On the Hip Strip

View of the Hip Strip

It may not seem like it from my posts, but actually I have spent most of my time actually in service.  On Friday’s we do a section of Montego Bay called the Hip Strip.  It’s the section of town that has the highest concentration of Indians because they own several of the souvenir shops along the walkways and plazas. As with all our territory, we work this strip every week.  That bothered me at first, but there doesn’t seem to be any such thing as coming too often.  Here, they won’t run from you if you come every week.  People are willing to spend time with you.  The men at the shops will stop and talk to us for several minutes at a time as long as the shop isn’t too busy. (In fact, some say they like us to come, because us coming always leads to more customers coming into the shop just a few minutes after we get there.  They think more customers is evidence of God’s blessing.) 

Avette Pinnock along with a Bible Study

Since she has been working the territory for years, Sister Vina, our only native speaker, has been able to start studies with a few of the locals along the strip, including this man and his wife.  Not only did he go to the Hindi convention in New Jersey last year, he also intends on going to the Hindi sessions of the convention again this year here in MoBay.  For the most part, right now we are not necessarily conducting progressive studies with a lot of the Indians here, but we are developing friendships with them and there is tons of potential.