Why I Love Living in Nicaragua

Sometimes people will ask why we like living in Nicaragua (or IF we like living in Nicaragua).☺  While there are many reasons (great beaches, good friends, no sleet or hail or really bad weather at all, friendly people, beautiful scenery, etc.), there’s one reason that I have been coming back to lately, especially in this Christmas season.  In Nicaragua I am reminded daily how wonderful my life really is.  I have a loving family, a home to rest in, food to eat every day, health care when I need it, peaceful nights without fear of violence, access to a quality education for my children, a passport to travel, and all my basic needs are met.

There are days when I am not content with what God has given me.  I want a new car, a different house, or an item I can’t find in the grocery store.  I wish Amazon.com would deliver to Nicaragua.  But I am thankful that God does not leave me in my sin—that sin of discontentment and materialism.  In His grace He reminds me of all I have asked for and all the ways He has answered me.  Then I can come to Him in gratitude rather than discontentment.

Rather than being frustrated with a sometimes unreliable vehicle, I can be thankful that we have one at all, and that our whole family doesn’t pile onto a motorcycle to go out together, or depend on a crowded bus.  If I lived elsewhere, I’m afraid that I would forget how amazing it is even to own a car (or two)!  I think at times that it’s actually easier to live in Nicaragua.  I feel like living in Nicaragua has been God’s gift of contentment to me, and although I still can struggle with “the grass is always greener”, living here helps me realize that the grass is REALLY green right where I’m standing.  I hope that this Christmas season you can take the time to be thankful for all God has given you, and maybe to bless someone who could use encouragement at this time.

The Spirit of Giving

I love this picture!  Just a few days ago we took the kids shopping.  In Nicaragua it’s typical to bless your employees at Christmastime by getting them a canasta (basket) full of food and household items.  We often include toys for any kids in the families, and on this day we had bought 5 new soccer balls and were headed home when these two young window-washing boys started talking with Caleb at a stoplight.  They saw the balls and commented to each other about how cool they were, asking how much they had cost, where we had got them, etc.  Then, as is common, they asked if they could have one.  Now typically we don’t give gifts to people we don’t have any connection to, as we don’t know their story at all and it can actually hurt more than help to just give handouts.  However this time when they asked, Caleb turned to me and his eyes just pleaded, “Can we PLEASE give them a ball?” I asked if he wanted to pay for it out of his allowance and he didn’t hesitate but handed it over.  I am SO THANKFUL for a dear son who has compassion and a generous heart, and also so thankful that God can use what our kids see each day to shape them into people who are more like Him.

Well?

We're excited about the near-completion of our school's latest project -- a well to provide our school with a reliable source of water.  Despite Nicaragua's reputation as "The Land of Lakes and Volcanoes", and our Lake Nicaragua (the largest lake in Central America), water availability is by no means universal or reliable.

NCA International generally has city water service for approximately 4 hours per day, usually from about 5:00-9:00 a.m.  During this time we do our best to fill our 5 water tanks (with total combined capacity of 7,500 gallons) and water plants and the soccer field as much as is possible.  Once the street water is turned off by the water company, we have generally enough water to get through the day.  However, some days (more frequently during the dry season -- January-May), we only get 1-2 hours of water service, and the water pressure is sometimes too low to fill our tanks.  These are the days that by the end of the day our school suffers the most.  Toilets won't flush, no one can wash their hands, and everything feels gross.  As you can imagine, we are very excited about having our own reliable source of water!

Why does the water company turn off the water?  I have heard multiple theories, including water rationing, insufficient infrastructure or pump capacity, but my belief is that it is in order to cut losses.  In Nicaragua there are many houses with illegal water connections (no water meter or secondary connections that bypass the meter), which means that whenever the water is turned on, the utility is losing money.  It is actually financially advantageous for them to turn the water on for a few hours a day, allow the paying clients to fill their large capacity water tanks, and then turn it back off to mitigate losses to leaks and nonpaying clients.  The end result: poor people (and other illegal connections) get very limited service, and people who can afford tanks deal with the inconvenience as best as possible.

Like videos?  Here's a video of the well-drilling equipment.  Although the equipment appears to be from a couple centuries ago, it has managed to drill a 12-inch hole to the final depth of 750 feet using an impact bit.  We expect to install the casing and 5 HP pump within the next 2 weeks.

Christmas in September?

On September 24 we had to run some errands, and were surprised to find that at least two of the largest stores in Nicaragua already have their full Christmas displays out (3 months before Christmas)!  Perhaps because Nicaragua doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving or Halloween, we get to enjoy living in what some have called "the opposite of Narnia" -- where it's always Christmas and never winter (originally observed because in past years, the government left lighted Christmas tree decorations up year-round throughout the city).

Celebrating 25 Years

On Friday, August 19, NCA International celebrated its 25th Anniversary since its foundation in 1991.  The evening began with a march of the flags of the 18 different nationalities represented in our student body.  After this, we heard from a variety of speakers, including the founders, who told stories of the inception of the school and gave testimonies of God’s provision and leading over the last 2.5 decades.  The evening concluded by singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” in English and Spanish, followed by a Gala dinner.  It was wonderful to celebrate all that God has accomplished, and there was also an excitement and enthusiasm over all that God will continue to accomplish in the next 25 years!

In this time, NCA has grown from 3 families and 7 students to its current size of 212 families and 357 students.  In addition, our school has launched two additional sister schools -- NCA Nejapa in 2005 and NCA Matagalpa in 2013.  We now have over 1050 students between all three schools, and are continuing our school’s mission to provide Academic Excellence with a Christian Foundation.

One important component of our school’s mission is to prepare our students to impact society through their own lives.  It was encouraging to hear many stories of NCA graduates who have gone on to serve the Lord in a wide variety of ways.  To God be the glory!

Here is a video of the NCA International March of the Flags at our Open House on August 5.

Hot Stuff

Earlier this year the Masaya Volcano had some seismic activity resulting in a better viewing angle.  We can now actually see a red hot bubbling lava!  As you can imagine, this is very difficult to describe in words... you really have to be there to experience the power and awesome nature of God's Creation!

Bursting At The Seams

For the past five years, Nicaragua Christian Academy International has been experiencing what many would consider a “good problem” -- too many students wanting to enroll!  Our admissions committee has been faced with the difficult task of selecting which interested new families we would be able to accept to join NCA.  Since our classes are limited to 22-25 students per grade, and the number of new student applications has far exceeded our capacity in most of the classes, there have been students on waiting lists in most of the grade levels since 2012.

On one hand, this clearly demonstrates that our school is doing well; new families usually learn of our school by personal recommendations from current families, since NCA has never done any commercial advertising.  On the other hand, an increasing number of the new families seeking enrollment are excellent fits for the school -- Christian families seeking “Academic Excellence with a Christian Foundation” (our school’s motto).  It is very difficult for us to turn away families who tell us that there is no other school in Nicaragua that they believe provides the education they desire for their children.

A few years ago NCA raised its ideal class limit from 20 to 22 students, which helped accommodate more students, but the demand has continued to increase.  We have already expanded outward by founding two additional schools (both in the Spanish language and at a lower cost).  The school board continues to focus on strengthening our existing schools, with a total enrollment of over 1075 students, while at the same time seeking God’s will regarding areas of future expansion.  For now, we give thanks for another strong enrollment year in 2016-2017 with a record high registration, and for God’s clear confirmation that NCA is fulfilling a very important purpose in Nicaragua!  We also pray that the opportunity we have to educate our 350 students (in partnership with their parents) will be fruitful and will result in a new generation of young men and women committed to living in God’s truth and expanding His Kingdom here on earth!