Please don’t expect this to be as interesting!

I just thought it was time to post on our blog, even though it’s unlikely to be as interesting as our Nicaragua posts.

So, we’ve been back for about 8 weeks now and in a way it feels like our Nicaragua trip was a lifetime ago. We really miss the friends we made, although thanks to modern technology we’ve been in touch with some of them. And we really miss the calm life we enjoyed there those three months!

Since we’ve been back we’ve both been back at our old jobs, not much has changed there. Charley had one exciting change though. He asked not to work Saturday’s any more, and was granted his request, so this past Saturday was his first Saturday of not working. It was wonderful to spend the day together!!

So, what has happened here in Indy? Well, we’ve been very busy with the congregation as usual. It was funny coming back to such a huge congregation after spending three months in a smaller one. The first week back our meeting was on a Friday because English had CO visit and so a lot were missing. I thought I’d seen everyone, but then Sunday came around and I realized how huge our congregation really is! We have just over 120 publishers now but we’re having around 200 every Sunday now.

The Memorial was wonderful. We had 326 people packed into the Kingdom Hall. We both had studies there, and I had an old ex-study from a few years ago show up.  Someone who I had never persuaded to come to the Hall while she was studying. She came with her husband and little boy! I was amazed!!! She doesn’t seem like she wants to study at the minute, but that was something so we’ll see what comes of that.

Then for the Special Talk we had 239 in attendance. Another of my studies who hadn't been to the hall in quite a while was there with three of her six kids! 

I also spent a weekend in the house with hives from head to toe – that was fun!! I’ve never had anything like that before and never quite figured out what caused it. I hope I never get it again though! I am now afraid to eat jelly beans ever again because that’s the only thing I ate that I could think might have caused an allergic reaction!

Our ministry here is going really well. I have about 8 studies, which all were conducted by others while I was gone. My study, Claudia, the niece of our landlord in Nicaragua, is here staying with her aunt and uncle until July, so I got to continue her study here. She never misses a meeting or her study, and she’s just taking it all in really well. She’s a joy to study with. She wants to comment at the meeting now, so we’re going to work on getting a few comments together for Sunday. She seemed excited at the prospect of participating.

Another one of my studies, Leonor, is just on fire! She’s always been a very good study. One of these that prepared for her study from Day One, but although she came to a few meetings when she first started studying, she hadn’t been to any for quite a while. So I took advantage of the last subheading in Chapter 9 of the Teach book to talk about the importance of meeting attendance.  So, she hasn’t missed a meeting since the Thursday before the Memorial and she just loves it! She commented last week too. She had also prepared a comment in her own words with a scripture included in it, although she didn’t get to give that one, but it’s good practice for her. She told a sister at our hall that she is in love with Jehovah’s Witnesses! She’s a joy to study with. We’re in Chapter 11 now and I just can’t wait to study with her every week!

A few weeks ago we enjoyed an afternoon working down at the site of the new Kingdom Hall, doing some work around the grounds. And this past weekend we got a new carpet installed in our current Kingdom Hall. It was desperately in need of attention, and beyond cleaning, so it’s lovely to have a new one as well as a few other little jobs seen to. Makes the hall look a lot better. Hopefully we can sell it soon!

And then yesterday we had our Special Assembly Day at the Assembly Hall in downtown Indianapolis. We had five Spanish congregations there, with an attendance of 911 and 4 baptized, one being a young sister in our congregation. On Saturday another part of the circuit was there, six congregations I think, and they had 825 in attendance and 12 baptized. The way we’re going we won’t all fit in there in another year or so! It’s wonderful to see how the Spanish is growing here in Indiana. In October 2004 when we had our first Spanish circuit assembly here in Indianapolis, we had 1250 in attendance, but that was the two parts of the circuit meeting together. It was WAY TOO PACKED! So they split us in half. And this past weekend between the two sides we had 1736 in attendance. 500 more than in 2004!!

Hilary, Leonor & Me. This was their first assembly.

Charley and I accidentally matched for the assembly!

We also had a wedding in our congregation that I volunteered to take the pictures for. It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it, and the couple is thrilled with the pictures so that’s a relief! Here are a few of the pictures I took. 

The newlyweds with her two daughters and his three kids

Aren't they cute?!

It rained almost ALL day. So we included the umbrellas in the fun!

I also did a photo session for some friends of their girls in their ballet outfits, and some of one of the girls and her brother. Found a new place for taking pictures that doesn’t make you have a permit – yay! And today I had Sam’s Club call me to ask about a copyright release for these professional pictures I was trying to get printed there! I was very flattered!!! I told her I took them, and she was like, Wow, you did a really great job!! YAY!!!!! Below are a few of those pictures too.

Well, so that’s the latest from here in Indianapolis. We don’t have any definite plans to return to Nicaragua yet, but we’re definitely considering it. We have CO Visit next week (our last one from this couple….sniff, sniff) so we’ll probably chat with him about it. For now we’re enjoying ourselves here and trying to keep up the hectic pace!

Goodbye for now!