Independence

Time again for another update.  Here are some highlights of what has been happening round these parts.  Vehicle purchased, construction advances and new students, independence day for Central America, and a Raspberry Pi class.

First Graders Performing a Traditional Dance for Independance Day.

Vehicle Purchased

the Xtrail surrounded by fog one crisp morning.

This is big news for me.  I've been raising funds and looking for a new vehicle for the past few months.  As you may recall I sold my own vehicle back in July already, and a very generous friend here offered to let me borrow his car and then his truck while I spent time looking for something of my own.  (The truck was a Dodge Ram 2500 with a turbo-diesel engine...needless to say I quite enjoyed it despite the challenge in parking it and the higher prices at the fuel pump.)  A couple of weeks ago I finally purchased a 2006 Nissan Xtrail.  It's a model that was never sold in the US (sold in Canada, Austrailia, Europe, Asia, and Central and South America).  As a small SUV with switchable four wheel drive, it will be a little more fit than a sedan for the roads and trails here.  I really appreciate all of the support I received from those who contributed to the fund.  Thank you!

School Growth in Matagalpa

We are getting excited about the next school year as we see the new classrooms going up.  It seemed like it happened overnight watching the walls go up and roof installed.  This week they should be installing the electrical and the plumbing.  We are still needing more donations to completely finish it.  Some of the major expenses still waiting for funders are the drop ceiling, tiles for the floor, desks, chairs, and 10 computers.

This year we have 41 students in 1st-7th grade.  The new classrooms will be home to kindergarten, 8th grade, and English classes.  We signed up more than 20 students for next year.  Eighth grade is expected to be almost full if not completely full at 25 students.

Our students: second from left and foreground right.

This past week we had two first grade students participate in an area-wide reading competition.  One students won first place with the second finishing in the top three (tying with other students).  This is a huge encouragement as we haven't groomed these students for the competition, as is common in other schools.

If you are interested in joining us through a financial gift, please let me know!  In addition to the construction needs, we also have a high number of students that depend on scholarships and are looking for more individuals to contribute to our scholarship fund.  We are looking for more partners--we are looking for you!  (Do you I sound like Uncle Sam?)

Independance day

5th and 6th graders performing a traditional dance

This week, all of Central America celebrates their independance from the Spaniards.  In 1821 the ruling class here finally was able to break ties with the ruling class there, and thus changed the story for this part of the world.  At that time, runners were sent out proclaiming this good news all around the provinces.  Yesterday our students participated in the Torch Run, in which a torch is carried all through Central America to commemorate that initial proclamation of independance.  They didn't run, but they did go out to the road to cheer on the runners from Nicaragua's army.  Today we had an "Acto" or presentation at the school celebrating and remembering events through dramas, traditional dancing, poetry, and traditional food.

Raspberry Pi

For those who are unfamiliar with the Raspberry Pi, it is a small computer built for using to learn about computers.  We started an elective class at NCA International (English speaking campus) that is basically an independant study course based around finishing some kind of project using this little computer.  Our students are blogging about their projects here.  Feel free to go have a look.  There are three groups of students.  One is going to try to make a mini arcade console, another will make a motion detected alarm system that plays music instead of an alarm, and another will use an xbox to play games created using Scratch, a really cool application that teaches people the basics of programming using the mouse to drag and drop parts of the code into place (last semester, NCA students had a class where they learned how to make their own pac-man game using scratch).

Prayer Requests

• Praise God for the provision of a vehicle.  Pray that it will require little maintenance and that it will last a long time.
• This year is moving right along, and plans are beginning for next year already.  Pray for foresight and wisdom during this process.
• Pray enthusiasm and energy for the students in the Raspberry Pi class, so that we can make some really neat projects and so that they can learn enough to express their own creativity.