Two Chinese talks...

Okay, so my Chinese is still terrible, but I have now given two Chinese talks!  The first one was a substitute talk and the second one was mine... and I wrote it... by myself!  Scary.  Our group is so small that it's perfect for forcing me to give a lot of comments in meetings.  Slowly, but surely, I will learn this language!

Traveling to Loja for Chinese service

This weekend five of us gals traveled by bus five hours south of Cuenca to preach to the Chinese in Loja.  Chinese people are often VERY skeptical of anyone coming to talk to them in Chinese and especially about the Bible as the majority of them are Buddhists.  Since I've been here, we've been trying to travel to Loja every three months or so to try to break down some barriers and gain some trust.  We're starting to notice a difference!  The people are starting to listen to us and to just converse...  Our goal is to get their telephone numbers so we can do phone witnessing with our new Chinese publisher to really get them to open up more talking to her.  We shall see how it progresses :o)

Anything can be fixed in Ecuador!

Okay, so this isn't service related, but it's yet another reason why I love it here.  I had COMPLETELY ruined two pairs of shoes because I walk so much here.  I had some crocs that I wore through... you could put your finger through the hole.  Also, I had a pair of dress shoes and the heel had separated from the sole.  I figured, it's impossible to find shoes in my size here, so I'll try to get them fixed.  I also took three skirts with broken zippers, three skirts that needed to be hemmed, and the buckle on my leather service bag had busted due to the weight of the Chinese Pinyin Bible and needed to be fixed.  Guess how much it cost me to get them all fixed like new? $20!!!  I feel like I have a new wardrobe :o)  It's the little joys in life, right?

Family update :o)

The family of 5 kids all studied last week and we have plans to study again tomorrow.  They are adorable and they have some interesting questions.  The youngest two have read ahead in the Bible Teach book and the middle girl had already read a good portion of the Young People Ask book I left for her.  I can't wait for tomorrow!

How could I forget?!

We have a new Chinese publisher :o)  Yan XiaoMei is quite possibly the cutest and friendliest person ever.  We're all so happy to have a native speaker to help us break some barriers with some of the more stubborn Chinese people in Cuenca!

May highlights in a nutshell

I haven’t updated in SOOO long.  Here are a few noteworthy experiences I’ve had recently :o)

The family mentioned in the “lost sheep” entry has been attending the meetings every Sunday.  After their study, they invite me to have “cafecito” or bread and coffee and we continue the conversations about their spiritual questions and, of course, their curiosity about my life and my family.  The girl, Vanessa, that I originally found, has even been preparing for the Watchtower and they bring me so much joy!  I told them that we’d watch a video this week for the study because we’re talking about how Jehovah’s organization, so they told me that they’d have popcorn waiting for me when I come.  Haha.  I love it!

Another woman, Fanny, I met shortly after I arrived is a single mother with five children ages 20, 16, 12, 10 and 8.  I began studying with her and she confided in me her concerns about her children.  Of course, I came back with the Young People Ask book and addressed her concerns with the children.  After mentioning the study arrangement and offering to return to consider with each of them individually, I told them that they could make a list of any questions they had and we’d make sure to answer them.  The 10 year old then spoke up and said, “I have a question!...  Where did God come from?”  So, I read Psalm 90:2, asked her some questions to help her reason and she seemed satisfied.  I’m looking forward to seeing how the 5 studies will go:o)

I began studying with a woman, Laura, in the local market the first week I returned.  She is always there, so it’s perfect.  That’s one thing about Ecuador, the people at places of business are much more willing to have a conversation or even study.  So, now, I go there two or three times a week and we sit on little stools in front of the fruits and veggies and study.  After every study, she “pays” me with an apple or an orange.  Yum :o)