My Little Corner of the Universe

pink [pingk]; noun, adjective - a color varying from light crimson to pale reddish purple.

Talk about a pink lady. A friend of mine has got pink fever with a pink nano ipod, pink camera, and pink cell.

We had gone to IHOP last night (where the above picture was taken) because it was my brother Ruben's last meeting day at our Kingdom Hall. He had talked with our Circuit Overseer and he was moved to another congregation where he could be of more use, since our congregation is growing pretty big now.

I'm proud of my lil' bro for doing that, but Jehovah is even proudererer.

chulo!

I knew this day was coming, but today I forgot it was this day. One year ago, today, that I was in Florida. A buddy of mine reminded us of that. I can't believe I forgot! I feel ashamed. But then, I strated to think back to January 26, 2006. And then all of the other memories and emotions came back with it. Wow. It was an awesome experience. But it was an even more awesome instruction and training given....

[sigh]

Great Scott! What a busy week this has been! We have the privilege of having our C.O.’s visit this week. We’ve received so much encouraging information so far.



Tuesday, the bro he gave us excellent reminders of the importance of the preaching work, even though we face opposition, life-threatening or not. And even though our life reaches death, Jehovah gives us the strength to remain faithful until the very end. What better way to go! Die for Jehovah, not for a country of imperfect and sinful human beings.

Anyway it was goooood. Then on Wednesday, it was not a good day for service. It was cold and rainy. But that didn’t stop us. No sir! We went do some bus stops (yes, there were people there) and return visits. It was myself and 3 other sisters, including the C.O.’s wife. It was a very encouraging day. I am super-duper-cooper glad I got to work with each of them. Mari is very sweet and Willie is easy to get a long with.

Today, we had the book study and listened to another talk asking us if we have our eye focused on the prize. At the end, he brought out that when the Great Tribulation hits and destroys all of false religion, there will be no more time to do what we have not done now. Now is the time to do the most important work in the entire universe in all of history, to preach the good news of Jehovah’s Kingdom. Wow! Hot-diggity-dog! That talk was good!

Q. What did Tennessee?

A. What Arkansas!


A joke submitted by Jerry.

Here, I talked a bit about the talk "Just Let It Go". I have uploaded it for those who want to listen to it. You can download the zip file here, BUT it is encrypted. The password is the answer to these three questions:


1. In what year was the name Jehovah's Witnesses adopted?

2. In what year was the "great crowd" identified? (Revelation 7:9)

3. In what year did brother Russell end his course here on earth?


So the password will be in this format: 0000/0000/0000

If you need any assistance with the download or the link, you can email me.

I hope you enjoy the talk!

A couple of nights ago, a dear sister of ours, sister Oranday, passed away due to cancer. Last night, the talk was given at a double Kingdom Hall and an amazing 735 brothers and sisters showed up. Both Kingdom Halls were filled, obviously, with people still standing in the hallways. Truly this made the family feel better in this time of harship. The talk was a beautiful one. He talked about how well she took the news of her condition. Of course, it was due to the hope she and all of us have of the resurrection. And that is truly loving of Jehovah, to give us that hope. And, in her pespective, an opening and closing of her eyes, she will have been raised up, already in the new system of things.

It was wonderful to see all of the brothers and sisters there. Some had traveled quite a bit to get there. Here is where Psalm 133:1 comes in again. And even thought it was all short notice, everything "[took] place decently and by arrangement", following Jehovah's example (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40).

The brother also talked about her life, her raising her children and grandchildren in the "discipline and mental-regulating of Jehovah (Ephesians 6:4). This is a family where you can find regular pioneers, a Bethelite, elders, ministerial sevants, and excellent publishers. He talked about her great example of hospitality and love torward her family, fleshly and spiritual. He talked about her strong faith and her view torwards Kingdom interests, serving, with her husband, as regular pioneers right up until the end.

This past week has been pretty horrible with the weather. Congregations all around the area have had to move their meetings to other days, others had to cancel it completely. Our congregation moved our Tuesday meeting (school and service meetings) to today. But there was a surprise waiting for us there. Some brothers and sisters of the congregation of Palo Alto, which also gathers at the same Kingdom Hall, joined us for the meeting, due to that their's was cancelled. And that's where the Psalm 133:1 comes in.

"Look! How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!"



True, every time we meet with our brothers and sisters, this Scripture certainly applies, but like sister Cortez from Palo Alto put it, it felt like an assembly, or what I like to call a [finger quote]"mini-me-assembly[end finger quote]". Although we pretty often see these brothers, having them join us for a meeting was truly "pleasant".

Only in Jehovah's organization can there be this spiritual paradise. Only with Jehovah can there be true unity, not only between a couple of congregations, but in every corner of the world, wherever the Witnesses of Jehovah happen to dwell (1 Peter 2:13).

Bad Ronald McDonald, bad Ronald McDonald. Watcha gonna do? Watcha gonna do, when they come for you?

Now that's something you don't see everyday. I remeber we even preached to Ronnie one morning. Yeah, we saw him at McDonald's, he was sitting on a bench near the drive thru. Hmm. I'll see if I can find that picture....

A couple of days ago, I saw a great movie called March of the Penguins. It truly makes you appreciate more Jehovah’s infinite wisdom. Just how these creatures care for their young and how they survive are amazing. True, they are animals and go by instinct, but Jehovah is so loving to give them what they need to survive.

Interestingly enough, He also gives us everything we need to live and serve him (Matthew 6.25-34): physically and mentally, which go hand in hand, like milk and cookies, like ham and cheese, like Kirk and Spock, like George and Louise….



But, if you look closely in the picture above, you can see this guy....



Cute and cuddlely.

cold (kōld), definition 2, adjective:
Marked by deficient heat.
Being at a temperature that is less than what is required.

That's right, it is cold down here in San Antone. I know, compared to other places like Minnesota, where my homie Curtis lives, it's nothing. But it's still cold. More so with the rain. It froze everything! I had to fight my way into my truck yesterday and today, breaking all of the ice, ice, baby.... Ok, bad joke.

Anyway, it's cold. And I just hope I don't get acute rhinitis.

Yesterday, I listened to this beautiful talk that a C.O. and his wife sent us from California. It is entitled "Just Let it Go" and it was simply about not holding grudges, but just letting it go.

He gave an illustration about a bear walking along. He walks by a cabin and smells beans. He goes in and sees beans being cooked. So he goes to the red hot stove and makes a move for the beans. But he gets burned! Rowrrrr! So, in anger and fury, he grabs the pot with his paws and arms and holds on to it with all of his might, hugging the thing, while he's getting cinched! And he keeps on holding on to it while he's roaring and crying. The moral of this little story? JUST-LET-IT-GO. If we hold grudges, we are only hurting ourselves. Like that bear that just wouldn't let it go.

He gave a personal experience of this brother who he could not stand. (Obviously, this was his pre-C.O. days.) And he couldn't stand his laugh. He felt as though he was laughing at him. He couldn't stand him. But it turned out that one day, he was assigned to go out on service with him! "Did I like that?" he asked. "No I did not like that!" But something happened. The brother he didn't like was asked how he came into the truth. He turned to our narrator and told him that like him, he also had an unbelieving father and explained, as tears rolled down his face, how difficult it was to get into the truth and stay in it. And to be able to hide the pain and make him feel better was: laughter. Plus, he told the pre-C.O. that it was his example that helped him remain strong and in Jehovah's organization.

Then he talked about when he was in the 6th grade. He was sitting behind this red-headed girl and he complained to the teacher that she stunk! She was, of course, denying it. So he complained so much that the teacher moved him to another seat. "Sniff, sniff, sniff". "He stinks too!" So teacher moved him to a desk all by himself, so that he would be satisfied. He started to sniff again, until he realized that it was HIM who was stinking. So, in his defense of all this, he said, he went up to the girl and apologized to her, as well as to the other one he accused. He related this to how sometimes we may feel like the brothers or sisters don't like us at a certain book study or a certain congregation and we move around. But after moving a few times, we find may find out that it was US that was stinking.

He emphasized how we should follow the greatest example: Jehovah. If he took into account everything we ever committed against him in one week, we would be dead! If He is willing to forgive us for our sins, which are much more serious, we have to forgive our brothers and sisters.

Well, there was just so many interesting points and illustrations to help us see the wisdom in 'just letting it go', reminding us that we are all walking in the narrow road to life (Matthew 7.14). And on this road, it is not a question of whether we will elbow and bump into each other. The question is how we will deal with it.

I have decided to post a couple pictures of my old Revelation book. But only the lesser embarrasing ones. The second one, though, shows that I wasn't all that wicked. I didn't spell 'hace' right, but I somewhat paid attention in my young age. :)

Well, as you can see, I changed my layout again. It just keeps it interesting for me to change it every once and a while until I find "the one".

Anyway, we started to study for the 4th time (I think) the Revelation book which I think is awesome because the last time it was studied, I was like 11 y.o. My old book has drawings and stuff on it that makes me feel shameful whenever I see it. So it's exciting to actually 'study' it, as many of you also feel.

My mom showed me this picture of my brother and I with a brother in Bethel when we went back in '95.



Interesting enough, is that this is the same brother that is in this picture, which can be found on page 269 in the Revelation book. (You can click on the picture to see a larger version.)



Is that cool, or WHAT?!

This is the beautiful lobby of the San Antonio Assembly Hall. I remember when I was a wee lad, I would walk in the building while it was still being built and I would see the brothers and sisters painting the murals and paintings on the walls. You can only see the one straight ahead and part of the one to the left. The one on the left shows Jesus with the children. Kinda like the one that's in The Watchtower that we considered this past Sunday.

The doors you see straight ahead lead into one of two Kingdom Halls.

And the car with the phonograh is also a great sight. Imagining yourself preaching that way can just BLOW your mind! The Proclaimers book has many wonderful experiences and excelent examples of zeal from that point in our history that we can certainly follow.

Have a great day! I know I will.

How do YOU get what you want?

One day, Bonita the Horse was trotting along...



When she found something and did something wrong.



She drank more than she should...



And the results were anything but good.

[Dedicated to Monica]

While in North Carolina, I got to see many interesting things and meet interesting people. But I also go to see strange and bothersome imgages. Here are a few:

On the plane, for example, there were instructions in the event of an emergency and how to use the oxygen masks. But this doesn't even look like a kid. He looks like a little person.



We went to a Blockbuster so that we could rent a movie. "What else would we be doing?", you may sarcastically ask yourself. Well, taking pictures, of course! And I saw this and thought, "Well, this is just sad." We have a duck, a bear in a costume, and a cat.

Yeah, pretty pathetic. But it was pathetic-worthy for a post.



And, ah yes, Piggly Wiggly. When we drove past this to get to the restaurant, I KNEW I had to take a picture of it and post it. I had never in my life seen such a store and thought it to be... weird. But when I got home, my mom saw the picture and said, "Ah, mira. Piggly Wiggly." I'm like, "What? You've seen that before?" She said, "Yeah, there used to be one here and your dad used to work there."

And at that very instant, I felt shame.



A few shoutouts to Daniel, Jerry, and Evie.

The other day, I saw this video on mun2 and thought it was freakishly interesting. The song's alright, but more so is the effort these guys gave.