Poverty

Nicaragua is the poorest Spanish-speaking country in the world and the 2nd poorest country in the West. But we live in Managua, the capital city, and cities do a decent job of masking poverty, hiding it behind Christmas lights and billboards and businesses like McDonald's and shopping malls. And I work at NCA International and students at my school can afford to pay tuition, so the families that I work with at school do not represent the poor of Nicaragua (though many serve the poor directly through various ministries). So while we "drive by" poverty nearly every day, surprisingly enough we have not had many opportunities to interact with the poor of Nicaragua.

After school a week or so ago, we ventured out into the country with two families in our neighborhood to a smaller town called Mateare, about 45 minutes drive from our house towards the city of Leon. On the outskirts of town is a smaller village, consisting of 6 or 7 rows of 15-20 house each, as well as a covered area used for a church, a rehab center, and a few small pulperias (stores). The entire village was constructed by Project Hope, which our neighbors help coordinate, over the last few years, and are occupied by Nicaraguan families who lost homes during a hurricane a few years ago. The homes, made of concrete bricks and wood, are tiny--think about the size of one bedroom in your own home--and most homes have at least six residents. The homes are safe and sturdy, and residents have access to clean water and electricity.

As wonderful it is for these families to be homeowners, they have very little in terms of resources and access to income, and the poverty we witnessed was difficult to see. Besides a preschool, the town has no other educational opportunities for the many children living there. If families don't have money for transportation/uniform/food, they don't send their kids into the larger town for schooling at all. There are little to no job opportunities within the village, though it is amazing how resourceful people are in terms of making enough money to survive.

We witnessed some income generation while we walked around the village. A man was there in a pick-up truck, buying peanuts dug up in a field that sits on the side of the town. Any resident can dig up the peanuts and then sell them to this man; kids had small buckets of these nuts, while some adults had multiple sacks that they were selling to this man, who was weighing the peanuts and handing out money. I'm guessing he works for a company that would then process the peanuts into sellable product. It was initially exciting to see how many people were working in the fields, gathering peanuts to sell. But then I heard that kids were getting at most 10 Córdoba for their buckets of peanuts--less than half a dollar--for a good day of work. And adults weren't getting much for their huge sacks of peanuts either--a few dollars at most a for hours of digging. That made me sad. I heard later of a woman who works in the village making hammocks, and gets next to nothing for her completed products--less than a dollar for two days of work.

Residents of this town were friendly and excited while our family helped distribute Christmas "sacks" from Project Hope. The sacks had some food staples in them--hopefully a bit of -relief during the holiday times for these families--but certainly no long-term solution to the day-in, day-out poverty facing these families.

It is easy to live in a place like Managua and "see" poverty without really "seeing" it. Pray for our eyes to stay open to poverty, to not become accustomed or numbed or okay with people barely making it, barely surviving. Pray for those who lack access to food, to clean water, to education and job opportunities, and pray for change in the systems that keep poor people poor. We long for human flourishing--for Shalom--here in Nicaragua--and poverty is a huge obstacle to this Biblical vision of restoration.

NCA Sponsorship Information

I received an email from Marilyn Loftsgard about a month ago, a woman helping to expand sponsorship programs at NCA's other school campuses--NCA Nejapa (here in Managua on the same campus as the Nehemiah Center) and NCA Matagalpa (about 2 hours away from Managua). These are schools that serve Spanish-speaking, lower-income families (different than NCA International, where I teach). NCA's vision is to provide quality Christian education for all Nicaraguans who desire it. . .but there are SO many obstacles to Christian education, even if there is a Christian school nearby! Money is a big reason why many kids do not attend even "free" schools here in Nicaragua, as kids still need to be able to buy supplies, books, and uniforms to attend public school. Consider sponsoring a child's education at NCA Nejapa or Matagalpa--God is at work in these two growing schools, and it is exciting to see how the three schools with "NCA" in their names can begin to collaborate, share resources, and support one another more and more! Here is the email from Marilyn below, with a contact email as well for anyone interested!

Email: As many of you may know, I am working with the sponsorship program for the Association, raising funds for the children attending NCA International's sister schools NCA Nejapa and NCA Matagalpa. As I look at the people who are currently sponsoring children, I see that the great majority have either a direct or indirect connection with NCA International - they are current or former teachers and their relatives/friends. There is a percentage of the sponsors that have come down on short term teams but that is not the majority. Based on that knowledge and that we really need to build this base because of the growth of the Association, I would like to challenge our current teachers and alumni to reach out to your circles to generate an excitement for the LIFE happening in our sister schools and an invitation for them to partner with us by donating toward the sponsorship program. Anyone interested in sponsoring a child and/or donating could also e-mail me directly at sponsorship@nca.edu.ni.

 In our 16 years living by faith through monthly support, we have found that God has always blessed our efforts to promote other ministries (in addition to informing them of what we are doing). We have never perceived that promoting another ministry takes away something that would have gone to our own support. I hope that you will prayerfully consider making the needs at these schools known to whomever the Lord puts on your heart. He is doing GREAT things through these schools!

Thankful for each and every one of you!

 Marilyn Loftsgard

 

NCA Nejapa

NCA Matagalpa

 

 

 

30 Days of Thankfulness: November 29 and 30--The Rest of the List

The end of November is here! We'll admit, there have been a few days this month that we've grumbled, "WHY did we think this blog-everyday-thing was a good idea?" Admittedly, it has been more of a task than a joy to take a picture and write each day, though we truly are thankful for all of the things we've written about this month.
So as the month comes to an end. . .I hope that we'll maintain a sense of thanks regardless of circumstance. I was reminded by another blog from a missionary here in Nicaragua that true Christian thanksgiving is about an attitude that isn't so much about having good things or having everything worked out. “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Would I still be thankful to my Creator even if many of the things we've mentioned this month disappeared? Our car breaks down. We get sick. Our internet goes down again. I don't know. Something I'm working on, for sure. It is pretty easy to feel thankful when everything seems to be going our way.
Here are a few things we didn't get to write about, but that we'd jotted down when we started this journey:

Caponeras--The little three-wheeled motorbike/taxis that take me part of the way home every once in a while when I can't get a ride otherwise. It costs about 75 cents for a 5-minute ride.

Galletas de Oro--A few weeks ago my classroom aide, who is Nicaraguan, was eating a Dutch cookie (Stroopwaffle) during preschool snack time. I couldn't believe it! It turns out that a Dutch man who lives here (and whose kids attend NCA), taught his wife how to make these delicious treats and now markets them in Nicaragua! YUM! Fun having something "Dutch" here!

Spanish Classes--We are thankful for a weekly Spanish class afterschool at NCA, a weekly chat session on our neighbor's porch each Monday night after our children are in bed, and a great iPad app we use almost daily to improve our Spanish. A slow road, but we are determined!

Seranias Market--Our closest "store" (4 minutes in the car or a 20-minute walk), it's nice to have a place to quickly grab a 2-liter for a party, a pack of spaghetti, or some bananas. Kids like picking out random treats here for behavior, and enjoy that parrot that screams "Que Rico!" when you enter.

Jairo--MANY people have made our lives possible here in Nicaragua. Jairo has spent a LOT of time with our transition here, specifically in terms of our paperwork for residency. He has spent entire days sitting in  the immigration office on our behalf, only to find out we didn't come with the correct paperwork. We are thankful for this help; on our own, we'd be in big trouble. While we're still working on our cedulas (residency), he always says, "Don't worry, Mr. Henry. Don't worry!" I try to take his advice!

Nicaragua--At an English-speaking Thanksgiving service last Sunday, a man stood up to thank God for Nicaragua. "We're here because we love Nicaragua, and we love the people of Nicaragua." That's true. We need to remember to thank God for the privilege of living and serving in another country, and for the welcome we've felt from the people here. Nicaragua is a beautiful, broken place (a statement true of the whole world, I suppose), but we are right now called to this PLACE and we are thankful for this dot on the map that is slowly becoming much more than a dot!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 28--You

We are thankful for you. If you are reading this (or had the opportunity to read it by seeing the link), you are a friend of ours. We are keenly aware, now more than ever, of how deeply we depend on a community. We're talking about our community back home in the States, and we're talking about the new community we've formed here over the last four months. God created us to be in community with one another, and we praise Him on this Thanksgiving Day for surrounding us with so many strong and loving people, people who demonstrate His love so well to us. You enable us to serve here in Nicaragua, to follow a call to serve here through your prayers, generous financial support, and practical help. You enable us to be better parents, raising three kids with the help and love of so many--something we can't alone. You enable us to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. We love walking with you; walking alone here in Nicaragua isn't even an option. . . .so THANK YOU for being a part of our lives.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 27--Water Delivery

Many people here in Nicaragua, including our family, drink purified water. The water here in the city is supposedly fairly safe to drink, but because this isn't true 100% of the time, and because the water that comes to our home is stored in water tanks, increasing the risk of contamination, we choose to go the safer route. This means buying 5 gallon jugs of water and refilling them when they are empty, which is not nearly as convenient as filling up a cup of water directly out of the tap. It is almost as convenient, though, because every other Tuesday, there are "water guys" that come right to our door with full containers and take away the empties. While this seems very insignificant, we are grateful for this service that makes our lives a little simpler.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Nov 26--Our First Visitors!

We have been anxiously anticipating the arrival of November 26 since before we left to come to Nicaragua because we knew that when November 26 arrived, so would our first visitors, Mur and Micah--my sister and nephew--who we have missed more than you can imagine. Soon after to our arrival in Managua, Henry made a count down so we could keep track of how many days it was til they  got here....

Looking back at all of those little dots, it's hard to believe that the day is finally here.  We are so thankful for their safe travel and arrival, and for the opportunity to introduce them to our new home, friends, and lives.  We are excited spend the week with Mur catching up and showing her the hottest spots in Managua (Nicaragua Christian Academy, the grocery store, the bakery...) and we are also excited that Micah will be spending the next 6 weeks with us as a part of our family.  We are very thankful for how small our world has become, allowing travel and visits like this to be possible.

 

  Reunited at last!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 25--Music Class

When my students leave on Mondays at 12:30 pm, my school day is not over! I quickly push around tables, set out carpet squares, and get into "Music Class" mode. Today was my fourth week leading a 30-minute music class with 17 NCA preschool and kindergarten students. Stealing a bit from my own kid's experiences in Music Together classes, we have a ball exploring instruments, playing music games, dancing with scarves, clapping beats, singing silly songs, etc. I have two adult helpers to control the craziness, and I'm thankful that they seem to love the class, too! While we only have one more scheduled class, I think there was enough interest that we will repeat the class for students after Christmas. We're also thinking about ways to use music in other settings as well--possibly Tesoros de Dios or an orphanage? We'll see where He leads! I'm so thankful for the gift of music, and the opportunities I've had at NCA to use music in my classroom and beyond.

 

 

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 24-Sunday Game Nights

Typically at this time on Sunday evenings, Ruth and I are sitting at the table of our neighbors Karel and Myra, deciding which game to play together. . .a last hurrah of the weekend before another busy week. The tradition has been going on for a few months now, and we love the fact that our baby monitor can act as our babysitter as their house is only yards from our own! We've learned to play pinochle and they are now addicted to Settlers of Catan. . .and we always enjoy a good game of euchre together as well. We're thankful to have people to play games with and for new traditions as we settle into community living here in Nicaragua, though we still miss our game buddies back in Grand Rapids--Noah and Megan and Phil and Bridget and James and a few others, too.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 23--New Christmas Decorations

There are very few material things we miss here in Nicaragua, but as we are entering into the holiday season, one thing we are missing is our decorations.  We are a family that loves holidays and traditions, and as Henry listed off all the things we normally do during Christmastime that we won’t be able to do this year, Andrew and I felt a little ache in our hearts.  We are slowly acquiring some decorations (including the Charlie Brown version of a fake Christmas tree), which we are thankful for because they make life feel a little more normal.  We are also excited to start some new Christmas traditions as a family (swimming on Christmas day?  Decorating a palm tree?).  We are also VERY thankful that while we won’t be travelling home for Christmas, my family will be coming here to celebrate with us. 

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 22--The Cafetin

Every day, Monday thru Friday, Andrew, Henry and Mae come here for a fabulous lunch.  This is "The Cafetin," NCA's cafeteria.  It is nothing like the school cafeterias they have experienced in the States--a hard working crew of wonderful women spend their days cooking homemade food from real ingredients.  The majority of the food they eat (besides Monday pizza days!) is Nicaraguan, and usually includes chicken, beef, or even fish (which our kids surprisingly LOVE) with a side of rice, plantains in a variety of forms, and salad.  These healthy and filling meals are provided for less than $2.00 a person. It has been a blessing to know that our kids are eating well without the hassle of having to prepare lunches in a country that doesn't have Lunchables, and for Andrew to have a way to fulfill his craving for trying as many new foods as possible. 

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 21--Trampoline

Between all of the houses in our neighborhood you'll find a community trampoline, a joint Christmas present to all the children from all of the parents in La Veranera (last Christmas, so before we moved in!). Not something we'd expect to find in Nicaragua, this "Brinca Brinca" is something we are thankful for. It is well used every day by all of our children. . .Charlotte has no problem jumping with the "big kids" now. Besides Charlotte falling off when getting off by herself a few times (without major or minor injuries!), and Henry getting a little over-zealous while wrestling the neighbor kids, it has been a mostly safe place for our kids to play and "unwind" after a day at school! And you better believe that I (Andrew) am on it daily as well, though some of the kids tell me I'm over the weight limit.

30 Days of Thankfulness: November 20--Mae!

Happy Birthday, Mae! Mae turned 5 today and celebrated the day away--Toad in the Hole and balloon decorations for breakfast, brownies and songs at school, special prayer at elementary chapel, ice cream with neighbor friends at the Cafetin (cafeteria) after school, dinner of her choice (fettucine alfredo, fresh squeezed OJ, and green beans) followed by cake and opening a present (a new doll. . .first new doll since she was 2!). And a trip down memory lane with photo albums and videos from the past.

 

She'll celebrate with her classmates and a few friends next week at a party at our home. We're a little nervous to host a party; birthday parties here are huge. . .we attended a party a few weeks ago for Mae's classmate at a Burger King Playland, complete with DJs, a clown/magician, a clown/face painter, huge goody bags, food for kids and adults, door prizes, cake that looked like it was straight out of Cake Boss, piñata, etc. . .it was so much fun! But I'm afraid our party might not quite be up to the same standards! Oh well. . .that isn't what it is about. . we'll just enjoy fun times with Mae and her friends!

 

We are SO thankful for Mae today. She is a wonderful friend to her many friends, a girl who loves to say "Thank you!" throughout the day, a girl who loves to laugh and make people laugh. She loves asking questions about God and Jesus and loves singing His praises, too. She's a great big sister to Charlotte--very patient! And a good little sister to Henry--very patient! We are thankful to God for the gift of Mae on this November 20 and for His faithfulness to Mae during our transition to Nicaragua.

 

Click below to see:

Mae a few years ago. . .so cute!

 Who knew Mae would some day become a "Global Baby"?

 

30 Days of Thanskgiving: November 19--Geckos!

These delightful little guys are as much as fixture in our home as our stove, toilets, and Netflix. We have between 3-10 living in and around our home, appearing at random on walls, windows, or the ceiling. They range from tiny tiny--like your last pinkie knuckle--to about 6 inches long. Charlotte loves yelling "Gecko!" when she spots one of these guys, but the rest of us typically ignore them. Henry still occasionally likes to catch them (one night we caught five in about 10 minutes!) Besides the novelty and the entertainment, why are we thankful for geckos, you might ask? I'm so glad you asked. They eat bugs! We've been told not to harm the geckos or try to get them out of your house, because they keep down the insect population big time. That said, we have LOTS of ants all of the time in our house, and a variety of spiders, moths, flies. . .but I think the amount of bugs is indeed much more manageable thanks to these guys who work in our home at no cost to us!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 18--Health and Safety

I hesitate to "speak" this "out loud" but we have been extremely healthy so far here in Nicaragua.  There are many real possibilities of health issues we could face--dengue fever (a disease carried my mosquitos that our city is currently on red alert for), parasites and other stomach bugs from food (Andrew and I have different levels of daring when it comes to eating raw fruits and veggies here), car accidents (you should see the crazy driving here!) or from our kids playing HARD and rough all day long. We feel so blessed that we have avoided injury and illness so far.  Please pray for our continued health and safety.

This is Henry and Mae peering over the edge of an active volcano! No eruptions or earthquakes yet, either!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 17--A Nicaraguan Bank Account

We FINALLY have a Nicaraguan bank account (we started pursuing this at the beginning of August), which means we can avoid the many fees we were paying to withdrawal money from our US bank account.  This also means that we can now pay our utilities over the phone instead of having to wait in an endless line at the bank.  We are very thankful that there is a lady who speaks English at the bank!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 16--Hammock

Hammocks are everywhere in Nicaragua--the perfect hang-able, collapsible resting place off of the ground (i.e. away from scorpions and other creepy crawlies!) Hammocks are made throughout Nicaragua, and while certain towns are known for their hammock industry, we bought ours at Huembes Market in Managua. It has lasted through the rainy season, though it has had up to 4 children swinging on it at a time. Beyond colors fading a bit, and the predictable purple poop splotches from the birds in the trees above, it is still a great place to rest and relax for a few minutes each day! I've actually dozed off in it once or twice, but it's never long before a child gives you a rude awaking with a huge push!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 15--Nicaragua Christian Academy

So, we made it about halfway through November before we skipped a day of blogging. . .sorry to those of you checking our page hourly, waiting for the update:) We have our excuses about yesterday. . .beginning with no internet in our house for 3 days, and ending with the NCA Talent Show from 6:00-9:30 last night! Henry and Mae, along with 8 other kids from our neighborhood, opened the show, which is an annual tradition, with a remake of the disco sensation "YMCA." Our version, titled "Why NCA?" involved the many reasons why we are so thankful for this school for our children here in Nicaragua, and why Andrew is excited to be a small part of the vision of NCA. Here are the lyrics from the song that the kids sang last night:

Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
Because, young man, there’s this really great school
The kids who go there are so cool. . .

Young man, let your parents know.
It’s a place that you should want to go
You can learn there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

 You might be wondering: “Why NCA”?
You might be wondering: “Why NCA”?

The teachers are smart,
You can eat Daisy’s food,
Mr. Star is a real cool dude!

You might be wondering: “Why NCA”?
You might be wondering: “Why NCA”?

 Aprendemos English!
We can learn espanol!
Our classes are never slow!

There are lots of sports you can play,
And you can wear what you want on Color Day,
We have lots of great diversity. . .
We’re from thirteen diff-rent countries. . .

You might be wondering: “Why NCA”?
You might be wondering: “Why NCA”?

 If you have a bad day,
Go find Mrs. Mejia
she gives candy when she sees ya!

You might be wondering: “Why NCA”?
You might be wondering: “Why NCA”?

 The Eagle Center rocks—
for chapel and ball,
and hangin’ with Mrs Hall!

The best part is that deep down inside,
We have love for each other that we can’t hide
We are brothers and sisters in Christ,
We are one big happy family!

 And now you know: “Why NCA”?
And now you know: “Why NCA”?

There’s no other school
That’s just like this place!
It puts a smile on my face!

And now you know: “Why NCA”?
And now you know: “Why NCA”?

Despite the difficulties with the sound system last night, the kids did a fantastic job, complete with custom-made bellbottoms and elaborate choreography! We didn't win one of the prizes, but that wasn't really the point--the kids worked really hard together and I think they really are thankful for their school community as well. We'll post a video of the performance soon!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 14--Pan Ticomo

 

 

 

 

About 10 minutes from our house down the Careterra Sur is the lovely "Pan Ticomo" bakery, a place we frequent probably far too often. We are thankful for a place to buy cheap, really good bread, rolls, buns and of course "American"ish donuts and pastries. On the weekends they also sell nacatamals, a traditional Nica breakfast meal of corn meal, meat (chicken or pork), potatoes, and other veggies wrapped up in a banana leaf and boiled. Henry and I enjoy these quite a bit, but if I'd absolutely have to choose, I'd probably pick an apple fritter over a nacatamal! We miss the wonderful Wealthy Street Bakery being so close to us on Union Ave SE in Grand Rapids--haven't found cinnamon rolls as good here--but we are thankful to have a "new" bakery that our family can claim as "ours!"

Mae and Addy were bribed for this photo with a. . ..--can you guess?

Yup, a donut!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 13--Popsicles:)

Nothing like a cold, low-cost popsicle to cool ya' off after a long day at school! A huge box of these plastic-wrapped artificially-flavored wonders is relatively inexpensive at Pricesmart (our "Costco"), and is now a staple in the Ippel household. Kids from our neighborhood also are frequent partakers of these refreshing delights; they may or may not be used for bribes and small payments! Yes, of course we eat (and drink) plenty of real locally-grown sweet fruit, but there is just something about these popsicles that we are thankful for, and we're thankful to have friends with whom to share.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 12--Marlene

This is Marlene, and we are very thankful for her.  Marlene watches Charlotte 2 days a week so that I (Ruth) can volunteer at Clinica El Samaritano.  Watching Charlotte is not an easy job these days because she is very curious, has a lot of energy and LOVES the freedom of being able to run around our neighborhood, but Marlene does an excellent job of lovingly caring for her... probably better than I do in fact.  When I leave Charlotte in the morning, she is usually half naked, barefoot, and wild looking, but when I come home, she is dressed in matching clothes, has a barrette or braid in her hair and shoes on her feet.  Marlene also helps us around the house which we are extremely thankful for.  Unintentionally, she has also become my personal Spanish tutor.  She speaks no English, but she and I seem to communicate really well (mostly, I think, because she is very good at understanding bad Spanish).  She is not afraid to correct me, which I really appreciate.  We really appreciate her and she is becoming a part of our family.  Please pray for Marlene's dad... he is very sick and has been for awhile.  Marlene plays a huge part in caring for him, and this has been a difficult time for her and her family.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 11--Guards!

We feel very safe in our community, which always has one guard stationed by the front gate. Our neighborhood has never had a robbery,  which is very unusual here, and something we are so thankful for. Many missionaries and Nicaraguans that we've met have had multiple incidents of petty theft or robbery while living in Managua, and because of this almost all larger homes and communities employ a guard. Pictured here is the wonderful Manuel Antonio Herrera, with Charlotte "Spidergirl" Ippel and Quentin "Superman" Norman. Our two guards rotate 24-hour shifts; not a very fun job, and I'm sure the pay isn't much. We're EXTREMELY thankful to have friendly men to welcome us home each time we drive up to the "La Veranera" community! Charlotte loves saying "hola" to the guards multiple times each day:)!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 10--Ultimate Frisbee

On Sunday afternoons at 3:00 sharp. . .oh, I mean 3:45ish. . .or whenever people show up . . .between 20-40 men, women, boys, and girls appear on the NCA soccer field for a game of Ultimate Frisbee! I'm not sure how long the tradition has gone on, but Ruth and I enjoy the fellowship and mostly friendly competition with a variety of expats, missionaries, and Nicaraguans. We are sweating before the game starts due to the heat and humidity, so you can only imagine how nasty we are after the second game (if we can muster through both!). The younger kids (including all of ours) run around together on the NCA playground, though we've recently hired a neighbor girl to keep her eyes on Charlotte during the games. Ruth had a nasty ankle sprain after stepping in a hole on the field (some of you may remember the Rehoboth prairie dog holes back in the day?) a while ago that kept her off the field for a month, but last week she made her strong comeback and has mostly recovered.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 9--Our Neighborhood

We love our neighborhood.  We live in a “compound” with 4 other missionary families, and they have become a family to us.  Their support and encouragement has been such a blessing to us from the very beginning. We arrived to our new home in Managua for the first time at 10:00 at night, and by 7:00 the next morning, our kids already had friends!  There are 15 kids in our neighborhood between the ages of 2-12, and they play together every day, running around outside and from house to house.  We have really enjoyed the adult friendships too—I (Ruth), being the crazy extrovert I am, have so appreciated having friends around to talk to all the time.  Andrew and I have a perpetual longing for a deep community, and have found it here.  We exchange children, borrow ingredients and cars, play games after bedtime (we are so glad we brought our baby monitor!), ride to places together, share meals, exercise together, share struggles, Facebook chat each other at night even though if we talked loudly enough we could hear from one house to the other, help each others kids with homework, and the list goes on… We are so thankful to God for providing us with this safe and loving place that has become a home away from home for us. 

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 8--Crazy Cellphone Deals

Beginning at 6:30 AM, our cell phones begin to receive text messages from our cellphone company, Movistar. (You have two cell phone provider choices here. . .Claro is the other company, and they provide our internet). The texts continue periodically throughout the day, touting amazing "deals" for recharging our "saldo," or minutes. We're not on any type of contract here; we just recharge our phones with "minutes" whenever we are running low at any corner store, and it's great to do it when there are deals. Granted, we don't always understand what the deals are, but they seem SO good all the time:)We've also heard there are tons of restrictions on these deals, but we also don't understand those restrictions, so ignorance continues to be bliss! We use our cell phones MUCH less here than in the States, but we are also paying MUCH less than the monthly $100 Verizon bill we were accustomed to, and we are thankful to both have cell phones here in Nicaragua.

30 Days of Thankgiving: November 7--Mrs. Sandra

A smooth day in the PreK2 classroom at NCA wouldn't be possible without Mrs. Sandra Telleria, my (Andrew's) trusty sidekick and classroom aide. She's been working in the PreK2 room for 5 years, which gives her quite an edge when it comes to experience in early childhood education! Sandra is up for anything, and always looks for ways to make my day a bit easier and less chaotic. She VERY RARELY shakes her head and says, "Mr. Ippel!" in a certain tone after I plan a very messy, crazy lesson for the students that leaves our room and our children a disaster:) I am so thankful for her ability to communicate in English and Spanish--she helps speak with parents, translate documents and newsletters, and is my private Spanish tutor after my students leave for the day. We have a rule that I can only speak Spanish with her after 12:30; unfortunately I'm a bit inconsistent with following that rule! I appreciate the way Sandra communicates her faith and her strong relationship with God-her faith shines through in our conversations throughout the day. Sandra has two children attending college in California and is looking forward to a trip there over Christmas to spend time together as a family.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 6-Carpool!

There are a minimum of 19 trips made from our neighborhood to the school (about a 10 minute drive) each week, and I (Ruth) only have to do 4 or so, and none in the morning!  It is such a blessing to have neighbors to carpool with, although it often means piling 10 people into our 7-passenger Odyssey—the trunk is actually the most coveted seat!

 

Don't worry--this picture isn't actually part of the carpool:) Quentin and Charlotte are just carpool wannabees!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 5--Our Van

Ruth always said that our Honda Odyssey in the States was her favorite earthly possession, and the first tears she shed as we said our many goodbyes were as our van pulled out of our driveway at 707 Union for the last time.  Imagine our surprise when we pull into a used car lot in Managua after hours of car shopping and see a 2003 Honda Odyssey that was in our price range.  We are so thankful to have a car that we know and love—the roads are crazy here, so it’s nice to have something familiar while driving.  We never knew that the Odyssey was capable of off-roading, but it’s proven to be very versatile many times! We are also thankful for our favorite car wash here that will thoroughly wash our van inside and out for just $4!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 4--Magic Jack

We are thankful for our Magic Jack. Magic Jack is this wonderful and magical thing that allows us to have a Michigan phone number and call friends and family in the US any time we want to!  What a blessing--communication is SO mush easier now than when my family was living as missionaries in Africa 20 years ago.  Magic Jack is internet based, and our internet is often patchy, but we’ve found that if we unplug and plug it in enough we can usually get it to work. Call us anytime… we’d love to chat (and if we don't answer or if we hang up on you, it's because our internet isn't working--it's not because we don't like you)!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 3--A Bike

We only have one (wonderful) car here, and there are often times where Andrew and I both need to be in different places.  Our solution (for now) is that Andrew bought a $50 Japanese-made bike, which he rides down the Cow Trail to school 3-4 mornings a week, freeing up the car for Ruth to grocery shop, volunteer at the clinic and do car-pool runs.  The ride is 3 miles downhill, and only takes him about 15 minutes.  It is always an early morning adrenaline rush for Andrew, dodging puddles, chickens, moto-taxis, busses, large flying insects and rabid dogs (okay, they probably aren't rabid, but it makes it exciting to THINK that they are rabid while biking away from them as they chase him).  He hasn’t attempt the ride up the hill from school to home yet—it would be killer. We just throw the bike in the back of the van and drive it back up at the end of each day. We are very thankful for his safety in biking so far;  there are no bike helmets in Nicaragua big enough to fit Andrew’s massive head, so we will have Ruth’s sister bring one when she comes for Thanksgiving. We also are thankful for Chepe, a gardener at NCA who is also a bike mechanic extraordinaire! His skills have already come in handy.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 2--Taco Seasoning!

November 2:  We are thankful for Taco Seasoning

I have to say that this is one of the things that we miss the most here in Nicaragua.  Before coming here, I never that it would be at the top of my list (because people who speak Spanish eat tacos, right?  Yeah, just a different kind of tacos.) We are thankful, though, because a friend from church sent us several packets of taco seasoning, and we have been thoroughly enjoying them! Thanks Tammy!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 1--Hot Water Heater!

November is here, and Thanksgiving is around the corner! I'm not sure how much turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes we'll be eating this year in the land of Nicaragua. . .but regardless of what we eat on November whatever-the-date-is, we certainly want to spend intentional time being thankful, celebrating the joys of our new life in Nicaragua-- both the interesting and the mundane. So each day in November, we'll share one thing for which we give thanks, in no particular order. THANKS for reading:)

November 1: Hot Water Heater

Our house has a hot water heater, which is rare here in Nicaragua.  Many of our friends either have no hot water or use “duchas” which are electric heaters that are attached to your shower head, also known as “widow makers”--mixing water and electricity isn't ever a great idea. Because electricity here is so expensive, we try to only turn on our hot water heater for about 15 minutes a day for morning showers, but we are so thankful that we have it!  We are feeling especially thankful for it now because Andrew recently locked the door to the water heater closet before realizing we didn’t have a key, so we were without hot water for several days until a locksmith replaced the lock!

Control!

I like to be in control. Being in a new country makes it a bit tough to feel that sense of control that felt so good and normal in the US. A couple of things happened this past week:

1) We lost our internet for a few days. Not a big deal in the States, but here, our internet feels a bit like our lifeline. That isn't necessarily a good thing, and it annoyed me how annoyed I was about not having access to email and Facebook and news and phone calls to family for 48 hours. But I was irritable and upset, especially that I couldn't figure out what was wrong with our internet. And we can't just call Claro for help, as there isn't a "Press 2 for English" option here in Nicaragua!  It turns out, we just hadn't paid the bill for three months. Oops. And once we paid, the internet was on again. Thanks to a bilingual neighbor for helping us out here.

2) We had an appointment at the American Embassy today to authenticate some documents for the process of gaining residency in Nicaragua. Well, they couldn't do it what we needed them to do today. We are here on tourist visas, good for 90 days. Today is, I believe, day 89. And we feel like we're "stuck" in the process, or at least clueless in this maze of paperwork and bureaucracy. And very soon, we're going to technically be living here "illegally." Let me tell you--my empathy for the plight of "illegal immigrants" in the US has grown considerably. But what can we do???? Nothing.

These "out of my control" moments are consistent reminders that our sense of control is always merely a façade--God is truly the one in control. But it is quite a journey to recognize that truth, and I'm not there yet. It's funny, but tonight driving home from Tesoros de Dios, scripture popped into my head. . .and trust me. . .I'm not saying this to sound super-spiritual. I'm actually giving credit to my preschoolers here, because that isn't necessarily what happens often. We're learning about poor Joseph, who had to trust God in all types of crazy situations all over the place, and our verse of the week is as follows:

"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15)

We're just learning the first part--hey, we're only four years old. But we've been saying it a lot over the last two days, chanting it and reading it and singing about it. And so it popped into my head, this promise of God filling a void of nervousness surrounding some unknowns and this "out of control" situation in my life. And it did give me comfort.

For a moment anyway. And then when I got home I immediately headed to the computer to try to research our options in regards to overstaying our tourist visa--could we get deported? How much are the fines? Is there a way to extend our tourist visa? Blah blah blah. Trying to comfort myself with control of the situation and head knowledge again rather than holding on to the promise that no matter what, God is absolutely holding our family in his hand. He's driving. As Charlotte loves to say lately, "Hallelujah!"

God's Treasures

On Tuesday afternoons at 3:00 on the dot, I jump in our trusty red minivan and head out from NCA up the hill a few minutes to reach a ministry called Tesoros de Dios. From their website (tesorosdedios.org):

Tesoros de Dios, translated as "God's Treasures," is a ministry in Managua, Nicaragua, that serves over 80 children with a variety of developmental disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Hydrocephaly, Autism, Brain Damage, and others. Through programs offered and family support, the center provides tools to help the children reach their fullest potential physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually


Honestly, Tesoros de Dios is how we ended up in Managua. Through some Google searching, we came across this Christian organization that works with kids with disabilities--a passion of mine that has been my vocation for the past 9 years. The director, Michelle, is the one who told me about Nicaragua Christian Academy, as I don't have the Spanish-speaking skills to work primarily with Spanish-speaking kids at their organization. I emailed NCA and the rest is history. . .

So, while teaching preschool NCA is my full-time job (which I love!), I've committed to spending one afternoon a week at Tesoros de Dios to continue work with persons with disabilities. The kids who are there rotate through a variety of therapies (including horse and physical therapy) and Special Education programs. Parents have to attend Tesoros with their children, so that they can learn interventions and techniques to use at home. I've been working with a few kids with disabilities who attend NCA Nejapa (our Spanish-speaking "sister" school--inclusion is quite a radical thing for Nicaragua), who need some extra support especially with their English homework. (I'm qualified for that job, at least!) Kevin and David have been gracious and are helping me with my Spanish at the same time.

Pictures of Tesoros de Dios from their website, tesorosdedios.org. I haven't taken any pictures there yet!

Being at Tesoros is a weekly reminder about the importance of the ministry of "being"--something I'm not great at. I like to do stuff and contribute and see quick progress, and I want to offer my services and expertise and education to help people here in Nicaragua. I want to be needed. But as of now, the biggest thing I'm doing at Tesoros de Dios is just showing up. I stumble through conversations and smile and nod a lot when I'm being spoken too and honestly, the kids would get their homework done with or without me. . but I'm.trusting that God has a plan for me at Tesoros. And the plan might be just being, learning from those with disabilities who have always been the best "teachers of life" to me.

 

I'm sure I'll have more stories about Tesoros to share with you in the future. . .it is a great organization worth learning more about, filling a huge void in Nicaragua in terms of providing services for kids and families who need it most!

A day in the life of a NCA PreK2er!

So, if you were ever thinking about going back to school for more education, you are welcome to join us in my preschool classroom at NCA. . .I know I'M learning a lot each day! Here is a "typical" day in the life of a 4-year old at NCA--for Nicole, Mae, Sun Kyo, Ruth, Sadie, Micah, Nahima, Nahum, Beckett, Benjamin 1 and 2, Katherine 1 and 2, Celeste, Leonte, Isabella, Esther, and Lorena.

1. Arrival
Students trickle in between 7:15-7:35. If they get through the school gate after 7:27, they are tardy! Students sit at a table by their name tag and fill out a "daily plan" (a picture of something they hope to do that day) and write their name. Some students who wrote their name with a scribble at the beginning of the year can now write their name fairly clearly! When they have their plan finished, they go to the circle time rug and play with a "carpet activity" until we're all ready to move on.

2. Circle Time!
Time for Mr. Ippel to get silly. Who knew that singing about the days and months of the week could be so exciting! Can you believe that counting how many days we've been in school so far could be hilarious? We review what classroom "jobs" students have, which they take pretty seriously. And we talk about our schedule for the day. Finally, we always review some vocabulary words for the week for our English Language learners, and this is NEVER boring:) It truly feels like I'm inside Barney sometimes (I mean that in the best way possible:)

3. Free Choice/Planned Play Time
Twice a day students spend a half hour as they choose. They can freely rotate between our water table, playdoh table, art studio, "house," sand bucket (it truly is just a bucket with sand in it), reading corner, puzzle area, block center. We change a few things about each center on a weekly basis to keep it interesting. Kids, I've learned, do not get bored. They don't! If I were them, I'd be so sick of the same toys and stations. . .but they just don't get bored. I'm amazed to see how they combine ideas from our books and Bible story with their play time. And how they combine toys from around the room. For example, they might make a block road leading to the sand bucket and place cars and animals on the road, with playdoh people driving the cars.  Sound like a mess? It totally is. But they do a great job cleaning up after each play time, surprisingly!

 

4. Specials/Preps!
My students give me a little peace and quiet at least once a day. They get PE (twice a week!), art, music, computers, library (twice a week). I don't mind a bit!

5. Recess/Snack
Students have outside recess twice a day. The first recess is combined with snack that they bring for home. . .they take snack seriously! Gallo pinto, fried cheese, plantains, sliced fruit, packaged cookies, Cacao drink (think chocolatey eggnog), left-over pizza, juice boxes. . .it's like a mini-lunch for some kids. The playground consists of a climbing structure with slide, a few sand boxes(dirt boxes), a "casista" (a wooden play house), three swings and a tire swing, and a LOT of dirt. No grass or mulch. Not up to "code" in any sense of the word! Our classroom is swept and mopped like three times a day, a constant battle over the stuff our kids track in each day after recess, especially during the rainy season. I love playing with the kids during recess. . ."Can you poosh me pleeze?" seems to be the first English phase of many of my students!

6. Circle Time 2 and 3
We gather two more times at the Circle Time rug for literacy learning activities, reading stories, working with letters and words, chanting and singing, being goofy, doing Show and Tell (I really, really, really dislike show and tell!). We have a good reading curriculum that I enjoy, and seems to be geared for kids learning English.

 

 

7. Math/Spanish
Mrs. Sandra (my trusty side-kick) and I split the class four times a week for math or Spanish. You can probably guess who teaches what. It is fun to work with a smaller group--kids are smart thinkers! We were doing division last week, making sure Mr. and Mrs. Monkey both had the same number of bananas on their plate. They could totally do it, and even figured out to cut bananas in half as needed! I like to do math that we can eat.

 

7. Worship
My favorite half-hour of the day. Each week we dive into a story of the Bible, that is told and reviewed in various ways throughout the week. Kids even learn a memory verse related to the topic--and they can learn it! My little non-English speaking kids are memorizing scripture, and SO proud of it. I'm humbled. Of course, we start each worship time with LOTS of singing. They LOVE to sing. And we often end sharing prayer requests. . .which takes a long time. Everyone has a sick mom, dad, or pet. All the time:) We often act out the story at some point during the week. . .Noah and the Ark was an epic production this week!

 

By 12:30, we're tired out and ready to head home. Kids leave, but I don't! Dismissal wraps up at 12:45, I eat school lunch with the other staff until 1:15, and then I have until 3:00 to get stuff ready for the next day. I was a little over-confident at the beginning of the year, thinking I would be absolutely bored during this HUGE amount of prep time each day. But I'm finding that time to go extremely fast, and I have yet to run out of things to do to improve my classroom.

THE END! That was long. . .sorry! I absolutely LOVE my job. I really, really do. So thanks for allowing me to be a preschool teacher at NCA through your prayers and support. I hope that I am a blessing to my students; I KNOW that they are a blessing to me.