Interview

So I have a guest on our show today - Nate....  I’ve asked him a few questions and the results of our interview are below.

L:  First of all, thanks for being here.

N:  Thank you for having me.

L:  How did you let your wife talk you into traveling to Guyana?

N:  Well, trips to South America often sound rational, especially when a conversation about traveling south occurs during a Colorado winter!  I was curious to see what the culture was like in Guyana and excited to check out the ministry there.

L:  And how have you found the culture? And the ministry?

N:  The people in Guyana are so friendly.  There are a mix of races - Carib or Amerindian, Indian, Guyanese (who came from Africa way back), a few Chinese and they all seem to comingle well.  We as white church people have been welcomed and haven’t been bothered or harrassed.  Everyone from older ones down to school children will greet you.  Depending on the time of day, almost every person you pass on the street, or if you’re walking by their house, they will offer a Good Morning, Good Day, Good Afternoon or Good Night.  They are very mannerly.  We of course have responded in kind and, in keeping with local customs, will address the older ones as Auntie or Uncle.

The ministry has been most enjoyable.  We often find people at home, whether we are canvassing for the deaf or if we are calling on the deaf directly.  Also, if we are looking for a particular person but are unsure where they live, the neighbors politely point us in the right direction.  Also, I’ve had it happen that we have been walking down the road to call on a deaf person, but a neighbor walking down the road will let us know that he or she isn’t home - saving us the time and energy to walk down and back!  We’ve had several nice experiences in the canvassing, in the deaf ministry, in the cart and even outside our own house!  Since we are white church people, locals will often approach us asking for Bibles, literature, Bible studies, the location of the Kingdom Hall, the days and times of the meetings and so on!  It has helped us to be mindful of how we look, what we wear, where we go and what we do when we are out, since it is always obvious that we are representing Jehovah.

L:  Those are beautiful sentiments.  What do you think you will miss the most about Guyana?

N:  I will definitely miss the slower pace of life!  We do everything slower here, even walk!  I know that things would be different and that we would have more to take care of if we moved here but for this trip, we have really gotten to enjoy Time.  We have more time to focus on spiritual things - the ministry, personal and family study, meeting preparation and more time together.  I know you’ve worked while we’ve been here so thank you for that, but I’m sure you’ll agree having less distractions in terms of just living life has been nice.

L:  Yes.  I agree that things would add back into our lives if we moved here, but even then I think life is still much slower when compared to America.  One last question for this post:  Would you come back?

N:  The real question for me is: why am I going back to America?!  Yes, I would come back to Guyana.  I have really enjoyed our time here for a number of reasons - it has been a very good experience for our family with many positive takeaways.  I have most appreciated the opportunity to be of more assistance in the congregation - I’ve really enjoyed offering more of myself to the friends and being able to serve the congregation.  Having only one elder here for right now has meant that I’ve been used more but also that I’ve had more opportunities for training and to do things that I wouldn’t do in our home congregation - simply because there are more brothers there to handle the responsibilities.  I’ve also enjoyed the personal growth as well - learning more about myself, how I do in a foreign environment with many new things to learn and adjust to.  I’m very thankful we had the circumstances and the desire to come here and I’m glad we went ahead and came.