Recent News

Being Social  for Once

These past few weeks have been interesting, to say the least. In ways, time has seemed almost still as we prepare for the weeks to come. Between the excitement of Easter traditions here on the island and the upcoming memorial and elders’ school leaving us with only sisters in the group, I predict that the next few days are going to bring many new stories. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Now that we are winding down to our last month here on the island, we have finally found ourselves getting into a routine. Each day, with the exception of Mondays, we can expect to do service from eight in the morning until about four or five in the evening. After a long day trudging the island to visit people and share the Bible’s message with them, we usually settle in the house and do some personal study. Most nights we are in our pajamas by seven- which is hardly the life of young single sisters that you would expect, but after a ten mile day in extreme heat, bed is a great place to be no matter how early it is.

Speaking of social lives, I think I finally have some numbers and figures. The English Creole group here on Corn Island is approximately 21 publishers ranging from 21-68 in age with 12 single sisters, 1 single brother (the odds are in his favor), and 4 married couples conducting over 120 bible studies. We have 4 elders, all of whom are in Managua at the time for elders’ school. This makes for an interesting meeting. There are friends from the United States, some from Australia, A sister from the UK, and two sisters from Mexico. We all have different interests, very different personalities. If you can imagine being stuck on a tiny island just trying to survive with a group of 20 other people who are strangers from all over the world that you are surrounded by 24/7 with no means of escape and next to no alone time due to safety precautions….  Well, it doesn’t sound very glamorous. To tell the truth, it’s one of the most amazing and awe inspiring things ever. Only in Jehovah’s organization could I be in such a trying situation and feel such joy and blessings and love. It’s almost as if Jehovah is giving us our own little Great Tribulation survival course here and these 20 other people are my assigned teammates; handpicked by Jehovah to help each other get through all the struggles we encounter. It’s amazing the love you can have for strangers in such a short amount of time and I view it as one of the greatest blessings to be a part of such a loving organization.

That being said, these upcoming weeks are going to be some of the most difficult for us. Radio broadcasts from religious leaders here on the island have been warning people of our presence. Easter celebrations that have been so deeply entrenched in the locals mean greater dangers for us this upcoming week. The weather has reached new heights as we enter the hottest season of the year. To top it all off, there has been a recent outbreak of disease carried by mosquitos here on the island that has claimed many victims and that continues to spread like wildfire. Despite the struggles to come, I have full confidence that Jehovah will continue to protect our loving little group here. It will be interesting to see how upcoming events unfold, but  I will be sure to keep you posted
 

 

 

Grocery shopping, Corn Island style. You Just point and they grab it for you. It's kind of terrible.

 

Fernando, he is 70. It's amazing given that the average lifespan is 57 years old on this island.

 

headed to little corn island to preach for the day. The boat home stalled in the middle of the ocean after arriving two and a half hours late... open sea at 11pm isn't the most fun thing.

 

 

 

Painting the hall before the memorial.

 

Paddle Boarding-Post Service

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adaptation

Just Some of Our Bible Students

 

 

Tropical Rain Storm vs. Umbrella
You get used to getting caught in the rain, but at least you dry off fairly quickly

Sand, Ocean, Jungle, and Mountains. Our Territory

Just Another Day in Service. Most days we don't even miss our cars.

The best part of island ice is the beach at night.

The Local 'Aquarium'

Just about at the halfway mark and I'm beginning to think that maybe we are adjusting finally. The things that used to seem so uncomfortable have suddenly been categorized as the "norm" for us. Not having real food for a few days at a time. The boat didn't come in with drinking water so we have to boil the tap water all day. A load of laundry takes three or more hours to finish. Even the sun is becoming seemingly less intense as we walk all day to reach maybe four calls in service.

Anxieties are beginning to dissipate. I no longer worry so much about the "when's" or time slots of each of the days' activities. It's such a major transition. The thought of going back to life on the run almost seems overwhelming at this point. All the things to do in such a small amount of time back "home"... It's easy to think about all one could accomplish in a day; or in the span of three months.

Within these slow paced six weeks, I have accomplished more in the ministry than I could have in six months back home, it seems. Everyday I talk to someone who is thirsting for knowledge and truth, someone who shows their love for God just in the twinkle of their eyes. Despite the challenges in which we have faced here, the adjustments we have made, the struggles we have been through- there's nothing more meaningful I could have spent this time doing. For that, I am thankful.

'We Aren't in Kansas Anymore'

Post Service Swim

 

Rescuing a local kitten.
The newest member of our little family

 

Little study. She is always so diligent about studying and learning about the bible

 

Our Front Yard

"You don’t appreciate what you have until it is gone”. I cannot begin to explain to you how many times I have heard this phrase in my life. But when I heard it this Sunday during the study of the Watchtower, I began to feel and think differently. What if, instead of being so wrapped up in reflecting on the meaning of the phrase and instead of dwelling on the things we don’t have that we once had, we thought about the things we currently have that we didn’t have before? It seems simple enough, you think about the good things in your life and for the moment you feel thankful, but this particular article twisted my way of thinking. Here on this island, I have so much less than I do at home. No car, no places to go and eat out or shop, no fancy gadgets or toys to occupy my time, no fun job to do during the week, no ‘list’ that perpetually seems to float over my head like a black cloud of things ‘to do’ during the day. I have been missing these things, these conveniences, these commodities, these distractions… thinking all the while that these were the things I should have appreciated while I had them. But now I feel differently.

Yesterday, I got sick. Bitten by some atrocious six legged monster that creeps at night and feeds off of the blood of innocent people. The day before that, I was so ‘bored’ that I studied the bible for three hours straight. This weekend, I washed my skirts in a bucket by hand because I don’t have a washing machine and I made corn tortillas by hand because I have nowhere to buy them. I have nothing to do all day but visit people and talk to them about the bible. So now I am appreciating it. When I get home, I won’t have these things. I won’t have the challenges or opportunities to learn to be creative or resourceful. I won’t have the adventures and memories that come with surviving each struggle. I won’t have time. So I am appreciating it now.

Granted, this way of life is hard. But I’ve never felt so accomplished and strong in my life. To have less than what I once had is a blessing. One that I hope to fully be immersed in for the following two months, no distractions. How can I appreciate what I have when it just comes so easily and is so expendable that there’s really nothing special to appreciate most of the time? So I have hereby decided that, instead of dwelling on the things I have at home that I don’t have here, I am going to appreciate what I have until it’s gone. Until the nothing is filled with everything at the push of a button.

We are One month and one week in to this amazing experience, and I can already feel myself growing and changing in ways that I had never expected. I wouldn’t trade this for the world.