It's convention time in the JW year again, and our congregation was assigned to the Newcastle convention last weekend. We travelled by coach with our brothers and sisters each day for the three days Friday through Sunday. This entailed getting up at five a.m. to get breakfast and showered, dressed and prepared in time for the taxi to get to the Kingdom Hall for 6.45am.
As you can imagine, travelling when coping with a chronic disability is never easy, but with the help of my friends I was able to manage with the wheelchair. Eli of course was a tremendous help as always, despite her own health issues.
We arrived in Newcastle each day at about 8.30am, in good time to find places in the auditorium and get settled before the program began.
A few of the highlights:
Two new brochures were released, dealing with the question of whether life was created or evolved by chance. One is very in depth for those who wish to look deeper into this issue than the information provided in the other brochure. They look very interesting, and I am going to enjoy discussing them with people in my local area.
A new book was released, to help us cope with the difficulties we face in these critical times. It compares the situation facing Jeremiah, who lived in times very similar to our own, and how he coped with Jehovah's help. I am sure I will need to refer to this very often! We will be studying it as a congregation later in the year as well. Very timely help indeed!
On the saturday, 24 new brothers and sisters were baptized, which was a lovely event to witness, as we were able to view the baptism in the auditorium in a specially constructed pool in front of the platform.
Sunday brought us a new full-costume drama about the flight from Jerusalem just prior to the Romans destroying the city in the first Century. It was very thought provoking, as of course we are living in a time of similar upheaval.
Also, on the Sunday, a new DVD was released, detailing the beginnings of the modern day organisation. Eli and I watched this on Monday evening, and enjoyed it very much.
Unfortunately, following three days of travelling and sitting at a convention, the body does make you pay for it! I have been very sore and exhausted for the last three days, and only today am I starting to feel a little better. However, the benefits of attending far outweigh the problems it stores up for the body to deal with.
We have a busy weekend ahead of us, as we are looking after my grandson while his mum attends a wedding in Scotland. In the meantime, it is a beautiful sunny day and I am going to the library soon. I have completed the Japanese Language A part I and II Beginners so I am going to see if they have B part I and II Intermediate for me to borrow.
Bye for now!
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