Los Poldens

Big Corn Island - July 13, 2017

2017-07-13T16:10:00.000-06:00

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

2016-12-20T10:24:00.000-06:00

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!

2016-10-27T15:01:00.002-06:00

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!

2014-11-01T06:53:00.000-06:00

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

2013-12-15T12:31:00.000-06:00

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

2013-11-20T14:54:00.000-06:00

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

2013-11-13T10:19:00.000-06:00

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

2013-10-30T10:27:00.001-06:00

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, Nicaragua - October 13, 2013

2013-10-13T12:41:00.001-06:00

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

October 1, 2013

2013-10-01T13:28:00.000-06:00

Writing letters at the Kingdom Hall

Where did September go? I can't believe that today is the first of October. September ended up being a fairly rainy month and there were a number of days that we had to dedicate at least part of it to letter writing. I must admit that I enjoyed being able to sit down for a morning rather than tramp around in the rain. I'm afraid that at times there was a little more "chatting" going on than writing! I guess it was a good excuse to get to know our new brothers and sisters better.

September seemed to be a difficult month to settle back into routine with our studies. Many of them have taken advantage of the "shrimping" season to earn a little extra money and so haven't been available. Now that the season is over we should be able to get everyone back on track.

I really enjoyed the part last week on the service meeting "How did we do last year?". The figures for our small congregation were staggering! For a congregation of 11 people we had the following totals: 6,345 hours in the ministry, 215 books, 554 brochures, 2,431 magazines, 3,293 return visits and 525 bible studies (7 pioneers and 4 publishers).

The savanah between Pearl Lagoon and Raitipura

kids playing in a canoe

Nora - she joined us for our service arrangement

As a special treat Kathy prepared roasted turtleback. We all went to her house yesterday at noon to have a taste - it was soooo good! She also made some cassava (yuca) and banana to accompany it. Yum!

The hungry crowd!

Katiel making sure she doesn't miss out!

Haley and Amy enjoying the company

Kathy's dogs get the leftovers

Chase and Katiel having a ride on Byron's bike

We've found Pancho!

2013-09-25T17:29:00.000-06:00

We had given up looking for Pancho and didn't think that we would ever see him again. I had pictured him with a new family (either bird or human) and hoped that he was happy. So.... you will never believe where we found him - at one of my bible studies in Awas! Where is Awas? It is a 30 minute walk away - one of the Miskito communities along the lagoon.

It appears that when Pancho made his big getaway he ended up in the "savannah" which is a swampy area between Pearl Lagoon and Raitipura (another Miskito community). Miss Hazel's grandson was in the rice field at the savannah and found this little bird (Pancho) sitting on the ground. He was afraid that the bird couldn't take care of itself so he picked it up and took it to Miss Hazel's daughter Ildelia to look after it. So... the crazy part of this story is that both Miss Hazel and Miss Ildelia are my bible studies!

Last week when I went to study with Miss Ildelia I heard Pancho in her house chirping and asked her if she had a chocoyo. She told me that her nephew had brought her the bird and that she had had it for about a month. My partner and I went in to see the bird and had a good laugh because it acted "just like Pancho" - we didn't really get a good look at it because the room was dark and so we didn't know that it really was Pancho.

Today when I went for the bible study I saw the bird was outside. I commented about how our bird had done the same thing - plucked out it's chest feathers. Then I took a closer look at the bird and could see the "bald spot" on the bird's head and I knew it was Pancho! I think he was actually happy to see me!

Our next step in this saga is to try and find a "replacement" for Pancho so that we can bring him home!

Debbie with Pancho

Mr Orlando and Miss Ildelia with Pancho (notice her bible?)

Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua - September 21, 2013

2013-09-21T17:36:00.000-06:00

Pat, Jean, Kathy, Jamie, Debbie, Hayley and Amy

So, we are a couple of weeks into the new service year and we are happy to say that there are a few new faces in Pearl Lagoon. The first to arrive were Amy Salton and Hayley McKleaine fresh from Australia. They are here for 6 months and are quickly settling in. The next arrivals were Jamie and Randy Hendershot from Texas, USA. Jamie and Randy have sold everything back home and plan to be here in Nicaragua indefinitely.

Changes are coming for us - we are moving again! This time we aren't moving to far - in fact, we probably can move most of our things with a wheelbarrow. Shortly after October 1st we will be moving into the house where the Kingdom Hall is. The house will never win any beauty contests but, since the Blake family (they are currently living there) is only weeks away from finishing building their house and will be moving out, the Kingdom Hall needs new tenants. We volunteered to move in so that there would be no problems for the congregation to continue holding their meetings there. I may be looking for ideas to "spruce" the place up a bit - so put your thinking caps on! (remember though, we are on a tight budget) I'll post pictures of the house when we are settled.

Amy and Hayley on the way to Raitipura

Amy and Hayley enjoying their first coconut

San Salvador District Convention 2013: Pat's Interview

2013-09-07T14:17:00.002-06:00

Pat had the privilege of being interviewed on Sunday morning for the part: Help your Children "Go On Walking in the Truth" (3 John 4; 2 Peter 1:5:11). He explained how his parents helped him to remain strong in the truth. Knowing that many of you back home that follow our blog would be interested in what he said, here is the printed version:

1. When did your parents start helping you to develop "fire resistant Qualities?

My Mom started studying when I was three, I have very foggy memories of sitting under the table, and I have been told that is where I was when she was studying. My Dad came into the truth three to four years later. From my youth the things that I remember are that Mom and my sister and I read a portion of the Bible at lunch. Dad did the family study when he came in the truth. While growing up my parents supported the circuit Overseer by inviting him to stay at our home. They also had a pioneer couple over on occasion for a meal and to play cards. We enjoyed trips to conventions as a family. And during the 9 day conventions Mom and Dad took a day off in the middle to give us kids a bit of a break. Service on Saturday was a must as well as all of the meetings.

2. What do you mean when you say meetings were a must..?

We were expected to pay attention look up the scriptures and we were encouraged to have at least 1 comment each meeting.

3. What did your parents do when you were in your Teens ?

I was encouraged in my early teens to get baptized and dedicate my life to Jehovah, which I did in 1969. I was also encouraged to continue my education till grade 12 so that I could at least secure a reasonable job. During the school year there was a young pioneer brother that came and picked a few of us up after school and took us in service, which I am sure was encouraged by my parents.

4. How did the training from your parents help you going into your adult years?

Mom and Dad thought they would like to serve where the need was great, so they bought Spanish records and we all got into them. So they wrote a letter to the Bethel and asked where they would be needed. The answer we got back took us by surprise because we were directed to Halifax, Nova Scotia. So, off Mom and Dad went to Halifax to spy out the land. Soon thereafter I was pioneering in Halifax for two years.

I must say at this point I have never been a ball of fire in the truth. But for 44 years I have been steady and determined to stay with Gods Organization I have not once deviated from the truth. There have been times that problems have entered into our lives, both as a family with Mom and Dad and with my wife and kids. The scripture that keeps me holding it together is found at John 6:68 where Peter replied to Jesus after many disciples had left him."Simon Peter answered him: “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life"

Thanks to Rachel Matthews for the following picture:

English District Convention in San Salvador, El Salvador - 2013

2013-09-04T18:05:00.001-06:00

Where do I even start to describe what an amazing experience this was? I guess the best way is to start from the beginning.....

A few months ago it was decided that the Pearl Lagoon Congregation would travel to the convention with the León English Congregation on a rented bus. That meant that the brothers and sisters from Pearl Lagoon had to leave town on Monday on the 5:30 a.m. bus. They spent the night in El Rama and then continued on to León the next day arriving about 5:00 p.m. Pat and I met them at the bus terminal and we all hopped into taxi's to Guadalupe Park. We took them to Guadalupe Park because that is where we were to meet the bus the next morning. We walked the short distance to their accommodations for the night and once they were settled in Pat and I returned to Michelle and Miguel's for a delicious dinner of Spaghetti Carbonara.

We were up the next morning by 4:30 and jumped in Miguel's car for the trip to meet the bus. Hummm - change of plans. Instead of meeting us at Guadalupe Park we had to trek up to the cemetery and meet the bus there. In short order everyone was accounted for and we were on the way by 6:30 a.m. Next stop the border with Honduras.

group at Cebollinas Restaurant

Both the border with Honduras and El Salvador were a breeze - no problems what so ever! Yay! That put us into San Salvador by just after 5:15 p.m. - almost a full hour early. Since we were there earlier than expected the Rooming Department wasn't there to meet us - but no fear, within minutes there was a Welcoming Committee with sandwiches and water to refresh us from the journey. We were all quickly introduced to our host families and whisked away by our accommodations. Pat, me and two other members of our congregation were hosted together with Maritza Asencion and her mother. Sister Asencion (senior) is a ball of fire and still applies for the pioneer route. She loves it even though it is physically challenging for her with a lot of walking. Unfortunately, for us and her she got quite sick with asthma while we were there and spent a night in hospital which resulted in us not being able to get to know her very much - perhaps next year.

yard of steak

On Wednesday evening, after we arrived, we were invited out to a Mexican restaurant called Cebollinas for a delish meal. We haven't seen that much meat in ages! They served the steak on a long plank with different sauces and vegetables. We enjoyed chatting and getting to know our host family and their extended family from the US.

What a feast!

Chicken and pork at Cebollinas Restaurant

We made plans with Sister Asencion to spend a short time in the ministry the next morning. However, those plans had to change when we got up in the morning and found out that she was feeling quite sick. This was very distressing for her because they had arranged to have a couple that was arriving from Granada to come for lunch - she was obviously not well enough to prepare the meal. So, we all chipped in and under her supervision prepared a nice lunch for Lewis and Dana. It was at this time though that I started to feel really sick to my stomach - Pat did too! We must have picked up some type of bug either in León or on the trip to El Salvador. Rather than visit our hosting congregation we spent the night at home and went to bed early.

The next morning we were up early to get ready for the assembly. The arrangement was that we were picked up after breakfast and taken to the local Kingdom Hall where we met with the Spanish brothers that were also enjoying hospitality with the congregation (both English and Spanish conventions were on the same weekend). Once everyone had arrived we were taken by bus to the convention site. Pat and I were still feeling rather bad and so there are no pictures from the first day of the assembly. You will be happy to note though that as the day progressed we revived and were feeling pretty good by the end of the program - just in time for dinner! Tonight we were taken to a restaurant that was owned by a local brother and sister and treated to what El Salvador is famous for - PUPUSAS!

(On an unhappy note - we were not able to meet up with our good friends, Peter and Monica Stroud. They were denied entry into El Salvador due to some paperwork issues. We were looking forward to seeing them again but will have to wait until another time. It was a big disappointment for them to - partly because they had been preparing a part on Friday's program for months and were unable to give it.)

Every morning of the convention we would wake up and find out that Maritza had prepared a delicious lunch for us - no sandwiches for us! Here is an example:

Chicken with a delicious onion sauce, rice and salad

All washed down with a delicious, natural fruit drink - in a bag! I had to be very careful that I didn't spill it all over myself..... I guess I have learned the technique since nothing spilled!

Fruit drink with pieces of fruit in it

Saturday night for dinner we were taken up one of the mountains surrounding San Salvador to a small village with a mirador overlooking the city. There were many small restaurants that cater to the hungry, pupusa loving crowd. After stuffing ourselves - with what else but pupusas - we headed for a look at the city lights of San Salvador.

View of San Salvador at night

The group at the Mirador

Of course, the main reason we were in San Salvador was for the spiritual food - and what a feast that was! We found that it was a very emotional convention for us - the information provided was just what we needed - and the new releases are a real blessing!

Here are some pictures from the convention site:

Sergio, Fanny and Miguel

Yadira and her sisters

It's funny who you run into down here in Central America!

Mike and Cassandra Koschuk from Ontario (we knew them when they were kids and before they were married)

Mariela

Hazel, Fanny, Mariela, Thalia (León Congregation)

Yaya, Debby and Kathy (Pearl Lagoon Congregation)

Calli, Skye, Debbie and Pat

Debby putting her hair braiding skills to work

Jean helping to prepare lunch

Pat, Maritza and Kathy enjoying a crepe

Even though we were all tired come the return trip on Monday..... some of us were able to catch a few zzzz's

Thalia

We were one happy bunch

I think the smiles tell it all.....

Mariela, Fanny and Sergio

2nd week of Pioneer School and a visit to León

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We can understand why everyone enjoys Pioneer School. It's a crazy busy time but you learn so much and it is a time to make new friends. We really appreciated the generosity and love shown by so many - the brothers and sisters that came from the US to feed us, Sean and Christy Ross that put up with us for two weeks, the special little gifts (makeup, bookmarks, pens and markers) and the wonderful instructors.

Here are a few more pictures from our time in the first English Pioneer School in Nicaragua:

Makeup, earrings and perfume

Nazareth playing Kingdom Melodies as lunch was being prepared

frying the tortillas for tostadas

Tostadas for lunch - so delicious

They got creative in packing lunch - this box doesn't hold chicken....

it held a croissant sandwich, cookies, chips, and candies

We got to choose a handmade bookmark from a beautiful selection

Waiting for the rain to stop at Hotel Granada

Sean and Christy - our generous hosts

Pat, Debbie and Jen

Blake, Lisa , Ed Newbon

Andrea and Christy

Cindy and Jasel

Melessa, Jeri and M.C.

At the end of school we each received our own little cupcake

Information centre on La Calzada, Granada

When class finished on Friday afternoon, we said goodbye to everyone and headed to León to visit with friends and to touch base with some of our former Bible Students. We were thrilled when Nate and Ashlee asked if we could stay with them for a few days - it meant some one on one time with Lily. Lily is no longer the sweet little baby that we knew. She is growing into quite the young lady and has a beautiful little personality.

Cheeky Lily with her milk mustache

Central Parque - León, Nicaragua

Lily at Antonino's Pizza

Ashlee's sisters, Skye and Calli, arrived on Monday evening so we are currently bunking at Michelle and Miguel's place. Let me tell you a little secret about Miguel - he makes awesome breakfasts!

Next stop - San Salvador, El Salvador for the District Convention. We are really looking forward to this convention - not just for the new releases but we will be able to visit with some friends from Nova Scotia, Peter and Monica Stroud that are now serving in an English congregation in Antigua, Guatemala.

English Pioneer School - Granada, Nicaragua - August 15, 2013

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We are in Granada this week attending the English Pioneer School (I think it is the first time it has been held here). So... no time to blog - but here are a few pictures so far this week:

Brother Garcia preparing to start class

Demonstration on presenting the Good News Brochure

Serving extra sandwiches

Brother Dexter showing some older issues of Watchtower, Consolation and Awake

Amazing salad!

After class today we met with some of the crew that have been making and serving us lunch. These loving brothers and sisters are spending their two weeks vacation providing meals for the Pioneer School! We sure appreciate their love and hard work!

That's it for now! Back to the books to prepare for tomorrow.

Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua - August 5, 2013

2013-08-06T17:04:00.000-06:00

our backyard

Pat gave a talk yesterday about Noah, the flood and its meaning for our day. Well, for our congregation it had great significance because for the last few days we feel like we are living during the actual flood. Maybe he should have been giving us instructions on how to build and ark. We have had almost non-stop rain and I don't mean little showers but downpours. The sky has been gray and we haven't seen the sun except for maybe 5 or 10 minutes. Service was impossible on Saturday so we had a "rain" day. It seemed like nobody was out and about but I hear some kids were so desperate to play ball that they braved the thunder and lightning to enjoy a game. The temperature has been down around 24°C and we were feeling cold. We even made some hot cafe-mocha to warm us up. Even Pancho was feeling the cold and was shivering in his cage to keep warm. We were thankful that the electricity didn't go out all day and the internet stayed on too. It felt like a good old fashioned "snow" day when you didn't feel guilty for not going out.

Today we're still experiencing some rain but we were able to get down to check on the boat. It was quite full of water and it took us a good 1/2 hour to bail it out.

The boat - full of water

These two pelicans were keeping an eye on us

Pat - relaxing when we had finished

Debbie

This post was supposed to be published yesterday afternoon, but the internet went down and so we couldn't post.

Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua - July 28, 2013

2013-07-28T09:05:00.000-06:00

Jean and Annette writing letters

We are just two weeks away from Pioneer School and one month until we have our convention in San Salvador. We can't believe how quickly time is going by.

We have had quite a lot of rainy weather in the past couple of weeks which has meant a few changes to our witnessing. We have spent some time writing letters as well as working closer to home rather than going to Haulover or Raitipura. I think our calls and studies out in these areas will think that we have forgotten them! Hopefully, this coming week will be a little better.

We have a few visitors here this week which has been nice because we've had some pretty big service groups. There are two sisters visiting from the US - Neema and Malacha (Malli) as well a the Hunter family that are serving in San Juan del Sur. Pat and Byron are happy to have a couple of brothers around to help with meeting parts - it gives them a little bit of a break. Paul, Marie Claire and their son Kieran are here until Monday and then they will head back to the sun and surf of San Juan but the girls will be with us for a month. The Hunters also have a blog which you can read at nicaneedgreat.blogspot.com.

Thursday morning service group - 11 in attendance!

plus this guy hanging on the fence

On the way home from service we did a little "foraging" for ripe mangoes. There are a couple of huge mango trees out on Bush road that don't belong to anyone and so we filled up our bags with some ripe fruit. Pancho was really happy because our mango tree is finished and we have been giving him bananas again which he suddenly doesn't like too much!

Annette and Malli foraging for mangoes

Annette has left for Bluefields to attend the Miskito language course. After the course she will come back to Pearl Lagoon for a couple of weeks and then after the convention in San Salvador she will be heading home to Mexico for a few months of work. She hopes to return to Pearl Lagoon in early January 2014.

Annette

a large Aloe growing on someones gate

Paul, Marie Claire and Malli

Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua - July 15, 2013

2013-07-15T19:26:00.000-06:00

The last few weeks seem to have just flown by. We now have bible studies on every day except Monday. Monday is supposed to be our day "off" but it is filled with cleaning the house and having our Family Worship so it seems like ages since we went for a swim! (do you hear a tone of "oh, pity me"?) I sometimes wonder how we ever had the time to work?? Oh, yeah - we weren't pioneering then!

So, we were disappointed in regard to the class to learn Miskito. It was changed from June to start the end of July. If we signed up for it then we would be two weeks in the Miskito language class and then directly into our two week Pioneer school and then the following week in El Salvador. Unfortunately, the Miskito class was abandoned for now. We have found some online resources to learn Miskito and just have to apply ourselves to it - hummm, hopefully we will do better than when we tried to learn Spanish!

Last Friday we took a break from service and helped a sister in our hall build her house. It was an overcast, day with rain showers - so it was pretty good for "hard" labor. We were able to help "stick" a few bricks and then fill the gaps with cement. It's interesting that people make their own cement bricks here - that way they are sure of the quality.

Anthony, Nameisha, Yoli, Jean and Pat taking a break (one of many!)

Debby, Jean, Pat, Yoli and Chase (in the hat)

Pat and Byron "sticking" bricks

Debbie filling the cracks

We were surprised when we first moved here that at times it was hard to find fish for dinner. Now, the fish are abundant. There is a new shack at the Point where the local fishermen bring their catch and if you get to him before he sells it to Mr. Sudland you can get a good deal!

fishing operation down at the Point - Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua

Finally, I took this last picture just a couple of days ago - isn't he looking good?

Pat Polden - July 2013

Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua - July 5, 2013

2013-07-06T19:03:00.000-06:00

Jean informal preaching in Raitipura

This has been a great week in the ministry for us. The sun has been shining and we've been getting almost everyone at home.

While Honorio is away Pat has taken on a number of his bible studies. One of them is at the far end of Haulover and we identify it as the house that has the monkeys. Not only do they have monkeys but they also have a number of cats, dogs, birds and kids running around. The fellow that Pat studies with is called Nimrod. During the study on Tuesday his wife indicated that the sister who used to call on her hasn't been by in a few weeks and she really would like to continue her studies. So, after looking into the situation I offered to continue the studies with Maritza. Like many around here her reading isn't very good but she does manage to get the point of the Good News from God brochure. Both husband and wife have indicated a desire to attend the meetings but are concerned about the distance. We have encouraged them to try and make the Sunday meeting since it is in the afternoon and therefore they would be able to return home by the time it gets dark. They have also asked that we study with them twice a week - so we are going to be very busy indeed!

Another highlight for Pat is that he is conducting a study in Spanglish, I mean Spanish. Again, with Honorio away Pat is looking conducting a study with Luis. Luis does know a little English and so Pat has had to scrape up every little bit of Spanish he knows in order to conduct the study. So far things seem to be going well - or at least that's what I've been told.

We recently received our latest shipment of bible literature and in one of the boxes was a Miskito Bible that I had ordered for a study in Awas - Miss Adelia. When we went to call on her on Wednesday morning we found her at the home of her mother, Miss Hazel (who also is studying). They were all thrilled with the bible and a couple of them took turns looking through it. There were 7 family members in attendance during this study. I've noticed that over the last few weeks more and more of the family come and sit in the vacinity of the porch during the study - they don't say anything but they all seem to be listening.

Miss Adelia and Miss Hazel with the Miskito Bible

Preparing for the Convention in San Salvador

2013-07-03T12:02:00.000-06:00

Delicious carrot cake

Preparing to attend the annual convention requires a lot of planning and extra work for the brothers and sisters in Nicaragua - Pearl Lagoon is no exception. Their options for obtaining extra money here is very limited but they are very resourceful and put their many talents to work. One of the talents that many of them possess is their skills in the kitchen.

Yadira (Yaya) and Jean Blake spend many hours in the kitchen preparing food for sale even when there isn't a convention coming - this is one way they bring income into the home. Yaya is well known in town for her delicious cakes and has many requests for different flavors such as banana, chocolate, carrot or even a simple white cake (trust me - they are all good!)

This past week they have started to add extra "cooking/selling" days into their busy schedules (they are both regular pioneers). For example, yesterday they made a delicious dinner of Chinese Rice, salad and plantain. They were up very early in the morning to start their preparations and by 12:00 noon they were busy distributing the "pre-ordered" meals. They sold a whopping 40 dinners and figure that after expenses they cleared over 1,000 cordobas which is about $44.00 CDN. These industrious sisters will continue to have extra "cooking/selling" days until they leave for the convention. We are happy to assist them by eating what they make. We will likely add quite a few pounds between then and now!

Chinese rice, salad and fried plantain

Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua - June 26, 2013

2013-06-26T18:02:00.002-06:00

There are times when we really wonder if we are just living on a big farm. Not a day goes by when we encounter some "farm animals" let on the loose throughout the town. There are pigs in peoples yards, chickens running everywhere, the cows decide to visit Pearl Lagoon from Raitipura (the Miskito village nearby) and the horses decide to chomp the grass in front of our house! We are forever stepping over piles of poop! If we ever take a trip back home I'm not quite sure what we will report on the Customs form when it asks if we have visited a farm during our time away......

Looking out from our front porch

The rainy season is taking some time to adjust to. Somehow last year in León it didn't seem too difficult to cope with; maybe I'm just forgetting (it happens when you get older). We definitely need to invest in some serious boots. Even though we do have "plastic" shoes the water is really high in some areas and the mud - well, there is no describing the mud except to say it's everywhere and lots of it - therefore the need for boots. One thing I can say - our letter writing skills will improve since there are times that it is impossible to go out.

On one of our Bible Studies a couple of weeks ago we learned that even though the locals speak English it is important to have the right accent. I was discussing lesson #3 in The Good News from God brochure - question #1. Miss Hercelita is getting up there in age - I'm not sure how old she is but she's getting up there and as she says "her eyes don't work too good" - so I read all of the paragraphs. As I'm reading out load she follows along by repeating most of what I'm saying. So, when I read that 40 men helped to write the bible the conversation when like this:

Miss Hercelita: "What you say? Fawr men wrote the bible?".
Me: "No mam. Fooorty men wrote the bible."
Miss Hercelita: "Fawrteen men?"
Me: "No man. Fooorty men."
She still didn't get it so Pat chimed in: "Fawrty men wrote the bible".
Miss Hercelita: "Oh, fawrty - that's what I thought".

I'm glad to say that when we visited her this week she still remembered the statistics from that paragraph - there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her memory!

Bible studies house during a downpour

On Sunday we all made it to the Kingdom Hall and enjoyed the program. When it was time to go home the sky just opened up and so the Blakes had some extended time with the congregation. The kids were restless after sitting during the program, so once the chairs were put away they entertained themselves by dancing, doing cartwheels and generally having a good time. Unfortunately, the action pictures didn't turn out very well, but you can see that they had a good time from the still pictures I managed to take.

Chase

Katiel

Katrine

hamming it up

Katrine, Pat, Chase and Katiel

With all the rain we have had to set up a couple of areas to dry out clothes. The porch works quite well most days - unless there is a lot of wind and then the rain just blows in and soaks the clothes. We have had to resort to putting lines up in the extra bedroom but of course it takes days for them to dry in there because there is no breeze. I can see why some people have clothes dryers here because if you aren't careful your clothes get moldy before they have a chance to dry. Still, I am very grateful that I don't have to wash my clothes by hand in the pila like most of the women here. You can see them washing in the rain and getting totally drenched - not fun at all!

Clothes on the porch

Bird Talk:
Pancho continues to be a real hoot - ok, a chirp since he isn't an owl. We have tried to get him to eat fruit other than banana but he usually will just ignore it. Well, we gave him a banana that wasn't quite ripe enough to his liking and he wouldn't eat it. Instead of buying him a riper on I found a ripe mango in the yard and peeled a little back to see what he would do with it. To our surprise he dug right in! It seems like he prefers to have his mango whole rather than chopped into pieces.

Pancho eating his mango

When Chizu was visiting she asked us if we ever gave Pancho any fruit juices. We never had but decided to see if he would drink orange juice. We have found out that he loves orange juice (it can't be watered down or he will dump it out) and he will get all antsy until we give him his cap full. It's surprising how demanding a little bird can be.

Pancho drinking his orange juice

English SAD - June 16, 2013

2013-06-17T19:57:00.000-06:00

happy with our free beer

This has been a weekend of firsts.....

After what seemed like endless days of rain, rain and more rain we were happy to get on the bus Friday at 5 am (and yes, it was raining!) to head to
Managua for our second SAD here in Nicaragua. The SAD was held on Sunday, June 16, 2013 but we had to be in town a day early to help clean the assembly hall. After a lot of indecision, we left Pancho home alone with lots of seeds, bananas and water and every time we heard some birds I wondered how he was making out.

We arrived in Managua about 5:30 pm and were grateful to be picked up by our host for the weekend - our blogger buddies Charley and Rachel in Nicaragua. They were already playing host to some friends of theirs from Britain, Madalyne Eddie and her brother Blake Eddie. They had just spent 2 months in the Dominican Republic as needgreaters and are spending a month here with Charley and Rachel to finish their 3 month needgreater vacation. After a delicious dinner of beef and chicken tacos we were exhausted and hit the bed at 9 pm so that we could be up early to head to the Assembly Hall for cleaning the next morning.

Like the good sports they are, Madalyne and Blake offered to come and help scrub toilets and wash floors and we arrived at the hall by 8 am - the time we were told cleaning was to begin. We should have known better - we were the first to arrive and the arrangement for cleaning wasn't actually until 9 am. There are some advantages to arriving early because we weren't assigned toilet duty - well, not initially. We really enjoyed seeing all our friends from León who arrived to clean as well as those we know from Managua. While I was taking a "short" break - sitting in the auditorium - the chairs started to rattle and I thought that Pat must have come up behind us and was shaking the chairs. NO - it was a 6.5 earthquake! It seemed to go on for minutes, though I'm sure it was only about 30 seconds. There was no damage and everyone seemed to take it in stride. We heard later that friends in León reported they felt it even stronger than we did. It was a long morning but we finally were finished by 1 pm and headed out for some lunch and to pick up supplies for lunches on Sunday. That evening we decided to check out a restaurant we had seen on the way to Charley and Rachel's - Flayers Hamburgers. The burgers were good - but the fun part was a group of 3 young ladies that delivered 6 free Victoria Classic beers to our table! When we were settling up the bill we were offered more beer to take home - so you can imagine the happy face Pat had when he heard the news.

Ashlee and Lily

Sunday was a fun day - the program was really enjoyable and it was wonderful to see even more of our friends from León. Little Lily isn't so little anymore but unfortunately she doesn't remember us. That's ok because she will get used to us again in August because we will be staying with her for a few days after the Pioneer School.

We enjoyed the interview that Bill Rose had with Todd and Lori Schlepper - we will miss them now that they have been assigned to the District Work and they won't likely be heading back to Pearl Lagoon any time soon.

After the SAD we had another first - we braved the wilds of the Managua bus system and took 2 buses from the Assembly Hall all the way across town to the Costa Caribe Bus Terminal. You can bet we didn't try this on our own. We made the journey with the Blake family and although we got squished on the first bus we didn't have any trouble, not even when we had to negotiate the Huembles market to find our second bus.

Interview with Todd and Lori

Friends

it was Tyrece's first SAD-doesn't he look happy?

the large truck from El Rama to Kukra Hill

The bus from Managua left right on time - 9 pm and we arrived in El Rama shortly before 3 am. Rather than take the pangas (we can't justify the cost when the bus is so cheap) we took the 4 am "truck" that was heading to Kukra Hill. The truck was actually quite comfortable and roomy and reminded us of the camionettas we used to ride in León. The plan was that we would arrive in Kukra Hill in time to get the 10 am bus to Pearl Lagoon. Of course - not everything goes according to your plans. When we reached Kukra Hill we found out that there wasn't going to be a 10 am bus because it was broken down. The upside was a truck was leaving right away and there was room in it for all of us. Just as we were heading along what is called the savanna (not too far from home) the truck got a flat tire. Thankfully he had a spare because I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of walking the rest of the way.

waiting for the tire to be fixed

Well, we are happy to report that we did finally make it home at 10:30 - very tired and relieved that Pancho survived his 3 days on his own. He must have cleaned up very well because there were no signs of a party!

Pancho

Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua - June 8, 2013

2013-06-08T07:25:00.000-06:00

some kind of beetle

The rainy season is in full swing here in Pearl Lagoon. We've only had 1 day where it rained all day but almost every day now we are having a "rain event" where we get a downpour. The nice thing about rainy season is that everything is so green and vibrant - ok, yes, it is always green and vibrant here because it rains year round. However, it is even more so! With the rain the grass is growing really fast and it seems like all the bugs are growing too! We are finding all kinds of different critters wandering in the house and on the streets. The humidity is increasing and you find yourself sweating buckets. No sooner are you dried off from the shower and you feel like you need to take another one because you are all wet with sweat. The heat also saps your energy and a little siesta in the afternoon is really necessary.

no idea what this is - but it is colourful

Pancho seems to have recovered from his little "accident" and is back to his old self. He has a permanent "bald" spot on his head where we can see his scalp but there are new feathers growing around the edges which is encouraging. He has developed his own routine for bedtime and hates when he gets delayed. Shortly after 5 pm you will see him prancing around on the top of his cage like he is agitated. If the light is off in the living room then he will fly down to the ground, walk over to where his nighty-night cage is, climb up by using the blue towel that is covering the cage and then find his way inside. If we are around at bedtime then he likes to have us put him in the cage and tuck him in for the night. When we come home from the meetings on Thursday nights he is already in bed and he hates it when we make too much noise and disturb him - he has to come out and complain! We had been told that if Pancho slept in a covered cage he would sleep in longer in the morning - they forgot to tell him that! He is up singing with all the other birds by 5:30 a.m. most mornings.... so much for retirement and sleeping past that 6 a.m. alarm!

Pancho's nighty-night cage

Last week, during one of the afternoon service arrangements, Honorio had a difficult time splitting up the group. There were 5 of us (which would mean someone had to work alone) but we all had studies at the same time and in different areas of town - I believe there were 11 studies being conducted that afternoon. It meant that he could only make up one pair and the other 3 had to work alone. We all have so many studies that it is getting more and more difficult to work house to house. Honorio will be returning to Mexico for 3 months after the SAD next weekend which means that Pat will be picking up his studies too! We are crazy busy these days - and we like it that way!

Yvette (bible study) and daughter

The group last Saturday waiting for the rain to stop

The 1/2 hour downpour last Saturday morning

We have a new student on the Theocratic School. Yoley had her first part last Thursday but unfortunately I didn't have my camera to record the event.

Yoley

And then there were two..... and a bird

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Ready to go.....

Camille has headed home to work for the summer - a common situation for many needgreaters here in Nicaragua. We're going to miss her smiling face and delicious cinnamon rolls and Pancho will miss spending time with her as she plays guitar.

As the old song says, "See you in September...."

A rainy goodbye at 5 am