Greg & Ruth

Well we came to Santiago! It's only an hour away from Jarabacoa, but we enjoyed our stay here even if it was for just 2 days!
Our main reason for visiting Santiago was because nephew and his wife are in the school for married couples, Greg and Ruth! What a privilege for them to be attending! So Friday morning we arrived to the assembly hall called Villa Gonzales, remember there are only 2 this one and the one in santo Domingo which I provided pictures before.
Well we arrived at Villa Gonzales and we enjoyed the tour.
This assembly hall take care if literature for 54 congregations in Santiago.
The country has had 29 classes for single brothers but only 11-29 were held here in villa Gonzales.
The sister informed us that the water for one day of assembly is 12000 gallons!!! A bunch and they have these large black water tanks!
We were also informed that construction will soon happen for this assembly hall. They currently have rooms for single brothers for when they have the school. But it's one large room with 8 beds and desk. So those rooms they divide in half and half again, that way married couple can stay there on site. They have 3 washer and 3 dryers!
They have also had Creole schools for single brothers and we were told that the majority of those brothers were sent to Haiti!
This assembly hall hold up to 2504 people! And on site 2 couples and a single brother live there to maintain the entire facility. The single brother is Jorge and thanks to him he arranged everything for us to be able to have the tour and eat with Greg and Ruth while they are at the school! Jorge is the brother with the green collar shirt. Any other brothers and sisters that you see in the pictures that are working are all volunteers.
The assembly hall was built in 2002 and dedicated in 2004.
The sister. Rosie, who gave us the tour said that this assembly is pretty much "the Patterson of the Caribbean" because they always have schools at this location.
Rosie also showed us her living quarters and where the bethelites stay when visiting for an assembly.

Greg and Ruth! We arrived to the assembly hall and while we were waiting for the tour the entire class was walking around the site because the instructors were teaching the students about maintenance. As I saw them walking I saw Greg and Ruth and I honestly thought they weren't going to recognize me, but to my surprise Ruth gets out of the line and waves at me!!!! Awe such excitement! Once they got closer Ruth ran to me and gave me a huge hug!!!! We both started crying!!! Greg was behind her and said "finally your here!" Awe so much time apart and away from each other it was so beautiful to be with them again!
They just started the school Wednesday, the day after Memorial, Friday was their 3rd day in school!
Well after the tour we met with them for lunch at 12 and met the instructors as well as the other couples in the class! What a privilege! At lunch it was just like Bethel, the seating, the organization, the prayer at the beginning and end, and of course the
announcements. Here though because its a lot smaller and they are training the couples for their assignments, after lunch they must pick up and clean up the table and plates...they don't wash them they just make it easier for when the volunteers cleans up. Once lunch is done at 1 they must report to whatever cleaning or working assignment they have like ironing, cleaning bathrooms, or whatever needs to get done. They work from about 1-2pm then head back to class.
Once lunch is done at 12:30ish the next group eat, which consist of the volunteers and the ones that live there at the assembly hall.
It was such a beautiful day! We enjoyed it so much!!! It was only Karen, Ariana, and myself who were able to come. The rest of the group stayed in Jarabacoa to be as to preach with the ASL group.