It’s the End of the World as We Know It. . . .

And we feel fine . . . . (well, no, not really.)

As many of you know, we are returning to the States this coming Saturday. As a result of our finances, we see it necessary to go home and replenish a bit. We are pretty sad about leaving, but we’re looking forward to seeing our friends back home as well. More on all that in a moment. For now, take a look at what we’ve gotten ourselves into since we spoke last:

We were surprised during the circuit overseer’s visit that our new C.O., Aaron Perkinson, is a fellow Chicagoan. (David & Kathy: Aaron says hello!). It was very interesting to see what a small world it is in the truth! Most of our conversations, however, always tended to drift towards the “leeks, onions, and watermelons” we left back in Chicago; in our case it was “Giordano’s Pizza, Chinatown, Portillo’s, and Lalo’s”. Ah, Chicago food!

But the visit was a ton of fun!







Immediately after the visit we were invited to visit our old assignment in Santa Teresa, basically to say good bye to everyone. Before the meeting we managed to walk by our old house to see how things were faring, and saw that the old Pepto-Bismol look was still in style, only this time it was on the outside, so that everyone could see it’s proud stance for regular bowel movements and overall good digestion!



It was a pleasure to be able to see everyone again. This was the first and last time that we went back after moving to Granada.

After the visit we went right back into our usual routine, but broke it up with one day on a wonderful hike up to Mombacho Volcano, which overlooks Granada. We started out in the morning (with a guide), and most of it was just a hike up a steep paved road. And by steep, I mean steep! At certain times it was like we were walking straight up. The guide suggested that, to make it easier on our legs and knees, we walk up in zig-zag fashion. It did make things easier, I’ll admit, but I’m sure we looked like total idiots bumbling around up the volcano.

When we reached the top, it was wonderful!



The top is literal rainforest, complete with moss-covered trees, mossy stones, many different kinds of birds, monkeys, and thick vines hanging down from all angles, not to mention some very beautiful and strange insects.



At some points it was like the sun was blocked out. On many trees we saw a dozen different plants growing (the guide explained to us that the constant moisture up there makes a type of soil on the trunks and branches of the trees, and other types of ferns and plants grow on the trees.) So it was like a wall and carpet of green everywhere you looked. It was really breathtaking. My favorite part of the whole trip was a place called “The Tunnel”, which was formed during an eruption supposedly thousands of years ago.



But it was, I think, the most beautiful example of the natural world that I have ever seen in person.

The walk down was murder. We again walked down in the old zig-zag fashion, but it was so hard on our knees and we were much, much slower than we were on the way up. Any talk was pretty much ceased.

A couple of days afterwards we discovered that as a result of the steep climb down, one of Marlene’s big toe-nails died. I mean it. It is black and she pulls on it and it looks like it’s going to fall off. It’s terribly disgusting.

I am trying to convince her of the seriousness of this impairment, and am trying to prepare her for the worst, that it may get infected and her big toe may fall off or have to be surgically removed. Of course I’m not an expert on this, but it seems fairly cut and dried to me. She attempts to conceal the hideous deformity with pink nail polish, and it does fool everyone. But I look down at it, and I know . . . . I know.


PIONEER SCHOOL!

Soon after our Mombacho trip that proved to be very costly as far as body parts are concerned, we had Pioneer School! I have to tell you, this was the highlight, the crowning glory, of our entire year in Nicaragua! I just cannot express what a treasure it was to be a part of it. Our two instructors, Luis Balladares and Ben Evans, were excellent in their efforts to make it fun and extremely interesting. Brother Balladares is a long time servant of Jehovah, and shared many experiences with us of the time that the work was banned in Nicaragua. Accounts of secret projects in which hand-written copies of Watchtowers were made in sound-proof rooms underground and brothers running through forests being chased by policemen kept us enthralled. And brother Evans had a lot of very interesting ways of getting us to discuss deep subjects related to God’s Word. For example, one day we were discussing the subject of the conscience. How it’s God’s law written in the hearts of men, and it accuses or excuses our conduct, right? So the question put to the class was: Does Jehovah have a conscience? This provoked a long, excited conversation among the 26 students. (The question is much more multi-pronged than it first appears, and I won’t tell you the conclusion we all reached, but it’s quite interesting!)



All in all, it was a huge mental storm of studying 4 to 5 hours a night for 2 weeks straight, but we have learned extremely valuable things that we’ll hopefully put to good use in the ministry and in our congregations. It was such a privilege!








THE ENGLISH CONVENTION

Immediately after the last day of Pioneer School we had our English District Convention. It was very satisfying and really charged us up. The drama, again, was so beautiful and it was very heartwarming to see how merciful and loving Jehovah is towards the young ones in his organization.

A very cool treat, as well, was that a new museum was opened the very weekend of the convention, on Bethel property. It relates details about the work in general since the early 1900's, and in particular regarding Nicaragua during the ban in the 80's and early 90's.





The picture below was especially interesting, seeing as how creative and resourceful the brothers in prison were!



It was fun meeting many brothers and sisters serving elsewhere in the country, some in cities like us, others in rural areas, and still others in the middle of the jungle in the RAAN section of the country. No roads, no running water, no electricity, and still they work, work, work. It’s amazing to see the selfless spirit of the friends that serve here.

I wish I had more to write about the convention, and there really was a lot more, but our heads are still buzzing from the 2 weeks plus of Pioneer School and the convention program, and I’m just drawing a blank. The thing that stands out in my mind (and this is a very telling thing) is the beautiful spirit of togetherness and camaraderie that exists among the fellow needgreaters in the country . . . . . . . It’s very easy to feel alone wherever you are serving, and that you’re not really doing anything well, but then you see the hundreds of others who are busily working in their own assignments, and you are all so thrilled to see and talk to each other, to just share that knowledge of common struggles and blessings, and you feel like you are a part of something so special that will never be repeated. You are just so grateful to be here and now, serving where the need is great, together with myriads and myriads of brothers.

Wait a moment. I just have something in my eye.



DOGGIE WORK

After the convention, we knew we had less than a week to go before our departure, and so we got busy working. Well, almost. We took the Monday after the convention to go to Montelimar, the beach resort on the eastern coast. We just felt we needed a break in between these huge life-changing events. It was a nice day just the two of us, taking in a bit of relaxation.

The next couple of days was a complete nightmare in terms of getting through red-tape with the doggies. We went to the vet’s office to get the paperwork, and then rushed it all to the Continental terminal at the airport, and were told that we had to have the doggies seen by the Customs department. Unfortunately, it was closed at the time.

So we ended up taking the dogs again out to Managua the next day to the Customs department, where I spent 2 hours getting one piece of paper saying I paid $10 for the right to export 2 dogs, and the “customs inspection” consisted of the agent looking out the window at Marlene sitting with the two dogs on a bench and saying, “Okay, I see them.”

In between all of this mess, Marlene and I managed to get our respective hairs cut. And I managed to get lost in Managua about a million times. One thing I have realized is that I HATE driving in Nicaragua! Almost as much as I hate those disgusting little green balls of slime called peas and getting my teeth worked on.

During the day, it’s a hassle to get anywhere because the roads are backed up with a million cars. There are no signs ANYWHERE, the streets have no names, and if you ask 4 people for directions, they will give you 4 wildly different answers, and it is very, very likely that they are all wrong. At night, every single person drives with his high beams on, there are no reflective strips on the road so you have to hope you don’t smash into a curved wall or deep rugged potholes in the dark while you’re blinded by oncoming traffic, and there are no street lights. If you hit a person, a dog, or a herd of cows, oh well. It’s ridiculous. So yes, I very much hate to drive in Nicaragua.

But on foot, it’s all beautiful!

LASTING BENEFITS

So our time in Nicaragua, for now, has come to an end. Our funds have dried up, and so like many others have to do from time to time, we need to return home.

As we look back over the time we’ve spent here in Nicaragua, we come away with the feeling that it was definitely worth all the challenges we faced (although Molly and Savannah may not agree). We’ve gained some very precious memories that will be with us for a very long time.

Looking ahead to our return to the United States, we can really appreciate that we have been in a very unique situation, and we are very grateful for it, and we will miss it terribly. Don’t get me wrong, we are looking forward to being with our much loved congregation back in New Mexico. But this truly is the end of the world as we’ve known it for the past year, and we don’t feel very fine about it.

There are some things we won’t miss, of course. We won’t miss the freezing showers, or the unbelievably hot sun baking our heads, or having every inch of our bodies covered in sweat the moment we walk out of the air conditioned bedroom, or the mice, tarantulas, scorpions with millions of babies riding on them, or even the R.O.U.S’s. We won’t miss stepping over drunks lying on the street, or seeing bloodied horses and dogs roaming the streets.

But we will so terribly miss the keen interest on the faces of our Bible students. We will miss the companionship of the local brothers and sisters who offer so much when they have so little. And we will miss the wonderful sense of common struggles and triumphs shared by other needgreaters, missionaries, and special pioneers that seem to be as plentiful here as trees in a forest.

Will we return to Nicaragua? We have an intense hope and desire toward that end, and we really believe that we will. A plan is even now taking shape in our minds. But for now we are so excited about going back to our good friends in our congregation Vista Hermosa, and working together with them in our territory, which also has a big need. We’ve learned a lot of invaluable lessons here in Nicaragua, and we hope that they have refined us a bit.

And we know that no matter where we are, the truthfulness of Deuteronomy 28:3 will be proved:
“Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be in the field.”

In other words, we know that Jehovah blesses all of us, no matter where we are serving, as long as we do it whole-souled.

On a final note, Marlene and I really appreciate the comments, emails, and prayers that you friends have offered on our behalf. They really helped us through some struggles and put many things in perspective. We know that many of you have the goal of serving in a country of great need, and we hope that our experiences have revealed a little bit of what it’s like. It hasn’t all been roses and tea, but most of it has, and every single day of it has been extremely valuable to us.

May Jehovah continue to bless us all as we work down towards the end and into the New World.
- Matthew 24:13, 14