the devotees I was traveling with had become determined preachers

"The devotees I was traveling with had become very determined preachers" drums.jpg (30626 bytes)

Chapter Eight - Part One

We continued going up the river in this way, until we came to Venezuela. At that point the captain announced that we had to go back. He had a deadline to meet and if it wasn't met, he would lose his job, because they wanted to use the boat for another purpose. It was timely actually, because by that time our stock of grains was finished and our own bhoga was also nearly finished. Some of the devotees were getting sick and I had my purple skin disease which was getting out of hand. Our razor blades had all rusted in the humidity of the jungle which had prevented us from shaving. We were sunburnt and skinny.

Yes, it was time to go back. I remember the day we stopped going up the river and turned around. Going up that river was like drinking hot sugar juice. It burnt so much it was painful but it was irresistibly sweet.

As we turned the boat, I think at about four o'clock in the afternoon, I'm sure I heard the devotees heave a big sigh. It was a mixed sigh of relief that it was nearly over, and disappointment.

That last village we visited was five days from any other village. Therefore, after leaving it, we had a few days to rest and feel a fresh surcharge of energy.

During our journey, I had seen such a change take place in the devotees I was traveling with. When we first started out they were not so strong in their devotional practices. But by the time we turned that boat around, they had matured. They had become toughened and seasoned, very determined preachers, having faced so many difficulties. As I mentioned earlier, there was death in the air, death in the water and death on the land. And they had taken the risk to go out and preach for Lord Caitanya. It reminded me of when someone enrolls in the army. They begin as recruits but with time they become fully seasoned soldiers. They were risking so much for preaching and they could see that so many people were taking to Krsna consciousness, so preaching became their life and soul. They had gone through the fire of ordeal.