Meet the students - Part 1

Well, here we are, time just keeps flying by and every day off I think I'm going to blog. So, since we're hanging out at someone's house, and they just left for their meeting (different congregation), and Charley is watching American Football (they have cable here!), I thought I'd at least get started on a blog post.

All is well here. December is a pretty crazy month in Masaya and daily I'm grateful we live outside of the city! From yesterday through Christmas people go around blowing horns at 4am to wake people up for church or something. Our friends in the city are already complaining of lack of sleep and this is only the second day. Thankfully, nobody does that in the community we live in!

We've been busy with the usual activities. Friday we were invited to lunch by a couple who have been serving here 3 1/2 years. He's from England, she's from Romania but lived in England for a while too. They go to a congregation here in Masaya too. We had a really nice time, good food and good company. The highlight however was dessert. I haven't had a good piece of chocolate since arriving in Nicaragua, and I have been craving it lately! But this brother makes his own chocolate, from scratch. He buys the beans here in Nicaragua, and has a grinder that the Indians use to make dahl. It was AMAZING!!!! So we had that, warm over ice-cream and fruit, including a fresh coconut that he split open. Man, that just made my week, or I think probably my month! I told him it also makes all my homemade products seem like nothing. I mean, how can I beat someone who makes their own chocolate?!

So, this week has been a good week for studies. I decided to carry my camera around with me so that you can "meet" some of the people I study with here.

First, here is Raquel. 

She runs a little store at her mother's house, and although we hadn't managed to study for a while, we got her study going again this week. This is a study that the other pioneer sister in our hall gave to me when we first got here. She is involved with the Charismatic (spelling?) church, but she really enjoys her Bible study with us too. I think might have mentioned her one time. She's the one that was just astounded to learn that Jesus existed before coming to the earth. So, we had a good study. We have to keep pausing as people come in and buy stuff, mostly little kids (some in their underwear!) buying junk food for a couple of pesos! But we were able to finish up Chapter 4 in the Bible Teach book this week.

Next, here we are with Mirna (on the end), Yuliana (in the middle) & Jessica. 

Brenda (the other sister in the picture) studies with Jessica (the young girl) and I study with Mirna & Yuliana. Yuliana is a doctor but works mostly in the afternoons. Mirna is her cousin and they live in the same house. Mirna always has a lot of stories to tell that get us a bit off course at times, but we always have a good time there. They both have a good sense of humor and like to make fun of me whenever they can find reason to do so, which is often!! We've already watched a few of the videos together and they've really appreciated seeing how organized Jehovah's Witnesses are and how all our work is supported entirely by voluntary donations. I found this study just going from door to door one day. Then when we had CO visit the CO's wife called there and met Yuliana who I hadn't seen yet at the house. So, then they both started studying.

This lady is Idalia, and her daughters, Ashley (the little one), and Lesley. And that's her nephew Christopher. 

She also has another teenage girl, Anielka. I met Idalia in the first week or two that I was here and just left her the Family Life tract. When I went back she said the advice in it had really been helpful in her family. So we started studying in the new brochure, Good News, and then eventually I moved her over to the Bible Teach book. She always has really good questions and seems to really appreciate the fact that we always answer her questions from the Bible. She always compares what we show her, with what others have said to her in the past, and sees that the Bible often teaches something quite different to what a lot of people try to pass of as Bible-based.

I also study with her daughter Lesley now. She was having a hard time understanding so this week I started studying with her in the Listen to God & Live Forever brochure and that went a lot better. It will give her a good foundation to then later move on to the Bible Teach book. And the other day I asked Lesley if her sister was interested in studying, and she said Yes. I felt bad actually because the other day I went and only her sister, Anielka was there, and for some reason I didn't talk to her about the Bible, just ask edfor her sister. Turns out she said to her sister "I'd like to study too but Rachel only comes to see you or mam". I felt terrible when I hard that! Just shows you should never assume a person isn't interested! I learned my lesson. So I'm going to start studying with her on Saturday. Unfortunately, they'll be moving out of our territory next month, but I'm going to have someone continue the study.

Here I am with Noelia. And yes, that's a real dove in her hands! 

Her grandmother and sister are witnesses, but her mam isn't. So her grandma's husband asked me to study with her and we've been studying a couple of months now. She's a funny little thing. I think I blogged about her once - that she had a double-yoke egg for me and cried inconsolably when her mam cooked it before she had chance to give it to me. She gives us an egg or two from her chicken every week now, which I have to carry around in my bag trying not to squash the rest of the day! She actually lives in the territory of the South congregation though. At first she was coming to our meetings, so I said I'd study with her, but now she is going more to the South, so I'll get her passed over. She reportedly said she won't study unless it's me who studies with her, but we'll see if we can persuade her otherwise!!

And here I am with Socorro. 

I found her going house-to-house one day. One of her sons has studied on and off since he was a teenager, and her aunt is a publisher in our congregation. I started out visiting her using one of the articles from page 16 of the Watchtower. Then moved on to the Bible Teach book. She also has a lot of questions. This last two weeks she's had us sit down, so we've been able to stay a little longer and she seems to be really getting into her study now. We finished Chapter 1 today. She also has a cyber cafe in her house so I was able to show her how to listen to the magazines and Bible, etc online.

So, those are a few of the studies I have so far. Later I'll get a few more pictures and write about some more of them. We're going to a Kindergarten graduation party this evening - I didn't think they did those here, but it turns out they do! But it's a nice excuse to eat, dance, and hang out with the congregation. Maybe I'll get some more pictures of our congregation too. We're really looking forward to next weekend. The English circuit has their Circuit Assembly in Ticuantepe (15 mins from the house) so we're planning on going the whole weekend. It's nice to get to hear the program in English and to meet all the foreigners serving down here! I think maybe I've mentioned that in a previous post already?! I feel like I've typed that line before!

Oh, and here are the twin boys of a new study that Charley has. Aren't they cute?! They're only like five months old, but they're chunky!

Well, that's all for now. I have a project up my sleeve to blog about things you'd think were impossible, but that people find ways around here, but it involves having my camera ready for those strange moments when things go on around you that leave you thinking "WHAT?!". Hmmm, I don't think any of that made sense but if I ever get that blog post together you'll see what I'm talking about!

Take care. Bye for now!