Artist Madrid, Naturally

Day 12 February 10, 2014 Saturday was the first day I met the friends in the Buenos Aires Chinese congregation. Even though I had gotten in contact with one of the missionary couples in the congregation, I was a nervous wreck that morning. I got a ride to the Kingdom Hall in order to meet with them for field service. The Kingdom Hall they were assigned to looked very different from mine or the one I attended in Rosario. It was three or four stories high and sandwiched between two other buildings. Even though it's three sets of glass doors were protected by set of steel bars, it was still the best looking building on the block. I got the opportunity to start meeting some of the friends before and after the meeting for field service. I was assigned to work with Milca, her mother Ellie and Jimena (another sister visiting the congregation). We took the collectivo (the bus) across town to our assigned territory in San Telmo. In many ways, Chinese field service in Buenos Aires and Rosari...

 Headed to BA (Day 10) January 21, 2014 Thursday afternoon, we took a 4 hour bus ride to Buenos Aires. The bus was clean, the seats comfortable, there were two movies in Spanish (it gave me the opportunity to practice) and more air conditioning than what any human being would ever need. A luxury ticket cost about 19 USD. A great deal! So since I don't have much more to report, I will answer a FAQ: "Why did I want to serve out of the country?"  Well, everyday the reasons are growing but I wasn't always thrilled about the prospect... When I was a child, I did not want to be a missionary. I think I wanted to be anything but a missionary :) I remember feeling it just wasn't meant for me (even though I did want to teach people about the Bible). Fast forward a few years: I am now a regular pioneer (spending at least 70 hours per month in my Bible ministry work), I love to travel and am fascinated by languages. But for some reason it doesn't register that I could bec...

 Ciao, Zaijian, Goodbye Rosario (Day 9) January 20, 2014 I have dreaded writing this entry for a few days now ( which is part of the reason I'm so far behind).  Wednesday was my last full day in Rosario. I have to say goodbye to its bustling streets and laid-back atmosphere. I have to say goodbye to my new friends and favorite spots...And its difficult.  My aunt, uncle and I had lunch with a family from the English group. Oscar is British and his wife Marianna is Argentine. At home they only speak English to their three children and the children respond in Spanish. Did I mention that are learning Italian in school? Amazing! We had a good time getting to know their family as well as two other sisters that were invited over. I must say it was the longest lunch I've had in my entire life but I enjoyed every minute of it. That evening, I had field service plans with Valeria and Diego. Sadly, they had to cancel due to illness. I was afraid I wouldn't get the chance to see any ...

 Helado, Asado, Helado (Day 8) January 20, 2014 Hola! I am so embarrassed to say that I am now a week behind with my entries. I could give you lots of excuses or i could give you updates :) I met up with Sabrina and Vicky (young sisters from the Chinese group). They get around the city by walking and the bus. So I had my first experience on a collectivo (what they call the local buses). I know I have mentioned that the cars here go pretty fast, well so do the buses. Once the last person gets on, the bus takes off. Like New York City, they swipe pre-loaded bus cards. So, there is still a line of bus riders waiting to swipe their cards while the bus is zooming down the street and whipping around corners. The same with getting off. You have to be ready to jump off quickly before the collectivo revs up again. Quite an experience :) We had a good day in service and ended it with helado . It was a two story ice cream shop with a game/video game room. I wish we had a place like that in Co...

 Peatonal, Río Parana and the Rosario-Victoria Bridge (Day 7) January 17, 2014 By Monday, I had fallen in love with the city of Rosario. My aunt, uncle and I decided to take the day to do some exploring. After being turned around and asking for directions several time, we found the Cordoba peatonal (a street with no cars). It was bustling with people going from one shop to the next. It was full of boutiques and little shops and even a department store. It is said that no one picks up a book in January (no one studies during the school break) and it shows. The stores were packed. I've also noticed that Rosario doesn't smell bad like New York City does during the Summer. My sense of smell greatly appreciates that. I picked up an inglés to español/español to inglés diccionario (I need to do better with my Spanish) and a pretty purple skirt that my aunt agreed I should purchase. We met two sisters Susanna and Bibi working at one of the public witnessing carts. Susanna told me she w...

 Ministry, Meeting and the Feria (Day 6) January 15, 2014 I went out in field service with the English group with my aunt and uncle Sunday morning. Compared with the night before the streets seemed abandoned. We did census work (going to different apartment buildings looking for English-speaking people). This was my first time doing walking-territory in Argentina. I worked with Telma. She was able to give plenty of insight on Rosario: the weather, English territory, the government and her job. After service, I went back to the hotel to finish preparing for the Chinese Watchtower study. I got so nervous again. I get nervous before every meeting and every time I prepare to go in service. I want to do well and not because I don't want to embarrass myself. I want to actually be of some assistance, not just "shadow" the friends here. A brother gave the Public Talk in Spanish and Evan translated it into Chinese. Then Evan conducted the Watchtower Study. His Chinese is excellent...

 Rosario del Sur ( Day 5) January 14, 2014 Lo siento (Sorry)! Turns out my Monday rest day wasn't very quiet. So now I am even more behind with my journal entries. I will try to catch up today.   Saturday, I ate breakfast with my aunt and uncle and then tied-in through Skype to my Chinese weekend meeting in South Carolina. One of the brothers, in my group, gave his first public talk and he did a wonderful job. That evening, I went in service with Valeria, Diego and Evan (a brother from the Chinese group) who had started in the ministry that morning. We traveled to the South of Rosario. In South Rosario there are more houses rather than tall buildings. Valeria and I were able to place one of the new family tract with a Chinese lady. Her child wasn't listening to her, so I told the lady about the very useful teaching videos for children (ex. Listening to your parents) on the Jehovah Witness website: JW.org . Even though I gathered she does not believe in God, she seemed to appre...