Sunday, November 8, 2009

Great experience!!!!

Just finished the CO's visit and I'm totally on a theocratic high. Then after the meeting it just gets better. So here what happens...
I leave the hall and stop by the local grocery store to pick up a few things then intend to head back home. But for some strange reason I decide i want carne asada fries from this place near my place called Taco Spot (which btw were AMAZING, as is everything else there, if you're ever in the Eagle Rock area on Colorado Blvd). Now the reason this is strange is because i havent been eating any meat for the last week, and havent particularly had RED meat in weeks for dietary reasons. But for some crazy reason i just HAD to have it. So i go, get my food, head home, chill in my car for a bit then, eventually head to my building.
As I get to the front door and i'm trying to manoeuver the front door (its a whole process to get the key to work) this woman comes up behind me and is waiting to get inside as well. She says something about how she always has difficulty getting the door open as well. So FINALLY i open the door and i let the woman and her elderly mother in and enter after them. The younger woman gets the elevator, drops off her mom and these two grocery bags and says goodbye, leaving her 70-something yr old mom to figure out how she's gonna make it back to her apartment with the bags SOLO. In my mind i think, "WHO DOES THAT?! I would help my dear old mum to her apartment with her things and wouldnt leave until i knew she was safely home and comfy. She could slip and fall and throw out her back carrying this stuff. Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Needless to say, when i get in the elevator i offer to help the elderly woman carry her bags, and she says "oh no it fine, thank you". And i say "no dont worry its my pleasure". We get to her floor and i pick up the bags and these were some seriously weighty loads, which once again add to my amazement at her daughter who didnt help her mom all the way up. Anyway, I start walking with her toward her apartment and she tells me her apartment number so as to go ahead so that i can just drop them off and be on my way. But i'm not having that. I get to her door and wait for her to unlock it and get inside and i bring her bags in all the way for her. And for some strange reason her shock is increasing by the minute at my kindness (i assume anybody else would have done the same, no?) so she invites me in for some coffee. (NOTE: Those who know me know that I'm not a fan of coffee, esp strong coffee w/o cream and sugar. Now aremenians, which this woman was, are known for their infamously strong coffee. Knowing this i say yes ANYWAY) She clears off a chair for me and gets to work making the coffee for me and i'm cringing at the thought of having to drink it but she was such a sweet woman and was living all alone so it was totally worth it.
As we're sitting waiting for the coffee to brew she starts going on about how nice it was of me to help her and how suprised she was, etc. and i kept saying it was nothing, its my pleasure bc genuinely it made sense to me to offer an older, more fragile person my assistance. its the right thing to do. But i take the opportunity to try to witness to her bc its clearly an open opportunity thats fallen right in my lap. So i tell her, "Well my parents raised me & my brothers to apply Bible principle. And the Bible says that we should love and help our neighbor, so of course i would help you in any way i possibly could" And she says "thats so nice." We continue making small talk and she asks me what i do for a living and I say "I'm looking for a job. But i mostly do a lot of volunteer work with my congregation that actually meets right across the street. I'm a Jehovah's Witness" She asks me "what kind of volunteering do they do there?" I say, "I help teach people about the Bible. Oftentimes, many people own a Bible and maybe read it but dont really understand it or how to apply its principles. I help them get a better understanding of what it says. I also try to help them see how much better their lives would be if they just applied the Bible's counsel. For example, if everyone applied the principle to love your neighbor, it would be a much better world, dont you think?" And she says, "If everyone did that we would be living in Paradise!" (in my mind i'm thinking, "this convo is too good to be true. why cant field service be this easy, lol!") I reply, "You're right. But you know the Bible also promises that one day God is going to do away with everyone doing wrong and the earth will be perfect and filled with only good people, and we ACTUALLY will be in Paradise." Helen, the woman's name, responds "That would be nice, but WHEN?! The world is just getting worse and worse." I say, "Well 2 timothy 3:1-5 shows what would be the signs of the end of days: lack of natural affection, problems between family members and even selfishness. Things would literally go from bad to worse. And you'd agree we're living in that time wouldnt you?" and she agrees with me, so i continue, "But on the good side that means we're drawing closer to the end and closer to the day when God will put an end to all the suffering we see."
The convo continues on for a little bit more about the general population's indifference towards the Bible and religion in general and how much better it would be if we actually applied what it said. I then ask her if she reads in Armenian (i noticed her accent) and she says yes and so i ask her is she has a Bible of her own and she once again responds affirmatively. So i ask her if it would be ok if i brought her some Bible based literature the next day for her to read and she says she'd love that (SLAM DUNK STACEY!!!!lol) I say i have to get going now (i had made plans to spend time with some friends), then write down my name, apt number and telephone number and tell that if she ever needs anything to not hesitate to give me a call and she thanks me again. As I get ready to leave, i say i'll stop by the following day to see if she's well and she says "yes, you come with journals!" and i say "oh most definitely." Then i finish my coffee, which by the way was the hardest thing to have to drink (she also offered me chocolates, so i thought that if i ate the chocolates at the same time as i drank that coffee that would sweeten it, but no such luck, lol). But it was SO worth it for the convo that ensued. I say good-bye and head to my apartment. Literally i felt like i was floating on cloud 9.
It feels so good to have had a meaningful Bible discussion with someone who truly seemed to want an answer for the problems we all face in today's world and i feel so fortunate that Jehovah used me to do that. I've learned that literally any occasion is a good occasion to witness to people bc you literally never know what kind of impact even the smallest gesture of kindness can have on people. Also, i by no means believe in destiny or fate. I do believe though that Jehovah uses his angels to lead us to those whose hearts are rightly disposed to hear his message at any given time. I mean, why else would i sudden be craving steak and driving out of my way to get it instead of going home as i had originally intended? All i can say is when Jehovah presents us with an opportunity we need to seize it with both hands and hold on tight, and that goes for ANY situation in life.
Well I just wanted to share my happy, self-fulfilling moment with you, my dear friends and i'll def keep you posted with whatever results.
Much love to all!

2 comments:

  1. Stacey! That is so encouraging. Just to think that there are sincere ones right under our noses. We just have to be willing. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. That is really encouraging! I am a JW and field service is sooo scary!

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