Bluefields - The Ministry

THE KRIOLE MINISTRY IS AMAZING!!!! Basically, all Nicaraguans speak Spanish which is taught in school. Even though the Kriole community knows Spanish, they consider Nicaraguan Kriole the language of their heart. Kriolos know English to a certain degree, but it's definitely a "3rd" language because many English words are not understood by Kriolos. Usually if in conversation, most will revert between Kriole & Spanish unless they know that the other person knows no Spanish

 Belize Kriole is the closest to Nica Kriole. Most Kriolo respond positively to the JW videos in Belize Kriole, but some are very quick to let you know that it is NOT Nica Kriole. If there is a video that is not translated in to Belize Kriole, then the English videos are shown. In general, the locals do not write in Kriole, so they dont understand the written Belize Kriole...so, English literature is used

This year the Bluefields English Cong was changed to a Kriole Cong. All publishers are encouraged to attempt to speak Kriole in the ministry. The locals appreciate even changing your accent if you dont know Kriole words. The Kriole language is very simplified English + Kriole words...definitely easier for me to learn compared to Spanish :-)

AWESOME Service Group from Nicaragua, Mexico, Australia & America :-)

The territory is full of "rabbit runs"...maze like alleys that open up into little barrios. Houses squeezed into every nook & cranny!! (This was my 13yr old service partner, Paris Vargas...their family moved to Bluefields from Cali)

Bryan started 3 Bible Studies on the first day !!!

There is a small island called El Bluff that is a 45 minute panga ride away. Very fruitful, lots of RVs & Studies

 

We were so surprised that this tiny island had it's own Kingdom Hall w/a Spanish Cong

My 15yr old service partner, Winter Vargas, conducts a Bible Study with this lovely Kriole lady. Winter reads to her from My Book of Bible Stories...Winter basically sums up the story using Kriole rather than reading it directly from the book

Took a break on the beach...yet again, reminds us of Galveston TX. Not the gorgeous Caribbean beach that we expected...doesnt get beautiful until you go farther into the Caribbean (Pearl Lagoon or Corn Island)

Bluefields - Arrived

We arrived in Bluefields around 7:30am & we were EXHAUSTED. Bro Vargas met us at the wharf & brought us to a nice lil coffee house for breakfast. After that, we went to our dear Kriole sister's house where we'd be staying for the next 3 nights. Elsa lives here with her 2 daughters, Mavis & Josely. This is a typical cute lil' Nica house:

A mosquito net hangs above the bed (with a Star Wars sheet on top to keep the dust off LOL). When you unfold the net, it's fitted at the bottom, so it tucks in perfectly under the mattress. The trick is to make sure the fan is INSIDE the net with you

Elsa & Josely are wonderful cooks & SO HOSPITABLE!!! They always made sure that there was breakfast, lunch & dinner made for us. Josely made a wonderful shrimp dish that Bryan loved. When Elsa found out that I'm allergic to shrimp, she brought out an entire pan fried fish!!! It was a bit scary/intimidating, but I ate the entire thing...so good. We unknowingly ate sea turtle for dinner one evening :-/ We thought it was beef until we found liver, heart,  tongue & tripe. I gave Bryan all of the "fun" bits & I ate the rest...turtle's actually really tasty. On the Pacific side of Nica, sea turtles are protected, but a major part of the Atlantic coast diet.

Tarantula that Bryan found in the bathroom!!!

Photos of the beautiful hillside view from Elsa's home

This was the home that we stayed in for the last 3 nights in Bluefields. A lovely Aussie couple, Mike & Amy, live here with their cute lil' pup, Matilda :-)

On Friday, the congregation had a gathering in the back yard of the Kingdom Hall. The Kriole sisters brought their fryers & made awesome treats: Bunuelos which are balls of mashed yucca, cheese & crema that is deep fried & dipped into simple syrup (all of us Americans swear it tastes like Burger King French Toast Sticks LOL). Also, Pati which are like small fried empanadas stuffed with ground beef & tamarindo drink to wash it all down with

The kids & "big" kids played volleyball...the line of shoes serves as their net :-)

These are photos of all of the older Bluefields homes...reminds us of Galveston, TX!! There's only a handful of these homes left, as most of them have burnt down over the years...replaced with typical cement Nica houses

This poor guy is "weedwacking" with a shovel :-( Taking a shovel to the curb & pulling the overgrown weeds away.. ,he'll be there ALL DAY!!!

Downtown Bluefields: In general, Bluefields is a poor community with a lot of unemployment. Many work on fishing boats, cargo boats & ferries. The weather is very similar to Houston summers, 90's w/high humidity. The cost of living is lower compared to the Atlantic coast: Seafood is cheap, shrimp can be as low as $0.37 per lb, electricity for a foreigner's Nica home is approx. $14 per month compared to San Juan's $47. The exception is veggies...scarce & more expensive because all are imported from the farms on our side. The largest store is a "Mini Mart" with 2 aisles. They have one fast food restaurant with A/C (Tip-Top Fried Chicken) & a few  nicer restaurants...San Juan has better  restaurant food, hands down. The Krilole food is SO much better than Spanish Nica food, but unfortunately there are no Kriole restaurants & no Kriole street food :-(

Bluefileds - The Journey

Bryan was asked to give a public talk in Bluefields, on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. Because it's such a long journey, they don't get very many visiting speakers. We decided to make this our yearly anniversary trip - 10 days long

So, we rode our moto from SJDS, Rivas to Granada (1 hr 15 min). We spent the weekend with Joel & Lindsey Savage...so nice of them to let us crash at their casa :-) We had an awesome time... cooking homemade pizza in their yard (by Chef Lopez), a lil patio sing-a-long & hammock hanging

We then took a public bus to Managua (30 min) & hung out at the mall until time for our Bluefield Bus at 9pm. The bus ride was 6 hrs on a chicken bus...noisy, uncomfortable, couldn't sleep.. but only cost 160 cords (only $6.04) per person, compared to a $150 plane ticket to Bluefields

Arrived in Rama at 3:30am & napped in the tiny bus terminal till 5am. We then took a 2 hr panga (basically a "john boat"..16 passengers + luggage) ride down the Escondido River to Bluefields. Exhausted, but happy :-)