Randy and I were interviewed this morning at the Circuit Assembly regarding the challenges we faced after baptism. The video is attached. Unfortunately the sound systems at our assembly hall wasn't working very well PLUS it was VERY windy so it's hard to make out our words due to the wind blowing past the camera microphone. The Assembly Hall is a large (2000 seat ) modern building, but consists mainly of a roof over a large open area with fixed seating. So the wonderful cooling breeze blows through the builidng, making it very comfortable when the wind is blowing. Today was one of those days ! But here is the video.....
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This was a first for me! I was asked to help with the Video presentations at our Regional convention. So I had the job of switching the cameras from speaker to speaker and on to the appropriate video. It went surprisingly well with only a few very minor glitches that were my fault ... It was especially amazing since we only had an hour to practice on setup day because a problem with the large screen. The screen we used was rented from a company in Panama and was a LED device like those used in the old Jumbotrons at stadiums in the past. It consisted of 40 individual panels which fitted together. Turned out that one of the panels - one of the hardest to get to - had a defect so we had to help the technicians from the rental company to dismantle it enough to replace the defective panel. This display was used for all 8 of the Regional conventions in our Assembly Hall. The whole operation of managing the videos was absolutely fascinating !
When we get home from service - usually very hot, our clothes soaked with sweat and completely worn out, we can enjoy a few perks too ! Follow us on a typical afternoon after we get home........ First: a dip in the pool to cool down.... Then, after a bite to eat, Randy takes a rest. Next, a stroll down to the beach! Find a beach lounge for a bit. Walk a few kilometers picking up unusual seashells and watching the pelicans, terns and other birds diving for fish..... And finally after a stop at the Playa Blanca All Inclusive resort to grab something wet to relax with, a stroll home for another dip in the pool and relaxing evening at home preparing for the next day's studies and the meeting. Then maybe we'll watch some old TV shows or a movie on Netflix!
"Why?" you may ask? Okay, here's a question for you. How many San Carlos' (Saint Charles) are there in the Bible? Quick now. No looking !! ..... So the Society has been reviewing the names of congregations for interesting items like that. Makes sense. So now we're "The Delights " !!! Turns out that's the name of the area where our Kingdom Hall is located, Here's a few recent photos. First is John Williams helping out a native Panamanian lady who has been attending the meetings with her 3 kids and this baby. She comes dressed in her bright native costumes so that adds a bit more colour to our meetings! She had her hands full with the 3 kids so John gave her a break with the littlest one. She's missed the last few meetings, likely because the last time we saw her, she was about to pop with another baby! Her husband comes sometimes, but he often has to work on Sundays. Here's Randy giving her first part as a householder on the School. She's playing the part of an English speaking lawyer. (Talk was all in Spanish) I've now had 3 bible readings. Randy has a talk in 2 weeks on the new Life and Ministry meeting. And I have a reading the week after.
We're in Canada for a few months while Craig, Pam and James are enjoying their condo in Panama. We're looking forward to getting back to our new home toward the end of September but are enjoying our stay in Canada right now!
We were really happy with the results of our Memorial. We now have 35 publishers but had 163 in attendance ! Over 4 times the number of publishers. We also had one partaker. Randy and I had one new study attend her very first meeting at the Kingdom Hall so that was very satisfying for us to experience. Been a while since we had a study attend their first meeting !! We noticed an interesting custom here that we had also seen in Mexico. After the Memorial the brothers (mainly sisters...) go around and take photos of everyone there! Can't remember that in any of the other places we've served. I was one of the attendants so ended up standing the whole time since all the chairs were taken. Good way to lose weight I hear! So here is a video and a few photos from last night, including some photos of people taking photos ! Things are progressing well now. We're up to 3 Bible Studies and 4 more that we will likely be able to report at the end of this month. We had so many good calls but had a problem : We couldn't find the people later. And I don't mean like in Canada where you cannot find the people at home. Our problem was we couldn't find the people's home! That's right. With no maps or addresses and very few road names - except as general descriptions of where the road was going to or from, we had these great calls but couldn't find them later! We finally are coming to grips with how to identify where our calls are located. Most of them are on the roads leading high into the mountains or down side roads or paths that are hard to see when driving by them. So we've finally got a vague idea of where each of the territories are.
Here's a few photos of Randy conducting one of her studies and walking down from back from some homes hidden back in the forest/jungle.Then a photo of a typical home on the way up the mountain paths. We had a yard cleaning bee on Saturday. C.O. is coming this week so we wanted the place to look tip top. And it really did need a lot of yard work! Mowed the grass, trimmed the hedges pulled out a lot of weeds and trimmed the tree branches. Then we had to pull out the overgrown bougainvillia in front of the front fence. First the machetes to cut back the branches. Then we hooked a chain up to our 4 wheel drive car and pulled out the stumps. First time I've ever pulled stumps! A lot of hot sweaty work but the dozen or so who could come on short notice - mainly the pioneers. But it sure looks good now!. Our Kingdom Hall for the San Carlos congregation is located at the geo coordinates below
N8.5239 , W79.89952 The meeting starts at 9:00 with the Public Talk and WT study. After a half hour break to take some interested people home, the rest of the meetings continue starting at 11:15. That's when we have the Cong. Bible study, School and SM. Why 5 meetings on one day? This is actually a recommendation of the Branch Office. Many of the publishers are sisters with unbelieving husbands and so having all the meetings on one day frees up another day to have the family together at home. As well, there appear to be only 6 cars in the congregation and travel is quite expensive. Since the congregation's territory covers around 500 square km, some have long distances to travel. Some areas do not have public transportation so the brothers have to walk, hitchhike or take a taxi which is VERY expensive. During the break between the Talk/WT and the rest of the meetings, the brothers usually have some refreshments - coffee and a snack because the meeting doesn't finish until nearly 1:00 and then they have a long way to travel home. Next week, we'll introduce you to some of our brothers! Here are some photos of the meeting this morning. This morning was a bit different. The power went off at around 8:15 and while we had our auxiliary power come on shortly later at our condo, alas ! no power at the meeting. With no fans and lights, the meeting went on. We cued up the opening song on someone's iPad and away we went! Brother John Williams, a retired brother from the USA gave the talk while we all listened (and sweated) in the early morning 30 degree heat. The power came on about 20 minutes later for the whole region and we had the lights and fans again. Whew! AND.... This Kingdom Hall has air conditioning - one of the few in Panama that does. Was that ever a nice feeling! Click on Photos to enlarge them and scroll through them San Carlos is a beautiful little congregation with 24 publishers and 12 pioneers. Huge territory filled with many friendly people. In fact, the congregation is conducting over 150 Bible Studies! We've been out 3 times so far. First week it was the invitation work for the Regional Convention. Early this week, it was a trip up to a mountain settlement that is part of the territory. This congregation's territory goes from the Pacific coast up to over half way across the central mountain cordillera toward the Caribbean. Mostly small homes with small farms. There is some urban territory, but not much. So we'll be doing a lot of driving. And walking. There is only one retired couple - John and Brenda from the United States - who speak English. They have been in Panama for 5 years now but only 1.5 years in Spanish. They're doing VERY well in Spanish so that's a real encouragement to us. If they can do it - so can we! Click on Photos to enlarge them and scroll through them |
AuthorGordon and Randy are embarking on another adventure. First Quebec, then Pakistan, then Mexico. This time in Panama, Central America. Follow us and we hope you'll enjoy our stories and photos! We will update several times a week. CategoriesArchives
January 2016
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