The secret Island

Last weekend a group from the congregation went to the Corn Islands. We had plenty of visitors curious to see them, and the rest of us were also ready for a vacation. However, the island mentioned in the title is a different one. There is in fact a third island that few actually know about, in fact you probably would never see it if you fly to corn island like most tourists do. Our plan was to meet some others on corn island who were going to fly, while a second group travelled by boat.

Sunset in Bluefields

The advantage to travelling by boat is that, first of all its about 1/5th the price. Secondly you see more and its really an adventure in itself. The 5 of us (3 sisters from Canada, myself, and Honorio a brother from Mexico) left Pearl Lagoon on the Thursday afternoon panga. We waited at a restaurant in Bluefields until 5 PM when we caught the last panga out of bluefields to the island in question. El Bluff is an island with a population of roughly 2,500, it has no cars and is incredibly quiet and peaceful. It has some very nice beaches although it lacks the tourist infrastructure of the Corn Islands, for example there are no restaurants anywhere in town. The Bluff also has such a low crime rate that people don't even lock their doors at night.

The Bluff is located directly across the bay of Bluefields from Bluefields. The panga costed 40 cordoboas, and took about 15 minutes. Many people dont even realize that the place exists... if you look on google maps there is no indication of an acutal town, and satellite view is badly distorted by overlapping images. Years ago however it was a major port, before Bluefields took over. This is why it has the facilities for larger ships, such as the ones going to and from Corn Island. The bluff even has a congregation with its own kingdom hall, and so our plan was to go to the meeting there, and then wait at the wharf until the ship left at 3:00 AM. However, we met the local witnesses, and they forced us to spend the night at their house and eat with them while we waited for our boat to leave.

The Bluff

Kingdom Hall at The Bluff

El Bluff Congregation

The congregation has about 8 publishers. Only one of them is a baptized brother, who happens to be the the only elder and must conduct the meetings all by himself. There are also a few sisters that help with the console and handling microphones. The congregation was happy to have the help of Honorio and myself, Honorio did about half of the meeting parts short notice while i made my best attempt at reading for the congregation bible study (in spanish). This just shows that there is still a great need in Spanish here in Nicaragua, especially in the remote areas of the atlantic coast.

The brother also insisted on getting up at 3 AM with us to take us to the boat. Apparently it can be a bit difficult to get on the Island express at times because it comes from Rama full of cargo and passengers going directly to Corn Island, sometimes they only have room for a few passengers. The brother said he knew the man that worked on the ship, so he could help us get on. Unfortunately the Island Express was 2 and a half hours late, and by 5 AM another boat had showed up (Isleño D). A bit smaller and not so pretty, but it was allegedly faster and we were more certain of getting on, so we did. The ship was full of various cargo destined for Corn Island, everything from bags of rice to motorcycles to live pigs. There were many hammocks hanging from the frame of the roof, and having learned from my last experience at sea in Nicaragua I had brought my very own hammock. Finally we were on our way to the Corn Islands, but I will never forget meeting our brothers at the Bluff and the short time we spent there.

Sunrise at sea

On board the Isleño

Isleño D at Corn Island

Finished product... almost

We've been working on renovating the building we use as a Kingdom hall for some time now here in Pearl Lagoon, and it just occurred to me that I haven't posted any "after" pictures. Very sorry about that. The outside is all but done, we just need to put in a pathway using the oyster shells you see on the right, as well as a fence.

In other news, we had the CO visit, as well the congregation Panga has been making trips up the lagoon weekly with a rotating crew. Tomorrow a group will be going to La Fe, after that I imagine Marshall point will be on the list as people from the territory have been requesting that we come and hold a meeting. Its also been many years since it was worked. The trip will require more planning however, as due to the size of the community and the distance it will likely involve staying a night or two in the territory.

The Circuit overseer encouraged us to learn and use the Creole dialect ourselves. I've been trying somewhat but honestly have been reluctant to put it to use. Its a bit hard to try and speak what you perceive to be your own language in a different way, as well as to deliberately change your accent. But with Jehovah's help I believe we can all do it. Some local sisters have even talked about giving classes. I find I'm at the point now where many times I know in my mind how to phrase what I want to say in Creole, its just a matter of working up the courage to actually say it that way rather than reverting to English.

Does this boat look familiar?

The Mensajero III is back on the water! After some hard work and care from our visiting boat expert we are once again using the congregation Panga to reach the territory. In this picture we are about to leave for Kakabila. Although we have worked it twice in recent months, it was the ideal destination for a quick test run for the engine. As well the people in Kakabila keep insisting that we visit them more often. This time one of the locals asked us to announce on the radio the next time we are coming, so they can prepare the community hall for us to hold a meeting.

We had a group of 7 this time. The captain stayed with the boat, but managed to do plenty of witnessing due to the attention it drew. We arrived around 10 AM and went back at 3 PM. In that time we managed to work half of the town. The people really seem to enjoy our visits there, and are eager to hear about the bible.

The first language of most in Kakabila is Miskito, but nearly all of them can speak English and Spanish fluently as well. The children however speak only Miskito, as they do not learn the other two until going to school. Neither can they read or write. I was able to play the video "Why study the bible" in Miskito for a family. The mother had been listening to my presentation in English, while the children played and did their own thing, but once the video started and they heard it was in Miskito I had their undivided attention. The entire group of about 6 children became completely silent as they watched the video. Realistically this would be the children's first contact with the truth in their own language, its times like this I remember why I came here.

Why Study the bible?

Kid's home made sailboats

On the way back to Pearl Lagoon we came across some fishermen, and since we still had some daylight we pulled along side them and bought some fresh shrimp. We peeled them at the dock when we made it back and I learned how to process and cook them for the first time. Results were delicious.

Peeling the shrimp

Frying the shrimp in butter, garlic, and coconut oil

Circuit Assembly in Ticuantepe

Last weekend was the English Circuit assembly in Nicaragua. Since there are few English congregations in Nicaragua our circuit encompasses not only all of Nicaragua but several other countries as well. The assembly was held in Ticuantepe, a city just south of Managua in the same Department. This area is actually very close to La Concha, where my first congregation was when I first came to Nicaragua 2 years ago. It is a beautiful mountainous area where many tropical fruits are cultivated.

Salon de Asambleas - Ticuantepe Nicaragua

Hotel Costa Verde - Rama

For those of us on the Atlantic Coast the trip is a long one. For myself, I left Wednesday, spent a night at a hotel in Rama, then met up with a chunk of the congregation who were also coming by bus on Thursday. They had decided to make the trip in one day. Its 5 hours from Pearl Lagoon to Rama, then another 5 to 8 hours to Managua, so breaking it up makes it a lot more pleasant. By going a day earlier I was able to buy the tickets for the rest of the group the day before to ensure that we all made it on the express bus. Meanwhile others were flying to Managua, and others still had chartered a large van.

View from hotel balcony - Rama

Bus to Managua - but not the one we took

Somewhere near Juigalpa

A long the way we were stopped and searched by the military, apparently they were looking for someone specific. They told all the men to get off the bus and we were patted down, then they searched all the bags. As we were about to leave some genius snapped a picture of one of the soldiers with his phone (which I might add was not even set to silent). The soldier turned around and with a tired, irritated expression asked him why he had to do that. The man was told to get off the bus, and they searched his phone for the picture in order to delete it, as it is illegal to photograph police/military or official buildings in Nicaragua. Rumor on the bus was they couldn't find the picture in his phone so they smashed it.

While most stayed in Managua to the north, I opted to stay in Jinotepe, south of the convention site higher in the mountains. Having plenty of contacts there from my first trip to Nicaragua I was able to spend some time with old friends and enjoy the cool mountain climate during my time there. We also had the Pioneer meeting on Friday which was as encouraging as it was crowded. Most of the English circuit here in Nicaragua are people who have come here from other countries to serve, some commented that it was like a mini-international assembly.

I learned a few things about the English field in Nicaragua at the assembly. For example there is now an English group in San Juan del Sur, and another in San Marcos. I was surprised about San Marcos because it is they neighboring town to La Concha, and in the entire time I was there I did not meet a single soul that could speak English, but apparently there is now a sizable field. I also learned that much of the territory on the pacific side consists of Nicaraguans that have learned English and speak it well, in some cases for the sake of finding better employment. Much like it was in Merida. They also spend much time witnessing to tourists. Whereas on the Atlantic coast we see few tourists, and witness to the local Creole speaking people.

During the assembly I met up with some of our future visitors that are now with us in Pearl Lagoon, and we spent the evenings in Managua after the program. It felt very strange to be in a big city like Managua again. It kind of felt like being back in Merida, or in Canada even, with all the cars and restaurants... We even got to eat at a Pizza hut. I kind of felt like the movie Castaway where the main character is fascinated with a lighter after being stranded on the island for so long without modern conveniences.

I went back a few days after the assembly due to being held back by a cold, and took the overnight bus to Rama. This may not have been a good decision, as it turned out the bus was standing room only, for 5 hours... Afterwards i was crammed into the back of a truck to Kukra hill, followed by one more bus to Pearl lagoon. We left Managua 9:30 PM on Wednesday, and arrived in Pearl Lagoon 11:00 AM Thursday. Next time I think ill be staying the night in Rama again.

Skipping town

Back in Canada on Christmas day most people are indoors due to the extreme cold. Stores close and you don't see many people around. I had never been in Nicaragua to see what the customs here are, but as we got closer to December 25th I started to see some differences. 

For one kids suddenly seem to have an unlimited arsenal of fireworks, which they set off continuously all week. Secondly everyone is drunk and roaming the streets. Although on the plus side the weather is absolutely gorgeous. When it rains its only for a few minutes, otherwise its sunny all day with a nice breeze coming off the lagoon to keep things from getting too hot.

Apparently the congregation here has made it their custom to skip town on Christmas day in order to avoid the chaos. On Christmas eve it seemed like every house was blasting reggae versions of every Christmas song at maximum volume all day. It even carried on all night, until 4:30 in the morning when I got up to go and catch the bus. 

We were taking the bus that goes to Rama, however we were getting off part way. Our destination was Rocky point, at a bible student's farm in the middle of the jungle. Away from all the drunks and fireworks. Since we weren't going the whole way the charge was only 10 Cordobas (40 cents). A short hike away from the road took us through a field of coconut trees, and then to the students farm house.

Coconut trees

Edward's Farm house

We spent the day doing not much of anything. A few of us did hike through the bush to the cow pen to see them being milked the old fashioned way, and also pasteurized the Nicaraguan way (not at all). Also we saw a monkey. We also got to see the family making coconut oil from scratch. One gallon requires about 40 coconuts, which need to be chopped open and grated by hand.

On the way to the cows

Monkey

 After lunch, at around 2:30 or 3 we felt it was time to leave. Mainly due to the reason that there was no bus to take us back and we needed to be in town before dark. So we decided to walk back to pearl lagoon. This was perhaps the longest distance I have ever walked, and this with a backpack full of fresh oranges. The walk took us through Haulover where most of the group lived, so seeing as we had plenty of daylight left by the time we arrived there, we went for a swim just outside of Haulover. It wasn't a lake, it wasn't a pond and it wasn't a river, I don't know what to call it, but it was a small body of clear inviting water and we were all hot and sweaty from walking for 3 hours in the mid afternoon sun. I made it home around 7:00 pm, and it looked like things were quieting down. I did get hit by some stray fireworks, but luckily my clothes were wet from the swimming so I didn't catch fire.

Stranded in Bluefields

Its been a busy month. I finally gave in and decided to buy a bicycle. Our territory is very big and there are very few taxis around here. If there is more than one they don't run on the same day. Our meeting for field service is at the baseball stadium in Haulover every Tuesday, which is a 45 minute walk. Then on Wednesday its 30 minutes to Raitipura. And by now of course I have studies scattered in both directions.

There are no bike stores in Pearl lagoon, so if you want to buy one here it will be second hand. Seeing as the bicycles here are very low quality to begin with I thought a used one would be a bad idea. So I decided to make a trip to Bluefields and buy one new. The alternative would be to go to Rama to find one. Equally viable but its 5 hours by bus as opposed to one hour by panga to Bluefields.

I was also using this trip as an opportunity to visit immigration and renew my visa which would be due the next week. I left early Sunday morning. That was my first mistake. In hindsight I have made this mistake in the past, resulting in my being stuck in Kukra hill all afternoon on my way to pearl lagoon the first time. So, I arrive in Bluefields just before the heavens open up and it starts to pour. I am then informed that there will not be a second panga returning to Pearl Lagoon today. The one I came in on was going back, but in one hour, it was unlikely that I would make it in time seeing as how I had a lot to do.

I went to the ATM and did my banking, and then remembered that Immigration is closed on Sunday, so I was DEFINITELY stuck until Monday. So I went and bought everything I needed, and dragged my shiny new bicycle through the canals (formerly known as streets, before the rain started) to the nearest sheltered bus stop to wait out the rain. I called the family I stayed with when I was serving in Bluefields a couple years ago, and they very kindly offered me a place to stay for the night. Despite being soaking wet by the time I got to the house (the rain never did stop) it felt really good to be back in my old neighborhood and see old friends.

Getting my visa renewed the next morning went smoothly. It was still raining of course, but I was able to get the 3 month extension with hardly any questions being asked. All they needed was an un-folded copy of my passport and a vague idea of where I was living. And here is a picture of the bike.

It has fenders to deal with the excessive amounts of mud and water we ride through and a rack to carry things like water jugs, gas tanks, and literature. Once I got it to pearl lagoon I took it to the bike repair shop in town to fix all the design flaws. (such as the chain being too short, and pieces being in the wrong position). In all the bike cost about 3,260 Cordobas, or $128 US, or $137 Canadian. There are no return policies here, and you won't find a bike in any store that is properly built, so you just have to make due with what you find. So far the bike has been working great and has been extremely useful.

Kakabila

December is here... over the past few weeks we have had notably less rain. The waters are getting less murky and the temperatures are rising. This is a beautiful time of year on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, though one must adapt to the heat. That being said I remember Bluefields was much hotter around May and June.

Last week before heading out to Haulover we decided to stop for a quick coffee at the bakery, and it turned out to be our most productive call of the day. We weren't exactly preaching in the bakery but we did meet a couple from a village across the lagoon, which is actually very close if you have access to a boat. The name of the community is Kakabila, which is a Miskito word but I really have no idea what it means. After talking to the man for a while we found that he owned a small boat and could take our group to Kakabila for a very small fee. We arranged to go on Wednesday (Today)

So this morning we all met at the wharf instead of the Kingdom hall for service, there were 8 of us in total.
We were all wondering what kind of boat to expect... Marvin (the boat's owner) had told us he has a "skiff". Now, being that I grew up at least 1,000 km from the nearest ocean nautical terms are a mystery to me in the first place. Confounding this mystery is the fact that in Creole many terms have a completely different meaning. In the dictionary a "skiff" is a boat for one person, but he told us his holds 10...

As it turns out his boat was just the right size for our group, and the ride was very smooth. Although it wasn't a fast one, his 15hp engine got us to Kakabila in about an hours time.

As soon as we got close to Kakabila we could hear the reggae music blasting from a house near the wharf. Some locals approached us as we were getting off the boat, a few even formally welcoming us to Kakabila. As usual around here people were happy to take some time to learn about the bible. One woman saw us coming and answered the door with her bible in hand, and then invited us to come in and sit down. The only exception being a few local ministers that did not appear quite so pleased that Jehovah's Witnesses had found their village. In any case Miskito seems to be the local language but out of everyone we talked to we only encountered one person that did not speak English fluently. Next time we will definitely bring more literature in Miskito.

We worked a strip of houses along the shore, there are of course no streets and hardly even sidewalks. The houses are scattered randomly across a clearing in the otherwise dense jungle, so taking addresses would be an exercise in futility. At the edge of town opposite the wharf, we found a gorgeous beach. Soft sand, palm trees and blue sky, appearing like a perfectly planned rest stop at the end of the day. In fact there was even a building that we were told is some kind of hotel or accommodation. We haven't figured out who owns it but I imagine we will quite likely be staying there in the future to work territory and return visits over a few days.

Honorio (a pioneer brother who was assigned here from Mexico) was aware of this beach, as he had brought a change of clothes and swimming trunks. The rest of us had not brought swimming clothes, but that didn't stop us. Myself and others decided that since we were finished for the day there was no harm in going into the water fully clothed. We dried off fast enough on the boat on the way home. We plan to go back next Wednesday

Kingdom News #38... and the pacific ocean

Northernmost point of Pearl Lagoon

It is now the middle of November, and being from Canada I find that hard to wrap my head around. I’m not accustomed to seeing 30+ temperatures and heavy rain this time of year. In any case we have begun the campaign to distribute Kingdom news #38 here in Pearl Lagoon. The first day we started with the northernmost point of Pearl Lagoon and worked our way south. We received very good reception, although people were curious why we were keeping our visits so short. It is not the custom here to simply stop by and leave a tract without visiting for a little while.

After working about one block however it started to rain. Not that that is unusual here, but since we were close to a bakery we decided to stop for coffee and wait for the rain to pass. Its a small wooden house across from the wharf which has a few tables inside. They prepare all sorts of baked goods as well as the best coffee in town. If you’re one of those people doesn't approve of coffee breaks I hope this stumbles you.

Our territory is almost exclusively English speaking, however I still had the opportunity to practice my Spanish this month. I spent the past week visiting some friends in Carazo (Thats the department south of Managua, in the mountains on the pacific side of the country).

Getting there was interesting to say the least. I left Pearl Lagoon at around 5:30AM on Monday, and arrived in Rama 5 hours later. About half way there a large truck was stuck in the middle of the road, thankfully a bulldozer came by and pushed it out of the way... 

Each time I go to Rama I like it a little bit more. This time I came across some nice little restaurants that were also very affordable. After spending the night I left at 3:00AM the next morning on the express bus to Managua. To my delight there was a small stand set up by the bus selling coffee and bread. Once In Managua I took a taxi from the “Gran Mayoreo” terminal to “La Uca” which is the terminal for the buses going to Jinotepe. It took one hour to get from Managua to Jinotepe, and then one more short taxi ride to Dolores where I was staying. By the time I was at my final destination it was 10:30AM Tuesday.

El Rama, RAAS

I made sure to get out in service while there, and the simplicity of the tract made it easy to string together a presentation in Spanish. Our brothers on the Pacific have plenty of territory to work as well, so I got to see some of their more distant territories out in the country.

Cruz Verde, near Sta. Teresa, Carazo

Mountains near Sta. Teresa, Carazo

And of course, there’s always time for recreation. Not far from Jinotepe is a well known beach called La Boquita. The bus ride only costs 19 cordobas(less than $1) per person. The water was warm, with plenty of big waves, Too bad I don’t surf. I still can’t believe that this is November. Here I am sitting on a hot sunny beach enjoying the ocean breeze... when back home its -20. I had to make a lot of sacrifices to come here, but there are plenty of blessings that more than make up for it.

La Boquita

Quesillo - on the bus to Rama

The trip back took 3 buses, 1 taxi, and 2 trucks. It turns out the bus from Rama to Pearl Lagoon only goes in the evening, and since I was going in the morning, I went in the back of a truck from Rama to Kukra Hill, and then another truck to Pearl Lagoon. Don’t worry, I wasn’t hitchhiking. These are actually official public transportation vehicles.

Passenger Trucks in Kukra Hill