quick update

These next two weeks will be quite busy. On Thursday (November 4), we'll be hosting the second computer teacher trainings at the Nehemiah Center. We'll be focusing on things that will help the teachers get a quick start with their lab using Open Source Software. On Friday I'll be heading to Santa Lucia, Boaco, about 2 hours outside of Managua for an initial meeting with a small rural community for a "participatory video" project. We'll be using the methods and manual of the organization InsightShare to empower the community in making a video about themselves. This initial meeting we will lay out our objectives and lead them in choosing a group of 6 or so people to be a part of the training. We hope to use their final video to show the impact in that community of the programs that the CRC and the Nehemiah Center have been promoting through a local organization ACJ (YMCA of Nicaragua). By having them make the video, we hope to have a more authentic picture of what's going on, but just as importantly we hope that the community will grow through the experience. When you have to think through your history, what parts of your community you want to present and how, and what hopes you have for the future, it makes you more self-aware as a community and actually becomes part of the development process. Following this first meeting on Friday, we will return on Monday to begin the actual training and creation of the video. It will be a 2 or three day training and then 2 or 3 days accomanying the team of trainees as they go out and make a film (up to 20 minuts) about themselves. So I'll be "out of town" for about a week, depending on how everything goes--we're planning on being flexible with the time we spend there because we're not sure how long everything will take.

Much planning still needs to be done on both of those fronts--both for the computer teacher training and the community-based video training. A good Nicaraguan friend of mine, Fabio, will be helping to facilitate the community training, which I'm very excited about--it is his first time collaborating with us on a major project, and he is a very talented individual. I look forward to seeing him fill this role.

As far as the Dama de Hierro goes (my truck), about a week and a half ago I submitted an appeal to the civil court, which I was told would take about a week to go through before I'd get an answer. We pleaded the case that I hadn't been given a fair chance at a just ruling, and that the evidence wasn't even considered, but rather ignored. I'll be hearing this week about that, and I believe I can appeal again if it still comes out against me...but so can she (the other party involved). So we're hoping she will accept the decision if she loses, and we're hoping for a just ruling.

I'm also in the process at the moment of getting a new passport. Mine went missing some time during my move about 4 months ago (I'm assuming it was then). It was in need of replacement anyway, since it was about to expire, but the complicating factor is that I need to renew my local residency, which is more difficult since it was my old passport that had the stamp. Hopefully I will be able to get all of this done in time to get a reasonably priced ticket to go home at Christmas--I'm afraid to get the ticket now because I'm not sure how long this whole process will take. Ah, the joys of living internationally! Some of you know what I mean!

Ah, one more thing. I mentioned previously that I had created a video for House of Hope, a ministry that reaches out to and serves prostitutes and former prostitutes of Managua. They posted the web version on their home page, and I invite you to take a look. I may be showing this film when I'm in North America again, but feel free to check it out anyway. (www.houseofhopenicaragua.com)

prayer items:

-pray that planning and preparation goes well for both of the trainings coming up--for the computer trainings and for the community participatory video trainings.

-pray that the appeal receives a fair look by a fair judge, and that the other woman involved, Sylvia, will accept her responsibility in the accident.

-pray that my passport and residency go through quickly so that I can get a ticket home for Christmas!

dancing with joel

How many of you are subscribers to the CRWM E-News? It's "the electronic newsletter from Christian Reformed World Missions. With this monthly email we hope to keep you informed with stories and news about what World Missions’ missionaries are doing worldwide. We hope you enjoy these stories of transformation from around the globe."

Two recent articles:

1. This week there was a really neat article by Joel Huyser, who I work with at the Nehemiah Center, called "Dancing to a New Program". It starts like this...

I (Joel) am not good at dancing.

It was not part of my culture growing up in Sully, Iowa. And I definitely don’t have rhythm. When I took up the trombone in middle school, my Mom spent long hours teaching me how to tap my foot to the beat of the music. I was that clueless. Seriously.
Read the full story...

2. A couple of weeks ago there was an article about my work. Here's the teaser:

Today’s electronic world has ushered in significant changes in every community - from large metropolises in North America to small, rural villages in Nicaragua. As technology changes, schools around the world are adapting their programs to give their students a “head-start” in the new electronic era. Dave Stienstra, a partner missionary with CRWM and the Nehemiah Center in Nicaragua, is helping missions organizations, local agencies, and Christian schools navigate this new world. Read the full story...

blamed again

For those of you who have been wondering for a long time, last week I finally heard back about the result of my appeal for the accident report with the police. Quick review: got in an accident almost two months ago; I basically t-boned a car at midnight on my way to the airport when she ran a red light; the first police report indicated she was at fault, gave me a speeding ticket, and her insurance would have to pay for damages; she didn't like the idea of having to pay a deductible and increased premium and vowed to appeal, which she did; she pulled some strings and had the report reviewed and the resolution was in her favor, totally ignoring her critical mistake; I appealed with the help of a lawyer and began the month-long wait for a response. That is the response I got last week. Next week we will be filing another appeal, this time with the civil court, so a different set of strings will need to be pulled in order to manipulate the system. I'm still hoping that those who make the decisions will do so justly. I post here when I know more. For now, I'm very thankful that my motorcycle is running well, and just as thankful that the rains have slowed down significantly.

Speaking of rains slowing down significantly...they were coming down really hard for like almost two months. There has been so much flooding in Nicaragua and damage because of it that it's been quite disastrous. Lake Managua has grown, I just heard, so much that it's covering several blocks of the neighborhoods closest to the lake, and is still rising. The ground is so saturated that any time it starts raining, rivers appear out of no where. A few nights ago during a 40 minute downpour, I was on my bike near my previous house, and I was slightly concerned that I couldn't see the road; water coming from side streets careened across the road, and manhole covers were shoved out of their place by brown water pushing its way up from below. When you see this quantity of water, it's not hard to see why so many streets have open drainage systems instead of pipes--they simply can't contain it.

The rain has also affected farmers significantly. Those who lost their crops last year because of lack of water are now losing their crop again--and the seeds for the next!--due to erosion from the extreme amount of rain. The price of beans right now is skyrocketing, and prices in general continue to rise in kind.

Red Pro Com #1

In other news, we had our first training day for Christian computer teachers, and it was a definitive success! We had exactly 20 teachers from almost as many schools out to meet for the first time and begin what I hope is a deeply enriching mutual learning experience. A couple of weeks ago, Christian Reformed World Missions published an article about this group of teachers on their e-news bulletin. Here's the link. It really does a good job of explaining what it's all about. In this first session we focused on developing a biblical understanding of science and technology and how that relates to teaching computer classes. Unfortunately we only took a few photos of the hands on part of the day, where the teachers are getting the opportunity to install Ubuntu on computers and set them up for dual-boot. They're all interested in coming back in October and November for more meetings.

By the way, you may notice that I have started posting other things on my blog--there are some posts below that I didn't send emails about. I decided to start blogging once in a while about things that aren't necessarily related to my ministry here, but that I believe are important and interesting topics. I hope you'll pop in once in a while to read them. I will continue to send email invitations to read my ministry-update blog posts. Thanks for following along!

prayer items

-pray for the rains to slow down, for the ground to dry up a bit, and for harvests this next season to be bountiful
-praise for a great first session with the computer teachers, and pray for further creativity and energy within the group (and for its leaders!) pray that there is natural leadership from within the group of teachers that stimulates and involves everyone
-pray for my situation with my car, the Dama de Hierro, and that through this long process we'll eventually see justice done

making ideas happen

A friend sent me a link yesterday that I finally got to reading today. It struck me as so simple, yet so true. We (yes...even you!) make excuses all the time for not doing good things--for not making good ideas happen. When was the last time you had a good idea...but failed to act?

Here's the link to the top 15.

I hope you take the time to read through some of these. The reason I believe it's important is because sometimes we don't even realize we're making excuses, or we don't even realize that most people who actually do make things happen ignore the excuses.

Personally, I fight with these very excuses every day. I think I'm not good enough, not smart enough, not creative enough...that someone better equipped should do what I'm trying to do, that there's not enough time, that things aren't prepared enough, etc.

What do you think? Leave a comment here. I hope it inspires you to stop paying so much attention to those excuses and DO something about your good ideas. Yes, you!

collision

Another several weeks has gone by, and things have been busy again lately. After surviving a highly stressful week last week, I think I'm through the worst of it. Here's a recap, and a brief look at what's to come.

:: The computers for Christian schools program ::

A couple of weeks ago we began visiting schools who have submitted applications to receive computers from the lot of computers we got from Food for the Hungry in Korea. We wanted to do site visits to get an idea of the physical space, electrical setup, and to talk with the administrator and the proposed teacher to see what we're going to be dealing with. It was exciting to take that first step towards a relationship with the schools. The applications were submitted by the Christian schools association on their behalf and really should more rightly be called recommendations. They chose schools they thought were positioned to make a computer lab successful. Here are a few photos from our first trip:
This is a picture of a school in Managua. I don't recall the name right off hand, but they have classes from kindergarten through 6th grade. No computer lab currently.


They're very excited about the possibility of getting computers and making space from this room, currently the 3rd grade classroom. 3rd grade would get displaced and have to be relocated. Proposed room:


Here's another school in Managua that already has a lab. They've got about 700 kids from kindergarten through high school, and their lab has about 9-15 computers, depending on whether you count the ones that aren't working. One thing interesting that I noted was that all the monitors were painted black...which indicates that their idea of maintenance and mine might be slightly different:



Next step will be to talk a bit more about which schools should get how many computers, plan for helping them to accommodate the space, and start planning for our monthly trainings for computer teachers. Worldwide Christian schools will be helping fund the program, and is already a large part of the Association of Christian Schools.

:: The Media Studio ::

Just finished another video! I'm so glad to be at the end of another project. They are so much work! The video is a promotional film for House of Hope ministries, who try to reach out to women and girls caught in the trap of prostitution. I learned a lot through this project, both in terms of filming and editing, and in terms of the legalities of making a film about prostitution. I will definitely let you know when it's posted online. In this case, the organization wants to host the video themselves, so it will not appear on our YouTube channel as many others have.

Next projects: I'm going to be working with other CRC missionaries here to produce a short 3 minute film to be used in our sponsoring churches during collections to give an update about what the CRCNA is doing in Nicaragua. That should come out sometime in the next few weeks.

Also, we're looking at how to implement a "participatory video" approach in some of the communities that the Nehemiah Center is involved in. It would involve training communities and supplying them with the equipment to make their own films...to record and tell their own story from their perspective. It's a very empowering process. I believe this kind of project is starting to gain more interest in the world. This would allow the studio to be involved a bit more directly in community development and really tie it into other projects that the Nehemiah Center is carrying out. I'm quite excited about this.

We also had a team down from Antioch Church in Bend, Oregon. They're very artistic and feel a strong calling to be involved in the arts. Check out their channel on Vimeo (also check out this really cool video they made for World Relief). They were excited to see what's going on at the studio and so we're going to be working with them to see what kind of partnerships we can arrange. They talked about the possibility of sending teams down to do trainings or even sending individuals down to do internships and work on specific video projects.

:: Life outside of work ::

Well, this part of life has been feeling the squeeze lately. Steph, a friend from Brookside came for a visit, and while she was here, I didn't spend a whole lot of time working. She did, however, help me film the video for House of Hope, as we had a couple of shoots while she was here. We visited some volcanoes, lakes, a market, some restaurants, and basically hung out. It was great to have a friend in town to show around and do stuff with! Thanks for coming, Steph!

The sad part of her trip was that I had to make several trips to the police station. On my way to pick her up from the airport, I got in an accident. Someone turned left right in front of me at an intersection when I clearly had a green light. Basically t-boned her. The process of what happens here after an accident is different than in the US and Canada. The police arrive (it has to be a certain kind of police, called "Transito"), and they ask questions, draw pictures, measure distances, and then tell you when you need to go to the police station to get the final report and determination of who is at fault. Sometimes it can take several hours until Transito arrives to the scene. (click below to see some pictures of the event and my truck)



Thankfully, in my case they arrived within about 10 minutes, and within 45 minutes they were done. When we went to the police station the next day the police explained to me that they understood it was her fault for running a red light and that I'd probably win the case. But, they also explained that the woman I hit had a friend in the police department, and that she'd have an advantage because of that. And they also said that I was going to get a speeding ticket because of evidence left by my skid marks. They weren't real clear on how they determined that I was speeding, or even what the speed limit was, or how fast they thought I was going. They were clear about another thing, though--that I was likely to get a "red ticket" which means a suspended license, and that I'd also likely have to attend a class, and that on top of a very heft fine--1500 córdobas ($75). The largest traffic fine I've ever heard of is 400 córdobas ($20). I was shocked that they were going to slap me with all that--I wasn't even going terribly fast--in my perspective, this fine was far too heavy. Then they also made it clear that I could make sure that it would not show up in the report (and therefore I'd avoid a suspended license and the class), if I paid the 1500 córdobas to them directly instead. After a bit of a chuckle, I explained that I wanted to deal honestly with this situation, and that if I had to take responsibility for speeding, I'd rather do that, but that I did think what they were saying was extreme. At that, they turned to my friend Lennin, a Nicaraguan, and said, "I don't think he understands correctly..." and then they explained the whole thing to him again about the red ticket, suspended license, classes, etc., and reminded him that it didn't have to be that way. I can't say it wasn't tempting to pay them off, but I held my ground and braced for an extreme ruling.

Well, as it turned out, the report indicated that she was at fault. It did slap me with a ticket, but it was only a yellow one--same price, no suspension, no classes. The women actually tried to make a deal with me that I pay her deductible, which I did not agree to, and she told me she'd be appealing the ruling based on the fact that she didn't want to pay her deductible and she had other debts, and she didn't want to pay a higher insurance premium when it came time to renew. She was divorced, she says, and has kids and debts. So she asked for a review of the case, and pulled some strings, and the second police report indicated that I was at fault, and hardly even mentions her in the telling of what happened.

At this point I have involved a lawyer, and together we have filed an appeal. I am still hopeful that there's a just judge somwhere, and that we'll end up with a just ruling. The damages to my car (and hers) are nothing minor. The chassis on my truck is twisted, the motor is crooked, and while it does start now, the transmission does not engage except when it is in 4x4 low (which is like 10mph with the engine screaming in fourth gear). There's obviously a good deal of damage.

Depending on how the case turns out and what all happens, I may be starting a capital campaign soon to raise funds for a new truck. :) Totaling a vehicle here is pretty much unheard of. Mostly vehicles are fixed, then sold as if nothing had happened, and nobody knows the history. Lots of damaged vehicles running around because of this.

That's it for today. Here are the prayer items:

- pray for our project that the Media Studio moves forward in the best way possible, and that we'll continue to develop according to the Lord's will.
- pray that the computer program unfolds well, and that planning for the monthly trainings goes well.
- pray for a just outcome for my situation with the truck and the accident, pray for the other women involved, for her well being, and that she would accept responsibility.