An Evening for Tesoros de Dios

Over the last few months, a team at Tesoros de Dios (including me!) has been busy preparing for our first-ever, maybe to become annual (?), event called "An Evening for Tesoros de Dios." The board (on which I serve) decided last spring to host this event in the US (in Wisconsin and Indiana), and we decided that we could put on a similar event here in Nicaragua. . .and I'm glad we did!

Friday evening was a gift. Around 180 people filled the Eagle Center (the gym at Nicaragua Christian Academy) in support of Tesoros de Dios. Around 90 were staff, students, and parents involved in the program. . .the other half were guests--fellow missionaries, students from the American Nicaraguan School (ANS) who support Tesoros, and other friends and family who wanted to learn more about and support the ministry of Tesoros de Dios.

The gathered group was treated to hearing various testimonies of students and parents, two choirs, a few speeches (I gave one. . .you can click here to read the transcript if you missed it! Thankfully you can't read about the part where I almost started crying on stage during the speech. . .thanks dad and grandpa for the crying genes whenever we get emotional!)

The evening was emceed by two current Tesoros students, one in high school and one in university. They did such a beautiful job; I loved how involved Tesoros students were involved throughout the whole evening.

We also threw together a silent auction as part of the evening--something done too much in the US and never done here--but it actually was a success due to very generous attendees (and donors!). One fellow CRWM missionary bought a set of "Andrew Ippel" piano CDs for $100--that kind of generosity just blows me away (I hope they find that donation well spent after listening to the music!)

One of the teachers at Tesoros de Dios was going to cook/cater for the event, but due to a family emergency on Friday morning, she wasn't able to attend. A HUGE group of staff filled in for her and provided everyone with wonderful food (with CHOICES, too! Veggie lasagna, beef with mushroom sauce, Parmesan chicken!). They worked from 1:00-10:00, and didn't even get to eat their own cooking until after the event, which I felt guilty about (I definitely ate!)

I'm thankful for the Tesoros staff--a group of therapists, teachers, and accountants who pulled off a really, really great event. We are not party-planning people by trade, but I think after Friday that we are certainly a capable crew.

I'm thankful for eMi, Engineering Ministries International, who is partnering with Tesoros as we plan to expand beginning with a covered horse therapy arena this March. Check out this video to be inspired (this is what made me nearly break down, actually!) Our desire to grow and expand and serve more kids is really the impetus behind all of this momentum of promoting Tesoros de Dios.

I'm thankful for the board of Tesoros, and the potential positive financial impact that this evening has had for Tesoros de Dios. I'm excited to hear the "totals" from the other sites.

I'm thankful for the local community that came out on Friday to show support to Tesoros. I hope we gained a few more child sponsors on our end (and MANY more in the US!) and that our plans to grow can soon become a reality.

I'm also thankful the event is over! It wasn't a TON of work for me, but it was added work, and I was honestly a little stressed about the potential success/failure of the event. . .in retrospect, no need to worry! VERY thankful for God and His presence in the details.

Click HERE to see more beautiful pictures of the event taken by Christa Brunt, Tesoros volunteer extraordinaire! She gets credit for all images on this post, minus the first blurry one:)

"I'm sorry I have to do this. . ."

So last night around 7:45pm, I finished tucking the kids into bed and got in our car to drive to a friend's house to watch the election results. As I left our gate and headed down the steep hill that leads from our neighborhood, I noticed an elderly man standing at the bottom of the hill, waving me down frantically with an umbrella or a cane. I am not in the habit of picking unfamiliar people up, especially when I'm alone, especially after dark.

But something felt different about the situation. I mean, he was an old man! SO. . .I slammed on my brakes about 15 feet after I passed him and waited for him to hobble up to the car and hop in. "La Puente," he said, indicating that he wanted a ride to the nearby intersection with a La Colonia grocery store. . .the same place I would be passing anyway. "Esta bien," I responded, and then began driving again.

The man introduced himself as Carlos, and began speaking in perfect English. The three-minute drive to the store was a quick life history of Carlos (aka Charles, the name he used when studying in Spain and France). He was 80 years old, was one of the first persons to build a large house in our area 40 years prior, and had been educated around the world. He felt most "like a New Yorker," though he was Nicaraguan.

We arrived at "La Puente," into a line of cars waiting to turn onto the Carretera Sur next to the brightly lit, busy La Colonia supermarket. I stopped the car and bid Carlos goodnight, thankful I had given a ride to such a wonderful man! And then Carlos reached into his pants, pulled out a gun, and said, "I'm sorry I have to do this."

To be continued. . .

Just kidding. I'll tell you the rest right now. . .too good to wait.  I froze (except my eyes, which got huge). My new acquaintance was holding a real, live, metal gun. I'm terrified of guns. "9mm" he said. WHAT DID HE MEAN when he said "I'm sorry I have to do this!?" Do WHAT? Kill me? Rob me? Make me drive him to a different store? Or country? Many scenarios flashed across my mind at this point, including scenarios involving me wrestling the gun away from this frail, well-educated man only slightly younger than my grandpa! I took a deep breath and said something like, "Okay. . .goodnight. You can get out now," hoping to kill with kindness. I'm sure my voice sounded a little panicky!

Carlos smiled and began tucking the revolver deep into his pants. "I've never used this thing. I'm an old man walking alone at night. . .I have to be careful just in case." It began to make sense that his "I'm sorry I have to do this," already so embedded in my brain as the last words I thought I'd hear, was just an apology for having to readjust his gun visibly before going into the supermarket. He wasn't intending to harm me, or really anyone, for that matter. Just getting comfortable.

Carlos thanked me for the ride, grabbed his cane or umbrella, and slipped out of my car. "Thank you for the ride!" he smiled at me. And he was off. And that was that.

I'm not sure if there is a lesson here. I'm certainly glad I'm alive. I think I'm glad I gave Carlos a ride, but I'll probably not pick up strangers alone at night again for a while. . .especially kind-looking elderly men:) Side note to those prone to worry and worst-case scenarios: we continue to feel SO safe in Nicaragua, without ever taking our safety and well-being for granted. We are thankful for our safe neighborhood and the fact that we've really had no incidences involving theft or security since living in Nicaragua (and Carlos readjusting his gun doesn't change that, okay?). We praise God for His protection.

Volunteers!

As you know, the SOAAR program at NCA currently relies on volunteers, a wide range of wonderful individuals who commit to spending a year of their lives working and serving students with support needs in various classrooms. Right now, there are four SOAAR classroom assistants and a speech and language therapist who splits her time between NCA and Tesoros de Dios. I have the privilege of coordinating schedules of the volunteers, and making sure everything is in place and running as smoothly as possible for the volunteers. It has been a blessing to work with such committed, dedicated professionals this year. While their 7:00-2:30 work is really under my umbrella of "SOAAR Coordinator" responsibilities, their life outside of school is of course, outside of my control.

We learned quickly last year, however, that it can be hard to form community and feel included as a short-term volunteer at NCA. Volunteers don't typically have access to a vehicle, and it is difficult to get to know many people and the lay of the land in a short amount of time. Ruth and I decided that we wanted to prioritize creating opportunities outside of work for SOAAR volunteers to fellowship and explore Nicaragua. Once a month, we gather to eat at our home. And once a month, we host an "event," doing something fun around Nicaragua. So far this year,  as a group we've been to the beach, the volcano, and downtown Managua to explore the parks along the lakeshore. While I hope the volunteers enjoy these gatherings, our family certainly benefits from these relationships, too! Our kids LOVE hanging out with the volunteers, and they are very gracious with giving our wild children attention and love, too! (Two volunteers even babysat last weekend overnight for Ruth and I to celebrate our June anniversary!) We celebrate this micro-community that has become an important part of our lives at school AND beyond.

The Residency Process

Two weeks ago, we celebrated the fact that we were once again able to renew our residency status in Nicaragua.  If I had read that sentence before moving to Nicaragua on one of the blogs of the many people I “blog-stalked,” I would have had lots of questions:

         

          Why do you need residency?

          Why is it something to celebrate?

          What do you have to do to be residents?

Maybe some of you have these same questions.  I hope so, because I’m going to answer them.:)

When we arrived in Nicaragua for the first time over 3 years ago, we entered the country on tourist visas, which is an easy $10 stamp in your passport as you arrive in the Managua airport.  The tourist visa is only good for 90 days, though, and after that there is a daily fee for being in the country 

without a visa (being an illegal immigrant, essentially). 

Even before we left for Nicaragua, we began the residency process by collecting Birth Certificates, Marriage License, Police Reports, Doctors notes, and work contracts, all notarized and apostillized (a step above notary).  This was a long, tedious, and expensive process.  It took us over a year after arriving to finally get our residency.

Now, every year we have to renew our residency.  We have friends that have had babies here, and because of that only have to renew every five years, but as appealing as it sounds, were not quite willing to have another baby just to avoid yearly renewal.  So, every year, we get a new police report, new pictures, and start the process again. 

We are very fortunate to be under the care of Nicaragua Christian Academy, because Jairo, an amazing man that works there basically facilitates the whole process for us.  He tells us what we need, and then submits everything for us and tells us when we need to show up to make it happen.  Then he or Arturo, his assistant run around making it all happen.

When everything is ready we all have to go to the immigration office here in Managua.  We all (including the kids) have to be present at this appointment that we usually plan on taking at least 3 hours.  I have learned to come prepared with lots of snacks and entertainment to pass the time.  There is also a small playground outside where we take turns watching the kids.  You can buy donuts and ice cream inside the immigration office (which is a genius business strategy!), so we make our kids hold out as long as possible (at least until they get their picture taken) and then reward them with sugar. 

This year we celebrated because the whole process went very smoothly—we were in and out in two hours with our cedulas (residency cards) in hand.  We also celebrated because we had been a little fearful that this would be the year that we wouldn’t be granted the privilege of calling Nicaragua our home.  The government has recently instituted new laws about allowing missionaries to enter and work in the country. They have been asking more questions (we have friends who are currently “under investigation” from immigration), and making the process a lot more unsure. 

We love Nicaragua, and living here has been one of the deepest blessings that we have experienced.  We are thankful for God’s faithfulness throughout this necessary but at times inconvenient process. We are thankful to Nicaragua for allowing us to live and serve here for (at least) another year!  

Time to Celebrate!

This past week, Nicaragua took a break from life-as-normal to celebrate Nicaragua Independence Day, or “Fiestas Patrias.” This past week began with colorful dances, traditional food and outfits, and an annual program showcasing the history and beauty of this country. Click here to see some of the dancing (yikes!) and below to see Charlotte sing and Mae recite some poetry by Ruben Dario, Nicaragua’s most famous poet. Henry's poem is too long to upload here; visit here to hear him show off his Spanish!

The festivities ended with a break from school (3 days, actually), which allowed our family to head to the beach together for an awesome respite.

We are not only celebrating Nicaragua right now!  We’re celebrating a good start to a new school year, and the healthy routines that our family craved after a fun, unpredictable summer. Job charts, family meetings, bedtime routines, exercising, reading together . . . good stuff that typically flies out the window during summer vacation!

We’re celebrating the smooth transition of Charlotte into NCA International; she LOVES school and can’t stop sharing what she learns each day. We’re thankful our other kids are loving their teachers this year, too!

We’re celebrating a good start to our ministries this year. The SOAAR program is off and running; the first month of coordination is exhausting and overwhelming at times, but I think we’ve found a good rhythm with students and volunteers classroom assistants. It is wonderful to NOT be in year 1, though we are by no means experts yet! Ruth is back at House of Hope and AMOS, ministering to groups of women each week; we’re celebrating the partner organizations that exist here in Nicaragua that we are privileged to work with.

We’re celebrating the natural beauty of this place we have the privilege to call home! Our time at the beach ended today—a few days of sand and sun and boogie boarding that was good for the soul and spirit! It was our first-ever “only family” vacation in Nicaragua, and it was a nature-lovers dream! The kids had to say goodbye to her hundreds of hermit crab friends that they gathered and released constantly. We saw a huge whale swimming close off the shore, which was a first for all of us, and the kids came across a troop of howler monkeys in the trees near our room. We followed three baby sting ray in the shallow waters, and Henry and I re-covered a nest of turtle eggs that was under attack by dogs and vultures (I’m guessing they came back to finish their meal, but we tried!).  

Happy Fiestas Patrias week! May you find many things to celebrate this day!

Back to School!

First of all, THANK YOU. We really had a wonderful summer in the US, reconnecting with so many of you in various ways. I would personally rank it the "best summer back" out of the three we've had so far. We were able to recharge, reconnect, and have a lot of fun with our kids doing "US" stuff that we can't do in Nicaragua. We also gained 10 pounds, but that is just a testimony to your hospitality, right? A few (random) peeks at our adventures--we didn't take many pictures:

We've been back in Nicaragua for less than two weeks, and it was a race for me to get ready for the new school year, which began two days ago. While I disappeared into the depths of my classroom at every waking moment, Ruth held down the fort at home, restocking our empty shelves, unpacking from our summer travels, and entertaining wild children who DESPERATELY needed the structure of school again. While excited to be back home in the jungle, the phrase "I'm bored" was certainly thrown around plenty.

What did my work entail these last 13 days?

I unpacked my "stuff" and set up the room. That took about 10 minutes, except for the fact that I had a locked file cabinet with ALL of my files in it, and no key. A local locksmith named Roberto proved invaluable:) It is SO awesome to have a finished classroom and furniture! I didn't recieve furniture until a few months in to the school year last year. . .so it was wonderful to begin this year with a classroom that looks like a. . .classroom.

I've been busy creating schedules (the Puzzle of All Puzzles) and orientating our new team of SOAAR volunteers, who had a good first two days! They are going to be great supports for our five students that need that extra support in the classroom. These first two days I tried to spend ample time working alongside of these assistants, making sure they are comfortable and feel "trained" before I leave them alone:)

I've met with many teachers, making sure they feel ready and supported as they prepared to support students with needs in their classrooms. I made copies of IEPs and APs and information sheets to share with gen. ed. teachers. Knowledge is power.

I've emailed. A lot. I LOVED my empty summer inbox. No longer the case.

And Monday and Tuesday were actually very good days, welcoming students back to NCA.

Charlotte, Mae, and Henry are all at NCA this year. Charlotte is in PreK2, Mae in 2nd, and Henry in 4th. All have wonderful CRC partner missionary teachers! They loved being back in the classroom.

I've jumped back into life at Tesoros de Dios, welcoming our new shared Speech Language therapist meeting with the director, planning for a new year of Thursday afternoon classes, and working on various board initiatives. The entire staff and a large group of students and moms spent last Tuesday honoring the life of Kevin, a 6th-grade Tesoros de Dios student that died last week. I was able to meet Kevin through my time on Thursday afternoons; Kevin had muscular dystrophy and had been fighting to survive in his slowing body for many years. For a while last year, Kevin was too weak to attend classes at Tesoros so I was able to visit him and his mom at home a few times. It was my first burial here in Nicaragua. It was hard, but I have to think of Kevin's newfound freedom, no longer bound by the chains of a degenerative disease.

I found this picture of Kevin on the internet--the photo is probably four years old. 

Today is a national holiday (after two days of school!), so we're having a lunch gathering with almost 60 of the CRC folks of Nicaragua! There are a number of new faces this year joining this unique community. And then. . .back to work tomorrow:)

Our goodbyes! (A post written two months ago and just now discovered!)

I wrote this one back at the beginning of June but never published it! Oops. Seems like a LONG time ago. Now that the summer is over, it is time for HELLOS again, not goodbyes (we did plenty last week in the US)! But thought I'd share this post anyway:) Lots of fun pictures. . .and makes me excited for our fourth year serving. learning, and living in Nicaragua.

Two days of school left in the 2015-2016 year. 1 week and 2 days until we hop on a plane to Chicago.  Yikes! These last few weeks have been a lovely, exhausting time of "lasts" for this ministry year, at school, church, and on the home front. We've had a lot of parties, baked a lot of cupcakes, sang a lot of songs. Here are a few pictures to give you a glimpse of how things are ending up this year, and some of the "goodbye for nows" that we're saying as we head to the US for 6 weeks.

Goodbye, Mincaito! You have been Charlotte's preschool home for the last two school years. We're so thankful for the love Charlotte has been shown while being immersed in Spanish each day. We're gonna miss your epic programs (see above!) Note: Charlotte will be in PreK2 at NCA when we return to Nicaragua next school year. . .it'll be nice to have Henry, Mae, Charlotte, and Andrew at the same place each day.

Adios for now, Iglesia Bautista Esperanza! Hasta pronto y que Dios les bendiga y su ministerios!

Goodbye, Jim and Candace and Olinda! It's been awesome serving with you as SOAAR volunteers this semester. Blessings as you follow God's call to the "next thing!"

Goodbye, Sofia. I'll see you as a first grader in August! So glad that God brought you into the SOAAR program in January. 

Goodbye, Daniel! My how much you've learned this year! I've had so much fun watching you learn and grow every day.  I'm so glad you'll get to be in Sharkie's class next year at NCA. 

Goodbye, NCA kiddos. It's been awesome getting to know you as learners and friends. You've made SO much progress this year. May you each have an awesome summer and come back in August, refreshed and ready to learn!

Goodbye, piano students! The recital was great. . .promise to practice a FEW times over the summer for Mr. Ippel:)

Goodbye, Volcan Masaya. Settle down a little over the summer!

Goodbye, Ms. Rammell! So glad you'll be serving at Tesoros de Dios next year:)

Goodbye, Dexter. Behave yourself while we're gone. Have fun at Tesoros de Dios and make a lot of kids smile:) We'll welcome you back to your home here when we get back.

Bye, Angel. It has been SUCH a blessing to have you here with our family these three months. I don't know if we'll have the honor of hosting you next year or not. . .but God has a perfect plan for you next year, whether in the US or Nicaragua. We wish you the best, and will miss you.

Goodbye, Boy Scouts! Henry will see you next year, but as a Webelo.