Big Corn Island - July 13, 2017

Preaching at the top of Quinn Hill

We have been living on Big Corn Island for over six months now – we arrived in December 2016 and it is now almost the middle of July 2017. Coming back to Nicaragua has been quite an adjustment for us. Maybe because we have lived here before we mistakenly thought the transition back to Nicaragua would be easy. Perhaps if we had returned to either Leon or Pearl Lagoon that would be the case. However, life on Big Corn Island is vastly different than either of those locales and we have found it to be somewhat of a challenge.

For us, life here on the island is far more physical than it was in Leon or Pearl Lagoon; and vastly more than what life was like in Canada. Our primary form of transportation is by bicycle and we don’t have a washing machine so clothes are washed by hand. There are no supermarkets to buy food, although there are a few well stocked tiendas where we can purchase the majority of our groceries but shopping for basic necessities can be a weekly if not daily challenge. Since we have a clay filter we bike to the public well to fill up containers – it is a 5km round trip – which we do at least two or three times a week.

One of our pioneers conducting a Bible Study

In order to keep within budget (or at least try to) we have opted to live in a one room efficiency apartment. It really is a converted hotel room in a rundown former hotel. However, the location is amazing – truly waterfront living with a constant ocean breeze which means we have no need for an air conditioner. Our landlord is in the process of fixing the place up and in time these rooms will be in high demand if he makes all the changes he talks about. Living in one room has advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side – there is very little to clean. On the negative side – there is very little room to move around and no sitting area except on the bed. This isn’t really a big problem because we have a huge veranda and only becomes an issue when it is raining and we can’t sit outside. For the most part, we have embraced tiny living.

Another reason for a difficult transition was the fact that we don’t know how long we will be able to stay in Nicaragua. The day before we left Canada Pat received a phone call from his Lymphoma doctor about a couple of lymph nodes he is concerned about. The doctor indicated that if we were staying in Canada that he would recommend that Pat have a biopsy performed on them. Since we were due to leave the following day we decided that we would continue with our plans and find a doctor in Nicaragua to monitor Pat’s health. There is a doctor from Bluefields that Pat visits every three months – so we are living our lives in three-month increments.

There are two congregations on Corn Island and one language group. We belong to the Long Bay Kriol Congregation which has about 15 publishers – 9 are regular pioneers. Currently, there are 5 Elders but come October that will change as one couple has been asked to move to Bluefields and we have two Ministerial Servants. The congregation is conducting over 70 bible studies with every publisher conducting at least one. The door-to-door ministry is amazing as the majority of islanders love to talk about the bible. It has been a real joy to get reacquainted with brothers and sisters that we met when we were in Nicaragua last time, as well as getting to know new ones.

All in all, life here on Big Corn has been good. We are enjoying spending more time together doing the things we love. We are discovering new talents and resurrecting old delights. We hope that this blog continues to be a resource for anyone looking to serve in Nicaragua.

First day in the ministry.

Managua, Nicaragua - December 20, 2016

Palo Verde Jungle Tour

It's hard to believe that we left Canada over a week ago. We landed in Liberia, Costa Rica and spent three relaxing days in Liberia before heading by bus up to Granada, Nicaragua.

While in Liberia, we took a tour on the Tempisque River called the Palo Verde Jungle Tour. We saw many different species of birds as well as crocodiles. On the trip back to our hotel we stopped along the side of the road and were treated to an up close encounter with a howler monkey troupe and were able to take a few amazingly closeup shots of a mama howler and baby. Lunch was at Rancho Los Coyotes where we enjoyed some excellent local cuisine as well as a demonstration of how local pottery is produced.

Crocodile on the Palo Verde Jungle Tour

Mama Howler monkey with baby

The bus transfer to Granada was uneventful and we enjoyed a week of relaxing and preparing for the Regional Convention in Ticuantepe. One morning we joined the local Granada congregation in service. Our group was assigned search work as well as inviting all English speakers we found to the Regional Convention. Pat and his partner had a long chat with a fellow in the territory and was able to show him the convention trailer video. The young guy said that he would try and attend.

Katrine

Being able to attend the Regional Convention here was a highlight of the week. Not just the program, but to be reunited with all our friends in one place was indescribable. Our ribs still ache from the long, hard hugs we received. The local brothers worked long and hard to prepare in welcoming brothers from remote parts of Nicaragua. For the first time brothers and sisters from Costa Rica journeyed to Nicaragua for the Regional Convention. We were so thrilled to be in attendance when two young sisters from Pearl Lagoon were baptized.

Katiel

Reuniting with friends from Leon

Welcoming brothers & sisters to the Regional Convention

Welcoming the brothers & sisters to the Regional Convention

With the Pearl Lagoon Congregation

Today we are finally heading for Corn Island. After much thought and consulting with the experts, we have decided to ship our 3 heavy bags on the Captain D and take a flight out this afternoon. We are excited to be finally getting to our destination and will update with pictures as soon as we can.

We are Returning to Nicaragua!

Where has the time gone? We can hardly believe it, but we have been back in Canada for 3 years!

Pat finished chemo and radiation in 2014 – he was glad to get that behind him. However, for most of 2015 we were waiting to find out if he was in remission. He had two “iffy” scans and we didn’t find out that he was out of the woods until the end of August. Woohoo!

 

Once the relief set in that Pat was in remission, we started to think about the possibility of returning to Nicaragua. So…we have good news to share – we are going back to Nicaragua in December! Only 44 days to go!

 As much as we loved both Leon and Pearl Lagoon, we won’t be returning to either of those places. After a couple of vacations in Cuba we realized how much we loved white sandy beaches, palm trees and easy access to snorkeling. So, our plan is to move to Big Corn Island where we will be able to enjoy the beach life in abundance.

We must say, that we really appreciate the loving support we’ve received over the last 3 years helping us to conquer the CANCER beast. Without the support, sometimes daily, from our close friends and a fantastic team of doctors and nursing staff, it would have been even more difficult than it was. Also, the support that we received from Debbie’s place of employment has been truly amazing. A huge THANK YOU to everyone!

A year back in Canada already!

We can’t believe it, but we have been back in Canada a whole year! It’s been a busy year – here is some of our news:

Pat at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

Pat’s final diagnosis was Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkins Lymphoma, stage 3B. This is a slow growing cancer so it is more than likely that Pat was sick even before we left Canada for Nicaragua. The treatment for this type of lymphoma is chemotherapy called ABVD  (4 different drugs administered every other week). Although Pat tolerated the chemo fairly well we had a scary few days in the spring when he developed an infection due to the effect the chemo had on his blood’s ability to fight infection. He spent a few days in hospital hooked up to IV antibiotics. Pat finished his chemotherapy in late June, but was unable to attend the Regional Convention because his blood levels were too low and there was too much risk of him catching something with the crowds. A PETscan was done in early August and it unfortunately showed that there are still some lymph nodes around the bowel that have not been cleared of cancer. Just this week they repeated the scan and we are waiting to find out the results. In the meantime Pat starts radiation next week and the original plan is that he receive 30 treatments, so he should be finished in early December.

Pat & Debbie - July 2014

I was able to get a job with my old employer which was a huge relief because I wasn't looking forward to job interviews. Although I wasn't able to take my old job back I am still in the Accounting Department working under my old boss – so I’m happy about that. We have been settled into our own apartment since March and it is only about 10 minutes from my work. Our apartment was generously furnished by brothers and sisters who found/gave us second hand furniture. Pat felt well enough in the spring to paint and so it is a nice, cozy place to come home to. We are truly grateful to Jehovah for taking such good care of us and the many dear friends that he used to do so!

Both of us were able to Auxiliary Pioneer in August – 30 hours – glad to be part of such a historic month of activity. Once September rolled around we were exhausted both physically and mentally and headed south to Cuba for a two week stay at an All-Inclusive. It was just what we needed to recharge ourselves – two weeks of not having to think or worry about anything except whether we wanted to swim in the ocean or the pool!

Enjoying Cuba! Sept. 2014

When we left Nicaragua last October, we had no clue that our stay in Canada would be this long. We are keeping our goal alive to move back to Nicaragua and hope to do so in the future..... We miss our lives being 100% focused on the ministry and our brothers and sisters. So, for anyone out there that is reading this and are wondering about moving to another country to be a Needgreater we urge you to do so. Even if it is only for a short while - you will never regret the time that you spend doing it!

Halifax, Nova Scotia - December 15, 2013

Smoke on the water - Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia

You know it's cold out when you see "smoke" on the water! Yesterday morning it was - 15°C, but with the windchill it felt like -25°C. For those of you that don't know Celsius -  it was cold enough for your nostrils to stick when you breathed in! The snow was crunchy underfoot and so we only did rv's in service. Today we are under a Winter Storm Watch and the meeting was cancelled for this morning - we weren't too sorry that we could stay home and keep warm!

This past week has been rather busy with appointments and information in regards to Pat's health. First of all, on Tuesday we met with the ENT surgeon that performed the biopsy. He indicated that the initial results were in and the results showed a "low" indicator for Lymphoma. We were excited and discussed the other possibilities (i.e. Sarcoidosis or Wegener's) and that there was a possibility that we would only have to stay in Canada for about 6 months. We left the appointment feeling pretty good and my mind was already on "the exit" plan back to Nicaragua.....

At noon on Wednesday the surgeon phoned to say that the final pathology on the test was back and that it unfortunately did confirm that Pat had Lymphoma.... We didn't even bother to ask if it showed what type and only confirmed that we would be following up with the Hematologist's office in the coming days.

On Friday Pat had a followup appointment with the Infectious Disease guys. They confirmed what we already knew that the results came back negative for TB and the other diseases they tested for. The doctor did however let it out of the bag that Pat has Hodgkin's Lymphoma. We had been expecting him to have non-Hodgkin's - so this was a big surprise. Since it is likely that Pat will require Chemo they decided to do a few more blood tests because there are some parasites, that if Pat has them, will go into overdrive from the Chemo. When we got home Pat received a call from the Hematologist's office. He has an appointment Tuesday morning next week to meet with the doctor. There are also some more tests that are being booked - a PET scan and a Wall Motion study. We should get the dates next week. Pat also had to head back out to the lab for some more blood work that they need the results back for Tuesday's appointment!

On other news, last week I went to see my old boss and she indicated that there might be a job for me. We had just found out Pat's diagnosis so when she asked if I was looking for temp or permanent, full or part-time work I had to say - permanent full time! Looking ahead it will be good to have a job that provides benefits (medical and dental). We are still considering looking after an apartment building, but Pat would be the superintendent rather than me. Many of our friends are busy collecting everything that we need for an apartment and by the time we move into a place of our own we will be well setup - thanks everyone!

Pat in his "office"

While we wait for treatments to begin Pat is keeping busy sorting out the congregation's territory. There has been a lot of construction over the last few years and nobody has had the time to make cards for them. The pioneers were thrilled to have new territory to work last week and are looking forward to some good calls when the weather improves. The room we are using as a bedroom has a "wall bed" that can be put away during the daytime. Pat sets up a table and chairs, puts on the "fire" and gets to work.


We want to say how much we miss our "family" down in Nicaragua and hope you will keep in touch. We are thinking of keeping this blog going so that you can know what is happening with us - I guess we'll have to change the title....

Evey and Debbie braving the winter cold

Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia

Halifax, Nova Scotia - November 20, 2013

Lake Banook - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

 Slowly, we seem to be acclimatizing - perhaps it's the long-johns that are helping! There have been a few snowflakes in the air but so far no accumulation. We are already looking forward to spring....

So... last week we visited the ENT doctor thinking that Pat was going to have a biopsy performed on-the-spot only to find out that he was there for a meet & greet. No biopsy - that will be performed at the Dartmouth General on November 29th. The lymph node that they will take the biopsy on is in a very delicate position (close to the carotid artery) and has to be performed during day surgery. If all goes well he should be home the same day. We should get initial results (lymphoma or some crazy infection) within 2 weeks. If he has Lymphoma it will take another 2 weeks to determine the specific type. We presume that about that time we will meet with the Hematologist to determine the course of treatment.

Pat and Debbie - November 17, 2013

While we are waiting for the medical diagnoses we are enjoying the hospitality of many friends. One evening we were asked to share our experiences in Nicaragua with a young family during their Family Worship- who knew that we would be "show and tell". This past weekend we joined the Halifax circuit at their Circuit Assembly. It was a real treat to see so many of our friends all together in one place. To try and prevent Pat catching a cold or some other bug we listened to the sessions in the First Aid room. The night before the assembly Pat received a hand-me-down suit from a good friend - very much appreciated since the two suits he has are far too big for him.

I guess I never realized how much wildlife there is in the city. Here are a couple of pictures I took while out in the ministry today:

feeding the ducks

small herd of deer in the city

Halifax, Nova Scotia - November 13, 2013

We've been back in Canada for two weeks now and are still adjusting to the change. The climate for one thing is a big adjustment - we're heading into winter here and our bodies still think we are back in Nicaragua.

Fall is a beautiful time of year in the Maritimes with the leaves changing colour. On sunny days I can almost fool myself into thinking that it is warm outside!

Chai Latte with snack

I've enjoyed a few days out in service when the weather hasn't been too cold, but have taken advantage of warming up in the car in between calls. Oh, yeah - there's something called a COFFEE BREAK too! We didn't have any of those in Pearl Lagoon. Like everyone else, we are busily distributing the Kingdom News tract #38. I met a nice young lady last week and hope to return to her tomorrow. Service has pretty much been impossible for Pat because of the cold, but he was able to accompany us on some return visits on Saturday.

Halifax Harbour ferry

Public Witnessing - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Another adjustment is seeing the prices of our favorite foods in the supermarkets. $5.00 for two avocados! Limes 3 for $1.99! Crazy!

 On October 30th Pat had a CATSCAN and we received the results from our family Doctor. It appears that Pat definitely has Lymphoma (in 4 areas of the abdomen) and a biopsy is scheduled for this afternoon. Once we have the results from the biopsy we will have a better picture as to whether we will be able to return to Pearl Lagoon. However, we are coming to realize that our stay in Canada will be far longer than we had anticipated.

Pat - Lake Banook - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Debbie - Lake Banook - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

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

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