We out!

Hello Everyone,



Our house

 How are you all doing?  We are so sorry for the month long delay.  It's sad but true, this is our last post.  We are now back in the States.  To be honest it feels like forever since we were in Guyana.  Life is so different here. 

The Sunday before we left the friends in our Congregation threw us "surprise" going away party.  I say "surprise" because they did their best to give away the surprise.  Plus, they threw the party at our house.  Normally, every Sunday night we have a sign language class at our house.  Here's what happened. Some of the friends start showing up that are learning sign language.  Then they go outside.  A couple of sisters stay in the house with us.  Jaide asks, "where is everyone going?"  A sisters responds, "don't worry."  Then a brother shows up that is not learning sign language, comes upstairs and asks, "Is the gathering upstairs or downstairs?"  I respond, "What gathering?  We have sign language class, is that what you mean?"  (We had figured out they were throwing us a party already, but we went along with it.)  Finally, they revealed the "surprise."  We had a great time!  In true Guyana fashion, the friends went around and said what they like about us.  Some of the friends cried in expressing themselves, and what they appreciate about us.  Then, it was my turn.  I stood up and began explaining how much they all mean to us and how much they have helped us.  In a matter of seconds, the tears came a flowing.  Yup, I cried like a little girl.  Two of our deaf Bible students were there, and we interpreted all the speeches.  That is awkward.  Interpreting praise about yourself.  I felt like I was bragging.  I did it for a little bit then made Jaide do it.  After, the speeches and tears, we ate and then danced the night away.  As usual, we had a black out.  But, thankfully, Imran, our Bible student was there with his car that has a serious stereo system.  He pumped up the Indian jams and we danced some more.  It was great fun.



Market

 One last funny story.  In Guyana there are animals roaming everywhere.  Horses, donkeys, goats, cows, sheep and chickens.  Sometimes these animals leave you "presents", aka droppings.  Well, a cow decided to leave us a present right in the middle of our drive way.  I waited a few days to let it dry out.  Once dry I went out to sweep it away.  As I was sweeping I noticed an older woman staring at me.  I said, "Hi."  She asked, "Where's your mistress?(wife)"  I said, "Upstairs."  She didn't understand what I said, so she asked, "You not married?"  I answered, "No, I am married."  She replied in shock, "You sweep!  What is your wife doing?"  You see, most men there do not do any housework.  She was so shocked to see me sweeping.  Plus, she thought Jaide must be a lazy wife, forcing me to do woman's work.

In conclusion, our ten months in Guyana were truly amazing.  We had some rough patches, but we made it


Last meeting (5 deaf)

through them.  We feel we have become better people.  It has helped us develop our Christian qualites.  The things we learned will be with us forever.  As will the friends we made while we were there.  When you reach out and do more in service for Jehovah, you truly see his hand supporting you.  The love that Jesus said would be the identifing mark of true Christians is so evident in Jehovah's organization.  We feel this is seen more so when you go to another country, or go where the need it great.  You may feel alone, thousands of miles from friends and family.  But, then you meet your brothers and sisters wherever you are.  They are wonderful people that you can trust and that show love to you instantly.  Amazing!  If you are thinking about going to another country and helping out, I would strongly recommend it.  You will face challenges, its not all roses.  You need to be realistic in your expectations.  As some Missionaries explain it, your experience will be like a U, highs and lows. But in the end, the benefits far our way the challenges.   
We hope you have enjoyed the experiences we shared.  Thanks for reading.

Love,

G&J

Fun in the sun!

Today was our last Sunday meeting. We had 5 deaf in attendance.  That is the most we have come to the meeting here in Rosignol.  It was very nice to see them all there.  All of them have made such good progress in the ten months that we have been here.

Looking back over the ten months, the friends in the sign language group that come over on Wednesday, along with us, have met 31 new deaf.  Awesome!  To see their progress in understanding Bible truths and in learning sign language, makes all the sacrifices and hard times worth while.

Also, we finally saw a beach and ocean in Guyana.  This is our third time in Guyana and we had never seen the ocean here.  Last Wednesday, we saw the beach!  Picture the most beautiful white sand beach, with electric blue water.  Now, picture the opposite of that, and you have the beach and ocean in Guyana.  Due to the huge, dirt brown rivers that dump into the ocean in Guyana the ocean is dirt brown, and so are the beaches.  At least the beach we went to did not have a lot of litter.  It was still nice and relaxing to go at see it.

 Love,
G & J

Thanks for the ice cream!

Hello Everyone,

Whats going on?  How ten months have flown by!  In a little over a week we will be heading home.  Crazy!  Some of our friends in the sign language group in New Amsterdam had a going away dinner for us.  In typical Guyanese fashion, we were made to feel embarrassed and self conscious.  Our dear friend, Kortel, you could say took the lead in this.  He asked everyone to tell us something the appreciate about us or if they want to thank us for anything.  The volunteers did not come fast, so he started calling on people to speak.  All the friends were very sweet and kind in their words.  Finally, I wanted to say something to them all.  Honestly, I almost cried.  I had to fight back tears as I expressed for Jaide and myself how much we appreciate them.  How we have learned so much from them, and pray they continue to help the deaf.  One of the hardest part of coming to an area that needs help, is that you form good friendships.  They become your family.  Saying thank you and goodbye, hard.  We don't know when we will see these wonderful friends again.  Our favorite comments came from Anthony and Sharon.  Both of them are deaf.  Anthony related, "Before the two of us preached together.  We talked, laughed, it was fun.  Then you bought me ice cream.  Thank you."  Next, Sharon said, "Before, on Wednesday we preached together.  I enjoyed it.  Then we got ice cream.  Thank you."  It seems our friends' favorite memory of us involve ice cream.  We do love getting ice cream.  It really helps on those long days as the heat beats down on you.  It broke our hearts as a few of the deaf would ask us, "We love you.  You fly back to the States, why?"  Their faces full of hurt and sadness.  We will always treasure our time with all of them.

This past week was Circuit Overseer visit.  We really enjoyed our time with Shannon & Rosalia Rainey.  Super couple.  Gilead graduates, that have been in Guyana 6 years now.

Guyanese word of the day:  Look! or Hello!(pronounced ello)  Here in Guyana when you want someones attention its what you yell.

Love,
G&J

Sunday best

Hello Everyone,

How are you?  Yesterday was the last full sign language meeting for us before we come home.  We had a full 

bus, including 6 deaf!  The meeting was great.  The total attendance was 78, with 32 deaf.  It's really encouraging to see the progress many of the deaf students have made in the almost 2 years that we have know them.  After the meeting Lionel, a Bible student of mine, came up to me.  You could tell he was really impressed by the meeting and all the effort Jehovah's Witnesses put into teaching the deaf.  As he went around meeting other deaf, he was surprised to find out that many didn't go to school.  They had grown up never learning sign language, but they can now sign. Much of their life and language skills have come from Jehovah's Witnesses teaching them.  Lionel was blown away.  He went to a school for the deaf, where he learned.  Jaide explained to him that we go, sit and teach the deaf.  It doesn't matter if they know sign language or not.  For the first time I could see appreciation in Lionel's eyes.  He was excited for us to come back Wednesday for our study.  He kept asking, "You're coming Wednesday, right?" Normally he is very passive about his study.  He said, " Jehovah is good.  This (meaning the meeting) is nice.  I need to keep learning."

If you have read our blog in the past, you may have noticed we talk a lot about the music in Guyana.  It's hard not to.  Part of the culture here is to play your music loud.  So, unless there is a black out (power outage), you most likely are going to be hearing music of some sort of the other.  You wake to music at 5:30-6am, all day and even go to bed with music sometimes.  Well, when we went on the trip with our Congregation to swim in the black water creek, we got a special treat.  For most the time at the creek, we were the only group there.  It was great.  Then came a couple of cars.  One backs up to the table next to ours, and out piles the people, the food, bottles of vodka and drinks.  The the back trunk opens to reveal his huge stereo system, which he immediately starts blasting Caribbean R&B/hip hop.  Its about time to go anyways, so we start packing up.  There is arouns 35 of us, so it takes a little time.  A few minutes later another car pulls in and parks on the other side of us.  Same procedure, people out with food and alcohol, open the doors and trunk and blast the music.  This time chutney/soca music.  It was quite the audio experience,  both competing for who is loudest.  AHH, a beautiful day out in nature.

Pictures:  Top; The group from our side of the river that went to meeting. Bottom; Lionel and his daughter.

Guyanese word of the day:  get ya give.  Translation: If you have a little money, you give to those in need.

Love,

G&J

Swimming in Guinness!

Hey Everyone,

Swimming in "black wata"

How are you?  Have you ever dreamed of swimming in Guinness?  You know the dark, Irish stout beer.  We got to experience almost what that would be like.  In Guyana they have what the locals call "black water" creeks. Its called "black water" creeks because the water is so dark, almost black.  I hear it is from all the leaves and debris that fall into the water in the rain forest and decompose.  All I know is it looked like a creek of Guinness that we went swimming in.  Does it taste like Guinness? You ask. Sadly no.  Its kind of eerie swimming in water so dark that you can't see whats below you.  An anaconda or a alligator.  I was so jumpy that if I stepped on anything that didn't feel right I would scream like a little girl and jump.  It was fun day, slightly rainy and cool, but a good time.

Kenton & Graem

One Bible student, Loreen, who struggles with comprehension, had a break through this week.  She successfully remembered the signs for father, mother, son and daughter.  Then Jaide thought, "I am ready to teach her that God is the Father and Jesus is the Son."  She started to explain this to her, really feeling like they are getting somewhere.  Then Jaide asked her to draw the Father and Son in heaven.  Loreen drew three people.  Confused, Jaide asked, "Who is this third person?"  Loreen confidentially signed "mother."  Jaide had to smile, and think, "What have I done?  I spent all this time teaching her what a family is.  A father, a mother, a son and a daughter.  Now, I have to explain that Jesus had no mother in heaven."  So, Jaide erased the picture of the woman in heaven and signed, "No mother."  She didn't know how else to explain it.  You should have seen Loreen's face!  Priceless.  You could see Loreen trying to process this new information.  Wheels turning, face contorting as she tried to figure this mystery out.  One step in the right direction; she is comprehending signs.  One step back; she now thinks Jesus comes from a broken home.

Guyanese word of the day:  Jumbee umbrella.  Translation: mushroom.  So, in Guyana they would call a "ghost" a Jumbee.  I guess they have carny jumbees here.

Love,

G&J

Top Ramen & peanuts!

Hello Everyone,

Our dog aka tick bag

Hows it going?  The generosity we experience here is awesome!  Many people want to show their gratitude for what we do, so they give us treats.  Like, for example, soda, crackers, pastries and sometimes full-on meals.  Last Wednesday everyone was super generous, giving food left and right.  By the time we arrived home we had, 3 packets of Top Ramen, 6 packets of instant oatmeal (sugar-free), half a bag of New York Yankees peanuts in the shell, a loaf of bread, a box of linguine noodles and 6 eggs.  Random, right?  We usually get mangoes or bananas to take home, but this time it was carbs all the way. We truly appreciate their gratitude. They give us what they can, happy that we are taking time to teach their family.  How did they know Jaide never eats Top Ramen, but for some reason was craving it that very morning?  Dinner that night hit the spot.

Sunday, we had 3 deaf come to meeting.  Yeah!  It has been a while since we have had 3 of our students come to meeting.  Very encouraging.  We were also happy that one local brother that is learning sign helped us interpret.  It is going to be hard to leave, especially leaving Imran and Afroze.  The two of them are awesome students.  We just pray that they keep up their studying and go to meeting when they can.

Pants fail

If you have been following our blog, you know that we get called "white guy" and "white girl" daily.  My favorite thing is when Guyanese men impersonate how a white guy talks.  Apparently, when we, white guys, talk we sound like a stereotypical computer nerd or Steve Urkel.  And we say "Hey Guy."  Every time anyone has impersonated a white person, that is what they say.  It was funny when a truck full of sugar cane workers are driving by and half of them yell out in their white man voice, "Hey Guy!"  One man instead of calling me, "white guy", "white boy", "white man" or "whitey", calls me Steve.  One time he said it sounds like a white guy's name.  So, I just go with it.  Hello, my name is Steve.

Guyanese word of the day: DoughSay.  (Spelled phonetically)  Translation: pancakes.  Go ahead and go to IHOP and place your order for some doughsay and see what they do.

Love,
G & J

"You're getting fat!"

Culture is a funny thing. In America, if I am feeling fat or ugly, I know I can count on my best girl friends to tell me I look great, even if I don't. I know that if I happen to gain a few extra pounds or experience a breakout, my fellow Americans will think twice before they point it out to me.

But Guyana is different. I suppose they appreciate honesty, rather than flattery. In case you wanted to go to meeting and forget you look less than stellar, you will be disappointed. One must have thick skin. Your acne will be pointed out as boils and if you gain a few extra pounds, you will be called fat. A few weeks ago I went door-to-door with some sisters. Over and over again, I was told I looked tired. The worst thing was that I wasn't tired at all. I told them this and still I was told I was tired. I gave in, “Ok, I must be tired.”

Last night, having a bit of a cold, I went to meeting, knowing that I don't look or sound my best. I'm sure just out of concern, the friends want to express sympathy over my less than beautiful appearance. One sister, said “I noticed you look sleepy.”  I saw her again this morning and she reminded me that last night I looked so sleepy. One brother said, “Your voice is hoarse. But you know, it sort of fits your character. You know cause you're a bit funny.” I really don't know how to take that one. My voice is almost gone because I'm sick and that somehow fits my personality. The all time best comment, though, I can't attribute to my cold. It goes like this, “You're getting fat. I guess the Indian and Guyanese food is treating you well.”

What have I learned from all this? One culture is not better than the other. They're just different. Some actually like to be called fat. And maybe some think that if they point out how you look, they are telling you they care. I must forget my previous notions to become offended and learn to say, “Thank you” before I run home to burn a few calories and put some cucumbers on my eyes.

I hope to be a better person after this. But, if I came home and something like, “You're fat” or “Why would you wear that color?” or “What's wrong with your face?”, please just remember where I've been. It just means I care.  

Nature strikes back!

Standard Suriname supermarket

Well, we made it home safe.  Coming back from Suriname was smooth sailing.  Even coming through immigration was a breeze.  Then it was off to Skeldon to spend time with some of our favorite people, Brian and Shannon.  It was the last time we will see them before we leave so we had to say goodbye for now.  Not being able to see this Missionary couple on a regular basis is going to be one of the hardest things about leaving Guyana.  We will miss them, but know with Jehovah's help they will keep up the good work.

When we arrived home we were anxious to see what had taken over our place.  You see, if you leave your house even for a day or two, nature starts to reclaim the house.  You are not there to battle the creatures and dirt.  As expected, ants were EVERYWHERE!  I think they got desperate with us not being home  to leave crumbs of food here and there.  They had chewed their way into all kinds of bags.  Then the cockroaches, oh the cockroaches.  Now, I know that there is one cabinet in particular that the cockroaches like to live in.  I have been a little lazy about fighting them recently, and it shows.  It seems a couple of cockroaches decided to make a home in our coffee press.  It's startling to open you coffee press and have large roaches jumping out at you.  Although, they did add an extra zing to the morning cup of joe.

My "brat" from street vendor.  Not what I expected.

After battling the bugs and reclaiming our house everything seemed good.  We were cooking dinner and had an uninvited guest.  Our dear friend, the bat.  Why do they always come into our house when we are cooking?  We scramble to cover all the food so he doesn't land on it with his gross bat body.  As I gather the supplies to try to catch him, he is flying around like crazy.  He even grazed Jaide's neck, which threw her into a tizzy.  Then he crashes into our stove, which has two burners going.  Bad choice bat! The flame injures him.  He scurries to the back of the stove.  I can't get back there to catch him, so I decide to kill him.  He is a small bat, so I thought maybe spraying a lot of toxic bug spray will kill him.  I spray him down good and leave him to die.  Anyways, long story short, he crawls under our kitchen cabinet. We can hear him flailing around under there.  Finally, he comes out and I try to trap him in a bucket.  Well, you know what happens when you injure a wild animal, they become all teeth, trying to bite you.  This little guy looked crazed.  Finally, I got him in a bucket without being bit after many failed attempts to do so. In the morning, the thing was still kicking, so I had to take him out Mosaic Law style: stoned.  Graem: 1, bat: 0.

Once we had the critters under control, it was off to Bible studies.  Recently, we have been trying to slow down a bit and really make sure our students understand important concepts.  This means that sometimes we spend the whole hour on just a couple of signs. I think, after 2 studies, that Teayon now understands that Jehovah made Jesus, angels, sun, moon, stars, and earth.  She already knew those signs, but didn't understand "make".  We spent some time on the concept of making things. Her sister makes clothes. She makes brooms and cakes.  Then, we showed her that Jehovah and Jesus worked together to make things, as father and son.  The only problem was that, she keeps thinking that Jesus is the mother too.  When you have a father, there must be a mother somewhere, right?.  We'll keep working on this.

Afroze is doing very well with her lessons.  Before we started chapter 4 about Jesus, we spent some time teaching her the signs "from", "personality", "Messiah", and  "responsibility".  She got it!  After the lesson, she had some fabulous questions that show not only is she understanding her studies, but that she is applying it to herself.  For someone who grew up with very limited language to understand deep concepts is such an awesome accomplishment!  She asked, "If Jesus came to earth, did Jehovah come to earth? Who made Jehovah? Did Jehovah die and be resurrected to heaven? If we get to live in paradise and our children don't, will we be sad?  If you abort a baby, will it be resurrected?  Do the dead burn?"  We were very happy to answer her questions and see her love for the Bible and Jehovah growing.

Her brother, Imran, was studying with Graem, when at one point, Graem asked him if he wanted to continue with some more paragraphs or stop.  Imran signed, "I love Jehovah. Continue."

We hope you enjoy our adventures in Guyana.  Writing helps us deal with our discomforts and rejoice over our accomplishments. Thanks for listening.

Love Jaide and Graem

"Are you related to Kobe?"

Hello Everyone,

How are you?  Sunday, was our special talk.  Arranging the bus, picking up the deaf and getting to meeting on time was stressful and frustrating as usual.  But once we got there it was worth it.  There was 74 people at meeting, including 38 deaf.  The friends from Skeldon brought a lot of new deaf to meeting.  It was really exciting to see and meet them all.  It really shows the potential for growth here.

The last few days have taxed our patience. It started when we ran out of propane for our stove.  Normally not a big deal. We just take the tank down and get a new one.  It's the same kind of tank like you use for a BBQ grill.  Well, turns out that none of the shops have any gas.  "Gas is scarce in the country," is what I heard over and over.  "Maybe later today or tomorrow," they said.  That was Saturday morning, but it  turns out we are not going to get gas until Thursday.  "No gas, that's fine.  We will just eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," we thought.  We are so sick of pb&j!  The only bread at the store right now is this white bread that is lighter than air and 5 minutes after eating a sandwich you are hungry again.  The hardest part is no coffee.  The lack of coffee may be adding to our patience being taxed.

So, Monday started out with no coffee and air bread, as we prepare to make another trip to Suriname to renew our visas.  First, I call the hotel to confirm our reservation. We were looking forward to this hotel with free Wi-fi and pool.  The hotel, says, " Oh yeah, I meant to tell you when you called before that we have no rooms."  What! He actually never took my phone number. I thought that that probably meant they never fill up. I guess I thought wrong.  Well after a few more phone calls over a very bad connection, we found a hotel.  No pool and more money. Oh well.

Then it starts raining. How do they clouds know that we are lugging our things to Suriname. It always rains when we go to Suriname.

We get our first car ride and first bus ok.  As we board the second bus, I try to put my luggage in the back.  The woman yells at me "Just get in!! The police are coming!!" So I hurry in with my bags.  Then we just sit there. I thought we were in a hurry. Then they told Graem to squeeze in the back with me.  I figured they needed to make room. Turns out, they just thought we wanted to snuggle in the 1,000 degree bus.  Then they said to Graem, "Oh if you want to, you can move to the other available seats."

Then we get to a gas station.  They tell the boy sitting next to me that he should be sitting in the front, because he is getting off before us. So I have to move my bags and they tell me that I should put them in the back. I am getting more and more blunt here.  Remember I haven't had my coffee yet. I asked, "Remember I was trying to do that before?"  Then I ask, "I there a reason we are running from the police?" No answer.

So on we go.  The bus is getting pretty packed, but the driver believes that we must be as full as humanly possible.  The driver spots some people that may want a ride, so he decided to kick the bus in reverse. I am in the back of the bus as we are driving on the wrong side of the road. Then the driver yells, "Oh, the police!" and we drive forward again, leaving the long sought after passengers behind.

Remember the boy that they made move to the front of the bus.  Well they ended up moving him back to my row again.

Thankfully, the ferry went smoothly!  We are always nervous going through immigration.  Graem always gets more nervous than me.  But he goes first.  The man asked me him a question. Graem nervously leans in to hear him better.  Graem finally understands the very important question, "Are you related to Kobe?" Whewww!! An immigration officer in a good mood! Customs was a breeze too!

Then came the 3rd bus ride of the day.  A man drinking a beer already had asked us if we needed a ride to Paramaribo. We told him, "No, we going to Nickerie."

"Ok. Go on my bus. $25 SRD to Nickerie." I didn't answer the drinking man, but he did ask a fair price.

Again he came up to me and said, "Johnny is not coming." I replied, "Um, I don't know who Johnny is."

I had my doubts about going on this man's bus, but he wasn't the one driving and there wasn't many other buses.  As, we go ahead and get on his bus, he said, "You're going to Nickerie, sit in the front."

We are on our way.  He has now finished his beer and is on to more serious stuff. He starts downing whiskey and coke.  He offers us all some, but thankfully all, even the driver refused.  He then offers me chicken, beef, alligator.  "You have this all on the bus?" I asked.  He just looks at me in his stupor and pulls out some meat, held between his fingers and tries to get me to eat it.  Doesn't that make your mouth water?

We make a stop at a gas station. I know we must be getting close, so I tell the driver again, "Residence Inn, Nickerie."  They both react like, "Ok girl, we know where you're going."

Then they ask me a few times, "Paramaribo or Nickerie?".  "Nickerie", we answer again and again.

I can see both their faces processing that we are going to NICKERIE!  The drunk man is obviously not happy, "What! Nickerie? You're going to Residence Inn, Paramaribo. You're really messing me up you know."  I'm leaving the profanity and other words that I did not understand out.

"Remember, you said Nickerie as we got into the bus and on the ferry. You said $25, which is the fare to Nickerie, right?", we answered.

"Remember, I told you that Johnny wasn't coming?"

"Remember, I told you that I didn't know who Johnny was?"

Again, I am becoming more and more frustrated (I also haven't had my coffee, remember), and I say back to him, "Maybe if you didn't drink so much, you could remember". I figured if he tried to hit me, I could probably dodge the drunk man's blows. Graem is handling this well, and just starts to laugh.  I should have know this would happen.

So we got left at the gas station and another bus had to pick us up.

It all ended well. The hotel had our reservation.  We watched TV in an air conditioned room.  Unfortunately, not much was on besides CNN.  I now know more about Bin Laden than I ever wanted.  We got some good wine, herb gouda cheese, fancy potato chips, and decent ice cream.  These are all things that we do not get to enjoy in Guyana.

We hope the rest of the trip goes well.  We'll let you know.

Guyanese word of the day: "rank".  You may feel like us when you hear this word, that this is not a good thing.  For example, if a fish smells rank, we would throw it out. But in Guyana, if a fish smells rank, it is a fine specimen. It means it is fresh.  Maybe you should take this new meaning into your vocabulary and tell the girl you like that she smells rank.

dem eh watch meh

Hello Everyone,

Whats going on?  How early is too early to start a party?  1pm, 3pm, 10am?  Well, the other day our neighbors started partying at 4am.  Started, not finished.  The houses here do not have double pane windows

Salima and Jaide

and insulated walls.  They're made of just some wood and the windows are paper thin.  Our neighbors might as well have been in our bedroom partying.  Then in the midst of the talking and laughing, we hear someone sweeping.  The wife next door is a little O.C.D when it comes to sweeping.  She sweeps around her house at least 3 times a day.  Now, in the midst of a party she decides to sweep.  Really, that couldn't wait.  We were so tired that day.  4 am, come on!

Guyana trash service

Two weeks ago, we found out that a deaf Bible student, Salima, that used to live in New Amsterdam had moved to our side of the river.  She knows ASL pretty well.  So, upon finding her, she was happy to see us and start studying again.  On Wednesday, Jaide, Tinisha and I (Graem) went to study with her.  We started discussing death.  She already understood clearly what happens when we die.  But, when we started discussing the resurrection, she would sign, "No, we die and go back to dirt.  Your family or friend dies you are sad, you go home pray and God helps."  She did not understand the resurrection hope the Bible promises. By using pictures and reasoning on scriptures she was able to grasp it.  It was wonderful to see her learn it.  We explained that in the future Paradise she would see her mother again and she would be happy and hugging her just like the pictures show.  Her smile was priceless.  Those are the moments that keep us going.

Another moment like that came when I was studying with Daio.  Daio is a man who does not know any sign language.  He has home signs, and knows a few we have taught him.  This week he learned God has a name. First, we had to teach him what a name is, and then the sign for name.  By using my driver's license and his ID card we got the idea that we all have names.  From there we went to God.  I drew my representation of God and signed, "his name what?"  Then I showed him part of the "God's Friend" DVD which explains God's name.  I pointed to the sky and signed, "His name what?"  Daio signed, "JH."  That the ASL sign name for Jehovah.  The best part was that he continued to use it.  Even at the end of the study when we reviewed, he remembered!

Guyanese word/song of the day: "dem eh watch meh".  Translation: They are watching me.  This is a popular song in Guyana.  Now, what the Guyanese tend to do is play a popular song over and over and over and over and over again.  When I hear this song, I want to rip their speakers out of their car or home.  For months, this song has been playing.  Also, when there is a popular song, people have stickers made for their cars with the lyrics (this is how we figured out how to spell it).  Every where we go we see or hear "dem eh watch meh." I'm starting to feel a little paranoid.

Love,

G&J

The secret ingredient is . . .

Hello Everyone,

How are you doing?  I learned something new this week.  I have noticed that under and around some of the homes here in Guyana the dirt seems different.  It looks more smooth and soft.  Well, I have learned the secret.  The secret ingredient is. . . . cow poop.  We had just arrived at Vicky and Popo's house.  They are two deaf brothers.  I saw that Popo was walking back with a bucket full of something.  He proceeded to dump the bucket out a few feet from us, fresh cow dung.  He then fetched some water in the bucket, came back and started mixing in cow dung by the handfuls.  Elbow deep in the bucket, kneading the special concoction.  The smell, sound and sight of it was almost to much to handle.  I know its just cow poop, but that's nasty.  I controlled my urge to dry heave, and continued the study.  Popo then dumped the bucket out and started spreading the cow dung paste around with a broom.  Cow dung mixture flinging everywhere, getting closer and closer to us.    I made sure Popo kept his distance as now he was pretty well covered in the mixture.  The deaf sister I was with said it was making her feel sick.  So we finished up and left.  I guess I am no country boy.

At Memorial we had 98 in attendance, of which 54 were deaf.  So we fell short of our goal of 100.  From our side of the river 14 deaf and 8 hearing went.  We were stressed about getting everyone there. We hired a bus, and called over and over again to make sure they were still going. We had so many that wanted to come that we had to ask one of the students, Imran, who has a car to drive.  We were relieved that he was happy help out. Well, picking everyone up went well.  The only hangup was that one deaf man wasn't ready, which didn't surprise us because we don't think he ever learned the calendar. We had tried to call his neighbor to tell him to get ready. But when he saw us, he hurriedly got ready and jumped in the bus.  

The Memorial started at 6 pm, so we started picking up people at 3:30.  We had the goal of having everyone picked up by 5.  That worked out perfect. But there was one problem.  To get to New Amsterdam, where the Memorial was taking place, you have to cross a bridge.  Everyday, this bridge closes for an hour and a half to allow boats to pass.  It was scheduled to open at 5:20 pm.  That would be fine, great we would arrive by 5:45.  Well, the bridge opened late.  It stayed closed waiting for a tug boat.  It finally opened at 6.  Needless to say, we were late.  As I was the speaker, everyone waited for us.  That makes for a rushed, stressful feeling as I was trying to deliver the most important talk of the year.  Oh well, the deaf all seemed to enjoy the Memorial.

Jaide brought snacks to give everyone on the bus so they would not be tempted by the bread being passed.  She fed everyone cheese crackers and banana bread. After the Memorial, they got oatmeal raisin cookies.

Guyanese word of the day:  dhol.  In a sentence, "get a dhol with me."  What does it mean?  No, it is not a foreign Barbie.  It means to quarrel or get in a argument.

Love,

G&J

B.O.

Hello Everyone,

Sign language section

How are you?  We are doing good.  Been real busy lately.  Yesterday, we had our Special Assembly Day.  The attendance was 888, including 22 deaf.   The whole program was interpreted.  That is a stressful job, both before and during the assembly.  Our friend, Brian, did a fabulous job organizing it all.  It made me appreciate having assemblies and conventions in full sign language. Also, there are no assembly halls in Guyana, so we rent a school hall.  This requires a lot of work.  Before the sessions, we are busy moving out all the desks, cleaning, and setting up all the chairs that have been trucked in from all the Kingdom Halls in the area.  After the program, since school starts the next day, we have to break everything down.  We load the chairs back in the trucks, clean the hall again and bring the desks and chalkboards back inside.  Jaide regretted wearing her heels which stick perfectly between the wood boards on the floor.  Thankfully, she managed to not fall on her face. Oh yeah, the hall we use is on the second floor.  We got a good work out loading and unloading the chairs.  I will never take an assembly hall for granted again.  Afterwards, some Missionaries and those who have moved to help where the need is greater got together for some encouragement and Chinese food.

Speaking of Chinese, recently, a group was established in Georgetown.  They have four Chinese unbaptized publishers and one baptized. If only, my Dad taught me some Chinese! Oh well, I'm pretty stuck to ASL anyway.

Jamacia & Niasha, deaf students

We are looking forward to the Memorial.  We have been trying to make sure all the deaf in our area are invited.  The goal is to have 100 deaf in attendance.  Last year, 69 deaf came.  We will let you know how many show up.  So, last week and this week we are explaining to, or reminding our students why the Memorial is so important.  Its a challenge to explain the concept to people with a limited language. We're beginning to learn how to simplify our teaching.  We are so thankful for having so many pictures in our publications. Also, the Great Teacher DVD's explanation is awesome.  I showed only half of  it to one student, and without me even telling her, she got the point and signed "Oh, we need to thank Jesus".  Fabulous!

The other day there was one of those moments that I will always remember.  We were on a minibus going to New Amsterdam.  We have talked about the joys of public transportation in Guyana, crowded, hot and frustrating.  It was a typical ride, the bus was full, yet they squeezed one more person in Jaide's row.  Making a Jaide sandwich, with two old Aunties on each side of her.  The driver was taking his sweet time, stopping to run errands every few minutes.  We stopped so he could air up his tires.  Jaide, who is in the row in front of me, turns her head ever so slowly with a sweet smile on her face.  I expect her to make a comment about needing patience.  Instead with that sweet smile still on her face, she finger spells B.O. (body odor) still with the smile on her face, she slowly turns to face forward again. I couldn't help but laugh.  Poor Jaide was literally stuck to a person with bad stink.   Another adventure in transportation in Guyana!

Guyanese word of the day: Sweet meats.  What is that?  Bacon dipped in syrup?  Honey glazed ham?  Chocolate covered grasshoppers?  No.  Translation: sweet pastries.  You know, they are like meats. . . I guess.

Love,
G&J

White Girl Don't Watch Cricket?

Practicing the sign language songs

Want to hear something funny (at my husband's expense, of course)? Remember Graem's amazing study with his student's deaf friend, Errol? Well, last week, we went back.  Graem was super excited to see that he was there again, ready to study.  We sit down and wait for him to come in.  He walks in and we wave hello. I'm curious how much sign he remembers.  Then he says, "Good afternoon. Would you like some guavas?" We tried to hold in our laughter and Graem, his embarrassment.  Errol is not deaf!! The week before, Graem had an amazing study with him and Renny.  He never voiced a thing and just signed. The crazy thing is, though, that Renny seemed surprised that Errol was talking too. I guess he is a great example for us to sign, not voice, when we are with deaf.  One sister says that Graem's not the only one to get the hearing and deaf confused. Another sister had a study for quite awhile before she found out that the deaf person was actually hearing.  From now on, we're thinking about implementing hearing tests when we start studies.

You fellow Americans, do you ever watch cricket?  Before coming to Guyana, I had no clue. I still don't understand it (honestly, though, I don't understand football either. Superbowl is all about half time nachos, anyway. Right?). It's baseball with a fat golf looking thing, right?  I'm beginning to think that we're the only ones that are just not into it.  The other day, a few guys delivered water to our house.  I had the TV on, watching the news.  As one guy passed me, he asked "White girl don't watch cricket?" At first, I thought "What white girl?" Oh yeah, that's me. Then, I thought, "Cricket? What? Come again."  By the time I processed his question, he was already in the truck driving away. Sometimes white girl, a little slow.

Sarah and Jaide enjoying ice cream

Yesterday, we went to the monthly ASL meeting in New Amsterdam.  Four deaf students and five hearing brothers and sisters accompanied us.  For three of the deaf, this was their first time to the meeting. All together, attendance was 68, including 30 deaf. It's always incredible to see deaf communicate freely with one another, even if they know limited ASL.  Another fabulous example for us hearing.  Don't be afraid to communicate, even if you don't have the same language. Even a hearing couple from Chile was there.  They are learning English, but still managed to answer in sign language.  Here, the important thing is not how you sign it, but that you tried.

Guyanese word of the day: boulanger.  Translation: eggplant.

If you are considering "stepping over into Macedonia", please email me.  We would love the help!

Love Jaide and Graem

Thats beautiful!

Phagwah people

Hello Everyone,

From left to right: Popo, Sharon and Vicky.  The boys are Bible students

How are you doing?  Living in Guyana we get exposed to an assortment of holidays that we have never heard of in the States.  The three major religions in Guyana, Muslim, Hindu and Christian, have like 3 national holidays each.  The Muslim and Hindu holidays are normally new to us.  For example, yesterday, Phagwah, a Hindu holiday.  It is the festival of colors.  People go around throwing buckets of water at each other.  Or they spray squirt guns with dyed water in it, or throw colored powder on you.  Sounds lovely right?  Before Sunday we were warned not to go out because we will get sprayed.  Then someone else told us not to worry about it, that they will respect us and leave us alone.  Well, Jaide got sprayed with red dye on the way to meeting and I got sprayed with blue dye out in the ministry in the afternoon.  No respect, I tell you.

I need to tell you about Renny's friend.  A little over a week ago, I went to Renny's study.  When we got there he excitedly introduced me to his friend, Errol.  Errol sat in on our Bible study.  He learned so fast.  He doesn't know sign language, but he picked it up quick.  He learned God's name in a snap.  We were discussing the Bible's promise of Paradise, and he was understanding everything.  He even pointed at a picture of Paradise and signed "beautiful."  After the Bible study had finished, I showed him the ASL alphabet and to how to fingerspell his name. It only took one time, and he had it.  You don't understand how amazing that is.  We have students that have been studying for months, some even years, who don't know how to fingerspell their name.  He even wrote his name in the exercise book and then under each letter drew the ASL letter hand shape.  Blew me away!  Normally I do that to help them learn their name.  I hope he will be able to sit in on more studies.  He seemed to really enjoy it.

Our Kingdom Hall flooded again.  That means thorough cleaning to disinfect the place.  It has been raining a lot.  Its a muddy mess every where.

Guyanese word of the day:  aawbee. (This is spelled phonetically)  Translation: we.

Love,
G&J

Me duh know she!

Hello Everyone,

Traffic jam with cows and sheep

How are you doing?  Some weeks writing the blog is a piece of cake.  Good. funny or exciting things have happened.  Other weeks, we sit down and have to struggle to have anything to write about.  When that happens you get blogs like last weeks, discussing my bowel problems (I am doing better, thank you very much).  But, this week I couldn't wait to write it.  Why?  Awesome ministry experiences.

We will start with Imran.  He used to study the Bible, but stopped probably around a year ago because of family opposition.  He and his family are Muslim.  His sister is deaf also, but when their family gave her a hard time she continued to study.  Jaide is studying with her and she is doing amazing.  Well, a couple of weeks ago Imran told Jaide that he wanted to talk to me.  After a couple attempts I finally met up with him.  We gaffed for a bit.  He told me I should start to work with him.  He would teach me how to cut

hair, and that we would make a good team.  Then he asked about the meetings.  I explained what's up with us interpreting the meeting into sign language and the last Sunday we have a full sign language meeting in New Amsterdam.  He said he wanted to go.  "Sweet!" I thought.  Next I asked," before you studied the Bible, then stopped, what's up?"  He explained his cousin and friends got mad at him and yelled at him.  So he stopped.  He said he had gone to the Muslim temple, but they don't teach him.  He then said, "I love Jehovah.  Muslim, Hindu, Christian Churches alright.  But, Jehovah I love."  I wanted to jump off that couch.  He then said, "I don't care if my cousin is mad. If my Mom calls (she lives in New York), I am deaf and I can't hear her."  This happened Tuesday and Thursday he surprised us by coming to meeting, along with his sister and cousin.  He was all smiles, nodding when he understood things.  After the meeting it was beautiful to see all the friends come up and meet them. This came at great time for us.  We were starting to feel down, because we haven't had any deaf come to meeting in awhile.  Jehovah again gave us what we need.

Its been raining like crazy!  All day yesterday, we make it to our Bible studies, battling the mud and
downpours.  I slept with long pants and a sweatshirt, and I was still cold.  Keep in mind, I've been in Guyana awhile. I know this 'freezing air' is nothing to you in New York or Canada.  This morning, we again ventured into the rain to go to market. I told Graem he can never complain about going to Winco again.  If he does, I will tell him it could be worse.  Each person could  be sopping wet, whipping around umbrellas that keep slapping you in the face.  By the time we got home, Graem looked like he stepped straight out of a shower with all his clothes on.

Guyanese expression of the day: If you want to speak like a true Guyanese person, you must remove some words from your vocabulary. These words are "I, her, and him".  You must replace them with "Me, she, he".  Examples: "Me duh know she." "That she book."

Please writes us some time,

Love J & G

I need a bathroom, you know.

Hello Everyone,

Deuces Ashtyn!

How are things?  We are doing good.  The time has come for Ashtyn to leave us.  She arrived January 5.  We have enjoyed having her here with us.  It is great to have help with Sign Language.  I know many of the friends here will miss her.  As Ashtyn will tell you, there is a lot of work that needs to be done in Guyana.  So, come on down!  Email me and let me know if your thinking about it.

Sign Language class

Saturday afternoon, Jaide, Ashtyn and I were on a Bible study with a couple.  It was going really well when suddenly, a wave of pain swept over me, and I broke out sweating.  To quote Brian Reagan, "my insides seemed like they wanted to be on my outsides."  Something I had eaten wanted out of my body, in a bad way.  So here is the dilemma, ask to use their toilet or ride 5 minutes back to our house.  Using their toilet is a risk, because maybe they don't have toilet paper, or their toilet doesn't flush properly, which are both common problems.  Both could cause another embarrassing situation.  Or do I try to make the ride home?  Of course, no Starbucks or McDonald's toilets here.  If shops and restaurants have a "toilet", it is a wall outside. I decide to try to make it to our house.  I try to make my exit. Of course, its not that easy.  They are insisting that I have a soda that they bought for us, and Jaide is asking me why. "Did you forget something?", she asks.  "Why are you going home?"  At the same time I am trying to get out of waiting for a soda.  I thank them and tell them I don't need it and that I REALLY need to get home.  They're not having it.  I don't want to offend them, so I wait for the drink and pat my stomach and tell Jaide, "I don't feel good and I NEED to go home."  Jaide said I didn't look so good.  She said my veins were popping out of my head.  I get the soda and down it as fast as I can and after a few minutes I am off.  Now, about 100 feet down there path on my bike I am starting to doubt my decision.  I am afraid I am not going to make it home.  I think the exerting of peddling the bike isn't helping matters. I need to move and move fast if I am going to make it home "safely." I don't think I have ever ridden that fast.  All people saw was a white flash.  Alas, me and my sensitive stomach made it home in time.  Disaster averted! Maybe next time, I will pack some toilet paper and imodium.

Let me update you on how Renny is doing.  I wrote about Renny a couple of months ago.  He is probably my best Bible study right now.  We are studying the DVD 'You can be God's Friend'. He is getting it.  We will understand a little of the DVD, then I will pause and ask him "it what?"  Most times he tells me, "I don't understand."  So we begin to explain the point with use of pictures and drawing.  After he seems to get it,  then we watch it again.  Normally,  he gets it then.  Right now we are studying the Paradise earth and what the Bible promises it will be like.  Its wonderful to see him get it.  Here is an example of a typical answer to a question about the Paradise earth, "Earth change to beautiful all over, people eat, eat, eat fat.  Hungry no."  To teach him the concept of change we drew a picture of an old, dirty shirt and a nice, new shirt.  We asked, "If you are working in the yard and have the dirty, old shirt on, then want to go to the Kingdom Hall what do you do?  Change shirts".  Then we draw under the old shirt a picture of the world today, and under the nice, new shirt a picture of the Paradise earth.  From there he got the concept pretty easy.  It is a fun study.  He has a funny habit of shaking your hand almost every time he understands a point.  Also, he likes to hug.  Which is fine, I don't mind, I just wish he would shower before we come.

Guyanese expression of the day:  "you know".  It seems that a common habit is to end your sentence with you know.  'Its hot you know', 'I already did that you know'.  Little Pheobe in Orealla is 3yrs old and would give us pretend food and tell us, "its hot you know."  So cute.  Or in my case, "I need a toilet you know."

Love,
G&J

      

The cha cha slide

Hello Everyone,

The cha cha slide

How are things?  We are doing good.  Sunday night we went to a going away party for a missionary couple that are moving to a new assignment on the other side of Guyana.  It was a fun gathering.  Good food, fun games, laughter and of course, the cha cha slide.  You see, it wouldn't be a Guyanese Witness party without the cha cha slide.  "What is the cha cha slide?  You ask.  Its a song/dance.  The song basically is a man talking over music and telling you what dance move to do.  The dance is like an electric slide of sorts.  How many times did they play the cha cha slide Sunday night?  Three times!  Thats right, the cha cha slide song was played three times.  I will be honest, I danced it two times.  And coming in second for the most played song of the night was Shakira's "Waka Waka."  This song is hugely popular in Guyana.  When we first arrived it was playing everywhere.  People had Waka Waka written on everything.  I tried to do the dance for it like everyone else, but my hips do not move like Shakira's.

Don't be fooled by his cuteness, he wanted to bite me

Yesterday, we spent most of the day at a wonderful couples house, Tom and Michele Sanches.  They are former Missionaries that are currently serving in Guyana on their own.  Tom is like the modern day Apostle Paul.  He goes on there preaching trips into the interior of Guyana, reaching villages that have never had a Jehovah's Witness visit before.  He has gone to 37 different villages.  He trips last from 2 weeks to a month.  He was telling us about his last trip.  All the other brothers that were going to go with him couldn't make it for one reason or another.  So Tom went at it alone.  He took 2 changes of clothes, a hammock, bug net, bleach for water, some toiletry things and boxes of literature.  Thats it!  No food, no water.  Now, for you who have been to Guyana you know how traveling around the Country can be a pain.  Smelly, cramped. uncomfortable, time consuming, leaving you exhausted.  And that is just around the developed areas.  Well Tom is going deep into the bush.  He planned on using a motorcycle but after a day, he realized the roads were far to bad.  What was he going to do?  Deep in the interior there is not a steady route of transportation.  Plus, to travel village to village is expensive, averaging $50-$100 US per trip.  What was he to do?  Jehovah provided.  People gave him free rides all along the way.  Now that $50 fare gets you what?  A spot on an ATV(quad) with 4 other people and supplies.  Travel was not easy.  A 30 hour boat ride, later a 17 hour boat ride, 5 hour plus ATV rides crowded with people and supplies and bush truck trips riding in the back with tanks of Gasoline.  He also had to help push vehicles and get them unstuck.  One time he went three days with no food.  Two times, a two day period with no food.  But he reached all this villages and found people who never heard of Jehovah God.  People thirsting for spiritual truths.  Awesome experiences!

Guyanese expression of the day: just now.  This is probably one of the most common expression you will hear in Guyana. When someone tells you "just now", you know it could be any where from 5 minutes to hours, even days at times.  So when someone tells you, "he'll be back just now."  Don't hold your breath.

Love,
G&J

"Is it really worth it?"

Hello Everyone,

The boat with the plank & dead sheep

How are you?  As we took shelter from the rain and wind, watching the boat we were going to spend the next 6 hours on being tossed by the waves, rocking back and forth like a giant was playing with it, that was the question that crossed my mind.  Is it really worth it?  To board the boat you actually had to walk the plank.  There was a piece of wood laying from the concrete on land to the boat.  You had to walk it as the boat tossed to and fro.  Oh, and the bonus, in the water below the plank, a floating dead sheep.  Don't fall.  At least you would have a flotation device.  And as it was Ashtyn's turn to go, a large spider appeared at the top rim of the boat. Let's just say we're happy she's still here to talk about it. We all made it on safe.  Wet and anxious, yes, but hoping it would get better, and it did.  The rain stopped, and once we got out from land, the water was super calm.  Just 6 hours in a hammock, slipping in and out of sleep watching the jungle scenery pass us by.

Once we arrived, we stayed at the house behind the Kingdom Hall.  Some friends of ours live there, Travis & Kristian, along with a local sister and her daughter, Shereen & Phoebe.  The house is actually the local sister's home, but friends stay there all the time.  We had a great time with all of them.  Phoebe is 3 years old, so cute and smart.  She had us all laughing.  She even gave me licks a few times.

The picture doesn't do it justice

Saturday morning we got to see what Orealla looks like.  In a word, beautiful.  The village is built on a hill.  If you go to the top of the hill you have amazing views.  It just happened that is where we worked in the Ministry.  Ministry was fun.  Orealla is an Amerindian village.  Most Amerindians are hard working humble people, easy to share Bible thoughts with.  After service and Bible studies, we cleaned the Kingdom Hall.  I attempted to cut the grass the Guyanese way, with a machete.  I failed.  At least the brothers and sisters got a good laugh at watching me attempt to do it.

Sunday, we had meeting.  The Congregation has 11 publishers, but we had 40 at meeting.  Including a old uncle that is blind and can't walk to well.  A brother brought him to the Kingdom Hall in a wheelbarrow.  What an example of appreciating Spiritual things!  The friends are all so kind and appreciative.  One brother has a farm and brought some amazingly juicy and sweet watermelons.  After meeting, Jaide and Ashtyn did some studies and I, well I went fishing.  They have peacock bass.  I have always wanted to catch one.  It didn't happen.  But we did see a anaconda's head.  Not a big one, Travis and I tried to lift it out with sticks, but he escaped.    

Now, coming to Orealla the boat was not crowded at all.  But on the way home, that was a different story.  I think Jaide described it best.  She said she felt "like a refugee on a boat."  We were packed in there like sardines, tarps covering the sides as if they are hiding us.  Jaide and Ashtyn had people touching them on 3 sides of them at least.  Right, left and on top.  Jaide had some dude's and Ashtyn's feet in her face, and Ashtyn had some guy right on top of her.  The worst was when we hit some rough water and the hammocks went swaying, knocking us into each other, like balls on a pendulum.  One guy was swinging so hard I thought he would fly out.  Good thing Jaide's hip broke his swing. I had to hang my hammock on the bottom.  But, I still had people and luggage all around me.  Funny thing about hammocks, the longer your're in it, the more it stretches.  So, by the end of the trip, the girls and the people around them were one big lump of hammocks.  And I was laying on the ground. I thought about getting up and tightening my hammock but I couldn't stand up because someone was right above and there were people sleeping on the ground all around me.  We boarded the boat around 8pm, left the dock a little after 9pm and didn't arrive until 5am.  I felt like a hot dog inside of a hot dog bun by the end of the trip.  I just wanted to get out of the hammock.

Is it really worth it?  Absolutely!  Would we do it again?  Absolutely!  Its great to experience the love in Jehovah's Organization. Doesn't matter where you go on earth, from the biggest city to a small village in a rain forest in Guyana, you have family that love you.  Beautiful!

Love,

G&J

Sorry, no Miracle Healings

Hello Everyone,

How's it going?  We are doing good.  We are headed off to a village named Orealla today.  We go to Skeldon, then take a 6 hour boat ride up a river into the interior of Guyana.  On the boat ride you hang your hammocks and lay in them.  Now, I hear it is important to arrive early so you can hang your hammock high.  You don't want any one above you.  Why?  How can I put this nicely, hammocks don't mask the odor when someone passes gas.  I have heard stories of friends who went to Orealla and had a low hammock and the array of smells they endured.

Last Sunday was our zone visit.  You see, all the branches of of Jehovah's Witnesses in the world get a visit every year to encourage us. All the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses were invited.  There are a little over 2,500 Witnesses in Guyana.  But, at the Zone visit we had over 5,000, including 60 deaf.  We learned that there are 11 deaf publishers and 6 baptized deaf in Guyana.  The visit was held out a outdoor cricket stadium.  It only has some areas covered with an overhang.  Now, before going, my concern was how hot it would be with the sun beating down on us, I didn't even think about the possibility of rain until the night before.  Guess what?  It rained on us.  No one left. Some moved and stood up top under the canopy, but everyone stayed.  You could feel the air turn cool and see the rain approaching.  As it got close, everyone opened their umbrellas.  It was a sea of umbrellas, opening and closing, almost on tune. Sometimes, we couldn't see anything, but still could hear.  Of course still got a little wet, but had a great time.  We saw some old friends we had not seen in 3 years.  On the way home, a quick stop at KFC for some ice cream, then on the road again.  

Its pretty funny how often people think we trying to meet deaf people to perform a miracle.  As we search, time and again people say, "You are trying to meet deaf people, why?  You going to heal them?"  You see, "miracle healings", are a big thing in Guyana.  Many people claim they have been miraculously cured of a hodgepodge of ailments.  You see Churchs advertising "miracle services."  People even leave Hinduism and Islam because a Christian Church healed them of something.  So when they ask, I should start telling them, "For us to teach someone the Bible who has no language, and at the same time teach them a language, that will take a miracle."  

Guyanese word of the day:  See picture.  

Love,

G&J