A Marriage Proposal!

A Marriage Proposal!

Today I bumped into a little old man I had witnessed to on an occasion before. He had been a little forceful and wanted answers to questions about 3 things 1.) the trinity 2.) the blood issue and 3.) why we don't pray with households. (I had a strong feeling he had received thorough answers to all of these questions from Witnesses, many a time.) I did mean to get back to him though, on his questions but I wasn't able to find him at his house since the 1st time I had met him in the hospital. So today I bumped into him again... 'Oh, yes, this guy who calls him self Pastor. Yes, how could I forget that shelf pot belly that he rests his folded hands on after asking you a question, with his nose pointed skyward and lips pursed and mouthing things. Wow. I really feel listened to. Who does that? What is he doing? Is that his listening stance? Who could forget that strange and self righteous body language? He had recently been witnessed to by a pretty Polish sister who was visiting for a short time. He likey. So he showed up for 2o minutes or so of one of those meetings. So he told me that he wanted to keep in contact with her so asked if I would pass along his contact information to her. He keeps in touch with a lot of young ladies! A sister in the hall told me last night that once she saw him preaching on the road so she got off her bicycle and walked slow like next to him (who was the creeper in my story again? The Pastor? Ann? I'm confused now) so she could see what he was doing, she said he was selling Bible based books to some young girls and was making an appointment to meet them at their house. Anywhoo, before I knew all those details he'd asked me for my number, and stupidly thinking I could let my guard down for just a second, that he's a little old man, I gave it out. Then, wham! He immediately brought up the subject, if I'm married or not and why not. I said it was because I hadn't yet fallen in love. Far LESS succinctly than this reads, he then pronounced: "Don't say you haven't married because "you haven't fallen in love" he, quoting me with a screwed up mocking face as if that were a ridiculous idea. "The Lord will give you any thing you ask him for, and I was just asking The Lord for a wife" and here I come out of the blue with out a husband? PERFECT! "and if you want to stay in Guyana, if you marry a Guyanese man you'd get to stay here!" then kind of under his breath, the following happened, he orders me to "Say amen. Say amen." Yes. He said that out loud. Directed me to concur, to say amen.

.... uh ....

Excuse me, whaaauuh? Odd. As if it were a prayer. Maybe he did say a little prayer for our union in his mind without my knowledge? His mouthing and head-thrust-up quirks thrown into the mix? SAY AMEN TO WHAT?!?! I thought! There wasn't even any direct and clearly spoken statement before the papers were signed. Amen, to some jumbled statement vaguely referring to me and him marrying being joined together in holy matrimony, FOR... EV... ER... and me coming out the winner! The better end of the deal, because I get to stay in Guyana!!! Yippy! Why didn't I come up with that! All this time I've waisted, I could've just grab some random old man off the street, propose marriage, and if he accepts? BAM! I get to stay in Guyana! I really don't know how I didn't think of it before. Its so simple. But instead of explaining these touching thoughts to him, I just said to this man requesting my 'I do'... "WHAT?!" with MY face as screwd up as possible this time. There. That should get the ANTI-amen feeling across. He didn't explain again 'what-again-now?' I should be saying amen to, he just quickly changed the subject. Yeah! Lets just pretend that right there just never happened. Yeah, me too. Any who so tonight a few hours after the happy encounter, he shows up at meeting and appears next to me. I figured its cool he came to meeting and that I could be courteous, I was helping him to find scriptures and blew them up on my iPad so he could see. Then he leaned over with his stinky breath in my face and said "I noticed your phone was ringing out... so I came here." He had been calling already?! Eww! Why did he come here? He said he didn't think we had a meeting to night, so he must have thought I LIVED at the Kingdom Hall. Comforting thought. A visit all-too-soon from a creepy stalker man in the dark, while its just me cause the room mate is on vaca, that would've been a nice suprise. I hope he thinks I live at the KH, since I don't. So any whoo, he leans over again with his nasty breath in my face and said he has to go but would call me in an hour. I missed call one, then he called again. I just got off the phone with him again. He got right to the point after a short greeting and mentioning how much he liked the 15 minutes of meeting he sat in on he says, "Heres a proposal for you: How bout you fall in love and stay in love and stay in Guyana." He said. Wow. Charming! He figured out how to wrap up his 'say amen' command. Perturbed, I told him, "I heard that you have brother Jude's phone number. If you have any Bible based questions you are welcome to call him." I said "it is not appropriate for a man and woman to talk on the phone like this, if you have Bible questions you want answers to you can call him." "I'll call you tomorrow." He said. So tomorrow the rejection continues. Thanks for listening to my irritating experience. Moral of the story, never say amen to a confusing statement. And yes the obvious. Never give your number out to strange strangers.

Odessa

Last week at the secondary school I went around to the rooms announcing we were having a Bible class in the dining room. I waited and waited and only one girl showed. Well, since its you alone, do you have any questions about life or the Bible we could discuss together? "Yes..." she said shyly "How can I control my anger?" So, I'm thinking "Haha! What!? Amerindians don't get angry, there are extremely passive extremely humble people." That came out of left field. So I said sure, but no scriptures were coming to mind. What could I search? Hmm, I had the YPA books on me so I looked through volume one, nothing crazy applicable, what about volume 2 'Oh here we are, How can I control my emotions, does that sound like it would answer your questions?" She concurred. After our study which featured the 'vengence is mine I will repay, says Jehovah' scripture and 'pay back injury for injury to no one' verse. She summerized how she was to apply the scriptual counsel 'so if somoene is making fun of me in school I don't try to say sometthing mean back to them, I just let it go?' it was so cute she planned on putting the advice right to work. I love the kids at the school. Its so sad that they're far away from their villages and families. Poor kids. They seem to adapt well though. 

Preaching Shea Village

Shea is a village far south. Farthest village south I've traveled to since I've been in Guyana. It was a rigorous journey to get there but well worth it. On the rough ten hour army truck ride there no one used a pillow, our bums bounced along on the wooden benches, and on the way back, everyone used pillows! We were all soar. This area is by FAR the prettiest scenery I've ever witnessed in Guyana. We were camped atop a hill and your eye would rest on the distance, as far as the eye could see in every direction rolling hill of not just dry savannah grass, but lush green grass! with palms interspered and it was the closest thing to paradise I have see thus far. It was absolutely a sight for soar eyes. I didn't know if I was out of breath because of the hikes up the tall hills or the breathtaking views. Houses pearched one on top of each hill. Doesn't seem completely resonable because from way up there they would have to dig their well extra deep to reach water, but perhaps the awesome view from atop weighs heavier in the decision of where to build the house. I so wish I had known my camera was panoramic capable. Definately will take it on the next trip to Deep South for sure. I can't even describe to you how beautiful it was. Come check it out and you'll know. 

Modeling sessions with little girls in the hall:

Ameena and Amanda

Newly baptized Crystal Jonas!

Thanks for listening. 

Signing off, from within Guyana's remote interior. 

Cortny Vee