SAN FRANCISCO GROUP

I have exciting news!  The rural group we have been trying to start for a long time is now going strong with their very own Kingdom Hall!  A few weeks ago, I blogged about the construction they were frantically doing to get ready for their Memorial.  Well, now I have some shots of the finished product.  It's very simple, but very beautiful.

It's not an official group yet, but has 23 publishers including 3 ministerial servants, 4 pioneers, and for now, the elders are taking turns attending to the needs of the group.  The brothers there have told me that they usually have close to double the publishers in attendance!  We're hoping that during our next circuit overseer's visit, they'll be named as an official group.  They now have all of their meetings separate from us, although we'll continue to all share the same territory.

If you are looking for a place to serve where the need for Kingdom publishers is greater, do you think this could be the place for you?  If so, feel free to send a private note using the new "contact me" box to the right of this blog post. 

SNAPSHOTS OF FIELD SERVICE

I know you guys love these so I wanted to share some recent field service shots...

Here's the Sunday group for service in front of our (newly painted) KH.  We don't have cars for service here...we have motos!

Sometimes on Fridays I accompany my roommate, Shelina, to the Laguna de Apoyo where she gives a Bible study to 3 of our newly baptized deaf sisters.  These girls (from left to right: Maria, Karla, and Celsa) are 3 of 7 deaf children of 13 children in total whew!  They are lovely girls and it's always a pleasure to visit them.  They really struggle to put Jehovah first often having to choose between bus money to go to meetings and food money for the day.  Their parents are not JWs and don't even know sign language so the congregation really cares for these precious gems.

Who else gets their territory directions like this: "Work the highway both sides until you get to the volcano.  Then take the bus back." On a side note, this is a really difficult territory for me.  It's about a 2.5 mile walk UPhill, next to the PANAMERICAN HIGHWAY, completely SHADELESS, and DUSTY.  Jehovah feels my pain :(

The service group in front of one of our territory vistas.  Beautiful, isn't it?

Introducing Don Silvio!  What an enchanting student!  When he was in his 20's he had contact with JWs and heard the ring of truth but through moving and the earthquake of '72 and the war, he lost contact.  A few months ago, he retired so was home during the day when we came a-knocking and immediately started his study back up and regularly attends meetings.  He always talks about how he's so thankful to Jehovah that he found the Witnesses again.  He lives about 2 blocks from my house, and any time you pass by, THIS is what he's doing...reading his Bible Teach book.  He's also reads the Reasoning Book "for fun" as he puts it.  I had the pleasure of attending one of his studies when I first came to Nindiri and he had a ton of questions about how he could qualify for baptism.  Then we started the study and I saw he was just in Chapter 2.  Hey, when you know, you know.

Three hardworking pioneers finishing the Memorial invitation work in our neighborhood at about 7:30pm

One of our rural service groups during the Memorial campaign

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES SHAWN A DULL GIRL

As you can see from these pictures, I definitely am NOT a dull girl :)  I've been able to mix a lot of work and play (sometimes at the same time) recently....

This is what happens when you go in service with boys...

I had another great pix of Jocelyn about to drop under the weight of a toddler-sized papaya, but I lost it!

I haven't joined a gang. But I HAVE learned that if you want to ride in the back of someone's truck without eating your hair for lunch and burning your scalp...wear a kerchief.

Shelina and I having fun on the way to one of her studies one day.  How amazing that this is the view, right?!

Laying claim to a pineapple field

FAREWELL, JOCELYN

Part of my job is to encourage others to join us here in Nicaragua where the harvest is great but the workers are few.  Thanks to Jehovah, we recently had a very responsible young person with us for a month, Jocelyn Moreno.  Jehovah's organization is amazing how through friends of friends she got rooming with us and we felt fine welcoming a complete stranger into our home.  It truly was a joy to have a ministry partner for a month and make a lasting friendship.

From the Big Apple to cowboys and cattle

I think we did a good job of  helping her see how need greater's relax after a long month in service :)

Nindiri congregation and territory greatly benefited from Jocelyn's sacrifice, and I'm trying to work hard to cultivate the seeds she planted here.  Check out this amazing video where she talks about what motivated and her to come and some great tips for others planning the same thing.

Can you locate the pineapple?  This was a massive field of them!

Jocelyn's last meeting :(

Jocelyn with some of her new Nindiri friends

One of the most helpful things she said while she was here was some advice she received a few years ago.  Some brothers were in her state of New York showing slides of their time in Nicaragua and after the presentation, she greeted them and explained it was her desire to serve here one day.  They told her that she has a great goal but...it's more important to reach a goal than have a goal.  Now that she's been here and sees how much help we need, she understands the advice.  Can you help us too?