The Ramroops

The Best Kids in the World!

Divita is a young mom of 5. They are the most well behaved wonderful kids you will ever meet. Every one cuddles and loves them up. Even people that don't like kids, LOVE these kids. Raj, Samuel, Kevin, Ameena and Amanda. From ages one to ten. They are perfectly behaved even saying 'yes mom' and quick to respond to any task she has for them with out any hint of fuss. The other night I went to help Divita on a talk sense she just joined the school and wanted help putting it together. After I was there for a while, little Samuel turned around from the Barney he was watching and had memorized word for word with eyes sparkling genuine at his realization, "Cortny! You're still here!? I like it when you stay here!" Then the next day I went over again and little Samuel proved to me that he can spell every word from one to 19, and can count up to 49, he was showing me a children's book with little monsters. "Look how many feet he has, 3 feet!? and how many eyes? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... 8!? Eight eyes!?" looking up at me in sheer disbelief and wonder, "and look how many teeth he has!" and counts the individual teeth carefully pointing at each one. I was endeared to him even more seeing his genuine excitement about this little character in the book. Meanwhile Raj was stealing my hat and sun glasses to play with the whole time. When I left, he had to part with them, and he had a good cry over that. Its like a 5o's family. Here is the talk we did together. I wanted her to use her own words so she dictated as I typed, so it has some Guyanese creol grammar and wordage.

What Does the Sabbath Resting Mean for Christians?

Cortny: Hi Divita. I always see you going to your meetings, so I thought you might know the answer to a Bible question I have...

Divita: Ok.

Cortny: Well, I came across a scripture that confused me, it talks about the Sabbath resting but its in the greek scriptures for Christians. I was confused because I thought only the Jews celebrated the Sabbath. The verses are here in Heb 4:4-11... So what is God's rest really for christians? 

Divita: Well for christians to enter into God's rest, it means they obey God and work along with his purpose that his organization that helps us to understand.

Cortny: OK.

Divita: Let's explain that more. A family should be peaceful when they listen and obey from the head of the home. A parent telling their young child that they must do things in order for the parents to be happy. And that child listens and do exactly what the parent told her to do. That is like Jehovah telling his people to do what pleases him, what he wants them to do, then the household when it cooperates will find peace, or God's rest. 

Cortny: That makes sense. But what is this "resting from our works"? So we don't have to work for God once we become Christians?

Divita: Lets look at a scripture that talks about that and then we'll talk about it. Eph 2:8,9... Well, lets go back to our story about a family. I have a daughter, when she was young I give her many instructions to do, like how to take care of the home, how to take care of her brothers and sisters I set rules before I leave to go out. As she grow older now, she understand the home better and she complete her work in a simple and easy way, just like how I want it to be done. But that doesn't mean because she understand her work that she has "rested" from it, but now it has become easier for her, so I appreciate the work she has done by pleasing me. And I'm happy about it and accept the work. Our family finds peace in the home.

Cortny: That's true...

Divita: Similar now, in the Jewish time, Jehovah gave the Jews lots of rules to obey, but when Jesus came he gave us few rules. So just like how as a parent I give the rule and I appreciate it when my children obey it, same with our Heavenly Father Jehovah who give the rules of Christianity and appreciates when we obey, but the rules aren't difficult because Jesus set a pattern for us to continue working. So that doesn't mean that for us as Christians we complete our work and we rest but our work is still in progress like Jehovah's work. 

Cortny: Yes that makes sense.

Divita: If we want to be at peace with God we would work in harmony with his organization. 

Cortny: Thank you for explaining that! You're so knowledgable about the scriptures.

Divita: Well, I learned it at the Kingdom Hall, why don't you come along with me next time.

Cortny: I think I'd like that, thank you.

Hopefully it goes over well tonight. I wanted to use illustrations of things she and the congregation is familiar with and children is definitely one of those things. Our hall is made up of mostly children with only the mother being a JW. :)

Divita's daughter Ameena is the funnest most charming little girl. Yesterday she came running full speed home from school up to us in uniform with the brightest smile you've ever seen plastered on her face, telling us out of breath about a project she was supposed to have done by the next day, a cake baked. Divita was already exhausted this week. Full time work, and the talk, and had little sleep because of helping complete another school project for her other daughter the night before. I don't know how she does it. The other day I had gone over to do a photo shoot with the girls while the lilies were in bloom. I went to the shop to make copies of the best pictures to give to them with a frame, Amanda was so cute, her intense squealing "THANK-YOU!" also said "I can't believe you actually came through for me on this! I love it!" They live in one clean concrete room all together of a half built house. A pipe for water runs to the front yard and they accomplish every thing from there and bathe in buckets. The older daughters are extremely helpful with the rest of the children, even knowing how to cook and clean already. She also makes it to all the meeting with all of them with only one bicycle. I met her when I first came in 2o11 before they were attending meetings, when she was still with the father of her children. She told him something to the effect regarding getting married, 'We can't mess around with this matter, Jehovah is the true God, we have to listen to him.' A new student with such faith. Amanda the oldest daughter recently became a zealous publisher. I recently started a study with Amanda's school teacher and she gushed about how wonderful that family is. She commented on how it was unbelievable the way the children obeyed and how impressed she was by Divita, how respectful and what good students the girls were. What a good name they're helping to make for Jehovah in our little tiny community! I'm so proud of all of them. Two of the boys are with speaking disabilities and a little slow but still bright and know what's going on around them. Case in point, Raj, the baby learned from his older sister to do a clap of the hands, a hip thrust, with a "Oh, no you didn't!" look on his face. Absolutely hilarious. I'll see if I can put up little clip of it at some point when I have much better internet. If you ever decide to visit Lethem Guyana, get familiar with Divita and her kids. You'll never forget them.