Third day, next to last, and busiest from terms of selling and promoting 1858gc books.
There were a few people interested, but not the hundreds that i had somehow imagined. But three people bot packs of 10, and then…..
I went to eat the first all-you-can-eat meal in over 10 days and sat next to a man whose first words were “how can i get a case of those books!!!!!
The convention was held at the Twin Towers Hotel from the 10th to the 13th of August. I left school a touch early even tho i had started teaching there just the previous day. The administration is very supportive, and even asked to share my booth space – sure 🙂
By bus from Minburi (a suburb) to the centre of Bangkok takes close to 2 hours during the day, around 1 1/2 at nite, even tho it travels probably only 30km. I got off at MBK shopping complex, and carried a large load of books and stuff – maybe 15kg, for around 20min as i made my way to the hotel.
It’s a really nice hotel, with a soaring lobby and some Thai traditional dancers and music players. The booth area was on the fourth floor, and i was around the 3rd or 4th one to arrive. The set-up guys were still there and there was lots of activity. hmmmmm. Looks like my booth is situated about in the most perfect spot in the whole place. How did God arrange that?
Went back on Friday morning early expecting big things. But not to be, at least in terms of numbers. It was good to meet a few interested people, and the neatest thing was realizing that except for the Filipino and Indonesian people, i knew over half of the people there 🙂
The new Translation Centre booth was directly across from mine, and i was able to have some really good conversations with the two young men helping out there. The director of that didn’t like this 1858 Great Controversy book when i met him over a year ago, but didn’t say anything negative about it this time. I wish them well, and hope they change from “dynamic” translation of Ellen White material, to “formal equivalence” translation, as i don’t want my inspired words to be filtered any more than they have to be.
You could see preparations for a big dinner to kick off the Sabbath, but i was heartened to see that the term “Gala Dinner” was taken off the final ASI program guide, and that there is recognition of a problem, and searching for solutions 🙂
Looks like blank lines aren’t allowed in comments .. hmmmm.
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Sabbath was great.
There was a testimony from a man from Guam who runs a travel agency there. He told us how God has blessed him since his company decided to start keeping the Sabbath. When he told how the executives of the largest Japanese tourist agency were very respectful when meeting a man who put his convictions above money, it made a few tears appear on my cheeks. YES! If we all kept the Sabbath, and made no compromise, think how ALL of Japan might see that blessing and want to become Seventh-day Adventist.
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Some friends came, and we sat together and listened to David Gates’ sermon. It was my first time to see him, and i was amazed at his straight talking. He said it might be best for all of us to go bankrupt, so that we can begin to learn to trust in God! I’ve said that to people, and they’ve laughed at me, or said that i wasn’t “real world”. There were a few unfortunate statements that show a lack of good information regarding America and the money supply (implying an imminent crash because America is “printing too much money”. (i did not point out to him at asi that he had sent me a email over a year ago saying that america’s economy was going to crash in october 2005 – garbage, but hope to do so by email — again). He really is one on-fire soul, and i pray he stays strong for Jesus, and wakes us all up.
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I ate lunch with some Brothers from Malaysia. We ate some bread and fruit with my dried tomatoes and almonds. Most everybody went to a vegetarian restaurant just outside the hotel. How can we expect God to bless our Sabbath events when we plan on breaking it?
The afternoon featured a talk by a very round black pastor from America, and i walked out when he made a joke about him being a man of God and calling fire down from heaven.
I went back to the booth after sundown, but only 2 or 3 people came, so i left early. It was opportune that i met a man i knew when walking outside the hotel, and he gave me a lift to the church.