Nica Update: Lots Happening!
Dear Friends,
I'm thankful today to spend time writing to you. So much has happened in the past two months that it is hard to know where to begin. Life is very full here and Dan and I often express how thankful we are for the opportunity to do what we are doing. Thank you once again for being a part of this. It is an amazing journey. In this update we will fill you in on some ways that God has answered prayers – several of the things we will mention have been prayer requests we have shared with you.
Marriage Conference In a phrase, the outcome of the marriage conference on Feb. 10 and 11 was "above and beyond what we expected". There were 52 people in attendance – some of them from our international church and others from an English speaking Nicaraguan church. What we did not anticipate was the depth to which God would touch people thru this conference. Dan and I experienced this the first time we attended a FamilyLife conference. However, it was inspiring to see and now to hear the kind of very deep work that God did during the course of the conference in the lives of those who attended, including those who have been pastors and missionaries for many years. We learned anew that "pastor and missionary" can be one of the most difficult labels to wear because it can be easy for us to live in hiddenness when we struggle.
The other exciting thing that has come from this conference is that many of the missionaries were very excited about taking this material into their churches and ministries to use with Nicaraguan people. We know of at least two couples who are currently organizing a conference for the people with whom they work. The psychologist at NCA watched the video sessions and was also very impressed with this conference and plans to use it with NCA parents. Her heart aches for marriages as many of our students come from families that are struggling. An article that Dan read prior to moving to Nicaragua stated that to influence a culture, transformation first needs to happen in families, then schools, and then the churches (seems to speak to the amount of time we spend in each of those places). We are thankful to be a part of transformation in two of those areas.
It was encouraging for us to see that New Covenant Bible Church in Cedar Rapids, IA will be offering the same conference (The Art of Marriage) on March 16 and 17. (
Click here to register) We encourage you to attend. One of the missionary couples stated that they had been to many marriage conferences, but that this one was the very best they had ever attended. It is something you don't want to miss!
Spiritual Emphasis Day Spiritual Emphasis Day at NCA is a day where Junior High and High School students spend the day listening to a key note speaker (who pays his own air fare from the States to get here) talk about what is means to be a follower of Christ. Then, students go to break out sessions of their choice on a variety of other topics. This day is often an experience that many students identify as being the most spiritually impacting of their NCA experience.
This year, I had the privilege of being one of the break-out session speakers. The topic I chose to speak about was . . . sex. This is a subject that Dan and I have been talking with our kids about since they were 5 and 6 years old at which time they began to ask questions about where babies come from. Our options when they asked these questions were to avoid them, attaching shame to sex; lie and tell them something that gets us off the hook but is not true; or share with them about sex in an age appropriate way. The ministry of FamilyLife has walked us through this process as we used a series of books featured in the following link:
God's Design for Sex. Much of what I shared with the girls on Spiritual Emphasis day came from these books. The response to my talk was actually quite dramatic as several girls either asked me or another teacher to listen to them/pray with them because they were either in a physical relationship with a boy or felt that they were close to that point. My heart was heavy and I had trouble sleeping for several nights as I thought about how young these girls are.
The following week, I went to a Spiritual Life Committee meeting and had the opportunity to share the heaviness of my heart with the group as it related to what happened in response to my talk. NCA does have an open philosophy when it comes to talking with students about sex, however, we are seeing that more time needs to be devoted to sharing with them and letting them share. It was decided that I would use another book by FamilyLife called "So You're going to be a Teenager" to develop a series of devotionals that the homeroom teachers of 7
th grade will use to better and more consistently share with the kids about sex.
Triathalon One of the things that we love the most about NCA is how invested our teachers are in the lives of NCA students – beyond academics. One of their investments is to help students organize a triathalon which is held at a local laguna. The race started off with a 200 meter swim, then a 10 kilometer bike ride, and concluded with a 5 kilometer run. There have been NCA students who have taught themselves how to ride a bike in our school parking lot the night before the race. And others who are not very good swimmers but will tough it out in the water to reach the goal. It is an event that teaches the participants about both perseverance and discipline while also building community among those who race and attend as spectators/volunteers. This year Dan participated in the race. Rebekah and Will joined him for the last 2.5 kilometers of the 5 K run. It was a proud moment for all of us when they and our students crossed the finish line.
It is such a privilege to be a part of the ministry of NCA and we are so thankful for your very consistent interest and support. Thank you
. I will close by sharing some prayer requests with you: 1) Will fell a couple of months ago and there is a place in his wrist that is still sore. We took him in for X rays a few weeks ago and there appeared to be no broken bones. However, a missionary friend who is a physical therapist is concerned and is encouraging us to get another X ray. Would you pray for healing and for wisdom for us in regard to this. 2) Pray for the couples who attended the conference. There are several who need to continue to work through things that the conference uncovered. 3) Pray for the spiritual integrity of our students and that God would make Himself known to them in a powerful and authentic way. Peace and love to you,
Dan, Lisa, Rebekah, and Will Van ZoestThank you so very much! 
