An update from Mazatlan

Yesterday was our Special Assembly Day here in Mazatlan.

It is usually held here in our city, and this time the venue was new, a Fiesta Hall (that they usually rent out for parties – kind of like a community hall.)

Two things were unusual:

1. There was a party in the hall on Saturday night, so we didn’t get ‘possession’ until 3 am. They decided to start cleaning and wiring for sound and preparations at 5 am and asked for volunteers.

I know we are supposed to have a willing attitude, but there is just NO way I could be up and dressed and ready and arrive at 5 am and still be awake in the afternoon.

I thought this was the craziest thing I’d ever heard, but apparently it is very typical here among the Spanish. Yikes! They must really love God!

So we arrived at the godly hour of 8:40 with plenty of time to visit before the 9:40 program started. And we had extra time, because (2)  the sound system didn’t work. So I think the program actually started at 9:55 and we had to skip the music altogether.

There were two interviews that stood out in my mind.

One was a young single pioneer sister who said that she has determined to stay single and pioneer for a few years and that one thing that discourages her is people who act like the only real goal for young sisters is to get married.  That can be sooo true!

Another interview featured a young pioneer sister who was witnessed to by her grandma starting at age 3, and eventually was studied with by local Spanish witnesses, and got baptised in her teens. She talked about the
challenge if coming into the Truth all alone.  It was very touching.

After the sessions, our neighbors (we live in a duplex) hosted a rooftop party. It was to start at 7:30, which meant by 7:45 there was still no one here, but eventually about 9:30 everyone arrived and there was quite a party going on upstairs.

Folks kept trickling down though my open doors into my place so our living room was like a drop in get together of it’s own. We talked about the assembly, and shared ‘coming into the Truth’ stories.

My daughter, Chelsea, called  on her cell phone from the last day of the International Convention in Honolulu to let us listen in on the last song, sung simultaneously in English, Spanish, Japanese, Cantonese and Korean.

People travel here for the assembly from as far away as Hermosillo, which is about a 10 or 11 hour drive.

Which leads to a funny story.

A few years ago a brother asked me if he could pass on my email address to a young brother from California who wanted to get a taste of Mazatlan, Devin. Devin did indeed email me, but seemed, well, immature. I got the impression that he was more interested in surfing than in the Truth.

He didn’t end up coming to Mazatlan, but instead visited in a city in Northern Mexico for a month or two, and then travelled the world (well, Okay, only 4 or 5 countries in Europe and a few in South America...) and
surfed and jammed and visited friends.

He said after he was back living in California again, he realized that after doing all those fun things, the place he had the most fun was in Mexico when he was pioneering.  So, he moved back to that same city, Hermosillo, and has been regular pioneering there for 2 years or so.

I guess our brief email exchange put me on his ‘emailing’ list and ever since then I’ve been getting email updates from him, for the last 2 ½ years or so.  He has really grown up. His accounts of pioneering in Hermosillo and his bible studies have really shown, not just a talent for writing, but a deep love of the service, and of Mexican food.

I started reading his emails with the kids and told them, “This brother’s emails are an advertisement for being a young single pioneer serving in a foreign country!”

Tonight, he happened to come to the party and (surprise!)we got to meet in real and in person. He has turned out to be quite a nice brother, who clicked right away with Chad.  Devin has a friend with him, Ryan, and they talked about their love of surfing. The boys decided, right then and there, to go for a midnight surf. (Well, ok 11pm surf, but it lasted until midnight.).  So off they went, down to the bay at the bottom of our hill.

When they came back, the party had ended so I cooked them up some cheese quesadillas and jicama (a root veggie that is great with French onion chip dip!)  We got to talking more, realized that they loved guitars and drumming and surfing and pioneering, and ended up asking them to come back and stay for a
few days with Chad.  So, they went back to their hotel, slept and instead of going back to
Hermosillo on the bus in the morning, they came to our place for a few days.

What a great life for young ones – to be fully immersed in Jehovah’s service
and at the same time having the time of their lives.


Thinking of you...

The Goodman's


(Thanks Crystal - Update to this - I met Devin at an English Language Teaching course in Vancouver, BC in May 2006.  It's a common joke in Canada that some people come to Mexico to "surf where the need is greater."  Well, 90% of those who are 'immature' and do that are infused with Holy Spirit once they experience the service down here and they end up pioneering.

I'll see if I can dredge up some of Devin's emails (with permission) so that you can see what Crystal was talking about.  Devin certainly does have a way with pictures and words.  His pictures are amazing at capturing the heart of people and places.  His ex-roomate from Hermosillo is now serving at Mexico Bethel.

Lots of love,
Troy