New Roommate and More

She's here!  The new roommate.  Well, she does have a name.  It's Allison and she flew into Cuenca yesterday  afternoon.  Looks like life together with my fellow Ohioan should be smooth sailing since we're into a lot of the same stuff (i.e. chocolate, popcorn, beer, bailoterapia, "The Big Bang Theory", "So You Think You Can Dance", running and studying the Bible with people - not necessarily in that order).  Sadly, I have no pictures as of yet.  The camera's dead and I left the charger at someone's house.  Pics to come.

The Latest in Service Experiences

The ministry has been interesting never-cease-to-amaze-you experience lately.  First off, our group just instituted a new arrangement.  Remember our goal of reaching Chinese people in the Jungle and obtaining their phone numbers so we can follow up on interest later from Cuenca???  Well, now we do phone-witnessing every Saturday morning from Jazmin and Fausto's house.  I am embarrassed to admit that I was highly skeptical at first - highly.  I just figured that we'd reach the people but it would be all toooo easy for them to dismiss us by saying that they were busy and that would be that.  And/or they wouldn't understand me on the phone or I wouldn't understand them, the confusion would result in a frustrated hang-up.  (I'm not normally this weird about things...I don't know what came over me).  Well, shut-my-mouth cause all it took was one really nice experience and now I'm hooked.  I started by calling a man that showed some interest who lives in Sucua.  I barely got Ni Hao and introduced myself out of my mouth when he said that he remembered me - shocking situation number 1.  Then, I asked do you have a few minutes to talk and he said yes - shocker number 2.  Then I read off a presentation (one of the joys of phone witnessing, just reading what you want to say) and got to read 2 scriptures!  Shock and awe!!    

A few weeks ago Amanda and I were out looking for a new Chinese business.  We knew the road but not the exact location.  Our reason for looking was that Paola had spotted one of my Bible Students, Xiang Yu,  there so he had apparently changed his place of work.  Now, my comment to Paola was "Oy.  Let's hope the Book (BT Book) made it to the new location".  In the old location the Xiang Yu was kind of a "lookout" for the store.  It was a rather large store and since thievery is rampant, his job was to stand at the front of the store and watch people and that's where we studied.  He kept the book in the front of the store in some storage bins.  I figured it got left there (wow...I'm such a Negative Nelly lately) and we've been hard-up for Chinese BT books, thus my preoccupation.  Ok, back to me and Amanda walking down the road, looking for the new place.  We're walking and we're talking and then we notice Xiang Yu on the other side of the road, excitedly waving us over (it was so cute).  We went over to meet him and one of the first things we spot is the BT book, sitting, open, turned over on a chair!  Not only had the BT book made it but he was reading it.  There were too many customers to study that day but we were super excited when he expressed his appreciation for us visiting him, the literature and his desire to learn about the Bible.  This experience already happened about a month ago and since then we've had several very very nice studies.

And last but not least, a Spanish experience.  I was home last week getting some stuff done around the house when my upstairs neighbor, who I've never met, comes down wanting to borrow some sugar (where do I live, Mayberry?).   Well, anyway, she stayed.  And chatted.  And chatted.  And chatted...I was getting a little annoyed but felt much better when she asked me what in the world I was doing in Ecuador so I got to say that I was here teaching the Bible.  The very next words out of here mouth...I need to learn more about the Bible.  She went on to explain that she tends to get quite down but the Bible always makes her feel better.  I got to read a couple of scriptures, gave her a Bible, explained the Bible Study arrangement and left her with the promise of a BT book (we don't have any in Spanish either...).  Anyway, the first night that Allison was here, Lupe, the neighbor, comes down with some Ecua-snacks to share.  Allison had picked up some placeable literature at the Branch before she came to Cuenca so she was able to place the book with Lupe and we talked about a Bible Study!  So Allison gets her first book placement in 1 crazy Ecua-day and her first potential Bible Study.  We're on a roll!