The past week has gone by so fast! Which is odd because the first week seemed to drag on. We have learned so much though that it seems like we are just locals now. Life is good here. Everyone has really been so kind and helpful. And the brothers and sisters have truly become like family.
Monday I had a pretty cool service experience. Mariah, Jayde, and I walked over to Case O Gowrie (Cass O Gory). We went to Mariah's study and tried to go to a second one. But the second girl wasn't home. So we took advantage of the time we had to check out the beach. You can't swim in the ocean on this side of the island because the waves are too strong and will pull you right out to sea. But it's very relaxing to just sit and listen to the waves. Someone else was also taking advantage of the peaceful atmosphere and reading. From far away I thought she was reading the Bible. So I decided to give her an invitation to the memorial. Turns out she wasn't reading the Bible, but I gave her the invite anyways. She told me that she believes religion is just created to divide man. She thinks the bible is also just a story that man wrote. But she agreed to let me come visit her. She is the aunt of Mariah's study we didn't find home! I'm interested to see if I can draw her out.
Wednesday we were walking to a study and a young girl ran up to us. We had previously met her at her grandma's house, who Kaysh calls on. When we we met her she had a tablet so Mariah suggested that she go to jw.org. So that's why she ran up to us, to let us know she had looked it up! So I offered her a bible study. She seemed a bit hesitant but she agreed.
Friday is the day we go into town. We have to ride transport to get there, which is usually pretty crowded. As long as you don't get car sick it's a great place to witness. We rode the bus with a woman named Joselle Coffee. Yes her last name is coffee! She had agreed to let me visit last week but since there's no addresses, I couldn't find her house. I explained to her why I hadn't come so she tried telling me again where she lived.
We were dropped off at the assembly hall so we could do some work there. No one lives at the assembly hall. And missionaries are the only ones who live right by it. So the publishers on the island have to maintain it. The construction job is interesting because there aren't many skilled brothers. So we helped paint and such just to do some small improvements. We got to work with a missionary couple, Robin and Jamie Shaw. They are so humble and honest. They have lived here for almost 15 years!
On our way home from town us girls are always crazy and giggling because we are tired from the long day. It makes the ride more enjoyable to us, but I'm not sure how the other passengers feel. As we reached La Plaine, Joselle spoke up and asked the driver to show us where she lived so we could visit. It's a good thing because I was really confused. She told me she would be free on Sunday afternoon. I went there today and guess what!? Bible study! So many people are thirsting for the truth.
I hope everyone back home is well. May Jehovah continue to bless your ministry! Love you all.
PS: I apologize because this was supposed to be posted last night but our Internet went out. Welcome to Dominica!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Our First Week!
So I know I posted earlier in the week but I'm going to try to post every Sunday from now on. I'll also post some pictures during the week. I take a lot of pictures here!!!!
Okay so Wednesday was our first service day here. We got to work some territory. The ministry is very different here. For starters, you don't knock. You simply call out "good morning", or afternoon depending on the time of day . Second, getting rejected is almost unheard of. The only time you don't have a conversation is when it's a guy who wants an American girlfriend. Also, we don't meet at the kingdom hall. Very few people in our neighborhood have a car and transport is too expensive to go everyday for service.
So anyway, we started off in territory. We were able to talk to one woman who was very nice. Her name is Agnes. Kaysh will be calling back on her tomorrow hopefully. We also got to sit in on two of Mariah's studies. She is a great teacher and Kaysh and I learned a lot about studying with the locals. We had to cut the service day short though because there was a big celebration at the church for a lady who turned 100 years old.
Thursday was another service day for us. We hiked all over the village. There's a lot of mountains so it's not easy walking. But it's good exercise! We didn't get a lot of people home in the early afternoon. But later on we went to someone Nanci had studied with before. Sabrina was able to rekindle the study which was really nice! The girl, Niema, braids hair so we are all getting our hair braided for memorial! Also we brought some fresh fruit home and in the bag was a giant cockroach!!!! I'm still not sure if it's dead....
Friday we went into town. We had our first experience with transport. The bus was crammed with people. It was crazy busy in town because 4 cruise ships were coming in. It's so weird how people change how they treat you when they find out your not just a tourist. Everyone kept offering us taxis and tours, but they would stop pushing us and get excited when we told them we live here. We had lots of fun just looking around and grocery shopping. Shrimp is sooooo expensive. A small bag was $60 US! We also got the chance to help at the assembly hall.
Saturday was another full service day. We started the memorial campaign. We placed many invitations. Mariah helped me start a study with a girl named............Kaelyn! She's school age and her best friend studies with Mariah. Then Mariah showed a group of little girls a Caleb video and taught them God's name. In the afternoon Mariah took us to her call, Megan. That poor woman has been through so much! She recently has discovered her long-time boyfriend has been cheating. She's very upset but they have a one-year-old together. She doesn't want her little girl to be without a dad. Add to that, her brother was her closest confidant and he died in a tragic accident two years ago. We were able to encourage her as much as possible. We finished out our day by going on Mariah's study with Kaelyn's best friend, Shonda.
Today was the special assembly day. We got up at 5:30 to get ready. We were able to meet so many brothers and sisters today. Many special pioneers and missionaries were there. A 14 year old was interviewed who has 8 bible studies! The assembly hall is open air so that was a new experience! Unfortunately I have to go to bed now, I'm so tired!
Okay so Wednesday was our first service day here. We got to work some territory. The ministry is very different here. For starters, you don't knock. You simply call out "good morning", or afternoon depending on the time of day . Second, getting rejected is almost unheard of. The only time you don't have a conversation is when it's a guy who wants an American girlfriend. Also, we don't meet at the kingdom hall. Very few people in our neighborhood have a car and transport is too expensive to go everyday for service.
So anyway, we started off in territory. We were able to talk to one woman who was very nice. Her name is Agnes. Kaysh will be calling back on her tomorrow hopefully. We also got to sit in on two of Mariah's studies. She is a great teacher and Kaysh and I learned a lot about studying with the locals. We had to cut the service day short though because there was a big celebration at the church for a lady who turned 100 years old.
Thursday was another service day for us. We hiked all over the village. There's a lot of mountains so it's not easy walking. But it's good exercise! We didn't get a lot of people home in the early afternoon. But later on we went to someone Nanci had studied with before. Sabrina was able to rekindle the study which was really nice! The girl, Niema, braids hair so we are all getting our hair braided for memorial! Also we brought some fresh fruit home and in the bag was a giant cockroach!!!! I'm still not sure if it's dead....
Friday we went into town. We had our first experience with transport. The bus was crammed with people. It was crazy busy in town because 4 cruise ships were coming in. It's so weird how people change how they treat you when they find out your not just a tourist. Everyone kept offering us taxis and tours, but they would stop pushing us and get excited when we told them we live here. We had lots of fun just looking around and grocery shopping. Shrimp is sooooo expensive. A small bag was $60 US! We also got the chance to help at the assembly hall.
Saturday was another full service day. We started the memorial campaign. We placed many invitations. Mariah helped me start a study with a girl named............Kaelyn! She's school age and her best friend studies with Mariah. Then Mariah showed a group of little girls a Caleb video and taught them God's name. In the afternoon Mariah took us to her call, Megan. That poor woman has been through so much! She recently has discovered her long-time boyfriend has been cheating. She's very upset but they have a one-year-old together. She doesn't want her little girl to be without a dad. Add to that, her brother was her closest confidant and he died in a tragic accident two years ago. We were able to encourage her as much as possible. We finished out our day by going on Mariah's study with Kaelyn's best friend, Shonda.
Today was the special assembly day. We got up at 5:30 to get ready. We were able to meet so many brothers and sisters today. Many special pioneers and missionaries were there. A 14 year old was interviewed who has 8 bible studies! The assembly hall is open air so that was a new experience! Unfortunately I have to go to bed now, I'm so tired!
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The First Few Days
Wow!!! The past few days have been jam-packed! We left for the airport Sunday morning. After grabbing a quick lunch, we arrived at DET. Our families cried as they said their goodbyes. Kaysh and I headed to our gate and waited to board. Fairly quickly we were able to get on the plane for Miami. The flight was really nice and it passed really quickly. we grabbed a quick meal and boarded the plane for Puerto Rico. In San Juan we got a hotel room and stayed for the night.
Yesterday was even crazier! We flew out of PR and landed in Dominica around 2:30 pm. (It's the same time zone here) We had to go through immigration and customs. Thankfully we were granted visas that will last us all four months! The island is an amazing thing to see. The whole thing is mountains and rivers and winding roads. Sister Tracy English and her daughter Sabrina picked us up and drove us to town. Here Rosseau, the capital, is just referred to as "town". We got to do some grocery shopping and discovered a few interesting things. 1. You will meet a lot of brothers and sisters in save-a-lot. 2. Chicken breast are way more expensive than dark meat. 3. Local guys will try to hit on you.
The English's drove us to our home and we met our landlord, Marvelyn. She was born here on the island but has lived in England for many years, so she has an English accent. She is so sweet. Since the wifi wouldn't reach our apartment downstairs she let me Skype my family to let them know we were safe from her laptop. We made a small dinner and ate. Then we got some of our stuff unpacked. We thought it was midnight by the time we were ready for bed. But it was only 9:30!!! It's completely dark by seven so it really throws you off.
This morning I woke up thinking we had way overslept. However, the sun rises very early. So it's super bright outside by seven. It wasn't even eight when I woke up. We finished unpacking, ate a small breakfast and cleaned our apartment up. Nancy and James Montgomery stopped in to greet us. They are the sweetest people! Later in the day Shelby English came over to meet us. She is Tracy's other daughter. Mariah Meachum came over around one in the afternoon. The two of them showed us around the village of La Plaine. We were able to get bread from the bakery and some "coconut cheese" from the store. Coconut cheese kind of reminds me of maple candy. Very good!
Mariah showed us back to her place. For the first time we had real Internet connection!!! So after talking to our families a little bit we visited with Mariah and Shelby. They told us a lot about life on the island. Mariah cooked us a meal and showed us how to get fresh coconut water, cooked some breadfruit, and plantains. It was all very good.
Even though there are many things i miss about home, I see Jehovah blessing my efforts to serve him. And the things I've seen here are amazing and I will never forget the beauty and kindness that I have experienced.
Yesterday was even crazier! We flew out of PR and landed in Dominica around 2:30 pm. (It's the same time zone here) We had to go through immigration and customs. Thankfully we were granted visas that will last us all four months! The island is an amazing thing to see. The whole thing is mountains and rivers and winding roads. Sister Tracy English and her daughter Sabrina picked us up and drove us to town. Here Rosseau, the capital, is just referred to as "town". We got to do some grocery shopping and discovered a few interesting things. 1. You will meet a lot of brothers and sisters in save-a-lot. 2. Chicken breast are way more expensive than dark meat. 3. Local guys will try to hit on you.
The English's drove us to our home and we met our landlord, Marvelyn. She was born here on the island but has lived in England for many years, so she has an English accent. She is so sweet. Since the wifi wouldn't reach our apartment downstairs she let me Skype my family to let them know we were safe from her laptop. We made a small dinner and ate. Then we got some of our stuff unpacked. We thought it was midnight by the time we were ready for bed. But it was only 9:30!!! It's completely dark by seven so it really throws you off.
This morning I woke up thinking we had way overslept. However, the sun rises very early. So it's super bright outside by seven. It wasn't even eight when I woke up. We finished unpacking, ate a small breakfast and cleaned our apartment up. Nancy and James Montgomery stopped in to greet us. They are the sweetest people! Later in the day Shelby English came over to meet us. She is Tracy's other daughter. Mariah Meachum came over around one in the afternoon. The two of them showed us around the village of La Plaine. We were able to get bread from the bakery and some "coconut cheese" from the store. Coconut cheese kind of reminds me of maple candy. Very good!
Mariah showed us back to her place. For the first time we had real Internet connection!!! So after talking to our families a little bit we visited with Mariah and Shelby. They told us a lot about life on the island. Mariah cooked us a meal and showed us how to get fresh coconut water, cooked some breadfruit, and plantains. It was all very good.
Even though there are many things i miss about home, I see Jehovah blessing my efforts to serve him. And the things I've seen here are amazing and I will never forget the beauty and kindness that I have experienced.
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