So, here we go! Friday we start our trip! Mazatlan, Mexico City, Vera Cruz, Merida, Tabasco and then make our way back home! We are very excited about meeting the friends who have been helping us through emails and phone calls. We will start the trip by visiting with our friend Mark and his family. Then we will travel to Mexico City to attend an English convention. The current plan is to travel to Vera Cruz with the congregation that we will be checking out. Riding a bus together will give us time to get to know one another a little. We will visit with the congregation and check out the territory and living possibilities. Then we will make our way to Merida for another English convention. After the convention we will ride back with the second congregation to Tabasco and stay with them for a while. We will eventually make our way back to Tucson by the end of September. I will miss the congregation here in Clifton and I am sad to leave my beautiful family. The last song we sang yesterday at meeting made me all emotional. The friends here have not been overly connected to us but I have become very found of them and feel very sad about leaving them. I suppose it will make our next meeting on Tuesday not quite so sad. Robin is very excited about the trip and is looking forward to moving to Mexico as soon as possible. Once we come back we will prayerfully make a choice between the two congregations and then make plans for an extended visit at the end of the year. So for the next three days it is the craziness that comes before you leave on a trip!
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ReplyDeleteCyndy is correct in saying I am very excited about going to Mexico. I traveled in Mexico extensively with my Dad when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteLast year there was a Kingdom Ministry insert about serving where there is a greater need. One of the groups that article focused on were the retired living on a fixed income. So now that is us. We can continue to struggle and have barely enough to get by up here in the states, or we can live modestly and comfortably on our fixed income down where there is a great need for native English speakers.
Cyndy is bi-lingual and I used to know Spanish as a kid. I am hoping it will come back to me once we are down there and "immersed" into the community.
When the faithful slave talks about serving in a foreign land. It made my heart "jump" at the possibilities.
But not to be too impulsive. We are making this first trip to check things out. To ask questions and to see how others are doing it. After this trip we will do a lot of praying about what to do next.
Love you guys (and you know who you are) and please follow us on our new adventure.
You've worked diligently toward your goals and now they are coming to fruition. Great start and exciting times ahead. I look forward to hearing your updates.
ReplyDeleteNot sure how you got my email address but my husband and I enjoyed reading your experience so far. May Jehovah bless you and your family with your future endeavors.
ReplyDeleteBrian and Wendy Ellison
Congratulations! The recent articles on being need greaters in Ecuador and Brazil must have really been encouraging to you too. We are proud of you. NT & LT
ReplyDeleteSo here it is, this morning we are leaving Clifton AZ and going to Tucson to catch our bus. Although excited, there are a thousand little details to think about and get ready for the trip. Cyndy and I regularly leave town for up to four days for RBC assignments. But this time we will be gone for almost a whole month.
ReplyDeleteCyndy is a little preoccupied and sensitive. It is very understandable, this is the biggest and the longest trip she has ever been on. She is leaving behind everything we have and is comfortable with (except for me, she will have me with her) and going forth into the great unknown of the life of future need greaters. Of course she has tremendous faith that Jehovah will continue to take care of us, but it is still not easy to start something new. I do know, however, that once we are on the road and settled into our seats of our bus. She will begin to relax. One thing about traveling...if you forgot something or left something behind, there is not much you can do about it. Perhaps call a friend or Megan and ask her to do one more thing for us. But other then that, you can't do anything, so might as well not worry about it.
Even I have a certain amount of anxiety and apprehension. Will my feet and legs hold out from all the walking we will do? I worry about some of the things happening in our home congregation and will worry about how they will turn out. A part of me is saying that we should stay. But a bigger part of me is saying we need to go. We feel that Jehovah has been directing us into this direction. We have been given direction from the faithful slave. Even a member of the governing body told us personally that we need to go. (Some of you have heard the story)
Even though we feel we are doing the right thing, it is hard to leave family, friends and our little dogs and turtles. I appreciate the great sacrifices that others who have gone before us had to make.
But I do know that once we are on the road. And once we meet up with our friends that are down in Mexico, we will experience great joy and even some fun.
Just think! We will be starting our new pioneer service year preaching in a foreign land!
I told Cyndy this morning, that along with a dozen pair of socks, to pack at least one of my Hawaiian type shirts, because I do intend to spend at least one evening watching the sunset over the ocean with a plate of fresh seafood, a favorite beverage, and real mariachis playing in the back ground.
And of course we are excited to see what the territory is like in those areas.
So many things unknown. so many things left behind. No matter what, it will be an adventure!
Love you all and will write more later. Got to go and pack the car.