The best life possible

A little brief update for now!

Hindi is going very well. I couldn't be happier in my service to Jehovah. I now have 2 studies that I'm actually able to conduct completely in Hindi. The reception in service is like nothing else. And the congregation is doing great! Always a lot of movement, some have left and some have joined in the last couple of months.

We will be going to the Hindi assembly in New York on Nov.1. I am really looking forward to that, to finally get to meet others from around North America all working hard in the same field.

That's all for today. Bahut shukriya! बहुत शुक्रिया

Treating ourselves in service on a hot summer day!

A much needed update!

After many months, here is finally an update!

My Hindi sisters and I

I've never been so busy in my life. But this is such a good busy, I couldn't be any happier. 

So let's recap my last few months: Hindi class was a great experience. It served as a transition period, learning Hindi, still being in my English congregation, all while going to Hindi meetings on Saturday mornings before class and English meetings on Tuesday evenings in English. My service was split between in English and Hindi. I got the basics of the language down and also got to slowly get to know others in the congregation. 

And so the moment came for me to switch over into Hindi. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be to leave behind my home congregation. My return visits, my friends, being able to comment easily at meetings... And my parents. My mom has been finding it hard, it meant a lot for her to have me with her and my dad at meetings. One older sister nearly made me cry, telling me "how can you leave us Cailey, I don't know what I'll do in service without you." But I had vowed to Jehovah to give him my best in his service, and this was what I had decided to do. I thought I would have my last meeting and be on my way. Little did I know that my friends are THE sneakiest people ever. One congregation supper to say goodbye to the CO and his wife turned out to also be for another couple and myself. With a slideshow. And embarrassing pictures. And an elder telling the whole congregation that when he asked what a young sister likes about me, she said "I like Cailey cause she's really cool." Ways to make my heart melt. And after an assembly, my close friends surprised me at a restaurant. It was a very touching period, to see how many people love you and are proud of you. I'll cherish those feelings for the rest of my life.

Learning Hindi with balloons!

So then off I went to Hindi! April 1st I switched over. No more English service or meetings. I'm using my time to help Hindi as much as I can, even if right now I don't feel like I'm able to help all that much. I'm still struggling with expressing myself freely, with making my own sentences that actually make sense. So I'm trying to take personal interest in all those in my congregation and be able to be encouraging to my brothers and sisters. I'm also loving being in service. So so much. I can't wait to have studies of my own! Every time I do a door, I try and communicate a bit more. Hopefully soon I'll be able to converse much better. Thankfully, many Indians do understand English.

Great times in service

All that to say, I'm very happy in my new congregation, in my new language and my new territory. It is not your typical congregation: we are about 47 publishers, of which 28 are regular pioneers. This month we also have 9 auxiliary pioneers.The publisher monthly average in service (not including regular pioneers) is about 19 hours a month. Of the 47 publishers, around 12 of them are actually Indian. The rest are of different nationalities coming to help where the need is great! Lots of young single pioneer sisters. It is such a great environment. And the territory is very receptive. At our memorial, there were 103 in attendance!

So much happy!

We had our Hindi class graduation on May 10th. Our coordinator of elders did a nice talk to start it all off, and the CO did too, after which we got our diplomas! Then, all 29  students (of which 8 were from the Ottawa pre-group) had a part on the stage. 4 sisters and I translated song 122 (Myriads of Brothers) into Hindi (Hindi only has the first 55 songs translated) and sang it in front of all those in attendance. Others did very good skits, and also a reading from the Bible Story Book on Pentecost 33 C.E. And then, of course, we ate good food!

The Montreal Hindi class graduates

That's all for today, I will write more soon!

5 languages?!

Big news!!!!

I got invited to be part of the Hindi language class! I'm so so happy, I did a happy dance when I got my invitation! 

And I quote:

TO THOSE INVITED TO A LANGUAGE CLASS

Dear Brothers,

Recently you completed an application indicating your willingness to learn another language so that you could expand your ministry. We are happy to inform you that you have been enrolled in an upcoming class...  

I'm so happy to be able to start this new chapter in my life! The last couple of years have been full of changes, and I'm really looking forward to this one. The class starts on January 25th, and will be 4 months long. It will be every Saturday right after the Hindi meeting.

I realize it will be a lot of work, and that it might be hard at times. But with Jehovah's help, I'm confident that it will go really well.

It will be a big change also because I'll be leaving my home congregation. Roxboro will always have a very special place in my heart. It's seen me through good and bad times, and I've watched it change over the years. I've seen so many brothers and sisters join our congregation, stay for a bit, and then move on to somewhere else. I've shed many tears when close friends moved on to other parts of the globe throughout the years. And now it will be my turn to change congregations... It won't happen right away, but in the first months of the language class I'll switch over. I'm so so grateful for the love and support that I have from my wonderful congregation!!

So now I'm getting mentally prepared! I know that it will be very important for me to continue feeding myself spiritually in English, so I've been working on improving the quality of my personal study.

I'll be starting to learn my 5th language! I realized that the other day. English, French, Spanish, German, and now I'll start Hindi! The letter I received for the class mentions how important it will be to speak Hindi every single day. That's something I'll try hard to do.

So, here begins my Montreal adventure!!

To Begin...

I have a blog!

Why am I starting now? I'm about to embark on my own personal adventure, of learning Hindi to be able to help the Montreal Hindi congregation. I applied to attend the language class, and am waiting for an answer with great excitement. I would like to be able to share this new challenge with my friends. A close friend moving to Spain as a need greater (I am going to miss her soooo much) told me about blogspot, and so here I am.

A little bit of my story... Since finishing my schooling in early 2012, I re-examined my priorities. After working full-time for 6 months and realizing that I wasn't giving Jehovah my best, I started auxiliary pioneering in November 2012. I was able to do so for 6 months. During that time, I got to grow closer than ever to Jehovah and to my dear brothers and sisters. I started enjoying service, and to be more involved with my congregation. I made close and true friendships with some wonderful pioneers that truly looked out for me, patiently helped me gain my confidence back, and shared their joy. Over the summer, the more I thought about what I wanted to do next, the more I knew that pioneering was the best way for me to spend my time and energy. So I started pioneering September 1! I can honestly say I've never been happier in my life. My ministry feels meaningful, and I truly enjoy it. I have an inner calm I've never had before, and I sleep like a baby!

How did Hindi and I connect? 

It's an 8-year long story. Maybe one day when I have time I'll write it all out. For now I'll just say that seeing Jehovah's hand in your life directing you in a certain direction is one of the most touching things I've experienced. Just talking about it with others, I've started crying (sooo embarrassing), not of sadness, but of happiness. If you put yourself in God's hands and are ready and willing to do whatever comes your way, you will definitely be put to good use.

I'm trying not to think too much about it as I wait for an official invitation to attend the class. Right now I'm focusing on improving my personal study habits, and the quality of my ministry. But I'm really excited!!! 

Some friends from my congregation and I wearing Indian outfits at the 2012 convention