Only in Nicaragua

Hello there!

I was just looking through all the pictures I took over the past week and if I were to judge the entire week based off of these photos, I would only say that it was...interesting?

For one thing, the guys and I went to the local performing arts theater to watch one of our English students in her dance recital...

A manly way to spend your Friday night.

...I managed to construct a 5-4-3-2-1 card house, which is a new personal record...

It had to be photographed as it will probably never happen again.

...Ben, Bree, Josue, & I managed to see a movie and get the theater to ourselves...

We at least had it to ourselves for the first ten minutes of the movie.

...and as another Nicaragua first, an ice cream truck passed by the Kingdom Hall after Leon's English meeting yesterday. That's right. An ice cream truck.

"Aren't you guys wondering why we never drive this thing through town during the
day - you know, like, when it's actually hot?"

I wish I had logical explanations for why we do what we do and why I choose to photograph very mundane things, but all I can think of is...hey, it's Nicaragua.

Okay, on with the rest of the week...

Ending a hot morning with cake & coffee.

November has been treating us very well! We had another great week of service. Jefte came witnessing with us in La Colonia de la Policia on Tuesday and we had a great time. Him and I found a very interested woman with whom we were able to start a study in the Bible Teach book. She wrote down every scripture we read so that she could look it up in her own Bible later. She has children and was drawn to the lesson about how to have a happy family life. We told her that I would come back with Bree the following week to demonstrate a study, which we will be doing tomorrow. She said that she'd be waiting!

Studying with Edwin.
Also, it was cool enough
that I lasted a full hour
without rolling up my sleeves!

On Wednesday morning, nobody showed up to the group, probably because it looked like it was going to rain. However, it actually worked out very well for us. The three of us were able to go do some of our studies to fill up the morning, and it went great. I had my study with Edwin, and we switched things up by beginning the lesson in the Good News brochure about how to recognize the true religion. That really captured his attention. I'm hoping it will motivate him to make it to one of the meetings. He says his goal is to come to the meeting the week that my parents visit, which is this Saturday, as it turns out!

Renee went away for a couple weeks (Did I mention that she joined me in La Norte? Well, she did, and it's been good helping each other out once again!), and Bree covered one of her Bible studies in the meantime, Claudia. She works in Parque Central, but she always puts everything aside so that she can study. She's also been prepared for every study and looked up the scriptures ahead of time! Bree also does a great job of conducting.

As you can see, Ben has all the essential supplies for a study here: publications, sweat rag, and a bottle of 7-up.

"Do you realize how selfish I look sitting in this
chair while you just stand? You so did this on purpose."

I was also able to find another one of my studies, Erling, at home that morning. We continued our discussion of the second lesson out of the Good News brochure, and he did great. He comprehends things very well, but he is also very patient with himself. He is very humble and sincere, even to the point where he insists that I take his seat, no matter how much I protest! Honestly, I feel like a bum taking his seat like that, but we would never get anything done if we kept arguing over it. He always keeps his brochures and magazines close at hand, and he's continued reading them on his own. It's very refreshing to see, and I hope that he can make it to a meeting soon, too.

Friday morning was also very encouraging. Ben & I started a study with a woman on the first call using the "Why Study the Bible?" video. Her aunt and her grandmother are Witnesses, and she said she'd always been curious. We placed the Good News brochure with her and briefly demonstrated a study. She said she'd love to continue on with it, and once again, we told her we would bring Bree with us next week so that she could! Sidenote: Ben also started a study on the first call the same morning with a very interested guy.

Showing the video...and not really knowing what to do with my left hand.

The view while crossing the bridge into town.

I was doing calls with Erling later that morning, and he was commenting on how he's noticed the overall boost of encouragement the congregation has had as a result of us being here. He noted how people stay after the meetings to associate much more now and how ministry support has also improved. I'm not mentioning that to pat ourselves on the back, but rather to show how bittersweet it is to hear things like that. It feels really good knowing that you've been a help. I feel very much attached to this congregation already. However, the hard part is hearing those words and knowing that you won't be able to stay forever. Even just going back to the States for a few months is hard when you know it's such a substantial amount of time. But we're definitely making the most of our time here until then, and I can honestly say that my joy is being renewed day by day!

Oh, and pictures like this one also renew my joy...

Is it because one of these things is clearly different from everything else? Is it because Ben is being heavily stared at by the woman on the right? Is it because he's turning into a full-on clone of our Dad? I can't decide.

Talk soon!

Sam

Enough of the Charade

Hi all,

I should be folding laundry right now, but why do that when I can procrastinate?! It's been another week full of some of the usual as well as some surprises. For one thing, the repainting of our Kingdom Hall has been completed! Here's a before and after shot:

Before

After

It's a huge change! I haven't gotten a picture of the inside yet because it's not completely done, but it's the same color as the light blue on the side. The brothers did a great job painting, although I have to admit I think I liked the yellow better. But hey, I'm adjusting.

Working one of our more rural territories yesterday.

We've been getting into a good witnessing routine together. Having the extra support really helps all three of us. (It also gives me some HILARIOUS stories to tell about Ben's progress in learning Spanish.) The brothers and sisters in the congregation have also been very helpful and patient. Honestly, though, while we were out preaching and walking through the territory as a group yesterday, I was listening to Ben chatting with Erling and Bree talking with Ivana, her partner for the morning. Although they were both still having a little trouble with it, I realized that they've actually picked up more Spanish than they realize! They're doing their best and it's paying off. (P.S. - I would never say that to their face, so enjoy reading this, Ben & Bree.)

You can tell the lady in the back is thinking, "Why are there so many white people in my yard?"

Bree reading one of the paragraphs.

Above is a new study Ben has picked up. His name is Guadalupe, and Ben placed a Good News brochure with him and his wife a week ago. He had showed them the "Why Study the Bible?" video and they both were very interested. He and Bree went back a couple days ago to continue the discussion, and I went as an emergency translator/pretty much only to take pictures. It went very well and he said he'll be awaiting their visit tomorrow!

I had begun studying the Good News brochure with a man named Erling, but hadn't gotten him home in a couple weeks since he's been busy with work. I got him home last Tuesday and saw that he already had the brochure on hand. He's been reading it in his free time, and has already read up through chapter five! We had a great study that afternoon. Hopefully we can continue it on a regular basis.

Only had time for one unflattering picture
with Jorgito before I had to go!

Yesterday, I went to give the public talk in another congregation here in Chinandega. Everything went fine, but after I concluded and was walking off the stage, I heard a very familiar voice call out, "Sam!" I look over, and who do I see but Jorgito with Sandra! Out of the thirty-some-odd congregations in this town, I just happened to give the talk in the very hall that her study conductor belongs to! Sandra told me that she had gone to one of the Sunday meetings, but apparently they've been going every Sunday for the past month! She's loving it, and she said Jorgito is making some good friends at the Kingdom Hall. That was one of the best surprises I've had in a long time. After everything they've been through with Jorge's death, it's great to see that they're doing the best thing they can do: relying on Jehovah. I still remember the days when she wasn't very open to the idea of me coming by to study with Jorge at all! 

Last night, the Zimmerman family had a party which included a fun game of Bible charades. I was laughing way too much, so I only managed to get one picture! Bible stories that were acted out included King Solomon & the dispute over the baby, Daniel & the lions pit, and Balaam & the donkey.

The kids were acting out Abraham getting ready to sacrifice Isaac.

For the Zimmermans, cooking is their expertise, and they make awesome gallo pinto (to be featured on the next edition of Que Pasta...after mamonchinos...). It was Ben's first time trying it...

...and I think I liked it! He did finish it, after all. Oh, and Bree will eat anything.

Again, nothing can be done without turning it
into a dance party. Show us how it's done, Zach!

Oh, would this be a good time to talk about the mice in our house?! No? Well, I'll talk about it anyway. There have only been two, and they were tiny, but sorry, bros. If there's a mouse in my house, it will not be making itself at home. They're clever little dudes who still managed to pick the cheese off the traps we got, so we had to resort to getting that sticky paper to trap them, and that seems to have done the trick. I'll spare you the details of his death (cue a bunch of people calling us inhumane for killing a mouse) and skip ahead to the part where I had to walk around the neighborhood with a plastic bag containing a dead mouse, looking for a public trash can. We had a dead mouse in the trash last week, and guys, believe me when I say that was one of the top three worst smells I've ever experienced in my life, so there was no way we were about to go through that again. But just picture the scene: I'm walking down the street with this plastic bag, holding it as far away from me as possible, and I guy walks past me with this expression of "Do I even want to know what's in that bag?" and I just nodded at him, mentally telling him, "No, you do not." Finally, I found a resting place for the mouse in a trash can in a little park down the street. 

Bree with Ashley, one of the best nine-year-old
publishers I've met!

We don't have anything too crazy on our plate for this week. Our parents are coming to visit in less than a couple weeks, so we're all trying to get in as much service time as possible before then. They'll be coming to one of our meetings while they're here, so it's my goal to have at least one of my studies come to the meeting so they can meet them. We'll see how it goes! It'll be great for Mom & Dad to meet everyone in the hall, and vice versa. Really looking forward to it. I'll talk to you all next Monday, and I hope you're well until then.

Take care,

Sam

Mixing Things Up

Good day!

We have officially entered into my favorite time of year in Nicaragua. The rainy season may be over, but November, December, and January are the three coolest months of the year. The high humidity that coincides with the rain is gone, and the last few days have been b-r-eezy! For all you Mainers, I know that may not be easy to read, considering the first snowstorm of the year just hit you like a ton of bricks, but I live in the hottest part of the country. Just let me have this one.

This last week was another one for the books (or blog, in this case). Preaching has been getting better and better for all three of us. Both Ben & Bree conducted their first studies in Spanish!

Ben conducting his first study with Juan on Tuesday.

Erling had a nice call with Juan, the guy pictured above, and passed it onto Ben. After preparing carefully, we went to see him on Tuesday afternoon and studied lesson six out of the Good News brochure, and Ben did very well! It helps that Juan is very interested. He answered every question in his own words and comprehended each point fully. It should work out very nicely! I think it shows that you shouldn't waste time being afraid to try to get studies right away when learning a new language. Just jump right into it! It's one of the best ways to learn quickly.

The weather may be cooler, but we still, you know, live in the hottest part of Nicaragua.

I was concerned about one of my studies, Donald, since we had been having difficulty finding a time study that worked for the both of us. However, we've finally settled on Tuesday afternoons, and the regularity has been paying off. We studied the second lesson a couple weeks ago and watched the video about God's name. He loved it and asked, "Where can get that video for myself??" He took down the website address so he could find it himself!


Zach & I watched the David video with Jorgito on Thursday, and he loved it. Once again, a few of his neighborhood friends snuck in to watch it with us. Both Zach & I had only seen the video once before when we were little, so I think all of us learned something from it!

Sidenote: Tuesday night, I had the sudden urge to move our furniture around (turning in my mother). This is what it looked like before...

...and this is what it looks like now!

The couch feels way better over in that nook (where I am currently sitting and writing this post). I made Ben & Bree sit with me in the new living room to test it out, and we found that having it all in a separate, enclosed area actually encourages more conversation! (I'm always looking at it from the psychological side of things.) That night, I was still so excited that I couldn't sleep, so I got out of bed at 10:30 PM while Ben & Bree were in bed, and just sat in one of the rocking chairs with a huge smile on my face! ...I probably reveal too much on this blog sometimes...but yes, that's what it's come to. I know that no one is as excited about it as I am, but if you are, call me.

Sidenote: I put this picture on the side by accident, but I think I like
how it looks. Does it make the blog look more interesting? No? Okay.
At least it saves space.

Where was I...oh yeah.

Friday night, we had some friends from our hall over for some karaoke and card games. It turned into a very fun night, and Eduardo brought my old friend from Ojo, Ervin, which made it even better! Some of the card games may have gotten a little violent and resulted in two swollen fingers, but that's a risk you have to take. (Wow. NEVER ask me for advice.) Ben & Bree were really glad we did it. It's another great way to dive right into learning the language. Hang out with the locals! We really want to do it much more often.

One thing you'll learn very quickly here: You can't have a gathering
without it turning into a dance party or lesson of some sort.

Great night, great people! Sidenote: Erling's off his crutches.

The weekend was also busy. Our Kingdom Hall is going to be repainted, so a major cleanup needed to take place before the painting could be done. The brothers organized two full cleaning days to happen on Saturday and Sunday. Since we have three other congregations meet at this hall, it kind of threw off some meeting schedules, so the Central congregation attended our meeting Saturday night. We crammed 162 people into the hall, with some brothers kindly giving up their seats (Not me. I had the Watchtower reading. Snap!). We had a pretty exhausting week, so Ben & I just went to help out for a bit on Sunday.

There was a lot of help from all four congregations, with many coming and going at different times, so there was steady support throughout the day. There was a lot that needed to be done: scrubbing the floors and walls, sanding down the window sills so they could be repainted, and some landscaping work. Ben & I helped sand down the window sills.

Notice the red Fanta? Again, some things cannot be done without certain other things.

Having...so...much...fun.

"Quieres mamonchino?...Did I say that right?"

Eliezer & I being productive.

We wish we could have stayed longer, but we had to get home because I had to work and Ben & Bree had to get ready to head out to Leon since he was giving the public talk in the English congregation there. To make up for our not-so-great support, we distributed a couple of bags of mamonchinos (to be featured on the next edition of Que Pasta). Just the same, it was nice to see how well-supported the work was. The brothers always come together for these projects, no matter where you are in the world. That, along with this week's Watchtower, reminded me that our unity really does show that we have the true religion!

I think that's all for now. Ben & Bree are at the beach today while I'm doing laundry. Obviously, I'm not upset about that. I'll take a laundry day over a beach day any day! This next week should be another busy week, so be sure to check back in next Monday!

Take care,

Sam

Blasts From the Past

Hi there!

Well, would you look at that - it's Monday! We had a very busy week starting to get into a new routine with Ben & Bree being here now. We arrived home from the El Salvador trip Monday night, completely exhausted, but nonetheless, we woke up for service the next morning. It was a good thing that we did because we had a great morning for their first time preaching in the new congregation. Ben picked up his first call and Bree started two studies!

Bree starting her first study with a young girl.

Ben getting his first call.

The advice we received at the convention about learning foreign languages was very useful. Using simple presentations is key! Showing videos from the website has also made things easier. Ben & Bree are excited to cultivate their calls and obtain more in the future.

Wednesday night was their first meeting in La Norte. They both commented and did very well. Everyone was very welcoming and is looking forward to having them here. 

On the left is my friend, Darling. She's spent the last few years in the Sign Language congregation, but recently switched back to La Norte. She was assigned to be the householder for the seven-minute demo (no, we didn't get to watch a video version of it like all you spoiled cats in the States). She was a little nervous since it was her first demo actually speaking out loud in a long time, but she did great!

Happy first meeting, Ben & Bree! Let's celebrate by having an impromptu elders meeting in the background. (Pure coincidence and I love my elders.)

My studies are going well. One of them, Edwin, has a huge family - seven kids! He was doing well in the Good News brochure, but I came to realize that it wasn't really striking the right chords with him. On Friday, we switched to one of the brochures that's much more practical for families (...), and that went much better! It really grabbed his attention and he noticed a lot of points that he could apply in his family life.

I love this picture. Working territory on Friday morning. You can see Erling preaching in the background, crutches and all. He's a trooper!

Saturday afternoon, I got a phone call asking me to do a substitute public talk in...you guessed it: Ojo de Agua! It was great to go out and see everyone again. My friend Ervin was appointed a ministerial servant over the summer (did I not mention that before?) and he's doing awesome! I'm very proud of him.

Again, I forgot to get pictures, and Ed took this, so as much as I don't really like pictures of myself speaking (my facial expressions are just too attractive for one to handle), this is the only evidence of my visit.

As another blast from the past, my old friend Felix, from Esteli, came to visit Chinandega this weekend to give the public talk in Sign Language! He was one of the first friends I made here in Nica, and although my time in Esteli was brief, we have nothing but good memories together.

Just a few years can actually make a noticeable difference. This picture was taken almost three years ago:

Me, Simon, and Felix at an assembly in Esteli (February 2012).

And this is us today:

Felix & I. Isn't it awesome how I'm wearing nearly the exact same outfit? Consistency, guys. Plus, no glasses.

I got to see Felix give his talk in Sign Language. He did an excellent job! I'm really glad that I was able to stay for the entire duration of it. Many good points to be taken away from it.

Felix presenting his talk. The theme was "Stay Awake Spiritually".

HA! Totally kidding, bros. I only stayed for five minutes. I have a pretty bad work schedule on the weekends. But I at least wanted to be able to see a chunk of it, and I'm glad I did. From what I saw, he really seems to know what he's doing! I remember a couple of years ago, him and I were talking, and he wanted to convince me to join the Sign Language group in Esteli. I had already planned to move to Chinandega by that point, but I wonder how different things would be now had I joined that group. I'd probably be just as much of a bundle of joy to be around as I am now. *sarcasm*

That's it for now. As I said, we're still getting into a new routine, but things have been going very well so far. Today is laundry day, one of my favorite days of the week *not sarcasm*. The rest of the week should be fairly busy with all of us trying to get in

El Salvador 2014

Hey there!

Remember that time I said I'd be blogging every Monday? That's been working out great, huh? Isn't it nice to be following someone so consistently unreliable? Keyword: consistently. But for reals, yesterday I spent about eleven hours on a bus while functioning off of an hour-and-a-half of sleep, so my priorities rested on...well, resting.

The reason I was on a bus for eleven hours was because we went back to El Salvador for this year's regional convention in English! Once again, it was held in the capital city, San Salvador. We took the same bus as the Leon English congregation, allowing us to catch up with some old friends as well as make many new ones. All of us from Chinandega stayed in the same hotel, which was a lot of fun. There were also many brothers from the San Juan del Sur English group at that hotel, which, again, forged many new friendships.

Out to eat at one of the malls with Mirian & Ivonne and new friends Alexi & Lauren, serving in San Juan del Sur.

I'm just gonna get to the nitty gritty, guys. I was stupidly sick for the majority of this trip. I won't get too gruesome, but let's just say that the toilet in our hotel room probably got to know me better than anyone I met over the weekend. I didn't eat anything out of the ordinary, so it didn't seem to be a parasite. The whole bus ride to El Salvador, I had a pounding headache and it was FREEZING. Seriously, bros, the last two hours of the bus ride was FREEZING and my whole body was FREEZING and did I mention it was FREEZING because it was FREEZING. Wednesday night, when we arrived, I was sick for a good part of the night. Thursday night, I was sick in the bathroom even more. Friday night, I might as well have just slept in the bathroom. It. Was. Miserable. Not to mention I wasn't able to take a hot water shower, one of the only reasons (besides the awesome program) I came on the trip, until the day we left, Monday morning because not only does the hot water come and go but the hot and cold water faucets were switched around and it took me ALL week to figure that out. PLUS the air conditioning in our room was on all night every night even though it was a much cooler climate (love you Ben & Bree) so I actually slept with socks on, guys. Socks. And I was STILL FREEZING. By the time Saturday morning came, I was so out of it that I had to stay at the hotel and miss the morning session. I didn't feel horrible about that since I had already attended the entire convention twice before. I mustered up enough energy to go to the afternoon session, where I was basically dragged to the First Aid department, run by a brother who is also a doctor at a local clinic. He pretty much took me to their "infirmary," which consisted of a bed with makeshift curtains, and basically just said, "Hey so I'm not really sure what's up with you but I've got this huge needle with an antibiotic and I haven't been able to use it on anyone yet so I'm just gonna stick it in your rear end hope that's cool." A sister came in to administer the antibiotic and had me lay on the bed. She says, "This is a strong medicine," and I'm like, "So it's gonna hurt?" and she's all, "Yup." Before she pulled down my pants I asked her, "Um can we please make sure these 'curtains' are closed?" because just about anyone at the convention could see what was going on, so my brother stood guard. She's about to do her thing and says, "Okay, first I need you to breathe deeply and I'll give you the shot. Breathe!" I do so, she sticks the needle in, and says, "Breathe again," and I'm all, "Wait, was I supposed to breathe out?" and she goes, "Breathe!" and I'm like, "Oh! Gasp!" It was painful but I was a big boy and didn't cry/scream. Truth. They then gave me two huge pills and the next hour was just miserable. It was probably the medicine just doing it's thing, but I had never felt more out of it. However, it all worked! I didn't think to ask what the actual antibiotic was until after the program, but it was Amoxicillin. Whatever it was, it worked, and I've felt perfect ever since. So here's to you, Amoxicillin, for entering bodies painfully but for also being a most welcome house guest when you arrive.

Okay. Long, exaggerated, and horribly grammatically incorrect rant complete. The brother was actually really sweet and made sure I got just what I needed. Now, onto the program.

I'm really glad I got to attend this convention in English, even though it was my third time. There are so many practical points to take away from it that I have been trying very hard to apply. Plus, this convention was basically a mini international, with brothers coming from more than 19 different countries!

With my buddy Alex. He was baptized with his sister, Ella, and they have been serving in Granada English with their parents from the U.S. for over two years.

There were over 940 in attendance on Sunday, which is a massive increase on the roundabout 500 in attendance at the English convention two years ago. On Saturday, seven people were baptized, which is huge for an English convention! 

The drama was VERY well done. One of the most realistic dramas we've had!

The Higgs family also did this great demo.

I know I already said it, but this year's program was so practical. You'd be hard pressed not find a point you could apply. The demonstrations were very realistic and the interviews at this convention were very moving. One couple serving in Bluefields was interviewed about learning four different languages! The challenges they faced doing so and the advice they gave comforted those of us who are having enough trouble dealing with just two languages! The resurrection video on Sunday had many people in tears, including yours truly. However, I think the biggest thing I'm taking away from the program is to stop being anxious. Not much more I can say about that.

With Mauricio once again! He was incredibly helpful with so many things, including getting me medical attention. He is one of the most genuinely nicest and loving brothers you'll ever meet. It's impossible not to love him!

With Elkie & Steve.

One of the best parts of the weekend for me was reuniting with my good friends, Steve & Elkie. They served in Chinandega English in 2012, and we got pretty close. We spent quite a few nights together playing music, watching movies, or just venting to each other about whatever frustrations we were facing that week. They went home to Australia for a year and are now serving in San Juan del Sur. It was so great to see them after nearly two years!!

With the guys, minus Jefte!

Zach & I acting all buddy buddy...

...and then revealing our true disgust for each other.

Sadly, earlier this year, the Chinandega English congregation was dissolved after a reevaluation of the need for English in Chinandega. However, most of those who were part of the congregation have since moved on to other territories in Nicaragua - San Marcos, San Juan del Sur, Bluefields, Leon, Spanish congregations - and we were all reunited once again at this convention. Chinandega English may be no more, but that bond will never be broken.

Together again in El Salvador.

Although I'd already attended the convention twice in Spanish, it was still very refreshing to receive the program in English. I was able to dissect more specific points for application. On the bus ride home, I had everyone who was on the bus write down their favorite points from the convention to finish filling up my notebook, which has been very entertaining to read!

Oh yeah, someone also wrote, "I honestly don't remember much."

I was especially glad to share the experience with Ben & Bree. Now we're back in Chinandega and getting them settled into La Norte! I really missed being away, even though it was just for a few days. We're getting into a new routine, and it should be an exciting journey along the way. More to come soon! I have other things to write but it's 12:08 AM now, not even Tuesday anymore, which leaves me with no more saving grace for not writing on Monday. Plus, we've got a mouse in the house once again which is just nothing short of comforting. But hey, stop being anxious, right?

Take care,


Sam