Can you hear me now???

What's worse than going to the meeting after losing your voice and knowing everyone is going to make fun of you?  Trying to hail a taxi when all you can do is whisper!  I got a taxi pretty quickly after the meeting,  by flashing the number of the kilometer where I live with my hands and whispering it as loudly as I could.  The driver had to make a detour and wanted me to know what was going on so he takes both hands off the wheel and starts signing to me.  It took me a minute to figure out what was going on since I know zero sign language.  I tried to tell him I could hear, just not speak.  He nodded and then started signing slower.  Finally he understood that he could speak to me but decided to only whisper as well.  Whatever works.

The second cab I got seemed to think I was only unable to hear human voices.  Every time he had a question on which way to turn, he beeped the horn (instead of saying excuse me) to get my attention. Then, he pointed inquisitively as to which way to go.  Again I tried to explain that I could hear (clearly he knew that since I could hear the horn) but again I just got the "oh, ok.....sure" nod and he kept doing it.

The last cab of the day took the cake.  I was riding with another sister so she told him where my stop was.  He seemed perplexed, though when I stayed in the car and she got out at her house.  I kept telling him my address but the more I spoke the more he seemed confused.  The conversation went like this: "No, I'm going to X street, please" "What?" "X street" "Huh?" "X Street....you know, by Y street" *blank stare* "Um are you going to pay?"*me blank stare* "Uh....yeah.....,when we get to X street" "Where?" "X street!!!"  "Huh??" "X street! X street! X street!!!!" *blank stare* "So....here?"  At this point I'm leaned forward as far as I can go, screaming my whispers (how do you scream a whisper??!) so I tell him to lean back so he can hear me.  Now I am literally scream/whispering in his ear "X street!!!!!!!" over and over and over.  Then he goes, "Oh, X street. Ok.  And just pulls off and goes straight to my street.  I tell ya, five minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Shout out to my friend Shelina who lost her voice last week.  Fortuanately, she serves in the sign language congregation here so she got by with no problems.

Spiders Are Evil

I try to live peaceably with the animals...even the creepy crawlies and this is how they repay my kindness??!  (You can already tell this is going to be a rant)

I got up the other morning refreshed and ready for a wonderful day.  I was all in a good mood from studying and taking time to cook a good breakfast.  The sun was shining and the birds were chirping a special song just for me.  I was making great time and everything.  Until, I go to get in the shower and there are two spiders.  I usually just manuever around spiders as long as they are relatively small.  Once they get to a certain size though, they've gotta go.  These two had just gotten the point where I couldn't do my "I've got my eye on you" routine and ignore them.  No worries, I still had plenty of time so I went to get the bug spray.  I returned and killed one.  The other one saw his buddy go down so he fled the scene.  He couldn't go far so I searched the shower, shook out the curtain, moved the trash can.  Nothing.  I repeated the search over and over but he was nowhere to be found. 5 minutes passed.  I thought he jumped on my neck at one point but it was just my braid on my neck.  10 minutes.  I stood there staring at the walls, the toilet, everything.  I tried to convince myself that since he was hidden so well, he would remain in his hideout until I got out of the shower; still, I waited.  15 minutes.  Now I'm running late.  I turn on the shower and stand there staring....convincing myself that it's going to be ok-he's long gone anyway.  I'm a little more relaxed now so I decide to go for it.  Cautiously, I stick one toe into the shower.  Instantly, that little joker comes running full speed at me flayling his little legs and yelling curses at me for killing his friend!  I know it was a set up because he wasn't running AWAY from me, he was running TOWARDS me!  I half fell, half ran backwards, grabbed the spray and he met his demise with a little spider smile on his face.  So much for starting the day off right :'-(.  

Get to Know Our Need Greaters- Patrice

Get to Know Our Need Greaters

Patrice

Where are you from?

St. Louis, Mo. USA

Why did you choose to be a need greater?

I haven't officially become one yet, but it's a goal that I wanted to experience short term, to see if I could do the long haul.

Why Nicaragua?

I was invited by young sister, that was going and she happily invited me to come. I was going on vacation, and hadn't decided where to go yet. So when I mentioned it to her, she said, "You should come to Nicaragua with me!" So I started making plans the next day to go and praying to Jehovah and wow!  There I was serving in Granada, Nicaragua!

Have you served anywhere else?

No, :-(...but I'm working on changing that.

How long will you be here and how long have you served thus far?

I was there for 10 days, and I loved every day of it. I'm looking forward to returning soon. I'm making all things a matter of prayer to Jehovah. I can't stop thinking nor dreaming about this wonderful experience. As each day goes by, I keep this wonderful experience and hope to return and serve for a much longer time or permanently.

How did you prepare to come?

On a prayer. Thanks to Jehovah for his Holy Spirit that comforted me, encouraged me and strengthened me. For Lawd knows I don't like to fly..LOL! and I was traveling alone. This was only possible with Jehovah's help and the loving brothers and sisters that assisted me along the way. And of course I OVER packed, but I did not forget my tea tree oil. It came in so handy for me (to repel mosquitoes)...HEHEHEHEHE! I don't like mosquitoes; that was a challenge for me face too...EEWWW!

Were you worried about anything before coming?

Yes, I was. COULD I REALLY MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS IN MY LIFE STYLE?  WOULD I GET SICK?  WHAT IF I CAN'T HANDLE IT, EVEN SHORT TERM?  I didn't want to disappoint Jehovah, nor the friends and family that assisted me on coming and going.

Have you had to overcome any challenges to get here or while serving here?

Yes-getting time off work. I made it a strong matter of prayer and proceeded to buy my ticket and talked with the brother to help me find a place to stay. Jehovah made it all possible.  And, I had to overcome my fear of speaking Spanish and understanding those that I had to communicate with. And the mosquitoes as well...lol. I didn't get too many bites.  Yay for me!

Do you have any highlights or good experiences from being here?

The highlights of working side by side with the need greaters. Being taken under their wings and shown the ropes. The opportunity to work with the missionaries and preach from isle to isle and to attend the floating Kingdom Hall, with the Spanish congregation friends.  To see those who truly rely on Jehovah to provide for them, without a doubt. Seeing many young ones making the truth their own, and putting Jehovah first in their lives. Meeting friends for the first time, and have them open up their home, and making you feel like you are at HOME! Being able to support the first English assembly held in Granada. OH! And i can't forget the baseball game on my first night there. I was so tired and happy, I didn't realize that I was in Granada, Nicaragua until 2:00 AM, when I woke up and realized where I was, and immediately gave praise to Jah for allowing me to arrive safely and sound.

How has being here brought you closer to Jehovah?

This has helped me to fully appreciate Proverbs 3:5,6 more than ever. I felt Jehovah's spirit guiding me through the whole experience, each time I prayed for his help.   I have tasted and know that Jehovah is good, and it was great!

What advice do you have for others thinking of coming?

JUST DO IT! JEHOVAH WILL BLESS YOUR EFFORTS! If you don't you will just regret it.

Preaching Near Mombacho Volcano

I met up with a few friends and went preaching in the area arround the foot of Volcano Mombacho.  It was surprisingly cool and windy (a great change from hot Granada.)  I even had a chance to meet some of the friends from Mexico who are serving on the Pioneer Route.  We all had a great time and I had a nice opportunity to practice my Spanish :-)

Not sure what kind of fruit this is.

Tire swing!

How many times do you get to pet a bull in service?

How cute are they?!  Preaching on their 23rd wedding anniversary.

Sisters sent from Mexico to help with the preaching here.

Lunchtime! 

Typical Nicaraguan lunch (and dinner!) beans, rice and plantains yum!

This sister was ok with the cats, dogs and pigletts begging for food.  But she nearly jumped out of her chair when a hog charged towards her!  (You can kind of see it by the chair)

Proper pup

More friends from Mexico

This sister (standing) was sooo hospitable.   We had brought our own small lunches but she brought us more food.  As soon as you thought you were done, she brought another dish.  Even the friends who went home to eat were welcomed with heaping plates of food when they arrived for the afternoon service group.

This young brother is so zealous.  He is conducting bible studies with two of his peers.  Both of the little bible students are now attending all meetings on their own with he and his family.

Food always draws a crowd.

How can you not love a face like this?!

More food!

Mexican sister showing off her fancy nails :-)

We sat around eating and talking about how we came into the Truth.

Busy in the kitchen

Pot for holding water.

Pretending to help in the kitchen

Backyard

Outhouse

So glad they had toilet paper cause I forgot to bring mine!

Midnight Visitor

I have a habit of doing so much that by the time I come home, I end up falling asleep really early with all the lights on and the bed covered in whatever I was working on.  Last night I woke up around 1:00 AM and did my usually routine of clearing my laptop and everything off of the bed before going back to sleep.  Except this time, something caught my eye.  As I hooked up the laptop  I noticed a scorpion in my Tupperware dish!  Since I often wake up to unidentified bites and stings from the night before, I decided not assume he would just prance back out of my room before playing "peekaboo" under my covers.  So, after taking a few pictures for proof, I stood there half asleep trying to practice the word for "poison" and "scorpion" before going to wake the brother of the house to come and get it or at least give me bug spray.  I sort of got the words out and he came to see where it was.  He gave me the, "You woke me up at 1:30AM for THIS??!" look when he saw it was in the dish.  He casually put the top on and after tormenting me by threatening to throw it on me (really not funny at 1AM), he shook it outside and stepped on it.  Despite his casual demeanor, he admitted this morning that he had trouble going back to sleep since he was still thinking about it, too.  Bleh!

Get to Know Our Need Greaters-The Kittels

Get to Know Our Need Greaters

The Kittels

Where are you from?
We are from the Central Coast of Oregon

Why did you choose to be a need greater?
Well, how to answer that, we are just starting the Need Greater Path.  I was baptized just over a year ago and our oldest daughter was baptized four months ago and my husband and I thought now was a good time to really see what the ministry is like outside of the United States.  Since we were in Nicaragua, we decided as a family to simplify our lives and make ourselves available to go where the need is greater, hopefully Nicaragua! 

Why Nicaragua?
Because we can’t take a lot of vacations, we wanted this one to encompass as much as possible: uplifting spiritual association, interesting people and sites and to visit friends.  Since we had friends living in Granada, Nicaragua was a perfect choice to take care of all our needs and wants for this trip!

Have you served anywhere else?
We have not, but we hope this is the beginning of serving many wonderful places!

How long will you be here and how long have you served thus far?
We were able to visit for two weeks and we hope to be back for at least a month April 2013. 

How did you prepare to come? Or How are we preparing now to come again….
Prayer, prayer and then more prayer!!  When we knew we were coming we did a lot of research and tried to learn as much Spanish as possible.  While we were in Nicaragua is when the real preparation started because we knew right from the first day that we wanted to come back and be as much help as possible.  We looked at housing, grocery prices and did budgets and picked everyone’s brain (I have a feeling the congregation was glad for the break when we left!  Hee hee) 

We came back to the states and immediately wanted to simplify.  We saw all our “stuff” and realized we didn’t need half of it!  We are having a garage sale in a week.  We are preparing our home to sell so we can downsize.  We are trying to hold on to the uplifting feelings and state of mind we had while we were there to help us get ready to be used where we are needed! 

Were you worried about anything before coming? Or are we worried about anything before we come again? 
Yes and no.  When something pops up in my mind, like leaving our jobs or health insurance, I pray and then talk with my husband and we work together to remove the worry or at least help make it more manageable.  I try to think about all the brothers and sisters we met and see how they overcame their worries with Jehovah’s help and follow their example. 

Have you had to overcome any challenges to get here or while serving here?
I would say the number one challenge was and is learning another language.  We knew just enough when we visited to get by.  But it was frustrating to not be able to converse beyond a very elementary level with some very interesting people that we met.  We are praying about it and working in harmony with those prayers to learn Spanish so we can be a help in the ministry here and eventually wherever we end up. 

The wonderful part of Jehovah’s organization is that wherever you go you have family in the congregation so a lot of challenges that some might face are virtually non-existent with our brothers and sisters to help! 

Do you have any highlights or good experiences from being here?
It was a joy to be out in the ministry and go to an open door and receive smiles and above all an interest in the Bible and what we wanted to share with them for Jehovah!  Even people that were solid in whatever their religion was, listened and were kind to us. 

One of the many good experiences we had in Nicaragua was going out in the ministry to the Isletas and then going to the floating Kingdom Hall!  What a treat that was!  And to meet the missionary couple and a group of pioneers from Costa Rica and hear their stories was very uplifting!!

I was also very impressed with the Nicaraguan people.  They are kind and generous and very helpful.  Especially when it came to helping this family of bumbling Gringos!!  We had people stopping and helping us with directions and nicely correcting our Spanish so we could explain something correctly. 

How has being here brought you closer to Jehovah?
We had such a change of perspective while in Nicaragua!  Without all the distractions we face in the states from work to the media to the hectic lifestyle we were able to see how readily Jehovah provides for us and protects us! 

What do you do in your free time?
My daughters and I love to read.  I like to scrapbook and decorate.  As a family we love to have brothers and sisters over for meals and movies and fun.  And we love to travel!

What advice do you have for others thinking of coming?
DO IT!  We were astonished with all the stories from the brothers and sisters about what they did to go where the need is great!  It’s easier than you think.  And what greater thing can you do than to lean upon Jehovah and go where he can use you most!

The friends' Sacrifice for the Pioneer Route

I forgot to mention this in the last post but I've heard some really encouraging things from some of the friends participating in the Pioneer Route.  Although the route is considered to be like temporary Special Pioneering, each person is completely financially self-sufficient.  Many of the friends have gone through great lengths to make themselves available.  One young sister took photographs and pasted them to card stock to sell as post cards to make enough money to go.  She gave some of the cards to a local store to sell and unfortunately the store was robbed of money and many of the cards so she was unable to earn money from them.  Since then, she has made more cards and is also selling cookies so that she may serve on the route.  She continues to work in harmony with her prayers to make enough money to go.  Another family has two young ones in their late teens whom are going on the route.  One has been pioneering for a year and only working part time but started working a lucrative job full time over the last several months to save for the route.  The other just graduated high school a couple of months ago and landed a much sought after job immediately.  It is very difficult to obtain jobs such as the ones they had and since their parents are having trouble finding work, the income is helpful.  As soon as it was time for them to go on the route, however, both quit their jobs choosing to rely on Jehovah to care for their needs and the needs of their family.  Their parents are their biggest cheerleaders in encouraging them to reach their spiritual goals.  I had the chance to meet a couple who were sent from Mexico to assist here in Nicaragua.  In order to come, they spent 6 days on a bus, spending each night in different Witnesses' houses in each country they passed through.  They had never met any of the friends before.  They had to save for 11 months in order to serve for one month here in Nicaragua.  Did they regret their efforts?  They considered it a privilege, not a sacrifice.  As I continue to meet ones participating in the route, I will try to relate their experiences.  In the mean time, please keep these courageous, self sacrificing brothers and sisters in your thoughts and prayers.

"I thank my God always upon every remembrance of you in every supplication of mine for all of you, as I offer my supplication with joy, because of the contribution you have made to the good news from the first day until this moment.  For I am confident of this very thing, that he who started a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.  It is altogether right for me to think this regarding all of you, on account of my having you in my heart, all of you being sharers with me in the undeserved kindness. . ."(Philippians 1:3-7)
    

New Assignment I Can't Even Find on Google Earth!

Last year, the Mexico Branch sent out an exciting letter.  For the first time ever, Nicaragua is to have a Pioneer Route.  The purpose of the route is to send Publishers to various areas across the country to get an idea of the interest there.  This will help in determining whether there is a need for Special Pioneers and or Missionaries to be sent there to develop groups and congregations.  Some of the areas have not been worked in 7 or more years!  You don't have to be a full time Pioneer to qualify as long as you are serving as an Auxillirary Pioneer while you are on the route.  The routes have proved successful in many countries in the past.   However, this is the first time it will take place simultaneously throughout Central America.  There is actually a very nice article about the routes in the April 15, 2003 Watchtower on page 8.  While I was working in the States, I was excited to receive an invitation to participate and couldn't wait to return to Nicaragua for more details.  I will be serving for 2 1/2 months in a Spanish congregation (gasp!).  SPANISH??!!  Hence the reason for me hurriedly taking a bunch of Spanish classes!  I'm really making this a matter of prayer because foreign language wasn't really a goal and I am terrible at learning languages.  Serving where the need is greater actually was not one of my goals either but when Jehovah sends us in a certain direction, who are we to say, "Wow that's really nice but I think I'll serve over here where I'm comfortable, THANKS!"?  I tried learning some Spanish when I got here thinking that it might be kind of cool to learn a language and also I'd be more marketable when looking for a job back home.  Jehovah seems to be blessing my efforts more now that my motives have changed and the sole reason I'm learning is for the ministry.
I can't find any info on the area I'll be serving in.  All I know is that  a brother serving there described it as not being a city or a town but simply a community.  It's all rural and mountainous in in the middle of nowhere (YES! Yearbook territory!!!).  I'm soooo glad I invested in good hiking boots and a hiking bag on my last trip to the States!  We have a nice list of supplies that are suggested by the branch to help us.  For this particular assignment, the brother has advised us to bring food since the nearest market is in another town.  I've heard that the congregation is on a river and most of the people are rice farmers so there is alot of standing water.  On top of that, I'm going during rainy season  so needless to say, I need to stock up on bug spray so I don't get the "M" word (Malaria)!  I'm sure it will be just fine.  A few friends from my congregation got assigned there and just left a few days ago so hopefully I'll hear from them soon with more details before I leave in April.  In the meantime, things are going great here in Granada.  We've had lots of visitors in the last couple of months so it's been nice meeting more friends from all around the world.