Tuesday, February 26, 2013

C.O. Visit in Ojo

Hey guys,

This past week, we had the visit of our Circuit Overseer in Ojo de Agua. Well, actually, he was double-booked with us and another congregation, so we got a substitute! Even so, it was still a very busy week.

His name is Carlos Mejia. He is 43-years-old, and has an incredible backstory. When he was thirteen-years-old, he went to Cuba for schooling. There is where he learned the truth. However, once there was a ban on Jehovah's Witnesses, he was imprisoned soon thereafter. It was an absolute nightmare for him. He suffered severe starvation, dropping down to a shocking 70 pounds. He was even put in solitary confinement. All of the brothers were brutally tortured day after day. Once he was released, he faced yet another imprisonment for taking his stand as a Witness. After his second term in prison, he was eventually expelled from the country just for being a Witness. He wasn't the only one - hundreds and hundreds of brothers were deported from Cuba to Miami, forced to leave their families behind. Carlos met his future wife Carolina in Cuba, and they married in Nicaragua, having spent about twelve years total in Cuba. Even so, he said that when he was first released from prison, there were times when he would wake up screaming in the middle of the night because of the haunting memories. Can you imagine going through all of that? It would've been so easy for him to renounce his position as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in that situation, but he endured it all. He is an incredible example for all of us!
Carlos leading the service group on Friday.

The increased activity throughout the week was very encouraging. We had upwards of twenty people out each day, compared to the six or seven people that are usually out! He also gave us a goal for our meeting attendance throughout the week: we were told to invite at least one person to the next meeting. While I wasn't able to get any of my studies to come, we did have a big increase. On Tuesday, we had an attendance of 36, and on Sunday, our attendance was 57! 

The Tuesday night of his visit, Simon had gotten really sick and couldn't come, leaving me to cover his Bible Highlights. No pressure or anything! Simon gave me his notes, which I didn't have time to practice. The actual talk went fine, but when it got to the commenting portion, Carlos raised his hand, and I couldn't for the life of me remember his name! It was even worse because he remembered my name when I came into the hall! What was I meant to do? Let's face it, when the Circuit Overseer raises his hand, you can't ignore him, even if he's a substitute. So I did the only thing I could think of. I pointed to him and said, "Brother...Circuit Overseer." The booming laughter from the audience somewhat put me at ease, and he was very forgiving! I've always been good at making really good first impressions.

Ervin and Kelvin trying to walk fast, like me. No one else possesses the skill!

As hot and exhausting as the ministry is down here, every now and then we have to take a step back and remember how beautiful our territory is!

There was one major challenge during the visit. Carlos is a very loving and friendly brother, but his mixed Nicaraguan and Cuban accent makes him extremely difficult to understand. Nicaraguans are known for not speaking very clearly as it is! Even Maddie & Stephan were struggling to understand his talks, and they've been here for almost three years, mind you. The three of us were sitting together during his talks and having to compare notes!! He would always put me on the spot, too, saying, "Do you understand, Samuel? Do you understand the point? You don't understand, do you?" I really wanted to say, "Of course I don't understand! You're making me nervous!" Even my friend Eduardo - a Nicaraguan brother - told me that he understood why we had trouble communicating with him. Nevertheless, Carlos was so nice. He would always give me a big hug and tell me he appreciates all the work Simon & I are doing. I guess the phrase "love never fails" is true, even  when you don't speak the same language!

Stephan & Maddie enjoying a morning of service.

Although it was an exhausting week, both physically and mentally, it was well worth the effort. Carlos is a great example for all of us, and his story has strengthened my determination to never give up in Jehovah's service!
Carlos & Roberto walking to the territory on Saturday.

Oh yeah, and one other funny thing that happened: Wednesday night, we had the meeting with the regular pioneers. Afterward, some of us were speaking with Carlos. We had said something in English about how he doesn't speak very clearly. Carlos then said something to Roberto, who told us, "He understands English!" 

I replied, "Yeah, but he's probably not fluent, right?" 

Carlos then laughed and walked away. You can never be too sure.

Hope you all are well,


Sam

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Help me help you!

Hey all,

Apparently I've been criticized for not asking my followers what topics interest them! So, if there are any specific questions you have or things you would like me to blog about, let me know in the comments below or send me an e-mail. :)

Sam

- P.S. A lot of people have also asked me how to leave a comment on the blog. I think, if you do not have a Google account, the best thing to do is go to the comment section, write your comment, and then click where it says "Comment as," click on Name/URL. Then just type in your name. A URL is not necessary. Then you can publish the comment no problem. Hope that helps, and hope to hear from you guys soon!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Return to Esteli

Hey everyone,

This past weekend, a group of us made a trip up north to see the famous Somoto Canyon! It's one of the oldest canyons in Central America, and a really cool spot to explore. It's located about an hour and a half outside Esteli, so we ended up staying in a hotel right in the city of Esteli for the weekend. We were all excited, especially since it's been getting warmer in Chinandega. The cooler weather was just what we needed.

Of course, we had to pass through Matagalpa on the way there to check out some of our favorite coffee shops.
Simon & I went up with Josh & Cassie, a couple from Australia, and Jen, a sister from Virginia. They all serve in the English congregation in Chinandega. We've all become pretty close, so it was fun for us to make this trip together.

Cassie & I.

Cass & Jen.

It was nice being back in Esteli again and catching up with a few old friends. There were a few major differences between Esteli & Chinandega that became quite apparent:
  • Esteli is so much cooler - and I mean to the point that we were FREEZING at some points! It was nice to breathe some fresh air!!
  • The coffee is a lot better in Esteli & Matagalpa.
  • The actualy city of Esteli is a lot nicer than Chinandega - and cleaner. You wouldn't think so if it was the first place you went to in Nicaragua, but it's true!
  • While Esteli is a lot more scenic (it's surrounded by views of the mountains) and has a lot of good coffee shops, it's very isolated; at least three hours from the ocean. I'm not too fussed about living close to the beach, but it's weird to not at least have the option to go.
  • The ministry is amazing in Chinandega - that's what we keep reminding ourselves. :)
After staying at the hotel Saturday night, we headed off to the Somoto tour the next day. Josh & Cassie have a car that we were able to take, which was worlds better than taking buses. We made our way to the offices, where our tour guide met us. We walked about one kilometer down the road to get the actual trail.
Excitement!

The trail was also about one kilometer, and we got to see some beautiful things on the way there, including:

1 - a dead snake

2 - a cow posing for pictures

3 - a nice little house by the countryside

and 4 - a clear view of Honduras and its immigration office!

Soon, we finally made it to the beautiful canyon! February is probably one of the best times of the year to see it - in October (the peak of the rainy season), there is way too much water, and in May (the peak of the dry season), there is virtually no water. February provides a nice middle ground.

We were expecting (or at least I was) a simple hike around the canyon and to make our way to the swimming hole. That was not the case - It turned out to be a lot more physically demanding that I thought it would be! We had to make our way through some rough parts of the river and had to do a lot of swimming, which got to be a little scary. A lot of the times, we couldn't touch the bottom for a while! Oh, and another thing: the water was COLD. We could NOT stop shivering!!
The tour guide gave us these really attractive swimming shoes to wear...
I can't handle this!

Finally, we made it to a nice swimming spot, which had a good rock for us to jump off of!
Happy to still be alive!

Going further along, we made our way through some rougher waters, finally coming to another jumping spot. This time, it was much higher...
Can you see those tiny people in the background? That's how high it was! I think it was about 10 meters high. Josh was just a little excited. The rest of us, however, were a bit apprehensive.
That's my foot over to the left. Josh & Simon had just taken the plunge. In the end, I decided not to. I know, I know, but I've jumped high distances before, and it was just too much pressure! I'll probably do it next time. The rest of us just jumped from a shorter distance. Also, this next picture justified my decision. I hope you deal well with blood...
Poor Simon. He had his waterproof camera with him, and took it with him as he was jumping. The impact of hitting the water made him hit himself right in the face with the camera! He was a good sport though. He didn't even notice it until Josh pointed out the injury!


At last, we made it to the end of the tour, where we were able to take a boat to the end of the river. This picture pretty much sums it all up.
We sustained a lot of cuts & bruises. I was grumpy right here because I had just gotten a major cramp in my leg! Simon, however, took home the prize for best injury.
We survived Somoto Canyon! We then made another hike back to the tour guide office, where they fed us lunch! Along the way, we got to overlook everything. It's beautiful there!

Simon also received some medical attention for his injury. Thankfully the swelling has gone down a lot. All that's left is a black eye. He's telling people that he was just trying to save a poor old lady from getting robbed. You should see the other guy!

Although it was absolutely freezing and physically exhausting, we had a great time together. It was also nice not to be melting in a pool of sweat! I would definitely go back. Anyone else??

Talk to you all soon. Stay in touch!


Sam





















Friday, February 15, 2013

It's Friday, Friday...

Hi there!

We've certainly been busy these past few weeks. One thing I've noticed is that Friday has become a very busy day for us. It's always a productive morning of preaching followed by an afternoon filled with many Bible studies. This morning, I did some early preaching near On the Run, which went very well. I went inside to get a drink, and a man who works there approached me. I've talked to him a few times before (he knows we're Witnesses), and he speaks broken English. He saw that I had my service bag, and asked me, "Tienes algo de leer para mi? Do you have something to read for me?" I said yes and gave him one of the latest magazines. He replied, "Thank you, Sammy. Have a good day!" Not a bad way to start the day!

The Friday group in Ojo, all ready to start preaching!

Roberto is gonna KILL me for posting this, but I couldn't resist. Look how happy he is! I don't think I've said much about him, but he's been here for about over a year. His parents are both Mexican, but he was raised in the States. Spanish is his first language, but he speaks English fluently as well. He's a big part of the congregation, and has been very helpful to us. He is also, more importantly, hilarious.

This morning, we worked a road that goes all the way to the edge of our territory, one that hasn't been worked in months. It involved a lot of walking, which was difficult considering it's been hotter and dustier lately. But it was well worth the effort. While we didn't have any mind-blowing, study-starting conversations, we just had a lot of fun. Simon, Roberto, & I went together since we were the only brothers out. Roberto was leading us down a road next to a sugarcane field when he suddenly told us that we had to cut through the sugarcane field to get to the house we were going to. I didn't really have time to protest, so I had no choice but to follow.
This was just the light at the end of the tunnel. What happened next? No one was home. Yeah, that was a bummer. However, we turned around and saw a nice big tree, that was begging for us to climb it!
Being very productive, as usual.

Single brothers stick together!

Each Friday morning always ends with "posicles" (popsicles) at Jasmina's house.

Bible studies in the afternoon always prove to be interesting. Last week, I went to see if José & Fatima were home with Stephan. I usually study with them on Wednesdays, but they weren't home that day. So on Friday, I tried again, only to find another guy come to the door and tell me that they don't live there anymore! I was pretty disappointed. They were a great study. However, they moved out to Rancherias. I know a brother who lives out there, and was able to arrange for him to continue their study. The man gave me their new address to pass on. I ended up bumping into them downtown the next day, where they apologized profusely, but were happy to hear that their study would continue. Yet, I think Jehovah could tell I was still sad about losing the two studies. So what happened next? That same afternoon, I picked up two more, of course! One is a kid named Junior, and another is a man who I have called on before. I went back on both of them today, and it went very well. Only on a Friday!

Yorleni & Maddie cycling off to a study.

Maddie & Stephan returning from a study. 

I had an interesting experience with Jorge (one of my English studies) last week. We went to have the study with him, only to find that he was too sick to study that day. Before we left, however, he told us that they had been gathering watermelons from their farm on the edge of town. He showed us some of their collection inside - they've gathered over 600 watermelons so far!
That's just a small part of it! They've been selling them pretty quickly, but Jorge wouldn't let us leave without giving us one, which was sweet. But then, his adorable five-year-old son came over and insisted that we take the biggest one they had. How do you say no to that?!
Today, we returned to find that Jorge is feeling much better. We had our study, and it went well as usual. He does better with each passing week. A couple of weeks ago, I started using the Who Are Doing Jehovah's Will Today? brochure with him. As soon as I showed it to him, he took it from me and was closely examining all the questions - Why are we called Jehovah's Witnesses? What will you experience at our Christian meetings? What are our meetings like? He said, "These are great questions!! I've always wondered about them!" We've done a section at the end of each study, and he always enjoys it. Hopefully it will motivate him to come to one of the meetings! 
We end each Friday with Jorge. That's his wife, Sandra, in the middle, and his son, Jorgito, to the right. Sometimes we are there until 7 PM, but it's always worth it. Sandra will even brew us some really good coffee and serve us tasty pica bread once in a while. :) They're doing so well. Ever since I gave them their own copy of the Bible, they've still been reading it together every night at dinner time. I'm so proud of them. It's truly a pleasure to study with him, and it's always a great way to end our long day of preaching!

Hope everyone is doing well. 

Take care,


Sam