unattractive joking wine face

one of a many candid pictures taken today

 

 

Day 58:

People don't believe me when I say that I love to cook and clean- especially when something is on my mind. Scrubbing dishes, roasting potatoes, tossing salads; this morning flew by as my mind raced. I guess having guests is nerve racking in ways, but when those guests just so happen to be the sub C.O. and his wife...

Not really sure what to expect, we all waited around a beautifully set tables, nervously inhaling the smell of pesto and garlic and awkwardly staring around the room as we waited for our guest to arrive. When the doorbell finally rang and the plates were passed and filled, my mind was quickly put at ease. Not only did we talk like normal human beings, but we laughed. The ice breaker of the meal was when brother Romero (Ruben) poked at something in his salad and asked me quizzically, "what is this". "Date" I replied almost as if I were asking instead of answering; I was half afraid he would say he was allergic.

"Don't do it". He told me. After an awkward pause, we both sort of chuckled. His point, in "all seriousness" was that if we ever wonder what Ruben would say, rule number one is "don't do it". From then on it was laughter, followed by serious talks about our goals and how we are doing, followed by more laughter, followed by jokes, consuming if food and wine- of course, and then more talking and laughter. By the end of our early dinner, it is safe to say that we all learned an important lesson today- people in Jehovah's organization are just people, even sub C.O.'s. They laugh, they make jokes, they do fun things, they have cool stories, but most importantly they love Jehovah.

After our goodbyes and some kitchen cleaning, the girls and I went back to planning and booking hotels (no hostels, as promised) for the upcoming weeks. Tonight we crawl into bed exhausted. Tomorrow will be our first day out since the illness struck us all. Here's to hoping that we wake feeling rested and ready to face the world once more.

Today's Positives:

We all got to know our friends better over a lovely meal

We are finally all set for Spain, Porto, and some social events in between now and our departure for the states

We are all feeling excited to get out and campaign