A Little Taste of Spain

Hi all,

I am currently sitting on my couch at home finally taking a breather after the incredibly busy week we've just had in Ojo. We had the visit of our Circuit Overseer, Gerard Segales, and his wife, Rocio. Being that we only have three ministerial servants, I honestly was ready for the week to be over before it even started. Don't get me wrong - I was looking forward to the talks and ministry time, but I knew that we would have a LOT of work to do. Thankfully, though, the visit went really well!

Sidenote: I meant to take a lot of pictures throughout the week but I didn't really get the chance, so I'm just gonna disperse some service pictures I took this morning throughout this post so you don't get bored.

When we had our first meeting of the visit on Tuesday, I was really nervous. Gerard and Rocio are from Spain, and I knew that Spaniards have a very different accent than Nicaraguans - I just didn't know if I would be able to understand them or not! Considering I didn't understand our substitute C.O. at all, I wasn't sure how well this was gonna go. However, once Gerard got on stage to give his first talk, I understood him perfectly! I was very happy - I didn't have to strain my language skills to understand the talk! It was unbelievably refreshing. I felt like I was really getting something out of his talks instead of just focusing on understanding them. So even though we had a busy week ahead of us, I at least didn't have to worry about the language barrier.

Gerard and Rocio are also very personable and funny. They really make an effort to get to know everybody, and the congregation was very encouraged. Rocio likes to say some English words now and then; she always says, "Es muy nice!" or "Que nice!" It's hilarious. They were really helpful, and gave me rides when I needed them. Gerard also took the time to make sure I was doing okay physically and emotionally with all the work here, and that meant a lot. 

As a congregation, Gerard thinks we are doing excellent. Roberto and I were really surprised by this - we were thinking he was gonna reduce us to a group! On the contrary, he said, "I think you guys are doing fine without an elder!" He commended us servants for fulfilling our assignments diligently. He wants to train us to be able to handle this situation for a while, so he's given the three of us assignments. They can't officially be written down as none of us our elders, but Domingo will be doing the work of the Coordinator, Roberto will be doing the work of the Secretary, and I will be doing the work of the Service Overseer. It's a lot of work for sure, but I actually feel comfortable with that. He's said he's available if we ever have questions, and that we can contact other local congregations for matters that must be dealt with by official elders. We'll see how it goes.

I couldn't decide if I liked this picture in color or black and white, so I posted it twice. Bam.

It's understandable that he thinks our congregation is doing well. Since we changed our meeting schedule, our attendance has tremendously increased: our public talk and Watchtower study attendance has increased by 20%, and our book study, school, and service meeting attendance has gone up by 50%! We have 13 auxiliary pioneers for this month, which made for a really nice pioneer meeting. Also, three inactive publishers have been reactivated since the last visit. Very encouraging indeed!

Service went really well throughout the week. We covered a lot our territory for the tract campaign, which is awesome, considering our territory is huge and we can only get around on foot! Gerard came with me on one of my studies and that went great. This morning, we had a short service group at 8:00 before the meeting at 9:30, and we had a nice group. (That's what I've been posting pictures of throughout this entry. ;)

Roberto havin' a great time!

Before the pioneer meeting on Friday, we lost power at the Kingdom Hall, and it was still out this morning during their last meeting! It's a good thing Gerard speaks loudly. Without the ceiling fans, though, we were all sweating like pigs.

Getting ready for a hot, humid, and fanless Sunday meeting.

Gerard Segales giving the public talk.

Although the week was unbelievably busy, it was also very refreshing. I definitely feel a lot better about everything, and I think the congregation does too. Jehovah will keep taking care of us as long as we keep doing what we're doing! And who knows...maybe an elder will wanna come here eventually! 

Me with Gerard and Rocio.

It was very nice having the Segaleses around. Alas, the week is over, and I can finally take some time to relax. I'm heading down to Managua tomorrow morning to pick up my family and friends that will be visiting for the next three weeks. Can't wait to see them! 

Hope everyone is doing well.

Talk soon,

Sam