¿Eso fue todo?

Carnaval came and went, and I was expecting the absolute worst (like a level 10 on the get-me-the-heck-outta-here scale), but it was a most uneventful four days (like a level 1).  I think we were in the right place, here in Narancay (at least for being able to sleep; water attacks were another story [see future post from Damaris]).  It seems everyone in our apartments were away on holiday, so there were no parties, no noise, no nothin'.  Score!  Things are calm again in Cuenca with no talk of festvities, and we couldn't be happier for it. 

Seth, Meghan and Mike are coming in exactly two weeks and we are soooo excited!!  We're going to meet them in Quito about 10 hours north of us, and make our way south by bus.  Blog with adventures to follow...

Tranquil Cuenca

Let's see...What's new?

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. Since the girls left, there's not as much excitement in the house, and we're settling back into our routines. We've done two big cleanings with our congregation ~ the Assembly Hall, and our Kingdom Hall. The Assembly Hall cleaning was hard work. Not to sound like a wimp (though I never claim to be otherwise), but the job we six sisters were assigned was a brothers' assignment in my mind. I was very happy to do it for my brothers and for Jehovah, but I nearly killed myself in the process. It consisted of raking a gigantic parking lot - the entire parking lot - which is covered in rocks, to make it all smooth and even. I was using a heavy, solid metal rake, digging it into the ground to loosen the rocks that were made into mini-riverbeds with rain, then spreading everything around. My partner-in-crime Katie (one half of the new gringo couple in our hall) was filling loads of rock into a wheelbarrow and dropping off loads around the lot to ensure its evenness. I surprised myself by not quitting or asking for a brother to take over ;o), however, I paid later in pain and exhaustion (wimp).

As for Kingdom Hall cleaning, one would think a congregation has "big cleaning" each week, rotating between sister congregations. However, our Kingdom Hall has big cleaning after each meeting ~ spot cleaning will not do for these hardworking people! A field service group is assigned for the week, and they go to town, no joking around. So our cleaning this weekend was big-big cleaning, like Memorial cleaning. Brothers on the roof, sisters with steel wool pads under each foot. The hall was sparkling for the meeting later in the afternoon!

Channy and Jenni's visit was awesome. They were most-welcome additions to the apartment, so laid back and fun! They both pioneer in Sign congregations in the States, and were able to spend quite a lot of time with the Sign congregation here in Cuenca, along with visiting a Sign group in a nearby city, Gualaceo. One of my favorite days with them was a visit to my favorite park, Parque Paraiso. (On a sidenote, I got a flavor of things to come here in Cuenca when, while at the park waiting for a cab to go downtown, a water balloon came flying at me out a moving car, pegging me right in the stomach.) For more pictures from their visit, click on albums 1, 2, and 3!

Onto the water balloon sidenote: Why was I targeted in such a way you ask? Is it because I'm a fair-skinned blonde girl who looks about as Ecuadorian as A.J. does? Or maybe it was a fluke prank pulled by some teenage boys? No to both. Believe it or not (actually, it's not that hard to believe), it's a part of a religious festival here in the country (and I'm sure all of South America). It's called Carnaval, and it's looming over us like a giant water balloon filled with flour (which they do, in addition to ice [nice], or cement dust [doubly nice]; thankfully, we've only experienced the water-sort...so far). Leading up to Carnaval, people go insane with water in any way they can - hoses, fountains, buckets - but mostly water balloons. Carnaval officially starts this upcoming Saturday, and culminates in the Fat Tuesday celebration. It is four days without restraint as the people here prepare to make sacrifices for their Lent season. Since things get really really crazy, service is completely canceled everywhere. It's hide-inside-the-house-and-catch-up-on-reading-and-movies time for us.

Onto service news, things have been getting a little easier with the language, and A.J. and I now have the pleasure of conducting a Bible study with a married couple each Sunday; Oswaldo and Isabel. We started in chapter 1 of the Bible Teach book two weeks ago, and are next going over God's name in the appendix. Though it's amazing how most here know that God's name is Jehovah, and their Bibles include it everywhere it was in the original languages. Catholics, Evangelicals, you name it, their Bibles accurately hold to original translation. Quite a refreshing change from flipping to Psalm 83:18 in someone's Bible, and DOH! Gone. The one place you'd think they'd keep it, but nope, 7,000 edits and replaces. But not here! And more happy news, A.J.'s study Juan just joined the Theocratic Ministry School! His first Bible reading will be in March in the book of Ruth...

Okay, we're off to Superbowl XLIV ~ our neighbors who attend the English group at Bella Vista have Direct TV!!! :-)