The Boys Are Back

So after a long weekend in Denver for the Elders/Ministerial Servant Training School all of our boys are back in one piece.  Although they were all exhausted physically and mentally there was a beautiful glow of content and spiritual uplifting that came from their eyes last night at meeting. 

This Train Keeps On Rollin'

One of my favorite sounds is the soothing yet slightly haunting sound of a train far in the distance.  As I sit here and write the low whistle is making its way through the crisp night air.  There is something beautiful about the fact that with the time changes, our night begins before we even eat dinner.  At times I find it slightly depressing, but for the most part it is a nice reminder that fall is here and soon winter.  For those of you who are not currently living in a desert or tropical climate or anywhere south of the general Ohio area do not be fooled by our forecasts of sun sun sun.... it is chilly and sometimes downright cold here at night!  Last night it went down to 32F and Friday it will be 55F during the day....this seems like nothing compared to the snow and frigid temps some of you are currently or will be soon experiencing but with the pure clear skies there is not any blanket of cloud cover to hold in heat and it makes for the super crisp beautiful night air that I adore. Just another one of the many things I love about it here.

Speaking of things that I love here, I have to share with you a cute little moment my Mum and I had the pleasure of witnessing the other day.  As you know kids down here are allowed to be just that 'kids'!  Such a refreshment!  And while we were roaming the aisles of Super Target we heard a little boy proudly reciting a poem to his Papa. Not sure if he was practicing for future use or not but I must say I was impressed ;)  His poem went like this: "Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't know the rest, so I'll have to kiss you."  And who said Romance was dead?!  Definitely not here that's for sure!

Tomorrow I am sad to say that two of our usual  Bible students had to cancel which is understandable with families being in town and such.  But I am looking forward to trying to find one woman again that my family and I have been trying for months!  Last week it just so happened that we caught her at home.  When I say months I mean months!  We got the lead around the time I first moved down here and have been trying every time of day and night every day of the week since.  We were so pleased to find that she was so friendly and hopefully will be able to find her again tomorrow.

Well everyone, send me an email and let me know how you are all doing.  Miss you all loads and am sending big sunny hugs to keep you warm!  Best get going as Mum and I are going to try to get back into our old Zumba routine. ;)

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

Our congregation has the opportunity to participate in a unique facet (spell check) of the ministry regularly.  The brothers have an arrangement with the local community college that enables a small group to set up a table with our various publications during school hours.  This enables those passing by who may be curious to feel less intimidated and able to come up and ask questions at their own leisure. Both the ASL Congregation and the Sign Language Congregation have tables.  Which is really great as we have the opportunity to associate with those from the neighboring congregations that we never get to see otherwise being in completely different circuits and such.

 There are a number of campuses here in El Paso and we have a table at two campuses.  One of those campuses has many deaf students and so the table is extremely busy during the day.  However the other campus where I normally have the privilege of being at is at a much less busy campus with very few if any Deaf students.  As a result our table is usually very very shall we say quiet.  Once in a while though students and professors will stroll by and start to say how they have been interested in sign and such and often we are able to give them a good witness even finding out about Deaf they may know in the area. 

Last night was no exception to the quiet time we normally experience.  However all was not lost.  A little boy came running up and soon his father and followed.  Now the two looked like a typical father and son duo you would see here in El Paso, but the sister and I were both surprised to hear how passionately the father spoke of the Bible and his love for learning.  He brought up a number of points that bother him about the religions he has studied, the main being, why they don't teach from the "BIBLE".  We were able to direct him to the local hearing congregation and we were left with "happy heart puffs" (Sign language reference) and a sigh of satisfaction.

We never can tell who may have an interest and we must always be on the alert no matter what language congregation we are in for those with honest hearts.  This week over all has been especially encouraging in the ministry.  It seems slowly but surely we are witnessing Jehovah's word piercing the hearts of those we have been visiting for quite a while.  What a beautiful thing to behold.

"Here I Am Send Me"

Our congregation has been truly blessed with an abundance of children. Those of you who have experienced or are currently experiencing a lack of children in your congregation know that there is an odd silence, almost an eerie silence without them. Don’t fret Jehovah will fill that void soon enough. I remember growing up in a congregation with very few children now that very same congregation is LOADED with little munchkins 

When parents with small children join a foreign language I greatly admire their love and trust in Jehovah. Nowadays there is countless information available showing that children can and will learn multiple languages at any given time and will learn it as not a second language but as a primary language. Often times it is us adults that hold them back thinking it will be too difficult. Things have improved very much in this area. I remember being young and many questioning, my parents wondering, and even I pondering whether or not it was a good idea to make Sign Language our primary language for theocratic activities. Looking back I smile and laugh at our distress. Here we are all fully immersed in Sign Language truly seeing Jehovah expanding the horizons with multiple DVD releases, beautiful opportunities for the Deaf and Hearing a like, and circuits expanding and splitting so fast I can barely keep track. The same is true of all foreign language and I am thankful to my family every day for trusting in Jehovah and giving me the wonderful opportunity to be a part of it.

There is even a wider expansion of opportunity for young ones and us newbies here as well since this area is already bilingual. With the English and Spanish and also Sign language/Korean/Chinese/Japanese possiblilities…. We all have the opportunity to go to an even wider array of areas. If we continue to trust in Jehovah and work hard in our endeavors he will surely bless us and we will be able to truly say, “Here I am send me!”

So to all of you struggling learning new languages and trying to keep your families on track, “just keep swimming” (sorry Little Nemo quote) and never ever give up. We are so proud of you and know that Jehovah is beaming with pride as well!

MUSIC & DRAMA

For those of you who live here in El Paso and enjoy music here are a few things that you may enjoy:

MUSIC

Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall (UTEP)

Everyweek at 7:30 pm there are musical performances

utep.edu/music

An Afternoon of Classical Guitar

Sunday November 14- El Paso Museum of Art Free Admission

John Siqueiros 2:30-4pm

elpasoclassical.com

DRAMA

El Paso Play House "Much Ado About Nothing"

November 12-December 4

Friday and Saturday 8pm

Sunday 2pm

$10 ($8 seniors, $7 students w/ ID)

elpasoplayhouse.com

Things To Do In Youngstown

Weller Gallery and Melnick Museum

Located in Fellows Riverside Gardens' Davis Education & Visitor Center

123 McKinley Avenue Youngstown, OH 44509

Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 10 am – 5 pm

Farm Life: A Century of Change for Farm Families and Their Neighbors

Farmers feed the world! So, why do some families cling to life on the farm while a score of other families leave? This exhibit funded by NEH on the Road highlights the social and cultural issues brought by decades of change that touch all members of farming communities. Farm Life encourages visitors to make connections to their own families and communities.

October 15 - November 21, Weller Gallery

El Paso Events

Searching For Something To Do?  Check Out One Of Our Local Museums!

El Paso Museum of Art

One Arts Festival Plaza

El Paso, Texas 79901

(915) 532-1707

(915) 532-1010 Fax

www.elpasoartmuseum.org

Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Thursdays 9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Sunday 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Closed Mondays and major holidays

El Paso Museum of History

Admission: Free

Free Group Tours:

Daily except Monday, year-round

Please call in advance

510 N. Santa Fe Street

El Paso, TX 79901

(915) 351-3588

El Paso Artists

El Paso is home to a variety of talented artists, young and old alike.  Here are a few treats to show just a teeny bit of what is available in our often overlooked neck of the woods (or should I say desert)

Teresa Fernández

Brigitte von Ahn

Jan Wisbrun Dreher



Black and White

Bold yet Subtle... Classy yet Modern... Strong yet Soft...

The Beauty of Black and White

Boho Creations

Some Bohemian Wonders I've come Across