The First Two EC DC's + More

English District Convention

It's crazy to think, but Ecuador is the only South American country with an English District Convention.  Needless to say, people from all over the world come to enjoy the English festivities :)  It's crazy because just about every talk is given by someone who has been in foreign service for longer than I've been alive.  There are missionaries, need-greaters, Bethelites, branch overseers... you name it!  As a result, every talk is deep, every experience is superb, and everyone there is super friendly.  It's really amazing :)
One of my favorite experiences this year was of a sister who moved to a small Ecuadorian town.  When she and her roommate arrived, the brothers and sisters showered them with love.  They had no housing, so they made a make-shift house for them in the Kingdom Hall.  The sister said that she was incredibly thankful because she needed the time to get acclimated to the "housing" available in the town.  Since they had no kitchen in the hall, the friends arranged to make breakfast, lunch and dinner for them!  Talk about a loving brotherhood :)
Also, another thing that I just wanted to mention is that in the July 15, 2012 study Watchtower there is an article about young people serving in Ecuador.  You should check it out in case your haven't yet :)

The lovely ladies & I: Meleah, Daniela & Gaby 

The Olympics

Okay, so I'm a crazy Olympics weirdo and normally when it's on, I watch it non-stop.  I'm an addict.  WELL, I have no TV and no way of watching them here :(  We actually stopped outside of someone's house and watched part of the opening ceremonies through their window!  Haha, that's desperation, right?  Well, we ended up stranded in a mall one day and watched some of the games on their giant TV :)  YEAH!

Watching the OLYMPICS!!!!!!

Spanish District Convention

On the bus on our way to the Spanish District Convention, a guy came up and grabbed my knee, totally freaking me out.  I almost decked him, haha, but he was trying to get my attention because he wanted to make sure that I was a Witness and that I was on the way to the DC.  He is studying and went on and on about the things he hates about other churches, the hypocrisy, the judging, etc.  In contrast, he loved that the Witnesses use the Bible to answer everything.  We pay attention in meetings and aren't looking around to judge others.  We're helpful and loving... however, he had his concerns.  In the past several months, there have been a few fatal bus crashes with buses full of Witnesses.  The media has taken advantage of this opportunity to to bash Witnesses for not accepting blood.  As a result, it has been a big issue on studies and in door-to-door ministry.  So, I walked my new buddy through the reasons.  I asked him if he'd be willing to kill someone if a doctor said it would save his life.  Of course he would not.  Why?  Because the Bible says it's wrong.  Then we read Acts 15:28 & 29 where Christians are told to abstain from blood and I asked him what he thought.  He came to the conclusion that Jehovah would not approve of transfusions.

Me & Steph at the Spanish District Convention

Revelation's Prophecies and an 11 year old...

So, I had been studying with this little girl, Andrea... I blogged about her last year.  She's super cute and studious, but she was getting confused at her Catholic school.  Her mom told me, "I know that the Catholic church does not follow the Bible in many aspects, but I don't care.  I think she should stop studying the Bible with you." I was shocked, but continued to stop by and see them even though they moved outside my territory.  

However, with the congregation changes here, now she live inside my territory!  I went back and said, "Andrea, I know you told me that you didn't want to continue studying, but I'd really like to study with you again."  

Her response: "I never wanted to stop studying!"

So, we started again :)  This week at her study, she told me that she had been reading the Bible and had some questions, then proceeded to read Revelation 12 to me!  Seriously, this girl is 11 and one of the deepest thinkers I've ever encountered.  We reviewed the prophecies and she understood them immediately... CRAZY!  I'm so happy to get her study started again :)