Monday, March 16, 2015

PEER BEHIND THE CURTAIN

Yesterday, we enjoyed a Special Meeting broadcast from our branch in Mexico.  We had a representative from London Bethel and then another from U.S. Bethel present AMAZING talks as well as give us the yearly report.  Jehovah knows what we need at the right time, doesn't he?  I was already excited for the meeting but then to be able to listen to BOTH of the talks in English (it was interpreted for the rest of the audience) was just beyond my dreams.

I wanted to share with you guys my favorite point from the session.  Bro. Robert Luccioni, helper to the Governing Body (he was the one featured on March's JW Broadcast), expanded on a theme about keeping up with Jehovah's organization.  He mentioned that what's interesting is that when you compare the visions that prophets like Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and John had, they all at one point, received the exact same vision...they were able to see a glimpse of Jehovah's heavenly organization.  And it really awed them...some fainted, some were speechless, etc.  In the case of Isaiah, he was so impressed that when Jehovah later asked for help, he immediately offered himself (6:8).  Why?  Because he understood who was behind the curtain.

"Peer behind the curtain" was a phrase used often in the talk, and although it wasn't mentioned, I immediately thought of the Wizard of Oz.  Remember after that long and arduous journey, Dorothy was expecting something amazing and instead was soooo disappointed to see who was behind the curtain directing things?  Just a small old man.
Well, in our case, it's the complete opposite.  When we peer behind the curtain and see that behind our own personal ministry, our congregations, our countries and branches is Jehovah, the Almighty of the Universe....we are filled with such comfort and confidence that we're inspired to be just like Isaiah and offer ourselves for any job needed.

And they pointed out that although we often just feel like small cogs on a big wheel we are ALL SO NEEDED AND APPRECIATED.  Our organization is massive and incredible and would never be possible without Jehovah, but would also never be the same without the efforts being made by EVERY SINGLE PUBLISHER.  So look beyond your small congregations and personal struggles and realize that you are a part of something so big and amazing!

We've been having these Special Meetings once a year and in every one it's just stressed over and over again the love that the Governing Body and Jehovah have for us.  To prove the point, they shared some experiences and comparisons that brought most of us to tears. And they brought out that with basically one Bible study to every publisher (approx 1.7 million if I heard that right) we still have SOOOO much work to do in this region.  I don't know about you, but now that I know who's behind the curtain, I feel more zealous than ever to do whatever's needed in Jehovah's service.

Friday, March 13, 2015

HANDMADE OPPORTUNITY

I have an idea about how to earn some money the next time I'm in the U.S., but I want your feedback on it.

Remember I posted a while back about how many bring home handmade goods from their host country and sell them?  Ok, so I've stumbled onto this AMAZING opportunity and wanted to see if anyone else is as excited as me.

There's this restaurant/store in Granada called El Tercer Ojo and in one shop is incredible leather goods that go by the brand name CocoBolo (click for the website to see examples of work).  They're over $100 for a small bag.  Well, I was on a study a while back, and the Dad was working with leather in the background. When we take our leave I see he's stamping CocoBolo on his products.  Poor thing sells his work to this shop for next to nothing.  So I asked if he makes things for people too and not just shops, and he said yes.

When our friend Andrea was here, she tried it out, and got to customize a crossbody leather bag for a fraction of what it would cost in Granada or her native Canada.  Literally, picked size, type of leather, color, number of pockets, buckle vs. zipper, CUSTOMIZED!!  Now I have another friend getting a beautiful bag, wallet, and Bible cover for a ridiculously cheap price for leather goods.  Here's some pictures of his type of products:
Very similar to his style


Andrea's actual bag
So my question is, would anyone be interested in ordering one??  I'm coming home for a few weeks in June, and I could bring the bag then ship it to you.  The gentleman works off pictures and dimensions, so you'd just need to tell me specifics on what you want (sending pix of course), and I could transmit that idea to him.  He'll quote me a price, and you can let me know if that + shipping would be acceptable.  If so, maybe pay me half now and the other half in June upon delivery.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

WEDDING BELLS

About a month ago, my good friends Rosaura and Sergio David tied the knot and very kindly invited me to their wedding.  They had such a nice courtship and were one of the few couples I could actually stand to be around while dating.  I just wanted to share some pix of the happy day and some observations about Nica weddings.
One of the bridesmaids and Rosaura's best friend, Selene, and me

First look...just ignore the creeper in the back

A missionary who once served NindirĂ­ gave the wedding talk

The happy couple!  Rosaura's dress was incredible...very elegant!

Groom's family

Bride's family
This is now the third wedding I've gotten to attend in Nicaragua, and I've started to notice a pattern.  I'm going to try and describe it so you understand what I mean.  The wedding part itself always seems kind of thrown together.  Usually what happens is we're all meandering around when out of nowhere the bride shows up at the door, rapid-fire her maids or family march down the aisle with her hot on their heels, and somewhere in the process someone remembers to turn on a Kingdom melody.  I have no good pictures of anyone coming down the aisle because it's over before you know it.

The other strange part comes at the end.  At no wedding has the couple kissed at the end.  Often they don't even hold hands or show affection during picture taking.  For instance, Rosaura and Sergio David presented themselves with a very chaste...hug *deadpan*.

Then comes the pictures.  Once the talk is over, everyone rushes the stage and poses with the couple for a picture.  The thing is, there's no one organizing these pictures and usually no professional photographer.  So what happens is you usually have a picture of yourself and the happy couple in the midst of a million people OR with some other random person hanging onto them you couldn't chase out of the picture.  And it's like pulling teeth to get the whole family together for one good shot either because they've wandered off somewhere or again, you've got a bunch of random people in the same shot with the family.  I feel really bad for a lot of these couples later wondering what the final pictures look like.

For some reason, the reception is where it's at.  Many Witnesses only attend the reception, and it's always very elegant, well organized, with yum food and booty shaking.

No judgement...just observations.