Very important

The branch is encouraging us to write a personal letter to Russian Supreme Court to discourage the ban. Please read, share and follow instructions.

https://www.jw.org/en/news/releases/by-region/russia/jw-mobilize-global-response-to-threat-of-ban/

3.15.17

Hello Everyone,


I've been encouraged to start blogging again after being MIA for most of last year and this one. I do miss writing, but we all know how busy life is being a JW. I work at an insurance agency and have some free time during my lunch break, so let's see how much I can write...


Last year was a very beautiful one. I almost don't know where to start since there were many good memories made. At the start of the year I got engaged and started planning my wedding in late fall. Those months were extremely occupied and my time was divided in between service for Jehovah, work, wedding planning, spending time with the family and spending time with my fiancé. Planning it was definitely fun and I really loved the end result. I also got to know Carlos a lot better during this time and felt the support of so many friends. I also had my second Pioneer School in August which I felt completely unworthy of attending. The school was a lovely blessing and it filled me up so much. I loved the curriculum, our instructors and my fellow classmates. A nice treat was going with my auntie this time around! It was so nice learning and feeling the love of the friends who so tirelessly worked to prepare our meals and help us feel comfortable during the school. I had the task to write a thank you letter to one of the local congregations that came to feed us, which was nice.


Come around October MY WEDDING DAY was here! I'll share some photos in another post.
Lunch is over, but I will continue adding to this post in later days.

It's been a while (Uri manida)

It's been a year since I moved to California and life has not stopped one second! I got a nice little message the other day which reminded me how frequently I used to blog. I think that as Witnesses we are definitely busier than most people. What can I say? Life just keeps moving along! :)

I've come to see how Jehovah has cared for us continually. All my life it's been faith strengthening to see how he's been so involved. Its been a different adjustment being back 'home'. I've been happy though. Early in our first year we moved into our old Spanish congregation and immersed ourselves into the activity here. It's been a very busy year. I started working for an Insurance company and I've quickly learned about this industry. Quite interesting. I have continued pioneering, but my schedule is most definitely different than it was in Ecuador or Mexico. So different. Everything is very fast paced here, and more expensive than I was accustomed to. Time slips away if you don't plan well. My family has also been busy. My mother has begun caring for my grandparents during the week and my brother is focusing on finishing up High School this year!
I had a wonderful blessing happen this year and that blessing was forming a friendship with an excellent, sweet brother. After much prayer and thought, we began dating late last Summer. I can't even describe how thankful I am that this happened. It was definitely a beautiful surprise and something I didn't imagine happening when moving back. I'm so happy because I found my modern-day Timothy. He is an incredible person and loves Jehovah so much. Jehovah knew and we both feel like he's guided us in our relationship. I will have to share more about him and our story too in another post. And now.....I'm engaged! So, I'm currently planning the wedding, future plans and also looking forward to the spiritual activities coming up this year. I was invited to Pioneer School for a second time!! I am very thankful to Jehovah for that invitation. Was not expected. I also have my convention coming up in June.

I have an Instagram account which is where you can see more of what's been going on in my life. If you want to follow me, just send me a direct message of how you know me. I am a bit particular about who follows me. :) I will be blogging again soon. I'll share a bit of our story, and also more photos!

@ijcali

Sincerely,

Izmir Coello


PS:

I'll share a photo from our Engagement Session. Even that was a lovely surprise. <3

2015

Six months into the year and I still cannot grasp how quickly time has gone by. To think that only a few months ago my life was very different to how I am living it now. 

Back in early 2015, I was adjusting to my new schedule including work. I began working twice a week on Monday and Tuesday doing secretarial work while my spiritual activity continued the rest of the week. I purposely chose it, so that I had Thursdays free to still be available to participate in Metropolitan Witnessing. This practical schedule went on for about 2 months. Meanwhile, I was persistently trying to get answers regarding Bethel service. I needed to know if my elders could send an application from Mexico to the US branch. This took us several months, but finally in early March I was able to receive a positive answer. I got an application! During Spring Break we were going to be in California for two weeks so I brought along the application with me. I read through it, prayed about it and filled in most of it. I had some questions and was hoping to have my elder's guidance regarding them once I went back home. I was excited and happy.

But something changed. 

Due to decisions made by my father, my mother decided to move back to California in mid March with my brother and I. 

We have been here for 2 months now, and it often feels surreal. Living out of America for 7-8 years (approx) in countries so different demographically, geographically, economically and socially is what I became used to. Preaching in territories that were virgin or seldom worked and finding people thirsty for truths was what my heart had been trained to do. The first month here, I thanked Jehovah every day for the marvelous learning experience and life I was exposed to during all my teenage years. I feel glad though that I was able to return somewhat older and more mature than when I left. I am mentally ready to face life in the US and am reminding myself that I can show support to my family by being here.

We live with my uncle and aunt and chose to return to the congregation we had been a part of so many years ago. This allowed the change to be smoother and it lessened the introductions. My mother and I were offered a job immediately that would allow both of us to continue pioneering, caring for the household responsibilities and care for the necessary things. This was clearly only through the loving kindness of Jehovah and the generous spirit he gives his people, our fellow brothers. 

Of course, we remain busy trying to always give Jehovah our best and the first fruits. We have finally settled into a schedule that seems perfect for my mom and I after having to be patient for a few weeks. 

I know there are maaaaany bible texts that we can receive encouragement from, but one in particular has helped me. 2 Samuel 22:26 has really strengthened my faith during this moment and has assured me of Jehovah's kind treatment. 

"With someone loyal you act in loyalty;

With the blameless, mighty man, you deal blamelessly;"

Yes, that is what I honestly believe. Have you had to move back to your home country after serving abroad for a time period and felt somewhat out of place? Maybe there is another scripture that has helped you and I don't mind hearing about it!

Su hermanita, 

Izmir - Janai

KH Construction Site-----superlatepost

** I never finish editing this post, but I still wanted to add this to my blog. I may edit it later on**

JUNE

A few years ago, about three or four, I remember a rumor heard in all of Rosarito that a sister had donated some of her land to be used for a future Kingdom Hall. I didn't know any details, well, except for its location and I thought it was just perfect. The land donated was next to the sisters home, on a dead-end street and was on the edge? of the freeway. I thought it was very visible to any passerby and to all tourists entering Rosarito or going south. Well, the time I spent away from Rosarito totaled about over two years and now that I have returned, there is action happening!

I went the last month of the build with Yennie, a sister from my new hall. We went about three times a week and learned a lot. There was just so much to be done! I learned to put tile, paint, and add the baseboard on the wall. I hadn't seen the jw.org sign put up on any of the local Kingdom Halls yet, so when I went the last week I was very surpried by the huge sign. I worked very hard side by side with the RBC crew and tasted a bit of what it would be like to be a part of it. Made me think about it. They told me that in December they would be coming to Ensenada to help with another KH build, so I might try to plan that. 

Slow Motion

In the end of September I finalized my three specialized courses of TESOL with an American Institute, and all of it was online. I felt relieved and at peace for completing the course. I also had the happy surprise while finishing an assignment during August; my teacher was a Witness too! In October I was given a lovely gift from my maternal grandparents. They had booked me a roundtrip ticket to Guadalajara, Jalisco! It has been a city I've wanted to visit for several years and I had previously mentally prepared an itinerary of a trip out there. As always, I would give my fullest support in the ministry in the local congregation and hopefully visit others. I spent three weeks out there and was able to visit Zacatecas for 3 days and hop over to Aguascalientes for a weekend. My grandparents had purposely chosen this time of the year because the whole city would have its Regional Convention that last weekend of October. What a marvel! We had the privilege of being connected to the Mexico City International Convention, along with 55 different locations throughout the Central American branch. I really enjoyed the trip to inner Mexico. I learned a lot from the family I stayed with and truly came to appreciate all they did for me. Something I had to do all the time was preach informally. I just took advantage of the opportunities to talk to everyone. The amount of people in the downtown area is ridiculous, but fascinating to see. The food was so delicious and I'm not afraid of trying new things. I had a very good time while on this last-minute trip. I even met brothers and sisters from the Japanese congregation and was able to see some familiar faces. The day after I got back home, we had our Regional Convention in the Rosarito Baja Center. Since that weekend, a month has gone by of such busy activity in the ministry. I have 5 different studies with young people, and I love the fact that they reason about what they are learning and challenge me to investigate. The weather has become cool again, with rain coming and going every other week. The individual effort I've made to motivate some of the girls from the hall has also seemed to give fruit. The elders told me that one of the girls I befriended has decided to pioneer, and since last September, she is now a new RP.  Last week another new friend told me she approached the elders because she wanted to become a publisher again. She was given the green light and today she joined my mother and I out in service. We had a long full day of activity and I felt very happy having her by my side, finally out in service! I haven't gone to the Assembly Hall since Summer, been thinking of applying there again. I also have had temporary work in mind....which would involve applying to the NY branch. Exciting thought. Lots of different opportunities to try out and go for. A lot more on my mind too. Do not want to date yet either. Several of my friends are getting married, which all makes me happy. My brother is growing, trying, I know, to grow up to be responsible and balanced. Deciding on his opinion of things, and analyzing everything. But, still a very studious boy and a lover of Jehovah.
There have been so many special little things happening, or such funny service experiences I've had, but I just haven't posted any. Everything takes time. I also still miss Ecuador and love hearing news of the advancement in the small town I'd go to each Monday. Let's just fast forward from last year to now. After the special pioneers were assigned there, and the group was formed in that small little town, they are now a new congregation!! I cannot be prouder or have such an immense feeling of satisfaction from having formed part of its early beginnings. It feels incredible and makes me want to really go back to see it all blooming. Yep.
Well, I post pictures on my Instagram. New little app I began using since last year, but it probably gets updated much more frequently than this blog. My username changes sometimes, but for now its: wordshavegone. Oh and I am thrilled beyond words about our new television website. I love being informed on the different advancements of our work worldwide and its an amazing gift.
I will go see my aunt and uncle this Friday with the family. It's such a mentally appeasing thought to be with my family, so sometimes its necessary to actually see them. So, I'm very happy we will be going for a few days.
There you go..

Sincerely,

Izmir - Janai


(Born in 1995)

New Goal: Helping Out Within The Congregation

Being in a new congregation is always different yet exciting and is a learning experience every time. I have now come to know more of the families in the hall and I realized that the majority of these families have kids and teenagers that are not publishers. I understand that we all grow spiritually at our own pace, but in this case, I don't see or sense a desire from many to serve Jehovah in their youth. I have been in congregations where the presence of spiritually-minded youth is strongly felt, and here it isn't as noticeable. My mom talked to us about just being our usual selves with the kids here and to always speak positively about our ministry and relationship with Jehovah. So my brother and I have made it a goal to be our best to be encouraging with them.

 On Saturday evening I was approached by an elder about having a demo for the Tuesday meeting. Before we finished talking he took me aside and told me something that felt reassuring,. First, he said he noticed how regular I go out in service and that he could tell from talking with my brother, working with him in service, and seeing us at meeting, that both of us love Jehovah. So then he asked me a favor and asked if I could please try to help out the young sisters in the hall. He told me to do so just by inviting them out to service, being encouraging, getting to know them. As elders, he mentioned that they have visited many at home and tried talking with them, but maybe they would be more keen to opening up with a peer. He specified several girls and I realized that there is a lot for me to do. My territory outside might be small, but within the congregation there is still much help needed and these kids are just as important.

When I got home I told my mom and my brother what I had been told. My mom felt happy that she had already previously told us about the importance our example would be in this new congregation. We just prayed about it because this is a huge responsibility. Although I believe that the spiritual upbringing first belongs to the parents, I also know that peers have an influence in the way kids think. If they see that serving Jehovah at a young age is something fun, and rewarding, and they also experience it, it can mean a world of motivation to them. I also know that I am not a superwoman or a complete expert, but if I can be useful, I will try hard. So, that same evening I invited one girl out in service for the next day and a study. I also asked another girl to join me for service Tuesday morning. Let's start this right away! I prayed to Jehovah for the right disposition, to allow myself to be used by him and also to not wear out.

Sunday morning was proof of Jehovah backing us up in the ministry. My new service partner and I worked only about two blocks together, actually we didn't even finish the second block, because we got caught up at doors. I began the morning being very upbeat and having small talk with this young sister, and she also conversed, but she is a bit shy. I asked her what presentation she had for this morning and how she preferred sharing doors. I learned that she has always lived in Rosarito, she is out of school for now, but needs to finish one year, and that she also can preach-really well. At her first door she immediately took out her Bible and gave a great presentation. The man told her that her works every other Sunday, but to please return in two weeks. He was busy, but came outside to talk to us anyway, and the whole dialogue was a success. She remembered to write down her call and said it was her third return visit. Then it was my turn and I had a great conversation too. The lady at the door asked where I was from immediately after I greeted her. I was quite perplexed as to why she needed to know that, and I tried to continue the conversation without focusing too much on that topic, yet she brought it up again. And this time she said that it was evident I was not from here, because I didnt talk to her like the other ones that stop by her door. So, I just smiled and said that I was bringing her good news and that is why I was feeling so positive.

At the next door, we found a sign that stated they had Bible Studies held there of some religious group. Well, it was my partners turn to talk, but she wanted to skip it. When she said this, I wanted to take this as an opportunity to hopefully be an example. But before offering to preach there, I gave her an idea of an introduction to use and said we both obviously believe in the Bible but that our knowledge surpasses theirs. I asked her if she wanted to try it, but she said she wanted to see how I handled it. I prayed, and smiled and knocked. An older lady was outside but when she saw me she called someone else. Then we heard a lady yelling from another gate and asking who was knocking. I approached her with a big smile and enthusiastically greeted her. She had been sweeping. Since the territory for this hall is quite limited, we work it almost weekly, and I have been telling householders that we are doing our weekly visit. This is the first time I've ever had to use this introduction in a congregations...but anyways.. I told the lady, Olivia, that we wanted to ask for her opinion regarding a well known verse, Matthew 6:9,10. I read it to her and asked her what the word "kingdom" meant to her. Vague answer, something involving our getting to know God, she said. As I continued this conversation and ended it, I told her I'd like to return to talk to her about what changes this Kingdom will bring. By the time we finished this pleasant convo, I learned that from her whole family, she was the only one that hadn't been baptized by the church her sister belonged to. She also said that yes, people to study the Bible at that home, but she didn't and she also doesn't read her Bible because she can't understand it.  So much potential there!! While we walked away, I felt very satisfied and content with the outcome that morning. I just hope that my sister enjoyed it as much as I did.

You can say this was the first attempt here at motivating a young sister and I hope, I really pray, that my family and I can be true sources of encouragement in this new hall.

Kitchen Crew in Action

Here is a video I took on Saturday. It's brief, but still gives you a taste of how it is to be in the kitchen. 

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.

Arizona weekend 2

Let us continue with Sunday from my weekend trip with Ziv to Arizona.

I woke up early that morning so I could study my WT since I hadn't been able to during the week. Since Myin had already woken up, I asked him to accompany me to the van downstairs, so as to get my copy of the WT. I couldn't find it, so I had to print out another copy in the hotel lobby. I told Myin I would just study in the lobby until I finished and it was time for me to get ready. It was a few minutes past 6am and I saw another sister from our group getting some coffee while explaining to the Security dude the reason of our coming to Yuma. She even placed magazines with him! It was very quiet setting while I studied and I was able to finish it and head upstairs to our hotel room. I took a shower and was the last one ready, but since the Jones' were going downstairs for breakfast it wasn't urgent for me to be ready. We had our last breakfast together and made sure to have all our luggages ready to be loaded into the van. We checked out around 9 and headed to the Kingdom Hall in Yuma for the public talk and WT study. We got there about 15 minutes before 10, but the hall was already full of brothers and sisters. My brother and I sat with the Schneider family, while the Jones' family say about two rows behind us. The public speaker was Derrick J., the brother visiting from Minnesota, and he did a great job. Very enthusiastic and he had my attention the whole meeting. The title of the talk was, "How to conquer Bad with Good(Love)". The meeting attendance was of over 200 and there was a large participation from the many visitor, including our group. Once meeting was over, our group joined the service meeting and we went out until 2ish. 42 brothers and sisters went out in the afternoon! I was able to preach to a young girl and talk to her about the third question on the Truth tract. We were a large caravan of about 7 cars and we all followed our 'leader' to and from the territory. We finished our territory! From there we went to eat at Subway inside of Walmart. Since we had been invited to the graduation of a young girl from the hall, and she had been someone we already knew, we headed over to her house. It was very nicely decorated and several of the brothers and sisters we had met throughout the weekend were there. Lots of purple and black! After a while of mingling a prayer was said, and then birria was served. Must I say, yum!! It was awesome. I was presently surprised. We had some karaoke and sang for several hours. I had fun, and then we also got to see Dominiques gifts. Since we had been invited to a Thank You Dinner, after a certain time two of the cars from the Jones' group left to say goodbye to our hosts. It was another 15 minute drive to sister Christina Williams home, but when we got there we were able to share in a very intimate setting. It was very cozy inside and there was a group of some playing a boardgame, and then another simply chatting and drinking coffee. When our group arrived they decided to switch the game to Apples to Apples. THAT was fun! Some of the adults went outside and started to put some music on to dance to, so we ended the game, picked up and also headed outside. I noticed the majority of the songs were line danced to. I liked one in particular called the Wobble. I loved seeing the difference in music taste and the way others enjoy their gatherings, depending on their upbringing. I had fun, and after having enjoyed dancing for a while, Isaac and Marcia arrived with Myin. They said hello, had some dessert, but we left shortly after. I asked the youth to please take a last photograph with the youth from our group and we did. The ladies decided to go in one van, while the guys in another and the last car stayed the same. While we were driving back home I decided to check out my Instagram and post a photo of the night, but I realized that my photographs were all in my camera. I started to look for it and remembered that I had not gotten my camera back after the last group photo. As I thought this aloud and said so to the girls, I got a call from Christina telling me I had left my camera. Mind you, we were already about 25 minutes away from her house and a caravan of three was ready to get home. Senta quickly thought of a solution. While we made a stop at Starbucks before getting onto the freeway in Yuma, we would wait and meet with the another car group of sisters that was also at the gathering but had mentioned they were going to drive home in El Centro shortly.  We walkie talkie-D the news to the 'leader' car and then I made the call to the girls from El Centro, and we arranged to meet in a few minutes at Starbucks. I felt very embarrassed about forgetting my camera, but the adults, well some, assured me that it wasn't a big deal, since they were all able to get their caffeine shot and quick pee break. Our large group of 11 got off and just as the last one entered Starbucks they told us they were going to close in 3 minutes, but they would get our orders and then have us go outside. It took several minutes to get all of our orders and to make them. About 5 minutes after we all got our drink, headed back outside and got our last things ready for the trip, the girls arrived with my camera! YAY! I was so glad and grateful.
We finally were able to get on the road and start our drive back home. Our van had some R&B music playing, and I knew a few so we all sang along. It was very funny and I laughed a lot. We had finally crossed back into California and had literally just passed the sign welcoming us into the state when we hit something and our left front wheel popped and our car slumped forward. Senta was able to control the van very well, and she just drove into the center of the freeway and we walkie talkie-D again to the other cars. Leader van said they had been able to avoid something that looked like an animal carcass, but instead we hit it and then the car behind us had it hit them too, but nothing happened to their vehicle. Senta called AAA insurance and while she was on the phone a cop came by and asked what the situation was. He was very friendly but asked us to veer onto the right side of the freeway and he motioned and guided us on how to. All of the girls in the van transferred to the first car and then others to the third car. Since I really had to pee and so did three others, the leader van took us to a rest stop about 3 miles away. The other two cars stayed together and waited for AAA. We continued to communicate using our walkies, since the signal in that area was very terrible. We all met back up at the rest stop and were finally able to continue our journey. Although we had all switched spots, the 6 siblings ended up together. The third row, which was made up of Ziv, Bethany and Andrew, fell asleep almost immediately. The second row, Ericka and I, stayed up the whole ride back and we had very interesting and deep convo with Myin. Isaac was also in the front, but he seemed to be dozing off. It was such a beautiful ride back, and I loved seeing the clear sky shining with so many stars and the bright moon following us as we rode through the desert. We shared our thoughts on the weekend and also spoke about the weekly Bible reading, which was based on Revelation. When we finally got to Lakeside and actually were inside of the house it was 3 am. We still had to inflate some of the inflatable beds and have a midnight snack. More like a madrugada snack. I was so tired, I went into Bethanys bed and feel asleep fast. The following hours, I tried to sleep as much as I could, but I could hear the lovely ladies talking on an on. So I forced my eyes to open and at 9:30 we all got up and those who had time to showered. Everyone was hungry, so we wanted to get out of the house and get to Denny's as soon as possible. Brunch was very enjoyable and we played our own version of Apples to Apples. It was so funny and difficult to chose at times. When we got back home, the 6 siblings decided to play Monopoly, but we were all so sleepy, that it was hard to play with enthusiasm.
 My dad came for both the Schneider kids and Ziv and I at 4. We said our big thanks and our adieus to the Jones' family and headed to National City to drop off the kiddos. After leaving them at their home and once we were on our way home to Mexico, we were able to share with my dad some of the experiences we were able to enjoy during our weekend in Arizona. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and am very glad to have gone and brought Ziv along. I think that the people that were a part of our group became good friends with us and I hope to maintain that friendship.

I recently received an email stating that 30 persons went to the first meeting in Gadsden thanks to being given an invitation. Although many more were in attendance, the rest were brothers or sisters. We have been invited again to go another month for another weekend of special activity. They still need to complete more of their territory and they need help to find interested ones. So, if you are interested in going, let me know!

I hope to go back soon and help out with the advancement there.

Arizona weekend 1

About two months ago, more or less, I received a text message from a friend in the English congregation from the same hall I went to while in Lakeside. Bethany Jones is her name, and she invited me to go with her family to Arizona the last weekend of December to support the territory in a town with no English congregation. I told my parents about it, and promptly replied to her saying YES! Since that initial text message, I received more information from her father through emails, and we were also able to include my brother in the trip. We would both stay with the Jones' family from Friday morning until Monday afternoon. I also learned that we would focus on handing out invitations to the first English talk given in Gadsden the first Saturday of each month. I was really looking forward to it because it reminded me of the work we did in Mexico when we did search work. 

On Thursday of last week my brother and I got our luggages out and had to select clothing for the weekend of activity that awaited us. Since we had meeting that night, I had to continue after meeting and I went to bed slightly later than I wanted. On Friday morning my dad woke us up at 3 to load our things to the van and cross with him to the States. My dad leaves early to have enough time to warm up the motor of the van and get his coffee ready for the drive. It also is a good time to cross the border because one can avoid waiting too long in traffic at the border. So that is what we did with my dad that morning and once we crossed within 20 minutes, we drove to Lakeside. Once in Lakeside my dad parked at the Vons parking lot and slept until 6:15. He usually does this until he has to go into work, but since we were getting dropped off at the Jones' we did this earlier. Anyways, when we arrived at the Jones' place, Bethany's older brother Myin, opened up the door for us and we brought in our luggages and blankies. We were able to talk while he got his things out from his room and waited until the rest of the family was awake. Once Bethany was ready Ziv, Myin, Beth and I left to get breakfast and coffee at  a Mexican restaurant and at 7 Eleven. We took that back home and ate with their parents. About 20 minutes after we finished eating and had started to load things into the van, our first addition to the caravan arrived. Two sisters, S... and Marlena, mother and daughter, both from the Jones congregation and their niece and family friend arrived. I never got to learn their last name, but they were all friendly and the younger girls, eventually became more comfortable with us. Well, once the van was loaded we went to 7 Eleven again to fill the van with gas and we also met with vehicle number 3 joining our caravan. The Schneiders: Senta, Erika, and Andrew. Something that I had only used once before on a road trip was used in this mini road trip and it became a great tool of communication. Walkie Talkies. So, each car in our caravan had a walkie talkie and this is how we communicated the rest of the trip while on the road, each day. It was so fun. Once we all met and our cars were full, we headed onto Highway 8 and started our trip. 

We did two stops on the way, one at the Golden Acorn Casino to buy some tape or super glue, and the second was in El Centro to buy some dried grasshoppers, which we didn't find. But, both were practical since we were able to have bathroom breaks in each one. We arrived to Somerton, Arizona around 2:30pm and dropped off some Karaoke equipment at a sisters home, but then went to Jack in the Box for some food. This was our first picture with all the kids..oh, and one adult. 

LEFT TO RIGHT: Kayla, Andrew, Phoebe, Ziv, Bethany, Erika, Izmir(aka me) and Myin.

 After lunch we went back the Hoffs home (where we had left the Karaoke equipment) and did some testing on the mic and screen. The testing resulted in an afternoon of singing together, and we continued singing until about 7:30 pm  or later. I had fun during that time and some good laughs as we all tried to sing along to songs we either didn't know the melody to, or didn't like. The drive from Somerton to Yuma was of about 25 minutes and we got to our hotel about 8:30 and met in the lobby with a group of JW's. There were 3 of them, all with their cowboy hats on and vaquero boots and buckle. Interesting first impression, but accurate. The man who was signing us all into the hotel and who was giving us towels, turned out to be  brother too. It was awesome to hear that the majority of guests staying in the hotel that weekend were JW's, 50 brothers and sisters! Anyways, that evening the kids stayed together part of the evening talking until I decided to take a shower and go to bed. The following morning we all got up to have breakfast at 8 am in the lobby and this is a photo of our crew..








The service meeting was at 10, but the schedule we had all been emailed stated that the drive from Yuma to Gadsden was of about 50 minutes, so we had to leave by 9 am latest. We did and the drive to Gadsden was on the same road we had taken the previous night from Somerton. We actually drove past Somerton and continued another 20 minutes until we made it to Gadsden. On our way we saw a lot of fields filled with vegetables and we came up with a game of guessing the name of the produce. When we drove into the KH we saw that there were brothers cleaning the hall and some were working on the doors, these were all from the Spanish congregations. We also arrived 15 minutes before the service meeting, so I was able to take some pictures and meet the other witnesses I saw. Here is a photo of the KH before the service meeting.



 This is outside of the building. 5 Spanish congregations meet her, each with an average of about 100 publishers. It also is about 80 feet from the Mexican border, something I found surprising.

By the time is was 10, the KH was packed, and the total attendance turned out to be of 121 that morning. The brother who conducted the service meeting turned out to be the same brother working in our hotel the night before. He told us to be thorough in our search and to take our time. Try to speak to someone from each house and write down the information from each house, even if they spoke Spanish. If we found English speakers we only gave them the invitations to the special meeting the following weekend and tried to get a name. A demonstration was given by the cowboy brothers, whom we had also met the day before. The brother, his name Charles Banks, also mentioned several cities and told us to raise our hands if we came  from them. Our San Diego group was a mighty one! Then we were divided into groups, depending on where we came from. So, the Jones' group went with a local brother who would take us to the territory and give us instructions once we arrived. Br Banks continued to organize the groups and send them off with local brothers or sisters for another few minutes. After everyone had someone they were assigned to we had a prayer, but that wasn't it yet. We also took a group photo and that took another 15 minutes to organize and another 5 of purely photo taking. The brothers and sisters there were so kinds to us, they even had donuts and coffee for us outside. So after we used the bathroom, had our donut, and got the group together, we finally left the hall and headed to San Luis. 

Brothers and sisters from all ages and backgrounds came from Los Angeles, Long Beach, El Centro, San Diego California, Tucson, Phoenix, Yuma Arizona, Reno Nevada, Chicago Illinois, St Paul Minnesota, and San Luis, Tijuana Mexico. There might have been other cities represented, but I can't remember.  Im on the right in the second row, wearing green. Ziv is in the front row, third from right.

When we got to the territory, Beto Olaiz handed each couple a sheet which we would fill out with information from each number we preached to. I worked with Bethany in the morning until about 12:10 on the same street as her parents. Ziv went off with Beto (or Bethel as everyone ended up calling him) and then switched to be with Andrew a bit. Since we finished up our street pretty soon, we waited by the car and then headed out to lunch with our caravan to get some Mariscos(seafood)! I did get to talk to a younger woman, maybe in her mid 20s who speaks and reads English. She has a Bible at home and I read to her Acts 17:11 and told her that its important to make sure that our beliefs are in harmony with what the Bible says. She accepted the November magazines and the invitation with a very friendly attitude. I need to ask more questions though, I will try to work on that. 

After lunch! We had to rush back to the afternoon service meeting where we got an attendance of 92!!!!

So, the rest of the afternoon we preached and I worked with Isaac (Chief Jones) and with Erika, then I worked with Bethany for a while again. We had the same people work with us in the afternoon, but an additional 6 persons joined our group. We each spoke to someone again and this time I got to talk to a young teenager who actually was interested in knowing the answer to question number 3 on the Truth tract. We analyzed it together and also read the scriptures together. She told me that her mom also spoke English and that she would share the invitation with her. I hope she did and I also pray that she becomes someones return visit. I had to pass some information from my house to house record onto the sheet we gave back to the brothers, so I did that and we finished. One of the car groups left to the hotel, and so did the Jones' van with the guys, only Senta, Marcia, Erika, Beth and I stayed to go to Walmart. We needed some things and also some closed shoes for the bonfire that evening. It took us a while to drive back from San Luis to Yuma, so when we finally did everyone was waiting for us and ready to leave. We had to quickly change and drive back to the Somerton area for the bonfire. Although it was cold outside and dimly lit, we were able to dance a little bit and talk to others. I got to talk to the sub C.O. visiting from Minnesota. He graduated from MTS back in 1996 and has been in St Paul since. Here are some photos..

Senta, Erika, moi and Derrick Robertson or Robinson.. sub C.O.

 The adults all decided to leave before us kids, so the 6 of us stayed until the end. The 6 siblings!! I really enjoyed being with this group of young ones and so did Ziv. We all felt comfortable with each other, and their conduct was always very proper, so I didn't worry much. Myin drove us all back to Yuma, but we all were begging to get Ice Cream, so he took us to Cold Stone. I forgot my wallet, so Andrew payed for both Ziv and I...I owed him. Anyways, it was a nice additional stop and we took a picture there too, although that was taken on Erika's phone. Cold Stone was right across from the hotel, so we decided to head back to the lobby and finish it there. I printed out an application for the girls that I had received several years ago, and it made them laugh. A young brother who had joined us during the afternoon service was also in the lobby when we arrived, so he joined our table and we learned that he was from Tucson and a Regular Pioneer. Then we all were able to share our positive thoughts of RBC and we had good chit chat. We even talked about New York. We were only down at the lobby for 30 minutes, but it had gotten late by then.. 11:30 pm.


I will add part two to my blog soon. I had an awesome weekend and felt very encouraged afterwards.

End of 2013

Listening to Little Secrets by Passion Pit on this Saturday afternoon and feeling gleeful. I just finished a phone conversation with my both grandparents and also my aunt and uncle in Pomona. They were finishing up their lunch in Costco and I was wishing I could be with them to have some yummy frozen yogurt. I feel pretty good right now, and I am glad that the room I now have has a magnificent tree outside of my window for me to view each day. I would like to share some of the major events that happened these past two weeks. 

 Two weekends ago, on a cold, humid morning, my mother and I finished cleaning the trailer that we lived in for almost 5 months. Better believe it! My dad and brother had already left the previous day with our luggage and some pieces of furniture my dad had gotten during the past months, and came down to Mexico. In case you didn't know, my family and I decided to move to Mexico again and we found a place that fit our requirements in Playas de Tijuana. We will be here an undetermined amount of time, until we either save to return to Ecuador or start another adventure. So, here we were that day getting ready to start a new episode in our 2013 chapter. My mom and I both had a few errands to finish before crossing to Mexico and we went to Home Depot, Walmart and Food 4 Less. I decided to treat my mom to a lunch and took her to Olive Garden. She hadn't been there in years and we both had the Soup and Salad, which was delish!

 That was two Saturdays ago and I think that having lived in that trailer was another learning experience and a perfect situation where I could further learn how to display to a larger degree the fruitage of the spirit. Honestly, I prayed every day for patience and would repeat 1 Timothy 6:8, "Having sustenance and clothing we shall be content with these things" frequently. I remember when  I went to PSS I heard my CO Malet-Veale mention that another CO he knew of would pray to be satisfied with very little and I feel as if this scripture backs it up. I also am so grateful to the family that shared so much with us. They have always been so generous and I already miss them. 

 I was pleasantly surprised when I came to the house which I hadn't seen since my parents picked it. I have my own room and that in itself made my year. I really am glad to have my own space, privacy and a window where I can see outside. I don't have much, but I don't really need more. I even feel like this house is a little too big. I wrote that wrong. This house is larger than what we need. More cleaning, and too much empty space. 

The following day I woke up at my grandparents place, since we still didn't have any beds and I was taken to the meeting by my dad. I sat alone and waited until my two other friends arrived and then switched seats during the song to join them. I commented at the meeting and enjoyed the article discussed on creation. That day my two friends and I headed to the states after the meeting and had a nice lunch together. Brenda and Hector have lived here in Playas for over 5 years and I met them not too long after they first moved here. We've maintained our friendship since then and this was the first time we went to a concert together. I must say I had a very fun and exciting time. I danced, sang, yelled, sang, danced, jumped, all in a three foot diameter. I had a good time with them. I just had to write about it, because I thought it was an awesome night. I also bought myself and AM shirt. 

That week I stayed home the majority of days and unpacked. I still don't have sufficient hangers for my meeting clothes, but I will get some Monday. I put all my art material in a simple, white glass furniture thing. My memory isn't working, sorry. I took out my sewing machine and also put it underneath the desk I was given. I have the sewing machine out right now though because I've been sewing the past few days. We met one of our neighbor families that week and went to their meeting on Thursday night. It is a very small congregation compared to the rest in Playas and is made up of many elderly ones, some families with younger teens and 8 pioneers. That evening after the meeting we were invited to the house of our neighbors, the Hirales family, made up of the dad, Cesar, mom, Adriana, and son, Alex. All pioneers and actively supporting the congregation and various spiritual activities. After conversing with them and listening to them share with us different good things, my mom felt inclined to support their congregation. Although we are living as neighbors to one Kingdom Hall, we seem to be leaning to this congregation which meets in another hall. 

The first weekend we were here we had our family come and spent it with us. I always love seeing them and especially being all together as we are the only JW's in the family. It feels great being together. I wish I had a car and job to go visit them. Anyways, they came and we went to Rosarito both Friday evening and Saturday all day. We went to the beach, had some ice-cream and spent some time conversing. Simple, nice moments. On Sunday early morning, they left and my mom, brother and I went to the District Convention in Rosarito at the new Baja California Center. I didn't expect to see anyone I knew, but it turned out to be the Convention our old friends from Pacifico were assigned to. I also finally was able to understand the drama completely, since when I went back in May, I was cleaning bathrooms. Such a timely drama.  I want to meet Esther. Hadassah. 

This past week we were able to support the new congregation in the ministry. I will start learning the brothers and sisters names. It hasn't been as cold as the first week and now I know that I should go to bed with socks on and a sweater on too. We also met the other witness family living across the street. We got Internet also.

On Wednesday morning I found out the English congregation was having their CO visit and since ours would have been in January but we no longer are in Cali, and the Spanish congregation here had theirs already, we decided to go to the Thursday meeting. On Thursday it rained, but being inside the KH felt very warm and I felt very good about being surrounded by fellow witnesses. The CO said something about the group of us in attendance. He said that it took a lot of faith for some of us to move from our comfort area, or home, to another country after reading an article mentioning a need in Mexico. It also took others faith to switch from the Spanish and learn a different language and leave family in the home congregation. I also have a new favorite scripture. 

Psalms 73:26, "My body and my heart may fail, But God is the Rock of my heart and my portion forever."

Well, yesterday my mom, brother and I went out with the English and spent a very wonderful time with the Cota family. I especially enjoyed being in the company of Isabella. Or Bella. Or Bells. She is 7 1/2 according to her, although she is turning 8 in one month. :) She liked talking with me about a wide variety of topics. From animals, to colors, to food, to foam, to trees, to knock rocks, to school, to friends, to the Bible, and Jehovah. All morning long, I learned a lot from her and she let me share about myself too. I must say, I was so happy when she was partner at the door and a young woman came out. She spoke English and listened to my intro on question 6 of the Truth tract. When I guided her to the Proverbs, Bella took out her NWT Revised Edition and found the scripture and read with us. I loved that!!! Future mini pioneer in the making. Oh, and then, I asked her if she had a presentation and she said, "Let's practice." I felt like she could have done that presentation on the stage during meeting. She did awesome and she also memorized the scripture. To finish off sharing my sweet experience yesterday with her and her family I will ask you the same question she asked me. I thought it was very tender and so sincere. So, it made me think, since I hadn't been asked that before from someone so young. Think about it. 

What do you like about Jehovah?

- Bella

I'll share more later on. 

PS: Since this is towards the end of the month, I forgot to add that I will be going to Arizona next weekend to support a congregation in Gadsden that is trying to form the first English congregation in San Luis. I was invited by the Jones family in Lakeside and we will spend the weekend handing out invitations to a public talk the following weekend. It seems as if a larger group of witnesses is going also, but I'm not sure who or from where. I will take pictures and blog about that experience also. 

CIrcuit Assembly Collage

One mini Collage from the Circuit Assembly... My cellphone died before taking a family picture, but here I am with my "sister" and with my brother Ziv. This was on Sunday at the Escondido Assembly Hall.

Fall Winds

It is November!

I'm glad the weather is changing. I'm looking forward to using sweaters and boots. I don't think the congregation I am currently in has telephone witnessing, but I will ask, since I think it would be a great option for the rainy days to come.

The weekend that just passed was important since we had the Circuit Assembly in the newly remodeled Escondido Assembly Hall. It was the first time my family went, although my mother had gone when she was a child, several years ago. It has been remodeled into a very modern building and looks beautiful. I noticed it is also smaller in comparison to the Norco and Mira Loma Assembly Halls. The theme of the Circuit Assembly this service year is "God's Word is Beneficial for Teaching". I appreciated the powerful and straightforward talks that brother Melendez, the District Overseer, presented. The symposiums were also encouraging and gave us tips on how to teach and how to imitate Jehovah's qualities. My mom and I both helped with the ATM machines during 45 minutes each day. But, on Sunday, I was able to help out again after the session was over. It was a first for both of us, and at first seemed daunting, but we realized it was actually a pretty simple task. Ziv and my dad were assigned in the Parking Department, which Jeremy Cash was supervising. I think it was something special to see all of my family helping out in one way or another.

I felt different during this Assembly. Last year, during the Circuit Assembly in Ecuador, I felt similarly. I tried to assimilate why I was feeling strange, and I came to a conclusion. Both assemblies were the first times I attended a Circuit Assembly for that particular circuit. Since I still haven't been able to know a large number of brothers or sisters in the circuit, I don't have many to talk to. I also have come to realize that not all youth think like I do, and take an initiative in getting to know me. The time this happened in Ecuador I felt worse but this past weekend was easier. I made an effort to talk to those sitting around me. I also spoke during lunch time to an older sister named Esmeralda who has been in Escondido for years and years. She didn't mention how many years, but she did say she began when there were only 45 publishers. Talking with her about her service experience and the journey she's had all these years made me feel great. She told me that she was able to conduct several studies while being illiterate and that now she can read and write somewhat. She encouraged me to give Jehovah my youth and also quoted Ecclesiastes 12:1. Since I have had to make some changes in my service to Jehovah temporarily, I thought that talking with her was very refreshing and encouraging. Just what I needed. On Sunday, I also spoke to other families who are in the San Diego area. One family I spoke with was from Quito and they were beyond friendly, inviting us to their house, to their meetings, to their house in Quito and to service. I also spoke to another family, the Marquez' from the Alturas congregation. The brother had come to give a talk in our congregation several weeks ago and when they saw us they also invited us to their home. This is something my family and I love. We find it to be a great exchange of encouragement to talk to others about our time in Ecuador and Mexico. I miss sharing that with others.

Now, a week ago my mom, brother and I went to visit my grandparents and aunt and uncle in Pomona. I hadn't seen them in over 2 months, and being the only other JW's in our family, they are very loved. But, the reason why we went this last week was also because my grandfather was hospitalized. He had severe pneumonia and was receiving medication, plus getting breathing exercises. About three days later my grandmother felt terribly sick and was in bed for one day. She felt severe cramping and sharp pains in her abdomen. She went to the doctor the next morning and it was all due to her intestines. She has two different disorders that are now in their chronic stages. It is a very painful sickness and if she doesn't get better using natural remedies, she will need surgery. I feel so sad about that. My dads mom is also ill, and this past week she received news that her heart is sick. She also needs to undergo an operation, but is feeling very negative about it all. I feel worse for her because she doesn't know about Jehovah so she is more desperate and less hopeful.

My family was also able to finally get a car. Now my dad can drive to work without having to borrow a vehicle. We were able to ride to the Assembly with it! I am really glad that we have friends who have shared so much with us. They have been very generous and patient. With this goal achieved, having a car, we can now move on to another family goal. We have to go to Mexico and live there, so my dad can just cross the border to work, and we can start saving. I also wouldn't mind having my own room and being able to get around on my own. If we are in Playas or in Rosarito, I can use the bus, ride a bike or taxi to get out in service. I would also like to work and that can be a possibility there, online or I can cross the border with my dad.

I am doing very well with my TESOL course. I am almost done with my first certification program. Im excited to finish and be able to work online. I still have two more courses to go through. TESOL for Business and Advanced TESOL. I pray to Jehovah to help me be patient with my life, my family and my goals. Things take time.

Well, I need to go out in service. I miss my routine and active schedule. I miss service!!!

Have a good month!

Annual Meeting

Its been several months since I've written on my blog and that is due to the many activities and new responsibilities I've recently acquired.

 Since my mother and brother arrived in July we've had much to do. We moved into a small trailer, which is where I am presently writing this from, and had to adjust to that little change. I think having been in a small apartment in Ecuador helped us be okay with being in such a small space now. But, it hasn't been difficult really, only very stuffy and tight.
 I had to learn to fill out job applications for several weeks and that took a lot of time. I had to write down all of my assets, research how to do a resume, follow my moms suggestions, and actually fill out the paperwork. I also had to go to interviews, which were a first for me! But, I felt confident and comfortable with what I had to say. Or so I thought, I did get nervous!
 My family and I live about 9 miles inland from town, in an Indian Reservation, and having no car, which became a difficulty. I was used to riding the bus everywhere or walking in Santa Elena, but now, I have none of that available where I am! So, we had to hitch rides with our neighbors, and sometimes they'd lend us a vehicle. So far this month we've had a borrowed car, but we urgently need our own.
 Anyways, some important issues finally have settled after these weeks of starting up again.
 My brother is back in school as an 8th grader, and my dad is working. So am I, as a Noon Duty for the School District. But, my mom is having to be our chauffeur and drive us from here to there and such. It takes a lot of time and energy from each of us to cooperate and help each other out. By the time the day is over, we are all ready to fall asleep by 9:30!
 Oh, and I also starting my online college courses which take up all my mornings, but I'm so happy I started that. I hope to finish my whole course by March.

Well, thats a brief review of whats new.

Saturday the whole country was invited to attend the Annual Meeting in their respectively assigned locations. We had ours in our Kingdom Hall and I felt so privileged to attend. I loved the personality each member of the GB showed. I truly loved that. I learned a lot about different Bible translations and even our own. I also was thrilled beyond tears to see the new revised Bible presented. I didn't want to believe it. I was so overwhelmed. In my mind I thought we would have to wait to receive our own copy of the Bible, but no!!! Jehovah works wonders. My God! I just was overjoyed, still am, and have decided to start reading the Bible from the beginning again. Check out our website! Its all available to download, just like our new app too!!!

Well, I am glad I wrote some more.

I have some news that a great friend of mine is now an MS in Ecuador and that several others have started Regular Pioneering. I also received an answer to my RBC application, and I've been accepted!

Hope you all have started your year awesomely!!

June

Im in California now, living with a loveling, kind and generous family, the Cashes. I will be here to study and work a bit.
I've been here for over a month now and am getting into the usual living of US.
I miss Ecuador for many reasons. I made many wonderful memories which I wish I could keep living.
I came about two weeks before my dad also joined me in California for work. My mother and brother continue in Ecuador.
I am in a small spanish congregation with a large territory. I've liked the publishers and pioneers. I feel very good.
But, I have received some sad news the past week.
One of my relatives has left the truth and this saddened me beyond words. I pray for the individual to re-analyze the situation. I also think the new DVD would be perfect.
I then found out a friend and old service partner was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I couldn't believe it and the news didn't really become a reality to me. She was amongst the first sisters to include me in the ministry my first week in Ecuador and to encourage me a lot. I appreciate her.
Well, then, the great grandmother of my best friend, has also been very sick. She had a second stroke last week and hasnt recuperated. Instead, yesterday, they have taken her into hospice. This is very sad for me since I loved her. I helped clean the room where she will be staying her last days. Brad and I made it look worthy for her.
Today, while in service, I recieved news that my dear friend with cancer has died. This was just so sad to hear.
I am really frustrated to see so many people suffer around me and I am so glad to have Jehovah as my friend. My hope, my assurance for a better future with no more pain and anguish.
I am feeling sad obviouslly, but am really thankful to Jehovah for giving me a strong spiritual family and his care.
We have to expect these things to happen, but it will soon be over.
Keep on enduring friends!!!

From March to Now..

Hello People!!

I have a lot to share.
In March we had a very special visit, known as the Zone visit. It was held in Guayaquil at the Banco del Pichincha Stadium. 7 other locations where also listening to the program. Everyone from the coast was invited to the Branch and that is where my family went. I loved the experience. I had never gone before, but I knew it was a very important event. We had 4 different talks, and the last one was given by Baltasar Perla. He is a Governing Body member assistant and has served in the World Headquarters for over 40 years. I really think he is the brother that narrarates in Spanish our videos. He had such a deep voice, and it was just excellent for the talk he gave. He mentione Moses and Abraham as examples to follow.

March continued with a lot of activity.. I just dont remember what else...Oh no, yes I do.
We also spent a weekend in Salinas with a family, and joined them in the ministry and went to their meeting. I also enjoyed going to the beach twice.

The Memorial campaign was so fun. We have a large territory and every day we go to a different section of it. We did finish it in about 2 weeks, because we worked all day long, almost daily. Since my hall is made up of 144 publishers, we had to divide the schedule. 4 groups met at 6pm, and the other 3 groups at 7:30pm and the total attendance was 452. My mom had a talk the same week of the Memorial and she gave it with me. The last week of March was Semana Santa and the coast was just packed with tourists. The majority come from Guayaquil and spent their weekend at the beach. We had several families visiting the hall and we made plans to work with them in the ministry. We also went to the beach with them in Salinas.

The past week we had our C.O. visit. It seems hard to assimilate the fact that they were here 6 months ago. It was their second visit and they were very glad to see still us around. All week long we supported the meetings fro frield service. I took the sister to a study on Friday and afterwards we had lunch with them in our small humble living room. On Tuesday the talk was all about not putting excuses to serve Jah. Many brothers and sisters have difficult situations, yet live with them, endure and continue. We can too!! Thursday was another talk and that told us we are EMBASSADORS... Well, the whole week was reminding us about it.

Something you may, or may not know, about this years C.O. visit is that the talk on Saturday is actually a video. Its a short film, you may say, about the translating work in several countries. Ecuador is featured in the film and the Andes area is shown. Specifically, Cuenca. I dont know the brothers that are interviewed, but I know of them.

So, yes. The film was beautiful, I think it is just what my family and I needed, to keep going. It was a lovely reminder of how much Jah appreciated need greaters, and those that serve elsewhere.

I have been working giving English classes to kids. They are starting school in May, so I will help them before the go back to school. I feel good working and it is 6 hours a week. Perfect for my pioneering, and good economically for me too. I think that in Summer I will take an Online Tesol course, so once I get the certificate, I will be able to work online too.

Summer is almost here, and that means we will have been living in Ecuador for 1 year!!! Its quite amazing. I am so happy we have been here so long!! Imagine, living in another country for almost one year. I am more independent in several ways. I know how get around on bus, I walk everywhere. I also cook more. Its been quite a fun year!! Now, I hope I can reach more goals. I have this little job that helps me, so maybe I can start visiting other halls in the area that need help..

That is a quite review of what is new. I have some plans for next month. In June we have a couple getting married here..My grandpa has the wedding talk.

Hope you all are good. SOrry for the longest delay in writing...

ChaoChao!!

2/17

It has been 9 months since my family and I moved to Ecuador. Time sometimes seems to fly by, and other times seems to slow down. Recently, it has been flying by on fast forward. It seems like every other month I have to reorganize myself. The weather got hotter last month, and the days are longer, so I can easily feel worn out. Since our primary means of transportation is walking, this weather doesnt help! Doing simple things, like grocery shopping, or going to field service, or going to a cyber, can take much longer. That has been the recent dilemma Ive been going through. Balancing my time with the activities I do and finding time for myself and rest!! I have so many calls and studies, that I dont have enough time to be at home, cook, wash, clean, rest, sew, study, relax, etc, etc, etc!!!

Yesterday I woke up wanting an easy breakfast since my dear friend Monika was coming over to join me for service. I had an egg with bread, and then a lovely accident with the sugar, which caused my morning to last an additional hour. It was cloudy but humid, and walking to my return visits and studies was not so difficult. I was really glad Monika joined me because she will only be here another month 1/2. I started out with a return visit across the main road where I live. I was looking for this lady that was very interested in learning more about her Bible, but found her kids instead. They told me she was going to shower and then go to work. I took that as an opportunity to start a study with them, using the Listen to God brochure. I did the first two pages and then made arrangements to return and talk with their mom. From there we walked on the main road called Via Ancon, another 15 minutes until we arrived at my first study of the morning. She is a girl of 7 and doesnt read. Ive been using the brochure made for teaching how to READ and WRITE. It had proved effective!! She knows about 10 consonants and can now read easy sentences. I´ll share a picture of me with Nicole soon.

We walked some more to my other little girl study, Kely. She is 5 and we read the Bible Stories book with her, though I first use the Learn to Read and Write brochure. We read story number 10 about Noah and the Flood. She is so bright, she understood everything! I also used the Listen to God brochure for more illustrations on Noah and the one thing she noticed were the Nephilim. Then she saw how the demons were flying back to heaven and she said, they were bad and left their kids to die. I said, Yep! I had a few more calls to do, but only visited two more and made arrangements to go back on Tuesday to study with them.

By then, it was 12, and I still had to go buy some food at the market and another plate, since one had broken. (We have precisely 4 bowls and 4 plates, so if one breaks, that means we´ve got to get another one!) Monika chose to join me and we took a bus into town. I am still learning how to shop at the market, becayse I dont always remember the prices of veggies and fruits. I bought some chicken though, and then some tomatoes, onions, bell-peppers, salt and cilantro. Basics!! From there we headed to another store named TIA, similar to a Calimax, or Superior, but 4 times smaller. I bought the plate there and some spaghetti. The were charging me like 2 dollars more, so I made them fix that problem and towards the end of it all, they just discounted the plate. Ok, so by then, another hour had gone by and I was still preaching informally, but was itching to go home. Monika took her bus back to Salinas, and I waited for mine to show up.

Once I got home, I had to help cook!! Lunch takes my mom and I an average of 1 1/2 hours to 2 to prepare and serve. I helped chop up some of what I had bought and cleaned the fridge. What I bought will only last us until today I calculate and then my mom will have to go shopping again. Okay, so lunch was done by like 2:30`pm and then I still had to clean the kitchen. Another 30 minutes, to leave it perfectO! Our meeting is at 6pm so I thought I would have time to make some Mangoneadas, and I did!! I also made my dad a drink since he was outside working on this super neat Caña table.

I was done by like 4:30pm and had to get ready! Since that morning I had made arrangements to take my study Nicole and her mom to the meeting, I had to go pick them up! My dad didnt want to go to meeting, so we left and stopped by my studies. They werent able to go because they had just finished killing some chickens they had been ordered. Its really gross to see that, but its their job! Anyhow, we walked from there to the KH, which took like 10 minutes. En route, I saw like another 4 witness families also walking to the KH. It felt very satisfying to be a part of this Organization.

Okay, so after meeting we were invited to Ice Cream and I felt like that was a way Jah said, ´Good Job, for going to meeting! Here, you deserve an Ice Cream!´  Yeah, so I got home after that, again cleaned the kitchen and left it spotless! Our young neighbor came over and talked with us until I finsihed.

That was what happened yesterday! What else is new?!?!

TODAY, was the National Voting Day. I had to go vote for the first time in my life, since that is the law in this country. It was quite an experience, though I didnt really have to sign anything because I want empadronada, whatever that means. We were filmed by this camera crew and then had pictures taken of us, because we were the first women in our group to show and vote. Hahaha, how funny. Well, all witnesses had to vote today, but check all options to then make the vote become anulled.

I also gave my first English lesson to an 11 year old. She needed help with an exam for her new School. I taught her for 2 hours and got 10 bucks. NOT BAD AT ALL here, since you get 5 to 10$ a day here.
I was so nervous, so so sos so, nervous! But, it all went well. I am spreading the word to anyone interested! SO, if you know of anyone in EC wanting to learn English, let me know!

Thats practically all thats new. I know more is going on, but for now, thats a resumen of whats up here.

I am making plans for this Summer to take an Online Course- TESOL. I am excited about it!!

Well, anyone can email me! Or write me! Ive got a  Facebook account for the first time in my history. I also am 18 now! SO, that just automatically adds a lot more responsibility on my shoulders!!


TTFN!!

Mua!