Tu Palabra es la Verdad

Well, fancy meeting you here!

Summer in Maine sure flew by. It feels like just yesterday that I was preparing to leave Nicaragua to come home for the summer. Yet, here we are again - back in Chinandega and it feels like I never left at all. 

We have some things to catch up on, don't we? Let's get some of the major stuff out of the way.

First off, sadly, Simon won't be returning to Nicaragua. Circumstances haven't really been in his favor, so he'll be remaining in Scotland for a while. We're definitely going to miss having him here! Hopefully he'll come around to visit eventually. But that means that I'm officially living alone! It's kind of weird, but I'm making the most of it. We moved into a new house before we left in April, and I've been doing some work on it since I've been back. I absolutely love it! I'll post another entry with more pictures, but for now, here is a photo of the outside.

In other news, Ojo de Agua will be losing its elder and his wife. Yes, Maddie and Stephan will be leaving Ojo as well, most likely moving to Matagalpa. It's very sad, but completely understandable - they're ready for a change. Although I'm going to miss them a lot, I am sure that the change will be just what they need. They've helped me so much, and I'm always going to remember that. Thankfully, our C.O. is making finding an elder for us his top priority! In the meantime, that means that Roberto, Domingo, and I are going to be the only servants in the congregation...taking care of everything! It's daunting, but I feel well prepared and I'm looking forward to the work that lies ahead.

Okay, that's it for big news. Now on to happy topics!

I arrived in Chinandega last week and was very pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't nearly as hot as I was expecting it to be! I stayed over at Josh and Cassie's the night I arrived, and I was able to wear a sweatshirt all night! My last memories of Chinandega were from April, the absolute worst and hottest month of them all, so it was very refreshing to return to cooler temperatures. I'm so glad I get to be here for the rainy season and the coolest months this time around. It's been really nice catching up with everyone and getting back into the swing of things as well. There are so many good friends down here, and I truly feel like I've come home again.

Out to eat with my buddies (left to right) Eduardo, Jefte, Zach, Moises, and Josue. The boys are back in town. 

I was also able to start off this stint in Nicaragua with Ojo's convention in Managua this past weekend! 

We had a great weekend. They once again arranged a bus to commute each day, as did many other congregations. The bus left Chinandega each day around 5:00 AM, which was thoroughly enjoyable...

(Roberto is gonna kill me for posting that.)

The convention was very refreshing. On Sunday, we had over 1,700 in attendance, and on Saturday, 32 people were baptized! 

The brothers also set up a projector facing the stage with a video feed of the speaker so that the people sitting way up back could have a good view. A nice provision indeed!

Everyone in Ojo is doing very well. There are some new studies attending the meetings regularly. Yorleni also just finished Pioneer School, and is on a spiritual high from it! Lunches were arranged all three days for each of us - only 40 cordobas each! (Not even two dollars.)

Awesome lunch! (Sidenote: feel free to comment on my weight. Everyone else has!)

I also received my first convention assignment down here: adjusting the microphone for each speaker! It felt good to help out, although on the first day, I had to stop early because I thought I was about to pass out - it felt hotter there than it was in Chinandega! Thankfully I received assistance from a good friend to survive the heat and humidity.

Stephan also gave his first talk for a convention - two, actually - and he did a phenomenal job! So proud of him.

For those of who you haven't had your convention yet, you may want to stop reading here. :)

On Sunday, the La Florida congregation put on the Esther drama, and they did a fantastic job. The costumes were so well put together and the actors did an awesome job.

And of course, everyone was excited to receive the new releases!

Me with Zach, an Aussie brother serving in Chinandega English. He's actually learned quite a bit of Spanish now and has been helping out in Ojo! He stayed in my house while I was away. He's heading home for a bit but plans on coming back and switching to Spanish. Maybe he'll come to Ojo permanently?! We definitely hope so. He's awesome.

We had a really fun bus ride home to Chinandega Sunday night. We watched the new Prodigal video. It still made me cry like a baby, even in Spanish!

Me, Maddie, Ashlee, Roberto, and Kimmy with the rest of Ojo, having a blast.

All-in-all, it's been a busy but really good first week back. I was nervous about coming back alone, but I think everything is gonna go just fine these next few months. Jehovah always has ways of calming your nerves! 

Thank you all for your support. I miss you all, but please stay in touch!

Sam