Theft

Dear friends and family,

I hope all of you are doing well on this Thanksgiving week. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for. I am currently in Dallas, finishing up the last few days of my recruiting trip, seeking potential teachers for Nicaragua Christian Academy. At an ACSI teacher convention this morning, we listened to Babbie Mason sing a song about trusting God always, even when it is hard to see the good in things. This song was very appropriate to our situation.

Yesterday afternoon, Jessica and the boys left home for just over an hour. When they returned, they found that our house had been broken into and our laptop computer, personal safe, money, passports and credit cards were stolen. The thieves forced open the front door with a crowbar and also destroyed the furniture that our safe was bolted to.

The material things are just possessions, and we know they can be replaced. It will be an added nuisance to deal with replacing passports, getting new credit cards and changing our locks. The biggest loss is all of our digital pictures that were on the laptop; we had not backed them up for about 1 year, so probably most of our photos of Caleb and Judah during the past year are gone forever. This is hard for us as parents. Probably the hardest part of dealing with this for all of us is that I am still in the States and cannot be with my wife and kids as they cope with this. I won’t be returning until Wednesday.

It is also disturbing to me that the theft happened on a Sunday afternoon when Jessica and the boys left for only a short time. They never leave on Sunday afternoons; normally I go to play Ultimate Frisbee at that time. Either the thieves were watching Jessica’s moves very carefully, or they expected to find Jessica at home when they came to rob the house. Both of these alternatives are very disturbing.

So as I sat praying and trying to find God’s hand in this, I realized that it is not always easy to understand. Maybe I’ll never completely understand why God allows things like this to happen. But I know that He has promised that He will never leave us (Deut. 31:6), and that in all things, He works for our good (Rom. 8:28). Jesus also told us that in this world we will have trouble, but that He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

I can also be very thankful for the following:

• No one was hurt; we’re all safe and unharmed
• They only stole these things, but could have taken more
• Jessica is not alone; we have an awesome, supportive community of Nicaraguan and missionary friends that have surrounded our family during these days
• I am going back in 2 days (it could have happened at the beginning of my 10-day trip)
• Our real treasures are stored in heaven, “where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:20).

Thank you for your prayers for our family during this difficult time and as we rebuild our sense of peace and security at home. I know that you are praying for us and we recognize plainly that we would not be serving in Nicaragua if it were not for our love, prayers and faithful support and partnership in God’s work through Nicaragua Christian Academy. May this event serve as one more testimony to God’s love and power! And may those responsible come to know who Jesus is – a God of mercy and grace, needed by all of us!

Blessings in Christ,

Liam and Jessica Starkenburg, Caleb and Judah

Bible Study

For the past 3 years, I have been leading a small group Bible study with seven young men in high school at Nicaragua Christian Academy. Our studies have taken us through the gospel message and many topics pertinent to young men; we are now embarking on a study of the books of 1 and 2 Timothy.

Perhaps one of the strengths of this small group is the mix of time focused on God’s Word and time spent together in the context of mentoring. Our small group has found itself camping, swimming, hiking, and waking up in the middle of the night to watch an early sunrise. My prayer is that every moment can be a teaching moment.

The group is composed of both Nicaraguan and North American guys. Many NCA students will be future leaders of Nicaragua and it is our vision that they will lead the country with integrity and a commitment to serving God.

Caleb's Broken Arm

With two little boys, it was bound to happen sooner than later! Caleb broke his arm two weeks ago, falling off the porch of our beautiful new home. Our porch is a few feet higher than ground level in some areas, and Caleb was walking backward (while mopping!) and he mopped himself right off of the porch. He is such a brave boy, it took a few hours for us to figure out he had broken it, but as soon as the Doctor put the cast on, he told her “Adios! Muchas Gracias!” and bounded out the door. Caleb’s favorite pastimes seem to fall in three categories: playing with water, playing with dirt, and drumming. All three are difficult with a cast, so we’ll be very glad when it comes off!

NCA Nejapa

As many of you are aware, my job description includes the leadership of two schools: Nicaragua Christian Academy (in English) and NCA Nejapa (in Spanish). The second school was started in 2005 because the English-language school was reaching capacity, and many Christian families were seeking a solid Christian education but couldn’t afford the tuition rates or pass the English-language requirement.

Since its inception in 2005, NCA Nejapa has grown at a tremendous rate, from 55 students in its first year to 285 students in 2009. During the last two years, the school has taken an average of 90 new students without doing any advertising. The families that are in the school are very happy with the education that their children are receiving; they can’t help but recommend it to all of their friends and neighbors.

Although my area of responsibility covers NCA Nejapa, God has appointed a highly talented and experienced Christian administrator named Darling Cerrato to lead the school. She has been the school director since its inception.

Nicaragua Christian Academy has become a small school association of Christian schools committed to Christ-centered education of excellence. At this point, both schools have reached near capacity, totaling over 570 students. Please pray with us as it seems apparent that God is leading us to start a third school soon. For information about sponsoring a child's education at NCA Nejapa, please visit our website at http://www.nca.edu.ni/.

Almost Ready

We are just days away from finishing our new house. The last few weeks have been filled with purchasing last-minute construction materials and interior details. We had originally planned to move in this weekend but it will be about two or three more weeks until the final details are finished.

In the meantime, we will stay quite busy. Liam is leaving to Mexico City for a week with our students that will be participating in HACIA Democracy, a model-UN-like activity organized by Harvard University with approximately 400 participating students from schools all over Latin America.

Immediately after HACIA Democracy, our school will undergo its reaccreditation visit through ACSI, with the added factor of us applying for accreditation through SACS CASI. If any of you are educators, you understand that this has meant endless hours of work throughout this year in completing our self-study report and preparation for the visiting committee. Even though Jessica is no longer a full-time teacher at NCA, she chaired the steering committee and single-handedly compiled the work of all of the teachers, administrators and school personnel into our self-study document. Our household will certainly breathe a sigh of relief once this process is complete.

And immediately after that sigh of relief, we will proceed to our mission conference with Christian Reformed World Missions. Although we both know that the retreat will be enjoyable and good for our growth, it comes at the tail end of a very busy six months.

NCA Nejapa Graduation

Our Spanish-language school, NCA Nejapa, held its first high school graduation this year. On Friday, December 5, our first eight graduates received their diplomas with much applause.

This event marks the culmination of the initial growth phase of NCA Nejapa. The school was started in 2005 in an effort to provide our school's commitment to "Academic Excellence with a Christian Foundation" to parents with a lower economic capacity and in the Spanish language. All of the school's 22 teachers are Nicaraguan, with the exception of one of the English teachers.

NCA Nejapa has grown from a size of 55 students at its inception to 270 students today. In 2008 alone, we added over 100 new students, and this happened without any advertising! Nejapa parents are so happy with the education at their school that they cannot help but recommend the school to all of their friends and family.

Nejapa's mission statement is the same as that of the original campus: "To equip children of Christian parents with the spiritual discernment, the moral courage and the academic excellence to impact society through Christian living motivated by a heartfelt love for God." Nicaragua is a country in desperate need of moral leadership, and we hope and pray that our students will be prepared to make a difference for God! For information about sponsoring a child's education at NCA Nejapa, please visit our website at www.nca.edu.ni.

Sea-To-Sea Nicaragua

From December 29 to January 6, a group of 24 bike riders crossed Nicaragua from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in a fundraising activity called "Sea-To-Sea Nicaragua." The event, organized by Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) and their local partner Acción Médica Cristiana (AMC), was held to raise $200,000 to buy seeds to help farmers replant crops that were lost in Hurricane Felix, a category 5 hurricane that made landfall in Nicaragua in 2007. Through a special arrangement with the Canadian Food Grains Bank, every dollar raised was matched 4:1 by the Canadian government.

Four members of our NCA family (and many others in our community) participated in Sea-To-Sea Nicaragua. Fourth grade teacher Aimee Bootsma, gardener José "Chepe" Medina and tenth grade student Jesse VanderWees were among the riders, and athletic director Rachel Pontier was on the support crew. The bikers totaled over 620 kilometers in their 8-day trip over bumpy roads and through beautiful countryside. There were countless stories and adventures along the way.


On the last day, the Sea-To-Sea bikers enjoyed breakfast at Nicaragua Christian Academy before making their last home stretch ride, finishing up at Pochomil on the Pacific beach that noon. The NCA teachers joined the bikers in prayer after breakfast and sent them off, catching up with them later at the finish line and celebration.

This trip provided an excellent opportunity for our students to see real-life mission work and love for neighbor being acted out close up. Thanks, Sea-To-Sea Nicaragua team, for showing your faith in action! For more information about the bike trip, visit http://bikenica.wordpress.com/.