He will make you strong!!!

Well, we just came back from Mbarara for our Circuit Assembly. The program was really encouraging and straight forward. But let me start from the Pioneer Meeting on Friday.

We left Fort Portal Friday morning early (me, Chris, Trevor, Abraham and Benjamin, one of our studies)  and I have to admit that by the time we arrived, we just had the time to put on a skirt (for me) and a tie (for the boys). We were tired and I was feeling a bit "lazy" (I found out later that I wasn't the only one) but the moment we stepped into the Kingdom Hall something lifted our spirits instantly. We felt... happy and light at heart! 

The moment we started singing...

WOW... we could definitely feel Jehovah's spirit at work in there. We had goosebumps. We were shouting, all of us, at the top of our voices, but we sang beautifully. We sounded like the Vocal Renditions (I'm not exaggerating).  After hearing song 36 "He will make you strong" (my favourite), Jehovah took us away with him in what it turned out to be the best Pioneer Meeting we had since our Pioneer School! Three and an half hours went like a blink. And the District Overseer asked to sing the last song 75 "Our reasons for joy" in turns. So the sisters sang the first part of the line and the brothers the second. We then joined in for the chorus. Well, the stereo wouldn't work but I personally think that it turned out to be AMAZING!

Again, shouting at the top of our voices, but perfectly in harmony! Not one of us was out. And I have to admit that the brothers were simply perfect. Even the D.O. said so at the end. And the feelings we had after that...well we couldn't even explain it to each other. Not only goosebumps again but also tears (some of us). 

So let me stop talking about the singing and let's go on the talks! The first thought in the first talk was brilliant! The District Overseer said that Satan wants us to leave the SAFETY of the full time service! I never thought about the full time service as a SECURITY for us. But when we think about it, being in the full time service does keep us safe.

We have less time and opportunity to be distracted!

We're constantly in the field talking about Jehovah so our faith keeps on growing and that's what keeps us in the full time service! It's a continuous cycle! And another important thought was that joy should spring from within us, not from outside! And it's true as sometimes the environment, emotional, economic or other type of hardship can take away that joy from us and although we're still in the full time service we're not giving our 100% to Jehovah!

Now to cultivate that joy though we need to get to know Jehovah really well and always see our ministry as a privilege. Isn't it true that sometimes we give our privileges for granted? Or that we tend to feel superior because of our privileges? I personally feel that it's difficult to fight these feelings! Like "Oh yeah I was at the pioneer meeting because I'm a pioneer" or "Oh yeah I know the missionaries because I'm a pioneer" or something like that. To be honest, yes it's a wonderful privilege to know all these missionaries and to be good friend with them, but sometimes I look in the congregation and I see the sister who preached in Sudan in the 70's on her own although it's a muslim country. I see the sister that although she wasn't a pioneer,  brought to the truth entire families. I see the brother that could choose to go to university but instead chose pioneering. I see the brother that was abandoned by his wife and he has 2 children to care for but still endures! These brothers is a privilege to know! They form our congregations. They encourage us by being there although they have to walk miles under the sun!

Well yes, I think that Pioneer Meeting was what I needed! It recharged me!

Now I could tell you more... but then I would have to kill you ;)

So I'll be writing about our CA soon and our crazy evenings in Mbarara!

Hope I wasn't boring!