Exciting events

This evening I'm lying here in bed--under the mosquito net, of course--listening to some very loud insects in the roof and pondering recent exciting events:

• Water has gone from nonexistent to intermittent. This is a definite improvement, since in competing for the tap with the people next door, at least now I have a fighting chance.
• We have experienced two full days of a power blackout (think: ninth plague on Egypt), causing me to reflect on how boring the world would be without any electronic devices.
• On the first evening of the blackout, while I was using the bathroom, my cell phone with the light on was perched on top of a cup half-filled with water. Unfortunately, it slipped into the water, and promptly went dead, unable to be resuscitated.

Lying here, thinking about all this, I notice the beam of a torch (flashlight) passing repeatedly by the window. Someone, in an attempt to fix the blackout problem, is examining the many meters of exposed wiring running under the roof. Then, I hear some loud hammering, probably coming from the same source.

So, if you've had similar exciting experiences recently, I'd like to hear about them.

Actually, the real excitement has resulted from the regional convention here in Kigali, which will take place August 8-10 at a stadium in Nyamirambo, the last of the convention series. This convention is distinguished by the fact that it will be the second year that Kigali has one convention for the entire city (previously 8-9 smaller conventions held at the Assembly Hall). This will also be the first year that large screens are used to transmit video. So in the weeks leading up to the convention, the brothers at Bethel have been working feverishly to make sure everything turns out smoothly, from a technical standpoint.

So, for the first week or so of August, we have had the distinct privilege of engaging in two campaigns simultaneously: inviting people to the regional convention, and distributing the new tract about jw.org. Here we are on the first Saturday of the month--on which more than half of the congregation came out preaching--ready to participate in the campaigns:

Though normally the congregation schedules meetings for field service only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the weekends, for the month of August we also added Fridays. This would accommodate the numerous auxiliary pioneers that signed up that month. So August thus far has proved to be an exciting month of increased activity, here and worldwide.

Since the convention is to be in Kinyarwanda, probably we could invite most anyone, excepting the English speakers from other countries such as Uganda and Kenya who would not understand the local language.

Prior to the convention, a long letter was read in the congregation, advising everyone (1) not to save seats overnight, (2) to arrive at the convention early enough, if taking a car, so you can be helped to park, and (3) to remember that you have children when you get back to your accommodations. Seriously. There have been reports of parents completely forgetting their children, the latter being placed in Lost and Found until the parents suddenly remember to retrieve them, often late in the evening. I guess when you have 8 kids, it is easy to forget one. Or, maybe it's a convenient way of giving them away (just kidding).

I plan to go to one day of the convention (at this point haven't decided which day) just for the experience. Will keep you posted on the result!