Guyana 2010 District Convention

So it’s that time again already! It’s hard to believe that we’ve been here a year already and its time again for the district convention. I’m sure most of you have already had your conventions but sadly we had a long wait this year. Still, it was worth it!

This year would be a little different than last year in a few ways. Aside from it being a different theme this year, the brothers tried but were unable to get the same venue. So we had to settle for one farther away and with much less seating. Another difference is that this year we have been blessed with a great deal of thunder and rainstorms! So add that to a cricket field with poor drainage and you have a very wet and swampy venue.

But thankfully here Guyana the old adage held true, “Where there’s a Will, there’s a Way!” So with a little creativity and a lot of help, the brothers were able to turn what could have been a very messy convention into one that was more than suitable, and as always, would bring praise to Jehovah.

The preparations started on Tuesday morning with basic cleaning, and in the afternoon quite a few more showed up to help with the more serious work of setting up the stage and building platforms undercover for people to sit.

- - Michelle Cleaning - -

- - "Super Boy" Doin a great Job - -

- - Setting Up Stage - -

- - Josh Westfall (Left) Working Hard after Just Ariving on a Red-Eye Flight the day before! - -

There was also a great deal of mud that has washed in underneath the bleachers. A large army of sisters came together and were able to thoroughly clean it all out! Next to the bleachers there was also a large covered area that the brothers wanted to use for extra seating but we had to clear out a lot of wood and a huge metal roller. It probably weighed 2 tons but with 20 brothers on it we rolled it out of the way with little effort.

One of the biggest problems was creating suitable pathways for people to walk on. Although it looked solid, the ground was very slushy and wet. So the brothers were able to find some very long 2x12 boards built bridges between the bleachers. They also built a long bridge to reach the stage, which was stationed in the middle of the muddy field. This seemed very cleaver to us foreigners but keep in mind, most Guyanese cant leave their houses without crossing some kind of plank or wooden bridge. This idea is used everywhere!

- - Walking the Plank! - -

So now everyone could reach the stage and seating without having to walk in the mud, but there was still the problem of the drama. The stage would not be near big enough for the drama, and normally it would be played out right in front of the stage. But as mentioned, the ground was a mess, so the brothers had several truckloads of sand brought in on Thursday to create mud free areas to walk on. Yes the sand got everywhere but it was much much better than getting mud everywhere! They also spread the sand over a large area to set up overflow seating under two large tents.

- - How Close can you get to the Baptism Pool? - -

- - With Very Narrow Walkways Traffic Jams were very Common - -

So it was a situation that was bringing dread to many but the problems were solved quickly and efficiently. When the time came for the convention everything proceeded smoothly, and the rain even stopped! It only rained once during lunchtime on Saturday.

- - Me and Josh Dorris from Kwakwani. A New and Remote Congregation in a Remote part of Guyana. He's the only Brother in the Cong and he's Begging for Help! - -

- - Us and the Primus family. If You've been reading this Blog, Alton (Far Right) is the one that has led several Preaching Expeditions in the Vast interior of Guyana - -

Attending our convention were a few families that had made a four-day journey from Lethem to be there. As I mentioned previously there has been a great deal of rain here in Guyana, and even more in the interior where Lethem is. So the many miles of dirt road into the interior were constantly being washed out. This had made transportation very difficult, and nearly impossible for the average person trying to get out of Lethem. But these eight brothers and sisters were determined not to miss the convention this year. The group included the Primus family, the Spencer Family and one other sister. Despite the odds they started searching for anyone that could get them there. They did find one person but he kept delaying the trip for a whole week. Keep in mind these families had to travel and stay in Lethem while waiting for the truck to leave, but their homes are about 14 miles outside the city. So while they were waiting for this truck all of their crops were rotting away and they lost most of them. This is a huge sacrifice as their crops are their livelihood.

Sadly the truck driver delayed for too long and they couldn’t make it to the first convention. Their only hope now was to make it to the Second convention, which was comming up next the week. So they made their arrangements again for the following week and were able to find a truck last minute who was leaving on Monday out of Lethem. The road was in terrible shape and at some spots everyone had to get out of the truck and walk along a riverbank to get across. One sister even fell into the river at one point but she was ok. At other parts the road was so soft that brother Primus had to walk ahead of the truck, in the rain and check for holes in the road.

As the road led deeper into the jungle they came to a steep decline where two other bush trucks were stuck in the mud. These are very large and heavy trucks, one was across the road blocking it and another just behind. They worked together and tried to pull the first truck out of the way but as they were pulling it, the second truck slid down and got stuck next to the first one. So now there were no trucks left to pull with! By this time it was getting dark so they slung up hammocks in the back of the truck to sleep. Alton noticed that the sisters were tired and feeling discouraged since everything was going wrong. So Alton started telling them stories of preaching expeditions they had been on with even worse conditions. He explained that they always found a way out, and that Jehovah would help them get out of this problem too. Eventually they all dropped off to sleep.

In the morning they woke up early and Re-evaluated the situation. Without another truck their only hope was to try to dig out the first truck and hope the tires could get some traction to move. So the brothers started digging, but not long after starting they heard another truck coming up the road. It was a heavy road grater! In less than an hour it pulled all three of the trucks out of the ditch and they were on their way again!

- - Bush Truck - -

After a few more hours of driving they reached the ferry crossing. Everyone was very hungry at this point after almost two full days of travel. Alton remembered craving some Boiled Fish, and after they crossed the river the rest stop there happened to have Boiled Fish! Yum! So they all ate and slept there for the night.

- - Ferry Crossing - -

The rest of the trip went fairly smooth compared to the beginning; they started early on Wednesday and drove the entire day. Since they were only half-way through the entire trip it was unlikely they would make it to Georgetown by dark. And the driver said normally he never made it all the way to Georgetown from the ferry in one day. But for some reason this time everything moved along so smoothly that they arrived to the branch that evening! Of course all the brothers and sisters were such a mess from riding on the back of the bush truck down muddy roads for four days. (Keep in mind that the dirt on the way to lethem is very red and gets everywhere!) They had only a few changes of clothes and all of them were soiled. As you may know the JW Branches have a strict dress code for visitors, so the families felt so embarrassed that they didn’t want to come in! But the branch overseer, brother Hinds, came out and brought them in. He said they had visitors from out of the country using the spare room right now or else he would have them go up and stay. So Alton asked if they had a hose outside that they could use to clean up with. (Keep in mind, many families in Lethem are accustomed to washing in rivers or under a tap, but they have nothing, like the tiled showers in the Branch, with steaming hot water!) Brother Hinds exclaimed “No! You can use my room to wash up!” This seemed like too much to these brothers and they refused to go up. But after a lot of insisting they gave in and went up to the rooms. Alton said he wasn’t used to the fancy showers “with all these different buttons!” and he almost burned himself when the hot water came on! After they all finished one sister offered to put their clothes in the washing machine. Again they didn’t understand what she meant, so the sister took them around showed them. Alton laughed and said “You should have thrown us all in THIS machine to wash us!” They all got a kick out of that.

So the eight visitors from Lethem got to attend all three days of the Convention and they were amazed at the Drama on Sunday, at how much it reminded them of their situation. They had to abandon their business for weeks and lost a lot of money from it. They had to leave short notice to finally catch the truck and could hardly bring anything with them, not even food! Plus they had worries about whether to give up and go back home, or to keep going. But in the end they were certain they made the right choice. And they felt that it was only by Jehovah that they were successful.

- - Families from Lethem - -

It was nice to hear for the last talk of the convention some experiences related. And one of them was about Eight brothers and sisters from the distant village of Lethem, who traveled Four Days to be at the convention. After the experience there was a hearty applause, and after the session everyone came over to meet them and give encouragement. It really is a privilege to hear about the amazing dedication and faith so many show in getting to the meetings and assemblies, and it always makes us pause and ask ourselves, “How much do I really value these provisions from Jehovah?” “Would I be willing to sacrifice that much to be in attendance?”

- - Trash Compactor? In Guyana we Burn our Garbage! - -

- - Ladder? Did I say the Guyanese are Inovative? - -

- - Drama Characters - -