Ode to a Christmas Vacation Well Spent

Two and a half weeks ago, we finished the first semester of school at Nicaragua Christian Academy, and the following day we boarded a plane to spend the Christmas holiday in New Mexico, where most of Andrew’s immediate family lives. While we had been planning this trip for months, our kids didn’t know until the morning of the flight at 4:30am! It was an incredible surprise, and I’m impressed we pulled it off.

This is not typical for us—this is our fourth year in Nicaragua, and our first time spending the December break stateside. 

Why this year? Why NM?

1) Last summer, when in the US, we were unable to make the trip to the great Southwest.  We weren’t able to connect with Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church, one of our supporting churches. This break was a great chance to do both!

2) Our kids have LONGED for a cold, snowy Christmas!  They got oneJ Christmas Eve was our only significant snow fall, so we did have a White Christmas, and we were able to play in snow in Colorado (like 6 feet of it!) and in the Sandia mountains near Albuquerque. Charlotte was only one year old when we moved from Michigan, so this is really her first memorable experience with the white stuff (she LOVED it, though the first time she saw it she ran into it barefoot!) And even when there wasn’t a lot of snow, it was certainly different weather than the warm temps of Nicaragua. BRRRRR!

3) We budget for one US trip a year, and we likely will not come back to the US for the summer months for our normal Michigan/New Mexico adventures (no sibling weddings for the first time since being in Nicaragua!). We’ve always wanted to stay in Nicaragua for the summer at some point: time to do more language learning, time for Andrew to complete a two-week special education course in Nicaragua in which he is enrolled, time for more traveling opportunities around Nicaragua (and maybe Costa Rica!), time to welcome more visitors into our homes that can’t typically travel during the school year.

We had a lovely time in New Mexico with the Ippel clan, and many of Ruth’s family members, too. Below is a poem I wrote to commemorate our time together that I shared with my family—some of this might not make sense to an “outsider”, but it gives you an idea of how we spent our last few weeks relaxing and fellowshipping before the second semester begins next Monday.

Ode to a Christmas Vacation Well Spent

Christmas 2016 by Andrew Ippel

Family gathered from near and far,

Using airplane, feet, and car,

To spend some much-needed time together

Despite the cold and dreary weather.

Rehoboth was the destination

For this special family vacation.

For our kids this was a surprise.

Made it to the Managua airport before the sunrise.

Mary had spent much time collecting

Warm clothing that would be protecting

The skin of the Ippels from the far south,

Not used to the cold and chapped skin by the mouth!

The Bob and Mary house was jammed—

But nobody minded begin crammed.

Fondue feasts and Ethiopian platter,

Happy Hour with noisy chatter,

Green chile dip, and charred hot dog,

Endless sweets and creamy egg nog.

The Kuerig machine making hot drinks a breeze,

Helping to thaw us out from the freeze.

Mary’s refrigerator always prepared,

With Bob hardly cooking none of us scared.

A family Christmas Murder Mystery—

Our costumes and accents full of hilarity.

Games like Werewolf, hearts, and checkers

Codenames, Guesstures (but not for the Becklers)

750-piece puzzle done just like that,

With so many games, still some time to chat.

Always guests, like Micah and Jan,

Eunice, Gloria, and the Mur and Josh clan.

Campus adventures, like caroling to Fred,

Ghost Tours and “SS” filling all with dread!

Hockey and Dodgeball and Scooters in the aux gym,

Ruth’s 30-day challenge not keeping us slim.

Playing Sunday piano and joining the choir,

Missionary presentations on Christmas drawing some ire.

Hogback hiking, icy Hales Canyon and the Crevasse disaster,

Mud and low temps helped us move faster.

Brunch at the farm, Grandpa’s Grills eats,

Bowling and movies and Water Store treats!

Feeding the horses and collecting the eggs,

10% egg survival rate due to wobbly legs.

Getting gifts from mom and dad (never with ease),

Requiring multiple stops and caroling at Mickey D’s,

Home Videos—a walk down memory lane.

Helping us remember which one(s) of us were the pain.

Ringle Bells, soccer games, piano battles were shown,

Three Billy Goats Gruff—can you believe how we’ve grown?

A side trip to Albuquerque, with much to explore.

Tocano’s, Frontier—couldn’t eat more.

Hot tubbing and popcorn at the great Drury Inn.

Laser Tag—Charlotte wants to do it again!

Exploring the artsy world of Meow Wolf too,

Sandias by Tram,  Christmas lights at the zoo.

A quick and full trip up to snowy Pagosa,

Slippery ice on the roads and on each ponderosa.

Surviving the drive and relaxing at the Springs,

Falling asleep before the New Year could ring.

Using the Sienna to get up the hills,

A challenge for chains and Bob’s driving skills.

Skiing at Wolf Creek—incredible glee!

Until Ruth’s stunt off the lift hurt her knee.

Thankful for only a partially torn ligament,

And last-minute PT dates with Anthony—God sent!

What a gift, to be with the Ippels,

Amid the red rocks and dripping ice cycles.

20+ Ippels now—we’re a group! We’re a crew—

Getting us together is quite a to-do!

And three tiny babies soon on the way,

Bonbon or Bobert? Who can say!?

Were so thankful for this past December—

So many memories made to remember.

God has been faithful as He keeps us united,

(I can’t remember the last time we’ve fighted!)

Made one in Christ Jesus—what else can we say, but

Lang saltza leyva, and Hip-Hip-Hooray!?

We are so thankful to God for these last few weeks! Pray for us as we enter back into life and ministry in Nicaragua. Pray for Andrew as he prepares for a new semester at school. Pray for Ruth as she manages the household with an unusable leg (see poem above) and for speedy healing and recovery. Pray for our kids; it isn’t fun to say goodbye to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, and while they do love Nicaragua, they don’t always remember that fact during these transition times (Henry was plotting to spend next semester as a Rehoboth School student).