Photos of a Day in Mexico

Today was one of those we reserve for the public ministry so at 8:30 am we waited outside for the bus to Zihuatanejo. What a surprise to see, instead of the customary beater, a sleek, large van present itself. The vehicle was in fine shape and even the doors swiftly opened and closed which was a novelty. Instead of dragging his tail pipe the way bus drivers do at this point of the route, he plunged along with aggressive velocity. Even springs and shock absorbers contributed a discernable level of smoothness. Our public transportation had progressed from buck-board to Buck Rogers.

We arrived at the Kingdom Hall to discover renovations under way. Volunteers worked on a septic tank to replace the city system which had not performed well during a storm some months ago.

Inside the Hall Carol and I were asked to work with two sisters and the four of us took a taxi to our assigned territory. It proved to be hilly. In Mexico I have no idea what fixed degree of incline determines whether pedestrians get steps or a slope, but whatever may be the angle threshold, we were definitely on it today.

Alas, for reasons inscrutable to me, the above photo does not convey the steepness of this hill in full menace.

The very first call Carol and I made was at a makeshift convenience store where we found a man fluent in English and who had once lived in California. He was a likeable fellow and had a commendable reverence for the Bible. I showed him Psalm 37:11 and, in discussing what distinguishes a righteous person from a wicked one, I showed him Malachi 3:18. I should have time enough here to visit him again.

We encountered two Spanish-speaking Witnesses working nearby and I requested a souvenir photo that shows them below in front, left and center.

I asked the blonde sister, Joyce, what convinced her that Jehovah's Witnesses have the truth. She explained that while studying the Bible with Witnesses, she challenged everything because she had been convinced about the Baptist religion. Despite this she always had a major doubt about their teaching that we must go through trials on earth to prove we are worthy of heaven. She said, "It seemed stupid to me that God would create such a magnificent earth for us to live on just temporarily. And if God wanted us in heaven why didn't he create us there in the first place, like the angels?"

When she was shown what the Bible says about God's purpose to restore paradise to the earth and that obedient mankind will live on it forever, those scriptures and the reasonableness of it, resolved the question in her mind.

 At another dwelling I asked, through a door made of iron bars, if anyone spoke English. A Mexican lady said No. I said, "Gracias," and began to leave. Then she asked me, "Testigos de Jéhova?" I turned and said, "Si." She gave us a great smile and gestured to herself to indicate she was one too. The iron gate swung open and there were hugs all around. I asked permission to take her photo and caught her just as she grasped what I meant ...

What a world this will be when 'the earth is filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea.' (Habakkuk 2:14)

We carried on for some time in the ministry. The sun bore down and the needle on our thirst gauge nudged the red zone. As you may have guessed by now, there are no McDonald's and no Tim Horton's here to pause for refreshment.

But the refreshment business is not absent. Just when we needed him we came upon a seller of chilled coconut milk.

For about a dollar Canadian one obtains a plastic bag filled with coconut, coconut milk, and protruding straw. Yes, of course I asked the seller for permission to take his photo. Hey, he wields a machete.

Today I had my first drink of coconut milk in decades. It was great!

A tip: Should you ever buy one of these, resist the temptation to suck up the last few ounces by pushing your straw downward. You will penetrate the plastic bag and get coconut milk onto your clothes.

This is where I was sitting while formulating the above tip.

 Once we completed the territory we said goodbye to the sisters and walked toward the Zihua market. I was in quest of a watch repair shop I heard of. Along the way we stopped again at the restaurant called Bananas.

This is the place where they bring you the plate shown above even if all you order is a toothpick.

This time we had lunch. To be sure they brought us each a loaded plate. One does not leave Bananas with any whispering reminiscence of hunger. Halfway through these generous portions the waiter placed a bowl on our table topped with a cloth. My first thought was, 'Cloth napkins? We have a jigger full of paper ones here.' But the cloth was to cover another freebie, ten fresh and warm tortillas which our consuming capacity was simply unable to embrace.

Resuming our walk, we traversed the local market where one can buy a wide selection of merchandise, including a chicken in a box. A small flap in the box allows the chicken to survey business prospects.

And that was the kind of day it was.