Nica Update: Christmas pix and letter, Dawn's update

Dear Family and Friends,


We pray that you had a blessed Christmas this year. In our update today, we share with you some of the Christmas memories we made as a family through the above pictures. We had a great 9 days with my parents and sister while they were here. We enjoyed them so much and it was hard to see them go. We would appreciate your prayers for my Dad who had a 101 temp. last night - we are praying that he is doing well today during their day of travel and that his illness will be short lived. We also attached our Christmas letter above that we sent to our prayer and financial supporters - if you would like to be on our mailing list, please let us know! And below, I have copied a letter from my friend Dawn (Nienhuis) Williams who lost her husband in the plane crash this past August (a picture of their family is above). Dawn continues to encourage me in my own walk of surrender and I trust that God will use her words and sharing to encourage you as well. We thank you for your interest in her journey and for your prayers for her and her children. We will send more of her updates to you in the future as she has given us permission to do so.

Dawn’s Letter

Hi Everybody,

It’s been ages since I’ve written. The more time that passes, the more I get behind in sharing news. Until I just decided to skip everything that has happened since I last wrote October 6.

We returned home (to Kenya) on November 17/18. Takes about 36 hours of traveling, waiting in airports to get back here. The last few days, the kids were asking me to move up our tickets to they could get home sooner. We were home sick in a very good way.

My sister Debra traveled with us and spent 2 weeks with us. Her husband and 2 little girls, Grace is almost 6 and Greta is almost 1, managed without her. She hasn’t been to Africa since my family visited me in Tanzania when she was 18. I think she found Nairobi much easier than the village I lived in then. We worked hard to get my bags unpacked, and ourselves settled before she left. We even had time to do some shopping and site seeing. She fed giraffes, pet baby elephants, and went on a game drive. We showed her the hangar, Java House and our church. We even made it out to Rift Valley Academy and attended our missions Spiritual Life Conference.

The Lord (and insightful friends) helped me realize that I will not be able to Home School in our immediate future. Caleb and Levi have been enrolled into West Nairobi School (WNS) starting in January. WNS is a Christian School that teaches according to the US school systems. Caleb is in 2nd grade and Levi is in Kindergarten. They were able to visit their classrooms before the school closed for Christmas break and loved it.

Seth and Chloe are on a waiting list to start pre-school in January at Logos. Logos is a Kenyan Christian School where many of my friends have sent their pre-schoolers and spoke highly of. I am confident they will both be accepted. They will be attending 3 mornings a week.

God has brought our Christmas plans together better than I had hoped. I was anxious about this first big holiday without daddy. And the closer we get to Christmas, the more we are expressing our homesickness for daddy. The Sunday before Christmas we are enjoying a turkey and ham dinner with all the fixings and good friends. On December 22 we fly to the coast for a week at the beach. Wanza, our beloved house-help, sent her husband and son to families house with out her. She will be coming with us on our vacation for the first time. I need to ask her if she has ever flown before. We will be staying at a 3 bedroom cottage with other friends, the Hamilton’s. The kids are getting pretty excited.

But going to the beach is something we always did with daddy. And the kids only remember our staying at Amani Acres. Caleb is mourning that we won’t be staying there this time. So I am anticipating that we will be having some ups and downs.

I am exhausted. After not feeling well for 2 ½ weeks, I finally went to the Doctor and was diagnosed with a kidney infection. I should be finished with my course of antibiotics when we leave for the beach. It was a relief to find out there was a reason for how I felt. I am hoping I have some more energy when we get back.

I’ve found that since we started having sit down dinners as a family, things have smoothed out. Our evening routine is finding it’s new normal without daddy. The more routines we can re-establish, the better for our family. When we first began this journey of grief, we were more volatile and each only seeing our own selves. With each of the 5 of us grieving our own individual ways, life was chaotic. But we are starting to be more perceptive of each other’s grief. And helping each other grieve with more compassion. We still each experience melt downs or just the need to cry but we are not where were 4 months ago. We can’t stay where we are, we need to keep walking. This is different than ‘moving on’. There is no moving on that I can see. This will always be a part of our lives, this missing Ryan. We deeply hurt, all the more because of how much we loved him and he loved us. I find that I yearn for him much more than I miss him. I can pretend that he is at work or running errands. Chloe pretends that he is taking a nap or sleeping in. But eventually the pretending catches up with us, and we fall apart and freshly feel our loss again.

I’ve learned so much about grief. I have great books on grief that maybe someday I will have the stamina and concentration to read. But God has taught me so much more about grief through first hand experience than I could have ever learned any other way. I wonder if the God of the Universe became exhausted during his separation from his son while Christ was on the cross. Not exhaustion in a human sense, but that soul wrenching tiredness that comes from separation from a much loved one. My doctrine may not make sense, but I know how I feel and I know what God is teaching me.

For our immediate future, we are on compassionate leave until August 1 2010. Most missionaries who take a compassionate leave, take the leave in their home country. We did take 10 weeks to visit the states and see many of you. But for the rest of our leave, we needed to come home. During this time, we will continue to heal and walk through this shadowy place.

I need to have an addendum added to Chloe’s current home study. The addendum needs to reflect that our home has lost its husband and daddy. Our Kenyan adoption was competed on June 19. For which I continue to say Hallelujah! But we were still working to complete the paperwork and gather documents for Chloe to become a US citizen. The social worker here in Kenya knows that the US Embassy has a deadline on our paperwork of March 2010. God took Ryan before we could get this done. God also knows of the steps we need to take to get this all done.

We plan to have all the paperwork in order by June of 2010 and return to the USA for a much needed 12 month Home Assignment (HA) in our home country. AIM has it set up that if missionaries finish a 2 year term then they can remain on support for a 4 month HA in their home country. A 3 year term means an 8 month HA. Our term will be 4 years and 3 months by the time we reach the USA. No wonder we are tired.

During this time of compassionate leave, I can look into ministry opportunities that will allow us to stay with AIM in Africa. Mostly we are seeking God’s will for what he has next for us. I am not expected to start any ministry until we have finished our HA and return to Kenya in June of 2011. I have my Kenyan Nursing License which is a big plus. I’ve inquired about being a school nurse at Rift Valley Acedemy (RVA) which is an hour outside of Nairobi. I’ve shared with the administration at RVA that I am interested in moving to the RVA campus in July of 2011. The kids will all be school age by then and able to attend school. We would have our own house on campus. The kids can walk to class and I can walk to work.

Over the years of our marriage, Ryan and I talked about what the other should do if something happened to one of us. We wanted our family to remain with AIM in Africa. Both of us were missionaries with AIM before we met. And until God moves us to a new place, we wanted to stay. The months just previous to the accident, we dreamt of moving to RVA when the kids were all school age. Ryan would be involved with maintenance of vehicles or building and grounds. And I would be a school nurse.

Knowing these dreams and each others wishes, it’s easy for me to see us at RVA. At this time RVA knows of our desire but it is too far into the future for them to fore see the staffing needs of Student health. They also can’t know if they will have housing. But so much can change in a year and a half. I have permission to share this opportunity with you so that you can pray for us.

God has brought to mind several other ministry possibilities for us in Nairobi that I have not had time to look into yet. And I might look outside of Kenya as well. My priority is to make sure my kids school needs are being met since Home Schooling will be impossible if I am in full time ministry. Along with that, I am protective of the family time we have in the mornings and the evenings. I want to work hard at the job I will be in, but have energy when I return home to be emotionally present with my kids around the supper table and bedtime.

God knew our families needs and desires when he took Ryan home. He can meet all our needs in his good time.

Our Calender as I see it now.
December 22-29 we are at the beach on a family vacation
January 12, Caleb and Levi begin school at WNS.
March 1, we need to have Chloe’s Home Study completed and turned into the US Embassy
The week before Easter is spring break and we have invited some of Ryan’s family to come for a visit.

Dawn’s to do list:

Write a prayer letter soon.
Gather a list of documents for our Social worker and be available for her to interview us as she writes the addendum
Look into future ministry opportunities
Get a new suspension, tires, and muffler for our van
Get away for a few days on my own for a spiritual retreat.
Be emotionally, not just physically available at Breakfast time, dinner time, and bedtime.
Have some special times with Seth and Chloe while the older boys are at school.

Prayer Points

Please pray for stamina for all the kids when they start attending school. And for wisdom for me in how to encourage them to stay the course when they get sick of it after a few weeks.

Thank the Lord for an opportunity to spend Christmas with good friends at the beach.

Please pray for our social worker and myself as we work together to get this addendum written in a timely manner.

Thank the Lord that Caleb and Levi were accepted into WNS.

Pray for the time, energy, and inclination to look into other ministries. I feel like I don’t have the mental capacity to process all of this.

Thank the Lord for our friends.

One has taken on Wednesday nights. She comes over after dinner and helps with baths and bedtime. Then we either chat or watch a movie together.

Another friend is taking the kids to their house for dinner on Monday nights, giving me alone time in my house.

Still another family saves us seats on Sunday mornings and sits with us, allowing me to absorb more of the service.

Many wives have willingly lent their husbands to do odd jobs around the house that Ryan used to take care of.

Please pray for our circle of friends, that they will have their own circle of people supporting them so that their own needs are met.

Merry Christmas,
Dawn, Caleb, Levi, Seth, And Chloe

Nica Update: 5 pix, 5 stories, 5 prayer requests

Dear family and friends,

Today we offer you 5 pictures, 5 stories, and 5 prayer requests.  I am new to this picture thing, so the pictures are above.  Thanks again for your interest in this journey.  We enjoy the company!

5 Stories

Story 1:  On November 21, there was a scheduled demonstration to protest how President Daniel Ortega changed the constitution, making it possible for him to run in the next election.  Ortega's hope was that hundreds of thousands of his supporters would protest this demonstration.  These protests often involve violence – mortars which are like guns that shoot rocks and base ball bats are taken to such protests.  The US Embassy warned people to stay at home and predicted that there would be violence.  Quite amazingly, however, only a few thousand of Ortega's supporters showed up (these numbers do vary depending on the source of information).  Those who were leading the demonstration from the other party numbered between 30,000-50,000.  Those who observed the demonstration said that it was very clear by the way the people were dressed (white T-shirts) and the way they conducted themselves that their goal was a peaceful demonstration.  When we talked with one of the Embassy workers at Boy Scouts the other night, he said that this was not at all what the US Embassy expected.  We are thankful to see God's Hand in this.

Story 2:  The night our church was getting together for a Thanksgiving dinner, I met NCA's director's wife, Jessica, in the parking lot.  She appeared shaken and explained that their house had been broken into that day.  She had been away from the house for one hour in the afternoon.  Their computer and safe had been stolen.  Inside the safe was little money, but it did contain their house and car keys.  The computer contained all of the pictures of her baby's first year of life and her toddler's second year.  She and her husband had tried to back up their computer the previous week, but it had not worked that day so they decided they would do it later.  Her husband, Liam, was in the US on a teacher recruiting trip at the time and would not be returning until several days later. Jessica and her two little boys would be home alone for the next three nights without Liam which I know was hard for all of them.  Jessica did have the support and help of many families in addition to the neighbor's guard watching their house like a hawk for the days following the robbery.  Jessica handled this all very well, recognizing how God was both speaking to her and protecting her while Liam was away. 

Robbery is something that happens frequently here.  Another missionary family returned from their summer visiting family in New Zeeland to find that someone had stolen everything in their home – including all of their clothes and food. A few days after Liam and Jessica's house was robbed, Jessica said, "You know, I still have my kids and I still have a camera.  I can take new pictures."  I do find that one of the lessons God teaches us here as we navigate our way through this culture is to stay focused on what we do have which is far more than what most of the people in the world have. 

Story 3:  The weekend of November 13 through 15, Dan and around 50 other missionary guys participated in a spiritual retreat over an hour away.  The men were gone for two nights and enjoyed doing man things like playing sports (the only golf was miniature golf and Dan came in second by a few strokes).  They also enjoyed an excellent speaker who challenged the men to evaluate their spiritual walk from childhood to present.  The day after the men left, the kids and I set out for a haircut and some shopping.  As I was driving, I could see that the temperature gauge was going up toward "hot" and then down and then seemed to level out.  The next day, I drove the truck to church and it seemed fine.  On Monday, Dan drove across town to get some things we needed and it was dark as he headed home.  On the way home from that particular store, it is necessary to drive through a not so great neighborhood.  It has been reported that people will throw rocks at your window (particularly at night) to break your window so they can rob you.  After Dan passed through this neighborhood and turned onto the road leading to our home, the truck began to overheat.  Dan was close to a strip mall parking lot which is safe due to the many guards that are positioned there.  He called the missionary, Jason, who services our car (who just happens to be a neighbor) and asked him what he should do.  He told him to take off the radiator cap to cool the engine down.   Dan was reluctant to do that because he knew what would happen.  A Nicaraguan man stopped by about that time and offered to help.  He knew just what to do – he loosened the cap and the cap blew off.  Dan found it, thanked the man, and paid him for his service. 

Dan was able to make it home and Jason looked at it right away.  He said that it could be a cracked head.  The next day, Jason took it to the shop and found that it was in fact a cracked head.  Not great news as this was an expensive repair.  However, when we think through what "could have" happened, we thank God for His protection . . . the truck could have broken down with the kids and I stranded somewhere in Managua while Dan and Jason were at the retreat; the truck could have broken down for Dan in the midst of the bad neighborhood; if Jason were not here, we would have needed to take it into a local garage for repair which would have cost us much more money, and it is possible that the repair may not have been done correctly.  God has blessed us so much to have Jason here to help us – he and his family arrived shortly after we did and he has done an incredible job servicing our and other missionaries' cars as he trains a Nicaraguan man to learn this trade.  Our car is now fixed and doing very well.  God could have kept our car from breaking down, but the gift that we received through this situation was, again, a glimpse into who He is as our Protector.   

Story 4:  I was talking with one of our neighbors the other day about his and his family's story.  Our neighbor and his wife are adopting three Nicaraguan children from an orphanage.  He is 50 and his wife is in her 40s and their story is one of God clearly leading both of them to consider "giving up" their retirement years to raise another family.  My neighbor shared with me that one of his little girls was found in a plastic garbage bag as a newborn.  Someone heard noises coming from the bag and rescued her.  She is one of the most beautiful little girls I have ever seen – both physically and her personality is so engaging.  He went on to talk about how his little boy was found laying in the midst of animals who were about to eat him.  Their youngest little girl became a part of their family when her Grandma begged my neighbor and his wife to adopt her as well.  They have been working through this process for  two and a half years.  This last week, the adoption of their youngest daughter was finalized.  They have been a testimony to us of living sacrificially. 

Story 5:  A friend shared with me that one of her Nicaraguan friends needed to have surgery on her back.  Her friend was in very intense pain.  My friend explained that this woman needed to stay in a room at the hospital with seven other patients who were waiting for surgery.  There were no beds to lay in, so these people were sitting and sleeping in chairs.  The women in this room shared a bathroom and shower with men.  The Nicaraguan woman at one point asked my friend to bring her cleaning supplies so that she and the other women waiting for surgery could clean their hospital room because it was so filthy.  So, for days this woman waited for surgery while she was experiencing intense pain, every day not knowing when it would actually happen.  However, in the midst of this woman's pain and terrible circumstances, she was available to share the gospel with another woman and this woman received Christ.  I met this remarkable woman a couple of weeks ago after her surgery.  She is doing well physically and has a brightness and joy about her that makes one wonder what it is that she has.  She has the love of Jesus and the willingness to share that love with others. 

5 Prayer requests:

1)  My (Lisa's) parents and sister will be visiting us at Christmas for 10 days.  We are very excited to have them!  Would you please pray for our safety and health during this time, especially as we travel around Nicaragua.  Pray too for a peace of heart and mind for my parents as this is their first time to travel outside of the US/Canada and for wisdom for my sister as she helps my parents navigate through the airports, etc.

2)  Health and Safety – a constant prayer for us individually, the people at the school, and for the country as a whole.

3)  Would you pray for discernment for Dan and for the rest of the administration of NCA.  There are many needs and many decisions that need to be made – related to students, teachers, parents, etc. 

4)  This Saturday, December 12^th  from 9:30 to 11:30, I will be speaking to around 50 or more missionary wives, embassy wives, English speaking Nicaraguan women, and there is a potential too for women who do not know Christ to be there.  This is a Christmas event hosted by our Women's Fellowship Team.  I have been preparing and praying, but do feel anxiety creep in.  My prayer is that what I have to say would give God glory and would lead others to take steps toward transformation in both their relationships with God and with others. 

5)  We praise God that the number of cases of Dengue fever are decreasing.  The dry season is here which decreases the population of mosquitoes.  Thank you so much for praying for our protection from this illness.

Thank you for praying for us.

Peace to you,
Dan, Lisa (the writer), Rebekah, and Will Van Zoest