We Meet by Torchlight …

 

I didn’t know that electricity could be water soluble, but that seems to be a possibility at the Atuntaqui, Ecuador, Kingdom Hall.

Going to the meeting on Tuesday evening it was raining a little, but we were safely on the bus, so it didn’t bother us and we’ve learned to always bring umbrellas when it’s the rainy season. After a little while, the “wet people” started arriving at the Kingdom Hall – the rain had got heavier by now and continued throughout the evening.

The first part of the meeting went uneventfully, and then just after the last student talk (for which I was the householder), the power went off. No lights, no microphones. Apparently this is not an unusual occurrence. Before we moved north to Otavalo, friends had told us that sometimes the power went out at the Kingdom Hall, and we had already experienced it once before in the 2 months we’ve been here, when it was also raining.

And because it’s not an unusual occurrence, one brother began handing out a small collection of battery-powered torches, while others got out their mobile phones and other electronic devices, in order to shine some light on their Bibles and songbooks.

We sang the middle song without music, and with the aid of whatever light we could muster up.

At one point, some of the ceiling lights came on and then flashed on and off, and we had a mini disco for a minute or two, then darkness again.

Brendan had the last part, on “How to help those who have difficulty reading”, which was rather appropriate at that time, as we were all having difficulty reading.

Fortunately one of the brothers at the meeting had some kind of device that brought power from his car or its battery which fed into the Kingdom Hall somehow, and there was enough power for one light on the platform above where the speaker stands and for the microphones, so at least Brendan didn’t have to hold a torch at the same time as attempting to conduct his part. Because there was no light in the rest of the Hall, except for a couple of emergency lights, he said it was hard to see who had their hands up to comment as he couldn’t see their faces.

Shortly before the meeting ended, the power came on again, and we had light and music in time for the concluding song. Fortunately, Brendan didn’t have to lead us in song (he said that, not me!)

Strange as it may seem, things such as having the power go off now and then (as long as it doesn’t happen too often), and having to walk home the last 10 minutes in the rain while dodging puddles, as the bus driver wasn’t going to stop at the bus stop near our house, is one of the things I like about Ecuador.

In western lands, we get used to everything running smoothly and we expect things to continue that way in spite of difficulties such as extreme weather events, etc, and we can get very indignant when things don’t run perfectly.

Whereas here, you tend to have to take more responsibility for yourself and what happens to you and around you. I think it’s a more down-to-earth way to live. And I like it.

Snow on Mount Cotacachi (height 16204 ft / 4939 m) behind the Kingdom Hall in Atuntaqui. But it’s not cold.  If you were that close to a snowy mountain in Tasmania, Australia, you’d certainly know about it!  (Cheers to all our friends in Tassie!)