Ojo de Agua Baptisms

Hi All,

I am happy to say that I decided to go down to Managua for the convention! I only went on Saturday morning to see people from Ojo de Agua get baptized. It was definitely worth it. The journey there and back, however was long as always. I went along with the congregation on the bus arranged for 5:00 in the morning, which involved getting up at 4:00 to get ready. You can imagine how much fun that was...

Hooray for 4 AM!

Roberto & I excited for the three-hour journey.

There is an official Assembly Hall in Managua, right near where the old branch is located in Tincuantepe. I was looking forward to finally being able to see the Assembly Hall, since I had only seen pictures of it up til then. It is beautiful there!

And yes, the e is missing from Jehova.

The inside of the stadium is really nice as well. I think it can hold around 1,000 people.

You may be able to see my friends Nicole & Hannah toward the right of this picture, trying to be serious...

Although it was kind of tiring hearing everything for a THIRD time, even in another language, it was still entertaining to see some of the demonstrations!

At last, it was time for the Baptism talk. We had four people from Ojo de Agua getting baptized - and that's not even the most from a single congregation; Centenario had six candidates! In total, about 40 people were baptized that day. Those were definitely the loudest "Si!"s I have ever heard!

The candidates from Ojo.

It was a mad dash to the baptism pool. One good thing about being tall is that your ability to take pictures isn't hindered by a crowd!

The first one up from Ojo was Esperanza. Her daughter, Yorleni, is the only Nicaraguan pioneer in the congregation. She has done a great job supporting Yorleni, and is very warm & friendly.

Next up were two siblings, José-Louis and his sister, Arlen. He is 13, and she is 12. They have both done so well in the truth considering their parents are inactive. They both make sure they get out in service often. It meant a lot for me to see them get baptized - it made me think of how my sister Kayla & I got baptized on the same day as well.

Arlen was so nervous! She's adorable though - she reminds me of my niece Jaylin.

Finally, it was Paula's turn. Although I don't know her very well, it was easy to see how much this day meant to her. She couldn't stop smiling!

After lunch, it was time to make the journey back to Managua. Although it was an exhausting day, I am so glad I was able to go. I approached José-Luis & Arlen and told them, "I want you to know that I've attended this convention twice - once in the States and once in El Salvador. The only reason I came today was to see you two get baptized!" That made them both really happy. They're great kids.

The four new brothers and sisters of Ojo de Agua!

Hope everyone is well. Have a great weekend!

Sam