What brought us here
We had a comfortable house, both had good jobs that hadn't been too affected by the recession, and lived easily within ours means.
We knew we should do more in Jehovah's service but secular work took our time and energy, in the week and weekends catching up on housework, gardening, home improvements, we were half way through doing a loft conversion, and started to wondering why we were doing it, was meant to be a hobby but took so much time and resources up, I had done so much to the house it was getting to big for just the two of us, and why, we would be losing it at Armegeddon. We started to doing some reasoning plus there had been some really great assembly and convention talks about simplifying our lives.
Our CO was visiting in the neighbouring congregations, and they had a DVD some brothers had made about serving where the need was greater in Bolivia, we mentioned it to the CO's wife, she suggested starting where they speak English as we would be more effective theocratically sooner, and while we adjust to a new culture, climate, etc.
We had some friends who were helping in the English speaking field in Suriname, so we visited them for three weeks to see if we could cope with the climate, we thought that we could, but as its a Dutch speaking county, day to day shopping, dealing with legal things will be more of a challenge, so we opted for Guyana next door, even knowing the standard of life to be a little lower than Suriname.
We then started saving, selling things, and making the building projects simpler and cheaper so we could finish the house off, for the next two years.
While writing to the Bethal as to where to go.
I tend to be of the cautious type in life, liking to know where my next step will land, but since we stated we had a lot of 'leaps of faith' and every time found something to stand on to take the next step, that alone has increased my faith just knowing that Jehovah is watching out for you, even before we came.
We found some reasonably priced flights which set or date of departure, gave our notice in at work, decided to sell our car and van, as if we ended up here for the longer term, the vehicles would seize up, (now five months in we made the right choice for us).
In all things make it a matter for prayer.
You have to be very opened minded, and willing to adapt, you will see things, hear things, experience things that will get at your mind if you let it, we can not change the world only God can.
We had a comfortable house, both had good jobs that hadn't been too affected by the recession, and lived easily within ours means.
We knew we should do more in Jehovah's service but secular work took our time and energy, in the week and weekends catching up on housework, gardening, home improvements, we were half way through doing a loft conversion, and started to wondering why we were doing it, was meant to be a hobby but took so much time and resources up, I had done so much to the house it was getting to big for just the two of us, and why, we would be losing it at Armegeddon. We started to doing some reasoning plus there had been some really great assembly and convention talks about simplifying our lives.
Our CO was visiting in the neighbouring congregations, and they had a DVD some brothers had made about serving where the need was greater in Bolivia, we mentioned it to the CO's wife, she suggested starting where they speak English as we would be more effective theocratically sooner, and while we adjust to a new culture, climate, etc.
We had some friends who were helping in the English speaking field in Suriname, so we visited them for three weeks to see if we could cope with the climate, we thought that we could, but as its a Dutch speaking county, day to day shopping, dealing with legal things will be more of a challenge, so we opted for Guyana next door, even knowing the standard of life to be a little lower than Suriname.
We then started saving, selling things, and making the building projects simpler and cheaper so we could finish the house off, for the next two years.
While writing to the Bethal as to where to go.
I tend to be of the cautious type in life, liking to know where my next step will land, but since we stated we had a lot of 'leaps of faith' and every time found something to stand on to take the next step, that alone has increased my faith just knowing that Jehovah is watching out for you, even before we came.
We found some reasonably priced flights which set or date of departure, gave our notice in at work, decided to sell our car and van, as if we ended up here for the longer term, the vehicles would seize up, (now five months in we made the right choice for us).
In all things make it a matter for prayer.
You have to be very opened minded, and willing to adapt, you will see things, hear things, experience things that will get at your mind if you let it, we can not change the world only God can.
It is a sacrifice, to give up a more comfortable life with all the norm's you are used to, but when you see the 'need' where you go, and the appreciation you see if the faces of those listening to Bible truths, you wonder how can i go back to my former life.
and here's me who thought i could never Pioneer (ever), not being a great speaker, and mininal hours less than a year ago, it is work, and a lot of preparation, but makes life more meaningful.
