The assembly and the Malecon 2000

Sorry it has taken me so long to put another one of these out. Ive not had any internet signal for a week because I was in the Galapagos Islands. But that's for another day. I'm going to keep my trip in order, so even if I have to do some posts when I get home I will so you can see all the pictures.
Last Saturday we went to the Francos old circuit assembly for the lunch break. It was a big reunion for them and it was neat for me to see the assembly hall. Its all open air and its on the bethel property. It was beautiful and there were so many studies in attendance it was so nice to see.
After that we went to the Malecon or harbor in Guyaquil. It was so pretty. It kind of reminded me of Baltimore. On the one end of the Malecon was Las Peñas. It is this neighborhood on a hill that is all stairs between the houses. Its really authentic and older looking and its so pretty at night with all the lights. There is a lot of history there. I think that's where the Ecuadorians earned their independance from Spain.  But you can climb all the way to the top (444 steps, they have them numbered, I dont know why) and see the whole city. And on the way down we saw brothers doing table top witnessing. It was their first day doinging it in the country. It was so neat, Jehovahs people are everywhere.

All the colorful houses on that hill are las Peñas

The Malecon

The Malecon

Las Peñas

Las Peñas

Preaching in Spanish and English

I went out with the spanish group again on Wednesday. It is so much fun. Basically,  you walk to the territory,  walk in the territory, and then walk home from the territory. And its hot and humid and not level. Its up and down the side of mountains.
Heres how my day went. Up at 7 leave the house at 7:30. Meet the group at 8:30. Then we walk walk walk until 1 when we go back to rtas house in the territory and eat lunch, and take a shower(because we have been sweating like crazy) and then take a nap. Then we go back out at 2:30 and do a study. We meet the group at 3:30 and walk walk walk til we finally finish at dusk at 6:30. (I did my first presentation in spanish and the lady was really nuce and took my magazines. I was so nervous. )I'm so excited at this point because I'm like yes, were done. Then rita says "we have a 30 min walk back" nooooo!
On the way back we stop by a panaderia or bakery. They have them all over here. We got some bread, it was so good. When we got bacm to the house , we ate the bread and coffee. Then we did two more bible studies, then headed home. We didnt get home til 10. Such a long day.
I hope I didnt confuse everyone too much, Rita and Jonathan have two houses, one in the city and one in there territory. 
Today I went out in the english and we are going to their meeting tonight. Their territory encompases the whole city and they do census.  But today we went out at the bus terminal. I talked to a really nice guy from ireland.
Heres some pics from service. 

Part of the afternoon service group

That car is not going anywhere. Its completely stuck

They were so interested in my english Bible Teach book. I love this picture. They didnt know I was taking it. They kept wanting me to read to them chapter titles and subheadings. Its like a foreign language to them or something.

Yo y Elisa.

Elisa, yo, y Betty

I was repeatedly telling them how bad an idea this was... Thankfully i didnt fall this time. A brother put this little peice of wood across the road so we could cross.

All their coffee is instant. Coffee beans dont exist here and no one brews their coffee.

La Playa Ayangue

Yesterday we went to the beach a couple hours from here called Ayangue. On the way there we stopped real quick at the assembly hall in bethel and I got some pictures.
The beach was beautiful. The water was turquoise and warm and it was very shallow. We had lunch there and it was so good. Fresh seafood. Shrimp soup and then fish and rice and plantains. You have rice and plantains with every meal. Its ok because I like them. They have this way of preparing plantains called chifle and its like potato chips, sooo good.
After we ate we went to another beach called Salinas. I rode in the back of a pick up there. It was like 30 minutes each way. Got some great pictures that way. It was more commercial and the water was cooler. It was more like a U.S. beach. There were a lot of hotels there so it was kinda touristy.
Chow

The assembly hall at Bethel

The Beach Ayangue

Joselyn and I. She is Jonathans cousin from Barcelona, Spain. (My next trip...)

'Showers and Toiles' It was a dollar to take a shower at the beach an 35 cents to use the bathroom.

The truck ride from Ayangue to Salinas

On the ride to Salinas, down the coast, its just beach after beach.

There will pelicans, everywhere. 

The Beach Salinas

Salinas

The Sunday Meeting

Sunday, their meeting started at 5. Its weird to leave a Sunday meeting when its dark out. The hall doesnt have any air conditioning  but it was packed. They also have a sign language group that meets at there hall. Rita and jonathan do that. Its spanish sign. They have a large influx of deaf people here.
The hall we so friendly. I just wish I could have spoke to them more. You all know how much I love talking. But if they talked slow we could have a little conversation. They all loved that I spoke english and I was trying to learn spanish.
After the meeting,  we went to Jonathan and Ritas other house and had dinner with a bunch if the brothers.  There is no running water there.

Ritas father gave the talk and he rode in the trunk of the car on the way to the meeting.

The blue basin on the right is where they keep their water. They dont have running water here so it is brought in on trucks. Supossedly potable but no one trusts it. You should see the trucks it comes in. This house is in the territory we were preaching in.

We ended up having over 20 brothers and sisters in this room for dinner.

Alfedo and Michelles wedding

It was such a beautiful wedding on saturday. The culture is so different here. They have to get married by a judge first and then they get the marrage talk. Alfredo told me that the bride is supposed to be late, everyone would be disappointed if she wasn't. But not more than 15 min late bc the judge will leave. And in the states, we really practice walking down the isle, but here they just all came at once. And after the ceremony, every family that is present goes up on the stage and gets there picture taken with the bride and groom.
The reception hall was beautiful. At the begining of the reception,  after the wedding party is introduced, they have a coregraphed dance they do. It was so cute.
Thats all for now. Chow. (I'm going to try to be better about the spelling...)

The bride Michelle 

The wedding party

Some sisters I met. Both are regular pioneers. Stephanie and Ivian. Stephanie is about to go to the states so she knows some english and Ivian lived there for 5 years, so she speaks good english.

Me, Rita, Jonathan, Papa Alfredo, and Mama Rita

The bride and her father