Or, just maybe, it's that day in the week that you've set to enjoying a beautiful long day out in service. Perhaps it's your personal study time, precious and faith-building, or it is your designated Family Worship night. For the Sorata congregation, Tuesdays mean something quite positive. Every Tuesday, they have rural territory service. You see, the town of Sorata is quite comfortably nestled at the base of the Illampu and Janq'u Uma mountains. That being said, it is in itself quite rural. However, the friends coordinate a full long service day in their own "rural territory." Interesting, no? I had the privilege of participating in this arrangement for 3 weeks, and loved every single time we went.
Let's break down how they accomplish this. (at least from my memory of it.)
Early Tuesday morning, the group gathers the available cars and fits the participants in accordingly. Mind you, most of the congregation ends up going out in service that day, so the support for this arrangement is fantastic on a weekly basis. Once everyone is settled in, they travel approximately an hour or so up the winding bumpy road. The destination changes week by week, since most of these towns are a bit of a distance from Sorata.
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| If you're prone to carsickness, THE LAST SEAT IS NOT A GOOD CHOICE! (that's why I was assigned back there) |
Upon arrival, the friends are placed in groups to go by foot through the assigned area. Here in the mountains, the people predominantly speak Aymara, an indigenous language of Bolivia. They are incredibly humble folk, working from a young age in their mountainside farms, selling the fruits of their labour back in town on Saturdays. It's not an uncommon sight to see a cholita, children and cattle in tow, walking along the road. For the most part, they are quite amiable and willing to talk.
Since we're out and about the whole day in the mountains, you may wonder, "But what about food? Is there a way of getting lunch up there?"
Well, when you're as fun-sized a congregation as Sorata, coordinating efforts for service arrangements gets a bit easier, including arranging for food. A couple of days beforehand, the congregation (in an active group chat) figures out who will bring what item to make. Monday is spent prepping for the following day, and everyone has a dish prepared for the entire group. After a full morning of preaching, a clearing is found, the cars are parked, and lunch commences.
After a FANTASTIC group lunch (seriously, all these friends can COOK), it's back to more witnessing. The group usually ends up staying out at least until 4pm. Literature placement is definitely encouraged, as well as starting the study from the get-go. Since these towns are quite far, it may be several weeks until the next time these people are reached, so we make sure that they receive a thorough witness before we leave them. In the time I was there, we went to 3 different towns, and each time was very fulfilling. Honest to goodness, I have never used the sample presentations from the Meeting Workbook as much as I did down there. It certainly makes the ministry engaging and exciting.
In summary, Tuesday, like its fellow days, will be whatever you make of it. We are happy and grateful for another day of life, no matter which day it falls on. In Jehovah's incredible organization, every day is a gift we can take advantage of positively.
Thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this little anecdote! Have a wonderful day and stay tuned for the next post!
Love,
The Adventurous A.
