2012 Talent Show

It was a happen'n party Sunday night!  The talent show was in honor of the division of the congregations.  I think that absolutely everyone danced for this  song.  Ok, maybe not but it was sure close.  

I realized last night that a lot can happen in a year.  It has been a great experience living here in Sucre.  It's sad that it is coming to an end.  Figures it take the whole year just figure out how to dance Bolivian style.  We had three lines.  Yes, lines.  You not only partner up but you add to the line like in old English movies.  

Pioneer School in Sucre and the Division!

So what do the pioneers miss most about pioneer school?

THE FOOD!! 

(Cleo Arenas helping serve desert.)

Being here in Sucre is not an exception.  The sisters in the local congregations worked very hard to make each day a success. 

(Getting to finally chow down after lunch was served.)

It was my congregation's day to cook the very first day of class so of course we needed it to be unforgettable.  We made Qupe.  Which I had never heard of before.  It is sort of like cheese filled meat balls.  Then we had two types of rice, peas and carrots, broccoli spears, and a tomato slice.  With oatmeal chocolate no-bakes for desert.  At the afternoon break the sisters brought an ice cream cake.

  
The last day of the pioneer school we were assigned to do the lunch as well.  Home made chili and corn bread was served.  For many it was their first time ever trying such a me al.  In the case of the sister that was staying with me for the class a lot of things was a first for her.  Just going to an indoor supermarket was a new experience.  Seeing the escalator that took people up the stairs to the cinema was a treat as well.

November 3, 2012

With all the increase we are out growing our Kingdom Hall so there was sent to the branch a proposal to make another congregation.  With mixed feelings it was announced a little over a week ago that bethel approved the idea of a new congregation and that it would start holding its meetings starting November 3, 2012. 

(Eloisa Flores, Nancy Calvimontes and Sarai Flores)

 There were many tears after that meeting.  It was especially emotional for the young people as majority grew up or were taught the truth together in this congregation.

(Alejandra, Genesis, Maribel, Natelie, Victor, Carla, Gustavo, Gabrielle)

(Me and Max Solis)

(Flores family)

Now I will be part of the Congregation America that will have its meeting times on Tuesday at 7:00pm and Sunday at 9:30am.

It will be wonderful to have a meeting time on Sunday since it is a the day of the week that majority of the people have off.  May Jehovah bless this new arrangement with even more of an increase!

Yotala

(In front of Kingdom Hall)

Off we go to Yotala.  One of the isolated territories that is about 30 minutes outside of Sucre.  This past Sunday all were excited about the little excursion.  This was the group at 8:15 am.  But as the meeting time was only at 8:00 am it was not the full group.  Once we got to Yotala at 9:15 am our group grew to about 45.

With being such a large group and the town being quite small we quickly were able to flood the town square with witnesses. 

The brothers and sisters were quickly assigned their partner and then we were assigned our territory overseer.  Then straight to the door-to-door work. 

It was a wonderful day.  Even though we got a late start we just about worked all of the down town by noon.  Once my congregation divides Yotala should get worked more frequently.  Since I've been back in Bolivia I've started a couple of door step studies in Yotala using the new brochure that we got at the convention.  That seems to be exactly what the people in this town need since a good number speak Spanish as their second language and/or have limited education.  

Here are some pictures of other trips to Yotala:

This is how some regularly get to Yotala, on the back of a pick-up truck.  It is a bit scary but fun.

This was taken just outside the town of Yotala.  The senora is wearing the typical dress for these parts.  Complete with sombrero for sun protection.  The sun is sure strong here.  I overheard a mother trying to convince her daughter to put on her hat.  The mom said, "If you don't put on your hat you will start bleeding out of your head."  I thought she was just exaggerating but who knows with so many weird beliefs she might have thought that it could really happen.  

Can anyone guess what this is for?  
I wish I could have zoomed in better.  This shows three men digging a well.  There was a whole dug 45 feet down with a man at the bottom carefully excavating the earth below and putting the dirt in a bucket which a two strong young men pulled up on their hand made pulley at the top.  The pulley consisted of a garden hose and a couple of sticks.  They have plans of digging 10 more meters down with the same set up.  Even the Bolivian friends in the ministry were surprised to see this sight.

  
Then, if you can believe it, there was a theater/castle no more than 250 ft. away from where the men were digging the well.  Welcome to Bolivia.

Wouldn't you love to have anyone from the street look into your house like this?  By the way, it was a not-at-home.

Coming soon:

Pioneer School in Sucre and The Division!    

Haaa!!! Dinosaurs!!

I finally got to go see the dinosaurs!

It was impressive for little Sucre, Bolivia.

However, if you have already gone to Disney...not so much.

But it was nice to play for the day.

Here are some snapshots:

The picture above shows where they found dinosaur footprints in the white section of the mountain.  You can't tell that from the picture of course.  It was very hard to see in person, too.  

(Fidel, Jenny, little Jennifer and Sarah)

I went with a Bolivian family visiting from Tarija and Sarah is serving there from Rhode Island.    

Not a bad place to see for roughly $2.15!  Ha ha!

Safeguard Your Heart!

District Convention 2012

Sucre, Bolivia

Peak Attendance Sunday Afternoon 1,855

Wow!  What a spiritual feast this year's District Convention provided!

The friends in Sucre, Potosi and surrounding areas were thrilled to receive the spiritual food at this year's convention.  

Plus, everyone was very excited to the increase of attendance and to welcome the 33 new brothers and sisters that were baptized. 

(The first row standing are the baptism candidates.) 

There a lot of work that went into preparing for this convention.

I don't think that the building ever got such a good cleaning.

  
It was the first time that we were able to have such a large building.

Although we only filled the one side of the coliseum, we are experiencing a large increase.  Here are some of the details from the past service year from just my congregation:

10 new unbaptized publishers

8 new baptized publishers

Peak of 28 regular pioneers 

2 missionaries

4 special pioneers

134 publishers

Recent updates from this past few weeks:

4 baptized at convention

31 regular pioneers

211 attendance at past Saturday meeting

As you can see from the statistics, Jehovah's spirit is really working with this congregation!

Maybe you can recognize some of these people at the convention...


(Amy, the girl in the middle, just got baptized!!  That makes two baptized publishers in Padilla and one unbaptized publisher.)

(The two at my sides are Jorge and Vicky Tejerina.  They are couple that I rent from.)

(Ben and Amalie Horte, Me, Katya and Richard Doucet, and Philpe and Silvia Dohm)

(Amparo, Genesis, Maribel, Alejandra (just baptized), Carla, and Maria)

My study Segundina came to the Sunday afternoon session with her husband.  Too bad I didn't get a picture!

More updates soon to come!