Great Patience

Hey guys,

My other post was getting too long and I had some other things I wanted to tell you about, so here's a separate post.

My study with Edwin has been getting better and better. I see him & the kids in the neighborhood very often, and the kids always ask me when the next meeting will be. Edgar & Bruno, the two oldest (well, technically the third & fourth, but the two oldest kids are adults and I never see them), always fight over who gets to comment. All of them have loved getting to know my friends as well and always ask about them. This past Saturday meeting was interesting. Edwin had to bring Bayardo, the youngest child, with them. He's cute, I'll give him that, but I'm gonna be real, guys: I clash with this kid. Seriously! He is always getting into my stuff and anytime I tell him no, he says "Yes!" and then it turns into a very heated and mature No!-Yes!-No!-Yes! exchange.

From left to right: Roman, Edgar, Bruno, Bayardo (my BFF), & Catherine.

Again, it's the heat, bros. Anyway, so Bayardo came with Edwin to the meeting and starting whining during the last half-hour. I thought it was because his arm hurt (He fractured it recently and it's in a cast), but Edwin just said, "No, he says he's bored and wants to go home." Okay, kid, no sympathy here. We were studying The Watchtower about having a good marriage, and Edwin was really enjoying it. However, when Bayardo was whining more and more, even Edwin said to me, "This is the work of Satan. He knows that I'm loving this article and that it's just what I need, so he's using my child to get me to leave the meeting!" All I could say was, "Right?!" Go ahead, guys. Tell me that I need to be nicer to kids.

Yesterday, Edwin & I went over the first in the series of worksheets that go with the Bible Teach book. I wasn't sure how it would go over, but it was so effective! It was probably our best conversation to date. I love how the sheets help the students make personal application and meditate on why they believe what they believe. When we went over the scenarios about someone asking you to explain your beliefs about human suffering, we chose two scriptures that we could share: James 1:13 and 1 John 4:8. I suggested to him that it would be good to memorize those scriptures, or at least their locations. Bruno ran inside and got their Bible so he could find it himself. My friend Ashley lent Catherine her Bible so she could find it as well. Just as I was about to explain how the scriptures were organized, (the bold numbers, verse numbers, etc.) Edwin stepped in and did it for me! It was a really, really cool moment.

As Bruno read the scripture, Edwin's face was beaming. Whenever one of the kids comments at the one of the meetings, he gets really nervous as the brother brings the microphone to them. After it's done, he proudly says, "This is the best thing for my kids!"

That is the face of a proud father! Edwin's, not Bayardo's.

While these kids are seriously high-maintenance, studying with this family has been a very rewarding experience. Yes, even with Bayardo...*cringes*. Although Edwin has been making good progress, I'm keeping my expectations reasonable. No matter what happens, though, I'll always enjoy the memories I'm making studying with this family. Sidenote: I'm great with kids.


Take care,

Sam