something's happening

Welcome back after a lengthy “vacation”. I have been meaning to get an update out for many weeks now. At first I procrastinated, but it’s gotten to the point now where I have had no time! My life since arriving back in Nicaragua on the 22nd of January has been just a wee bit hectic. Let me give you a brief but comprehensive update so you know where I’m at and what my prayer needs might be.

First, I have to say I had a great time in Grand Rapids over the Holidays. Disappointingly there were a few people I didn’t get to see because I ran out of time. Those of you who I did see, it was great to spend even a little time catching up, sharing stories from the past year, or just laughing together. I definately found myself to be very comfortable back home–I kind of wondered if there would be any culture shock, but if I felt it at all, it was very minimal.

All went well in Europe. If I had more time I’d throw up some more pictures. Perhaps another blog in the future. I spent the first four days or so in Hilversum, which is just outside Amsterdam by about 30 minutes. My gracious relatives on the VanBeekum side took me in without having ever met me and fed me and took me all around for my stay in Holland. I’m extremly grateful for their hospitality and patience. Because of a little confusion on my part about where my bags could be claimed, they ended up waiting about 4 hours for me at the airport before we found each other. While I was with them I also saw relatives on my Grandpa Stienstra’s side and my Gradma Stienstra’s side (Van Uffelen). It was definately cool to see where my great grandfather grew (Beetgumermolen, Friesland) up before immigrating, and to hear other stories about my great great grandfather and his children. Also saw some interesting old pictures. Also for another post. I also was able to meet up with my friend Sidney in Norwich, England. He got the visa right before his flight and it was great to spend some time with him there. I also spent about a day and a half in London. Saw Les Mis, but was slightly disappointed with the performance, sadly. But I have gone to very few musicals, so perhaps if I knew better I would have found it thrilling.

Better move on. I actually arrived back in Nicaragua a day late (on Monday) because I was bumped in Miami (they gave me a hotel, food, a $500 voucher, and first class on the next day’s flight). When I actually arrived, I began working the next day. I already heard on the way back from the airport that there were people asking for me at my school because they had to take a make-up exam. I quickly realized that I had not yet created those exams, so I spent a few hours putting them together and printing them off. The next few days I spent in seminars and planning days at the school. We finally figured out by Thursday, I think, who would be teaching which class (and so for what classes I had to prepare). With the rationale of continuing to build the relationships with students and parents, The decision was made to stay with the same students rather than the same grades. Thankfully this meant that I could avoid the dreaded second grade from last year, but it also meant that I would be picking up some new grades. I now have a kindergarden class, 2nd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, a second level high school class, and half of a ‘conversation and critical thinking’ class (CCT) in high school for students whose English is quite good. Last year I had 4 classes. This year it’s 5.5, with 3.5 new classes (that I have not taught before). This represents a large challenge for me, especially the kindergarden. I have no idea how they think, but I’m pretty sure they can only think about it for less than 5 minutes at a time. With 40 minute classes, this means I’ll have to have several activities prepared everyday for them. I’m a little excited about the high school class because I think the curriculum we got is excellent. I’m a little worried about the CCT class because I’m co-teaching it with the other teacher, and he’s the one that’s really developing the curriculum and has the vision. We have to co-teach because it’s the 3rd of 3 levels in high school that have to all happen at the same time. Each of us will take one day a week from our normal class to be with them. They will work independantly on homework and larger projects on the other days.

Here’s something else that’s consumed a lot of my time during the last week or so. On Friday of my first week back I was sitting at the table getting some work done in the morning when the director came out of her office to talk to me. She asked if I new that the security guard had my car off campus and that he had rolled it over. I was shocked–I had no idea. He had often washed my car on campus, and that morning I had given him my keys to do just that (it needs to be moved close to the water source). I couldn’t believe it, and I had no idea how to respond. Sidney and I packed up and left to go to the scene. I should mention that the guard is fine and amazingly nobody was hurt. He was feeling incredibly bad for many reasons. We took a look at the car and found that the shaft coming out of the steering box at the bottom had broken, which the guard claims caused the car to turn itself into a tall curb subsequently flipping the car on it’s side. There appeared to be no other damage other than a flat tire where it had hit the curb. Oh, the mirror broke off, but the windows stayed put and even the rear light still works (though only held on by one screw). Long story short, it was towed back to the school where it still sits today. It took me and Thomas (a nicaraguan friend who works at NCA) until yesterday (Wednesday) to get some solid estimates from mechanics and to get a price from the market for just a replacement part. Today I confirmed the price in the market and got the money I need to pay for it. Tomorrow I’m sending someone to get the part in the morning and hopefully we can install the part together in the afternoon. All together, it will probably cost around $550 to get it back on the road (not fixing the cosmetic damage). The guard wants to pay for it all, and will probably be making payments every month until it’s covered. The school has given me a loan to fix it and he’ll be paying into that loan. Anwyay, that is something that has been a huge deal for me. I’ve been struggling with how to respond to the situation and to the guard with love and mercy, but yet still holding him responsible for what happened. The story is maybe a little more complex that I have time for here. The Lord has really been answering my prayers and those of my friends who know about the situation, to make it easier to deal with. The guard saying today that he wanted to pay for the whole thing took a lot of pressure off of me having to decide what was fair. I really didn’t want to have to make that decision. Needless to say, this has been a source of frustration, struggle, and much personal growth for me during the previous week.

My family here also has been having some financial difficulties. I found out when they were trying to figure out where a certain addres was. When I asked why, they said they were looking for another place to live. A few days later they asked if someone I knew who had visited here would be willing to sponsor their son at Nejapa. As I looked into this process and met with various people at the school, this has also eaten up a bunch of my time. Yet, just like the car struggle, this has caused a certain amount of personal growth and a new perspective on some things.

Clearly, the Lord is at work in my life at this moment. The past two weeks have been filled with struggles of different sorts, and those struggles are still continuing in many ways. Some of them, such as the struggle with preparing for classes, has intensified, while others seem to be on the resolve. One particular devotional with the other teachers left me nearly in tears and unable to sing as I realized how deep my need for whole-hearted worship is. I stood there having only grasped a small part of the discussion and lesson, but as I heard the singing and thought about the lesson, the Lord was working on my heart, bringing before me some of my needs. One is a need to be surrounded by people who know the Lord and love him deeply. I experienced for a moment something I hadn’t experienced in the same way since worshipping with the youth group at First CRC in hamilton. The realization of my need for that kind of communal worship moved me deeply. I am finding my relationships here with many people to be changing and growing and deepening in a many different ways. I am grateful to our Lord for the work he is doing in me, and I pray I stay open to him.

That’s the quick version, believe it or not. Something is happening. I have felt the Lord at work in some strong ways lately. Tomorrow night we have an open house for the parents and families. I’m not feeling quite ready for that. On Monday, we begin classes. I’m not quite ready for that yet, either. I’d love to have my lesson plans for the first week in place by tomorrow, so that I can make copies on Saturday and start the week with confidence. So much is going on. I hope your life is a little less busy. Thanks for taking time to catch up on me!

Prayer items: (if they’re not clear from above…or incase you just skipped ot this section :) Thank you so much for your prayers.

- The Lord has been at work in my heart. Please thank him for what he’s been doing and pray that he presses on and that I will open my heart even more and in new ways.

- Thank him for the ways in which he’s resolved and is resolving some situations that you haven’t even prayed about before! Including the car situation. Pray that how I handle the situation will be in accordance with the Lord’s will for mercy and all that.

- Please pray that I am given some great energy and ideas for this year’s English classes. I am hoping this year I really learn how much I love teaching and teaching English. I’m so privileged to be working at Nejapa. I believe the Lord is working here and has some great plans for this school. My fellow teachers at both schools are amazing friends, and I’d love to be able to be a great teacher along with them. I’m just still trying to figure out of this is what God has equipped me for.