Ecuador Blog

The Sign Language group just had their C.O.’s visit.  Since they are a group, the visit is only three days.  Friday night we went to the Bookstudy.  Nathan said the opening prayer!  Joel and Marci are the names of the couple.  He is from Canada and she is from Alabama, but he’s lived here 14 years and she’s lived her 16!!  They are only 33 and 31!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Joel gave a talk after the bookstudy and I actually understood it!!  I was so excited!  This was the first time I’ve seen a talk in Signs that I hadn’t studied for, so it was really neat to see that I can actually understand some things.  (I’d say, maybe 90%!!)  Saturday was service and a meeting for all publishers supporting the Sign group.  They had two meetings for service:  8:30am and 2:30pm.  This was our first time in Sign Language service and I was really nervous.  I got put with a pioneer who lives in Quito, but is moving to Ambato in July.  She is 29 and has been in Signs for three years.  Another sister came with us too.  She is 18 and has been in Signs maybe 6 months to a year.  We had a really good time.  Then, at 2:30 I got put with a DEAF SISTER!!!!  I went with her on two studies!!  I was literally terrified.  After we had been together for about thirty minutes I was exhausted and thought, “OK.  That’s enough practicing Signs.  Let’s just talk now.”  Then, I remember that she can’t talk!!  :-)  I have to say I think it went really well.  I understood her enough to get by and she’s so nice that even if she couldn’t understand me she didn’t show it.  At the second bible study I tried to sign something to the young boy, but he acted like he didn’t understand me, so I asked his friend to translate for me.  When she finished and told me his response I think he really did understand me to begin with, but just couldn’t do what I was suggesting.  He had said he couldn’t come to the meeting today, because he was eating with his family.  I told him that he could come for the talk, because it was only from 11:00 am to 11:30 am and he could eat with his family after.  But, he said he was having a program that lasted from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Anyway.  It was nerve wracking and exciting at the same time.  Then, at 6:00 pm we had the meeting for the publishers.  There are 9 publishers in the group (3 deaf).  There are two pioneer sisters moving here from Quito in July, but they are not included in the 9.  Neither are we, because we are not officially in the group.  There are now two Sign Language Circuits in Ecuador.  So, if a group has their own Watchtower study they now will receive a whole week’s visit of the C.O. and all other groups will move from three days to four!  The Branch publishes publications in 44 different Sign Languages.  Joel said that a lot of the Sign Languages are very different.  For example, Colombian Sign Language uses both hands for their alphabet.  He said the Branch works very hard to produce dvd’s in Signs.  It took them FOUR years to make the Require brochure dvd!!!  There are 83 known deaf people in Ambato.  That doesn’t sound like very many, but he said to think about it this way:  there are 9 publishers so if each publisher had 3 studies they would be at 30% of the population.  For the Spanish population to be at 30% every publisher would have to have 94 studies!!!  So, there really is a big need in the Sign Language territory here.

Today we had the Public Talk, Watchtower, and other Talk.  The Watchtower was pretty profound and difficult to translate in to Signs, but Nathan and I both commented!  (I’m proud of us for that!)  :-)  I also understood both his talks.  Karen (an 11 year old in our Hall) came with us and I translated the entire meeting to her in Spanish.  All-in-all I’d say it was a very interesting weekend!

Oh!  I also wanted to tell you that Karen and Diana (Diana is 13) both wanted to have bangs like me so they decided to cut their hair themselves!  I haven’t seen Diana, but poor Karen’s hair didn’t turn out so good.  I think she took an entire fourth of her hair and cut them in to bangs!  They are also very long.  About down to her chin.  She told me she doesn’t like them.  I’m going to try to help her re-cut a fourth of them and let the rest grow out.  But, it was really sweet for her to say they wanted bangs like me!

We love you and miss you tons,

Jennifer