Bible School for Christian Couples

Saludos.

Instead of sharing a brief overview of what I've lived every month since January, I've decided to blog about certain activities or particular events that stand out from these last 6 months. I will begin with the one privilege I have been able to experience for four months now.

  My family is still in Mexico, back in Rosarito and we are in a Spanish congregation. The last time I blogged I think I had mentioned that we had moved to Playas de Tijuana, which we did do for four months. Those few months were a great start to living back in Mexico. I was able to have a room all to myself, which was quite wonderful while it lasted. I also liked that my family lived next to two witness families. Although we lived on the lot precisely right of the Kingdom Hall, we chose to go to a smaller Spanish congregation that met at the other Kingdom Hall just a few blocks away. It was very refreshing to be a part of a congregation that was small, had few kids, yet no other teen girls (avoiding drama), was mainly made up of couples and older sisters and had a small territory. It wasn't daunting for me to go there. We walked again to and from the territory with more frequency and met new brothers and sisters.

View to the Cafeteria entrance from the Kitchen

Inside of the kitchen one of the first times. 

  The brother that lived two houses down from us, Hirales, is one of the elders in charge of having a kitchen crew available weekly for the couple schools that go on at the Rosarito Assembly Hall. Yes, the Bible School for Christian Couples. He told my mom and I about it, and we happily volunteered and started going twice a week. The first BSCC began in February and every Friday afternoon after 3:15pm a couple from my hall would pick us up and head to the Assembly Hall to cook. It was normally just us four, but sometimes one or two other sisters would come or switch places with one of us and help prepare meals for the students participating in the class and their instructors. At first we would feed them all at the tables in the cafeteria, but after about one month it was decided that the food would be served in a to go box in the kitchen and the students would just pick them up before heading home. It was more practical this way and we continued doing it this way with both schools.

  The first school finished the 5th of April and the next school began the 26th or so of April and ended just this past weekend, the 22nd of June. My mom and I continued going Fridays with the Vazquez' and on Saturdays we would join Cesar and his wife Adriana, aka the Hirales in the mornings at 6am. For breakfast or lunch the meal was still served in the cafeteria but another group of brothers and sisters attended to them while they ate. We worked very closely with the waiting staff and their captain. After all the couples finished eating, the kitchen crew and waiting staff would have breakfast together. Any day we cooked we would have to leave the kitchen clean, but on Saturdays after we washed what we used for cooking, the waiting staff stayed to wash the rest of the dishes used during breakfast. I really enjoyed my Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings and learned a lot.. I came to appreciate the Hirales a lot and although we moved away from Playas and no longer are neighbors with them, I'm glad we became good friends.

Cesar and Adriana Hirales

  This past Friday was the usual routine but Saturday was a bit different. We were asked to come in two hours later than usual and help prepare an elaborate meal for their last day of school. This is something that has been done since the schools first started happening at this Assembly Hall. All of the students, the instructors, the bethelite speaker and the two other brothers who form part of the Assembly Hall Committee were invited along with their wives to the Gala meal. A total of 40. That took a lot of preparation and work, therefore, more hands were needed and our kitchen crew totaled 8. The three course meal was served after 1pm to all the guests. It felt like a very special meal, the tables were all decorated, the brothers all gave their wives a rose, everyone was taking pictures, thanking us, getting emotional. It was very happy to see the joy on everyone's faces. After they finished, and we ate, my mom and I helped wash and dry dishes in the kitchen. We had to leave by 3:30 to cross the border, but everyone else stayed until like 6pm that day.

First course: Asian Salad
Chef Cesar and my momma!

Preparing the dessert!

Part of the waiting staff, the kitchen crew and chef. About 15 brothers and sisters all wanted a picture of us. Quite memorable!

Once the meal was about to be served a brother read a thank you letter to us!!

  Anyways, this final class graduated on Sunday and I was invited, along with my mom, to attend their BSCC graduation. It was completely unexpected!! To be able to attend the school graduation one has to have an invitation card, otherwise they won't allow you inside the Assembly Hall. In the first and previous school I helped out in the kitchen for the luncheon that is to be prepared for the graduates and visitors, so I knew that I had to be available that day to help out. Well, Cesar said that this time, he would give the passes to the brothers and sisters that actively helped for the past two schools, so that was wonderful. Once inside, I noticed that only about 300 of us were in attendance, so I felt like it was an even bigger privilege to be there.

  There were several talks given, service experiences shared and three couples interviewed. Two talks spoke about the importance of imitating Bible characters and their patience, faith, modesty, obedience and endurance. The first was Gideon and his 300 men, and the second example was Joshua and the nation of Israel before the fall of Jericho. It was so impressive and emotional for me to be there. I loved it and am so happy to have gone. My long-term goal has always been to go to Gilead and to be able to be so close to all these excellently trained brothers and sisters, to sometimes converse with them, and finally to participate in this graduation made me feel very grateful. I still am so amazed I went. The speaker invited from Bethel turned out to be part of the Branch Committee and I would never have thought so, well, maybe a little. He also sounded very moved and almost on the verge of tears when he shared an experience with us. In the last and most important discourse of the graduation ceremony, we all heard where these 12 couples were assigned to. Only two were sent back to their previous assignment, one in Mixteco here in Tijuana, and the other back to a town by Mexicali. The rest were sent to different states in the republic, which is different compared to the last school, where the majority were sent to Sonora and Sinaloa with two exceptions. They were sent to Michoacan, Chihuahua, Baja Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, and another state, I can't remember.

One of the instructors interviewed Guerra and Del Toro about all the work involved in preparation for the school. I forgot to mention some facts stated then, but I will below. 

The three couples interviewed. All different experiences, yet all so moving. 

  Once it ended, I recognized some brothers and sisters from when I was in the English circuit. I also took some pictures with the sisters that are waitresses on Saturdays. I said goodbye to the instructors wives and Cindi, the bethelite speakers wife. While I was taking pictures of the graduates, I saw this couple, more specifically a brother I had previously seen and went up to introduce myself. His wife and him are in Cabos, in the small English congregation over there, but they had just returned from being in Ecuador, in Cuenca. We had a lot to talk about, and we exchanged emails. They will be coming back north during July for the Circuit Assembly, so hopefully I can see them again then, or maybe I will go visit sometime.

CLASE 32 

So this is what we look like without our uniform. The girls and I

I had a busy, tiring yet wonderfully satisfying and rewarding weekend.

Some facts about this particular class

• An approximate of 350 brothers and sisters helped out in transportation, lodging, cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc, every week to make this class happen
• On average 100 meals a day are made and prepared for at the Assembly Hall
• 4,500 meals in total are served by the end of the 8 weeks

  Have any of you participated in something similar? Next blog will be about another most recent activity.