Summer Travels

We have been back in Nicaragua for about a month now, after a three month long trip to the United States.  We did a lot of traveling, including stops in Chicago, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, New York, and Vermont.  Overall it was a wonderful trip with lots of time to visit with family and friends.  We were especially grateful for time spent with Grandparents and Great-grandparents, as well as time visiting supporting churches and meeting new people.  Some highlights for the kids included camping at Lake Michigan for a week, playing with cousins, canoeing and kayaking, and fishing.  Liam and I enjoyed our longest ever vacation from our kids during our trip to Vermont and Lake Placid.  We are so thankful for each of you who welcomed us into your homes.  For those we were not able to see, hopefully we will connect again soon!

 

Back at NCA

This is year 15 for me (Liam) at Nicaragua Christian Academy.  It is the school's 24th year of existence.  So much has happened during this time, including the rapid growth from 7 students in 1991 to over 900 students in 3 campuses!

Last year was an exceptionally busy year.  In addition to finishing the construction of a larger multipurpose center, tackling a first-ever major school musical, and dealing with government-mandated school closings related to seismic activity, it was also the year of our five-year school accreditation review.  This meant lots of work, reporting, preparations, and self-study processes.  Fortunately, NCA came out quite well in the review, with many commendable practices and strengths.  In addition to this, opportunities for improvement were identified.

This new school year is a time for us to focus on growth.  Leading school improvement efforts is one of my main responsibilities as director, and this year brings many new opportunities and challenges.  Our next big project is the construction of a new library in the old chapel area, which will be renovated into a larger and more central area for developing our students' love for reading.  Construction began this week and we hope to move in to the new space by January 2015.

Above all, our continual prayer is that the lives of our students will be touched and transformed by God and the Holy Spirit working inside them.  Our goal is that they will grow into young women and men that love God wholeheartedly and desire to serve Him through loving and serving others.