Nica Newsflash: September 2015

News and Prayer Requests

Back in February, I (Jessica) contracted the chikungunya virus, and although there are still some lasting effects, I have recovered! Pray for the many others who are dealing with chikungunya now. Although we have all been healthy for the past few months, Asher just started showing symptoms of it this morning. The government has been proactive in fumigating profusely, and NCA has been fumigating (see photo of classroom doorway) as well in an attempt to keep the mosquito population down.

We give thanks to God for a great end to the 2014-15 school year at NCA, and a great beginning to this school year on August 10th. God has provided a wonderful group of teachers, and we are excited about the growth that we see at NCA in its students, staff, program, and campus.

We also give thanks for a busy but fun summer, which was spent here in Nicaragua. We enjoyed visits from old friends, said goodbye to friends who left Nicaragua after many years of living here, and spent time as a family. We are thankful for God’s provision as we make a quick visit to Michigan in October for my sister’s wedding.

We are thankful for you! So many of you have written to us or sent us cards and packages in the past number of months. We are encouraged to know that you are praying for us, even those of you whom we have never met. We are humbled to see how God blesses us through you, even when we don’t know exactly what we need—He does!

Two Opportunities

CRC Retreat: In April we enjoyed meeting up with other CRC missionaries from across Central America for our yearly retreat, which is held here in Nicaragua. Each year we welcome a speaker from the United States, as well as a group to help lead our children’s programs for this retreat. This year I am in charge of recruiting individuals for our children’s programs. We are looking for 6-8 volunteers who are willing to serve and support the missionaries here by traveling to Nicaragua to provide a youth program for roughly 30 missionary youth, ages 1-18, at this retreat The dates this year are March 19-23. Please contact me if you want to find out more! You could even write me if you aren't interested but can think of someone who might be.

CWF: For the past ten years or so, I have been a part of a ministry called the Christian Women’s Fellowship (CWF). CWF is a group of English speaking women who gather together with the purpose of fellowship, encouragement and Bible study. We meet monthly, and each year in May we put on a women’s retreat; this past year we had around 90 women attend.
The group is very diverse; we have young singles, older retired women, mothers with kids of all ages, missionaries, business women, those who have lived in Nicaragua for 15 years and those who have just arrived. Our goal at the retreat is to provide a time where each woman can step back from her ordinary responsibilities, reflect on what God is doing in her life, and hopefully go back to those responsibilities encouraged and with renewed energy.

In anticipation of our retreat this year, I am looking for some women in the states to come alongside us as we prepare for it. One thing we like to do at the retreat is make each woman feel special, and maybe just a little spoiled. We usually try and bring gifts and treats from the U.S., and since I will be traveling to the U.S. next month, I am looking for some women, or maybe a group of women (a Bible study group?) who might want to help fund or even shop for some special things to bring back for the women here in Nicaragua. As women, you know that sometimes a bar of dark chocolate, a sweet smelling candle or a good book can erase all traces of a bad day. If you would like more specifics about this, please shoot me an email! I’m excited to partner with some of you to encourage the women that I know and love here in Nicaragua.