Friday a group of us went down and cleaned the KH and helped set up the AV equipment. Then Saturday morning, Nate & I walked to our KH where we got on a bus. Our congregation arranged for 2 buses to carry us to the assembly. The first bus started at Skeldon (see previous post - Pictures from Preaching). And then our bus started here in New Amsterdam. Each bus stopped along the way to pick up hearing and deaf.
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There were 115 total in attendance, with 54 deaf present. This is only the 2nd time that both congregations have gotten together - the first was last year for the CA with BR program. For the CA with CO and for the regional convention, our congregation meets with English and it is interpreted.
Our CO came from Trinidad but we did not have a branch rep. Instead, for the last talk of the day, we watched the streamed talk given by the branch rep in ASL.
The CO came for the assembly, then this week coming up, he will visit our cong here in NA and then he will spend the following week in Georgetown (GT) with that cong.
We didn’t have anyone baptized. I’m not sure how they do that here but perhaps at the other assembly or at the regional, they have access to water for immersing. At this assembly, there wasn’t a pool set up and I didn’t see a river nearby...
Georgetown has 3 elders and I don’t know how many servants. Our cong has 1 elder and 2 servants. Last month another need-greater couple arrived and then us so that added 2 more servants for now. I don’t know yet how many pioneers and there wasn’t a circuit pioneer meeting before the assembly (also because the rest of the circuit is in Trinidad, I don’t think all of the circuit pioneers ever get together).
Oh, video control. So Nate was asked to provide technical assistance with setup on Friday and also to help with video control for Saturday afternoon. I’ll post a link to a video below so you can have a visual. There are 4 TVs set up, 3 on the stage and 1 on the side for those seated outside in the overflow seats. Of the 3 on the stage, 2 are for the audience and 1 is for the speaker/others on the stage. The program is run through the orange app (JW Sign Language) and there was not any sound (sometimes with the videos, it is signed but Bethel also leaves in the audio track - example, the opening music videos). Also, there aren’t any cameras installed overhead (in this KH nor in our own KH in NA) so there were 2 handheld camcorders on tripods, a switcher box and a laptop.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/00xtrHR6FCDrolMNzbuCZl-hw
Oh, video control. So Nate was asked to provide technical assistance with setup on Friday and also to help with video control for Saturday afternoon. I’ll post a link to a video below so you can have a visual. There are 4 TVs set up, 3 on the stage and 1 on the side for those seated outside in the overflow seats. Of the 3 on the stage, 2 are for the audience and 1 is for the speaker/others on the stage. The program is run through the orange app (JW Sign Language) and there was not any sound (sometimes with the videos, it is signed but Bethel also leaves in the audio track - example, the opening music videos). Also, there aren’t any cameras installed overhead (in this KH nor in our own KH in NA) so there were 2 handheld camcorders on tripods, a switcher box and a laptop.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/00xtrHR6FCDrolMNzbuCZl-hw
Two special stories: On Friday for setup, I met a deaf brother - he is Amerindian. He lives in the western part of the country close to the border with Venezuela. To get there, you fly. I’m not sure how long the drive would be or even if the roads are passable. There is an English congregation there but no ASL. He knows some signs but I’m assuming uses mainly home signs to communicate. We were washing chairs outside together and he tapped my arm to get my attention. He then went over to a patch of sand and wrote his name in the sand. So I did the same. We shook hands and then went back to work. Later he was sitting by himself so I pulled out a chair and sat next to him with my tablet. I drew stick figures of me & Nate and then asked him what his family looked like. I drew a picture of him and his name next to it and then he took the tablet and drew a picture of his wife and her name. We then drew back and forth about if he was the only deaf there in his area, when each of us was baptized, who our favourite Bible characters are and what our favourite colours are. Later on Saturday I gave him a little drawing to take back home.
On Saturday, someone pointed out a deaf woman (I know she has studied the Bible but I don’t know if she’s baptized or not) and told me that she spoke Spanish. I started signing to her but I mouthed Spanish phrases - what’s your name? My name is, etc. She noticed right away and and signed to me that she spoke Spanish and can lip read it but she can’t hear. She then asked how I knew Spanish and I explained that I had a deaf Bible student who was the same as her and knew Spanish. We had a lovely conversation. She is from Venezuela, is married and has 2 sons. I don’t how many there could speak Spanish (even though we’re in South America, Guyanese speak English and Creole) and it seemed to make her happy that someone could sign and mouth Spanish at the same time. It made me happy!
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