We Made It, WooHoooo!!!

   Pardon my excitement but from everything I read on the Internet I was expecting that we would a) be shot at by narco-trafficers immediately after crossing the border, b) kidnapped and held hostage by the same or c) pulled over every five miles by a crooked Mexican cop looking for a mordita. Thanks to Jehovah none of the preceding things occurred in fact we had a great trip out here and an interesting first two weeks in Mexico.
   The drive out west on I-10 was great, smooth sailing especially once we got past Houston. As this was my first time out west, I took lots of pictures of sights I had never seen before. We got to cross the Mississippi River, saw the Texas hill country, and Sonoran Desert in Arizona. I have never seen so many Cacti!
   We also got to experience the love of the brotherhood on more than one occasion. We stopped over for a few days  at a resort in Tucson before we crossed into Mexico. On our first evening there was a knock on the door and a nice young lady asked if we would like to have turn down service. When she came in she noticed some of our literature and asked if we were Witnesses. It turns out she was our sister from a nearby Spanish Congregation. She and her Mom both worked at the resort and invited us to their home for a meal. We got to meet the family and later that week joined them at the meeting on Thursday night.

La Familia Berreyes,  muy hospitalario!

Tacos Dorado, Cocido y Te de Jamaica; gracias Hermana Berreyes!

After the meeting a group of us went out for a frozen treat called raspados, kind of like a Mexican version of an Italian ice. An added blessing was that many in the congregation were from Mexico and had family in Sinaloa so we had people looking out for us when we arrived here and some contacts along the way just in case of emergency.

"The Raspados Crew"

   After a brief stop in Nogales and more hospitality from the friends there we arrived in Guasave late on Sunday evening( It is about an 11 hour drive from Nogales to Guasave). About a dozen of the friends showed up to help us get unpacked out of the car( a major task!) and welcome us. The brothers in Guasave have been beyond belief! Apparently there is no word for "no" here since anything we have asked they have happily helped us with.

Sooooo happy to have help unpack all of this!

  Last weekend we enjoyed our circuit assembly in Culiacan, about two hours south of here. We had an attendance of 289 and 2 were baptized. We were greatly encouraged to meet other needgreaters at the assembly and to hear their experiences about coming to Mexico. It was especially nice since there are no other foreigners in Guasave English Congregation, yes, we are the first. An interesting side note you should see some of the looks we get as we go about town. There are NO other black people here and for some we must be the first they've ever seen. We chuckle amongst ourselves about the stares we get when we go to the store. It's all good though, we just say "buenas tardes" and talk to them in Spanish, it kind of breaks the ice.
   So we have jumped right in to the work here. Our service days thus far are Wednesday through Saturday, with Thursday being a full day. After siesta, we go out at 4p.m. for studies, street witnessing and then meet for door to door at 6:00. We return home exhausted but are happy we've given Jehovah our best for the day.

Before our departure... I still don't know how it all fit inside!

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SOME PHOTOS FROM THE TRIP:

Enjoying Beignets in Louisiana

Cacti always seem to be waving "Hello"

Beautiful Bowie, Arizona

Dani after her first bite of a  hot chile!

my favorite thing about texas

my second favorite thing about Texas

Homeless But Happy

   What can I say, I never cease to be amazed by Jehovah's blessings! When he gives, he does so very generously and it always surpasses our expectations.
   Just a few weeks ago we owned a fully furnished house. Within the span of a week we sold everything. Yes, ONE WEEK! We were especially surprised that our house went under contract in only 4 days!!! Given the housing market here in Central Florida we were expecting a prolonged time to sell but thankfully that is no worry now. Several friends in the congregation were able to buy or take furniture and household goods off of our hands. What we didn't sell went to Goodwill and the rest went into to storage ( where did we get all this STUFF? ).  We closed on the house this past Friday and now we are in the clear...homeless and jobless but we couldn't be happier!
   With our few remaining days we are kicking off the "Windhams 2012 Farewell Tour", making the rounds visiting with the friends here before we leave. We received a very warm send off from both Lake Mary English and Longwood Spanish, the two congregations we have been serving with here. Our last few days we'll spend with my family, gotta show Mom and Dad some love before we go!
   So we leave for Mexico this Saturday and expect to arrive sometime on Friday morning. We are taking our time driving across the SW of the country. We have never been west and are looking to stop to take in some sights along the way. Next stop, Nogales, Sonora....Mexico! 

Do Not Look At The Things Behind

   As a student in school I was taught about the Age of Exploration and the conquest of "The New World". One of the men I remember learning about was named Hernando Cortes, a Spaniard who is credited with conquering Mexico for the Spanish Crown. Legend has it that upon his arrival in Mexico, Cortes burned  his ships so that his men would not entertain any thoughts of a return to Spain. Having no means of going back the men were motivated to press on with the task at hand, looking forward, not back.
   Today I can say that I totally relate to Cortes' men. We have "burned our ships" so to speak. As I sit on my couch writing this I can say that I am gainfully unemployed. Last week we listed our house on the market for sale, Suzanne and I both resigned from our jobs and  Danielle finished school. Our plans are now in motion for moving ahead to Mexico. THERE IS NO TURNING BACK!
   To be perfectly honest I have been very nervous of late. Why? Because although we have wanted to make this move for a couple of years now, the reality is upon us. It is one thing to read in the WT about moving where the need is great or even to give a grandiose comment about being willing to sacrifice anything to serve Jehovah more fully. It is, as I am learning, another matter entirely to actually follow through and do it!
   There is a realization I am coming to. Suzanne and I are no longer working. For the foreseeable future we will have no more money than we now have on hand. We will no longer be receiving vacation pay or medical insurance. How will we survive? What if one of us gets sick? What if the engine on the car gives out or...WHAT IF? WHAT IF? WHAT IF?!!!
   Adding to my nerves has been the fact that many of the friends in the congregation have been buying our "stuff". They are stripping us clean! We have so far sold most of our furniture, only our dining room set remains. Over the past few weeks we had begun to tell a few brothers and sisters we were selling our "stuff" to raise money to go to Mexico. We also prayed and asked Jehovah that we would be able to find people who would need what we had and be successful in getting rid of them. Well, be careful what you ask for... It started slowly a bike here or there then all of a sudden bam! We have sold most of the big items, I have even sold my big screen t.v. and my grill! Oh well, no more bbq :-(
   I was very encouraged by last Sunday's WT Study. It was difficult at first to see folks driving away with our things. When I would remember how hard we worked to acquire them and how much enjoyment we got out of them I found myself getting a little sad. But again Jehovah always finds a way to encourage us and correct our thinking. I found the article very encouraging; and have tried to apply it's encouragement- to not look back at the things behind. We have prayed for Jehovah's blessing and direction at every step along the way. We are acting in harmony with his instructions. Why would he leave us on our own now?
   Yes we are selling our home and possessions. Yes we have quit our jobs in the middle of a recession. Yes I will no longer enjoy watching Monday Night Football on my 42"  high-def flat screen from the soft comfy couch we have sold....Oh well, again I digress. The point is yes these things were very enjoyable but they are just that-THINGS! And really we can't take them with us to Mexico anyway so why the worry?
   So for now having "burned our ships" we will try to not look at the things behind. We will keep pressing forward towards our goal. It is our hope that by month's end we will be south of the border. And with Jehovah's blessing we will become so preoccupied with our ministry there we will not have time to even think about the things left behind.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Dominican Republic

   Since joining the Spanish congregation last September we have had one goal in mind: learning enough Spanish to return to D.R. and assist there in the preaching work. To that end we have worked hard at our language skills. We have all had parts on the Theocratic School, comment regularly, and are able to have (brief) conversations. We had set a goal to return to D.R. at the end of Danielle's school year in May. So, with all of our work in mind and the school year ending in a few weeks we're on our way back to the Dominican Republic; right?
   Well...not exactly. You might say we are:  Done with the Dominican; Quitting on Quisqueya; not Headed for Hispaniola! Why you ask? Because we are Moving to Mexico! So why the change and how did this all come about?
   From time to time I will do a Google search to look for blogs from friends who are serving where the need is great. I have found them to be a great source of encouragement while we are working our way to be able to serve ourselves. About three months ago I came across a very interesting report written by a sister who spent time serving in the English field in Mexico. When I first read it I had no intention of going anywhere but to D.R. However I found that the more I thought about what she wrote in reference to the work in Mexico, the more intrigued I became. We contacted the sister and heard her expressions first hand and were drawn to Mexico. After prayerful consideration and discussing matters as a family we decided to focus our attention on going to Mexico.
   So that was the how, now as for the why(?) Although we are seeing progress in our use of Spanish we are by no means fluent. We can make presentations in the ministry but we feel very limited in terms of making return visits or conducting a Bible Study. We sincerely desire is to help others learn The Truth and to assist in a congregation where there is a need. We think it would be difficult to do these things if we are struggling with the language.When we read about there being congregations made up entirely of language learners and a need for native English speakers it just seemed like a natural fit for us. Mexico will offer us an opportunity to serve where the need is great, support a group in need of English speakers and help where a great harvest is taking place. Additionally as Mexico is a Spanish speaking country we can continue to work on our Spanish when we go to the store, on the bus, talk to the brothers in the congregation, etc..
   We will be going to the city of Guasave which is located in the state of Sinaloa on Mexico's Pacific coast. If you view a map of Mexico it's located between Culiacan and Ciudad Obregon. Guasave has a small English congregation, 19 publishers, and we are looking forward to meeting and working with them in the ministry.
   As of now our plans are to leave from Florida the last week of June and to drive to Guasave. This will be an adventure for all of us as we have never been out west before. So we'll get a chance to see Texas, and maybe even go to the Grand Canyon while we are on our way. 2600 miles one way and just the three of us in the car...oh the joys we will see! Hopefully it will be a safe and uneventful trip for us!
   So for now we are in the process of de-cluttering...again. This time it's for real though. We are dumping, donating and selling what we can. The house will be listed by month's end. Every thing must go!!! I feel like a used car salesman right now, but it's all for a good cause. The funds we raise will keep us from having to come back to work so soon.
   Well, that's the latest with us. We hope in a short while to have exciting experiences, pictures of exotic locales and a report of good things from Guasave, Mexico.

Remembering a Lost Friend

This is a bit of a departure from the usual topic but hopefully you will read and enjoy...
 
   We first met Sister Keck when we moved to Lake Mary in September of 2001 and we were assigned to attend the book study in her home. I must admit I was less than thrilled to be sent there. In addition to Sister Keck there were a few other older ones in the group. I remember thinking to myself "great, I'm stuck with the old-timers" or something along those lines. Little did I realize at that time just how much I would come to care for her.
   Going to her home for the first time was an experience. We had heard a few whispers, "Oh; you're going there for the book study..." so we weren't sure what to expect. We found her home to be charming and immaculate, almost like an over sized doll house. We quickly learned the rules; shoes off, no bare feet on the carpet, after the study help put away the chairs, etcetera. Nothing too difficult but Sister Keck had a certain way and she let you know what was expected. The last week of each month she, as many homes did, had a goody night-some refreshments after the study had ended. This was held on the back patio and though we were usually tired after a long day of work we enjoyed these occasions as it gave us a chance to get to know our friends a little bit better.
   As she was getting older Sister Keck was no longer driving at night time and would get a ride with another sister to the hall on Tuesday nights.  In time this sister moved to another congregation and Sister Keck would need a ride to the meetings. I remember asking her "How will you get to the hall? she said "Oh, I'll find a ride with someone". I offered to take her with our family and she seemed a bit hesitant. I reassured her I would be there early and said : "Well, we live just down the road, we'll come get you." I had the feeling she didn't quite believe me and sure enough about 6:00 Tuesday evening the phone rang. "Brother Windham..." the voice said, "...this is Sister Keck." I replied  to her "no, Sis, we didn't forget about you we'll be there by 7pm." So began an arrangement that would last for several years, taking sister Keck to and from the meetings on Tuesdays and eventually on Sundays as well.
   During this point in our lives Suzanne and I were both working full time and feeling "the grind" as I call it. Our typical meeting night we rushed home many times with just enough time to shower, grab a sandwich and go. Study? Preparation? What was that? We would get to Sister Keck's house and be stressed from the day. It was at these moments I truly came to appreciate her. Sister Keck would always have something positive to say. Tuesday was her day in the ministry and she usually had an experience to share about a call or study she had. Often times she would go to visit another one our sisters who was staying in a nursing home and would share tidbits about her visit. Sometimes she would tell us about a particular point she had studied for the meeting and really appreciated. We would dutifully listen to her and often would talk when we got home about how encouraged we were by her remarks. Often times our minds would be racing away with the cares of the day but being around Sister Keck would remind us of what was really important. She made us want to be better students, and focus more on our serving Jehovah.
   Over the years we enjoyed associating with her socially as well. A few times our family went to her home on Saturdays to study the Watchtower together. Of course she had some cakes or other treat for us to enjoy afterwards. One year Danielle had dance class and she came to see her perform at the year end recital. On a number of occasions we had invited her to our home to share a meal and she at times would invite us over. One day I remember out of the blue getting a phone call: "Brother Windham..." -she never did address me as "Jonathan"- "...can you come over for a minute?" When we got there to our surprise waiting for us was a strawberry pie! We truly enjoyed her strawberry pies. I always wanted to but never did ask for the recipe. She would always say, it was easy to make but would insist you "had to get the pie crust from Publix" because theirs was the best.
   Fast forwarding to 2009 we visited her just before we left to go to the convention in Berlin. We had some photo cards of our family made up to give away to the new friends we would meet. We gave her one, made sure she had arrangements to get to the meetings and bade her goodbye. After we returned we visited again to share our pictures from the trip and as we left her house we saw that our photo card was placed in a niche with pictures of her family. We talked about this among ourselves afterwards and said that we had indeed missed her while we were away and felt a closeness to our sister.
   Unfortunately the ravages of old age and failing health began to slow her down. In time she had to go live with her son. One thing about Sister Keck is that she would not miss a meeting. If she didn't come out, it meant she was sick. That never changed even moving into her son's home. When we visited she showed us her room and proudly showed us the phone. She said she would remind her son "to dial in for her" so she would get the meetings by telephone connection. Even though she could not come out she still made her meetings!
   Suzanne and I visited her just a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving holiday in 2010. We remember her saying that her daughter-in-law was big into family and the holidays. She apparently was making plans for a family celebration for the holidays and Sister Keck was determined not to be a part of it. She related that she just wanted to stay in the room and that the rest of the family could enjoy their holiday together. We remember her relating a conversation the two of them had and she was told that "everyone has to compromise" to which Sister Keck told us "we'll see about that". As Suzanne and I left I remember thinking this is going to be interesting. Not long after that she was moved to a nursing home.
   Over the next few months we would call and visit. She would often make remarks about not having much time left or being tired. We couldn't help noticing how frail she seemed.  Her determination again showed itself for the memorial of 2011. She wanted to attend but her health would not permit it. In order for her to not miss the celebration, the brothers arranged to conduct a memorial in one of the rooms at her nursing home. After we left our memorial a number of friends went to the second memorial at the nursing home. We were all so happy to see her and she smiled so much. She actually seemed a bit overwhelmed by so many being there. We could tell though she was happy and she made her goal- to be at the memorial!
   After we left we stopped to get a hot chocolate on the way home. It was much later in the evening and we saw another family from the congregation at the store. They had asked us why we were still dressed so late and we replied "oh, we just came from the memorial for Sister Keck." They had stunned looks on their faces and we just realized what we had said! "No!", we quickly corrected ourselves and explained what we meant. We all had a good laugh about it and went our separate ways. Sadly though just a few days later she did pass away.
   Perhaps because it is again the time of year for the memorial I find myself thinking about Lois Keck. Often my eyes well up with tears but then a smile takes over. I remember her strength and determination. I remember her loyalty, her hospitality and her consistency. Sometimes when people pass away we tend to make them "saints" so to speak, only thinking of the good. She was not perfect to be sure. She had her opinions and let you know them. But she truly loved Jehovah and always would talk about him and have an encouraging word for any who would listen.
  We never got to tell Sister Keck of our plans to be Needgreaters. By the time we decided to pursue this course she had become "forgetful" and her health was beginning to fail. I have to think she would have been happy for us, perhaps a bit concerned, but still happy. Although she was not family we miss her dearly and are looking forward to seeing her in the resurrection. When we see her again she will be young, vibrant and healthy. Her hands will no longer be bent and wrinkled from arthritis. She will no longer need to hold onto someone's arm for support or be out of breath after a few short paces. We can tell her about the end of this old wicked system and relate our experiences from the field. Sister Keck had said that when she got into the paradise she wanted to run through a field of flowers in her bare feet. Perhaps I'll join her or just watch her enjoying herself running. Then afterwards, maybe I can get her to show me how to make a strawberry pie.

FAQ

   As our time in the Spanish congregation goes on, we are making progress in many ways. During the past month we have been working at our commenting at meetings. We try to make one at each meeting. I still must read my comments but see small improvements in pronunciation and the pace that I read at. I have also been able to do a couple of Bible readings, no easy task when you don't know every word or how to pronounce them!

   The greatest improvement we see however is in the ministry. During the past month each of us has had good experiences in street and casa en casa witnessing. Interestingly, in our territory we have pockets of Mexicans, mostly males who share apartments. We get a very good response from them. In some cases it appears they are here without documentation but they listen to us. I have been very impressed as they are in general a very humble  people. They have a basic knowledge of the Bible and a respect for religion; they readily accept literature and converse with us. The trick is finding them to make a return visit. They are very transient and when you call back at the apartment and find someone different, the cycle starts again! Oh well, many seeds of truth are being planted!

   One pleasant surprise has been the opportunity we have had to "talk up" needgreatering in the past few months. When we have been out at social functions and people ask "what congregation are you from?" and we reply "Longwood Spanish" we get a long pause and we see the wheels turning in their heads. Usually the next statement is something like: "but .....you're not Spanish...?" and we then get a chance to tell what we are doing. This has happened a few times and I realized many friends may want to know more about needgreatering or have thought about it and are curious to see someone else going through the "transition". So, I got the idea to write about a few of the questions we have been commonly asked. Therefore without further ado....

YOU WANT TO DO WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY?

Okay, no one has really asked us this but we have asked ourselves when we started out in this process. We are about to leave a home, good jobs and the comforts of Florida, I mean this is the country's playground, Mickey lives here! When compared to the joys of teaching the truth to someone we think it's a good tradeoff!

WHY DO YOU WANT TO SERVE WHERE THE NEED IS GREATER?

The ministry is often compared to fishing for men. If you were to go fishing and heard the fish were biting in another part of the waters, you would get in your boat and go there. This is how we feel. We also realize that many are serving faithfully here and cannot for various reasons pick up and go. Some also need to be here to preach the message, we all can't leave, right? For now our circumstances allow us to "lift anchor and pull out to deeps waters" so to speak and we want to take advantage of that opportunity while we can. We know not what the future holds for us and would truly regret if we missed an available opportunity to expand our ministry while favorable season was here!

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING A COUNTRY?

We started out looking at the statistics in the yearbook. We looked for lands with high ratios of population to publishers, memorial attendees and bible studies to publishers. We focused on Spanish speaking lands because Danielle has had it in school for 3 years now and I had it for 1 year in high school. We felt we had a basic familiarity and would be able to adjust to the language. We did a lot of Google searches on various countries and focused on the Caribbean because of its proximity to Florida and ease of travel there. 

WHAT IS THE COST OF LIVING LIKE AND HOW WILL YOU SUPPORT YOURSELF?

Many people are able to live in retirement in developing lands on a social security check. Much of your expenses depend on how you want to live. Do you want a home just like the one you had in the U.S.A.? A beach front condo in a gated community? Marble counter tops and air conditioning? You can have it but it's gonna cost ya! When we were in Santiago we inquired about a modest apartment to rent and were told we should expect to pay at most about $400/ month- and that would be for a high end place. As for supporting ourselves, we are leaving much in Jehovah's hands. We will be living off of savings and hope to sell our home. We will stay until the money runs out and if we need to, come home to work for a few months and then return to our assignment. 

WHAT ABOUT THE LANGUAGE?

Got that one covered! That's why we switched congregations after all. In many locations the Branch Offices will arrange for language classes as well to help needgreaters learn a local language. As an example the branch in D.R. has offered classes in Haitian Creole which is in great need there. Want to serve where the need is greater but unsure about learning a new language? No problemo, English is needed almost everywhere!

HOW ABOUT SCHOOLING FOR DANIELLE?

She will complete her final year of schooling online. Our local school district offers virtual schooling as an option and we will take advantage of that. 

IS IT SAFE IN D.R.?

In the time we stayed there we at no time felt unsafe or in danger. We were there for the ministry and spent most of our time there or at meetings. Doing this and using good discretion and common sense we felt safe. Interestingly we found the Dominican people in generally to be very friendly. When we talked to them they were in amazement and seemed to "admire all things American". One caution is about theft. If you leave anything out or unlocked it is an invitation to have it stolen so caution must be exercised in this area.

WHAT IS LIFE LIKE THERE? WHAT ABOUT RECREATION, ETC. ?

We loved it there!!! Life was centered around the ministry and meetings. Much time was spent socially with the friends. We made friends with other needgreaters and got to know local friends as well. There are malls and movies if you want those things. With high speed Internet you can watch tv shows and sports events from home if you wish. We also went to the beach and spent time at a waterfall and sightseeing. Mostly we enjoyed spending time with our brothers and sisters whether we were just talking, playing dominoes or dancing meringue. Oh and did I mention the WINTER BASEBALL LEAGUE IN D.R.-yes!!!

So, there you have it a few frequently asked questions. Hope it was helpful....

I Will Only Use These Powers To Do Good

  (Ecclesiastes 11:6) . . .In the morning sow your seed and until the evening do not let your hand rest; for you are not knowing where this will have success, either here or there, or whether both of them will alike be good. . .

 Four months into our transition and all goes well. One thing that has been a bit of a surprise to me is how little we actually get to converse in Spanish. In our typical week we only use Spanish at the meetings and in the ministry and even then, I would say that 90% of the friends in the congregation speak English to us. As is the case in many congregations, in the field we seem to have more NH than anything else. This has presented a challenge for us to try to improve on our ability to communicate in Spanish.

   A few weeks ago however I had one of those "ah-hah moments"- you know where the heavens part and a bright shining light beams upon you and a celestial voice points you in the right direction. We were finishing up service on a Saturday and we were in a strip mall where there is a Spanish store that serves hot lunches. We decided to get some to take home with us for lunch. So, after deciding what we wanted I went to the counter and ordered: " Me gustaria tener pernil y arroz blanco con habichuelas y maduros ; para llevar por favor." The fellow behind the counter smiled and had a very pleased look on his face. He asked me where I learned to speak Spanish and without really thinking about it I said "in school". We thanked him for our order, paid the cashier, speaking to her in Spanish too and proceeded to leave. All of this I did without thinking or hesitating in any way, it seemed to come naturally.
   Then about two weeks ago at work I was making a delivery to an office where two women who appeared to be Latinas were working outside doing some landscaping. I thought to myself "I'll get some more practice in here" and so as I walked past them I said "Hola" to which they replied the same. I then asked them "Como Estan Hoy? "Bien!" they answered. It must have been something I said because they looked at each other for a split second as if to say "is this guy for real?" and then looking back at me they asked if I was  Puertorriqueno? I (laughed inside) smiled and told them no, I was Americano, but that I was learning to speak Spanish. I told them many persons spoke it and if I was able to I could speak to them as well. They told me I was doing good. I thanked them and entered the building to go about my work.
   It was just then that I had the aforementioned ah-hah moment. I thought to my self that was a golden opportunity to tell them I was studying to be a missionary and to give a brief witness. When I left the building they had moved on to somewhere else and I did not see them any more. That incident made me think about looking for opportunities to witness to people in Spanish; just as I have always done in my native tongue. I shouldn't  think that I don't know enough or what if I don't understand- just rely on Jehovah and make the effort, he will do the rest. I mean after all what good is it to speak the language and only use it to order lunch? I want to speak Spanish to help people learn The Truth!!!  Last Saturday having this point of view paid off.
   In our complex there are some new homes being built. For about the past month we have had construction crews coming and going. We were returning from service and as we were driving past we noticed the workers seemed to be at lunch. I remarked we should go over and talk to them. To my surprise Danielle agreed to go with me. Well, now I was stuck I couldn't back out of it. So, after parking the car at the house we grabbed our bags and walked over to the site. We said a prayer on the way over and I was shaking. I wonder what was in the guys minds as they saw us dressed in our service clothes coming over to them? A few of them scattered (maybe we looked like Feds?) but about seven or eight guys were sitting and eating their lunch. I said a greeting and just began talking to the group. One or two really listened and Dani and I focused on talking to them; all in Spanish of course! We were both able to place magazines and tracts with a few of the workers and were quite thrilled when we left. One of the guys started reading his mag right away as he was eating his lunch. I thought to myself: why had we not done this before?
   This has made me more determined to be prepared to witness informally. In the course of my workday I come across a lot of people who are Spanish speakers. Many times they may work in positions that I have simply overlooked them- landscapers, construction, janitors etc. As I think about it though, if I am willing to pick up and move to a foreign country to preach, why not show the same zeal now in reaching some who are here but may not be home when the brothers go house to house. Who knows if simply showing interest in, and identifying myself as a Witness may lead some to listen. Would it not be a privilege to plant a seed of truth in some one's heart?
 So, with a renewed focus I keep tracts in Spanish on hand and try to initiate conversation in Spanish wherever I can. With Jehovah's blessing, it is my hope that the end result may indeed be that some of the seed land on fine soil and bear fruit.