Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you so much for praying for our family this holiday season. God has been so faithful in His care for us – leading us to activities and gatherings with groups of people that make Thanksgiving and Christmas so much easier. In this update, we will be sharing with you about some of the things that are happening here related to the holidays.
Let’s start with Thanksgiving. One of our traditions as a family is to read through a book by Barbara Rainey about the History of Thanksgiving. Included in the book are many personal stories about people who surrendered their lives to God – not only the Pilgrims, but also people like Squanto and others. This year we also went to an orphanage and helped with washing used toys which will be given to the kids at the orphanage. While we were washing the toys, we talked about all of the things that we have that the kids in the orphanage do not have. Rebekah mentioned how we know the English language and what a privilege this is. We also thought about how we have Grandpas and Grandmas who love us and get to go on vacations and have our own rooms and our own toys to play with.
That afternoon, we got together with 22 other people (an assortment of families and single teachers from NCA) at Liam and Jessica Starkenburg’s house. Liam is the director of NCA and he and his wife built a beautiful home last year that they use frequently to host many gatherings. A Thanksgiving is not a Thanksgiving for Will without football as this is connected to memories he has learning how to play football with his cousins in Ohio. So, at one time there were up to around 10 of us playing a game of football prior to the meal and Will was in his glory. Our friend Joe, a 23 year old young man, joined us for Thanksgiving and then stayed overnight at our house. Joe works at an orphanage an hour away from Managua and takes the bus into town for church each Sunday and he sometimes stays with us. Joe is so fun for us to talk to because he is a new Christian and is a very deep and intentional thinker.
Our Christmas plans include attending a Christmas Eve service after which we enjoy deserts and watch fireworks. The fireworks are not an “organized” type fireworks show. It is kind of like everyone brings their fireworks to the school parking lot and then they will often light them all at the same time. The tradition for Nicaraguans is to light fireworks at midnight at which time they are also opening presents and eating a large meal.
On Christmas Day we will spend the morning as a family, opening presents and eating brunch. In the afternoon, we will have Liam and Jessica Starkenburg and their family along with a couple of single gals for dinner. Many people do go back to the States at this time, especially the singles. Other Christmas activities that we have been involved with over the past few weeks include: a Christmas concert at the national theatre, neighborhood Christmas party, School Staff and class Christmas parties, Kids' Christmas concert at school, and a party for those who work in gardening, cleaning, and cooking positions at the school. The “Workers Party” is one of our favorites. This party starts with a church service followed by a time of giving gifts to the children of the workers. Each child gets a gift – around 50 kids. This year, I had the privilege of buying these gifts at the market with the Nicaraguan woman who organizes this party. I enlisted the help from our neighborhood kids – most of whom are missionary kids and attend NCA – to help wrap all of the gifts for the kids. These gifts are most likely one of the nicest gifts that they will receive at Christmas. After they receive a gift, there is a piñata and then a very nice meal.
Thank you again for your prayers for us! Dan’s class before Thanksgiving went very well and my cousin Matt is continuing to heal well. Thank you for your continued prayers for him. We ask that you continue to pray us through the Christmas season – just for peace of heart as we spend the holiday away from family. One other request would be to pray for our car. This past year, our car has been in the shop quite a few times and we have spent a good deal of money on repairs. Now, our radiator has a hole in it and a new radiator here costs over $700. The same radiator in the States costs $150. So, we are praying that someone who is in the States over Christmas could bring with them a new radiator for our car. We do not have this yet in place, but are praying that God would just keep showing us the next step. Thank you!
Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. We appreciate you!
Peace to you,
Dan, Lisa (the writer), Rebekah, and Will