He is Not Here

In this season of Easter we often reflect on the great demonstration of God's love for us through the sacrifice of His only Son on the cross.   It is only because of that sacrifice that you and I today and can experience a glimpse of the grace and love He lavishes on us.  As I look on this great demonstration of His power and saving grace I sometimes limit my view to the "big" demonstrations of His presence and miss the day to day manifestations of this same great power and love.   Dare I listen to the message of the angel to the women at Christ's empty tomb,  "He is not here, He has risen!"  I'm in no way saying that what took place on the cross is any less important simply that it is not only there that we find reflections of His sovereignty and love.

Where is His presence in the day to day?   With eyes wide open I can see His hand at work all around me.   Wanting to give Him all the glory here are reflections of His hand moving among us here in Matagalpa.

High Schoolers using recently donated microscopes

Second Graders doing an experiment with dancing raisins

NCA is growing by leaps and bounds.    More students means more parents and more lives to invest in.  Some of our student's  stories  are heartbreaking, filled with hurt, distrust, shame, anger and brokenness.  This month I have had the privilege of seeing divorced parents come alongside their teenage son to support him in becoming a responsible young man.   My first encounter with the parents was an icy one as neither of them wanted to accept their part in the character formation of their son but instead heaped insults and blame on the other parent.   When asked if all of us could meet together to formulate a support plan for their son both parents said NO.   Through nothing other than the hand of God in the hearts of both of these parents they agreed the following week to meet and we were able to talk openly and honestly about the steps each one of us needed to take in order to support and hold their son accountable.   Fearful of the explosive potential of this meeting I asked many to be in prayer for God's peace to reign during the meeting and God's peace and wisdom was revealed in the hearts of all present.

Sara chatting (right) with a parent

Providing learning opportunities for the teachers and staff at my school is a strong desire of mine.   It is a personal struggle for me as I am so busy doing much of the admin stuff for the school that I don't get to prepare for and lead as many training sessions as I'd like.  However, God in is goodness continues to bring amazing people to us that are eager to share their ideas and help our staff grow.  This year he brought us Sara. She is an amazingly gifted teacher with experience as an instructional coach at a school in the Dominican Republic.  She has been a GIFT to NCA in so many ways.  Encouraging us all to grow in new and challenging ways.   In addition to Sara others like Brianna have come to spend a week sharing creative science experiments with our staff and students.   I can not help but be overcome with gratitude at the countless ways that our Father makes His presence known in our lives and reminds us that He knows the desires of our hearts.

Brianna doing an experiment with the 5th graders

In the past week Nicaragua has experienced several earthquakes measuring 6+ on the richter scale followed by hundreds of aftershocks.    God's hand has been over the country as there has been relatively little loss of life and damage compared to similar earthquakes in the past.    We praise God for his protection and continue to pray for peace and provision for those who have been affected.  There is still fear of more quakes especially in Managua.



It is my prayer that this song from I Chronicles 16:8-14 would always be on my lips.
"Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.  Look to the Lord and his strengths; seek his face always.  Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgements he pronounced, you his servants, the descendants of Israel, his chosen ones, the children of Israel, the children of Jacob.  He is the Lord our God; his judgements are in all the earth." 

Parents and students building a flower nursery for NCA

Book Drive

Read to Live is the theme for International Book day this year

NCA Matagalpa opened the lending portion of our library last week and the kids are really excited about the opportunity to check out books and read them at home with their parents.  None of our students have ever had this opportunity before.   It is refreshing to see students getting so excited about reading.    One of the best ways to get them engaged and  reading is to have a variety of good books for them to choose from.    Obviously an obstacle to this is that books weigh a lot and it is harder to get them here in suitcases because of weight restrictions from the airlines.

This is where I need your help.   NCA Matagalpa has access to a shipping container being loaded up at the end of May.  We can send as many boxes of books as we want to Florida for the next 5 weeks and all you have to pay is the local rate for shipping.  

Can you help collect Spanish books from your local thrift stores and book stores and help us grow our library collection?   You can even order books from our Amazon wishlist.   Spanish Books for NCA Matagalpa.

Are you interested?? Yes, ok here's what you need to do in order to minimize problems with Customs once the container arrives in Nicaragua.

1. Scour your community for Spanish books, set up a collection box at your church or in your small group.   
2. Once the box is full.   Make a list of all of the book titles packed in the box and write a letter to Susan Hall stating that these books are a donation for Nicaragua Christian Academy.   Print the inventory and the donation letter and put them in the box.
3. Send an email to Susan Hall at hsprincipal@nca.edu.ni and me cfranklin@nca.edu.ni with an electronic copy of the letter and the box inventory attached.
4. Mail the books to the following address.   NOTE: If you send the box with USPS get delivery confirmation.  Last year many books were lost and never recovered by USPS.                            
5. Nicaragua Christian Academy                                                                                                           c/o TAN Cargo Edgard Toruño

         7215 NW 41st St. Bay E
         Miami, FL  33166
         305-470-9730
        Contact person at TAN Cargo:  Edgard Toruño 

 Ship the books to the freight forwarder in time for them to arrive by May 31, 2012. 


If you order the books online and want them delivered directly to the freight forwarder please send a copy of the order inventory or confirmation that you recieve to Susan Hall and myself so that we can print this for the customs agents here.

Thanks for your great partnership in this way!   I can't tell you what a blessing it is me and to all of our students.  More pictures to come soon of our Celebration of International Book Day. :-)  

a little of this and a little of that

Wow!  It is hard to believe that I have been back in Nicaragua for over a month now.   Where has the time gone...and to think that I always talk about how things are slower in Nicaragua. :-)

Well here is a little recap of the last 4 weeks.

CFCI board with the Nicaragua team

The day after I arrived Christ for the City's International Board meeting was hosted in Managua.  This was a great time meeting all of the board members and their wives.   We traveled all over introducing them to some of the churches and people we work with here.  Our CFCI team of 3 drivers had a rigorous schedule of airport pick ups and drop offs as well as bus station trips too.    Overall it was a great week and everyone had a great time.  I got to see some old friends and make some new ones.

The next week I attempted to gather my belongings from the various placed they were being "stored" for me.  I'm staying with an awesome missionary family, the Robinson's  who have been so gracious to take me in until the end of may when I go to house sit for another family.

Here is our team Pollo Verde "Green Chicken"  I think we did really smell like green chicken too!

Ultimate Frisbee is something I have enjoyed playing since moving to Nicaragua.   This year the guys organized a trip to Costa Rica to play in a tournament there.  So Friday after noon 13 of us piled into a 15 passenger van and drove 6+ hours to Arenal, Costa Rica.   We played well as a team and learned a lot more about competitive frisbee.  I was the only girl from our  team in Nicaragua that could go so we picked up a few more at the tournament.  They were great to have on the team.   The Green Chickens won 3rd place.

Next we had a team from Grace Church come to work in Rivas and do pastor training.   We had a terrific week with about 45 pastors sharing different topics with the men and the women.   I was with the women for the week and the teachers shared about a Biblical view of femininity.  We had lively discussions and a great time encouraging and loving on these women throughout the week.  

As a bonus my good friend Mary Ezzell was also a part of the team and we had lots of opportunity to catch up on life.  God also provided an wonderful opportunity for us to share how He has restored our relationship after several very difficult years.  It was a great testimony of God's faithfulness.

In between all of this great stuff I have also started a Masters program online.   Part of the requirements for my new position with NCA is that I get my Masters degree.   So far it has been a great jump back into the learning and school environment.  I definitely a little rusty in the paper writing area but I'm slowly getting the hang of it once again.   This is a giant leap of faith as I wait to see how God will provide for me to continue studying.   However I know that He is always faithful.

Things are moving along for the school in Matagalpa.   We just developed a job description for me and are beginning to make connections to other organizations that are working in education.  Our biggest need is for a director.   Please pray that God would lead us to the right person for this position soon. 

Ken, Mary, Julie, Jimmy and Rafa 

***This blog post was written about 3 times as the power kept going on and off and erasing my entries.   I guess this means welcome back to Nicaragua and sorry if it is not the most detailed version. :-) ***

I Do Not Like Them Sam I Am!

Dr. Seuss is well loved by all children.  His nack for silliness and rhyme are sure to make anyone smile.  We recently spent a whole week reading Dr. Seuss books in first grade.   The kids had a blast.   We read Green Eggs and Ham in Spanish and English.  No me gusta huevos verdes con jamon, no me gusta Juan Ramon!  We wrote our own version of the story complete with illustrations.

What kid doesn't love a little green Ooblek here and there!

Here's Fedra enjoying some sticky, icky ooblek

César was quite enthralled with his sticky blob!

We ended the week reading Dr. Seuss books with our 4th grade reading buddies. The kids had a blast and everyone left talking in nonsense rhyme. :-)

I give thanks to God for the gift of these wonderful students and the joy I have in teaching them how to read. They are soaring into reading and the majority of them LOVE reading their Bibles most of all. What a gift!

Celebrating 100!

The joys of first grade are so simple and yet so fun! February 1st was the 100th day of school. Counting to 100 is an important first grade skill. We had a day filled with 100 EVERYTHING! Here are some excerpts from their journal writing on the 100th day.


I wish I had 100 pretty dresses - Alice
I wish I had 100 cupcakes - Lola
I wish I had 100 fishes - Jonathan


I wouldn't want 100 snakes- Rebekah
I wouldn't want 100 teeth- Oscar
I wouldn't want 100 skunks- Natan


Having 100 ____________ could really be a problem.

elephants- Susana
snakes- Alyssa
hippos- Alice
birds- Diana

In 100 years I hope that I can stop whining- Gabriel
In 100 years I hope that I can read. -Alia
In 100 years I hope that I can read a lot - Rafi
In 100 years I hope that I can go to heaven - Carlos
In 100 years I hope that I can have all my teeth- Felicity
In 100 years I hope that I can be 92. - Andre



If I had 100 dollars, I would buy dolls. -Lola
If I had 100 dollars, I would buy 100 shoes. -Felicity
If I had 100 dollars, I would buy Cars Toys. - Jonathan
If I had 100 dollars, I would buy a bike. - Andre
If I had 100 dollars, I would buy a Hotel. -Ariana
If I had 100 dollars, I would buy more money. - Alyssa

Some of these were just too cute to not pass along. These quotes are just a taste of some of the funny things they say everyday. Life can be simple and fun!

Why not Tri!

NCA hosted its first ever mini-triathlon this past weekend.   It was a huge success.   The whole event took place at a crater lake about 20 minutes from Managua, Laguna Xiloa.

There were over 50 participants, mostly high schoolers and a few adults.   The day was filled with lots of fun, energy and great sportsmanship.

On your marks get set

GOOOOOOO

With a few bicycle events under our belts it helped us in planning for this fun day.   There were loads of great volunteers that made it possible for all of the organizers to participate in the second heat.   Kate and Lori were awesome timekeepers and have now been inspired to start training for a relay team next  year.

Water Safety Crew

From NCA Triathlon 2010

Both Aimee and I had trained hard for the swimming portion since that is not something that either one of us excel in.   We both had a great time training and participating in the event.    Little side note.   I give thanks to God for a great friend in Aimee.   We have had so much fun training and participating in so many events and adventures during our time here in Nicaragua.   God has blessed us both with similar interests and someone to do them with. 

It truly was a family event.  Several families had multiple people participating.

Animals in Your Backyard

Some would say there are many differences between life in Nicaragua and life in the USA, others would say there are a few differences but generally life is the same.   I tend to say that there are many differences, some are good, fun, frustrating and funny.    

In first grade at NCA we were recently learning about wild and tame animals.   We spent 6 weeks talking about all different aspects of animals.   One activity in particular struck me as I thought about a typical response for a class in the US vs. Nicaragua.    

Here are the responses to the question:   What animals do you find in your backyard?

Do you see any differences??  Angie, the aid who is new to Nicaragua laughed as she looked at our list.  :-)  Not many of you would say that you have pigs and bats in your backyard.   The things that didn't make the list because we ran out or room were: snakes, lizards, beetles, possums, and frogs.

The same week I shot this photo in my living room at home.

Rainy Day Activities

This has been the rainiest season Nicaragua has had for a very long time. Definitely the most rain I have seen in my six plus years here. Roads become rivers, potholes become small crater lakes, rays of sunshine become golden opportunities to dry your damp, musty clothes.

We've had our share of inside recess days at NCA. My class has done really well regardless of having to stay inside. The boys in my class are soccer fanatics. They go all out in the playground when they play soccer so they were starting to go through withdraw until they discovered they could make up their own soccer game.

Imagine it as a spin on fooseball! The boys love it and can entertain themselves for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile the girls play games, puzzles, color and chit chat.

Please pray for Nicaragua. Many homes are being flooded as the ground has reached its saturation point. Usually October is the rainiest month of the year. Join us in praying for safety for those whose homes are at risk of flooding, dry places for families to stay, safety in traveling on the wet and often flooded roads, protection for the crops. Some crops are at risk of being lost due to all the rain.

WARNING! Not for weak stomachs!

Nicaragua is full of wild life! Due to the openness of building design in Nicaragua there is not a lot of wall, window or ceiling between you and the great outdoors.

During my six years in Nicaragua I've grown accustomed to spiders, geckos, ants and even an occasional bird making their way into my classroom during any given day. This week started out like any other until Wednesday. As I opened up my classroom on Wednesday morning there was a terrible smell. I could tell immediately that something had died in my classroom. The smell of rotting something was potent. I immediately opened up the windows and turned up the fans in order to try and air things out. The maintenance guys came to see if they could locate what had died and remove it for me. As they were pulling out ceiling tiles the smell got worse. Picture all of my students with their shirts up over their noses making all kinds of terrible sounds as they tried not to breathe in the wretched smell. Richard and Jose Angel decided that it had to be a dead rat but that it was in a part of the roof that they could not access to remove the dead rat. In true Nica fashion they stuffed the hole full of newspapers and then sealed it with silicone. We all could breathe a little easier after that.

On Friday my students were playing with some insects during our carpet time. When I investigated I discovered wormlike things crawling around on the floor. Having the slight feeling that they just might be maggots I sent my kids right back to their desks. We called in the maintenance and cleaning staff again. There were maggots all underneath our classroom carpet and rapidly making their way around the classroom.



We cleaned, sprayed and sanitized and yet I was still finding them alive and crawling around the classroom on Saturday. Rosita and I have not been able to figure out exactly where they are coming from. Our suspiscions seem to lead us to the ceiling where the rat died last week. I think we are both fearful of just what we will find up there.


This just goes to show you that you never know what things you may encounter while teaching in a classroom in Nicaragua.

Graduation Time

Well the 2009-2010 school year has officially ended. The year has been full of blessings, learning and much progress for my little first graders.

At NCA we continue one of our objectives as teachers is to help our students think of others before themselves. We strive to instill in them a heart of service. The elementary teachers organized a day of service activities for all of the students in first - sixth grade the last week of school. The kids did everything from sanding the playground equipment, picking up trash, washing chairs to painting a new mural on the playground.

This year I was able to attend the 6th grade graduation for my first class of first graders at NCA. This group has been very special to me during my time here in Nicaragua. I have seen them grow and mature into confident leaders and compassionate servants. What a special treat to have been able to see their growth throughout the years.





Graduating at the same time was the kindergarten class that will be moving up to first grade next Fall. They are an energetic group with lots of potential for learning, exploring and growing next year.



Two days later the senior class of 2010 graduated as well. Paola Fuentes a super responsible and incredibly gifted gal was part of this class. She is Alcides and Slieny's oldest daughter. Paola and I have worked together on teams during the past few years. It was a true honor to see her celebrate this special occasion. Paola graduated valedictorian of her class and has received many scholarships to study at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.