Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Halifax, Nova Scotia - October 30, 2013

Yes, you read that heading correctly. We are unexpectedly back in Canada. Last week Pat broke down and saw a doctor in Bluefields. During the examination it was determined that he had some medical issues that needed to be investigated further and the doctor recommended that we return to Canada. Since our tourist visa was due to expire on October 28th (we were due to visit Costa Rica) it made sense to schedule our trip for that date. We had only a couple of days to pull everything together and by Saturday morning at 5:30 a.m. we were on the bus heading out of Pearl Lagoon. We spent a relaxing day at the Best Western Las Mercedes in Managua on Sunday in preparation for our flight home on Monday - to COLD Halifax. We were very grateful for the warm jackets that awaited us when we arrived.

Tuesday was spent reactivating our NS Health Insurance and a trip to the Halifax ER. During the hospital visit we learned that Pat does not have TB (which the doctor in Bluefields suspected) and some further investigative tests are in the works. We will keep everyone updated when we find out. We are hoping that Pat's medical issues can be resolved quickly and that we will soon be heading back to Pearl Lagoon.

Fenelia, Honorio, Kathy and Katiel
We had only started settling into our new home before we left, but we already had some excitement. Since we live so close to a field many little "field mice" like to make our home their home - we aren't too happy with that arrangement. We - or should I say Pat - managed to trap a few of the furry little creatures, but one morning at the field service arrangement I was putting my bible back into my service bag when a mouse jumped out of it and made a getaway. Thankfully the little guy hadn't been in my bag for any length of time and I was happy that he didn't decide to make his getaway while I was at someones house having a bible study.

Before we left Pearl Lagoon we were happy to welcome Honorio back to the congregation - it was nice to hear his cheerful whistle.

We managed to capture a few pictures of the congregation during our last meeting:


Pearl Lagoon Congregation - October 24, 2013

Pearl Lagoon Congregation - October 24, 2013



Sunday, October 13, 2013

Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua - October 13, 2013

Here we are at almost the half-way mark of October. We have been super busy with non-theocratic stuff. First off, we helped the Blake family with roofing of their house in preparation of their moving in. Since Pat was part of the "roofing" crew in Nova Scotia he learned first hand the differences between how things are done back home and how they are accomplished here in Nicaragua. Granted, putting a roof on the Blake's family home is different than a Kingdom Hall project but, the different methods in building construction were very much in evidence. No hardhats, safety shoes or regulation scaffolding here but, common sense was evident and the guys managed to work safely with no injuries or near misses to report.



Pat setting up scaffolding for the roof

Byron and Pat working on the roof

Debbie handing a piece of zinc to the guys

We have missed a lot of service over the past two weeks, so we will have a lot of catching up to do. We did have a nice group out in service for the first Saturday of the month.

October 5th service in Pearl Lagoon


So - the secret is out and just about everyone knows - Jean Blake is getting married next month. As a congregation we had a "Bridal Shower" Nica style. We had planned to spend the day in Awas at the beach so that the kids could go swimming but, the weather didn't cooperate and so we had the party at the Kingdom Hall since it was empty (the Blake family had already moved out and we hadn't yet moved in).

There was lots of good food and plenty of laughs. When the invitations to the gathering were handed out each family was asked to bring a specific "gift" for Jean. For example, we were asked to bring a bag of salt (cost of 5 cordobas). During the party we "presented" the gift to Jean with instructions on how to use it. So, we told her that she would not always get along with Luke and that at times she will have to "season her words with salt and if all else fails she can use it to season her food too!" It was funny at the time! Everyone took a turn and we had a lot of fun - Jean got some practical advice too!  

We had lots of food and the kids played some games. When the party was over the Moms and kids went for a swim since the rain had stopped.

Some of the food for the party

Debby and Yoli

Amy

Jean with the kids playing a game

Amy and Fenelia

Yaya and June

Nemysha

Jean - the Bride-to-be

Fenelia

Nathan, Debby, Chase, Yoli, Katiel and Kathy


So, we moved yesterday and have settled our things into the Kingdom Hall. We have taken two rooms (one for our bedroom and one as a living room). Camille will have a room and then there is a fourth bedroom which holds all the "things" for the boat.

The room that we have for the "living room" has paint that compliments our furniture - so at least we won't have to paint it. We are struggling to set it up right - so if you have any suggestions please feel free to make them!




Our bedroom:




Now here is the real challenge - the kitchen. We need cupboards! We see two options - putting shelves under the counters or having a "pantry" built and putting it on the wall beside the fridge. We can't hang cupboards on the wall above the counter because I wouldn't be able to reach them. Any suggestions????



Really, anyone with an ounce interior design abilities - please help us out!


The neighbours are far away - so it will be a lot quieter.
from the back door

from the front door

large field on the left side

abandoned house and mango trees to the right



Tuesday, October 1, 2013

October 1, 2013

Writing letters at the Kingdom Hall
Where did September go? I can't believe that today is the first of October. September ended up being a fairly rainy month and there were a number of days that we had to dedicate at least part of it to letter writing. I must admit that I enjoyed being able to sit down for a morning rather than tramp around in the rain. I'm afraid that at times there was a little more "chatting" going on than writing! I guess it was a good excuse to get to know our new brothers and sisters better.

September seemed to be a difficult month to settle back into routine with our studies. Many of them have taken advantage of the "shrimping" season to earn a little extra money and so haven't been available. Now that the season is over we should be able to get everyone back on track.

I really enjoyed the part last week on the service meeting "How did we do last year?". The figures for our small congregation were staggering! For a congregation of 11 people we had the following totals: 6,345 hours in the ministry, 215 books, 554 brochures, 2,431 magazines, 3,293 return visits and 525 bible studies (7 pioneers and 4 publishers).


The savanah between Pearl Lagoon and Raitipura

kids playing in a canoe


Nora - she joined us for our service arrangement

As a special treat Kathy prepared roasted turtleback. We all went to her house yesterday at noon to have a taste - it was soooo good! She also made some cassava (yuca) and banana to accompany it. Yum!

The hungry crowd!

Katiel making sure she doesn't miss out!

Haley and Amy enjoying the company

Kathy's dogs get the leftovers


Chase and Katiel having a ride on Byron's bike