So in my opinion we really ended my last week here with a bang!
We traveled across the country first stop...Bluefields.
Ok so it took 12 long hours to get to Bluefields but we really wanted to go because we met some friends from there at the assembly. One of our friends Dayanelly (from Managua) is from there and wanted to go back home to visit her family and invited us to come with her...sounded like a great idea to us! So we met up at her house and 10 of her family members sent us off at the bus station at 8pm. And guess what...there were four other witnesses on our bus too; an need greater couple and a special pioneer couple who serve in Pearl Lagoon. Pearl Lagoon is an hour from we were going, but we had plans to go there on Saturday.
So we piled into a school bus full of people and rode for 6 long hours...then we stopped in Rama, I believe, and waited till around 5:30 am to take the Panga (I have no idea how to spell that), which is a small motor boat to Bluefields. Of course, our panga was over-packed, it started raining, it was super cold and we ran out of gas lol but hey, it was really cool! The scenery was beautiful. It was very tropical. There were a lot of coconut trees and exotic flowers along the way. Once we reached Bluefields, it was very evident that this part of the country is nothing like we have ever seen. The people spoke Nica Creole (which is a combination of Spanish and English). They say things like: how ya day boi?....we reached..etc. The people were very tall and dark skinned. Absolutely beautiful and very nice. Once we arrived we spent the day with Dayanelly's family. We bought fresh fish from the market and fried it whole, had grilled cheese with coconut bread, and I chopped open a coconut with a machete! It was very nice day to relax. But around 8am the next morning we headed off to Pearl Lagoon on the Panga to go to the meeting and do service with our friend Jean for a few days.
Once we arrived to Pearl Lagoon we were immediately greeted by Sr. Kelly, our spiritual mama, for the next few days. She took us to her auntie's pastry shop for breakfast, and let me tell ya, her auntie can cook. I had Pico bread (bread filled with caramel and sugar) and sweet corn bread with coffee. After breakfast, Jean met up with us, and took us to drop our luggage off and walk around the town. The town is so small and everyone knows everyone. It's very evident that Jean makes it known that she is one of Jehovah's Witnesses because everyone refers to her as the "bible lady" but she's like please just call me Jean. One of our stops before the meeting was jumping into the ocean, so random, but the girls had so much fun! Then Jean's mother cooked lunch (chicken, rice, salad with Yucca and other unique vegetables, plantains and watermelon) and we ate guavas that we knocked down from a tree in her backyard!
The meeting was really encouraging. They only have 8 publishers in Pearl Lagoon, so there are plenty of opportunities to comment. And we had a lot of support from the brothers and sisters bible studies in attendance. A sister does the sound, one person does the mikes...its very interesting. The meeting was held in a special pioneer couples house (Heather and Brian).
The next morning we headed out in service...but I started the day out very clumsy. One thing you should know about Pearl Lagoon is that there aren't very many roads. We basically walked through swamps, mud, and fields. So to get to the hall you walked through this very muddy field...and Brian was trying to direct me through it because there are areas that are very deep (like waist deep)...and I fell...like three times! lol But afterwards, service was great! Everyone loves talking about the bible. People took time away from their businesses, set out chairs for you to sit in their home to learn about the truth. It truly was door to door territory; where everyone listens. It's so nice because you really get to work and improve your art of teaching. The special pioneer couple told me that have 23 bible studies! and they have territory that they have barely touched yet!
After service the whole hall had lunch together and went to the beach.
On the way home we took a 12 hour bus ride through a rainforest... muddy roads...down ravines, through the country. It was physically exhausting but breath-taking to see Jehovah's creation on that scale.
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