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
