 

Just a few days after returning from our trip, we had our Special Assembly Day. This takes a lot of preparation and cleaning the day before, which sadly, I forgot to bring my camera, so no pics.

One of my Bible students did take the step of baptism at this assembly, though, and I did remember my camera for that!

 

Rosie sitting with the baptismal candidates. (She's the one in pink looking at the camera)

 

Rosie "taking the dip"

 

Rosie's mom came to the afternoon session to see her get baptized! Although the home is religiously divided (mom is Hindu, dad is Christian) it was nice to see they were so supportive of Rosie's decision. Dad said he would have come if he didn't have to work.

 

Altogether, 14 were baptized.

 

Proud of my student. She is also signed up to auxiliary pioneer for the month of April.

 

 

 

Just three days after the SAD, we had to prepare another venue for the Memorial of Christ's death. Most of you know this is our biggest day of the year for Jehovah's Witnesses. Our sign language group has so many that attend that we can't possibly meet together with the English congregation as we normally would do, so we had to have our Memorial celebration at the New Amsterdam Town Hall. More cleaning and setting up! We also have to arrange for bus transportation for the Deaf that live in various far flung corners of our territory. I was responsible for one of the three buses, while Scott prepared to give the talk in American Sign Language.

 

Our bus had a total of 15 people. Two other buses went to other areas.

 

The picture is a little blurry, but, these were some of the ladies that attended.

 

 

Some of the guys. I think this year the men outnumbered the women for the first time ever. There was a total of 58 in attendance, 38 of whom are Deaf.

     A few more of the deaf.

Our attendance was a little lower than last year. I think this was partly due to the fact that it fell so closely to our SAD. Some of the Deaf had to choose one or the other, and went on Saturday to the Assembly. Also, the very next day was the Hindu holiday of Pagwah, so some from Hindu families were not allowed to attend, as they wanted them home to help cook and clean to get ready for family visiting on the holiday. Knowing that some of the Deaf who did come had to take a stand with their families to be there made it all the more special, despite the lower numbers.

 

The last thing that has been keeping Scott busy (but sane!) is tending to his little flower garden.

It seems the butterflies love it as much as we do! Whew, now that flurry of activity is over, and in two more weeks we get ready for our Circuit Overseer's visit. It just keeps coming....

Missing and loving everyone back home!

                                         

"What We Do"

       In our recent blogs I feel like I have not said enough about what we've been doing in the ministry here so I want to dedicate this blog to talking about "what we do".

Much of what we do here is appreciated by the deaf and their family.  For example I have a regular study with a man who lives with his parents and other family members. He works around the house taking care of maintenance issues and caring for the family live stock.  Every Wednesday I go there for our study, and then I'll spend some time conversing with his parents. They are always happy to see me and like clock-work they will bring out cookies and a drink during the study.  Then, when I'm ready to leave, his father faithfully approaches me with a clinched fist full of money that he'll slide into my hand as he's firmly shaking it, I've stopped trying to refuse the money it only upsets him.  I'd like you to meet Sanjay (study), father Sonny and his mom Doreen.

At present Crystal and I conduct almost 20 deaf bible studies not to mention the studies and return visits we have with hearing individuals.  Our Sign Language group has seen steady growth with a total of 21 publishers, (9 deaf publishers) and 7 pioneers.  Last month our group spent over 790 hours in the ministry and conducted 59 progressive bible studies.  We're hoping this year our Memorial for the Deaf will hit the 100 mark, we're anxious to start the Memorial invitation campaign. Recently, we've enjoyed the company of  some brothers and sisters who were willing to come and experience the unique ministry and culture of Guyana.  Kevin and Liz Lipman from Wisconsin came for an entire month and preached in the rain and heat.  It was really nice having a brother to accompany me in the preaching work, often times I'm flying solo.  We hope they will be willing to brave the elements and come back again...soon!

 

Kevin and Liz outside the KH

 

 

Us hangin'out

Then we had a sister from Tampa, Cassandra Gregg, come and stay for 9 days.  She was a real trooper when it came to dealing with the discomforts, the spiders and bugs.  She's had the opportunity to visit other developing countries but stated that Guyana has been the most challenging to cope with but hopefully she'll take good memories home with her and encourage others to take that step over into Guyana.

 

Cassandra with our deaf sisters.

 

 

Which is cuter the baby donkey or....

 

 

Crystal and Cassandra getting ready to chow into some chowmein.

 

Here are just some pictures of us out in the ministry.

 

 

Crystal getting ready to cross...the bridge?

 

Me on my "hog"

 

Myself, Liz, Rosie (left), and Mary-Ann trying to figure out where do we go from here.

 

 

 

Our Saturday service meeting. It's very common here for the brothers and sisters to be late for almost everything.  So what you see here are those who came on time but by the time the group went out into the territory we had 7 more people show up.  It's a work in progress, patience is essential here.

We're going to continue to do our best to cover our territory, help our studies to make advancement and just keep on smiling.  Again, much of what we do here is truly appreciated and that helps us to put our hearts into what we're doing.  Throughout this year we'll have more people who come and spend time in the ministry with us and I'm certain once they've experienced it they'll leave us with that same special feeling.  We send our greetings and love to all. 

Scott & Crystal