El Ultimo...... until next time.

Well I have not been on the blog very much these past couple of months or since Beau left but now that the time has come for me to return to the 'homeland' I find myself sitting through around 50 hours of travel time, board out of my brains. Time to write has been scarce  between English meetings and Field service Spanish meetings and field service and preparation for them there has barely been time to create intricate puzzles for the Japanese to render 'for three and under' let alone write a concise and 'interesante' blog. So I think now is a good time to do that -the blog not the Japanese puzzle.

Ojo De Agua - Congregación de Español

Territory in Ojo

I first started going to these meetings with the hope of exploring the culture here more and improving in my Spanish.  Not only did I discover this but much much more, it turned out like one of those infomercials, where if you invest in a steam mop you will get free steak knives and if you pay by credit card you will get not one but 2 steam mops! I'm not sure how the credit card bit would apply but the benefits were amazing. The brothers and sisters were like steak knives....-hear me out ok - they were a blessing I was not expecting, very encouraging welcoming and hospitable even with me speaking Spanish like a 2 year old Nicaraüense parrot. It is a beautiful congregation with heaps of potential. 

CO visit

Territory

There territory is vast and the people are ready and willing to hear the good news, even young children are excited to look at the pictures and take time to appreciate Jehovah. Despite the poverty they are hospitable and kind. I was given the  privilege of doing the bible highlights one week there and even though my Spanish is terrible and I could barely understand some of the comments, afterwards they were all very encouraging.

Omotepe, Matigalpa, Jinogega

Well for a while, along with Beau we had my good friend Jayde here with us, a brother also from Qld Australia. Although he was sick a fair bit I think he still enjoyed it here. In any case we planned a trip the weekend before he left to Omotepe. This is an island in the middle of the biggest lake in Nicaragua, made up of 2 large volcanoes. So Ed, Beau and I headed of there, sadly without Jayde the master of sickness.

It was an interesting trip with some interesting characters along the way, ill let the photos and videos do the talking for this one though.

The little blue dodgy thing was our ride there..

Ed soaking up the overcast day

Rented bikes on the Island

Trucks on the ferry

A boat (in case you were wondering)

Por que sos tan triste!

Being in English

Normal day in FS

The English congregation has been amazing so good and willing brothers and they have all been really good to me. Not just in witnessing and meeting, but in recreational activities as well. Some great people and great friends forever.

Mi carta favorito, from my party:P

Where to next Jefe?

  

 The English District Convention in El Salvador.

Exercising patience..... 

Wow! This one we were waiting for, for months. As the time crept closer everyone's keenness increased, as did mine. We had a 10 hr bus ride from Chinandega all the way up through Honduras and into San Salvador, El Salvador. The entire English congregation hired a bus along with an English cong from San Juan Del Sur.

The planned departure time 5am - the reality 11am. The bus company had it booked 1 day later than the brothers organized, but after much hard work from the brothers we were still able to leave that morning. On getting to the border of Honduras we all got out and I notice a brother, Josh, having some difficulties with the border officials. 'Poor fella ay hope everything is ok'. Turned out his visa had expired and they gave him 5 days to leave the countries in the CA4 (these bordering countries have an arrangement where locals can go between only with their ID, however for foreigners it means that you cannot renew hour visa at these borders, it like you leave a country without leaving the country) anyway I digress. So i'm thinking i'm fine, nek minut... life fail i'm in the same boat. My visa expires on the Saturday of the convention and after both Josh and I go to the immigration office on the Thursday after a full day of option exploring and thinking like crazy scientists we discover that the only thing we both can do is fly out of El Salvador straight to the States, which turned out to be Miami.

Sight seeing in El Salvador

This put a little dampener on thing as we both missed the Sunday of the convention. But after the first day of quality talks and moving interviews I was glad to be there for the two days, it was defiantly worth it. 

Ed and my Part at the DC

Los Chavalos

Miami

So Josh and initially expected to leave Sunday and fly back to Nicaragua on Tuesday. So we stayed with a brother and sister that are in a sign language congregation. They were amazingly hospitable and kind. That day we went out with another brother to have some pizza and play some pool, after-which he gave us a car to use!! So driving in Miami was epic and we went to the beach saw some sites ate some food, acted like proper job tourists. Tuesday we headed to the airport where it started to get interesting again.... We arrived the lady says 'there aint no flight to Nicaragua today' we were like

'hold the phone! Wat did u just say' - acting all like we knew what we was doin 'no no no no, look here at the itinerary....'

Josh feeling like a Boss

She says 'look holdon it says there thats for the 17' two weeks away.....

EPIC FAIL. But they were really helpful and cut allot of what we should have paid, so we flew the following Thursday. So two more days in Miami, so we got to go out witnessing and get to an epic sized mall. After that we got back to Nica fine. Then was the rush to pack for my flight home 4 days later.

Miami South Beach

Amazing couple that looked after us in Miami

Nos Vemos Nica

My Shoe Shining Man

So this is where i'm at at about to land shortly in LA, i'm starving! American Airlines wont let you pay cash and I had no time in Miami to eat. Another story behind that, after being reasonably late for the flight due to various things I get to the airport check-in at Managua. Look around, nobody in sight that has anything to do with AA. So i'm like hmmm, oh random dude 'disculpe señor, hay aguin aqui para American Airline' and then he is like 'what flight' and im like 'to miami at 7:30' and he is like 'its gone'.

Neighbors I used to Play Soccer with in the street

After that there was a blury 5 min spanglish conversation I had with an actual AA employee telling me there was no way i could get on the flight. However 40min later was the soloution, they changed my flights and I got a flight 4 hours later. So i get on my first flight of the day, nek minut lightening strikes and we hear deafening thunder. It seem as if the left wing got struck before we even left the runway ( I suppose thats better than being stuck in the air) in any-case we got delayed another hour. So now we are landing and i'm thinking what else can go wrong. We shall see,we shall see..... but nothing did it all went smoothly and i'm now back in Auz readjusting and getting back into it again. Overall an excellent life changing experience, that despite the many mishaps I will never regret.

Jorge - A study and his Family

The Usual Please

"Uh boss, i might be a little bit late'

So since San Juan life continues on as usual. The normal weekly schedule but it never feels repetitive. So our routine is the same each week but never feels repetitive.... wait am I repeating myself.

Field service is always interesting and very fruitful. Meeting some really nice people but as always the challenge is finding them home. It can also be quite entertaining at times, looking for people who speak English and often it’s the drunk guy in the street that can speak the most perfect English, go figure. But we always see unique things in transit too, this pic was on the way back from Corinto on day.

Park in Leon

I have been a bit sick of late, but at least I can squeeze some sympathy out of people that way. The only problem however was this past weekend I had the privilege of delivering the Public talk. Now that sounds like a good thing right.... but I have the unique capacity to make any normal situation into the best it can be, as far as embarrassment goes. So it was especially hot that day - frankly the centre of the sun would have been more comfortable. And evidently anyone in this situation has lost their mind as Ii had done. Saying the final words of my talk I start to walk away feeling a little dizzy then I realise I forgot my water so I reach over and grab it and then threw it all over the floor... as you do.  Being the kind person that I am I decided to cool the area down before the next speaker took the platform. This lead to an awkward sequence of events wherein several people made efforts to fix the problem, as I wallowed in self pity and embarrassment at the back of the hall.  THE END

This is not the Coffee Shop

Anyway I now seek refuge in the coffee shop, I actually think i spend more time here than at home. But its comfortable and there is WIFI and decent coffee. On a first name basis with all the staff so i can pretty much get away with anything there, I have a deep sense of loyalty..... to coffee.

Bobo had another accident... well a few actually. Most to do w

ith his bicycle really. Heading back home  one fine evening I was on GX200 while Bobo was cycling. I came up with the great idea for him to grab onto the back of my bike and I would pull him along some of the way.... BIG MISTAKE. Beau peddles flat out to grab onto the rear of my bike, but somehow manages to get his leg caught over the top of his handle bars the front wheel goes sideways pushing him headlong straight into the gutter where he flies off the bike and makes an abrupt stop on one of the softest surfaces.... concrete. He walked away from it though, and I empathetically cracked and laughed for the next several hours. So this in retrospect was maybe not my best idea. But the problem is solved now because Bobo’s bike - the cause of this terrible incident - was stolen, its still a soft point, so make sure you give him curry over it.

Witnessing in Chichigalpa

Still really enjoying the ministry and the congregation, getting smaller now but it brings everyone closer. Meeting many in the field who study the bible with their family already, one man studies every night for over an hour with his family - amazing. He was an RV soon to be a study with some Spanish brothers.  Many are spiritually minded and are extremely hospitable and understanding truly ‘Blessings until there is no more want’ – seeing it in action.

San Juan and Grenada

We went and saw Jesus at San Juan

Spent a week in San Juan. A family from Australialand have 'need greated' over there. So we went to help them settle into their new place. Ok well thats the excuse we used, but we just went on a holiday. Nice place but, super touristy, hardly any Nicaraguans which made it feel more like we were somewhere in California . Nice congregation including a monkey, an actually real one. I don’t think he is a publisher yet though. But his study is going well.

Boss man

Enjoyed some amazing surf, and beautiful beaches. I surfed for like 1.73 seconds. It’s cool how deceiving you can be by walking down to the water with a board, looking all pro and stuff. But the coolness kinda dies off rather quickly when a wave of decent size comes that the other surfers float over just wipes you out..... not that that happened to me of course *cough cough*.  I wouldn't call what I did actually surfing, but the water was nice and the floatation device was a good accessory in the water.

Happiness

Then we went to Grenada for the weekend, went Zip Lining on the way.... SO MUCH FUN! So i was superman, batman and sore groin man for a couple of hours that day.

Got a sports massage by a blind dude at a hotel, so that was weirdly cool. There was also an option to get covered in chocolate and massaged with cocao butter, but that sounded a little to invasive for my liking.... and I would’ve got distracted and started to eat myself anyway.

Me surfing.... yes thats right im black now......

San Juan De Sur

But we are back now in Hot Chinandega, trying to get back into routine although couldn’t help but go and see the beach one more time on thursday. At the moment I have Beau doing the maps for me while I write the blog and listen to rain coming down flat out.

Good times greatest hits.

Zach

Stuff and things!

We are out! Thats right we have left! Well we have only gone down the road about a kilometre, but it was a great move. Our previous location was great but now we have the luxuries of a fridge and an oven. The process to move from our old place in Chililandia to “Josh and Cass’s” as it is known was most definitely the quickest I have experienced. After a full day in the Field, we got home at 6pm then we had 45 min to transfer the loads. At 7pm we had a few friends come round for the watchtower prestudy. So offering drinks as really rhetorical because I had no idea where anything was, but a brother brought around pizza so we didn’t die.

The following week however the watchtower pre-study was too good. Once again pizza was still amazing but after a great study and some stellar deep comments from the fellers, at least 90% of us laughed to the point where the neighbours were probably wondering why they weren't invited.

So the new house is good. Of course with any new escapade there has to be a few glitches. One dark and gloomy night Bobo was being the housewife that he is, and decided to cook dinner after some gentle prodding on my part (“Bo, make me food”). He fried the chicken, washed cut and boiled the potatoes and sat it all in a baking dish. After gently placing it in the gas oven he turned the gas on. I then arrived home. The conversation was as follows

Me - “sweet dude you cooked dinner”

Bobo - “Yeah man no worries”

“So what have you made? *opens oven..... sniff sniff* can you smell gas?”

“Que”

“Beau did you light the oven”

“What”

So he had left the oven with gas pouring out for around 10 minutes. Ok so he could have killed the entire population of central america..... but the stupidest thing was when I lit a match shortly after, thinking the gas had gone away. BOOM. The house burned down! .... well that didn’t happen but my ears where ringing for a while afterwards and the whole oven jumped half a foot away from the wall. But hey – death averted! Level Up!!

Drinking Heaps good Coffee

As it is every year, the memorial is a beautiful occasion. All the more interesting in Chinandega, we had it outside in the Kingdom Hall car park and had about 19 new ones attend the meeting. Some of the Spanish congregation had some astonishing results.

Mr Simon Looking like a Boss

ITS RAINING!! Everyone has been waiting for it and its finally come. Though in small portions, when it first started during the meeting i was so tempted to get up and start dancing, but it might have been awkward explain that one.

Other than that went on another Bike trip to Matigalpa with Simon. Drank some amazing coffee and had a ride to Jinotega from there. Anyone who loves bikes had to do this! we have some GO PRO footage, video pending either from me or the 'Simon'.

Bike Break at the Lookout

Few other things have happened, had to have some epic repairs on my bike, chain slider came off... twice... disaster. Not as bad as Beau ruinating his scooter but it was all ok when he got a kiss on the head from a new American brother..... hmmm

Exciting weird stuff ay...

I have noticed quite a difference to the way bible studies react to the truth. After asking a question, instead of them reading the answer out of the book, they close the book and actually put it in their own words and even illustrating points. Its a great feeling to be around a more spiritually minded culture. Plenty of work to do, but plenty of fun to be had doing it.

  - Zach

Volcano San Sebastian over a paddock

Weeks 1-3 in a Nutshell

Zach - 

Well here we are after three weeks of life in Nicaragua. How’s it been? Well in a word, heaps good! And yes that’s two words but that just goes to show how good it is here in Chinandega. The brothers put so much work into the congregation and the ministry, it’s a great example.

So we have been busy of late with the Invite as have witnesses all over the world. The people as a whole in Nicaragua are very spiritual, which make talking on such subjects quite comfortable. Almost all that I have spoken to said the really want to come asking the time location and what will be discussed. So it will be interesting to see how many attend the memorial today.

Because we are in the English congregation, there is a lot of walking involved and working in towns outside of Chinandega. Which is nice in a way to see around the country side. However the heat is at times unbearable even to locals, but the air-conditioned coffee shops and hotel lounges are a nice relief.

I gave the talk last Sunday which was nervracking in a new congregating but they were all very supportive and I only have minor bruising. I few thing have gone a little upside down though. I got a bit of 'Nica belly' and was out of my mind for a while. Thought I was better and went to meeting, but got the the time wrong by half an hour. So we were well.... fashionably late. Other than that we have had seen and experienced some epic things like the creation of a really bad onion salsa with the condiments on the table at a restaurant, by Beau of course. We persuaded him to eat it and it was like watching a monkey give birth to a small cow, painful slow and disgusting... well that's how he felt the rest of us were just cracking up as you will see in the video later on.

So as you may also know I have a Bike!!!! It all started when a brother here helped rent a bike for me to go up to Jinotega near Matagalpa, an amazing area by the way. So then he found a bike to buy and BAM now I have a convenient and thrill seeking way of transport (In a safe way of course). So I take my bike with the fellas today on a dirt track.... long story short - they get kinda go on the wrong track, I somehow end up leading the way back and take us down the wrong way again and we end up holding it flat in 25cm deep dusty dirt and going nowhere fast. Few close calls for me (dropped the bike on my leg.... like a boss) but it was good training for bike control especially needed at times insane traffic here, when it feels like everyone is out to ruin you.

But i know you are all wondering how Beaus R’s are rolling along. Well a bro here ‘Moi’ gave him some motivation. “If you can roll your R’s in a week I will buy you a cheesecake” he says. Well, if you know Beau, if anything is going to motivate him its food! Sadly poor Bobo did not receive the cheesecake but only because he missed the deadline, yes that’s right! We have R’s rolling all over the place, I think I even saw one in the sink earlier.... weird. Bobo has also got himself some transportation, a Scooter! So he is cruising around flat on that. 

We even had a couple of earthquakes which was nice, it was like the world was my massage chair.

That’s the escapade so far, I’ve missed like massive chunk of stuff - like Moi jumping over sleeping dunk guys on the foopath - but that just adds to the mystery doesn’t it.

The first steps in Nicaragua

Bobo -

Well our first week of Nicaragua was very awesome! We went witnessing all week even tho we arrived in Chinandega at 1:30am smashed from the flights on Tuesday last week, n did I mention that we have no fridge or a stove.... So were camping in a unit lol however, we both still had a reasonable sleep n was ready to go out witnessing or "field service" it's often called here. Where we started preaching was a lil town called chichigalpa bout the same size as chinandega. Because of our keen attitude we stay out all day from 10am-5:30pm in the arvo, so it was a big day. We also met some different bros n sisters, getting to work with all sorts :) we later in the day, we found out that there's only 20 or so bros n sis in the cong!! Having a ball of a time trying to learn the language and at the same time hav fun enjoying this brilliant privilege to serve where there is a need overseas.. Oh yeah I did my first door in Spanish that a lil Spanish sis named Angela aka "tinkerbell" lol who had taught me a few words in español n the result was that I did one door and a lady came out, I said my presentation n she understood n took the memorial invitation which made me overjoyed. During the last weeks meeting a awesome Spanish bro bout the same sorta age as Zach n I named Moises or Moses, he is such a crack up n feel that we hav bn long lost brothers from birth haha

When it came around to Saturday or sábado in Spanish was a working bee at the local KH after meeting even more of the Spanish bros n sisters, there was a plan of going for a swim at a local swimming pool at a hotel called farallones afterwards with some young ones n then.. Frisbee!!! So tired after that!! On the Sunday meeting I got to do 3 jobs at once... the attendant, the platform microphone adjuster n also the roving microphone bro..!!! Busy boy much!! While Zach was doing the sound box pfftt one job!! what a wimp!! So getting used in things I've never done before. Monday came along and we had to clean, do some chores basically rest, then it's starts all over again:) hope u are all well n having a good time without me :P will hopefully talk sooner rather than later:) love u all n stay beautiful people!!

LA NY and the Rest

Zach -

Times Square. NY

We have had a great so far on our epic journey, a few mishaps along the way like on the first day Beau getting locked out of his bag..... going through all 999 combinations and as a result having to wear my cloths to a meeting in LA, so it was like there was two of me there... weird. But hay as far as first impressions go I think that I helped him out.

Other than that the only other small issue was that we miss the bus to Canada.... twice. Sort of changing our entire plans in New York but nevertheless the devastating feeling of just missing the bus by 5 meters and the next time waking up 5 hours late was overshadowed by going all the way to the Bronx and then the meeting not being on that night ..... no wait that’s not it. It was overshadowed by New York being awesome, and more so the Friends in the congregations in Manhattan showing us around and giving us a great day with heaps nice food the most amazing coffee.

But really it has been great. In LA we went to Universal Studios with rides that crazy as, Disney land was ok but right next door at California adventure it was epically amazingly cool!! On the roller-coaster “The screamer” ironically we screamed.

Wallkil Bethel

In New York the tours of all three Bethels opened our minds to another hard working side to Jehovah’s Organisation. The most efficient, well managed, clean, happy and purposeful group of people all working together under Jehovah’s direction. A truly awe inspiring and motivational tour. There is a new Historical tour at Brooklyn Bethel that is mind blowing, shows how much Jehovah has directed his organisation over the years as the light continues to get brighter.

But now we are finally in Nicaragua got here at around 1:30am in the morning followed by a great day in Field service, a truly amazing experience that hopefully will soon become a normality.

Tonight I have been learning a little Spanish with Beau who’s nickname now is Bobo, which in Spanish means .... well ill let him tell you. But one of the sisters here called that and its stuck. Anyway I have also found that watching someone leaning how to roll their R’s is hilarious, we resorted to hand gestures to describe the tongue position in the mouth. But i’m confident he’ll nail it very soon. We are in the English congregation though so it makes it easier to ease into the language without ruining ourselves. That’s the short long version anyway, so hopefully i will remember to write some more.

Brooklyn Bethel By Night