The Torres Times

February 2010

Letter from the editor (me)

The last newsletter I sent out was dated August of 2008, so I am way overdue to update everybody. Why do I do that to myself? Anyway we have lots of good news to share, Raquel has moved to Illinois, Leah is engaged, my parents are married 50 years, and we traveled to many different places over the last 18 months. So as not to bore you with every detail, I will try to just hit the highlights.

Memorial 2009
 

What a night Mario had! First he volunteered to provide the “bread.” Someone tried to make it, but needless to say we ended up buying it. Then at the last minute, a Bible student decided to go and needed a ride. Mario took off to pick him up. The Bible student came out to the car IN SHORTS and still had to get ready. Mario waited for him. Then on the way back to the Kingdom Hall, the water pump broke in our car. Mario just kept driving it anyway (without power steering) He was the chairman and had to start the meeting. When he barely made it back to the Kingdom Hall, he realized that with 5 minutes to spare the speaker from Bethel was still not there. With the Kingdom Hall double-booked that night, starting late was not an option, so he started to prepare to give the talk himself. In the last minute, the brother arrived. Mario did not even know how to pronounce his Greek name so he quickly asked him and went back up to the stage. All that happened behind the scenes but somehow, Mario looked calm and pulled it off. That night, Pablo and Mario bonded by working on replacing the water pump. It took all night long.

Raquel Relocates

Raquel served in the same Spanish congregation in Waterloo, Iowa for 5 years. The Circuit Overseer encouraged anyone with the circumstances to move to a congregation in need in Rock Falls, Illinois. They had few, maybe one pioneer, and lots of territory to cover. A pioneer couple from Raquel’s congregation moved there first and then invited Raquel to come join them.

Just before she moved to Illinois, Raquel came to visit CT and NY with a group of 17 friends from her congregation. In the week that they were here: we toured WTF, (had lunch) toured Patterson (had lunch and special tours,) another day we took the train to NYC (went to Staten Island on the ferry, Chinatown shopping, and an Italian restaurant for supper) Raquel also spent a 10-hour service day with us, and we had a Portuguese Party including dinner and a talent show. What a week!

In Waterloo, Raquel had close friends in the congregation, a steady job where she could name her hours and not have to work weekends, and established calls and studies. She chose to move to Illinois and because of it she was blessed in many ways:

· A new roommate, not to just share expenses but a real friend with lots in common

· A new job working as a substitute teacher for grades K-12 which is very flexible and she has her summers off

· New friends and new calls

Last December 2010, we were able to go and visit Raquel in her new place and meet her roommate. Her new address is:

203 W 12^th St

Rock Falls, IL 61071

 
Costa Rica
 
In May, Mario and I took a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. We stayed with our dear friends, Susie and Jody Waddell for 2 weeks. There had been a major earthquake 4 months before and we saw some of the damage while we were there. But Waddell’s house was not damaged since it was very well built. They have a wonderful bed and breakfast with 2 nicely furnished guest rooms, with private entrances. 
 
One of the things we wanted to see was the crater of a volcano. Every day Jody would look up at the mountain and cloud cover and say, “not today.” Finally the next to the last day he said it was worth going. We left Jody doing service on the road to the park entrance and we paid the $10 entrance fee. We saw the huge crater as a result of an explosion 15 years go. It still had a small lake in the middle bubbling which reminded me what I saw in Yellowstone Park. Ten minutes after we got there, the dense clouds moved in and we could not see anything beyond the observation fence. Later as we were leaving, it started to rain. We saw busloads of people entering and paying the park fee and it made us sad because we knew that they were not going to see anything. Jody told us one of the local friends in the congregation had gone 7 times to that volcano before they actually saw the crater. So we were happy that our timing was right.
 
I learned lots of new dishes from Susie’s wonderful cooking. She made us a Thai dish, Vodka penne, and my personal favorite, fish tacos. 
 
The first weekend we were there, Mario and I took a bus to a coastal town called Quepos and stayed in the same hotel Raquel and I stayed in 2001, it is owned and operated by a witness family. It was a half an hour walk downhill to the beach and to Manuel Antonio National Park where the monkeys roam free in the trees. One day we spent in the park and we saw the storm clouds forming but we had no idea what a tropical rainstorm is really like. The rain absolutely pours out of the sky for hours. We were soaked to the skin literally. We followed a path to exit the park but it was completely flooded from a combination of high tide and the rainstorm. We looked at the “lake” in front of us and thought about waiting with the other tourists for a boat when a local guy told us to follow him. By that time we were so wet it did not matter anymore so we stepped into the water, tennis shoes and socks and all. He showed us how to navigate to the other side. What an adventure! I was so soaked that I did not want to sit on the bus. But we had a good laugh about it later.
 
If you want to visit Waddell’s website it is:
 

http://sites.google.com/site/lacascadabb/Home

If you want to see some of my pictures of the trip, you can visit my website:

http://torrestravels2.shutterfly.com/

Super Summer

Last summer I went to Six Flags twice. First, with a group of sisters and we especially enjoyed the water park in Six Flags New England. The second time, we were treated to Six Flags in New Jersey by Pablo’s sister. We had so much fun. I lost my cell phone on a ride and the young man not only answered it, waited for me to come to him, but also returned my $20 bill that also fell out on the ride. I could not believe a stranger would be that honest.

In July, we attended our District Convention at the Stanley Theater. Two brothers in real life from our congregation played the part of the 2 brothers in the drama and they did an awesome job. What a moving drama. We enjoyed staying at the Stanley in one of the apartments. It is above the balcony in what used to be the projection room. It was wonderful for Mario to go to work (as the Program Overseer) at 6 am and I could sleep in. We had breakfast and lunch in the apartment and I did not have to drive in Jersey City. One night I went with friends to NYC for supper at a Thai restaurant. The other night we were invited to a brother’s house in Newark for an outdoor BBQ with all kinds of old and new friends (missionaries, Bethelites, and many in full time service.) The brother fed about 25 of us. Mario used to belong to that congregation when he was single, 30 years ago. It was a trip down memory lane for him.

My niece Mariah stayed with us for 2 weeks in August and we entertained her with supper on the local beach one night, a day at the beach in Rhode Island, swims in our pool and lots of pioneer days in service with Leah.

Leah Is Engaged!

Pablo DeLeon moved here from Guatemala as a teenager. He lives with his mother, Dana and his brother, Javier and all three of them are regular pioneers. Pablo decided to join our Portuguese congregation in the fall of 2006.

That winter, I should have known something was up when they went for a walk in a snowstorm and came back with their jean pants completely frozen. Another clue was when the phone bill came one month and I was relieved that we had the same phone plan and the minutes that Pablo and Leah talked were free, all 10,000 of them!

Pablo asked Mario if he could ask Leah to marry him in the middle of the ocean at our favorite beach in Rhode Island early in August of last year. Later that month, he told me one week ahead what day he planned to surprise Leah, and I was able to get a plane ticket for Raquel so she could be here and surprise both Leah and Mario. Pablo’s brother picked up Raquel at the airport and she helped his family set up everything for the surprise in our backyard after the meeting on a Wednesday night, August 26^th. Pablo attended the whole meeting. It had been raining but it stopped just in time. Pablo picked up the 3 guys that formed the mariachi band that he hired to play for Leah. He picked all the love songs they played and they even learned one that he had requested.

He had asked permission of our landlord, Tony and his wife, Maggie to use the backyard to propose. He asked Maggie to help surprise Leah. As soon as Leah came home from the meeting, Maggie invited her to come upstairs to ask her opinion on something. Then she took her out the back sliding glass door that opens onto the back deck (on the 2^nd floor.) From that vantage point she could see the pool and Jacuzzi with candles all around them, Tiki lights along the edge of the patio, red flower petals leading down to the patio, lights strung on the deck, the band singing at the bottom of the stairs and Pablo standing there with a big bouquet of roses and a ring box. We had champagne, fresh guacamole, salsa, chips, and taquitos. It was a wonderful evening and Pablo thought of every detail.

Their wedding will be in June, after Leah finishes school this May.

Vacation Value
 
In September, we took a fun and affordable vacation to a new place we had never been. It is the Outer Banks off the coast of North Carolina. We found a house to rent a block from the beach, fully furnished. We picked the dates of Sept 4-11 (off-season.) We split the cost with 3 other couples including: the Thorntons from NJ, Tyrrells from North Carolina and Shineflews from Georgia. We grilled out and had a special celebration every night for the first 4 nights, we had a special meal and desert and surprised the guest of honor since they did not know the night was in their honor. (Baptized 24 years, Full time service 25 years, began to regular pioneer this year and wedding anniversary, 29 years.)
 
We enjoyed visiting a natural sand dune, lighthouses, a wine tasting event at a boat club, and a free car-ferry ride to another island on the last day.
 
When we came home, Mario said, “Now that is the way to vacation, affordable, explore a new location, and spend time with old friends.”
 
 

 
Graffs 50th Anniversary Party
 
We took a whirlwind trip to Iowa on the first weekend of October. We left on Thursday night and returned to Connecticut by Monday. Leah could not miss more than 2 days of class. Pablo came with us so he could meet the rest of the family and the friends in Iowa could meet him.
 
 My parents had a wonderful anniversary party with family and friends from all over. There were about 200 guests. Leah created a memorable slide show for all of us. It included pictures from the past 50 years.
We hired a witness band from Minneapolis that everyone really enjoyed. After the meal and slideshow, there was dancing.
 
Since my parents eloped, it was the “wedding” they never had. 
 
Mario gave the talk in Iowa on that Sunday. Then in the evening, the Meyers from Charles City had a small intimate engagement party for Leah and Pablo. It was very nice.
 
Our Anniversary
 
Our anniversary was also the first weekend of October but we celebrated it later that month. We have a tradition of going hiking and picnicking in a new park every year in the fall. This year for the first time Pablo joined us. We had a picnic along the river in Shelton, CT and then hiked up a mountain. 

Other Notes

Since we have been counseled to have a family worship night, we have “rediscovered” our family study by doing the Bible reading together by conference call, including Mario’s mother.

We send our love and greetings to all of you and wait to hear from you when you are able to write us.