LeahSWedding - Blogabond

Pioneer School 2009!!!

In Aug. we went back to the U.S. for pioneer school. It was so great. Our instructors were excellent teachers, “the gold standard,” as some might say (imagine with Bro. Velucci's voice) and our classmates really set the bar high for good preparation and comments. Being in class with Shane was great. We're going on 6 years of marriage and pioneering together, so we had a lot of experiences to look back on. During the school we made some fantastic new friends and spent the two weeks with the Salley's. We couldn't have made pioneer school any more wonderful. But, looks like now we get to try it again!! Can you believe it? We got home and they have invited us to attend here starting the class in October. Shane told our C.O. that we'd just attended in Virginia, but he said if it wasn't with the Spanish book, we could go again. We are so excited. The material will really be tailored for our territory here and with the ink barely dry in our new books, we may just get something out of it when we study it all again in Spanish.

Leahs Wedding.

Leah, my sis, got married. She was a beautiful bride. I've never seen her so happy. And Sam Moorefield, her husband, is a brother-in-law to be proud of. He was in Bethel 12 years, Chinese territory for 7, and won Leah's heart. He's so considerate too. So we could spend more time with them before we left, he arranged kayaks and took us to a bio-luminescent bay. We were more than honored that they wanted to spend time with us on their honeymoon. It was sad to leave them and Puerto Rico. But we have hopes to see them over here in Nicaragua some time.

Isaac and Elizabeth.

When we came home Monday, we had some guests practically waiting at our door. Isaac and Elizabeth are special pioneers 5 hours from here. They travel all this way to come to 'town' one time a month to do their shopping. Anyway, it was nice to have them here when we got home. It lessened that, “we're so lonely, missing everybody” feeling. (We do still miss everyone by the way.) They used to stay with our special pioneer couple, Luis and Maribel, but they have been assigned to the traveling work in another area, so Isaac and Elizabeth will stay with us each month. They are a very encouraging. And Shane is pleased because Isaac is spiritual and still likes video games. By the way, at this point, they are not sending a special pioneer brother to replace the one that just left. So we are left with two elders for 80 publishers. But we're still better off than the other cong. that only has one elder. Plus, Shane appreciates the extra work in the meantime. He likes to be busy.

I had to add this pictures of us from Virginia. We went down the Hardware River. Only Shawn Cumella was able to go with us...We wonder if everyone else might have already known the water was too low. Oh well, but as you can see we had a good time, especially Shane at that moment.

And these are pictures of some really really odd fruit out now. The smaller alien-being looking one is called a Mamon Chino. It has a grape like center and inside that is a giant seed that you have to spit back out. It's soury sweet and we like them. The cost 5 cents a piece.

And the lovely pink artichoke is called a Pitaya
and its sweet and like jelly with seeds you dont have to spit out inside. One goes about learning what to eat and what to spit out by practice here...its not always obvious. Costs 75 cents. OOOhhh PRICEY!!!

Here is our lovely new little home. we rent two rooms on either side of the brown wood door and the kitchen is behind that. Three rooms, but its very comfy. Room for guests, you know! And you all know which of you I'm talking too. Yes, all you who've said you are going to come visit....!

And just when we started feeling lonely and homesick. We got two invitations to eat with friends today. (Today, Monday, was a national holiday, Central American independance day. There are parades and everything, so every one had it off. Here, I have to add a story, Shane takes an interest in a man with some sort of disablility, named Roger. Today we met him on the street. He told Shane that for today, he wanted nothing to do with the Bible, because he was going out to watch the girls who march in the parade with their little short skirts and go-go boots. Poor Roger. He has his good days and bad days, sometimes he comes to the Kingdom Hall on Sunday and stays for all the meetings; ours, the other congregation and he hangs around for the sign language too.) So, back to our meals with friends today. One was a full English brunch. And the other for a full Nicaraguan lunch. We are so spoiled. The first picture is the brunch it was great. The last picture is of the sister who made us lunch. She and her 12 yr old daughter wash all their clothes and dishes outside the back door on this concrete washboard and sink.
They always impress me.