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

Convention Invite Campaign

Hello my friends,

Can you believe we're halfway through November already? It's coming up on three months that I've been here now. Time seems to be moving very quickly, which I have mixed feelings about. In the meantime, though, things have been busy as usual here in Chinandega, especially in Ojo de Agua.

Group picture from last week. Left to right: Joel, Robin, Rene, Esperanza, Chloe, Simon, and myself. Chloe, originally from Australia, has been here for six months in the English congregation and is now heading home to Australia for a while. We figured we'd help her make the most of her last week here by making sure she got to come out in Ojo one more time!

Yeah...this horse got in my way as I was walking to the river. I wasn't too happy about it.

This weekend is the "Protejamos El Corazon" (Safeguard Your Heart) convention in Managua. Although we won't be attending the convention (we've already attended this convention twice), we've been participating in the big invite campaign for the people in Ojo de Agua. Because of limited resources, we only just got our invitations printed last week - normally they start campaigning three weeks before the convention! However, that hasn't hindered the zealous spirit out in the ministry.

Simon & Janixia ready to do some inviting!

Chinandega is about three hours from Managua. You may be wondering, "How are all these people in such a rural territory gonna be able to afford traveling that far for three days?" I have an answer for you! A couple in our congregation has arranged for a bus to leave from Ojo de Agua's territory to Managua each day of the convention, at about 5:00 each morning. Everybody in the territory is welcome to hop aboard, along with the brothers and sisters. It will be returning each night for those who can't afford to stay at a hotel. Here's the awesome part: Although it would normally cost about 120 cordobas (about $5 U.S.) per person each day, those taking the bus are not being charged - they can make a voluntary donation depending on their circumstances! Definitely a loving provision.

It's nearly brought tears to my eyes to see people's faces light up when they see the invitation! This is a very exciting event for the people in this territory - many of them have nothing to look forward to. I'm sure that the bus is going to be filled to capacity!

Joel and Simon walking down one of my favorite parts of our territory. It's a road that leads to this...

...a perfect view of San Cristobal volcano. 

At the same spot last week.

Today was the last official day of invite work. Simon and I stayed out until 5:00 inviting people...well, at least til we both ran out of invites!

This woman is so sweet. We've talked to her before, but today, I think she knew that we were inviting people to the convention. She stood outside her house until we finally made it over to give her an invitation, which she was very happy to receive.

I'm sure that everybody in Ojo de Agua is going to benefit greatly from this convention. It's a very exciting time of year. I may still try to make it down there on Saturday to see those from our hall who are getting baptized. We'll see how it goes. :)

Thanks for staying in touch, everyone! Everyone's comments, messages, and e-mails have been a great source of encouragement to me. I'm loving it down here and will continue to make the most of it!

Take care,

Sam

Mainers Come to Nica

Hi everyone,

Last week, I had some friends and family come visit for ten days, and it was just the boost of encouragement I needed! My brother Ben, his wife Bree, my good friend Troy (Bree's brother), and his girlfriend Erin all had a great time. It was so cool having them with me in Nicaragua. Here are some highlights of their visit!

Tired after their late-night arrival, but happy to be here! First, we spent a few days in Granada seeing some of the great sights of Nica. On their first day here, we did a boat tour of the islands in Granada. It was beautiful, as usual.

Amy & Abigail also joined us in Granada. We had to go to Kathy's Waffle House, of course. They have the BEST American breakfast you'll ever have in Nicaragua.

I also wanted to make sure that the gang got to try ziplining!

Definitely an adventure.

Afterward, it was time to go see a great of view the Laguna de Apoyo.

Ben making his first Nica business deal...

After a few nice days exploring Granada, it was time to travel up to Chinandega to show everyone what we're all about here. Simon and I took them to one of our meetings in Ojo de Agua. They loved it, and Ben even gave a comment in Spanish!

Troy & Erin ready for the meeting.

One thing that was especially interesting for me was the gang needing me to translate everything in Spanish for them. It was very weird - it made me realize that maybe my Spanish isn't so terrible after all! For instance, Ben got a chance to get his haircut in Nicaragua. He got to have a good conversation with the barber about soccer and baseball - with me mediating! It was hilarious.

Everyone wanted to get a chance to go out in service here. They all learned a brief presentation in Spanish. They got to work some territory right in Chinandega, and Ben also came out in Ojo with Simon and I. They all loved it!

Break time out in service?

I love this picture. Brothers Roberts in Nica!

I was so proud of all of them!

The peeps also got to experience a Nica dance party. It was Amy's going-away party, and it was a lot of fun!

The next day, Ben gave the public talk in the English congregation. He did a great job, and they loved having him.

It was also Amy's last meeting. Bittersweet!

Ben, Bree, Simon and I also went off to one of the nicest beaches in Nica - Chancleta's. 

The waves were POWERFUL but the water temperature was perfect.

Ben and Bree came out with us in Ojo once again. They even got to ride on a bike, Nica style!

Simon and Ben coping with the heat!

On their last night in Nica, Moises took us all to a baseball game here in Chinandega. It was hands-down the best baseball game I've ever been to. Chinandega was losing to Granada 7-0, but then they came back with three runs. Then, in a big surprise, they got a grand slam to tie the game! Immediately after, they scored another two runs to win the game 9-7!

Ben enjoying a Nicaraguan hot dog...? 

It felt cool to explain the game to Simon and Amy. It made me feel like such a sports expert! 

Oh yeah, and the power went out in the whole stadium and city in the middle of the 8th inning.

The next day, it was time to say good-bye. First, Ben had to say farewell to his best friend in Nicaragua: the barber.

Amy came down with us to the airport, as she was leaving to go back to England shortly after my visitors left. She got to witness what big babies we are. It was so hard to say good-bye. I loved having everyone here, and it helped me feel right at home! However, hearing them all tell me how proud they are of me gave me the encouragement and motivation to continue on with my assignment here. I'm so glad that they got a chance to see what Nica is really like. Do you think they should come back? I do!

Take care!

Sam