Fiestas Patrias! and Grandma!

It's Independence Day in Nicaragua, and for us that means special patriotic school programs and a few days off of school as well! This week is also great because we have mom/grandma Jan here with us! Here's how we spent the last few days:

Henry and Mae dressed in traditional Nicawear in order to participate in NCA's annual program, full of traditional songs and dances. Click here to see more on Youtube. Want to just see "Mr. Ippel" in the much-anticipated teacher dance? Click here!

Charlotte donned a blue and white dunce cap and marched around the block near her preschool, banging on a drum! She looked a little dazed and confused, but still enjoyed it!

We left immediately after the NCA program and lunch to head 2.5 hours south to Playa Coco, where we stayed in a house near the beach with Jan for two nights. What a special treat! First time leaving Managua since being back.

While the house wasn't very fancy (perfect for kids), the toilet paper sure was.

The pool was a great non-salt water option for swimming, too!

We all tried our hand at surfing, without much success (excepting Henry!) Andrew quit immediately after noticing he was surfing a wave next to four large stingrays. After he got out, we watched the stingrays swimming around in the shallows for a while. Scary.

Five minutes from our house was Playa la Flor, known for it's protected "turtle beach." At night, you can often encounter mother turtles of the "Olive Ridley" variety climbing out of the sea, digging deep holes, and squirting out 50-100 eggs before burying their eggs and heading back into the sea. We were very fortunate to see many turtles! In about 50 days, babies will be erupting out of the sand heading back into the ocean. 

The next morning, we rode in an old fishing boat to look for turtles swimming around the bay in the water. Again, we were lucky! We saw around 40 turtles, including a few turtles that were "dancing" according to Mae!

Henry and I enjoyed a hike from our beach to Playa la Flor, though it ended with a near-death experience of being stuck on a crumbly cliff together with thorny trees and biting ants.

We ended our journey with lunch and a stroll through San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua's 2nd most popular tourist destination (after Granada). A fun place to be for a while, though I was happy we stayed in a more secluded area as it seems to be a "party" town.

While we had an awesome time exploring God's creation and meeting some pretty cool wild creatures in Nicaragua, we're mostly thankful to be with Jan and thankful for her adventurous spirit! Looking forward to a few more days together!

Pictures are worth WAY more than words:)

Sometimes, pictures say so much more than words. Here is a glimpse into the life of my PreK2 classroom at NCA International this school year during our first few weeks. I think these kids are pretty special! Enjoy!

School Decisions 2.0

In the US, we had many conversations—as a couple and also with friends—about whether to send our kids to a public or private school.  Here in Nicaragua, we are involved in many of the same debates, but instead of Christian vs. public, the two contenders are English-language schools vs. Spanish-language schools.  There are obviously pros and cons to both. Here is a sample debate to give you a feel for some of the issues that make this decision tricky.  Andrew will play the role of the open minded optimist, and Ruth will play the role of the negative pessimist.

Andrew:  I think we should have the kids attend Nejapa (which is Nicaragua Christian Academy’s Spanish language campus in Managua) so that they are fully immersed in Spanish and will eventually become fluent.

Ruth: But what about their English language skills?  Will they learn to read well in English?  Will they learn proper grammar?  Will they receive the same quality of education they would at the international campus? Will this mean that we will end up homeschooling on top of sending them to school? I don’t have the time or patience for that!

Andrew: But think of all the meaningful relationships that they could build with Nicaraguans classmates and teachers…

Ruth:  Can you imagine walking into a classroom where you know no one, and no one speaks your language.  I don't think I’d make any friends… I would just lock myself in a bathroom stall. 

Andrew: Kids learn languages so quickly and have the gift of developing friendships with no words.

Ruth: But what about the fact that the Nicaraguan schools are on a whole different calendar… you wouldn't even have the same summer break.

Andrew:  Yeah, that would be a pain…

This is obviously not a real dialog, but reflects many of the views we have spoken or heard.  What is real is the fact that it is hard to make these decisions that have such significant long term effects on our kids’ lives.  It is hard to know what challenges will push them to eventually being better people and which ones will just simply push them over the edge.  For now, we are trying to find a balance.  Henry and Mae attend NCA International where most of their instruction is in English, but for an hour (Henry) or two (Mae) a day, they are getting excellent Spanish instruction.  They both attend Sunday school at our Spanish speaking church where we hope and pray that they are being challenged to use their Spanish and build some of those meaningful relationships “Andrew” referenced earlier.  Charlotte just began attending a Nicaraguan preschool, where we hope that because of her young age she will learn Spanish quickly and develop a good bilingual base.  As all parents do, we pray that we are making the best decisions for our children, and are so thankful that really all we have to do is place them in God’s hands and have faith that although we don’t always know what’s best, He does.  

PreK2, take 2!

Another year of preschool teaching begins tomorrow. I'm mostly excited: for the songs and stories and routines, the energetic passion for life that is a natural part of being 4, the unconditional love and countless leg hugs from these tiny learners. My room is ready and walls are decorated. Student names are laminated and appear everywhere in my room: on the tables, by the coat hooks, on the cubbies, on the floor where they line up, on the job chart, on the behavior chart, birthday chart, center chart, word wall. . .their names are everywhere! Lesson plans are done (for the year, really). We had Open House on Friday and 15/16 families were represented in my classroom, which is a great indicator of a good year!

But while I feel ready, I have two things that keep my mind busy and my prayers occupied:

1) Language: Last year, I had 19 students, 7 of whom came from English-speaking homes. These kids were dispersed through my learning groups, so that the native Spanish-speakers could hear and learn language from their peers. This year, I have 16 students. Only 1 student is bilingual, and he is extremely shy, unlikely to speak up much during group lessons. It will be a challenge to teach language as the sole "English teacher" in the class. . .but that is one huge objective of the program--to get these kids learning a new language at such a young age. After a week of school I'm sure I'll have a better picture as to what this year will look like from a language learning standpoint.

2) My Afternoons: Last year, my school day was finished at 12:30. I spent 12:30-3:00 eating lunch and then prepping, lesson planning, getting materials ready. This year, I have the added responsibility and joy of working with three NCA elementary students as a Learning Resources teacher. I will spend 90 minutes Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with a first grader, 4th grader, and 6th grader (30 minutes with each child). Special education is my background, education, and passion. I spent 9 years in the US working with learners with diverse needs. Yet, I'm a little nervous! I've never supported a general education teacher using a "pull-out" model, so this is new. And in the US, I was working with kids with moderate cognitive impairments, whereas this year I will be supporting learners with much "milder" needs, like learning disabilities and dyslexia. I know it'll take one week before I'm loving this new part of my job at NCA, but I'm going into it feeling a bit like a "newbie" for some reason.

As I begin a new school year, take a moment to lift up these 19 boys and girls who will become a huge part of my life and ministry tomorrow: Alejandro, Alvaro, Jessel, Miriam, Mateo, Anthony, Xioli, Benjamin, Josias, Jade, Fernando, Angel, Sebastian, Hanna, Jaiyen, Grace, Slaton, Min Gyu, and Hudson.

Thank you!

Las Semillas: Another year!

Time to dust of this blog and get informing again! After a 7-week summer through Michigan, Tennessee, New Mexico, and Colorado, visiting supporting churches and gracious family and generous friends and clean parks and freezing beaches and relaxing cabins, all while living out of suitcases and only losing one sandal, a teddy bear, and a blanket, we are finally home! And unpacked, too. Dexter was pretty happy to see Henry again.


While last year's initial journey to Nicaragua was filled with the adventure of having NO IDEA what life would look like for our family, this year we had the bizarre feeling as if we were coming "home." (Though that particular word is very confusing, especially to Mae and Charlotte!). Last year, we were picked up from the airport by our school director and deposited into our home with only beds and a table. We knew no one. We had no car. We then spent the next few weeks gathering things,(from couches and trashcans to vegetable peelers and hangers), making acquaintances, buying a vehicle, and learning to navigate the city. And this was just figuring out life here, not to mention work and volunteering and school and church.

What a gift it was to come into a home with already-made beds, internet for which we know the password, plenty of kitchen utensils, and a box of Legos after being picked up from the airport by a friend! What a gift it is to instantly lose our children in our neighborhood for hours at a time while they play with their long lost buddies! What a gift it is to be back at church and give hugs to people with names that we know (and have some Spanish conversation, too)! What a gift to be able to drive to Pricesmart and know how to get there and what to buy to refill our empty cupboards. Things that were stressful, draining, and new are now just part of our lives. So many reasons to be thankful.

We start Year 2 with so many advantages that come with having been in a particular place for a year. Seeds (semillas) were planted and roots have grown. A lot of the groundwork--the figuring-out-life-in-a-brand-new-place stuff--is finished. We are poised to  jump right in to the work we're called to do here in Nicaragua without having to worry so much about the "newbie" stuff. And that feels good. We're not experts, and there remains adventure and unknown. Yet, it is a gift to be here for Year 2, and we thank God for that, and we look forward to another year of sharing with you what God is doing here in Nicaragua.

Bringing nursing to new heights. . .

As a nurse on the mission field, often when people speak to me the conversation begins with them saying, “So, you’re a nurse….” The statements that follow those dots are endless. I get requests for medical advice, medications from the “Ippel pharmacy,” breastfeeding help, boil lancing… really nothing surprises me anymore.  I WAS surprised, though, on Friday morning when I got a voicemail from a woman at the American embassy in here in Managua saying that they were looking for a nurse with a US passport who could transport a patient to Houston the next morning.  My initial response was, ‘No way!  That sounds terrifying’ (in my head, of course).  In all honesty, I delayed returning the phone call in hopes that someone else would respond before me.  And someone had!  When I called back, she thanked me for calling but said they already had found a doctor to do it.  I was mostly relieved, and only a teensy bit disappointed (I always like an adventure, if only to have a story to tell!).  A couple hours later, though, I got a text message saying “I heard you are willing to take Fred to Houston tomorrow.” All the fear and excitement came flooding back to me as I rushed to Andrew to ask his opinion (for the millionth time) about the situation.  After a long exchange of texts, in which I learned more of the specifics of the situation—Fred (not his real name) was an American man who had been working in Managua when he suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed on the left side and now need to get back to the US for more advanced care and rehabilitation—I hit the send button on a text that said “I will do it.” To be completely honest once again, my decision to say yes was based on, yes, my desire to help this man who desperately needed to get back to a good hospital and his family, but also the generous sum of money they were offering me to do it (so don’t think I am a wonderful person and all). As soon as I committed, I went straight to work brushing up on my nursing skills and knowledge of the care of a person who has had a stroke by doing google searches and watching youtube videos (during which Andrew concluded that with enough youtube videos, he could be just as qualified as I am to take on the task). I was pretty nervous that whole day, and got increasingly more nervous as Andrew and the kids drove me to the hospital the next day to meet Fred (it didn’t help my nervousness that by this point there was a conspiracy theory that Fred didn’t exist at all and the whole thing was just a scam—How did I know it was really the American Embassy that had called? I emailed my passport to a total stranger?).  Many people were praying for me, though, and as soon as I met Fred and his friends who had been caring for him, I transitioned immediately back into my familiar role of “nurse,” and everything seemed natural.  As I got to know Fred in the hospital and then as we rode in the back of an ambulance to the airport, my empathy for him grew.  How awful would it be to be in a foreign country, away from all of your family and everything familiar and have a devastating stoke that would change your life forever?  I did my best to make an unpleasant, awkward, and dignity robbing situation the best it possibly could be—as we flew from Managua to Houston we chatted about golf courses across the US (THAT was the youtube video I should have been watching!), airplane food, and the population of cities in Texas, and I did my best to make the situation seem normal.  The whole trip went exceptionally well considering the severity of the situation, but I cannot tell you how relieved I was to deliver Fred to the paramedics waiting for him on the other side of customs in the Houston airport.  I completely recognize God’s faithfulness in the situation because it is something I would have never had the strength and courage to do alone.  I was in Houston for 13 short hours (most of them spent sleeping, the others spent enjoying the luxuries of being in the United States—watching House Hunters in English in an air conditioned room!) before returning home to my family in Managua the next morning.  And now tomorrow, just 3 days later, we head back to the airport to return “home” for the summer.  .  .and then I’ll decide whether it is easier to travel with 3 small children or a man with severe medical needs. . .I am thinking I already know the answer!