Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Mainers Come to Nica

Hi everyone,

Last week, I had some friends and family come visit for ten days, and it was just the boost of encouragement I needed! My brother Ben, his wife Bree, my good friend Troy (Bree's brother), and his girlfriend Erin all had a great time. It was so cool having them with me in Nicaragua. Here are some highlights of their visit!

Tired after their late-night arrival, but happy to be here! First, we spent a few days in Granada seeing some of the great sights of Nica. On their first day here, we did a boat tour of the islands in Granada. It was beautiful, as usual.


Amy & Abigail also joined us in Granada. We had to go to Kathy's Waffle House, of course. They have the BEST American breakfast you'll ever have in Nicaragua.

I also wanted to make sure that the gang got to try ziplining!
Definitely an adventure.

Afterward, it was time to go see a great of view the Laguna de Apoyo.
Ben making his first Nica business deal...

After a few nice days exploring Granada, it was time to travel up to Chinandega to show everyone what we're all about here. Simon and I took them to one of our meetings in Ojo de Agua. They loved it, and Ben even gave a comment in Spanish!
Troy & Erin ready for the meeting.


One thing that was especially interesting for me was the gang needing me to translate everything in Spanish for them. It was very weird - it made me realize that maybe my Spanish isn't so terrible after all! For instance, Ben got a chance to get his haircut in Nicaragua. He got to have a good conversation with the barber about soccer and baseball - with me mediating! It was hilarious.

Everyone wanted to get a chance to go out in service here. They all learned a brief presentation in Spanish. They got to work some territory right in Chinandega, and Ben also came out in Ojo with Simon and I. They all loved it!
Break time out in service?

I love this picture. Brothers Roberts in Nica!

I was so proud of all of them!

The peeps also got to experience a Nica dance party. It was Amy's going-away party, and it was a lot of fun!

The next day, Ben gave the public talk in the English congregation. He did a great job, and they loved having him.
It was also Amy's last meeting. Bittersweet!

Ben, Bree, Simon and I also went off to one of the nicest beaches in Nica - Chancleta's. 

The waves were POWERFUL but the water temperature was perfect.

Ben and Bree came out with us in Ojo once again. They even got to ride on a bike, Nica style!
Simon and Ben coping with the heat!

On their last night in Nica, Moises took us all to a baseball game here in Chinandega. It was hands-down the best baseball game I've ever been to. Chinandega was losing to Granada 7-0, but then they came back with three runs. Then, in a big surprise, they got a grand slam to tie the game! Immediately after, they scored another two runs to win the game 9-7!
Ben enjoying a Nicaraguan hot dog...? 

It felt cool to explain the game to Simon and Amy. It made me feel like such a sports expert! 

Oh yeah, and the power went out in the whole stadium and city in the middle of the 8th inning.

The next day, it was time to say good-bye. First, Ben had to say farewell to his best friend in Nicaragua: the barber.

Amy came down with us to the airport, as she was leaving to go back to England shortly after my visitors left. She got to witness what big babies we are. It was so hard to say good-bye. I loved having everyone here, and it helped me feel right at home! However, hearing them all tell me how proud they are of me gave me the encouragement and motivation to continue on with my assignment here. I'm so glad that they got a chance to see what Nica is really like. Do you think they should come back? I do!


Take care!


Sam







Friday, October 26, 2012

El Ministerio

Hi there!

Whenever people ask me what my favorite part of living here is, my answer is always the same: the ministry. Here are some experiences that explain why. 

I started my first Spanish Bible study this week! I've really wanted to make my ministry here meaningful, as opposed to just handing out magazines and doing a simple presentation. Of course, that was good for me to do when I first started learning Spanish, but if I really want to make progress with it, I need to push harder and take more risks with it. The effort to start a study was well worth it - the man I spoke with believes that Jesus is God's son, and has great respect for the Bible. I read John 17:3 to him, and he agreed that it is very important to learn about God and Jesus. I opened up the Bible Teach book and asked him if there were any topics that interested him, and he said all of them were excellent topics! I opened up to the pages with the illustrations of paradise, and he read Revelation 21:4 right off the page without me even asking him to do so! I look forward to speaking with him more. Simon & I have both been making efforts to start studies, and this Saturday, we have the whole morning into the afternoon filled with studies!

Out in Ojo de Agua, ready to preach!

Something that I find fascinating is the amount of children in Ojo de Agua's territory that want to talk about the Bible. We've called on several kids while their parents aren't home, and they want us to bring them Bible Story books!

Simon, myself, Joel, & Roberto crossing a bridge in our territory...
...and crossing it with style!

Once a week, I go out with the English congregation. One reason is because I'm covering an English study for a brother who is currently away in his home country. A lot of times, they do censusing - looking for people who speak English. Many of the people they find prefer reading English literature even though Spanish is their first language. For example, I went with Moises on one of his return visits, who was waiting to receive an English Bible. When Moises gave him the new Bible, the man was overjoyed. He said, "This right here is the truth! This is God's word!"

Moi and I having some banter between doors.

A couple weeks ago, Moises & I found two women in their 40s who have just moved down here from the United States. They had Bible studies back in America, and although they can speak Spanish, they have requested to have Bible studies in English! That is really good news for the sisters in the English congregation - a lot of the English-speaking people they find who want to study are men, and hence need to be passed onto brothers.

The other day, we went into the depths of the Chinandega marketplace to do some censusing. It's actually pretty fun - if you can handle the various smells! 

Baby in a basket?

While preaching in the marketplace, I found a guy who spoke English fluently. He had gone to high school in California. Of course, the only piece of English literature I had on me was a Truth tract. I simply read through the first paragraph (Does God really care about us?), and offered it to him. He loved it, and was completely engrossed in it. I read him 1 Peter 5:6, 7. I thought he wanted the conversation to end, but he actually wanted to discuss the question dealing with what happens to us when we die! He said, "These are all excellent questions. Could you come back so we can talk more?" Took the words right out of my mouth!

Simon having a good conversation with an interested English-speaking man. 

This morning, Simon & I showed up for the group only to realize that we were the only ones out today. Nonetheless, we had a great morning! 

I've said it many times before: the ministry here is unlike any other. One thing I love about it is that no matter what your level of Spanish is, whether you're explaining the 70 weeks prophecy or placing a small tract, people listen very well and show great interest. That, combined with a nice English field, makes for an incredible territory. Don't believe me? Come down here and see for yourself!


Hope everyone is well,

Sam



Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Bienvenidos a Chinandega

Hello there!

It's been an insanely busy month here, but I have finally moved to the city where I will be situated for these next few months...Chinandega!

Chinandega is another major city in Nicaragua, the fourth largest. It has a population of about 122,000. It is located in the northwest, bordering Honduras. Here is its location on the map of Nicaragua, along with some pictures of the town.


One of the 'main' streets in town. Can anyone spot Subway in the background? :)

Chinandega's Central Park.
Centro Plaza, a recently-constructed mall close to where I live.

San Cristobal volcano, in Chinandega - yes, it did erupt as soon as I got here! But everyone is fine. I just had to make a good entrance. ;)

What do you think Chinandega is most famous for? Let me tell you...it's the HEAT. Chinandega is THE hottest part of Nicaragua - temperatures average in the 90s, with at least 90% humidity. Coming from Maine, one of the coldest places in America, and spending most of my time in Esteli, one of the coolest places in Nicaragua, you can probably guess that this has been a HUGE adjustment for me. I'm not used to having to worry about the heat! Drinking plenty of water is a must here in Chinandega. I came to that realization the hard way when I got heat exhaustion the first week here and had to be taken to a friend's house to rest (Did I tell my mother about that yet? Oops!).

Thankfully, the heat in Chinandega is overshadowed by an incredible spiritual environment. The growth of Witnesses here is very rapid - Chinandega has the highest concentration of Witnesses out of any other place in Nicaragua. There are about 30 congregations here, and the town itself makes up two and a half circuits (not sure what the half means, that's just what I was told)! New congregations have been forming every six months, hence the need for more brothers. 

Simon and I have had our record cards moved to the Ojo de Agua congregation (pronounced "o-ho day ah-gwa"). It means "eye of water," and it is in a very rural territory. This congregation is really friendly and close-knit. There are about thirty publishers here, and most of them have only been baptized for two or three years. There is one elder, and there are four servants, including Simon and myself. They need a lot of help, including a need for brothers and for support out in the ministry. We have five pioneers, but only one of them is actually Nicaraguan. On a typical morning, there are usually four, maybe five people out. Talk about having plenty of work to do! We're looking forward to helping out here. The congregation has a very positive spirit. Here are some pictures of the Kingdom Hall from the meeting this past Sunday.



The parking lot.

We live right in the center of town, and we take our bicycles out here. It's a rough road, and it takes about 25 minutes to get there. But it's such a beautiful area that you can't really complain (even though I do sometimes).

I love this picture - that's the Kingdom Hall in the background.

Of course, with my limited Spanish, being in a Spanish congregation that needs a lot of help is overwhelming at times. But wait! There is an English congregation here! There are 22 publishers in the congregation. It consists of a lot of Brits and Australians, but there are a lot of English-speaking people being found in the territory. There are many Bible studies being conducted in English. 

Amber and Moises. It was her last meeting in Nica - she's moving to Costa Rica (rhyme!).

How tiny is she??

Amy and Abigail, both from England, out to eat after the meeting.

Junea - her and her husband David are from Australia. He is the coordinator of the congregation.

Having the English congregation close by is a big help, especially when my mind is exhausted from Spanish. I'll be attending the English meetings on Sundays, along with my meeting in Ojo de Agua afterward. Simon and I have both been able to help out at the English meetings - I gave the public talk last Sunday as well. They are definitely putting us to work here!

Ready for anything!

Life is certainly busy here. Jefte (pronounced "Hef-tay") is a brother about my age who speaks English fluently. He has been extremely helpful in getting us settled in, including helping us find a place to live (which I will post pictures of in the next blog - we're having some work done on the place). He teaches English here in Chinandega by means of a conversational class. Some of the Witnesses help out with instructing, or just go to the class to hang out. It's pretty cool!

Eduardo and Abigail instructing more advanced students.

With the Active English class.

After all of the craziness these past few weeks, we decided it was time for a much-needed beach day in Leon. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Settling in here has been a LOT to handle, but I'm doing my best! It's not without its difficult moments - whether it be because of the language barrier or the brutal heat - however, the good definitely outweighs the bad. I am determined to show Chinandega that it is no match for me!

Thank you all for your support! I will continue to keep everyone posted.


Sam