Our Castilian Friends

Today was the final day of our Circuit Overseer's visit, and we are sad to see Manolo and Ester leave our congregation for the next (though we're excited for the other congregations to meet them)! They came to Ecuador from Barcelona, Spain 11 years ago and have been in circuit work for the last 7 years.

We had an awesome week, and were so happy to understand more than usual during his talks. He is an excellent speaker ~ very animated and full of energy! He set a goal for us at each meeting to have 5 more people in attendance at the next, and we succeeded ~ by Saturday we had 177!

We had great groups in service all week, though this morning I stopped counting at 60 because I didn't want to be craning my head around, straining to tally everyone. The ministry was definitely a highlight of the week; I was thrilled to start two new Bible studies! Perhaps Ester can accompany me on them when they visit again in June ~ wouldn't that be wonderful!?

Photo credits: Becky© copyright 2009

Assembly Part

The video of our interview on the Circuit Assembly (on the symposium: Concentrados en las actividades espirituales [Focus on Spiritual Activities]; Matrimonios [Married couples]). is downloaded and posted in our latest Picasa album. Here's a shortcut to the link:

Click here

Tupperware, coffee and assembly parts

Much has happened since my enseña post. I had another study with Ligia, and it, like my study with Paula, turned into a study with a group (three in total), all sharing in the study, making plans for our next visit. It's such a cool experience to have others curiously stream in, and then just straight-up enjoy learning. If it's from the Bible and it makes sense, they seem to embrace it ~ it's amazing to me!

A.J. got really sick last week, though is 99.9% better now. At first we thought it was just the flu, as he had a fever and the aches; however, he had other issues that don't usually accompany the "typical" flu. At the end of my entry here, you will find his story (that he blogged himself ~ his first post :), which explains how he came to discover that he had the dreaded Giardia parasite. When we shared the news with the other gringos who have lived here for a while, they grimmaced knowingly and lovingly commiserated.

Thankfully, A.J. was better in time for the Circuit Assembly, which was Saturday and yesterday. He was in charge of "Refrescos/Bebidos" (refreshments/beverages). At the assemblies and conventions here, coffee, tea and water are served for the friends. They of course realize it's not free and generously make voluntary contributions with each cup they take. The coffee is made old-school-style, boiled in giant silver pots and strained through a cloth mesh basket. There's a brother from our sister congregation, Sur, who makes it each assembly - he was A.J.'s right-hand man - and he also brewed up some aromaticas. That consisted of putting herbs and sticks and leaves into the ginormous pot of boiling water, and the friends sucked it down like coca cola. Speaking of sucking it down like coca cola, we were surprised...no, shocked is the better word, at how many young children came up to the counter to get their coffee. They easily outnumbered the adults 4 to 1. The Aussie family from the Florida congregation helped us the whole time, and at one point, Amelia (their older daughter) was asking the children how old they were, and would then fill their cup accordingly. However, we soon realized that there would be no changing of their culture by simply forcing our westernized opinions on them, so we acquiesced and gave the three year olds what they demanded. We served in the morning before the session, at lunch, and then in the afternoon, when the program was over. On Saturday, the music was starting for the afternoon session, which meant we were packing up shop. A horde of children came up to the counter. Sorry kids, no more coffee ~ you can take a water though and go find your seats. The leader of their pack insisted "But it's for him!" and pointed down to a little person I could not see. I leaned over the counter and looked down under the overhang to see a baby who probably just started walking. I couldn't hide my shock: "He's so young" I declared! She gave me a puzzled look, waited a minute to see if I'd budge, and then walked away, baby in arms, to the assembly hall. It was quite the experience, all-around.

Also quite the experience was having our first assembly part in Spanish. Yesterday A.J. and I had an interview on the symposium: Concentrados en las actividades espirituales (Focus on Spiritual Activities), on the part Matrimonios (Married couples). We were naturally both very nervous, and as we waited backstage for our cue, I paced the floors, drank cup after cup of water, breathed deeply, said prayers...I feared that I was making everyone else who was waiting for their parts that much more nervous, but I couldn't help it. Finally, we were summoned to the stage, and the part floated by like a hazy dream. It went perfectly fine, and people told us that they understood our Spanish and enjoyed the interview. Success! I wanted to go to sleep the minute I exited the stage, since I had managed to pump enough adrenaline to get me through a triathalon. You can see the interview in our new Picasa album: (album posted, VIDEO IS HERE! CLICK HERE!!)

Now, onto A.J.'s experience > > >

A.J.: Up to this point, I have contributed nothing to this blog. There's really no reason for me to, Jordanne does a fine job. However, Wednesday, December 9, 2009 will 'live in infamy', at least for me. That's the day I used a small Tupperware container in a way that I had never wanted to imagine.


Sixty-eight years and 2 days earlier, on another "date which will live in infamy," Pearl Harbor was attacked. That event launched a nation into the grips of war. My experience in no way approaches the same level of international relevance. Regardless, I hated it.


After this experience was over, I made the mistake of muttering to Jor: "That's one for the blogs." She couldn't truly capture my feelings about the incident and pour them into words. No one can, unless you are as uptight and ridiculous as I am about this sort of thing. So, as they say, "It's go-time." I publish my first blog about this.


You see, I had been sick since the previous Friday. While sparing the details, I was...enjoying?...frequent, quality interchanges with cold porcelain fixtures. And yes, they were "interchanges." It's scientific: 'For every action there is an equal, opposite (and disgusting)reaction.' It got bad. The thought of any sort of activity, including eating was repulsive to me. If I never ran again, played basketball again, or even ate Chipotle one day again - I didn't care. That's how bad it was.


But life goes on. It must. Jordanne and Damaris carried on with daily activities as best they could without me. In other words, my incapacitation didn't impact much at all. Sunday morning the ladies attended the Public Discourse and Watchtower Study in English while I slept. Mark and Becky McCleskey were also present, assuming that I would be giving the talk.


The McCleskey's are very good friends of ours. They keep good tabs on us and have been nothing but helpful since our arrival in Ecuador. My pathetic condition would prove to be no exception to their kindness. This is where things got interesting for me. I believe it was Monday, December 7th that Becky made the suggestion. "Perhaps it's time to provide a sample to the lab for testing." That's not a direct quote, it couldn't be. Jordanne was the one speaking with her. If it was me, after much robust laughter (you know how I love robust laughter), the 'equal and opposite reaction' would have been: "You must be joking me." But it wasn't me, it was Jordanne. And she was on board, all the way. Suddenly, I started to feel a whole lot better, even though I didn't.


Let's be honest. Retrieving the aforementioned "sample", no matter the method employed, would be no picnic, as they say. And that's another thing. You use Tupperware for a picnic, not for this. If you haven't gotten the point yet, I rejected the thought of "submitting a sample" entirely. It's gross. Unfortunately, reality takes precedence and I felt no better. During the early morning hours of Wednesday the 9th, I prepared a sample for medical examination.


Here come's the best part. What happens in your bathroom is typically between you and no one else. Not this time. I now had to share something so private, so sacred, with a complete stranger - and even worse I would find, with people I know and love. It turns out the McCleskey's were right down the street from the lab and offered to meet us.


Meeting up with Mark and Becky, sample in hand, we exchanged pleasantries. Mark had great questions. "You've got a good, fresh sample there, right?" My reply was "No," since it was by now about 8 hours old. The next logical question was, (you guessed it) "Did you at least store it in the fridge?" Next time I'll keep that in mind.


All agreed, a rather attractive young lady welcomed us from behind the counter at the lab. I was then instructed to remove my sample from the bag and place it a white tray. I was hoping, maybe even praying, that I would just hand them the bag and they would take it away for no one to see, aside from the technician. However, the tray I was instructed to place the container in was right out in the open, on the counter, for all to see. The biggest problem now was that my chosen container was clear. That's when I was informed "You know you can buy opaque containers from the pharmacy?" Poop. It was too late for that now. Now, my specimen sat there staring at everyone, for a good, long while. Two more ladies walked in to the lab, much to my chagrin. All I could say is, "I am so sorry." However, they didn't seem to mind as they hovered right there at the counter. Right there at the counter.


I paid my $3 and got out out of there as fast as I could. It turns out my problem was a parasite. Our reliable sources tell us these things are pretty common. So I suppose I should get used to this scenario. Good thing Jordanne purchased two small, clear Tupperware containers.

¿Qué enseña realmente la Biblia?

It's been a great week so far. Yesterday morning both of my Bible students were home (key) and ready to learn!!

The first one, Ligia (pronounced LEE-hee-uh) had us study in her office at her place of business (a stonework company) and we went over what happens to us when we die. Although she was raised religious, she wasn't raised with the Bible (typical), so she never knew why she believed what she did, she just believed it. So when we go over a topic, she'll preface her statements with "I was raised (insert religion)..." then say what she formerly believed, and then explain what she believes now ~ since she learned it from the Bible and it makes sense to her. She then goes on to explain the logic of the particular Bible teaching (virtually doing all of my work for me ;).

My other study, Paula, was home when I called her in the morning, and she asked me to come in an hour. When I arrived, she had a friend named Tabitha visiting. I was wondering how it would go once we sat down, after we finished catching up, if she would still want to study having company there and all. Sho' nuff' she did! Her friend Tabitha first made it clear that she hates religion. She was surprised when I explained to her that we also find the hypocrisy in religion repugnant (i.e. its' role in war [sidenote ~ I didn't use the word 'repugnant' since I don't know how to say it in Spanish, but I think I conveyed just as much]), but that the Bible and religion are two completely different things. She then lowered her suspicious brow, sat in and listened (in fact, she nearly tore the book out of Paula's hands when Paula had to excuse herself for a minute). In the middle of the study, Paula's two children came home from school. She encouraged them to sit down and follow along. They readily did so, eagerly throwing out questions from the start (kids are so awesomely inquisitive :). In the end, we had a really nice study with four people in one house, and Paula wants us to come back next week with our "young people" books for her children so they can study too (they're preteens).

Service is an adventure everyday, in the best possible way. We can't learn Spanish fast enough in order to be better teachers. A friend in our congregation just asked me to study with her sister starting this Sunday, so I can't stop working on it, and of course I don't want to!! Keep 'em coming please!!

B-O-G-G-L-E

Lately A.J. and I have been obsessed with Boggle (problem for me is that A.J. wins 9 out of 10 times; it's a real struggle ~ why can't I see all those words he sees? It can be very frustrating. He tries to high-five me after each round, which I entirely reject due to my [somewhat] competitive nature. So I don't enjoy high-fiving when I've just lost, so what?).

When the power is out and we're done with our studies, we light some candles and let the Boggle blast begin. It's amazing, all the three-letter words you learn (thank you dictionary.com) that have meanings forward and backward. For example, we all know 'get' is a word, but until I became a Boggle-addict, I had no idea that 'teg' is also a word. It's meaning? Why, a two year old sheep that has not been shorn, or the wool shorn from such a sheep, of course! What a great learning experience! I highly recommend Boggle to all who enjoy wild times. A few more of those (Boggle-valid) three-letter words:

(bid) DIB: to fish by letting the bait bob lightly on the water

(mat) TAM: a tight-fitting Scottish cap

(tag) GAT: a pistol
(tin) NIT: the egg of a parasitic insect

Ahhh, the hazy lazy (power/light-less) evenings of Cuenca...

I love Ecuador!

There are so many things that I love about Ecuador. Aside from the best parts ~ the preaching and the brotherhood (which I think go without saying) ~ there are little things that build up and suddenly hit me as to how awesome they are. Often when I'm alone, walking home from service (since we always go in pairs [sister/sister, brother/brother], AJ and I inevitably end up in different locations, thus my solitary journey), my brain goes down the list of wonderful things there are to experience here on a daily basis. Things that are ordinary for Cuencanos, but certainly not for us, or for me anyway:

~ Petting pink baby pigs
~ Petting fleecy white sheep, and hearing their bleats
~ Seeing a line of fluffy baby chicks following their mama
~ Seeing a little calf nuzzle under its mom
~ Watching a little kid with a herd of goats behind him
~ Holding newborn kitties
~ Holding week old puppies that can't open their eyes yet
~ Seeing a herd of multicolorded bunnies hopping around in a yard
~ Seeing mountains in every direction (the term Cuenca actually means bowl or basin, and that's what Cuenca is ~ a city in a bowl, mountains all around it)

There are other daily highlights that are not to be taken for granted. These are a few of my favorite things:

~ Arrocitos cereal ~ $0.67 a bag
~ Bus ride ~ $0.25 with a coin or a handy card you scan (and a friendly automated voice that follows "¡Gracias!")
~ Being thrown around like a rag doll on said bus as the driver accelerates the moment you get on ~ it's like being at Cedar Point!
~ Convenient walk to hall ~ 10-15 minutes
~ Fruit and veggies for dirt cheap
~ $0.12 pieces of freshly baked bread ~ on every corner!
~ Getting extra Spanish lessons when you watch TV and the shows are in English (Spanish subtitles!)
~ Going to the movies for $3.50! In a movie theater just like in the States! Fake butter and all!

We have a new Picasa album (click here!) that will serve as a sort of drop box, with pictures continually being added. If I wait until I have a decent-sized album to post any pictures, it will never happen! I'm just not good about having my camera with me anymore! I need Miha's encouragement!! Miha ~ where are you!!?? We miss you!!! xoxo

Some updates

Things around here are pretty business as usual, but here's the latest > > >

* There's a drought right now, and since Cuenca's power is hydroelectric, they've been doing systematic power outages. The first day ours was out from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. We tried our best not to open the fridge. Since we're in an apartment building (on the fourth floor), and our water is brought up by an electric pump, the pressure was practically nonexistent, which also means no hot water. Full pressure is needed for the gas to kick in to heat up the water. Hopefully it rains soon because the indigenous people have been burning things in hopes of the smoke making it rain. Last week the city was clouded in smoke! The hill we view from our apartment, once a lovely green, is now an ashy half-charred black hue.

* In an unrelated (to the drought) power-outage incident a few weeks ago, we experienced our first meeting without power. It was a Saturday meeting, so there was still some daylight coming in through the windows (at 4:00 p.m. Here on the equator, the sun sets around 6:00 everyday, year-round). The song the speaker picked wasn't one of the most well-known, so singing a capella was interesting! Thankfully the power came back on at the end of the public talk, so the rest of the meeting had light.

* Last Monday was a holiday here, so we joined Damaris' Chinese group for a hike in Las Cascadas de Giron (waterfalls of Giron). It was really pretty from the bottom of the mountains all the way up to the top ~ and the final destination of the beautiful waterfalls were amazing! To see our pictures, click here!

* A.J. had his first part on the meeting on Thursday and did a wonderful job! His Spanish was impressive and he was completely conversational ~ I was so proud! It was the part on witnessing by letter writing. It was an audience discussion, and he even remembered most of the friends names!

* Today we went to the English meeting and enjoyed hearing our dear friend Mark give the talk. He and his wife Beth will be heading back to New Zealand this month for their son's wedding and to get things ready for their return to Ecuador. We will miss them greatly while they're away...

Did you know...

that your faith in the Bible can be stronger than your faith that the sun is going to rise tomorrow!?

That was one of the amazing and powerful points that Brother Guy Pierce brought out at today's special meeting that was in conjunction with the branch dedication program, which occurred yesterday at the branch in Guayaquil. Today three stadiums/colosseums were rented throughout the country (for the entire country) to be plugged in to the actual program in Guayaquil.

But wait. Believing that the sun will rise tomorrow doesn't require faith, does it? Well, according to the Bible's definition of faith, yes it does. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is "the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld." We've seen the sun rise every single day of our lives, however, we haven't seen it rise tomorrow! So we have faith that the sun will rise tomorrow, because we have seen the evident demonstration of that reality from all the other days of our life.

Brother Pierce brought out that faith isn't just belief or hope ~ people believe many things. For instance, there is a group of people who belong to the Flat Earth Society. Enough said. People also hope for many things. People hope that world peace will be achieved through fighting wars. Again, enough said. However these things have nothing to do with faith. The original Greek word for faith in the Bible is a legal term, much like a title deed. He again illustrated that one can hope and wish to have a property, even believe that they'll get it, however, until they have that title deed, there is no assured expectation - no faith that it's theirs.

I know we've heard this explanation before, but it's just amazing to me that the Bible gives us such faith that the promises therein will happen. Our faith in what the Bible teaches has nothing to do with blind belief or hope. Through fulfilled prophecies, complete historical and scientific accuracy, its internal harmony, etc., we have all the evident demonstrations we could ever need that the unseen parts will shortly be realities. In fact, there's more reason to have confidence in the Bible's promises than the fact that the sun will rise tomorrow. Brother Pierce took us to Matthew 5:18 where Jesus said "for truly I say to you that sooner would heaven and earth pass away than for one smallest letter or one particle of a letter to pass away from the Law by any means and not all things take place." Sooner would the sun not come up than for Jehovah's words not to come true.

I could continue on because his talk was incredible (and in English ~ yay! We were soooo happy that he doesn't know Spanish :). However, I'll stop there. Okay one more tidbit, but I won't elaborate. When you hear the term "men of faith" who do you first think of? Abraham, right? Brother Pierce asked us if we have that kind of faith, like the faith of Abraham. Hmm. Is that possible?? After some wonderfully logical reasoning, he concluded that not only is it possible, it is required that we have faith like Abraham, and in fact, have no excuse for not having faith like his!

Wow.

Wait, one more point. Near his conclusion, he talked about what life will be like after God's war of Armageddon. People are being resurrected from the dead, and we are asking them all sorts of questions. "What was life like during the middle ages? What did you do?" Well, they will be asking us the same. "What did YOU do?" We've thought of this before, and perhaps heard it brought out in talks. But I loved hearing him list questions, one by one, ending in WHO CARES. "Will they ask 'How much money did you make?' Who cares. 'How big was your house?' Who cares. 'What university did you attend?' WHO CARES! What did you do with your life to help people before Armageddon?" That's what matters. He told the crowds that totaled over 40,000 that if we serve Jehovah now with a complete heart, that we'll have something to talk about when we're asked "What did YOU do?" He reminded us that Jehovah has done everything possible to help us to serve him, even giving his Son, so we should have the presence of mind to take advantage of all that He provides.

New pictures > > >
http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/ProgramaEspecialYMas

For the dogs!

If you know me, you know I love animals, and growing up, dogs were my special favorite. We had many members of the family who were dogs (literally, that's not an insult to any family members). Over time, I grew especially fond of smaller breeds, as I can hold and squeeze them more easily, however, all dogs are my friends. And they are everywhere here. My dream come true, no? At first I thought so, but turns out no way José. They roam as free as the birds, and this is their world, not yours. Up until last week, we were cohabiting quite amicably, however, that all came crashing down last Wednesday in service. Damaris had warned me, I should've listened. Two adorable puppies, anxiously looking up at us and vigorously wagging their behinds. How could I resist? As I bent down, I muttered out loud "I wonder where the mama is..." and as the words were coming out of my mouth, oh my word, there she was. She came flying around this wall with such a vengeance that I thought I'd have a heart attack. She was chasing us while barking and snarling, bearing her vicious teeth. We ran in the opposite direction, but it's not good to turn your back on these creatures, so I'm running backwards, flailing my literature holder at her, fairly screaming at this point. We managed to get away, and thankfully no one got hurt, but even still, we decided we'd go find the others to work house-over with them for more protection. That didn't work either. We got like a house ahead of them up the hill and out comes a vicious little black one. It wouldn't leave us alone; it was quite menacing, and it knew that it had us feeling cornered. We had had enough. We finished the territory up and went home shaken. Now I'm terrified when a pooch comes in my direction, so I need some reinforcements. Our friend Doug from Georgia, who is serving here in Cuenca with his family, fixes a wicked all-natural brew that the dogs can't stand. You just spray it in their direction, and off they go! Sweetness, hook it up please!

But what about the other animals? It seems they all have it out for us now; for example, Damaris and I were walking to the store today, and on our shortcut road, we were admiring some baby sheep and a baby cow as we were innocently walking along. Well I think the cow knew that he could scare us, because he starting stampeding toward the sheep, herding them in our direction! The sheep are now barreling toward us, and I grab Damaris as she yells out...Just in time, the sheep veered away from us just enough to miss us. The cow didn't like that, since his intention was to get us good, so he mooed very loudly at us the rest of the way down the road.

I thought I was a friend to the animals! Remember the monkeys? What happened?

Just another day? No way!

¡Sólo otro día en el ministerio tal vez, pero la alegría que se deriva de que nunca ha "sólo otro día" sentimiento!

Just another day in the ministry perhaps, but the joy derived never has that "just another day" feeling!

This morning A.J. and I were planning on working together, however, when we got to the group and did the math (guy/girl ratios and all), we realized it would be better to keep our mouths shut and go with the flow. And we're both so glad we did because we had great mornings accompanying our friends on their studies. You learn so much from the friends, and you come home feeling like you've really helped someone, even if you're just the compañero (read: tagalong ;). A.J. was so happy to contribute to Javier's study with a prayer, reading, and asking questions; and I was happy to contribute to Miriam's study when she'd ask me "Where is the Scripture that says...?" It's so amazing to watch people come to understand the most important issues in the universe, and also to watch the confusion that they've always felt over such issues just unravel and melt away.

Next week and the following, A.J. and I will be conducting our own studies (if they're home ;), and our compañeros will surely contribute mucho (mucho translation)! This is such a rewarding work!

We miss you Miha!

Thank you for being such a wonderful roomie ~ we miss you so much already, and you've only been gone for 14 hours. We had soooo much fun with you, and things just won't be the same here without you...But we wish you all the best as you travel back to the States and continue in the full-time ministry! It's only chao for now...

Love,
A.J. and Jordanne
(a.k.a. sus padres ecuatorianos ;)

Un pocito más...

Damaris is officially LEGAL ~ hooray!!! We had to wait a little while for her turn, but once we were in those chairs in front of the officer, it was go-time. We celebrated by splitting a vegetarina pizza at one of our favorite joints afterwards.

Tonight at the meeting A.J and I were officially welcomed during the announcements, since our cards came in ~ another hooray!!! But sadly, A.J. wasn't there for the announcement due to his current illness, so Miha stood in for him... ;) Thanks Miha!

I'm always appreciative of our wonderful brotherhood, but these past two Thursdays I have been especially filled with gratitude for the beautiful friends. Last Thursday we were at Damaris' Chinese meeting, and multiple times I was getting verklempt; as the Ecuadorian brother was impressively reading the lesson in Chinese, as the other Ecuadorian (and Colombian [and American ;)]) friends were commenting in Chinese, as the American brother was conducting the lesson in Chinese...it's like, where else in the world would people take the time to learn such a difficult language to help people they don't know understand the Bible!? I was simply overwhelmed by the fact that these dear friends have sacrificed so much and devoted their entire lives to something so involved, in order to communicate with a group who is rarely sought out, outside of "Wonton soup and eggroll please." Seriously. I'm obviously not learning Chinese, but the times that I've went with Damaris in service, it is beyond rewarding to see them light up at her desire and ability to communicate with them. They've been taught many things in their homeland, and aren't familiar with much else, and really don't have much time to learn anything else as they work so long and hard, so kudos to all the groups and congregations around the world working so diligently to reach them at their places of business and anywhere else they can be found! And I guess that really goes for all the work going on around the world...the billion plus hours each and every year...

This Thursday, back in our congregation...again overwhelmed as I watch youngsters go on stage for their assignments that they've worked so hard on and do such an excellent job. Three in a row, and I think, Wow, they are so adept at defending their faith from the Bible. At 10, 12, 14 years of age (and that's just tonight ~ we all know of ones who are 3 or 4 explaining what God's promises for the future are, right from the Bible), they're explaining and reasoning from the Scriptures, and it's just so moving to see their love for the Bible, and ultimately for Jehovah. No matter where you go, anywhere in the world, it's the same, and it's such a privilege to be a part of.

It's getting pretty late, so it's time to sign off. This will likely be typical of Thursday nights (staying up too late), as we get home from our meeting, and Damaris gets home from hers, and we swap stories from our respective meetings. I have the laptop in bed and A.J. is fast asleep ~ which is good so he can sleep off that cold.

Good night, and thanks for reading! Until next time...

A.J. is HOME!!!

...and sick as a dog. Poor thing. He got sick on Monday the day before he left, and he had to endure TEN take-offs and landings with the pressure so intense he said he thought he was going to blow out an eardrum. Thankfully, he didn't.

I picked him up from the airport yesterday afternoon (well, I met him at the airport since we don't have anything to pick him up in ;), and when we got home, the girls and I gave him a recap of our week.

So A.J. is resting in bed today and Damaris and I are going to get her legal...again. Procedures here are often not crystal-clear, so it's common to have to go back to the immigration office multiple times until they're pleased with what you lay in front of them. When we were at the office last week, they told her that she needed something that 1.) wasn't on the list from the branch of needed items to bring, and 2.) wasn't asked for from us when we went to get our censos. Fun times!

Operation: Survive without A.J. for a week (no easy task for needy little me!)

The girls and I are surviving the week while A.J. is in the States for Brian's wedding (okay, the girls are doing better than surviving; I'm the one struggling to keep myself together). Yesterday after our morning in service we went downtown. Miha needed to finish up souvenir shopping (she's leaving Cuenca on the 18th to visit a friend in Portoviejo, and then she leaves for the States on the 22nd), and afterwards we ate at a really good Punjabi restaurant for dinner, Indian Bapu (authentic northern Indian cuisine ~ the owner is from India). We were about to take our seats at a table when the owner asked us if we would like to dine upstairs on the floor. We were glad we did; we thought the downstairs was beautiful ~ the upstairs was ever cooler!
Today Damaris and I visited her Chinese friends (that she met on the bus) at their restaurant (I ate a delicious noodle dish while she talked ;). She talked to the whole family for about an hour (individually ~ first the dad, then the daughter, then the grandmother, then the mom) and had really nice discussions. She was happy to read three scriptures with the dad (which I was impressed by, as she was reading all characters!), and was able to show him God's name in the Bible. They were all so nice, and they exchanged information for future visits. While she was talking with the daughter, discussing a picture of a paradise earth from a tract, the Ecuadorian waitress seemed very intrigued by this little American girl, in Ecuador, speaking Chinese. So I went over to give her the tract about the end of suffering in Spanish (to show her what we're here for, and that the message from the Bible is universally the same in all languages), and she started reading it right away. Later on I went over to sit with her and talk and we had a nice discussion. She took my phone number and told me that she would like me to visit her at her home to talk more about the Bible, so I'll be waiting for her call...

Tomorrow after service we'll be going to the immigration office to make Damaris legal! Then in the evening, instead of going to our meeting, we're going to Damaris' Chinese meeting (since it will be her first time there, and we're not totally familiar with the area yet). I'm excited to see the friends who support the group in that congregation!

Speaking of meetings, I missed the English meeting last Sunday due to insect poison swelling my ankles, but the girls and A.J. went and took a nice shot of the group:

(Notice the televisions and the year text in sign language behind the group ~ there is an Ecuadorian sign language congregation that meets in that Kingdom Hall as well.) Currently, the English group has the Congregation Bible Study and the Theocratic Ministry School each week, and the Public Talk and Watchtower Study just once a month. However, based on the amount of support, perhaps that will eventually change...? Surely that's the goal!

A.J. will be home next Wednesday, American goods in hand. I can't wait to brew those Starbucks beans! And to see A.J. of course!!! :o)

Over the river and through the woods...to Baños and Tena we go!

Well, Damaris has been here for almost two weeks and we've had a very busy start to her stay here! She spent the first two nights at the branch, and her first day here in Cuenca we went to our Thursday night meeting. It was a lot of fun introducing her to everyone, and the meeting was especially exciting as it was both me and AJ's first demonstrations on stage! I had been anticipating and practicing mine for a few weeks, but AJ was just asked that night if he could fill in! Both of our parts went well, and we're glad to have them under our belts. The friends were very kind with commendation after the meeting.

The next day Damaris was here in Cuenca we went out in service, and worked together. It was so nice being with her again, as we haven't been pioneer buddies in the same congregation since 2005! Later that day, we took the bus to run some errands, and guess what? In our (likely hundreds of) bus rides these past few months in Ecuador, never once have any of us seen a Chinese person come on for a ride. We've seen a European here and there, or other similar-looking gringos, but never a Chino (that's what they call them here, it's not derrogatory). Well, our first ride with Damaris, and on walk two Chinese people (Damaris is here in Cuenca to be apart of the Chinese group. There are very many Chinese businesses here, as the Ecuadorian government opened its' doors to the Chinese years ago, making it easy for them to immigrate and start up businesses). It was so cool to listen to her converse with them for almost 20 minutes (and it is also very entertaining to watch them marvel at her language skills!). She got their information of where they work so she can go back and visit them again.
RECENT PICTURES ~
http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/AFewNewPics

Now, on to this post's title. We wanted to take a trip up north with Miha before she leaves for the States in three weeks. We enjoyed a lot of adventure and spent most of the trip marveling at Jehovah's amazing creation. We did however have a few harrowing experiences. Our first stop was Baños. The morning after we arrived, we took a long hike up into the surrounding mountains. The owner of the hotel we were staying at told us which road to take to go up to catch our trail, but on our way there we noticed two nicely-dressed Japanese women going door to door, and we knew they had to be Witnesses. So we stopped and chatted with them for a while, and as we continued on our walk, we went up the wrong trail. Which took us allll over and was waaaay longer than the anticipated one hour walk to the originally-planned recommended mountain-top cafe. We walked and climbed and hiked and climbed, and saw many beautiful vistas, animals and flowers, and hours later were in real need of some food. There was no one around most of our day, but two farmers we passed said there was nothing the way we were headed. However, we were aiming for a place we saw on a sign called "Casa de Arbol." I didn't think I was going to make it (my blood sugar was beyond its limit), but finally a truck full of mountain bikers stopped to give us a lift (a very common practice all over the country - not dangerous like it is in the States). It took us to the place, and we were rewarded for our trekking beyond our wildest dreams. A family owns this mountain-top paradise overlooking the Tungurahua volcano, and they were cooking up some arroz con pollo and choclo elote (rice with chicken and corn on the cob). We enjoyed a meal, and the father showed us the gems of his property ~ a zip-line, tents for camping, an amazing swing that gives you the feeling of swinging over an abyss, and of course, the tree house. He made us some natural tea from their garden and kindly hiked with us back down about half-way to our destination "home". It was a day we thought we'd never be able to top...

However, when you love adorable little fuzzy animals, mingling with monkeys and holding them like babies is an easy way to feel like you will never again top the experience. We left Baños and headed to Puyo to visit El Paseo de los Monos, which is a refuge and rehab for various types of monkeys. From the minute we walked through the electric gate, the monkeys were coming up to us, holding our hands and crawling into our arms and onto our shoulders. It was so amazing, and it of course made me think of the time in the future when all animals will be at peace with humans in Jehovah's new world (and when I will have my own monkey farm ;). Our guide there took us through the jungle to educate us about various plants and insects, and along the way, Milton the monkey hitched a ride on AJ's shoulders, sometimes swinging over to mine or the girls. But mostly AJ's. Milton was a different character the minute we stepped out of the jungle and onto the property with the house. He turned into a wild beast that we were all a little scared of! He just loved to sneak up on you and jump on your back or shoulders, most of the time using your hair as his anchor. There are currently 39 monkeys at their property, along with a few other animals - birds, snakes, turtles, etc.

From Puyo, we moved on to Tena, where we were looking forward to white-water rafting. Our first night in Tena was spent in a dive hotel, so in the morning we eagerly packed our things and headed to the rafting company headquarters. We knew that there were issues going on in the country, with talk of a strike ("paro") among the indiginous people due to proposed laws on water and other resources, along with the teachers for different reasons, so we were wondering how it was going to affect our travels. When the people strike here, they block main roads with logs, stones, flaming tires, whatever, and it is impossible to get through anywhere ("No paso!"). Until Tena, we had no problems traveling on our buses from city to city, but our morning at River People (the Witness-owned rafting company we had reservations with), the strike finally hit us. The sister manning the office told us to look out the window to the black smoke in the distance. The indiginous people were burning tires, making it impossible to travel outside of the city, and making it impossible for the guides who were going to take us on our jungle tour that day to get into the city. Most of the businesses were going to be closing up, because during strikes in the past, if you weren't supporting them in their strike against the president and against the government, and were just continuing on "business as usual", they would throw sticks of dynamite into your business. We didn't know what we'd do in the tiny jungle town of Tena without our jungle tour, but thankfully, she asked us where we were staying, assuming we were at Yurapamba. "No, we're in between hotels right now...What's Yurapamba?" A Dutch brother from Holland owns a lovely hotel in the jungle nearby called Yurapamba. Great, let's get a cab to Yurapamba! The owner, Martijn (pronounced Mar-teen), greeted us on arrival and dispelled our fears that we would be stuck watching the black smoke during our stay in Tena. He was very kind and hospitable, and after feeding us breakfast he took us to some lovely swimming pools nearby (which was a welcome relief as the jungle climate is HOT). As we were driving to dinner that evening, he got a call from River People that our rafting was definitely on for the next day ~ YAY!Rafting through the Amazon tributaries was beyond amazing and our guides were so much fun. There were teams in two rafts, and our team was me, AJ, Damaris and Miha, along with Tim who has been here with his family for 16 years (his family owns River People). We had some lovely wars between rafts, and enjoyed rapids, pools, waterfalls, birds and butterflies as I've only seen before in pictures. There were a few mishaps that we have proof of in scrapes and bruises, but it was a safe journey in life vests and helmets. We were supposed to leave Tena the next morning, however, the paro forced us to change our plans. There was no passing through to Quito, so we decided to spend Thursday in Tena and leave for Cuenca on Friday. Martijn took us to some natural pools in the jungle with natural rock slides and cliffs for jumping.

VACATION PICTURES ~

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/DownTheMountainsAndIntoTheJungleBanosAndTena

AND DAMARIS' P.O.V. ~

http://picasaweb.google.com/dwawak/TripToBanosTena

Yesterday we left in the morning and didn't get home until 3:00 a.m. (thanks to the strikes). When we arrived in Riobamba where we were to change buses for Cuenca, we learned that the roads were blocked, so we ended up going all the way to Guayaquil to take the road to Cuenca from there. It was a long, exhausting day, and we kept catching buses in the nick of time, so we were never able to stop and get food.

Today I'm recouperating from my 4,528 bug bites that currently have my ankles swollen beyond recognition (the bus rides all day yesterday didn't help). I can't walk very well, so the girls went off to the market without me, and AJ is here taking care of me in my weakened condition.

Tomorrow we will go out in service in the morning until the English meeting at 11:00 a.m. Richard is giving the talk, so it will be like old times at Riverside listening to him speak again!

Well, thank you for reading my uber-long post friends! I hope all is well with everyone. We miss you all and think of you often! Until next time, take care...

Our first fiesta!

On Friday we had our first party, and it was a lot of fun! The girls surprised us for our anniversary with an Ecuadorian tradition that's typically done with engaged couples ~ dressing them up in toilet paper wedding attire! They pulled us into Miha's room and dressed us up and sent us out for a bride and groom dance. It was very fun and made us feel very special! :o)
It seemed like everyone had a good time dancing, eating and talking...Here are some pictures from our camera and Miha's > > >

Our pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/ConventionAndBeyond9th999AnniversaryAndOur1stFiesta

...and Miha's:

http://picasaweb.google.com/MihaelaRu/Ecuador

More firsts and more faux pas

AJ gave his first prayer for the congregation before the meeting last night and did an excellent job! He is also now assigned to take the lead for the Friday morning service group, and this morning he did wonderfully leading the group and organizing us for the ministry. Well done, my dear!

This morning in service, I had another word mix-up. You see, the word for "scared" is very close to a swear word in Spanish ~ I of course used the Spanish swear word in my conversation. The sister I was with thought it was very funny, and recounted the blunder for the other sisters who were out. Why are my faux pas always inappropriate? Why can't they be like saying "circus" when I mean to say "circuit"???

Cuatro nueves

Today was a wonderful day. While we of course knew it was our anniversary, for some reason, we didn't realize that it was our ninth anniversary on the ninth day of the month, in ninth month of the year, in the ninth year of the century! The sweetest Ecuadorian sister brought it to our attention in service and kindly invited us over to her house to celebrate with coffee and dessert afterwards ~ "Cuartro nueves!". We had a great time and a lot of laughs, especially as I tried to convey how excited I am for the new songbook...It turns out that the word I invented for "excited" is in fact a Spanish word, however, it is only used for one thing in the Spanish language, and not in connection with Bible-based literature. Oops!

The BEST part of our day was service. AJ took the afternoon group for his first time (to the sister's delight who usually takes the group :). At one house, some young boys answered the door and we asked for their parents. The parents weren't home, but the boys wanted to know who we were and why we were visiting. Once we filled them in, they lit up and started a mile a minute. "¡Mi papá tiene el libro! ¡Responde a todas sus preguntas de la Biblia!" (My dad has that book! It answers your questions from the Bible!) They had soooo many questions: "Should you pray to the Virgin Mary?" "If God created everything, who created God?" "Are bad people going to be destroyed?" "Is there a hell?" "Who wrote the Bible?" AJ and I were working together, so we had a great time practicing our Spanish! The one boy was visiting his friend there, and he didn't have a What Does the Bible Really Teach? book, so we gave him one. He was very happy and said that his grandmother would like to learn more about the Bible too. We asked him if she would like a book too and he said "If it's not too much trouble." No, it's no trouble at all! He gave us information to go and talk with his grandmother, and said that he would like to study the Bible, so he's meeting AJ near our apartment on Saturday morning.

After service we were planning on going to dinner at Vino y Olivo, but I was exhausted, and we weren't really hungry after eating at the sister's house. So we stayed home tonight and watched Groundhog Day...there are so many hilarious parts in that movie! Miha is bowling with a group from our hall.

Tomorrow is a 6:00 a.m. start, so it's off to bed...Good night!

¡Mantenganse alerta! (KEEP ON THE WATCH!) and other news...

The Spanish District Convention was this past weekend at the soccer stadium in the middle of the city. It was such a wonderful experience; very different from any convention we've ever been to before! Although we didn't understand a lot of it, it was very encouraging following along with my English notes, and we got to talk to so many friends, along with meeting many new friends. AJ was an attendant captain, so he was on his feet the entire weekend. His section was the area inside the main gate. He had some funny stories of the vendors who were coming in trying to sell during the sessions. Outside the stadium all around you could see and hear them selling their goods: "Agua! Helado! Papas!" AJ and Miha have hilarious impersonations.

The sun was intense even when we tried to get out of it by sitting higher up in the arena. Umbrellas were a must, and I made sure we had our SPF too. I didn't make it on Sunday because I was toasted - I ended up sleeping until 4:00 p.m., as AJ manned the arena and Miha photographed the drama. At least I got it two other times in English, right?? :-/

Some convention highlights: peak attendance was over 10,000 on Sunday, there were 200 baptized, and we saw many, many visitors all over the stadium. When I was standing by AJ at the main gate, I noticed people were coming in off the street just to listen to what was going on. I hope they all liked what they heard ~ we definitely did!

Here are some photos of the weekend:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/AsambleaDeDistrito2009MantenganseAlertaCuencaEcuador

You gotta check out Miha's pictures too ~ she's the best photographer!!! > > >

http://picasaweb.google.com/MihaelaRu/MeEncantaEcuador

Some other updates...In the ministry:
It's been a great new year thus far, and we're finding a lot of people who are interested in learning about the Bible. Miha has a study with a woman at her place of business, and she's refreshingly open and reasonable, and very kind. She studied before, so they began in the chapter on what happens to us at death.

On Wednesday I'm returning to talk with a woman who already has the What Does the Bible Really Teach? book. I visited her last Wednesday but she was under the weather; even still, she seemed very excited that we came, and said that she would like us to return this week.

Last week when AJ and I were doing street witnessing, a man that AJ placed a tract with turned around and stopped to ask us if we were Jehovah's Witnesses. When we told him that we are, he told us that he wants to study the Bible, and asked AJ for his phone number. He kept saying that he would call, so we'll see what happens! His aunt is one of Jehovah's Witnesses here in Cuenca, and he said that the rest of his family is Israeli.

Today we talked to many people who had questions about the problems going on in the world, and they were happy to see what the Bible teaches about the future, along with how God feels about everything now. We look forward to talking with them again very soon!

I'm off to bed, as Tuesdays we start at 6:00 a.m. We are planning to have dinner with Charek's good friend Pablo tomorrow night ~ AJ ran into him at the convention. This Friday we're having a party in our apartment, and Sunday is the English meeting. Never a dull moment!

Until next time...keep in touch!
xoxo

Cleaning time!

I woke up today and my stomach felt much better, so I was able to enjoy the stadium cleaning to the full. It was an amazing experience ~ although it was a rainy day and it's an open-air stadium, the brothers and sisters showed up in full force ready to go. From the looks of the place at the beginning, our cleaning effort was the first it had ever seen (this is the first year Testigos are using it for a convention). By the time we finished, it was a completely different place...

http://picasaweb.google.com/MihaelaRu/AllOverCuenca
(stadium pictures start at #89)

Miha's volleyball game didn't pan out today due to the weather. Hopefully next time :-(

Weekly bulletin

We've been enjoying the invitation campaign with Narancay as we get ready for the District Convention next weekend. AJ and I have simple introductions (naturally) that no one has been able to refuse. ;o) We say "Tengo una invitacion para un asamblea muy importante. Esperamos que pueda assistir" (translation: "I have an invitation for a very important assembly. We hope that you can attend"). Sometimes we tweak it a little if we're feeling confident; perhaps mention the dates or the location...

Tomorrow is the cleaning of the stadium for the convention at 9:00 a.m. Afterwards, Miha organized a volleyball game for a group from our hall. I think I may serve as the game photographer. Aside from that, our plans for the week include getting a good start to the new service year, and finishing up the invitation campaign! Let's hope my stomach holds up, as I've been having some issues as of late. :-P

A scary event from yesterday: earthquake! AJ didn't feel anything, but Miha and I were in separate rooms when we both felt the shaking. At first I thought, "That's strange, there are no trains nearby," but then I got a little nervous thinking the shaking may get worse. Miha was in the living room sitting on a trembling couch, thinking AJ was playing a joke. But the glasses clinking in our bar were a giveaway that we were experiencing a terremoto! However, AJ says since they've been doing construction nearby, don't start telling any tall tales ~ what do YOU think?

Cuenca, sweet Cuenca

We're back from our vacation in Vilcabamba. We currently have no water, which is not the most convenient thing after a long car ride home, when you just want to shower and crash. But, it's a trade-off...the power outages, standing in lines to pay our bills, disinfecting our water to disinfect our food, walking miles each day...all of these things pale in comparison to the benefits of being able to have a single focus in our lives. We knew there would be challenges that would come with living in a third-world country, but we also knew that the blessings would be innumerable...

This past week that we spent in Vilcabamba at Izhcayluma was no exception. Aside from being able to spend a most upbuilding and relaxing week with Mark and Becky, we were able to talk with people from all over the world about our work and the important role that the Bible plays in understanding life, and really, understanding everything that is going on in the world. People from Argentina, France, Germany, Israel, Peru, Switzerland, California...it was a very cool experience.

We also had the joy of spending time with Mark and Becky's friends from Malacatos, Nick and Geraldine, and their son Oliver. Nick is a Londoner who has lived in Ecuador for the past ten years, since he met his wife. Geraldine's parents also met in Ecuador; her father is from England, and her mother is from Guayaquil. Nick and Geraldine own Timbuktu, a lovely bed and breakfast that we were able to enjoy for a day. There we met some of their friends who were finishing up service, Paul, Saul and Webster. Saul is serving in Malacatos with his wife Tomy; he is from London and she is from Japan. Webster is serving in Loja and his friend Paul was visiting him from northern England to spy out the land here. He's going to spy out Nepal after this trip and see which suits him best! We had dinner at Saul and Tomy's house and it was encouraging to hear some of their awesome experiences from the ministry.

Our other activities during the week...hiking, ping-pong, pool and darts, horseback riding, reading, and of course eating! The food at the hostal was excellent. I called it a resort to one of the workers and he quickly corrected me that it was a hostel. He was a free-spiritied hippy-type (as many there were) who had just moved to EC from Colorado three months ago. He said he walked into the place looking for a job and got it right away...and I think he's more proud to say that he works at a hostel rather than a resort. But whatever, with the prices as low as they are, call it whatever you want. The way I view it though, if there are hammocks outside my room and a waterfall in the pool, it's a resort. PLUS, what about the spa and those massages!?!?

Wanna see? Here you go! > > >

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/Vilcabamba

Miha got some amazing shots too...be sure to check out her videos!!! > > >

http://picasaweb.google.com/MihaelaRu/Vilcabamba

We're going on vacation!

Even though it seems we're on a permanent vacation, everyone needs a change of scenery now and then. So when Mark and Becky suggested a getaway to Vilcabamba, how could we refuse? They're picking us up tomorrow morning and off we go until Sunday...

Here's a link to the place we'll be staying:
http://www.izhcayluma.com/

I also posted a new album from our day yesterday:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/ServiceAndAaronSLastDance

Here's Miha's angle:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MihaelaRu/ServiceInCuencaHangingOutWithFriends

A new Picasa album!

Some new pics taken with the Gabre cam > > >

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/DowntownAndCelebratoryDinner

Good news!

So AJ and I are OFFICIAL! After we received our needed materials from the branch and gathered and copied all of the necessary forms, we went to the migration office for our censos. Low and behold, Chad and Michelle were there (fellow need-greaters from PA)! They had to replace their censos, and once they did, they kindly stayed to help us in case the officer needed a translator. Everything went really well...so we are now legally recognized as misioneros in the country for at least two years!

Onto today...

Imagine walking into a crowded service group and you're the oldest person there...at 28! It was amazing to see TWENTY children out today, and only five adults (two being 21)! One sister who was older than me came a little later, so it turned out that I wasn't the senior for the day...

We had a nice time in service and I learned a few more helpful phrases (thank you Veronica!). Bit by bit I'll get there!

The weather can be hard to judge here, thus I think I'm going to stop trying to predict based on how the sky looks before I leave the house. This morning I put on my ankle-grazing skirt, black mary jane shoes, dark three-quarter length shirt, trench coat and scarf, and by the time we arrived at the sister's house who we were going to walk to the group with, I was dying of heat (and her house is only like 3 minutes from our apartment). Once we met up with the sister, we walked up a hill that was probably at an 85 degree angle. The breezes are nice and it was probably only 75 to 80 degrees, tops, but with the sun and the layers...I was roasting. But alas, I can't complain ~ the vistas are constantly breathtaking, the weather is really comfortable, and the friends are so much fun! Plus many of the people that we talk to in the ministry love the Bible and are interested to learn what it really teaches.

After service today we went shopping for groceries and other needed items. It's always fun to buy a dozen beautiful roses for $1.58!!!

Miha has a new album!

Miha posted a new album! Thank you Miha! > > >

http://picasaweb.google.com/MihaelaRu/DowntownCuencaAndFirstGuests

Back in Cuenca...

We've only been back for a week, but already there seems to be a lot going on! We took some time to get Miha situated in the apartamento, and have been busy with lots of meetings and service. I say lots as we have been to three congregations this week! The reason for that is we had our last meeting with the Florida congregation on Wednesday, our first meeting with our new congregation Narancay on Saturday, and the English meeting today, which meets about 20 minutes from our apartment. We are very sad to leave our beloved friends at Florida, but bonds form quickly and they certainly won't be rid of us altogether! ;-) Narancay is the territory that we live in, and there is only one elder in the congregation...now AJ makes two. We know quite a few of the friends in Narancay from when we visited with the Rulla's in November. It was nice to see them all again. We had the meeting with Narancay in the newly renovated Kingdom Hall, which is only a 10 minute walk from our place. The brothers did a beautiful job constructing it, and it certainly brings praise to Jehovah as a center of Bible education in the community.

We've had lots of fun in service practicing our Spanish, and our friends are generous with the help and commendation (and encouragement to give it a go when it's our turn!). I definitely use some Spanglish, but my service partner comes to the rescue when I panic and say "How do I say 'I'll come back another time'?"!

The sister who lives across the street from us (who assists the English group), just gave me a return visit that's only a stone's throw away from our place. She has the What Does the Bible Really Teach? book in English, but doesn't speak much English...thus it got passed on to me since she's in our territory! I'm excited to go back on her...it would be wonderful to have a Bible study right across the street!

We got together with some friends last night for dinner and Uno and had a blast! It's great that no matter how limited you can speak with some (due to the language barrier), you still feel like family and have a great time together. We really can't say enough how kind the friends are here - need greaters and local friends alike.

We've taken quite a few pictures since we've been back from the coast, Miha being our official Ecuador Photographer (EP). She has her camera out for every good photo op, so never fear that you'll miss a moment!

Here is my limited perspective:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/SomeNewECPics

And here is Miha's infinite view:

http://picasaweb.google.com/MihaelaRu/Cuenca

Until next time!

More pictures!

Here is the weekend in Guayaquil from Miha's perspective! > > >

http://picasaweb.google.com/MihaelaRu/TheTripToEcuadorBegins

Be sure to check out the last few pictures because they show our apartment!!!

PICTURES ARE POSTED!

See the link in the post below for some convention pictures > > >

English District Convention (7/31-8/2) – Guayaquil, Ecuador, Branch Assembly Hall

We arrived in Guayaquil on Wednesday evening and traveled to the airport to pick Miha up. Her flight arrived at 11:15 p.m. and afterward we went straight to our hosts’ house. Their youngest son Dorian picked us up from the airport. He is 19 and he and his sister Patty serve as full-time volunteers at the branch assembly hall. They live at the branch and help with assembly hall maintenance, and also helped to build the new Ministerial Training School, which just had its first graduating class on Sunday! Dorian and Patty both had the privilege of attending. While they were at the graduation, Miha recorded the morning talks, as this was their convention. They didn’t want to miss anything. They both serve in the English Guayaquil congregation (they are from Guayaquil). Their English is near perfect. Their mother and father are just as kind and loving as they are, and they made us feel so welcome and at home. Their other sister Sarby lives in the family home with her husband Michael and their 3 year old son Sean. Again, they are all so sweet and hospitable; we were very touched by their kindnesses the entire long weekend.

While I waited in a dense crowd of people at the airport for Miha to appear (AJ and Dorian waited in an area that was less crowded) I realized that I was among many other Witnesses – a good thing that I had my magazines displayed for them to recognize me (guess I could’ve worn my badge too)! It was so cool to talk to different friends about where they’re from (everywhere from South Dakota to Italy), where they now live in Ecuador, and how long they’ve been here. We were able to continue our discussions at the convention. Everyone you meet has a fascinating and encouraging story of how they got here and where they’re serving. Some that I met at the airport also had parts on the assembly, so it was cool to see them again on stage.

In a word, the convention was amazing. I couldn’t believe the quality of each and every talk (and they’re high-quality no matter which convention you attend, so imagine!). Most of the speakers are missionaries, special pioneers, circuit (or district) overseers, Ministerial Training School graduates, or branch committee members. All are in full-time service. It was wonderful how they geared the information toward those serving where the need is greater. And it was very special when each member of the branch committee here would thank the need greaters for their assistance in this fruitful land. They attribute the amazing increase here to the hard work of those who have been sowing seed for decades. One sister who was interviewed has been pioneering for 63 years and has been in Ecuador since 1950! I was flying high all weekend, and I certainly didn’t want it to end. But end it did and now here we are back in Cuenca – ready to go out into the ministry to share the Bible’s message with others!

Some other convention highlights – three were baptized; two 13 year old boys and one more mature sister who has an amazing story. Her brother has been a Witness for decades; however she didn’t have any interest in learning what the Bible teaches until she had a life-threatening accident almost two years ago. She had come to Ecuador to live with her brother (they are from Texas). When she had the accident here and survived, she decided that she finally wants to learn just what the Bible really teaches - and she did! There aren’t usually big groups that get baptized at the English convention here (being a Spanish field, students get baptized at the Spanish conventions); it’s typically just the children of those serving here. It was touching to see the joy on everyone’s faces as these three dedicated their lives to Jehovah God.

There is still a great need here in Ecuador. It was announced that there are currently 70 cities with no Kingdom publishers, and 100 congregations have 1 elder or less. The interest and growth continues; last year the country saw a 7% increase. There are 380-400 need greaters here and 60 missionaries. The U.S. branch continues to send Gilead graduates here as missionaries to work in different fields. There are several English groups and a few congregations in the country, along with Kichwa groups and congregations (an indigenous Indian language), Sign Language groups and congregations, Chinese groups, Portuguese, and several other indigenous languages that I’ve never heard of (among other languages that I’m sure I’m missing). As Jesus said, the fields are white for harvesting, therefore beg the Master to send out workers into His harvest!

Peak attendance on Sunday was 1,207 for the afternoon session. Friday morning began with 863. We are told that the attendance has grown a lot in the past few years. I was wondering how we’d all fit in the assembly hall since it’s the only English convention in all of South America, but the hall fits up to 5,000, so there was plenty of room to spare!

There are countless other details that I could go on and on about, but I’ll let my pictures do some of the talking! Here is a link to our Picasa web album for the convention:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/GuayaquilEnglishConvention2009

We had fun after the session each day as Dorian took us to THE BEST places in all of Guayaquil (and perhaps Ecuador by his estimation ;). Again, I hope the pictures tell the story!

The three of us are settled in for the night and will be resting tomorrow to recoup from the long weekend. I’ll be posting pictures of our apartment (read: grass hut :) soon – I promise!

Until next time, take care, and know that we miss you and think of you often back home!!

xoxo

A little update...

We had a busy day today, starting with service in the morning. It was a good time, and one of my favorite moments was AJ at a driveway, standing and listening to his service partner, an adorable 12 year-old little brother, trying to reason with a very passionate gentleman. As me and my friend Mimi are approaching them, so is a delightful little (AJ says sizable) rooster. Maybe you had to be there, but it was such a sight to see this fluffy white bird clucking its way to AJ; knowing that he´s trying to stand there and look like he knows Spanish (and also that he´s very used to having roosters walk down the street that way). So it clucked and pecked its way right up to AJ (I didn´t know that roosters ´sniffed´people), and AJ very deftly did a little dance that got the bird away from his portion of the sidewalk.

After our morning, we got a lot done in the way of obtaining internet service (YAY!), thanks to our translators and friends Ivan and Mimi. We actually have a team of translators at our service, Mark and Becky McCleskey being on that team, as they show us the ropes of Cuenca as well. We are so grateful to Jehovah for our dear friends!

We don´t have our internet yet however, so off we go from the internet cafe...it´s been an hour and a half and that´s $1.20!!

We´re here!!!

We finally arrived in Cuenca! We don´t have the internet in our apartment yet, so for now there won´t be many updates to our blog. Hopefully next week we´ll have it set up.

Things are going well, and we really love the area and our apartment. We have our Congregation Bible Study, Service Meeting and Theocratic Ministry School tonight at 7:30. Normally our big meeting is on Tuesday, but our Kingdom Hall is under construction, so we´re meeting at a different hall on a different schedule. Our Sunday Public Talk and Watchtower Study is at 10:45 a.m.

Next Wednesday we´ll be traveling to Guayaquil to pick up our friend Michelle who will be staying with us for three months. We´ll be going to the English District Convention at the Branch Friday through Sunday next week. We can´t wait! Our Spanish District Convention is in September.

I´m at the internet cafe right now by our apartment. I´m off to finish getting ready for the meeting...

Until next time, take care!

We got our 12-VII visas!

We went to Chicago on Monday to apply for our visas at the consulate. It was a successful trip, much to our relief! Now all we have to do is pack our apartment and move it to A.J.'s parents' house. Then we're off!

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/GabreSYMontoyaSEnChicagoParaLosVisados62009

EC photos from our first trip

Until I start posting real events and happenings on here, I thought I'd include a link to our Google Picasa page that has our Ecuador pictures from November 2008. I hope you enjoy them!

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmgabre/ECUADOR#

We'll be there soon!

AJ and I booked our flight to Ecuador today, and we'll be arriving in Cuenca on Wednesday, July 15th!