Can Someone Please Send Me a Breakfast Jack?

We haven´t really been in service enough yet to have many experiences to relate, but i can tell you a little bit about what service is like here.

Each day of the week we meet at a different house of a brother or sister. On weekends we meet in a different little town called Collaqui. It´s too far to walk, so we take the bus. At the meeting for service you are assigned a partner, and you stick with them the whole day. Very few of the brothers have cars, so to get to the territory you either walk, bus it, or you might be able to cram into the bed of a truck. The territory for that day gets assigned to you that morning from the brother in charge. It is impressive how many brothers are out daily. Sometimes, more than sisters.

Each day starts out with territory. Anywhere from 1 to 3 hours of straight territory. Forget breaks, bathrooms, english, and very regrettably, no jack in the box. Then around 10 or 11, the pairs brake away from the assigned territory to go on calls and studies. Sunday a sister and i walked for 50 minutes to get to one of her rv´s. She was busy and couldn´t talk, so then we walked another 45 minutes to get to the meeting for service. And I´m not exagerating. But you do get some incredible views when you´re out walking. We live in a valley, so all around you are the Andes moutains, and when you walk uphill for long enough, you get a great view of the whole valley and a canyon with a river way down at the bottom.

We are out each day except Fridays and Sundays. Mondays for 3-4 hours in the afternoon, tues-thurs starts in the park at 7:30 before it gets really hot around 9:30, and saturdays we meet out in the campo for a few hours. The service is very tiring though, so usually we will rest for at least an hour or two afterwards.

The people here are generally very friendly. Very reserved, but friendly. And because we are foreigners, I think people sometimes listen just for that reason. Personally, I think I provide them with some unexpected entertainment. But if that means they listen to my presentation then I´m ok with that. Despite the fact that the territory is worked quite often, there is so much interest. Bible studies are started left and right. Pioneers and auxillary pioneers have anywhere from 5 to 10 studies. But it takes a lot of work to cultivate these studies because many of them are only maybe 15 minutes long. During a break in work or school or something. Many times, the study is conducted at the counter of their shop. No one cares who sees them and no one cares what we are doing. And unlike in the US, we actually have a lot of great conversations with very small children, as their parents couldn´t care less if they are talking to us or not. Many kids accept studies even when their parents have no interest or are opposed. Pretty much all the kids here in tumbaco know the name Jehovah.

The brothers and sisters here are amazing in service. They know their bibles so well, and adapt their presentation to whoever they come across or whatever is on their mind. And they always have an answer from the bible to any question. It´s because they get so much practice because at almost every door someone is home and willing to talk. We have much work to do. We have posted all over the apartment sticki notes of scriptures to remeber and how to apply them. It´s funny how you can know a scripture so well in english, but no matter how hard you are thinking in spanish it just won´t come.

So here is just a fraction that I could tell you about service, but alas my fingers are telling me that it´s time to stop typing. O and I also have to go study my revelation book in spanish. Hard in english, way harder in spanish.

Overall, service is totally overwhelming and challenging, but not in a bad way. We have the support of the sisters, who are so helpful and encouraging. And each day we come home happy and excited at what we have accomplished for the day. What better job could there be?

Hannah