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

There's a Bug Crawling Around... IN MY HEAD!

There's a Bug Crawling Around...IN MY HEAD!

So last night I was trying to get my ear phones to work. They were being stubborn. As I took one side out a bug promptly scurried my ear. He thought this was a "cozy home" opportunity of a life time. As soon as the ear phone was out he was in, like a eager shopper on Black Friday ready to enter as soon as the doors open. I flung my self up and started running around the room frantically, not the faintest what to do. I didn't have a chance to flick him out. He burrowed deeper and deeper, in just a few seconds he was as far as he could get, I hoped... butt up against my ear drum beating his wings. He felt large and beat his wings at regular intervals inside my head. I freaked. After about ten minutes of battle, me loosing, I let out a blood curdling scream, and with the sound of which I scared my self and was not helping my own anxiety levels. In fact, I don't think I have ever been so uncomfortable in my whole life. Online I read something to the effect of that this can be a unnerving situation... that was the understatement of the year. It feels like you are in a horror film. You feel like the bug is going to riffle through your brains, it was so loud. It sounded like a tank engine motor running inside my head every time he beat his wings. I flung my self out of bed and wildly shook my head, my back and neck muscles are soar from so much head banging. As it was late I didn't wake my neighbors even though I really wanted to as I needed comfort durning my "life threatening" ha ha happening. I had no one to comfort me. My reflection in the mirror was yet another added anxiety. Usually when you have any expression on your face and you accidentally catch your reflection in the mirror, your face goes back to normal as now instead of experiencing the emotion you just had, you are now thinking about how your face looks. This did not happen to me. When I saw the look of sheer terror and anxed on my face, the expression did not fade from my face. It was sustained for about an hour as the situation persisted. It was only me and my reflection, the both of us experiencing emense anxiety together, we were both ever so aware of the fact that there is a large bug deep in our head. Have you ever noticed how far a q tip can go in? It seems like a good 3 inches of ear canal, and this little bug had walked the walk. After wildly throwing my head around, trying to look at it with a make up mirror, throwing and plunging vinager, water and oil, I realized it was not killing it as he was still buzzz buzzzz buzzzzing in my head, just when I thought he was dead... BUZZZZ!!!! the motor engine reved in my head again. So its come to this, I will have to kill it by smashing it up against the inside of my ear canal. I had no other option, as he was not dying, and I couldn't bear to hear in scratching and flutteing around anymore, REVOLTING! This decision grossed me out even more than I already was I felt like dry heaving, and I could hardly bring my self to do it. Disgust and fear were battling within me for emotional supremacy. Fear of him burrowing further in won, so I finally was able to roll a ball of a needle around and smashed him. Finally! The buzzing stops. At least knowing he is dead is a small token of relief. But promptly after that, I read that when you have a bug in your ear you should never ever shove any thing in the ear but rather suffocate him with oil and let him drain out. Of course for the past forty minutes I had been shoving any thing I could get my hands on down the canal, pushing him farther and farther in. This makes it harder to dislodge the insect from your ear. Today is the following evening and LOE! I have still not removed him! I had a friend tell me I'm not going to get him out. I beg to differ. I'm not going to permanently house a rotting cockroach in my head. (Are you grossed out yet? The most common insect to burrow into peoples ears is the German cockroach.) I went to the hospital today and the auditory specialist told me to come back tomorrow! I said, "If you don't have saline that's fine, just use a saringe and water", "Our taps arnt working", he tells me and goes back to watching a movie with his girl friend. I can't hear... because I have a giant dead bug stuck in my head! This is VERY typical for Guyana's customer service and services. The girl at the front desk of the hospital didn't even call me over to get my number because she was eating peanuts. She looked perturbed that I took her away from snack time. One doc on staff, hours of waiting. Any whoo, first thing tomorrow morning I'm going over to the hospital to flush out my ear. I must've smashed him clean up against the drum because I can hear only the fainest little bit out of that ear now. Most disturbing thing ever! I hope none of you ever have a bug decide to lodge in your head! 

The next day I went to the doc and he flushed him out. He was not a cockroach thank goodness, but a little fly type bug. The doc was spending more time on the other ear though, turns out I had a ball of wax the size of a pea and the shape of a foot ball in there. Thankfully not the size of a foot ball and color of a pea. How was I able to hear with that thing in there? Anywhoo, the bug's gone and I can hear again.

My Apartment

Sicky

I havnt been sick in a coon's age. I had forgotten what its like to be sick. I feel terrible. Seems like being sick before was kinda fun. (Maybe that's cause there was always Theraflu.) But its harder than I remember. My throat hurts. My ear hurts. My voice is gone. I feel tipsy half the day. I'm bored out of my mind! On a happier note though, I've been reading need greater blogs all day every day this week and have found a few that I'm absolutely captivated by. One of them is a girl named Lexi Taylor serving in Thailand and funny thing is as I was scolling through, I saw her with an old buddy of ours Xena. I bumped in to Xena in October 2o11 at Portland air port we were both flying off different need greating directions and happend to fly on the same day. Her to Thailand me to Guyana. What a quinky dink, eh? Any hoo her friend Lexi is a creative funny cleaver inspirational writer. Its so sweet when you can read about somthing you're so passionate about, someone that has the same focus in life as you but who happens to be an excellent writter on top of it! You gotta check out her blog at 

pioneeringinthailand.blogspot.com

Any whoo yes, I've had time to read all day because, Im sick. My voice is horse and my hair is crazy and my butt is asleep and my beans are chalky. Wah. It started in my throat went around my whole head and immune glands and ended up back in my throat and I'm being a baby about it! 

Lilttle girls and a puppy with wolf markings listening to the "Why study the Bible?" video :)

I'm so excited that my brother and I should have a song or two out on iTunes! One is a lullaby and the other is a little 6o's sounding rock. I hope they sell. It would be so amazing to be able to help support my self with music on the side. What a dream come true that would be! My brother has all the equipment to record, so hopfully it will fly. He wrote one song I feel is a hit. Just gotta record it with the right feeling, so it comes across like he meant it, it is so beautiful. The piano piece is elaborate and makes you cry by its self, then the tune of this ballad. When I first heard it, I was crying even before I knew he had written it about me and him and our friend ship growing more and more distant and how he sees his own light fading from my eyes and that he's not my super hero anymore, but him knowing I would be alright with out him. So after I knew what it was about? I was bawling. I'm just being biased, right? But it seriously is the most beautiful song. Any ways you've gotta check it out when we get it up on iTunes. I personally haven't' written a song in years. We'll put a couple on the album that I wrote back in the day, but as soon as this throat starts making more than squeaks, I'm moe put my ole' vocal chords back to work writtin', it's a skill that needs to hit the treadmill. Creativity? Come out where ever you are!

We've had a little bit of a dry spell as far as visitors go. :( But! I have several friends that should be coming by the end of the year and I'm so excited! I will make a post with all questions answered about serving here so I can refer people that want to come to it regarding culture, foods, visas, passport, paperwork blah blah blah. . . so they can get here and see what its like to serve in this amazing land of humble people that want you to teach them about Jehovah! 

Today I stayed home sick from a village trip out to Shulinab. Its getting late though and although on this quiet night the palms whisper the gentlest rustling and the moon night twinkles on their leaves as they lazily wave goodnight to the soft navy blueblack sky... I'm wondering what kind of damage to the vehicles have been done this time and how is everyone getting home? Last trip there was severe damage to Simon's car and we ended up getting a ride back from a guy with a pick up. The sister from Trinidad was walking with us, we figured we'd start walking out in the middle of the savanah, at least we'd be a tad closer to where we were going. But in the distance we see a pick up approaching. I say "Hey, maybe everyone from the car is in there and we can get in too!" and she says " I don't know about you guys but I'm not comfortable with that" In Trinidad we don't just grab rides from anybody, it is very dangerous", but when the truck pulled up and all of them were there, we alll piled in. There is an unspoken rule about car problems in the savannah, and that is, when you're in trouble out there, everyone stops to help eachother. Its crazy, even if its a serious problem no one asks for paymentor reward, they just help you get back up and running and they're on their way. Tonight I wonder how and where everyone is and if they'll be coming home in the wee hourse of the morning. I hope everyone's alright, but I've also been on enough of these trips to know that nothing ever goes as planned and everything always ends up OK... so I'll just lay back in my hammock and enjoy the sound of the gentle breeze tossling the leaves of our tall glimmering-in-the-moonlight palms. Zzzz....

Signing off from deep within Guyana's remotest interior. (Exaggeration.)

This has been an equator news up date with Cortny Vee.

Thanks for listening.

Good night.