Nica Newsflash

Sunday, October 9, 2016

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).

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

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!

Sunday, June 5, 2016

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!

Sunday, September 20, 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.