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

A New Twist on the Same Journey

Over seven years ago I began a journey into the education world in Nicaragua.  I packed my bags and as many teaching supplies and books as I could manage into a 70 lb suitcase (back then you could take 70lbs internationally).   While teaching first grade at Nicaragua Christian Academy I learned a lot about the state of the public school system in Nicaragua.

 

I saw kids go to school only to be sent home because their teacher didn't come to school that day.   Severely overcrowded classrooms, underpaid, untrained teachers, broken desks, doors and chairs, lack of basic school supplies and curriculum are just a few of the struggles that schools in Nicaragua face.   A recent study showed that only 47% of children who begin the first grade will complete 6th grade and even fewer of those who complete 6th grade graduate from high school.    In order for a teacher to teach in a public school the only requirement is that they have graduated from high school.    All of these discoveries have given me a greater burden for training and mentoring for teachers in Nicaragua.

Through connections with churches and friends I have had the opportunity to do several workshops with teachers both in Managua and in Jinotepe.   These have been great opportunities to discuss and share new ideas about classroom basics with teachers such as classroom rules and procedures, how to write a lesson plan, daily routines, homework check-in and transitions.   All of these opportunities have fueled my desire to do more to help these teachers.

What's next!!  I have been asked to help start a new school  Nicaragua Christian Academy in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.  It is a small rural town in the mountains.  Matagalpa is about 2 1/2 hours from Managua where I have lived for the past 7 years.    This new position will afford me the opportunity to work with teachers at the ground level helping them understand and implement good classroom practices.   All of the details of my new role and position are not yet fully defined but the is what I know so far. :-)   I'll be helping hire and train new teachers, serve as the elementary principal, help with curriculum development and teacher mentoring, English teacher, as well as start our school library.   YIKES!  Does that sound like a lot?   It is and it is going to be a very stretching and growing time both personally and professionally but I am excited to see how God will be glorified through it all.

Here are a few facts about the school

• The school will be in Spanish and will start with grades 1-7 and grow a few grades each year as we are able
• School will officially open in February of 2013
• Construction has begun on the property and we are hopeful that it will be finished by October sometime
• This school will serve students and families from the middle class in the Matagalpa area
• Our mission is to provide students with  academic excellence and a Biblical worldview so that they can enact greater change and transformation in their own home, neighborhood, business and community

Ways you can be praying

• Pray for a Nicaraguan Director from Matagalpa who has a heart and passion for education and his community
• Teachers who love the Lord and are passionate about teaching as well as eager to learn and try new things
• Continued support and backing from community leaders, pastors and universities in the area
• For wisdom for me as I step out and learn how to humbly lead and learn
• For financial provision for me as I take on this new role.  Donate 

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!

First Day of School

I promise to update from the summer soon. I've been busy and haven't had the time to do it just yet.



Monday was the first day of the new school year. Students arrived with lots of brand new pencils, notebooks and supplies. They were eager to get to class and play with their friends. I have a big class this year with 20 first graders. Eleven of them are in special English classes because they're level of English is really low. It will be an adventurous year that is for sure.


Please pray for a few little guys who are completely lost in the English. I want them to enjoy school and not feel so overwhelmed by it all that they don't hate coming to school.

Procedures and Routines, Rules and Consequences

Hmm.... sounds like a lot of teacher stuff eh! Well you're right! This weekend has been full of opportunities to work with Nicaraguan teachers.

Friday a group of teachers from NCA went to Colegio Hosanna Sur and did two work shops. One group of NCA teachers worked with the upper elementary and secondary teachers while the other group worked with the lower elementary teachers. There was lots of creativity shared and fun lessons and objectives written or discussed during our time together. Our group acted out the life cycle of a plant. It was a very artistic dramatization. :-)

Saturday I was invited to a small town 45 minutes from Managua to share some teaching strategies with teachers at a local public school. 7 wonderful women were there. We had a great time working through some classroom management ideas. God showed up in a very special way as we were talking about building relationships with our students and making an impact in their lives. God opened up the door for us to talk about Him and the value of prayer with our students. In Nicaragua there are no hard and fast rules about religion in the schools therefore making it possible for these teachers to pray with their students. It was a wonderfully sweet time.



Here are some of the ladies making their rules posters to take back to their classrooms. They were so excited to write out their Positive Responsabilities for their students to follow. Pray for these seven women that as they go to their classroom on Monday that the Lord would grant them strength, creativity, patience and lots of love for their students.





I continue to praise God for the opportunities he has granted me to share with teachers here in Nicaragua. I pray that he would continue to use me in meaningful ways in the field of education.

Everything in life I learned in First Grade

Yep, that's right I learned it all in First Grade!! Well no not really but I sure have learned a lot by being around 6 and 7 year olds. :-)

Tuesday is the official start of the new school year. As you all know I am transitioning out of the Short Term Team Coordinator position and back into the classroom at NCA. These past few weeks have been busy with finishing up the last teams, sorting, organizing and planning for a new group of 15 first graders.

Nicaraguan dust can do amazing tricks when left untamed for a few weeks over the summer. I have managed to wrestle it down to a minimum in my classroom. As I cleaned I made several interesting discoveries. One- geckos must be mating and reproducing in first grade based on the unknown quantity of gecko eggs I've found. Two- rain is nice when you are hot and are looking for a nice cool off but it is not nice when it leaks all over the books you've stored for the summer. Three- I have so many resources available to me in English that my colleagues can only dream of in Spanish.

Please pray for my new class as we start class tomorrow. Pray that we would mesh well, learn lots, laugh often and share our hearts with each other. My desire this year is to open up the Bible to my students in new ways as they become more proficient readers. My prayer is that they would be hungry for God's Word and would eat it up. I also pray for wisdom in meeting my students needs. There are many different backgrounds and difficulties that my students come from and I want to be able to help them in the best way I possibly can.

Rules and Routines

What a whirlwind week this has been. So many things are happening all at the same time and it leaves me not knowing where to begin. I'll start with the most recent and work my way back. :-)

On Friday Julie and I after a month of preparation, hours of prayer and gallons of sweat held our our first teacher training session with the teachers at Hosanna Sur. We had a great time talking with the teachers about positive rules and routines. We played quite a few games and learned some behavior management techniques that I hope will serve the teachers well. Once the workshop was over we stayed at the school for another hour just talking with some of the teachers. It was an amazing time of fellowship.

In the past week we have seen that our time investment in the teachers at Hosanna Sur has been worth every minute. This week several teachers shared personal things with us and also were more open in sharing what God is doing in their lives. When we started this whole thing my prayer has always been that we would build friendships and relationships first. God has answered that prayer in so many ways.

I praise God for the time that He gave Julie and I to be with the teachers on Friday. Opportunities to encourage the teachers and for the language barrier to not be an issue in sharing the info we wanted to share were answers to prayer. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for the work here.

Please continue to pray for the work in the schools as we continue to help and encourage the teachers at Hosanna Sur.

Nicaragua the Melting Pot of Central America?

What do 3 cultures, 3 language and 7 people have in common? Keep reading to find out!

When I was teaching at NCA I had the privilage of getting to know many of the parents of my students. Even as I am now not at NCA regularly parents still stop me and we chat and catch up on their child's progress or to just chat about life. I cherish these friendships and look forward to the times that I get to spend with them.

One friendship in particular has grown deeper through the years. Eun Oak's son was in my second class here in Nicaragua. He is now in 4th grade. Their family is from South Korea and have lived in Nicaragua for 11 years. We meet together for coffee every so often and share what God is doing in our lives. Eun Oak's sister, Kim, is a missionary here serving with the presbyterian church.

Kim is starting up a school in Tipitapa an area about an hour from where I live. She is excited about the project and has asked me to come out as often as I can to help them develop their curiculum and to help her teachers get ready for the new school year. Yesterday, Julie one of our interns and I went out with Kim and Eun Oak to see the school and help out in whatever way we could.

Eun Oak, Kim, Joann, Mary Guiselle, Gladys and me in front of the classrooms

We spent a great bit of time talking with the teachers helping them plan out the schedule for their school day. The school will be starting out with Pre-school level I an II and a Kinder class. The building is built and ready all that is lacking are the doors and the furniture. The teachers were hoping to decorate their classrooms with our help but with no doors yet they'll have to wait.

As we talked with the teachers it was amazing to see their heart to make a difference in the lives of their students and the community. They are eager to do their very best. God has bought this group of ladies together to serve Him. As we shared time together Kim made this comment, "Isn't this amazing to see a group of ladies from 3 different countries, speaking 3 different languages working together to serve one purpose." I agree with her it is amazing. I think it is a little glimpse of what heaven will be like.

All of the gals and Julie our CFCI Intern

Pray for Christian Mission Academy

• The doors and furniture would be completed before school begins on Feb 3, 2009
• Passion, creativity and energy for each day
  
• Direction in how to develop a program that will leave a lasting impact in the community for Christ
• The school is still looking for 1 teacher and 1 director who is bilingual