Tuesday, November 8, 2011

1 Corinthians 11:23-27

In that scripture, the Apostle Paul related some of the many hardships and sufferings he had to endure in his foreign ministry (ie. shipwreck, beatings, muggings, ect).

Not that i would compare anything I have experienced to this account (for instance I am now sitting in a AC coffee shop using free wifi to write this post...the coffee of the day was ethiopian organic) nor would i dare compare anything I have accomplished to this anointed elder of the Bible. But some recent experiences added to other experiences in the bush a few years back make me giggle a little. If I were relating my much smaller "hardships" it would go something like this:

I have been car-wrecked, stranded on the road, broken down, beaten by cows, drilled by immigrations, sun-burned, in sleepless nights because of mosqiotos, because of heat, because of cold, rained on, without food, without water,parasites in the intestions, in jorneys often, in dangers in the cities, in dangers from rivers, in dangers in the jungle, and arrested.

Car-wrecked? Cows? Arrested? Yes!

I decided that I could make life a little easier by getting some sort of personal tranportation, and for the most part, it did...



However, on the road, you have to compete with cars, semis, insane taxi and bus drivers, bicycles, children, people who dont care enough to look before crossing a highway, plus chickens, goats, sheep, dogs, and cows. Traffic moves along at about 50-80 MPH.



Drivers are very aggressive. It's like NY on steroids. So you can see the 'trickiness.'


I drove to an assembly in Georgetown, staying with a special-pioneer brother in the area. On Sunday afternoon, i decided to go home rather than spend another night there. I left before six, but it gets totally dark by 6, so soon it was night. I was driving on a part that has no lights, so i reduced speed a little. Without any notice, a black/dark  brown cow runs onto the road and BAM, before I can even apply the brakes I collide with the cow. The bike flipped foward and both me and the bike met the road.


Fortunitly, a group of men hanging outside a nearby house witnessed the entire incendent, and came running to my aid. They help me and push the bike into the yard. They give me a hose to clean up with. The one who lives there used to study with the brother I stayed with, and gladly gave me a ride to his house.

Once I get there, I realize that my entire shoulder, side, wrist, leg, and ankle are scraped/burnt/bruised and decide to go to the hospital. My host scrambled trying to figure out who could get us there, or what taxi he could call when the phone rang. A study happened to call, one who has a mini-bus. As soon as he was informed to what was going on...he rushed to pick me up, take me 20 miles to the hospital, went in with me, and took me back without accepting anything in return.


A sister works at the local hospital near my house so I was able to go in everyday to get dressings, bandages, medication and everything. And medical care here is FREE to the public.

Me with in service with Issac...some bandages peaking through.


Another intersesting thing happend the other day on what should of been a routine trip to Georgetown. A brother bought a used car, and asked me to help him go and do some of the legal paperwork. It was a registered taxi, and needs to be changed to a private vehicle. So I drive us in his car to the city to go to the different offices.

Mistakenly, I turn north on a southbound one-way street and am met with one lane of trafic bearing down on me, causing a rather disrputive traffic jam. My only choice is to reverse back to the cross street and go around. Of course who is also backed up the the line of cars but a bus full of police. They came chasing after me, and I thought I was in for a very well deserved traffic ticket.

After yelling at me for a while, the do the typical check of liscence and registration and so on. But apparently, as I do not have a taxi licence, I can't even drive that vehicle (we were literally in front of the place to change it, the brother had already went inside).

Upon discovering this, they exclaimed "you are going to Brickdam Police Station!" and arrest me to take me into the station. I tried to explain that the owner of the vehicle is inside, so we could simply get him to clear it up. In fact, how would he know where I went. Naturally, everyword from me, the criminal, made them even angrier. So one of them yelled to all of the street "If anyone asks, the white man was arrested and taken to Brickdam! See, he'll figure out where you went."

So off I go to the station to wait for the brother to come and clear it up. He does finally arrive, but they arrest him too. They require that we pay bail to leave, and go to court later in the week. And as before, every word makes a very irritable senoir officer even more grumpy (even if that includes legal documents stating that the vehicle has been approved for transfer to private use, the hire car liscence has been canceled, ect) so, with the help of some friends that we called, we simply pay our bail and prepare for the consenquences later.

(It should be noted that we were technically, although unknowingly, at odds with this traffic law and the officers were simply doing there job as the law requires them to. Also, they weren't charging me for obviously going the wrong way on the street. There isn't much reason to think ill of them.)

Finally, the next day a brother who knows everyone working there went in and a managed to get all of the charges dropped! To get by around here, you have to 'know' people in high places!

A Guyana Police Station


On the other hand, what good things are there to report? Is it worth it? Certainly...

The reason for doing anything in Jehovah's service isn't excitement and advendture. It is about people, both in the congregation and in the field.

One study witnesses to his workmates and neighbors. He uses scriptures to refute the trinity and show that most good people live on earth. And he is a hindu! He wants to legalize his marriage and start attending meetings regularly. He says he has already made up his mind about serving Jehovah. Here he is at a meeting...


About four attend meetings,  including Vikash...



One has even expressed desire to get babtized next year.


So whatever chalenges we meet, it worth it. So let's all keep on truckin'!



Mom, Isaac and I at the Kingdom Hall



Georgetown







Wednesday, December 1, 2010

HOPETOWN

Me at the world famous (or imfamous) Hopetown Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses


Hello, sorry I do not really keep in good contact, even with tools like this. Soon everyone in Ohio will forget who I am. So here is an update...

I am currently serving in the Hopetown Congregation, where I have been since November 2009. It has been very enjoyable spending all this time in one place, as I have seen the congregation and individuals grow and improve.

Hopetown has grown to have over 70 publishers. These publishers have over 140 bible studies each month, so there is a lot more potential.

When I first went to Hopetown there were 1 elder and 2 servants. Now there are 2 elders and 5 servants, so there is a nice improvement there. While that my seem like a small number of appointed men, it is really quite a lot for this branch. In fact, it might be the most in this circuit, or close to it. There are only 120 elders and 90 servents in the entire country of Guyana, spread out over more than 40 congregations. So that is really the major need here, as there aren't enough to go around. There are vast territories that are mostly unworked with no groups or congregations, but who could serve there?


There are also 12 regulare pioneers in Hopetown plus 2 special pioneers, so thats very good.


Because most brothers do not have personal transportation, it is practical to meet in the territory to be worked that day, rather than at the Kingdom Hall or a fixed location. We would all work that territory together, even if the group is large.

One of my assignments is to post where the service groups are for the week on the board at every meeting. Some randome funny examples of where I might assign the meetings...

Monday-   Hardware Store Street, Bath

Wednesday-   Big Tree, #11 Village

Friday-   Bus Shed, #8 Village



Typical Meeting for Field Service on the street
 
Sam and I doing return visits
Group preching in front of a Masjid, or Mosque

I have enjoyed some progressive bible studies this year. One of my first studies was Carleton. Even though he is really really shy and quiet, he built up the strength to join the school. Now he is excited to be a publisher. He was incredibly nervous, but his first assignment was smooth as silk. Now he is getting over his shyness and began asking brothers bible questions after the meetings.
 Carleton on the left, with brother Kepler


I will have more updates later and some more info about Guyana...it might not be like you picture it...

Cheers,

Micaiah Young

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Convention

The convention for Guyana circuit 1A (including Hopetown congregration) was held on August 16-18 at the Rose Hall Welcome Center, located in an area called East Canje in Berice. Only ten congregations were assigned, but the peak attendance was 1332, well over double the amount of publishers. It was one of two in this Branch.

PICTURES!

An overall view of the seating at the venue...


The stage...as you see, all outdoors, meaning no A/C.


Could you sit here for three days?


Fifteen were babtized, 15 sisters and 0 brothers. This included 2 from Hopetown.

The weather didn't cooperate when preparing the convention site. The rain poured all week, turing the place into a mudhole. Many brothers worked hard to make walkways and spread sand to combate the mud. The wind of these storms also threatened the stage, but they were able to repair it.


Some endured some hardships to make it to the convention. For instance, many delgates were from the isolated Orealla congregation. The trip to East Canje involves a 8 hour ride on a boat down river (small cargo boat, no seats or facilities) and traveling by bus for over an hour. The trip could have also been very cost prohibitive for the brothers of that native village. But they were happy to be there and for the rare oppurtunity to associate with brothers from other congregations


The "Ann Maria" boat to Orealla


Brothers from Lethem also attended the convention. They were able to go to the one in Georgetown because heavy rainfall caused the "highway" the Lethem to become impassable. But they didn't want to miss the program all together.

So eight brothers and sisters braved the road conditions and decided to travel to Berbice. The road was still in poor condition so it took them FOUR DAYS to get to Georgetown. Not for days in a nice car or bus, but four days sliding and boucing around in the back of a "bush" truck and wading though mud. A sister picked them up in Georgetown and took them to Berbice.

I asked one of the brothers about the trip. He said, "it is a priviledge to be here." They didn't know when or how they would return home, but they didn't worry becuase they made it the the convention.


The "Highway"

If this like works, you can see where in the world the convention was...
The venue is directly in the center.

That's it for now, but more to come soon!