It's Raining, It's Pouring

A few more weeks of this and Nicaragua may be under water! Or so it seems. We have received record levels of rain during the past few months, due to a heavy rainy season and a series of tropical depressions that have dumped heavy rainfall across the country.

For us, this means scrambling to take clothes off the line (or more likely hanging them around inside the house), a few leaky spots in the roof, and a muddy dog. For many people in Nicaragua, though, it has been more than just an inconvenience. On August 19th, a tenth grader at NCA Nejapa, the daughter of one of our cooks at NCA, drowned when walking home from school. Nicaragua has inadequate storm sewer systems, and instead relies on drainage ditches which fill with raging rivers during heavy rains. These are ineffective and dangerous, and she drowned while trying to cross one during her walk home. That same week, Nicaraguan friends of ours called us early in the morning to say that their house, which was made of concrete blocks, had been almost washed away during the night. The runoff from the road had diverted and broken through the wall of their house, leaving a large hole in the side of the house and knocking down the whole back wall. Their house was full of mud and most things were ruined, but they were thankful that their young children had not been sleeping there when the water started pouring into the house.

Many people have lost their homes as the waters of Lake Managua have risen. The newspapers tell us that water level of the lake is higher than it was during Hurricane Mitch, back in 1998. Just last week five Red Cross workers and a journalist drowned while trying to bring relief to a remote village. For people who have so very little, a rainy season like this is devastating. The price of beans, a daily staple, has gone up from nine córdobas ($0.43) a pound last year at this time, to 25 córdobas ($1.20) a pound, because an entire crop of beans was ruined due to rain.

Our family is confronted daily with the reality of the difficult lives that those around us lead. We struggle with knowing how to help people. Giving financially or materially is often not the best solution, but promises to pray for people can often sound empty when the needs are so great. We are thankful that God is the provider, both for us and for our friends in need. He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. The past two weeks have been much sunnier than the months of August or September. We ask for you to pray with us for wisdom, safety, and an end to the heavy rains. We are thankful, too, that within a month or so, the rainy season will end and the dry season will begin.

Photo shows perimeter wall blown out by water and flooding at NCA Nejapa.

As I write this, it is hot hot hot! This is the time of year in Nicaragua when everything is holding its breath, waiting for it to rain. The ground is dry, the grass is brown, and when we walk on the dirt roads, the dust is thick and billowing. There is little wind, and the air is thick and heavy. It’s not very fun! But yet this is how God made the world…and He will bring the rains back in His timing.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Sometimes we want our God to be a God of comfort, who sets us in a hammock on the porch with a cold drink, gives us a little shower every afternoon to keep the flowers green, and tucks us in at night with a cup of hot chocolate. When adversity comes our way, we do everything we can to avoid it. We say, “well, I guess I shouldn’t do this or that, because it might result in my being uncomfortable, or poor, etc., and God certainly would never ask me to do that!”

But then I look at examples of people in the Bible, who we know were doing what God asked of them: Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Paul—none of them lived easy lives. All walked long dusty roads and, I am sure, longed for a cool breeze and a hammock in the shade. God called them to sacrifice physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially, and He may just call us to do the same.

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, it has to do with all of our lives as we live them in each day, listening to His voice and His calling. For us, though, I can’t help but think of Nicaragua. Nicaragua has changed a lot in the past few years. We have had a huge increase in home invasion/robbery, as well as an increase in political unrest. It is likely that in the next two years things will continue to escalate. This isn’t just true for Nicaragua, but for many mission fields. We may start to ask ourselves, “Would our God really call us to stay here through this?” And though there may be a time where the answer is “no”, until then, we trust that God is with us in every situation, and that He will help us to be responsible with whatever load He has given us, be it heavy or light.

Please pray for your missionaries around the world, that we may continue to hear God’s calling, to be obedient, and that He would grant us peace and safety in every circumstance.

Month By Month

It’s been way too long since we have written an update! I apologize, and can only blame it on the busyness that I’m sure we all battle. Here’s a quick update of our lives in the past few months:

November—Liam headed to the States for a while to do some teacher recruiting, at Calvin, Cornerstone, Wheaton and Moody, among others. While he was gone, our house was broken into here in Nicaragua, and our computer stolen. Liam was able to buy another one before he left Texas. It was amazing to see how God provided for everything in His timing.

December—We had a bunch of guests! Liam’s parents came for an early Christmas, and then my parents came, along with my sister, Michelle. It was awesome to have them here. We enjoyed the beach, the cooler weather, and spending lots of time together.

January—Was a busy month of getting back to school and getting ready for NCA Nejapa to start in February. Liam kept busy with school, and I kept busy with the kids, as well as with leading a Bible study for some of the teachers at NCA.

February—Was the busiest yet! I worked on planning our annual school Festival, which this year was a fundraiser to support Christian schools in Haiti. We had games, food, a bazaar, fun with water, a petting zoo, and lots more. It was great for the missionaries and Nicaraguans of our school to put forth effort for those in need in Haiti. We raised $6,000, which is more than we’ve ever raised at a festival in the past! February was also the month when our brand new computer stopped working…

March—Liam headed to Costa Rica for HACIA Democracy political debates, with a group of high school students from NCA and NCA Nejapa. I stayed with the kids and prepared for two children’s events: the childcare for our CRC retreat, where we have missionary families from across Central America; and our own church’s Easter Sunday children’s event. At the end of the month, we headed out to the ocean with about 60 other missionaries to enjoy a time of fellowship and relaxing.

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/.