Preparation for the Quito International Convention

The International Convention January 23-25 in Quito, is fast approaching.  This past weekend, many elders, pioneers and their mates who are host tour guides from our English Atuntaqui congregation went to Quito to get their final training.  It was an amazing dress rehearsal.  The bottom photo shows the local Quito congregations of publishers coming out to the main town square practicing their welcome for the delegates.  The tour guides are in red jackets.  They played the part of the arriving delegates.

Last night at dinner with the returning guides, we were told that the towns people came out and were wondering what was going on.  They thought Barak Obama or Brad Pitt had arrived!  The capital of Ecuador is in store for an enormous witness, all to Jehovah's praise!

Below are Jens & Kristin Kessling, pioneers and our WT conductor, at one their designated tour route stops.  Here they're at the official "centre of the world" tourist spot.  It's the place where you're smack dab at the centre of the earth here in Ecuador.  They're Canadians from Winnipeg.  Been here some 4 years now.

New Arrivals

Yesterday we had 2 new senior need-greaters arrive here in Ecuador, Tom & Veronica Hargrove.  The Hargrove's come from Southern California where he served as a service overseer in their former congregation.  They did their research and never having been here made a decision to move outright carrying their publisher record cards and a letter of introduction with them.  They've come with all the paperwork needed to apply for residency.  Tom & Veronica are our tenants renting the apartment attached to our home.  We're enjoying getting to know them and having a share in introducing them to Ecuador.  This picture was taken at their first meeting here this afternoon.  Still smiling after sitting through my public talk.

It's also mango season.  Here a vendor in downtown Cotacachi has a lunch break next to his wheelbarrow full.  Wheelbarrows seem to be the most common way to sell sweet cherries, strawberries and other produce on the streets.

Huge, lets say gigantic, sugar apples on a truck driving by.

Practice Time

To get ready for the January service meeting a group of us got together this afternoon to practice the new Kingdom songs.

Refrehments, pictionary and a nice evening of association followed.

Sprucing Up

The sign at the main road identifying our settlement of homes in the countryside needed a bit of sprucing up.  It was getting difficult for visitors and delivery people to find.  Below, the before and after.

Unpredictable Ministry

You never know who you'll meet in the ministry here.  When calling door to door at this house today, a happy clown answered and came out to talk.

Some have wondered how hot is it here since we're at 0º latitude - right on the equator?  Below is a typical temperature mid afternoon in the shade - 65ºF. and often up to 68ºF.  The temps in the sun are usually between 72º - 74ºF.  It's because the altitude we're at here in the Andes mountains - 8,200 ft. above sea level makes living here  be called perpetual spring.  There are no seasonal changes, each day is like the previous.  And along with those temps the humidity is very low too so it's never muggy.

Caesar Goes for a Run

Caesar, our next door neighbour's German Shepherd, loves to run next to their car at high speed for exercise.

San Antonio, Ibarra is a town famous for it's wood sculptures and wood artisans.  Here are some examples in one shop.

These are carved from one solid piece

Copyright Infringement?

We hadn't noticed until recently that both doors in our house were built with "Watchtowers" in their design by the original Witness owners back in 2006.