Cooling off in San Pedro 

He loves the boat rides!

Josh and a banana tree in San Pedro

Good Morning everyone!! We've now been in Panajachel for 8 months!!  I think we're finally ajusted to living here, maybe🤣.  Rob made an awesome meatloaf last night with homemade potatoe salad, it was delicious!  So cooking here is coming along, thanks to Rob.  He does all the shopping and cooking, which I really appreciate.  After a long day in service coming home to his cooking is a treat for me.  Pioneering here is always an adventure and never the same.  This is my basic schedule: Monday all day, mornings take a truck to Solola with Lydia and afternoon calls in Pana and stand 3 until 5

Stand witnessing, showing Caleb and Sophia videos in Spanish

This is a view of Pana coming down the hill from Solola

Tuesday is our midweek meeting at 3pm, so I stay home.  Wednesday is a boat day: San Pedro or San Juan or Santiago.  We spend the morning in territory, then calls or more territory until 3.  The boast ride home is usually pretty rough.  At 4 I have Spanish class until 6.  A pioneer couple who lost their business in the states are our instructors.  They started the congregation here 6 years ago,  he's New Rican (Puerto Rican from New York) and she's from Georgia.  They were in Mexico for a few years before they were asked to move here.  They have really helped us adjust here.  Lydia really enjoys going in service on Mondays with them

Nat and Lyds hydrating after a hike up the hill

Lyds and I on the truck

Thursday in service can vary.  We can work the city of Pana or take a truck to another town.  We worked San Andres a few weeks ago, I had never been there. A very clean town but we needed to identify ourselves right away as Testigos de Jehová, they were a bit leary of us.  I did find one English speaker in the market.  If we work Pana territory, later in the morning I try Cory a study I have.  She first took English literature but when I offered the study she wanted Spanish, so for now I'm just getting it established before I turn it over.  It's good practice for me🤗.  When she read that the Bible is a letter to us from God, she said, that's beautiful!! Best life ever!  Our substitute CO said are people making sheep noises( such as: that's interesting, never heard that before, etc.), this was definitely a sheep noise!

Friday is another boat day.  Rob leads the group so this is a family day in service.  We go to Santa Cruz or San Marcos.  This is called the hippy town.  Natty,who's from Wales and I were working together and the brother sent us in a coffee shop to do informal.  A man sitting across from us made eye contact so I asked where he was from.  He was from Wales!! So him and Natty had a nice conversation and he knew who we were.  Informal witnessing here is a very big part of our service.  Many english speaking expats and visitors hang out at coffee shops, so we go where the people are, not so bad if you like coffee, which I do!! In the afternoons Deb, Natty and I take a boat over to Santa Cruz for some studies.  I have a young administrator of the Spanish school.  She is so sweet and takes a few minutes if she's busy or will sit down with us if she has time.  She makes lots of sheep noises!!  She is my treat after a long week in service.  Then we hike up, up, up one of the hardest hills!! Up to Cecap, a artisans shop and restaurant.  Debs study is Dominga and mine is Elmay.  After we head upstairs to the restaurant for a coffee, cookie and the best view on the lake.  We usually find someone who speaks English to chat with.

Me hiking up, up, up

Deb and I after hiking up "The Hill"

The View

Saturday we have our meeting at 10 am and then I have Spanish class from 2 until 4. And Sunday Rob and Josh go in service and Lyds and I have a day together.  Sometimes it's hard to believe we really did this.  We have felt Jehovahs help and know we need to keep relying on him to continue to do this.  The friends here are very supportive and even though I get very homesick at times, I really love my new congregation.  After almost 30 years in the same hall, it was tough to leave. I'm glad we will see everyone in a few weeks!! See you at the convention😗

Getting big

Memorial 2018 53 in attentance, our congregation was about 35

How Lydia and I get around

Treat after service

Doing the stand by the docks

Panajachel

Solola

Pioneers of Panajachel 2018

San Juan cows

Lyds

My parter for the stand by the lake