Day 38 in Itagui

Yesterday I went with uncle Argi to pick up Mateo from school. He asked how I was adapting to Colombia. I told him that I really liked it here, but there are some days when I miss home, but at the same time, I don´t let those feelings get in the way of enjoying my time here. He told me I had a good atitude and that this was good training for bethel life. Then he told me the story of how he ended up in bethel.

When he was 20 he went to the meeting during the district assembly for those who were interested in serving in bethel. The speaker made the suggestion that everyone that was seriously considering bethel life should pick a buddy, leave home, and serve in a town where theres need, away from family. The speaker said that that would prepare them for bethel life. So my uncle looked at the brother next to him, who he had never met before, and he said "Shall we?". And the brother (I think his name was Wilma) said "Lets go". So they told the bethel speaker that they were going to follow his suggestion, so the speaker, a puerto-rican bethelite from brooklyn gave them both applications for bethel and picked out a town for them.

The day that my uncle and WIlma had decided to leave was only a couple days away. They were going to meet at a bustop. But when my uncle called Wilma to make sure he was ready, Wilma told my uncle to go ahead without him. He said he had some buisness he had to take care of at home, and that he would meet up with my uncle later on. Well my uncle wasn´t to happy about that. He tried to connvince Wilma otherwise, but he didnt seem to have sucess. But my uncle decided to go anyways. So the day had finally came and my uncle left home, went to that bus stop, and to his suprise, Wilma was already there waiting for him. He told my uncle that he wasnt planning on joining him because he was scared, but my uncle had convinced him. So off they went, without they´r families for the first time, to serve where the need was greater.

A year later, Argi was finishing up a long day in service, and he passed by the kingdom on the way home to find Wilma, the coordinador, and another brother he didn´t know, talking in the kingdom hall. When Argi walked in, Wilma told him, with a huge grin on his face "We have a new bethelite". Argi hugged WIlma and congradulated him. But Wilma said " No, not me, you". My uncle turned serious. After adapting to life in that small town, my uncle didnt even want to go to bethel anymore. But, of course he accepted the priveledge. Wilma told him not to worry, that he would be right behind my uncle. So Argi went of to Bogtota, to the bethel branch. For almost many years, everytime new recruits would come in, my uncle would hope to see WIlma there, but he never came. Instead, Wilma became a special pioneer, and now serves as a circuit overseer. To this day Wilma tells the story in his public talks about how Argi gave him that push he needed to follow his goals. His experience showed me how far a little motivation can go, and it confirmed to me that I had made the right desision by coming here.

                            -D.V.