Rare Sunday morning chill!

Charley has a talk out this afternoon so we took the morning off. I can't remember the last time we had a lazy Sunday morning so it's been rather nice! Plus now it's raining so it feels extra refreshing!

So, it was May last time I posted. It's been a busy few months full of lovely privileges and fun times. 

We're still in the kitchen at the Educational Center every Friday. CO's schools have kept the place busy most of the year, and then we had one SKE class to cook for which is always a lot of fun. We also helped out with the graduation, providing a simple meal for the 300 guests that came to the graduation. Pretty much everyone in the class was sent to a new assignment. Now, we're back with CO's schools for the rest of the year.

We had a nice CO visit in July. It was our first and last visit from that CO since as of Sept 1st we were moved into a new circuit, so yet another new CO. We've been here five years now and we've so far had six CO's and three substitutes! And this new one will only be for a year because then it'll be the three-year move around. We're hoping one of these days we might get to keep a CO for a whole three years!! Four new circuits were formed in the country so there was a lot of rearranging done. About 6 or 7 congregations from Masaya have been reassigned, but at least we get to go with the other two congregations we've served in so we'll continue to see all those faces at assemblies. And it will be nice to get to know others from the new congregations we'll be with.

We also had our circuit pioneer session and circuit assembly with branch representative in July. Wonderful weekend. We had the privilege of taking the visiting speaker and his wife around some of the sights of the area on Monday after the assembly. They serve in the Central America branch in Mexico so we're hoping that now that we have a contact there we can make plans to go visit perhaps next year and finally get to see our region's branch office in person. They have a pretty amazing Caleb & Sophia set-up at that branch that I'm particularly dying to see!!

We had fun taking Pioneer School pictures this year. Took three altogether, two of which were for the enormous classes here in Masaya! We had 92 new regular pioneers start in our circuit this past year, so two classes of around 45 were held. Charley had the privilege again this year of being secondary instructor along with the CO for one of the classes. And I even got to be in the class picture this year! Although I've decided it's a lot less work to just be taking the picture because then I don't have to worry about looking nice when I'm just behind the camera!!

In August we went to the English Regional Convention here at our assembly hall nearby. The English and Chinese congregations from Nicaragua & Costa Rica came for it, so it had a very international feel with needgreaters from all over the world. The quality of the talks was outstanding, and the program and videos were just wonderful as you all know. We also had a amazing privilege of having a Governing Body helper from HQ as the visiting speaker. That was a wonderful surprise. We were all very touched that they went to the trouble of sending a couple from HQ for the 700 of us in attendance. It was a like a big hug from NY!

Then in September we had our Spanish Regional Convention. We had a peak of about 2300 on Sunday and 21 baptized. Charley had two talks that he did a great job on (I might be a bit biased of course!). And we enjoyed singing from the new song book for the first time! We had a bit of a moment though when one of the videos got stuck, so the music stopped and the lyrics stopped. We could have sang from memory, but of course now the words have all changed so none of us know the song now! They tried replaying it a couple of times and it would get stuck in the same spot each time, so by the third time everyone had got their songbook or tablet out and we sang it acapella!!

We had a new participant in the Christian Life and Ministry meeting last month. 7-year-old Mildred, whose mam I study with, did the first conversation part offering the WT about angels. I think her mam and I were more nervous than she was. She did an amazing job! So calm and collected! Next up is one of my students, whose mam I also study with. She's 8 and was approved to be a publisher just a couple of weeks ago. She's very brave and quite happily talked out in service the first day we went out. She'll be offering the Awake on preparing for natural disasters so we're all excited for her and proud of her progress.

Charley also enjoyed a week at elder's school in September. We're still waiting for the digital copy of the photograph. It was a big class of about 50 elders from the area and no doubt the effects of that extra training will be felt in the congregations as the elders put into practice what they studied. These gifts in men work so hard and we really apprciate all they do. Most congregations around here have 2 or maybe 3 elders, so they keep pretty busy!

Well, that's a summary of what we've been up to. We're looking forward to a quick trip to Indiana and New York this month. We'll get to spend time with family and take a trip to Bethel so that'll be a wonderful, refreshing break. We're hoping not to have to take a work trip until perhaps May next year. Unfortunately the company I always worked for has been bought out and they didn't keep very many people on, so we'll see what Jehovah works out for us when it's time to work next year. There's a possibility of work with the previous boss who bought part of the business, but it just depends on how well his new venture goes as to whether they'll have any work for me. But Jehovah has never let us down so we're not worried. Charley just got a letter to choose his 10-year Pepsi anniversary gift, which is rather hilarious, because of those ten years only five were actually spent working year-round. The last five we've been here and he's worked maybe the equivalent of six months during all that time!!! But he still gets an anniversary!!

Family worship fun with some friends from the first congregation we served in here.

Our Samson's showing off their muscles!

Ready to push the columns down!

Enjoying a piece of lemon pie at the final lunch for CO school

The beautifully decorated tables for the CO's last lunch at the Educational Center

Ciclaris first day out in service

Part of our banana harvest at the house!

Regional Convention September 2017

Hard-working cleaner!

Getting ready for Regional Convention

Circuit Pioneer Meeting

Circuit Assembly July 2017

SKE graduation

Graduation food crew

Out and about with the visiting speaker

English, Kriol & Chinese at convention

Good food, good friends at convention

Pioneer School classes in Masaya

Circuit pioneer session

With our CO and his wife, and our adopted son!!

Decorating salads at the educational center

And last but by no means least, Canela the dog!! Unfortnately since this picture he got sick and died.

A jumble of pictures

My little service partner Jasmin is under there.  You can just see her fingers hanging on to her mom's hand. I have the privilege of studying with her mom who is an unbaptized publisher.

You pay extra for that seat in the back of the taxi!!

We enjoyed a great weekend with some other needgreater couples at the beach back in February. This was the view from the hammock at the house we rented. Super relaxing!

I finally got a good shot of Nicaragua's national bird. Guardabarranco, or in English MotMot I think they call it! Notice it's unusal tail. On the other side those feathers are bright blue. There are a few that frequent the trees around our house.

Charley trying to make our car look like a hatchback "Nica-style"!!!

Thanks to modern technology we were able to watch our nephews get baptized live from the State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis! They are 10 and 13 years old and wonderful boys. They both auxiliary pioneered with their mom that very month! She does a great job!

This was a busy Sunday picking up our dear friends (top left pic) from the airport at 1am. Then going to meeting with them at 9am. Then going to a wedding in the afternoon, then staying at that hall after the ceremony so that Charley could give the public talk at the meeting! Then we said goodbye to our CO and his wife who were reassigned back to El Salvador after only 18 months with us. And then we went to the reception of the wedding from earlier and I captured this great shot of them!!

We're back in the kitchen for CO's school at the educational center. We work Friday's now so we get to help on the lovely lunch they always do for them on the last Friday of class. The dining room gets all decorated nice for the occasion and the CO's and their wives are always taking tons of pictures of it all! We cherish our undeserved privilege of working together in this assignment. It's very rewarding work.

Just a random picture of me at assembly!

With visitors came the excuse to finally sit in the long line to get in to the volcano at night. Such an awe-inspiring sight! You can't help but reflect on Jehovah's power as you look down at the bubbling molten lava!

We have a new member of our congregation, Ashley Diana, and I made my very first diaper cake which I thought turned out pretty well. Nobody had ever seen one here so it was quite the hit!

Charley and I at our circuit assembly in March.

One of the four baptized from our congregation at this past assembly. 3 of the 4 auxiliar pioneered in April!

Isn't Obed the cutest?!

With our new CO and his wife who just arrived in time for the circuit assembly. Enjoyed pizza with them afterwards and getting to know them a bit. Straight away we could tell we're going to really enjoy having them!

Another one of those baptized at our assembly, with his family. His mom was just announced as a regular pioneer too so that was exciting! He auxiliary pioneered in April too and is being used at the meetings on microphones. 

Making sure we could all hear the assembly!

The couple in the middle got married. Brenda (in yellow) used to study with her, and when she moved she handed the study over to me. So nice to see her taking steps to make spiritual progress.

Mildred showing a video in service! She acts like she's shy but once she gets going she wants to do it all and won't let you talk or hold the phone or anything!! Her mom and sister are the ones in the first picture on this post.

We had to do a border run to get our visa renewed. We managed to travel there on a fancy bus with AC. Ironically it was the same price as the horrid old school bus that was so packed we had to stand for the whole two hour trip home! We got a flat tire on the way there but an equally nice bus soon had us on our way. We managed to cross and get back with no problems, although they did tell us we have to figure out how to get residency. Easier said than done!

Preparing the hall for Memorial

Rented chairs inside, and the Kingdom Hall chairs outside. Ready to go!

Helping at an ongoing construction project here in Masaya. Pacayita is getting their very own Kingdom Hall. Very exciting!

We found this, what we finally decided was a baby possum, outside the house. We tried to save it but it only lasted a couple of days. It was cute in an ugly sort of way!

Just an idea of daily life here. This is rush hour. You do whatevr you can do to get home! Notice there are two pairs of legs there!

Chocolate cake in a mug made in the microwave! My first attempt and surprisingly delicious and easy!

Another busy day in the educational center kitchen. Charley is making cinnamon rolls which I must say turned out to be "melt-in-your-mouth" delicious!

Working on a project of putting shelves in the bathroom where at one time there was going to be a door or something! Hopefully by this weekend we'll get it all done. We made some considerable progress yesterday! Pictures will be in another post.

Like I said in the title of this post - a jumble of pictures! Back to Memorial in this picture.

Charley had the privilege of giving the Memorial talk. Thankfully he didn't get sick this year and end up missing out on giving it!  Click here to read about last year's Memorial!

The outdoor crowd watching the talk on the wall!

Masaya is getting a fancy little mall complete with movie theater! Never expected to see that!

Memorial campaign - we had excellent support

And last, but certainly not least, a family in our congregation heading home from field service. Whoever said a motorcycle wasn't an excellent means of transportation for a family of five?!

So, that's it from me for now. We also had a lovely meeting from Mexico during the Headquarters Representative visit to the Central America branch. Wonderful experiences and a couple of videos with some familiar faces in! Very encouraging to hear of all the work going on in the Central America region.

This month is a relatively calm one as is June, at least as far as we know! Then it all starts in July. We have pioneer meeting and circuit assembly towards the end of July. Then Charley has the privilege of being an instructor in one of the two pioneer school classes that will be held here in Masaya in August. We're also looking forward to going to the English Regional Convention just down the road at the assembly hall in August. And then September we have our Spanish Regional Convention and Charley has Elder's School.  So, before we know it we'll be in Indiana briefly in October and then off to NY with my parents for a visit to the new World Headquarters!!!

Hope you're all doing well and enjoyed this albeit jumbled and mostly photographic update!