Fun filled action packed weekend hence the big blog !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello to you all.

Well this is a blog full of everything.  So we have our 1 day assembly so no meeting thursday.  So we decided to have a random dance party.  To teach the kids some of the US line dancing.

 It was so much fun.  Our plan was to do popcorn and snacks and drinks.  Well 2 fab cooks in our hall made some yummy dishes.  

We had fried plantain called bakabani with a scrummy peanut satay sauce and guyanese chicken curry and dahl puri.  Kind of like a flatbread filled with crushed spiced dahl.  Mmmmmmmm.  You eat it with your fingers.  And we danced the night away and then the boys played baseball and soccer(football) and just laughed alot.

Then friday am a bus full from skeldon joined the ranks of cleaners at the assembly grounds.  So we were assigned to clean the whole upper seating area.  Oh yeah that means sweeping with our TWIGS.  Then wiping all the walls and benches to clean off the geko and bat poop then mop all the floors.

Its me I promise.  Be glad Im blurred after
all the cleaning I did in the hot sun. Not a
pretty sight

Then the brothers had to build and then paint our contribution boxes from giant egg boxes

Our secretary Sateesh needed to take a 5 for a moment and then back to work

Everything had to be set up for the baptism pool and the deaf translation 

Our happy helpers.  Its there anniversary tomorrow so they are even more happy

My lovely friends tom and michelle

What a fabulous 1 day assembly.  All about Gods word exerts power.  Especially with our new bible too.  So fab.  We had 8 new sisters baptised too which was so lovely including a new sister from our hall.  I had 7 studies there.  So nice.  My new study donella and lisa who is a 7th day Adventist and who loved the whole day and both took notes and my lovely family from Crabwood creek.  John tina and their 3 boys.  They only could come for the morning but said they loved it all.  Cost them a full weeks wage to make the journey.  

Then we were invited to a "need greater party" that night.  Now remember our dance party on thursday.  Well guyanese by nature are shy so its a bit of a battle to get them on the dance floor.  WEll for need greaters that is not a problem at all.  So we had great food, scrummy puds and dance dance dancing all night long. YEAH

THEN TO SUNDAY

So we went to splashmin which was about 4 1/2 hours away.  Had a great day.  Its black water unlike the milky coffee coloured 63 beach ocean.  And the water was cooler and really refreshing.  So we had a great day.  Nice white beach.  Yummy food and some little extras to keep us warm after being in the water hehehehe.  

We never left the water all day really.  

Then after a trip to a amusement arcade it was home again.  Driving back slow and steady in the dark dodging donkeys and cows and a huge pig along the way. Something I take for granted is going up a escalator.  Well they had one in the arcade and a few of our guyanese sisters didnt know what to do.  They had never seen one before.  Makes me realise what I take for granted.

So what a fun filled weekend.  Spiritual blessings and a lot of congregation fun and association.  How blessed I am to be here and be part of this beautiful congregation.

Hope I havent bored you all too much.

Lots of love Me

Our ministry group!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Howdee 

Just wanted to share with you all a little bit about our ministry group.  Yesterday Wednesday 16th was a muslim holiday here in guyana.  So all tuesday on service we saw bulls tied up outside of some muslim households.  They slaughter it (poor thing) to signify the sacrifice with abraham and issac.

So about the ministry wednesday being a holiday we had a great group.  I know back in the UK you had a special effort for the new magazines for october on saturday.  Hope it went well for you all.  Well we have now 82 publishers and we had 53 out on field service.  That was so encouraging.  And alot of children came out too which was so lovely to see.  And we were surrounded by dark clouds and it rained on and off all morning but it didnt dampen our spirits at all.  

But our meeting for field service we had to have some preparation from the elders in case we are offered some beef by the householder.  Again before guyana I have never had that experience.  One more for the memory book.

Just something small but wanted to share it with you all.  

Hope you are all ok and managing to stay warm as winter creeps in.  Its not quite as hot as it was in August and september.  As I said about the rain the "rainy season" is around december but almost everyday now we get a downpour so its coming along.  By december it will be a bit cooler especially on the evenings.  When I say cooler I mean probably high 70's but still that is cool for here.

Bye for now

Nat

PS sorry there are no pics this time but rain was too bad to get my camera out on wednesday.

Our new bible

Hey guys

Just a little note to say how exciting it is to use your new bible out in service.  Today was my first day out since sunday as I have been helping a need greater sister out with packing and things.  Well today I turned up for our group with my "silver sword" as my good italian friend put it in my hand.  Our group was huge.  About half the congregation it seemed.  And all were so so excited to be using our new beautiful gift.

I feel so privileged to be using it in my assignment here in Guyana.  WE have such amazing ministry as I gush about many times but due to the respect for the bible I was able along with my partner shelly to use it so much just this morning and it was so so great.  Then the bus home all of us bro and sis were buzzing about what scriptures we read.  WE are carrying our bibles like they are gold or should I say precious silver.  

Im sure all of you that have received your bible are having similar experiences in the field and also with study and meeting preparation too.

Have a great week.  Got to go now.  Heading out on studies.  That will be a bit harder.  Explaining why we have a different bible now to the students.  Cant wait till we get our first shipment of bibles to help the students too.  They are going to love reading a bible in more clear language too.

Have a great week guys

Love Nat xx

SUPER SPIRITUAL WEEKEND

Hello all.

Hope you have all had a great weekend.  For those reading in UK hope you all had a great time at the AGM.  And for those reading in the US hope you enjoyed the Annual meeting.  Sorry if any couldn't make it but I'm sure you will get to hear all of the nice experiences over the next few days and weeks.

Many of you were surprised to hear that even in guyana we can get the AGM.  WEll we are the only english speaking country in south america so we had the privilege of being invited.  And a even better plus is that the whole of guyana is invited.  So aslong as there is internet signal I hope all of the country got to enjoy it.  Not quite as formal as you all had it Im sure.  No ticket or seat assignment as you can see from the pictures but all the same amazing spiritual food.  

And for being a 3rd world country we didnt have
any interruptions or breaks at all hehehehe

So happy to get our special gift from Jehovah.  A true historical moment

First scripture opened with our new bible

So the congregation that we went to was palmyra.  About 1 hour down the coast of berbice.  So we were joined by Fyrish congregation.  4 other halls had their AGM on saturday too.  What a truly historic special event.  Hard to believe by the end of the weekend 1 1/2 million brothers and sisters all over the world in the english field will be at home with their new beautiful GREY bibles.  Our bus journey home was just noise noise noise with everyone reading their changed sometimes favourite scriptures.  How amazing.  So our AGM was a bit different to yours back in the UK and USA.  All baptised and unbaptised were invited and their children and there was no badges and seats assigned.  So the hall is too small for usual cong meetings so as with many guyanese KH they built an extension on the side.  Only covered with a tin roof and no walls.  So that is where I sat with my new roomie melinda.  We had a lovely breeze and were near the TV.  So the sun was shining and I had a breeze and was surrounded by palm trees whilst watching the fantastic presentation by the mega funny GB brothers back in the US.  They are so so lovely.  How privileged we are to of got to know them better through their lovely talks.  

Cant wait to hear all your AGM experiences too and how your fav scrips may of changed and all your new studying.  I know for sure we dont have any excuse to find something to do for family and personal worship now eh.  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Im so excited still.

I also wanted to share with you some of the ministry hi lights this past week.  Remember my last blog about our special start of the service year pioneer meeting our cong had.  Well so far at least 1 sister has a pioneer form and I know of 5 that are really considering it which is so great for our hall.  And this week all of them have started more than 2 studies each so Jehovah is showing them how happy he is too by directing them to interest in our territory.  Also the studies that jen left behind are doing so so well.  The 2 school girls she left with a sister are loving their studies.  They are ready after school each week brochure in hand.  And they have little brothers who now have studies in the Learn from the great teacher and bible story book.  2 other sisters got studies that jen started on first call in her final days in guyana and both are doing so well.  The sisters are now counting them as official studies so that is so lovely.  She left me with debbie.  A lovely mother and wife who chose lesson of the good news brochure. She is really enjoying her study and asks after jen all the time.  So hello Jen from debbie.

We have our one day assembly the end of this month and then on the sunday our cong is planning a day trip to a water park.  Well I say water park but its well erm deep holes dug in the ground and a few straw umbrella's for shade but hey its guyana and Im sure it will be so great.  Its a bit far.  Right back to near Linden where we went to feed the RBC team.  Our hall will travel anywhere for some fun so will share some pics end of this month.

Im working on helping my studies to make more progress which means spending more time with them.  So I am relying even heavier on Jehovah to know which studies are making real progress so I can reduce my number down.  Many bro and sis here go on their studies twice a week.  To help them with meeting prep too.  So Im working on that now.  Our hall is working on RV big time and now we have so many more potential pioneers if we have no space in our schedule to take on more studies they are so many willing and able so that is so great.  But something that was highlighted so so much at our pioneer meeting was that we should not focus on success as being faithfulness to Jehovah.  He doesnt measure our faith by how many studies we have or there success.  So that was so nice and balanced.  Also that our focus should be 50/50 internal and external ministry.  Illustration of a bird using both wings equally to fly.  So we may feel our ministry isnt producing alot but to Jehovah helping our bro and sis in the hall is also vital to our service.  

Sorry if you feel some of my words are a bit of blahblah hehehehehe but I find these things so so encouraging so hope you all do too.


Take care and for all that have a new bible hope you enjoy it so much and for those who dont have one dont worry Im sure they will come very soon for you all.

Lots of love and hugs

Natalie