Our last day in Guyana

So our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:15am Tuesday morning, Feb 4.  However, in what would kick off the start of a "bad" week, we were informed via email on Wednesday, Jan 29, that our flight had been delayed.  Don't even get me started on how you can plan to delay a flight that doesn't even leave for another 7 days...

So Wednesday, Jan 29 was our last Wednesday in Guyana - our last day taking the ferry out in service.  I came down with a migraine, ate some lunch, drank some water, cooled off in the AC at a restaurant - still had the migraine.  Nate was fine to continue preaching so he and a brother continued on after dropping me at home.  I took some pain meds, took a nap and then woke up.  I decided to check my email.  There I see the notice from Surinam Air about the delay.

So again, the flight was to leave at 10:15 am getting us into Miami at 1:45pm.  My mom was flying down to Florida to meet us - her flight was getting into Ft Lauderdale at 6:45 pm.  However, now we were delayed until 8:45pm, which meant we weren't getting into Miami until 12:15am, and then we still had to get to Ft. Lauderdale!

And so our last week in Guyana started.

Over the next 7 days we would have countless online chats with Expedia, emails with Surinam Airways, online chats with Verizon (who had decided that after 3 months of not using our American cellphone accounts, that we must not be coming back and they had decided to disconnect our service and cancel our accounts and erase any trace of us in their system - an issue we would not be able to resolve until we were back on American soil; again not a problem in Guyana but perhaps a problem when you're trying to catch a Lyft in Miami at midnight....), online emails with our credit union and bank back in America.... you get the idea.  We found ourselves with just a week left abroad with money in our bank to use in Guyana but not money in our credit union to use in America, cell service in Guyana but no cell accounts in America, and a delayed flight, which threatened to upset the travel plans we had within America.

Nate said - it looks like we should just stay here!

After the week of pulling our air out and muttering numerous complaints out loud and over the internet, we felt calmer.  Things weren't resolved yet but oh well.

Sunday our landlady dropped off lunch for us..... we will miss the Indian food!

We left New Amsterdam Monday morning.  Our COBE generously drove us to Georgetown where we met us with a sister and a couple from the Charlestown sign language congregation.  We ate dinner out at a lovely Indian restaurant and then went to a hotel.  The next morning, just in case, the COBE drove us to the airport.  Up until now, all indications online and otherwise, were that our flight was not delayed.  However, once at the airport, they did confirm the delay so we drove back to the hotel.  They generously allowed us to stay until 4pm, at which time we took a hire car back to the airport, checked in and then waited until 8pm to board and then fly to Miami.

Nate in the Miami airport... 1am after having been up since 4:45am the day before

Get togethers

This post is a compilation of three different get togethers.

First the annual meeting with the pioneers.  Normally this is with 2 elders....we only have 1 so Nate was asked to prepare 2 talks.  We don’t have any deaf pioneers currently so the meeting was held in English.

Nate making a face...

New Amsterdam ASL Pioneers

A dear sister ordered a gift for each of us - you'll see a few being held up in the pic.  They are little pouches that can hold meeting invites on the inside, JW.org contact cards in an outside pocket.  They have I love you hands stitched on the outside and they also have little carabiner clips!

Afterwards we went to one of the pioneer sister’s home and enjoyed a meal and association.

This past Saturday was our first Saturday meeting.  Effective Feb 1, the meetings changed from Sundays at 1:30 and Tuesdays at 6 to Saturdays at 2 and Wednesdays at 6.  Local service arrangements have also changed.

After the meeting, which was also our last, we had a get together...at our place.   The original plan was for it to be outside, near the river.  However this changed so they just came to our place.  Thankfully the dear sis who was coordinating the get together brought everything since all of our things were packed up!

Lastly, on Sunday (Feb 2), we were invited to a barbecue.  The sister is in our congregation but her family goes to English.  They hosted us, another couple from sign language and then some friends from English.