Where's the toilet?

Our new and improved bbq

Hello everyone,

How are things? Jaide and I are both sick right now. Some sort of stomach virus. The worst part is that this weekend is our 2 day Assembly. I am missing both days and Jaide is missing today. We had an interview yesterday that Jaide ended up doing both parts, mine and hers. Also, I was scheduled for a busy day of interpreting yesterday, including a talk about the wild beast from Revelation. But I had to cancel. I had spent so much time on translating scriptures from Revelation into sign language, I had my wild beast face down and everything. Blurg!

We have found that an effective way of teaching here is acting. This really works with the children we study with. Before watching the DVD, we will act out the story, teaching them a few new signs while acting. Also getting them involved in the acting, giving them one of the characters in the story. After that we watch the DVD. Doing this seems to help them learn more and keeps their attention. Well, Don and I with the help Haresh (the Bible student), acted out the bible story of Issac gets a good wife. Haresh played the part of Abraham's servant who goes looking for a good wife, I played the part of a camel and Issac and Don, well Don did he best imitation of Rebekah. Complete with batting his eye lashes and giggling. Haresh cracked up! He thought Don's portrayal of a woman was the best. For the rest of the study, he would look at Don and start laughing and copy things Don had done as Rebekah. The best part is he got the story.

We had our Pioneer day last Friday (a pioneer being one of Jehovah's Witnesses who is in the ministry full time). It was great! Whats really encouraging about pioneer day here in Guyana is that at the meeting besides regular pioneers, you have special pioneers and missionaries. There was 152 in attendance. The singing of songs were amazing. I have never heard sing like that before. Powerful!

The ministry continues to be great. We keep meeting more new deaf. Thursday we met a hard of hearing girl. I can't tell you how many times we have passed her house, never knowing she lived there. It wasn't until we met a lady in the next village down who gave us detailed instructions on which house to go to that we meet her.

A game of spoons

The rain is about to hit

That same day we discovered a new "restaurant." I got chicken curry and Dal puri ( its like an Indian tortilla with a layer of smashed split peas) for $1. It was delicious. Jaide and Don ordered channa, a dish made with chick peas and spices.  Don got his first and started eating, Jodee taking a couple bites as well.  The woman brings Jaide her plate and Jodee asked what kind of meat is in it.  Mind you, normally channa has no meat in it.  The woman responds, "no meat, liver and gizzards."  I instantly look at Jaide, I realize she didn't hear the woman.  What do I do?  Tell her or just let her go ahead and eat it.  Jaide asks," what did she say?"  I stay silent, Jodee answers, "liver and gizzards."  I have never seen Jaide move so fast and decisively.  She grabs the roti which the channa is sitting in and yanks it out from under the channa like a table cloth from off the table with all the dishes and silverware remaining.  Jaide just won't eat the "trash can of the body."   Jaide and Jodee really needed a bathroom so they asked if there was a washroom. The women said yes and lead them out back. This is where Jaide will take over writing.

The woman points to a small wood structure. I figured we would have to use an outhouse, but when I opened the door, I was shocked to see that there was nothing inside. 'Is this the right place', I thought, 'where's the toilet?'. Then I noticed toilet paper in one opening in the wood. The whole room is the toilet. Let's just say, I washed my shoes when I got home.

Love,
G&J

Get a Passion!

Sharda & Jodee

Graem and Don were missing the thrill of BBQ'ing meat, so they used their best ingenuity to construct this lovely piece of work. I have no idea what exactly is making up this marvel of design, but it sure made some delicious grilled eggplant (called boulangie, here in Guyana).  Good thing we had that too, because while they were manly trying to build a fire, JoDee didn't realize their plan and cooked the meat on the stove. Oops, next time we'll use the BBQ. The meat was still good, JoDee!

In a foreign country, of course, there are many new customs  and we hope that we don't make too many mistakes trying to figure it all out.  Sometimes we fail. Don's first day here, he went to Haresh's Bible study. His family is Hindu.  Don noticed a small house-like structure in their front yard, and innocently asked Haresh's dad, "Is this the kid's play house?" He got real close to Don's face, touched his shoulder and answered "No, this is where we pray."  Thankfully I don't think he was too offended because he didn't kick them off the property and still hospitably made us garumba (I don't know how to spell it and those I asked, didn't know either), a spicy jam made from mangoes. Also delicious.  I told a sister that we put it on french toast. She laughed. Ahhh, probably another cultural faux pas.


Monday, we visited the Branch Office of Jehovah's Witnesses. Thankfully we arrived in one piece, even though, our driver saw this as a chance to practice for nascar. If we did crash, we would see you all in Paradise (no seat belts here!).  Anyways, as you can see we are all safe. Once we arrived, we met brothers and sisters from Chile, England and Suriname. The couple from Chile, Fernando and Cindi, have only been married for 7 months and don't speak much English. But, here they are, willing to help out where there is a need for those to preach. Funny too, they know my friends in Chile. Small world.

The Brothers and Sisters are busy here in Guyana. We learned about the many isolated groups. In one area, there is one sister conducting all the meetings. The Branch showed us the radio they use to contact some the friends in the interior that don't have phones.  It is encouraging to hear though, that the traveling overseers try to visit every group in the interior, even if it is only one Witness. One area in the interior, Baramita, speaks Carib.  It was not a written language, until the Witnesses got ahold of it. They have translated "God's Friend" and "Would You Like to Know the Truth".  Now, they are busy teaching people how to read their own language. You can imagine their disbelief to finally see their language in print.

Brother Hinds with a Carib brochure

We miss you all,

Keep in touch,

Guyanese expression of the day: "get a passion". Translation: "get angry."

J&G

Her own little prison

Black Caimen

Hello Everyone,

How are you doing?  We are doing good.  Don and Jodee Cabral arrived on Friday.  We are excited to have them here for 6 weeks.  And in typical fashion, Don gave the talk on Sunday and we had him start teaching some friends sign language on Sunday night. Right to work.  Welcome to Guyana Cabrals!

Last Wednesday we meet 4 hard of hearing people.  They are all family.  We will start studying with them this week.  Yesterday, we meet 3 more new deaf, both of which are going to start studying as well.  So many deaf we are meeting.  There seems to be clusters.  One village may have one, two, but the next village has many.  Some live all in the same neighborhood.  Strange.

Sunday, Jaide accidentally locked herself into our room.  You see if you close our bedroom door all the way you can't open it up.  I was not home and Don & Jodee had to leave to get to meeting because Don was giving the talk.  Jaide was alone in her own little prison.  Don't worry, she had water and things to read.  I had locked myself in the room before and figured out how to get out.  So I was trying my best to explain to Jaide over the cell phone as I was riding in a bus, how to take the door knob apart.  I can only imagine what the other passengers were thinking. Over and over I would say the same thing to Jaide.  You see, my ability to explain clearly what Jaide needed to do was lacking.  I could see it clearly in my minds eye, but to explain it, well that was another thing.  Finally, Jaide figured it out and sprung herself.  Now our room has no door knob.

Word of the day next time

Love,
G&J

Weekday market