Harvest job number 2!

The harvest continues!  My office role ended but thanks to Jehovah, I was able to straight into an outside job processing beets and cleaning machines.  Some of my friends in the local congregation let me borrow a thermal jumpsuit.  Right on time since the first couple of days were below 18 degrees not including the windchill.  I think I'm actually getting used to the cold a little bit.

Here I am all beet chic!  Do you like my hat?!  That's a huge pile of beets in the back.

I inherited "T-Bone's" lock and his/her nickname.  It took me awhile to get used to answering to it, lol.

I wonder what my boss would have told me if he saw me taking pictures of him.  I think the vest says it all :-)

Giant beet

One day we got to work inside (in the heat!!) And paint signs for the truckers to follow.  I'm all aglow tee hee hee.

We were extremely busy working up to 16 hours in a day.  The one day I was too tired to pack a lunch, one of our bosses along with his wife made us a chili smorgasboard!  It warmed us all up and kept us going.  Jehovah does provide!! Here's lunch set up in the back of the pickup....

By the way, I got some awesome witnessing in.  One co-worker upon learning I was a witness asked, "I've heard God has a name... do you know what it is!?"  I nearly fainted in the beets!  Harvest is really great because alot if the people who work it drift from place to place all year and don't have a permanent residence so it's a great opportunity for informal witnessing.

Mmmmm!

T-Bone and the crew!

The machine we use to pile the beets once the trucks drop them off.

Big ol pile of beets!

 

Taste and See-Ali

This is the first of a few interviews with friends I've met since I've been back in the States.   I WISH I had been as focused as this young brother when I was 18!   Here's Ali! 

My name is Ali. I went to Japan for an unassigned trip, just wanted to see the country and preach in another land. There where a few challenges in Japan.   One, I did not know much Japanese. Two,  I did not know if the friends would accept me well or if I would even enjoy it but,  I prayed to Jehovah and did not worry about the things that I could not control. By doing that,  I had so many highlights of Japan.  The friends there were so humble and nice, they poured themselves out to me. One of the best moments there was when I would go to the kingdom hall, right when I walked in everyone would look at me.  Even though I did not know much Japanese I would try to understand what they were saying. I would look at body gestures, a smile, frown anything that would help. The experience of going to Japan brought me closer to Jehovah because I was able to see his organization in another light.   That is what we are doing over in America;  they are doing the same thing. It stressed upon me the need to focus on spiritual things.   The reason why is because I saw new methods to preach and teach.  I learned a lot from the Japanese brothers and sisters.  They are whole souled to Jehovah without any regrets. So, even though I know I will always fall short of God's glory,  I will still try my best by the things I experience in my life. I plan on going back to Japan at the end of October 2014 to teach English.  I am working on my Japanese so I can be better at talking to people.   I plan on staying 3 months to a year.  If anyone wants to see how Japan is,  just contact me at ali_ricks@yahoo.com. If anyone is planning to do similar things in Jehovah's service I say stay close to the organization, get to know the friends around you, pray for it like you want it so bad, then if you are doing the right thing in Jehovah's eyes, trust me on this one,  he will "open the floodgates of the heaven and pour out every blessing there is until there is no more want. "

Happy Feet

Harvest is going OK.  I've had a lot of downtime due to inclimate weather so I've been trying to take on other shifts and other roles where possible.  The nice thing about where I am is that it's so quiet they are OK with me bringing books and movies to entertain myself.  I can only read and study but so much in a 12 hour shift.  I work from 9pm to 9 am.   Right now it's 4:26 am and I've only received one call for my shift- to find out if I've received any calls!  So here I am fighting the first wave of sleepiness.  How?  By blasting salsa music, dancing in my seat and eating a little treat a coworker gave me for late night energy.  I guess I could  be dancing in the halls and offices since I'm the only one here but that might prove a little awkward if someone came in....or would it? Nah!  I'll stick to the chair :-P.  Hope you guys are sleeping well!

Nica Chica

How many sisters does it take...

So... we were out in service during one of off days when we decided to take one of my trailermate's dead car battery in for a replacement.  Easy right? Of course not!  Each of us took turns in our service clothes desperately trying to get it out.  Throughout our ordeal all of our RV neighbors decided to take in the afternoon's entertainment.  Finally, a good Samaritan stopped to help us get the last bolt out.  He and his wife received a nice tract and witness afterwards.  Next, the easy part... buying the battery.  Easy unless you are us!  Store after store was either closed or did not have the battery we needed.  Of course we kept taking turns carrying the battery in before realizing this.  In hindsight we definitely should have just called or gone in first, duh.  Oh well.... after about the 5th stop we got the correct battery and installed it like pros.  Well, maybe not from the neighbor's perspective but we felt pretty darn good about it!  Yea teamwork!

Awesome Gathering!

I went to an AWESOME gathering about a month ago.  I really sweet couple invited about 25 friends to a gathering called,  "Slave for Jehovah" based on an article in the October study Watchtower.  I can't even begin to explain how encouraging it was!  Almost everyone had reached out in the ministry.  Some were in foreign language congregations, need greaters, Bethelites, international conventions, metropolitan witnessing, seldom worked territory and more!  They even Skyped a brother in to be interviewed!  My few little pictures don't do it justice but don't fret!  I got emails and am planning a "Slave for Jehovah" segment for the blog so you can hear their experiences first hand!  I'll add the  interviews as I receive them and have time amidst the harvest.  Can't wait to share!

This brother brought kimonos and lots of stories from the international convention in Japan.

This brother did construction work at Bethel.

Skype interview from a brother serving in Mexico.

This sister served in Costa Rica and is now heading to seldom worked territory in the US.

Learning about metropolitan witnessing and the international convention in Latvia.

Getting to know one another and sharing experiences.

Spanish Territory in the Midwest

Last weekend, the local congregations were out of town for their assembly.  So, the girls and I took a road trip about an hour away to do some long days with a Spanish congregation.  Their territory stretches an hour or more in each direction.  We had a good time listening to country, salsa and everything in between while we shared ministry experiences.  A nice weekend, indeed!

Annnnd we're off!

Lunch break

Started off kinda rainy but it cleared up.  Check out the corn fields!

Beautiful day serving our wonderful Father!  Nothing like it B-) !

WOW WOW WOW!

Still cheesin' from the annual meeting!!!  AMAZING!!!

Get To Know Our Needgreaters- Bev

Get to know our Need Greaters- Bev

Ok first let me preface this interview by saying I asked her these questions many many moons ago but never had a chance to post it.  She has since served in the Dominican Republic and is currently assisting a congregation in the States.  Nonetheless, this is one of my favorite interviews so I still wanted you to see it!  Ok, without further ado, here's Bev!

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Missouri originally; before I came here I was in San Diego, 17 years.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO BECOME A NEED GREATER?

It just more or less just happened.  I needed lower living expenses and at the same time I wanted to be where there was a need.

WHY NICARAGUA?

It was between a couple of other places but I had extended family in Leon who would bring pictures when in the States for work.  Then, a friend of my son's was in Masaya and he put me in touch with a family in Granada.

HAD YOU SERVED WHERE THE NEED WAS GREATER IN THE PAST?

No, only unassigned territory in the States.

DO YOU PLAN TO SERVE ANYWHERE ELSE?

I plan to move to the Dominican Republic (which she did!) to an area near my granddaughter.  I've been in Nicaragua for almost 11 months.

HOW DID YOU PREPARE TO SERVE IN NICARAGUA?

Well, almost two years before, I started downsizing with plans to sell my mobile home.  At that point, I was not sure where to go because my purpose in downsizing was for economic as well.  Then I realized I could actually go to another country.  So, I distributed all my things of value to my grandchildren and now it's just the clothes on my back and a few photo albums!

WERE YOU WORRIED ABOUT ANYTHING BEFORE COMING TO NICARAGUA?

Not really.  The brothers gave me a lot of information and I knew they would see to it I was in a secure place.

DID YOU HAVE TO OVERCOME ANY CHALLENGES TO GET HERE OR WHILE SERVING HERE?

Well, Satan is going to make sure you have obstacles.  I have been pioneering almost 35 years and every year is a challenge.  Of course, things did not go smoothly getting here and the language is a challenge for me.

DO YOU HAVE ANY HIGHLIGHTS OR GOOD EXPERIENCES FROM BEING IN NICARAGUA?

There is not enough time to relate how exciting the ministry is here!  I have been able to use many assets of service; I was able to give a witness to several that would be hard to find.  Just warmth and caring is a witness in itself.  But the highlight  for me is seeing Jehovah's organization in action.  I can never wait for the year book to come out, but to be somewhere and see Jehovah's hand in so many ways is an experience beyond compare.  For example, they hand a pioneer route in all Central America starting in January through June.  14,050 pioneers from Central America and 3,035 from Mexico.  Some came for as many months as possible, and some for all six.  They covered every nook and cranny.  Not only did they have excellent experiences but they encouraged the congregations they worked out of, also.  This was all rural.  They forged rivers, climbed mountains, slept in hammocks in the wilderness as well as walking two to three hours to the territory.  The second thing is, that to see young and old, mostly young, make the sacrifices they do to be here.  They live here as long as they can before return to find work and then back again.  As they put up with indescribable conditions, they are happy to do so.  Need greaters are very close to each other because they need to keep encouraging each other.  And, they still find time for recreation.  This is a non-stop ministry!

HOW HAS THIS EXPERIENCE HELPED YOU TO DRAW CLOSER TO JEHOVAH?

When you go to where the need is greater, you realize how much we all have to do.  Even though everyone checks on each other, you realize that they have alot to do so this draws you closer to Jehovah because he will help you with everything.  Also, we are really in a goldfish bowl, so everything we do or say can be a good or bad witness so unity is very important.  So many prayers in order to bring praise to Jehovah and the work his son is doing.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

Study, cook, clean.  There are times for trips but just getting together with the friends is so encouraging.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHERS THINKING OF SERVING WHERE THE NEED IS GREATER?

Just get in the car and start turning the wheel.  Most of all, a great matter of prayer.  Do not build the tower without it.

On the road again...

After several months of getting stronger and enjoying my time in Atlanta, I'm headed to the midwest to work the beet harvest yet again.  My mom sent me off with breakfast of champions and called me at every layover, lol.  I thought I would be bussing it all the way but, at the last minute I found a super cheap flight to Minneapolis so I flew most of the way and just bussed it for the second leg of the trip.

I buy my boots extra big in the men's section so I can layer a bunch of socks for warmth.  Unfortunately, this also causes me to trip over my own feet.  Add that to the weight of the bag causing me to get off balance and knock into people and you have pretty good entertainment!

Mmmm..... my mommas biscuits!

I felt pretty cool navigating my way from the airport to the bus station on public transportation for the first time.

I spent the night at the bus station in Fargo.  Everyone else oppted to sleep on the floor while I stayed up and read.  This gentleman must have been having a really good sleep!  (Y'all wouldn't have believed me if I hadn't taken the photo!)

Home sweet home for the next several weeks!  A loving family a few cities over let two sisters and I use their camper for the harvest.  They even stocked us with lots of blankets, space heaters and other comforts.

We even have a cute doorbell that says "No boys allowed!" when anyone rings  it, lol.  I'm opting to walk the mile and a half to work each way to work to try and get my stamina back up.  We'll  see if that lasts as it gets colder!  Many other witnesses have returned this year.  Since the local congregations are at their assembly this weekend, we'll take our first roadtrip to Fargo to get in some long days with the Spanish congregation there.  Then its "Hi ho, hi ho....it's off to work we go!"

I Do Windows

So.... I picked up a little extra money doing some house cleaning the last week or so for some of the friends.  A first for me.  And quite ironic I might add given that my room usually looks like a tornado went through it.  Another work in progress but least common areas are in order!  I was doing fine until I realized I'm really bad at windows!  I had to sneak away and call my mom for the secret to streak free windows.  Thanks for making me look like a pro, mom!

In other news, I just finished packing my bag to head to the midwest tomorrow for the beet harvest.  I was worried about whether I could handle it this year with my health.  But, Jehovah worked through my boss there to find me a "sit down" gig.  It's still on night shift (12 hours) but I'll get off at 9AM so I can meet the group at 9:30 for a couple of hours (in an ideal world at least!)  I think I've found the right combo of vitamins and my energy is great now.  I'm still getting lots of encouraging calls and texts from the friends and my students back in Nicaragua so that keeps my spirits high as well!

I'm gonna try to put up a few more long overdue posts if I manage to have wi-fi at the airport and bus station.

See ya!

Foreign language here in Atlanta-Burmese

The call is out to help in foreign languages!  My old hall here has a Spanish and Amharic (Ethiopian) congregation.  There is also a "pre-group" for the many Burmese speaking people in our area.  They are from the country our year book was about this year-Burma/Myanmar.  I don't understand a word of the language but I love going to Burmese Bible studies with my friend because she is so well organized and puts so much love into preparing for her students!

Not sure what this is but they were very hospitable in giving us plenty of it :-).

Some of my friend's phonetically spelled teaching notes.

Tabs she uses to find the books of the Bible.

There are tons of different dialects so she uses tabs so that she can be even more efficient.  Because we have so many Burmese attending our English meeting, our Watchtower conductor always greets them in three different languages before he begins.  We just got our first Burmese unbaptized publisher also!

Two sisters conducting a Bible study.

Doing what I do best...distracting the kids with a video!