Miami

Well what a meeting we had.  I always wondered how happy really other countries must be to host international conventions and some of us go there.  It must be an even grander scale than what it has been like having the Miami Clearwater congregation here for half a week.  A lot of them are not native to Miami but are from islands and other countries, so the array of accents is charming.  Our talk this morning was on Love and Respect in Marriage, and even though it is not my favorite topic of late, I thoroughly enjoyed the delivery.  The brother was named Brother Anastacy, kind of like Anastasia, no idea if I've spelled it right, but it was wonderful.  He said how even men in the world will proclaim that they are the head of the household, that somewhere in the Bible it says that, but they have no idea where.  And they say it like this:  I am the HEAD of my wife.



Then we read the scripture and the other two points, the head of the man is Christ, and in turn the head of the Christ is God.  Then he discussed how Christ treated the congregation, and how husbands should love their wives as their own bodies, and then we went back and reread the same scripture the way a husband should read it:  The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is head of the congregation.  In turn, the head of the Christ is God.


He used his tone of voice just as I have tried to indicate through punctuation.  It was really good.  And then we had a good WT study and so many wonderful comments.  I was even happy with one of mine in reference to the baby picture.  I said something about how this was a clarification to my thinking, how most everyone knows my sins and we pray for forgiveness of our sins every day, but here are these babies who are not committing fornication or worshiping idols or cheating on their taxes even.  We think of them as innocent, and yet it is clear they are sinners via being born into this sinful state.


It was just a great meeting.  I sat with Ann.  After meeting, we all took pictures on the platform, all of Windber, and then they all got on the platform and we took pictures of them.  As soon as I get one via email (because yes, I'm too stupid to work a camera) I will post one here.  I have promises that such photography is soon to be forthcoming.  

Miami went out in service and I raced home and made lunch.  I picked Ann up and she came over and had a lovely couple of hours here encouraging me and the girls.  I will take any encouragement for them I can get.  We really had a great time.  It's kind of funny how things work out.  We were talking about snow at the meeting because some of them want to come back and visit in winter in order to have the opportunity to see real snow.  I told them they would not like it but some of them still want to try.  I said oh, the flip flops and sandals I have going to waste, and Ann said too bad they aren't size tens or I would wear them on the  beach for you.


I said, "Just what size do you think they are?"  


She didn't think my foot was that big.  I fooled her.  At last, some of my Arkansas flip flops are going to live a natural life finally back in a normal climate because I sure packed them up for her to take home.  


We figured out they were not in Somerset either.  They are all at the Holiday Inn Express in Johnstown.  But it is next to the Somerset Bank and Trust Branch and about two blocks from the 219 Exit to Somerset.  I can't hear that well anymore and Carly heard them say they are at the Holiday Inn by Somerset, so we got our wires crossed.  


I am finally over all the cooking and partying and the dishwasher is running for what should be the last time of being behind, and there are leftovers everywhere still, so I am not cooking for a few days.  Still, we gave out potato salad on Saturday night like it was the fountain of youth.

They did bring one single brother with them I found out today.  Someone had to introduce Sister Bunker to a bald brother, and he looked nice, but I had no desire to find out anything about him.  For one thing he's going to be 1200 miles away next week, and for another, I just had no interest.  I like to think I have made my peace with being single although that little bad voice inside me says you done got too old baby.


We sang song #87 to start, and I groaned when they announced it.  I know all the songs by number and I was sitting exactly two rows behind Abel.  I wore red last night and he wore white.  Today I had white and he was in red.  I know there is no pattern and it's all random, but that is how my brain processes.  I generally sit on the other side of the hall, but Ann asked me to sit with her.  It's nice having someone want to sit by you.  So I got up and sang it to the best of my ability because it is a beautiful song.  It's just not my song.


I done got too old baby.  And I am having too good of a time with sisters to want a mister to tell me when I can keep doing it.  Imagine if I got one and he wanted to edit my blogs!  That ain't going to happen.