Sunday, March 15, 2009

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

NCA Sea-To-Sea Nicaragua riders
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/.