Last Day in Matamoros

Today we spent mostly in our hotel room, preparing our Watchtower for the meeting and in my case, also preparing for the Public Talk which I had been invited to give. We left for the Hall at 3:55 p.m. and along the way passed enterprising folks winning pesos from drivers stopped at red lights by performing various feats. One fellow stands in a white plastic bucket and, with tiny jumps, gradually causes it to turn in a circle while balancing a basketball on the end of a piece of wood. Another, dressed as a clown juggles little balls ...

Others will pass by offering flowers, flags, bags of peanuts, and other improbable merchandise. A red traffic light instantly transforms into a momentary flea market.

At 4:15 p.m. we were among the very first at the Kingdom Hall. The meeting started at 4:30 p.m. with few in attendance and by the time the talk was being introduced most of the congregation had finally entered. A few stragglers arrived ten minutes late.

After the meeting I had a chat with Mike, the fellow I had invited to the Public Talk yesterday. He told me an experience he had where he was able to help a handicapped person keep his job despite others working to get him fired. I reciprocated with an experience I had in the ministry where a young university student thanked me profoundly for showing him God's name in his own Bible. We chatted some more and then Mike asked, "Could you please tell me what scripture you showed that fellow that has God's name in it?" I wrote Psalm 83:18 on a piece of paper that he filed in his wallet. Mike clearly has potential.

After the meeting a number of us went to a restaurant called 'Chicago' for a delicious meal.

The trip home was down side roads to avoid the stream of vehicles parading down main street, horns blowing, flags waving, and people yelling. It was caused by the results of a soccer game deemed favorable by the locals.

Tomorrow we depart on the trip to Dan's house in San Juan Del Rio. We expect to do only part of the trip tomorrow and complete it Tuesday. The brothers and sisters in Matamoros will be missed.