First Impressions of La Norte

Hello there!

Sorry that it's been a while. I know that a lot of you were waiting for a post - and by a lot of you, I mean like three of you. No worries, bros. I'm gonna fill this page up anyway.

But seriously, apologies. It's been an insanely busy month, as I'm sure this August has been for all of you as well! (Sidenote: I'm running out of ways to say it's been a busy month. I've done very busy, crazy busy, insanely busy, extremely busy...I'm gonna think of a more interesting phrase. Stay tuned. Just know that I mean it when I say it's been busy.) I've got a lot of things to catch everyone up on, but I'll do a few posts instead of trying to fit it all in one.

Settling into La Norte congregation has been a lot easier than I was expecting. Everyone has been very welcoming. I was a little nervous at first - making a good first impression in a new hall is tricky enough, and it's even trickier trying to do so in another language. A couple weeks in, though, I received my first invitation to a congregation party! To say I was excited is an understatement. I kept the invitation (no joke, it's still on my fridge). Is it obvious that I'm flattered easily?

Yes, it looks like either a Valentine's card or a birthday party invite, but it's the GESTURE, guys.

 On the night of the party, I was still excited, but I was only planning on staying for like half-an-hour. No offense, Nica friends. I've been to plenty of fiestas here, and after two-plus years, you've just about had your fill of trying to dance to music that you, as one of the whitest boys on Earth, simply will never be able to dance to. Just to prove my point, here's a picture of me at my first Nica dance party back in July 2011:

Me with Anna, an old friend from England. Look how coordinated I am! (And yes, the glasses, I know.)

 Anyway, I was planning on jetting out of there pretty soon...until I saw this:

 I asked Ladislao, the elder whose family was hosting, "Why did you have the cake written in English?" He told me, "For you! This is your welcome party!"

Okay, so I know this picture doesn't make it look like there was a ton of people there, but...wait, maybe there wasn't.

 Man, did I feel like schmuck! Of course, I stayed for the whole party. Turns out it was half my welcome party, half a going-away party for Ladislao's visiting family (who apparently went to the same international convention we did!), but hey, I'll take it! It was really nice of them, and it was a great way to break the ice. They told me (and have kept telling me) that they're really thankful and glad that I've moved in.

Any party is made ten times better with glowsticks!

After many failed attempts by others, this girl was the one who finally convinced me to get on the dance floor.

Another sidenote: The party was a lot of fun and it was a really sweet gesture...but, the cake was disgusting. I'm sorry!! Again...it's the GESTURE that counts, I know.

One thing I've really enjoyed is living so close to the hall and to everyone here. It's made it much easier to cultivate friendships. A couple named Erling and Rebecca, two regular pioneers, have been really cool and welcoming. Speaking of which, he was just appointed as an elder, making five elders in our hall! It's awesome, but also kind of ridiculous, right? Like I said, the need is in other areas.

Speaking of elders (man, I am on a roll with the segues here!), the elder body has been great. Each one of them has taken the time to get to know me, especially Elvis Acuña and his family. He's a really balanced brother. More importantly, he's hilarious. We've had some really good times out witnessing. He's been teaching me a few idioms as well.

This doesn't have anything to do with the post. I just wanted to show how we go about moving and selling a bed here...and I'm trying to fill space.

Speaking of idioms (seriously, somebody give me some kind of award for segues, please), that's been the only annoying thing so far. If you've been keeping up with me since the beginning, then you know that I didn't speak a lick of Spanish when I first moved here. I learned it purely by being in the congregation and studying the publications. Hence, I speak theocratic Spanish pretty well, but conversational Spanish, not so much. So during my first couple weeks in this hall, there were a couple of occasions when a brother or sister would use an idiom, I wouldn't understand it, and they would immediately conclude, "He doesn't understand!! He needs to learn Spanish!!" Anyone who knows me knows that I don't respond well in those situations. However, patience is the key, and I'm learning new things every day!

The territory is also very nice. It's one of the biggest territories in the city, so there's a lot of potential. I'll do a separate post about how this month's campaign has been going, but let me just leave this little tidbit: for the first time in all of my sneaky photo-taking history, a householder caught me taking photos of them while the brother was preaching to them today. It was humiliating...but I still kept the pictures.

Proof that I was able to get along with a group of kids long enough to get a picture of it.

 Speaking of pictures (my incredible segues are probably getting annoying by this point), sorry for the low-quality photos and lack of many. I've mainly been taking pictures with my smartphone and tablet instead of my good camera.

Overall, this has been a very refreshing change so far. It was a tough first couple of weeks, but I once I decided to embrace the change, things really turned around. I'm really looking forward to what the next few months have in store. Hopefully that includes a Tim Horton's being constructed in Chinandega at some point. Let me dream, guys. Just let me dream.


Talk soon,
Sam

Changes, Changes!

Hello there!

Yes, it's been a while, hasn't it? I live such an incredibly busy life seeing important people and doing important things that I just haven't had time to come mingle with the common folk. Jokes, jokes! The truth is that I've just returned from working another summer in the States and I am back in Chinandega once again.

It was a busy few months back home. I picked up two really great Bible studies in my home territory, one of which came to the Memorial! That was very encouraging, and they're currently continuing their studies with two brothers in my home congregation. I also got a new job teaching English online, which is a definite answer to my prayers because it's a great way to support myself while living abroad.

In other news, a group of us serving in Chinandega had the privilege of attending the Spanish International Convention in New Jersey last month!

I'm gonna try not to blabber too much about it, but needless to say, it was an unforgettable experience. We had a peak attendance of nearly 60,000. On Saturday, 808 were baptized! They set up four different pools to speed up the process, but it still took almost the entire lunch period to get through everybody! Very encouraging to see.

As delegates, they treated us VERY well. We were in shock of how much they did for us. Every day that we boarded the bus to go to the stadium, one of these lunch bags was waiting in each and every seat for us! That's not even the half of it. They provided just about every meal, had gift bags waiting for us upon checking in at the hotel (which included special notebooks just for the convention), gave us several tours, and we received hundreds of little gifts everywhere we turned.

We also got a special tour of the Stanley Theater, one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. That was by far and away one of the most encouraging days most of us have ever had. It included a special program (introduced by the brother above who started off by taking a selfie in front of the audience) about the theater's history and renovations.

Oh, and as one last gift for the day, as we were leaving to board our buses back to the hotel, they surprised us with another buffet accompanied by live music! They also handed out more gift backs, and before we knew it, the whole thing turned into a huge fiesta in one of the back rooms of the Stanley Theater. ?!?!?!?! The whole day was very overwhelming - in the best way possible! Jehovah really does love us and gives us just the encouragement we need. It was a day none of us will forget.

 

Over the course of the weekend, Brother Jackson came to give four talks (accompanied by a great Spanish interpreter). They looked so tiny on the field, so we were glad we had those giant screens. He is an incredible speaker, and he brought so much life to his talks that by the end of each one of them, the audience was not only applauding, but cheering! Definitely an awesome privilege.

One of my favorite interviews over the weekend was from a brother in his 90s. Speaking about blessings he has received from his endurance, he said to the brother interviewing him, "Look around at all these people in the audience. You know who they are? They're my brothers and my family."

I got to see many old friends over the weekend as well, including my friend Lynette. She was the person who convinced me to go to the Nicaragua in the first place. Without her, I probably never would have gone to Nicaragua, attended that convention, or even be writing this blog post.

I also got to bump into my friend Bridget, the person who convinced me that I should stay in Nicaragua. She was serving in Esteli the first time I came. She helped me a great deal to get settled in and was a great pillar of support. To this day, whenever I need Nica advice, I still go to her!

On Sunday, our group had to dress full-on Nica style. Even though there were technically only one-and-a-half Nicaraguans in our group, it was a lot fun - and much easier to wear than a suit in that hot weather!

To end an incredible weekend, we spent some time in NYC, went a Yankees game (where the Red Sox crushed them!), and toured Walkhill. Afterward, Jefte and Zach came to visit me in Maine for a few days. We had a blast!

After a crazy yet very fun couple of weeks, it was time to return to Nica. Jefte, Zach, and I flew in about two weeks ago. Since then, it's been a busy time adjusting to many new changes. I'm still living in the same house, which is good because it adds a level of stability. However, this time I have changed to a new congregation. With some help and advice from my C.O., I've finally chosen a congregation that I feel comfortable in: Chinandega Norte. (Yes, Chinandega North)

My new Kingdom Hall. It's only a few blocks away from my house, which is a huge relief. I cannot tell you how good it feels to go from constantly worrying about transportation to be able to just walk to the hall.

One of the reasons I chose this congregation was that I already knew a few people from there. That made me feel much more comfortable. Surprisingly, they have many elders, servants, and pioneers - four elders, three servants, and ten pioneers. However, from what I've gathered, the major need here is for encouragement and stability. They have a fairly large territory for a city congregation. It takes them fifteen days to cover it, which is actually a long time in comparison with most other city congregations who cover their territories in just a few days. Mid-week ministry support is pretty weak. So far, there's only been about five people out on a given day, which isn't too good for a hall with 72 publishers. Our C.O. said that meeting attendance is a big problem as well. On Sundays, they are averaging 66, but that includes Bible students coming as well, so as a congregation, it's lower than that.

However, everybody has been very friendly thus far. Although I still have quite a ways to go with my Spanish, it feels good not going into it having to start from scratch. I can actually focus on getting to know these brothers and not struggle with the language. The elder body told me they are very grateful for the help.

Obviously, the need in this congregation is nowhere near as desperate as Ojo de Agua. Sometimes I think that maybe I'm being too lazy by being in this hall. However, I realized that not every hall here is going to be an Ojo de Agua. You don't need to be working yourself to death in a congregation in order to be serving where there is a greater need. Actually, it looks like this hall needs help in certain areas that Ojo doesn't. For example, overall, Ojo didn't really have any internal problems. Overall, the congregation gets along like a big family. That doesn't seem to be the case here. Also, witnessing support in Ojo improved a lot over time, whereas it is pretty weak here. The brothers in Ojo were pretty diligent about fulfilling their responsibilities as well, but according to the elder body in Norte, that is an area in which they need a great deal of help. So even though Ojo primarily needed help in that they needed more brothers to do more parts, they were doing fairly well in most other areas. With Norte, even though they have plenty of brothers, they need a lot of help in most other areas.

All in all, I spent two years in Ojo de Agua, and even though I don't have the energy for that in me anymore, I feel like I can use my experience from that to benefit this congregation. I really like it so far. I've already started three new Bible studies - one of which I'm going to go see this afternoon!

As far as the weather goes, it's been rough, honestly. Temperatures have been about as high as they are in April, and this is supposed to be a rainy month. There has been a drought that's lasted about two months now! Thankfully, it rained a couple of days ago. I was overjoyed, to say the least.

All the guys together once again (recreating the same picture we took a year ago in one of my previous posts, "Tu Palabra es la Verdad").

That's about it for now. Between adjusting to a new hall, readjusting to the heat, and living alone again, I have to say I've been missing home a lot. I thought leaving my friends and family would get easier each time, but it's been getting harder. However, I'm determined to make the most of my new situation, and each day gets easier. Nevertheless, please write or send me an e-mail to let me know how you're doing! You may not think it, but each and every message means a great deal to me. Thank you all for your love and support as usual!


Talk soon,
Sam

Farewell, Ojo de Agua

Hello there,

Well, after a year-and-a-half of what has been a roller coaster experience, I have made a huge decision: I will be leaving the Ojo de Agua congregation.

This may not be a huge shock to some of you, but allow me to explain myself.

As I said before, I moved to Chinandega in late 2012, hoping to be in the English congregation. Instead, my friend Simon and I were asked to go to Ojo de Agua. At first, it was completely overwhelming. However, with time, I was able to pick up the language and start getting some work done.

Giving my first Bible reading in Spanish. I think this was November 2012.

With a lot of help from Jehovah, I was also able to have a productive ministry. Conducting Spanish Bible studies was such a challenge, but it brought me incredible joy.

Simon and I were also able to help out with a lot of congregational responsibilities. It made both of us very happy to be of good use in Jehovah's service.

Picking up people in our territory for the Memorial last year.

Best of all, I became acquainted with a very loving and welcoming congregation. Breaking down the language barrier allowed me to cultivate friendships that I know will last forever.

Roberto, Simon, and I having some fun about a year ago. Roberto has been a major support system for me. We may bicker now and then, but we have each other's best interests at heart. Those are the kind of friends who are there to help you up when you're down.

Little Juanita and I, over a year ago now.

However, a lot of things changed. Over this past summer, I found out that Simon wasn't going to return to Nicaragua. While I understood his reasons for not coming back, it was going to be a challenge tackling Ojo without a partner. Also, upon returning to Chinandega, I learned that Stephane, our only elder, and his wife were leaving Ojo de Agua. That left us with just three ministerial servants: Domingo, Roberto, and myself.

Ready to take it on alone!

This was another overwhelming situation. As I wrote here before, I was feeling very discouraged, and for many reasons - transportation problems, a huge work load, and going through it alone.

Now, I know you're gonna say that I'm not alone, and I know that. The congregation has been very supportive. I think it's been the fact that I live so far from the territory and I've come from so far away that at the end of the day, I don't really have anyone to vent to. Yes, there are many great friends in Chinandega, but it's different with your living situation. Living alone has been easier in a lot of ways, but difficult in that sense.

Things changed in December. I finally started to feel much more comfortable with my Spanish, and our local servant, Domingo, was appointed as an elder.

This was a major relief! It has brought the congregation a sense of security that they never had before, and has lightened our work load a little bit as well. 

Still, I couldn't help but feel like my joy was slowly being drained from me. I think it was the fact that I was working so hard to keep everything functioning perfectly that eventually, that was what I came to view it as: my job. Soon, I felt myself losing the motivation to comment or even study because I felt like doing those things were part of my job, and not sources of joy. I had been giving so much of myself for the past year-and-a-half that I felt nothing but frustration. My transportation problems had hindered me from getting into a routine and being closer to the congregation that I realized, "Maybe Jehovah is pushing me in another direction."

I was explaining all of this to my C.O., and he agreed. He was very understanding, and said that he would send me to a congregation in the city of Chinandega the next time I return. That way, even though there will still be work to do, I won't have to worry about a commute. I happily agreed, and I'm looking forward to the change. 

Please know that this isn't a reflection on the congregation. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it is a very loving and close-knit congregation. It has been a pleasure to be a part of it. Put simply, for me, I'm just ready for a change!

In the meantime, I had to tell people that I was leaving. That was the part of the process I was dreading. First, I decided to tell my very good friends, Ervin and Yorleni.

This is Ervin. He's 17, and is the younger brother of Yorleni, our only local pioneer. He was struggling with associating with his schoolmates last year, so I really wanted to reach out to him. We worked out in service together a lot, and became very good friends by doing so. I took him and Yorleni aside about a month ago and told them the news.

It didn't go as planned. They were both shocked. Yorleni told me, "You too?! But Sam, we need your joy and spirit here!" I replied, "But Yorleni, I'm losing my joy!" Ervin gave me a quick hug, said, "I don't know what to say," and walked off. Yorleni said to me, "I think he's just sad because we were just saying the other day how much we love you and think of you as family!"

That was when the tears came on.

Later that afternoon, I received a message from Ervin that read, "Sam, you know I don't talk a lot...and even though you're not leaving just yet, I wanted to tell you this: the time that you've spent with our congregation has been very valuable to us all. Our congregation, my family, and myself have come to consider you as another member of our family. You are a great brother and friend. Remember last year's year text: 'Be courageous and strong. Jehovah your god is with you.' And all of us, Sam, hope that we will be in your memories wherever you go. Thank you for everything."

Today was my last final meeting. It was overwhelming having everybody come up and say bye, so much so to the point where I didn't really have time to feel sad. It was very strange...but I know that I'll at least come visit them!

Louis-Santiago giving his first Bible reading!

My last talk.

Me with Arlen and José-Louis, two siblings who were baptized together about a year ago. They still haven't finished their studies, so Renee asked me to study with them a few months ago. It was a real pleasure studying with them. They are both so smart and have grown so much spiritually. We had a lot of fun together, and I'll truly miss it.

I sometimes wonder what my life would be like had I not been put in Ojo de Agua. It's given me a great opportunity to learn many things about myself and to grow in my relationship with Jehovah. It's proven to me that He can sustain you in any situation as long as you give Him your best. More than that, it's not always about making sure that the congregation is functioning perfectly. It's about the spirit of love among your fellow brothers and sisters. Maintaining that spirit will make it much easier to maintain everything else.

What I'm taking away from Ojo is this: Jehovah loves every single congregation, no matter how isolated it may be. He takes care of all of us. Many times, the ones that are helping out need help themselves, and that is what He has done for me. 

I truly wish all the best for this congregation. It will always hold a special place in my heart. Thanks for everything, Ojo de Agua.

Talk to you all very soon.

Take care,

Sam

English Circuit Assembly

Hi all,

I decided to attend the "God's Word is Beneficial for Teaching" circuit assembly in English this past weekend, and I'm so glad that I did. It was a very encouraging and refreshing weekend!

A few of us went down to Managua a day early. We spent the afternoon visiting a house that Dave and Junea rented on the Laguna de Apoyo, a volcanic crater lake in Granada. I've been there a couple times before, the last time being at the same house. It is unbelievably beautiful there - a preview of paradise!

The water is perfect - it's geothermally heated!

I got permission to attend the regular pioneer meeting the next day, even though I'm not in the English circuit. It was a great privilege to be able to attend. There was 168 in attendance. The meeting was all about maintaining joy in our Kingdom service. It was very practical counsel that came at the perfect time for me, considering that's been my biggest struggle this time around! The talks encouraged us to take all the negatives and try to turn them into positives. Much of the outcome of a situation depends on our personal outlook, so keep it positive! That's what I'm determined to do.

This is Brother Ruben Garcia, the English circuit overseer, giving a talk at the pioneer meeting. He's originally from New York, and is a very friendly & effective speaker. He's always got that big smile on his face! He has a way of putting things into perspective and helping you not to worry about the small stuff. 

One thing that stood out to me from the meeting was the experience of Ashley, a sister serving in León with her husband, Nate. The talk was about fighting discouragement despite challenges, and they certainly had many. They had a goal of attending Gilead, but soon after setting that goal, things began to fall apart. They had to spend thousands of dollars on a car repair, which was a waste because that car died soon after! Finding a stable living situation was also difficult. They stayed with many friends of theirs over time. Eventually, they found out that she was pregnant! Giving up would've been easy, but instead, they turned what could've been a depressing situation into a positive one. They prayed a lot, and have adjusted their circumstances so that they can pioneer full-time here in Nicaragua with their beautiful two-year-old daughter, Lily.

The next day was the start of the assembly!

It doesn't look like a humongous crowd, but there were many different countries represented at this assembly: Nicaragua, Australia, Canada, the United States, Austria, England, Ireland, France, Italy, Mexico, Venezuela, and more. We are definitely an international brotherhood!

My friend Moises giving a soliloquy. 

There was one person baptized on Saturday, and her name is Mary. She is a very sweet girl, and has done considerably well with her circumstances. Her family is opposed, but she kept up with her studies, and now she's officially a sister!

Two sisters re-enacting an experience in which someone requested a Bible study at one of the public witnessing stands in Managua.

Josh was the chairman Sunday afternoon!

Jen and I. She has encouraged me a lot during my time here.

Our weekend group. Left to right: me, Moises, Gavin (from England), his sister Amy, Eduardo, and Josue. Gavin and Amy flew out of Nicaragua today. They will be missed!

The program was just what we all needed. The brothers applied the information in the perfect way so that it hit home to us serving where the need is greater. Although I feel pretty comfortable with Spanish, it was refreshing to hear it all in English! As one brother put it, "If this was physical food, we'd all be overweight!"

We relaxed Sunday after the session by watching the Super Bowl (which was a joke) at a restaurant in Managua.

I love football!

We also played some games with some of the brothers from Pearl Lagoon who were staying at the same house as us.

This was the longest game of UNO I've ever played. It went til midnight! We had a blast though. My stomach hurt from laughing so much.

All in all, the assembly was just what the doctor ordered. Jehovah gives us a nice boost at just the right time! Now it's back to Chinatown and back to Ojo. I'm ready for it!

Thanks for reading. Talk soon!

Sam