New Mexico

Las Cruces, NM

This fine city is located about an hour NW of El Paso yet is many miles apart in other respects. Although a rapidly growing city and the largest in southern New Mexico (about 200,000) I find it a much more comfortable and visually pleasing city than El Paso. This is at least my 4th visit and I always look forward to staying here whenever my travels take me down Interstate 10. The reason for Las Cruces's popularity lies in its weather (many retirees call it home) and proximity to El Paso if the amenities of a larger city are needed. The area around Las Cruces is strikingly beautiful; the Organ Mountains (seen in the photo on the left and named for their similarity to organ pipes) make a beautiful backdrop and provide a great place for hiking (as you'll see in the pictures).

There are 3 Kingdom Halls in Las Cruces, each with one English and one Spanish congregation. Every time I stop here I always attend the same Hall (next visit, I'll try another). I spent 2 mornings in service while visiting so there isn't much to report other than the people in the territory are generaly friendly and readily accept our literature. There are quite a number of Indians (that is, people from India) living here, many of them students attending the local university. The brothers find them very friendly and many are curious about Christianity, making it easy to talk to them and start studies.
Two days a week the brothers set up a table at the local university and display magazines and books until about 2 PM. Other brothers will work the area around the campus with tracts, etc. during this time. The brothers display good zeal, often starting at 7AM in order to work gas stations, coffee shops, etc.

Bro Judah Smith is a young married brother who shares 2 experiences:
He and another brother were in service one day and both were becoming discouraged because of the bad reception they were getting from the people in the territory. In fact, they were so discouraged they decided to call it quits although only one house remained on that particular block. Wisely, they reconsidered and decided to stop at that one last house. Bro Smith knocked on the door and a lady answered. Somehow, Bro Smith couldn't remember the scripture he was using to go along with the literature so he spontaneously shared Rev 21:3,4 with the householder, although that scripture had nothing to do with the offer. The lady's eyes started to tear up and she told Bro Smith that she had just lost a dear friend and had many questions regarding death: why do we die, what happens at death, where do dead ones go, etc. Bro Smith was able to place an appropriate brochure with he lady and turn the call over to a sister for followup. This was a clear demonstration of angelic guidance. The experience was also a reward for not tiring out but being thorough in the ministry, making sure every last person is reached with the Good News.

Bro Smith works part time for NASA. When he worked fulltime NASA offered to pay for his college, even to the point of getting a master's degree. This was certainly a great temptation but Bro Smith declined the offer because he wanted to pioneer. So, he now works part time as does his wife, who picks up house cleaning jobs here and there. Both of them are very happy with his decision to turn down the free college tuition in order to expend more time in the ministry. I'm sure some of his colleagues at work are scratching their heads over his decision since he turned down many thousands of dollars in tuition and the probability of receiving a higher paying position in the future. Like the apostle Paul, Bro Smith considered all other things "a lot of refuse".

Mr. Ed takes a hike: Just a few miles outside of Las Cruces in the Organ Mountains is an area called Dripping Springs. There's a fine hiking trail here which I explored a few years ago. I decided to hike the trail again (gotta keep in shape, you know..). The day I hiked the trail the weather was picture perfect: clear blue sky, comfortable temperature and low humidity. There are numerous old, abandoned buildings along the trail and signs explaining their history. At the end of the trail (about 1.5 miles) is a small waterfall from which Dripping Springs gets its name. The scenery here is spectacular, so much so that I decided to post numerous photos on my website dedicated just to this trail. Neary is a cave which at one time was inhabited by Native Americans (La Cueva). The cave isn't big but once inside you can understand why peoples in the past used it as a home or shelter (you'll see it in the photos). I would have liked to spend more time here but with colder weather settling in soon I decided to keep heading west in order to get to AZ and CA in time for the really cold months.

Deming, NM

I've visited Deming at least 3 times in the past and decided to once again make a stop here to engage in the ministry and visit one of my favorite museums. I wasn't able to do either. The brothers were in the process of remodeling their Kingdom Hall so none were engaging in the field ministry. My favorite museum (the Luna Mimbres Museum) was closed for remodeling, too. So, I decided to pitch right in and assist with the Hall remodeling (after all, that IS a form of service). I signed the roster and joined over 300 brothers & sisters from several states who had also come to assist; there were brothers from Texas, Colorado, and many parts of New Mexico who helped out. The cooperation among the brothers was phenomenal, as is always the case during a rebuild. Especially impressive was the number of sisters working along with the brothers and every bit as capable. At least 50% of the friends working on the roof alone appeared to be sisters. I assisted on Saturday & Sunday. When I returned to my RV park that Sunday I figured that more work had to be done before the Hall was useable so I planned to return next morning to help complete the job (after all, they were still laying carpet and the seats had yet to be installed). So, I returned Monday morning in my work clothes only to find meetings for field service taking place. Yes, the brothers completed the Hall the previous day, much to my amazement! Obviously, I wasn't dressed for the ministry and had already planned to leave Deming that day so I had to forgo the ministry here this time (I'll be back, hopefully).

As I mentioned about Las Cruces, there are likewise some beautiful areas surrounding Deming that beg to be explored. I drove not too many miles out of town to the vicinity of Rockhound State Park, where you can look for gems and keep those you find. I did no gem hunting this trip (have done so in the past) so I decided to explore other areas nearby. The weather was just perfect and, as I've stated before on this blog, I really appreciate the low humidity here in the southwest. I can hike trails and mountains without working up too much of a sweat. Yes, it's "my kind of place."

Lordsburg, NM:

I've often bypassed this little town during my travels over the years, assuming there wasn't a Kingdom Hall here. I was proven wrong when some brothers in another part of New Mexico informed me that there was indeed a congregation here. I was happy to learn this because I love visiting congregations in smaller towns. So, I decided to pay a visit. Lordsburg is located on I-10 about 20 miles from the Arizona border. Being a small town there is a small congregation here. There are 27 publishers, of whom 5 are elders and 5 are pioneers...quite a healthy ratio. As a matter of fact, Lordsburg is the smallest congregation I've visited during my current journey.

I went out in service on the two mornings I was here. The friends were still distributing KN #37, as was commonly the case with several other congregations I've visited...there was just too much territory to cover within the alloted time. The people in general were friendly and most readily accepted the tract.

Bro Al Wristen is one of the elders here. He was born in the Truth and at 14 yrs of age became a territory servant (brothers in those days weren't particular when it came to age). Bro Wristen also found himself in federal prison for a few years because of his neutral stand. He met his wife shortly thereafter and they decided to leave their hometown and service wherever the need was great (they've been married 60 years now). That was 50 years ago and they've served in 19 congregations since then. One of the many places the Wristens pioneered in was Medellin, Colombia. They were instrumental in forming the first congregation in that country. Sister Wristen is also mentioned about in the 1960 Yearbook. They have plenty of stories to tell, but I can't list them all here (some day, I'll carry a tape recorder!).

Two young sisters in the congregation have interesting ancenstry. Both are half Spanish and half Apache indian and are descendants of Apache leader Geronimo. The older of the girls, 16 yr. old Christina Madrid has just become a regular pioneer (their pictures are on my photo website).

Just a few miles outside of Lordsburg is the ghost town of Shakespeare where many wild west characters used to hang out. The town is owned by a private party who actually live there (the only inhabitants) and they give tours on certain days a few times a month. So, I couldn't look around but was able to take some pictures from a distance. Further west on I-10 is another ghost town, Steins.

Well, I finished my stay in New Mexico and headed to Willcox, AZ. I plan to spend some time in Arizona, which is one of my favorite places. You'll be reading a lot of reports from this state...

To view photos relevant to this blog, click here: Photos

Comments or questions: mred1914ce@hotmail.com.
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