Miscellaneous Happenings

Hola my dear amigos,

So much has happened since the last time I've written.
From most recent to the past:


Pioneer Meeting & Circuit Assembly  "Sanctify Jah's Name"

It was a truly special feeling to attend the pioneer meeting with the Argentine & Chilean friends!! One of the illustrations used during the pioneer meeting had to the with the growth of the koi fish. The bigger the body of water that the koi fish is placed, the bigger the fish will become. For example, if a koi fish was placed in a large tank, it might grow to be a foot long. However, if it is placed in a lake, it can grow to be 1 meter long. Likewise, the more we take advantage of the spiritual provisions given by the faithful slave, our joy for the ministry (the size of the fish) will increase.

I love this picture from Gaby's camera! Wish I was in it, but guess I was busy....this was taken at the pioneer meeting...  has a mix of the pioneers from Chile & Argentina.

Circuit Assembly....
I think the peak attendance was 200+. This year, most of the brothers from the Chilean Chinese congregation also came. 
 I had the privilege of being interviewed along with Bro. Liang at the recent circuit assembly about how we started and continued to pioneer (went to get a makeover the day before, just so I can look like a 007 heroine!)
 

 Reunion with our Chilean buddies:
We were able to have a parrilla with Boen & Christina, who came from Chile for the assembly.

 Susie's visit 
It was so lovely to receive a visit from home friends, Susie & May.
They were only here for a week, but we had a great time together!

Zone Overseer Visit

Hello Friends,

This is a special write-up about the zone overseer visit from Brother Shepp, a Canadian visiting from the branch in Peru.
The event was held at a football stadium about 1.5 hours from Buenos Aires, in a picturesque town called La Plata.
Altogether, 85,000 people had heard the program on separate sessions held in Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and here. I am not sure how many were in attendance yesterday.


The main focus of the talks was on the urgency of the preaching work.
A brief illustration I really enjoyed:
Imagine yourself visiting a construction site, and you meet one of the workers. You ask him how the work is going. He complains that it's too hot and there is just too much work to be done. You run into another worker and ask the same question. This second worker responds: "Just imagine when this construction site will turn into the first children's hospital to serve our community. Parents won't have to travel all the way to Buenos Aires to get treatment for their kids." He enthusiastically points to different plans he has on site.
Likewise, we can view our preaching work with negative spirit, saying that it's too hard to go door-to-door. Or, we can envision ourselves saving lives and working alongside with the people we preach to in the new world. It's all in the perspective.
Although only publishers were invited to this event, the elders from our congregation surprised Liping with the invitation to attend.

If you're wondering about the dress, yes, my mother brought it for me on her last visit. And yes, I love that it fits perfectly. A sister helped me with lengthening it so it hit right over my knee. I really think of my mom when I wear the dress. ;-)
Funny, I was wearing the dress in the morning around the house and accidentally tore the fabric of the lengthened part...good thing our lovely 75 yr. neighbor, Novka, from upstairs helped me fix it just before I had to leave the house at noon!

Chillin' in Chile

This is a very belated entry about our trip to Chile in January....
So I'll make it short & sweet:
1. 75cent ride to the airport: We were due to arrive at the airport at 5am, latest. We decided to give the public transport a chance....took us about 3 hours but was an interesting ride. Plenty of people board buses here throughout the night. There was a dad with his child on the bus telling his kid a "bedtime story" at 2am in the morning!

2) Crossing the Andes- Amazing views of snow-peaked mountains from our window....

3) Experiencing missionary life firsthand: We had the privilege to stay with Boen & Cristine Liem, a Dutch couple who speak English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese (!) The couple is a LOT of fun....we did shopping, cooking, preaching, eating....everything together. It was a wonderful experience!

4. Cantonese meeting
"Ming bok ma?" The Chile Chinese congregation hosts a meeting once every 2 months in Cantonese. We were able to attend one of these meetings, and there was quite a good turnout of Cantonese Bible students.

5. Betel de Chile
Staying with the Bethel family was definitely a highlight of our trip. Since it was a family of only 120+ people, a lot of people knew where we were from already...

6. Vine del Mar y Valparaiso
Finally, I got to tread in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.... then I realized that I really don't have a six-pack after all....

South America Adventure!

Dear friends,
I just arrived to my apartment in Buenos Aires last Thursday, and before getting back to the service routine, I must share the wonderful experiences we've had on this vacation....
As usual- the highlights:

1. Chinese District Convention, October 8-9: amazing 2-day assembly where peak attendance was 554. Speakers from Chile and Paraguay participated. Brothers learning Chinese in remote areas arrived by bus or plane to attend.














2. Iguasu Falls & the Bird Park---- I actually strongly believe the Brazilian side of the falls is the most beautiful. The Bird Park is beyond belief... I really felt I was walking in paradise because all kinds of birds hopped around you like you were a fellow bird.


















3. Need-greaters in Paraguay --- During our last night in Iguasu, we had dinner with 2 Korean brothers who are serving in Paraguay. Unfortunately, due to illness, their wives were unable to attend. One brother is serving in a Chinese group of 6 brothers, another is serving in a Korean group of also less than 10 brothers.

















4. Need-greaters in Brazil---- We were privileged to be taken care of by a Korean missionary couple who has been in Brazil for about 8 years. They are in the Chinese field.
Also, we stayed with a retired couple who spoke mainly Portuguese but was learning a bit of Chinese. We have heard several stories of how this retired couple use their resources to help Chinese people learn the Bible, in spite of their language limitations.


















5. Copacabana!
This world famous beach is beautiful even in the dark!














6. Cuzco & Macchu Picchu
What an experience! In addition to exploring the wonders of the ancient Inca empire, our guide purposely passed some Kingdom Halls in the small towns between Cuzco & Aguas Calientes (the town closest to Macchu Picchu)







7。 Chinese Congregations in Rio de Janeiro & Lima
It was sooo encouraging to see the efforts of the local brothers in learning Chinese; both congregations are having Chinese classes. The spirit of the local brothers & their love for the Chinese is so touching!

8. Missionary home in Lima, Peru
It was a great blessing & privilege to stay at the missionary home....there are 12 publishers living here. We met a brother whose mother was one of the first Witnesses in Peru; also, 5 single sisters from North America who have been in Peru for 40 years, and 2 young Korean couples. It was lovely to experience daily life in the missionary home (and be on vacation at the same time, LOL)

See this link for more pics:

South America Adventure!

Spring is Here!

Hola friends,

Today is the first day of spring in Argentina...odd isn't it? The weather tells all- high's in the 70's (23C) already!
Some good news:

1. Ms.Chen, who I had written about in my first blog entry, just attended her first meeting this past Sunday. Actually, she lives literally around the corner from the Kingdom Hall. But since she barely speaks any Spanish, she doesn't like going outside. Anyway, last Sunday, I think she finally decided that walking half a block wouldn't be so difficult after all. I told her that she doesn't have to stay for the entire meeting, just for the 30 minute public talk. However, she stayed until after the meeting was over! She said she was very impressed by the warmth of the congregation. Several sisters already recognized her from being on her study, so they were all excited and happy to see her.
2. Noelia, a teenage girl, has been coming to my home to study the Bible. It's great having her here and learning to slowly draw her out.
3. Since August, I have a new roommate, Gabriela Lasso. She is a Latina from North Carolina, and we are having the time of our lives together! Just to illustrate the fun we are having- one of our neighbors complained to our building manager that there are 2 Americans laughing loudly all the time. We have tried to tone it down. Anyway, she's a blessing...I learn a lot from her.
Also, we have a new German missionary couple in our hall. They had served for 5 years in the Chinese congregation in Ecuador, and now are assigned to our congregation. They live right around the corner from Gabriela and me!
4. Liping, who is coming to all the meetings now, is also preparing for all the meetings! It's such a blessing to see her progress!
5. My mom is coming to South America for a month, so my next entry will be about our travels...

Rolling with Rosario

Keziah and I just returned from a charming visit to Rosario, a pretty city 4 hours away from Buenos Aires.

In addition to fruitful theocratic activity, our visit was filled with singing, dancing, and laughing until your stomach hurt. Our host family, the Pereyra's, were absolutely lovely and took great care of us.

The highlights of our 4- day visit were as follows:

1. Taking advantage of our ability to speak Chinese, the brothers drove us to preach in 7 Chinese supermarkets and 1 Taiwanese health products store. It might not sound like a lot to you, but most of the markets were in another city farther from Rosario, and the Chinese there had rarely spoken to Witnesses. We placed some magazines and tracts, and 1 Bible Teach book with a lady who was quite excited to know we were Bible teachers.
2. Keziah and I did a demo in Spanish during the Service meeting on Thursday, reenacting a real informal witnessing opportunity that had happened when I spoke to a neighbor.
3.. We had the opportunity to associate and have fun with some Haitian Bible students. This was quite special for me, because it was my first time to talk Haitian students. The kids we met had been in Haiti during the recent earthquake, and had endured unspeakable tragedy. We were especially touched when on one occasion, a young student expressed his gratitude because we gave him what he had left behind in Haiti, a feeling of home & family.
4. On Sunday, we had a cultural show, directed by Lalo, which consisted of Peruvian dancing, Chinese folk singing, Congolese music, and featuring 2 special performances by Lalo's neighbor, Marcelo. A Peruvian couple, Keziah, the Haitian students, and I were all in the show. We found out that we had unexpectedly given Marcelo a good witness; he was impressed by the love that thrived in the multiracial group.

5. Sunday evening, Lalo, Lili, Keziah, and I prepared "Chinese" noodles for the last gathering that day. That was hilarious- because I was the "chef" that day, and I felt like the blind leading the blind. The highlight of the evening was a great dance all the girls did together, based on the hit song Kuduro.

Lalo counted that we had met 29 people in the 4-day visit. The best part of the visit for me was the number of people we were able to encourage unexpectedly. I truly feel that Jehovah is always directing things behind the scenes!
Click on the image for our awesome dance video!

Koduko

Great Happenings

Pic: Diego, Charlie, Kay, Me, Anto, Keziah

Hi friends,

I am inspired to write this evening and decided I better take advantage of the flame before it goes out....

First, I must write about Liping- an advanced Bible student who was given to me because her Bible teacher went back to the Spanish congregation.
Liping has been making considerable effort to come to all the Sunday meetings. We set a goal for her to try to attend more Tuesday meetings as well. This is a challenge for her because she owns a laundry business, and she stays up until 2am during the weekdays folding and ironing clothes. However, during the co visit last week, she came to both the Tuesday and Thursday meetings. On both occasions, you could tell she rushed over, her hair wet from a shower. Several friends in the congregation commended her for her effort. During our study, I told her how one of our elders noticed her progressed. She shed tears of joy, and expressed how grateful she was that people did not criticize her for not wearing the right clothes to the meeting (That's another thing we have to work on, setting a date to go shopping with her and replace glittery sequined jeans with modest skirts). She is very humble, and mentions that she wants to get baptized. I am so grateful to Jehovah for letting me taste the joy of helping a Bible student progress!

Another beautiful Bible student that fell into my lap from Jehovah is a lady who owns a laundromat around the corner from the Kingdom Hall. I had found her daughter, Jessica, the first day that I went out in service in Buenos Aires. For a few times, I could not get past just sharing a few scriptures at the door with Jessica. However, one day, the mother, Ms. Chen, came out and eagerly asked me how God can help us during times of distress. This is because one of her relatives was diagnosed with a terminal illness. She wanted to know if somehow prayer could cure the illness. I was invited into their laundromat, which is also their makeshift home. Since then, I have been studying on a regular basis with Ms. Chen. Jessica had been studying with us, but recently, she moved to her father's store and I have to track her down.

Ms. Chen is a wonderful student. I asked her to prepare for each lesson, and she writes out the scriptures. Last week, her homework was to read the Sermon on the Mount. She asked me what Matthew 6:24 meant ("cannot slave for 2 masters"). My preaching companion, an Argentine sister, explained the scripture in excellent Chinese. Ms. Chen's reaction was remarkable- she commented that the scripture spoke of her heart, because she knew that making money was her greatest priority. Seeing her humility and appreciation for the Bible was so rewarding- she was the last Bible student of the week, and I had arrived quite exhausted, but she made me so happy I wanted to cry.

On a lighter note, we had a great time with our circuit overseer and his wife- Charlie and Kay Kim. They are (obviously) Korean, and very lovely. They were very zealous in going preaching with all of us. I had the privilege of making Teriyaki chicken for them here. The hilarious thing is- Argentinians have never heard of teriyaki chicken!!! They think I'm the best cook ever with that recipe!