I never learn...ALWAYS take your camera!

I had some stories I wanted to share today so here's another post. I think we had some nice reminders this week of why we're down here, and although there might be parts of the country with more need, this last couple of days helped me see what a need there is where we are too.

Before I forget, the cake I was making with the "gone-wrong" frosting last time I blogged turned out to be DELICIOUS! So much so, that I made another one yesterday. I've been sharing these cakes with the congregation by the way, so it's not that Charley and I are eating a whole cake every three days!

Wednesday has become our long day in the ministry. Charley goes on studies with one of the other pioneers in the afternoon, and I went with my new friend Dyckcy (pronounced Dixie believe it or not!) to do a study and some calls. I had a GREAT study with Raquel this week. She's the one I'm conducting for a few months until the sister studying with her is finished with her computer course. I got to enjoy the beautiful feeling of seeing someone's eyes light up as they understand a Bible truth. Things that are so simple to us, but that so many have never understood before.

Before we started the subheading "Where did Jesus come from?" in the Bible Teach book, I asked her what she thought. She said, "From Mary". So we read paragraph 10 in that subheading, and John 3:13 and 6:38 and she learned that Jesus existed in heaven before he came to the earth. She was astounded!

Then the next paragraph talks about him being the Firstborn and the Only-Begotten. After reading Colossians 1:15, 16 she understood that Jesus was the very first thing Jehovah created, even before creating the angels and the earth. She was astounded again. Amazed at how she could have been going to church all these years, and reading the Bible, and not have known that before. She was really impressed by what she learned. So, although I had to sit outside and wait for her for about 20 minutes because she had a visitor, it was well worth the wait. It was even worth all the constant interruptions by the neighborhood kids coming to buy candy from her the whole time (she has a little store in her house like many people here)

I also had a few really interesting conversations in the morning too when we went door-to-door. Three of those people I went back on today, and another one that I visited for the second time on Wednesday, I found again today too. All were really good conversations on a variety of themes. Unfortunately one is moving to the other end of the country soon, but she was very excited about having the Learn From the Great Teacher book, and I ended up leaving  her the new brochure too since she promised she would study it in her new location.

I could go on forever telling stories of the good conversations we've had this week. Charley has some really good ones too. But I need to start heading towards the kitchen to make dinner soon since it's after 4:30 already.

But before I do that, I will explain the story that goes with the title of this post. The Thursday before the convention, our Theocratic Ministry School conductor gave the 2nd part on the school himself. It was from the Reasoning Book, and would have been a pretty simple talk to put together. So I told him after the meeting that if he ever needed a volunteer to let me know. With that offer in mind, I decided to spend a bit of time working on the 2 student talks that a sister might give for this week. We have set aside Thursday as our other day off, and used a lot of it in studying. So I had the time to put together outlines for those two parts. I'm glad I did, because I ended up giving the 2nd talk, Are God’s Heavenly Creatures Organized? I had a really good householder, and if I do say so myself, I was pleased with how it turned out. I've never really done volunteer talks like that, not unless I knew a day or two in advance. But I was asked to do this one just after the meeting started! 

Anyway, it just felt good to know that it's not just Charley, as an elder in the congregation, who is being used at the meetings, but that I was able to throw in my grain of sand too. And since a lot of people down here don't have a DVD player, we were also the main ones answering the questions from the Young People Ask video this week. Next time we're going to get organized though and watch a video as a group or something so that more people can participate. Oh, and so the point of the title of the blog, is that I wanted to have a picture of me giving my first part on the school, but since I didn't know it would be last night, I didn't have the camera with me!

Ok, well, I really need to head to the kitchen now!