Tuesday: I went in service in the morning spent most of the afternoon indoors, catching up on RBC work, emails, cooking, tidying up and errands.
Wednesday: None of us got much sleep last night, and the landlord came to do some maintenance in the late morning, so we didn't go in service. I finished my studying for the meeting and then in the afternoon, one of my roommates accompanied me on my first Bible study with the mother and eldest daughter that I had met at the Memorial.
3:00pm - It took us one hour and two buses to get there, but the study was awesome! The mother seemed primarily interested in seeing her daughter (an 11th grader) study, however, she consented to sit in on the study when I invited her to stay. Both had an active share in the discussion. When discussing the introductory questions for Chapter 1 (What is the Truth About God?), I asked the young girl whether or not she had ever wondered about those questions (why does God allow suffering, etc). Without hesitation, she replied "No, I know that God is good and he doesn't cause our sufferings. Most of the time, people make bad choices, and then they try to blame God." I appreciated the way that she, even at a young age, was able to reason on matters. I could hardly contain my excitement during the study and was still grinning about it that evening at the meeting.
An interesting side note: After leaving the study, we walked several blocks to the nearest parada (bus stop). We stood there among a group of school aged girls, all dressed in uniform. A few minutes later, I feel someone touching my back, at my shoulder blade. Uneasy, I quickly turned around and a wide-eyed young girl looked back at me in fear/ surprise. Realizing what happened, I began to relax and smiled down at her. Its the second or third time its happened since I've been here - she was trying to feel my hair. I keep forgetting I'm a foreigner!
7:00pm - The meeting, of course, was great and I met a woman from Idaho who was travelling with her son and two of his friends to check out the area. She explained to me that they have been in variety of areas in Ecuador over the last three weeks and were planning on leaving in a few days. Even though our congregation is only 66 people, we seem to have a constant flow of visitors to make it feel full.
It was during the announcements, however, that our small group broke out into thunderous applause: A letter was read regarding the 2014/15 international convention locations. Quito, Ecuador will be hosting an international convention in January of 2015, with all talks being given in Spanish and English as well as translated into Ecuadorian sign language (separate speakers)!!!!! While some information was not yet available since its over a year and a half away, we are hopeful that the Quito English congregation (along with all of the Spanish congregations in Quito) will have a large part in the preparation and hosting/ hospitality for the delegates - What exciting news!!!
I was excited to hear this letter as well!!!
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