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| This is not the CO and not our DO But! a Branch Committee Member!!!! (how stinking cool is that!, OMG! They have served in the Philippines for 57 and 47 yrs consecutively and she attended Gilead as a single sister (So not fair!) |
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| After leaving the home (1st pic above) this PJ man ran out to meet us because he didn't get to meet the new guests. |
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| I got a job! (not). Tricycles are a cheap form of public transport (20-30 pesos vs 8 pesos for Jeepni and over 50 pesos for a taxi. We ride these weekly. Carries 3 passengers - 2 in the cart and 1 behind the driver ) |
GUESS WHAT? I extended my trip (originally return date was Oct 2011) until March 2012!!!! And I am freaking out about it. Why, why, WHY? Why do I choose to stay when at the end of each service day I have a lovely black layer of dirt on my skin (but I do have a shower - although cool water, but still!)? I blow black soot out of my nose (but I do have tissues); my throat feels thick from pollution residue (but I do have hydrogen peroxide to gargle with); sometimes disinfect my feet, (but I do have tea-tree oil); beads of sweat on my face, on very hot days clothes are wet from sweat (but I do have a laundry shop next door), am homesick (but Hilary is coming to visit!)? Here is why, as one dear friend put it, and I quote her: “on those very very dark days where you are melting down….continue to reflect on that blessing. The faces – how do they look when they hear the promise of paradise, the release from all this ugliness? That is what will keep you going!” (thanks C.O.) And that is the truth. I could not, with a clean conscience, erase the faces from my mind. Their reactions are priceless. Mandeep after just 4 visits: “they have been coming to my home for years, and I read the magazines and I really try to understand what is written because I know these have good things in them, but how could I understand unless someone tells me in Punjabi 
(I almost said “look, a pool of water!”) -innit like living in Acts 8?). I am telling all my friends, they want to meet you, I always use to blame God for all my problems, “kismet”, but now I realize I have to change my thinking.” Then there is Kajol, she has been studying a year. Her 12yr old son Vishal, also studying, was crying one night “mum, I don’t want you and dad to grow old, cuz it means you will die,”. Kajol reminds him how close the paradise is – no one will grow old and die – her son asks, “but mum, do you really believe that?”, her response, “yes, and you should too.” Another new study asked yesterday, “but tell me, what is sin, does the Bible give you a list of what is sin and what is not? Can I please! (pleading) just borrow your PJ Bible just for 1 week? I promise you can have it back, I just want to read and see what God says in it.” (How could I walk away from all this right now?) At the 2nd Cong. PJ Bookstudy we had 8 interested ones, last week there were 5. Note: students still taking the PJ class are assigned readers! And other students are assigned a paragraph 1-2 weeks earlier to prepare a comment. They are all doing so well. Rumours in some of the PJ community have begun, “there is an PJ girl from USA telling us wonderful things, has she been to your home?” PJ may be the next “sign-language” in the Philippines says our CO. OK, so one more experience: witnessing to 2 PJ ladies. As if I am not there they start talking about JW’s, (I did not utter a word) “these guys have been coming to my home for years, and they preach for free you know, not like ours where they charge you even to give a funeral talk, I mean, come on! Someone died, can’t you do that for free? ਲੈ! No, but these guys are true preachers, doing real preaching. ਇਹ ਅਸਲੀ ਪ੍ਰਚਾਰ ਹੈ!” (I did not need to utter a word). I learnt a sobering lesson that day: just do what Jehovah asks - even if we are limited in language, or there are other barriers, Jehovah’s name ends up being glorified, if, we do our part. Next week is BSSB graduation and I received a guess pass to attend! 
(I almost said “look, a pool of water!”) -innit like living in Acts 8?). I am telling all my friends, they want to meet you, I always use to blame God for all my problems, “kismet”, but now I realize I have to change my thinking.” Then there is Kajol, she has been studying a year. Her 12yr old son Vishal, also studying, was crying one night “mum, I don’t want you and dad to grow old, cuz it means you will die,”. Kajol reminds him how close the paradise is – no one will grow old and die – her son asks, “but mum, do you really believe that?”, her response, “yes, and you should too.” Another new study asked yesterday, “but tell me, what is sin, does the Bible give you a list of what is sin and what is not? Can I please! (pleading) just borrow your PJ Bible just for 1 week? I promise you can have it back, I just want to read and see what God says in it.” (How could I walk away from all this right now?) At the 2nd Cong. PJ Bookstudy we had 8 interested ones, last week there were 5. Note: students still taking the PJ class are assigned readers! And other students are assigned a paragraph 1-2 weeks earlier to prepare a comment. They are all doing so well. Rumours in some of the PJ community have begun, “there is an PJ girl from USA telling us wonderful things, has she been to your home?” PJ may be the next “sign-language” in the Philippines says our CO. OK, so one more experience: witnessing to 2 PJ ladies. As if I am not there they start talking about JW’s, (I did not utter a word) “these guys have been coming to my home for years, and they preach for free you know, not like ours where they charge you even to give a funeral talk, I mean, come on! Someone died, can’t you do that for free? ਲੈ! No, but these guys are true preachers, doing real preaching. ਇਹ ਅਸਲੀ ਪ੍ਰਚਾਰ ਹੈ!” (I did not need to utter a word). I learnt a sobering lesson that day: just do what Jehovah asks - even if we are limited in language, or there are other barriers, Jehovah’s name ends up being glorified, if, we do our part. Next week is BSSB graduation and I received a guess pass to attend! 
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