Mission Opportunities Available: 2016

So many of our friends and family have asked how they can be involved in our work here in Nicaragua. We finally have some opportunites lined out for small teams, families, and individuals. Below you will find a brochure with details of dates, inclusions, and prices for short term service opportunities in the second poorest nation in the world. Please email us and we will send you more information. 

 

The Greatest Show on Earth!

November was a busy month for the Kane family. After a three week stay, our most recent missionary intern returned to the states. The next day, the NCAI student council put on the 16th annual talent show. Since I am a student council advisor, I helped coordinate and decorate for the event. Our theme was "Circus".

We used long strips of fabric to create a tent-like effect in the front half of the gym. We also cut out styrofoam stars, and we made giant popcorn buckets out of PVC, butcher paper, and balloons.

The students asked Jeremy to emcee the event.
His beard and mustache were perfect for the
"ring master"!

Hannah bought a VIP ticket for the show. VIP seating included
preferred seating, a complimentary bottle of water, and an
express lane for refreshments!

Fire Breathing...

Jeremy built this ticket booth out of pallets.

No circus is complete without animal tricks.

Jeremy insisted on a co-host. I was helped out as the
"serious" character.

Electric guitar for "The Moonwalkers"

The show was a great success! We had approximately 400 in attendance, and Spencer was part of the group that won first place in the high school division.

Beyond the talent show, Jeremy and I have been busy wrapping up the first semester of school. This week we will be writing our final exams for each of our classes.

My 8th graders engaged in peer tutoring sessions
after a difficult unit of study.

My girls ready to bless the people at the elder home.

Also this month, our secondary students all took service field trips. My girls and I were able to visit an "elderly home" to bless the people there with songs, snacks, cards, and conversation. While we were there, a lady who was bed-ridden accepted Jesus Christ. It is difficult to explain, but it was a sad and joyous occasion all at the same time.

HACAI Demoncracy Interscholastic Practice at NCAI. 

 We are incredibly eager to spend Christmas with family. Jeremy's mom will be here in a few weeks. We can't wait to show her what we do, where we live, and just share life with her for a few weeks.

We are very thankful for all of you who make it possible for us to minister to the people of this country. Whether it be through leading, educating or entertaining, we continue to do our best to be a beacon of Christ's love in this community.

A Nice Place to Work and Rest

Nicaragua Christian Academy continues to grow year after year. A few years back, they were blessed to acquire additional property fort the high school wing of the school. Previously, these rooms were part of a missions organization. Therfore, they are non-conforming to traditional classroom ues. From this, several classrooms, an additional kitchen, and an outdoor classroom were formed. However, for these high school teachers, it was a long walk to the opposite side of the campus where the teacher workroom was located. To give you an idea, I timed the walk from the furthest classroom on campus to the current workroom. It took three minutes, walking at a quickened pace. Now, this may not seem like much, but when there is only three minutes between classes, teachers have no chance to pick up a quick copy from the printer.

To alleviate this problem, our director decided to add a teacher workroom on the high school side last fall. However, with the priority of the library last fall, this project was put on hold. This fall, Jeremy volunteered to take on the task. He was given a budget by the school to create a space for high school teachers to relax and work. In 12 days, Jeremy was able to repurpose and transform an old, boring, oddly shaped room into a beautiful gift for the teachers. Here are a few pictures of his creation...

I helped with the painting and artwork. Jeremy picked out the furnishings. The table is repurposed from the chilamate
tree we lost in a storm last fall.

The work table to the right was part of an old wardrobe in the room prior to starting this project.

The artwork came from the local market. Jeremy used old fence posts to build a frame for it. The curtain rod is also an
old piece of wood, too. 

The bar and microwave shelf were also part of the wardrobe that was in the room before. The cup rack 
is made an old fence post with cup hooks. Our friends Peter & Elaina Nethington donated the funds to purchase the Coffee Station. This includes the coffee maker, 4 coffee cups, a carafe, table, placemat, and sugar/coffee canisters. All cups are currently in use at the time of the picture, 7:00a.m.!

Two work stations were created for part time teachers who have no office or classroom. Before this, they used the student computer lab to prepare lessons.

Jeremy wanted to create a division between work space and rest space. Plexiglass is difficult to find and expensive, so he used ceiling panel light diffusers. The frame is one of the doors from the wardobe that he repurposed. Our student council donated the microwave.

Impact

It's 9:41 A.M. With 4 ceiling fans whirring above, I begin teaching my third period Latin America studies class. It's winter here in Nicaragua, which means that it tends to rain more frequently, and sweat doesn't begin to trickle down your back until at least 10:00 A.M., instead of 8 or 8:30 A.M. This class section of nineteen middle school students hale from all over the world...literally. Some are from Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica, some are missionary kids from coast to coast in the states, a few are from Canada, several are from Korea, one is from Zimbabwe, and believe it or not, one is from Kentucky. Diversity. It's one of the things that makes this school rich. 

NCA is rich in other areas, too. For example, this year I have prayerfully taken on two new responsibilities at the request of my principal and the school's director. I co-facilitate the school's student council, which thankfully is not a new endeavor for me. I am working with the students to effectively govern the student body at NCA. In doing so, I have introduced concepts that have not been adopted before such as job descriptions for the executive committee and a set of by-laws to ensure fair practices from the council, the student body, and administration. We have a meeting with administration next week to discuss the adoption of these by-laws.

The other new endeavor I have accepted is a facilitator for HACIA Democracy alongside the school's director. This is where the leadership goals of our school get real. HACIA is a student democracy similar to Model UN organized by Harvard University for Central American nations. Here, approximately 500 high school students from across Central America come together each year to discuss and collaborate with one another about a range of political and social topics. They present their researched ideas, precedents, and thoughts, and work together to provide solutions for the issues facing Central America. 

Team HACIA 2015

NCA has consistently sent a team of delegates to represent a biblical worldview for many years. And, we've made an impression. One of NCA's recent graduates now attends Harvard and is the Recruiting Director for HACIA. Currently, we are in the selection process for the 2016 candidates for the summit in Costa Rica next March. To learn more about HACIA, see this link: http://haciademocracy.org/english/

NCA Director and 2 students at HACIA Summit XXI

It's 10:31 A.M. The bell rings after only 50 minutes with my middle schoolers. But, I will see them later today for English. I see twelve of the girls each morning for ten minute devotions in homeroom. Next semester, I get to see them for an additional 50 minutes per day for Accelerated Reader. I see ten of girls monthly for a 3 hour Bible study. My daily impact varies from 2 to 4 hours with these kiddos. And now, I am blessed to lead the leaders of our school. I am humbled to lead the future leaders of nations. I pray that God will guide my heart and actions.

~Not many of you should be teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

                                                                    James 3:1

How is Teaching a Mission?

As we near the end of the summer and look toward our second year serving in Nicaragua, we have all enjoyed a few weeks of solitude and reflection. As many of you know, our sublease ended in early July and we moved to a new community, Quinta Malu. Here we have a small house with a small strip of land on either side. Although the overall square footage is smaller and the rent is the same, the layout is more user-friendly to us North Americans. On Facebook, we've posted several photos of some ways we made this house our home over the past few weeks. Jeremy has enjoyed the extra space to get outside and plant some flowers and work in the yard. This is something he has missed out on for the past two years! He has also built some tables and a bed out of pallet wood. It’s very economical, yet these items give us a sense of home.  Hannah and Spencer have enjoyed personalizing their bedrooms and creating work space for school work.  We painted Romans 12:1-2 (MSG) on our kitchen wall to remind us daily to continue to be transformed by the Holy Spirit and not to fall into the rut of life.

Our Kitchen Wall

 In light of Paul’s words and God’s call on our lives in a developing nation, I want to focus on explaining our work here. People ask, “How is teaching a mission?” When one thinks of missionary work, certain things come to mind. Are we building churches, training pastors, visiting orphanages, feeding the hungry, and healing the sick? The answer is an emphatic “YES” to each of these things. Here’s how this works. Our student body is 55% Nicaraguan. These are children of important community and political figures in this country. By educating them through a biblical world view, we are training them to make a difference in their country. In addition, there is a whole other layer of what we do here. Thirty-five percent of NCAI’s student body is the children of missionaries. While their parents are out building churches, training pastors, visiting orphanages, feeding the hungry, and healing the sick, we are providing a quality education for their children. We enable other missionaries to do their work here.  

Teresa calls Hannah "Hannita."

Another layer of our ministry and your support provides economic stability for an entire family. Teresa is our empleada. She comes to our home three times per week to clean and do laundry. Now, let me say that we are perfectly capable of cleaning our own home and doing our own laundry. However, culturally, North Americans are expected to employ an empleada. Although this is not a common practice in the United States, if we did not do this, we would be frowned upon. Teresa has three daughters, one of which has special needs. When Teresa is here, we talk with her, and show her Christ’s love. She has been with us now for a year, and she is part of our family. And, we are impacting her entire family economically and spiritually. By employing her for the standard rate of $1.00 per hour, she has money on which to live and take care of her daughter. Just recently, Teresa’s former employer came back to Nicaragua to visit. Teresa shared with her that we are “good people” and she loves our family.

The ladies of the house

I hope this post explains how teaching is a mission. What we are doing today through God will impact this country on multiple levels in the future! Even Spencer has taken on another level of teaching in the mission field. This August, September, and October he will be co-coordinating a basketball camp where he, along with the rest of his basketball team, will be teaching 200 Nicaraguan orphans how to play basketball.

Through your support, you are building churches, training pastors, visiting orphanages, feeding the hungry, and healing the sick. You are empowering the future of Nicaragua and equipping them with God’s word. You are providing for Teresa and her family. You are teaching 200 orphans to enjoy basketball. You are impacting this country. God bless you.

A Very Candid Post

One year ago, we were packing our twelve suitcases to embark upon an adventurous mission for God's Kingdom. It's difficult to believe that we have lived in Nicaragua for nearly a year! We have settled into our new lifestyle and a general routine. I suppose we didn't realize just how different our lifestyle truly was until our best friends came to spend two weeks with us. I have tried to maintain a positive attitude in every update from Nicaragua. I will never feel inclined to complain about my circumstances here. In witnessing the poverty and need in this country each day, I realize how fortunate we are.

My friend, Elaina, has encouraged me to share with our supporters what our lives look like in Nicaragua. Please know that we are not complaining about any of these aspects; we just want you to see how truly fortunate you are in the United States.

Let's start with the basics. Bugs. We have cockroaches. Lots of them. Big ones. Everywhere. To quote Peter Nethington, "The cockroach that ate Cincinnati was just in my shower."  Personally, I am not fond of getting close enough to take a picture, so this movie poster will have to suffice.

Other bug species that we encounter frequently and in great numbers are tarantulas, flies, bees, tiny little vicious biting ants, and of course, mosquitoes. Several students and teachers have contracted a disease known as Chikungunya which is carried by these nasty blood-sucking varmints. There is also the fear of Dengue and Malaria. For those of you who know me, you know that I am the best mosquito repellent to have around because they are all attracted to me. Even wearing repellent daily, I currently have 29 mosquito bites--all within the last 5 days.  And finally, even though they are not bugs, there are other things that creep and crawl. Geckos are cohabitants in any home. And, although they are fast and at times pretty large, they are great at controlling other insects. It took some time to get used to watching them crawl above my head at night. We have had a snake in our apartment, and these guys are pretty common...I took a picture of him because he was safe and sound in a deep glass bowl!

scorpion

In the grand scheme of life here, critters are the least of our concerns. Although we have no hot water to wash dishes and do laundry, we do have a way to take a warm shower, if we are brave! Allow me to introduce you to our source of hot water showers, the widow maker. This dazzling piece of technology heats the water in your shower with electricity. We strongly recommend that if you come to visit, listen carefully to our tutorial on how to operate this. Sometimes they go out...with a bang. Hannah has been the lucky one each time we've had one stop working. She explains, "I hear a loud pop and see a flash out of the corner of my eye. Then, it catches on fire for a few seconds. I just jump out of the shower as fast as I can when it happens."

The Widow Maker

Up until a few weeks ago, we were blessed with a full-size North American stove and oven through our sublease. Now, we have this:

This stove is sitting in a space made for a typical North American
sized stove.

This is a Nica stove. In a previous post I told you that people here typically don't use an oven. On this stove, the oven is definitely an afterthought. Sadly, I cannot fit my cookie sheet in it. For perspective, keep in mind that the size of this space is about the size of a typical North American stove model.

Most of you are used to simply flipping a switch and a light comes on, or turning on the faucet and water comes out. Here, you never know if these actions will produce results. For example, yesterday, our power went out at 6:30 A.M. and did not come back on until almost 4:00 P.M. And, we are regularly without water. Luckily, at our new place, we have a water tank to use as a reserve. Here's Spencer checking the water level on our tank.

Spencer checking the water level in our
reserve tank.

Also, it is HOT, all the time. This time of year we have the added bonus of humidity. We have no central air conditioning-not at work, at home, or in the car. The only relief is a fan. We do have a small air conditioning unit in one of our bedrooms, but remember, electricity here is 6 times more expensive than in the states. To give you an idea of the difference, we ran the A/C in our bedroom for several nights for 4 hours. Our next bill had gone up $14.00.  

It's dirty and dusty, too. I wear flip flops all the time. From the time I step out of bed until I go to sleep at night, I have shoes on my feet. No sooner than the floors are cleaned, a new layer of grime and grit seeps in through the doors and windows. Along with the dirt and grime, trash is unavoidable. Refuse lines many dried up river beds, trickles down hillsides, and rolls along the streets. The garbage is depressing, but since most of the population cannot afford trash removal, it is a fact of life here.

Another luxury in the states is the fact that the cops leave you alone unless you've done something wrong or need help. Here, not so much. Unfortunately, checkpoints are frequent. Jeremy gets stopped several times per month to check his paperwork. Sometimes, we encounter corrupt "policia" who demand a fine or "multa"or they threaten to take you license--even though we've done nothing wrong. 

Ahhh the language barrier... We are getting so much better! But our friends were a bit overwhelmed with prices quoted in Spanish and in Cordobas. I can now quickly convert "Cords" to dollars when I look at a price in the store. Elaina stared at this for several minutes in multiple stores as I explained that, yes, this bottle of sunscreen costs $18 plus 15% tax bringing the total to a whopping $20.70!

This is approximately $18.00 

Sunscreen is not the only exhoritantly priced item. Common items like cereal, chips, canned goods, chocolate chips, butter, baking needs, and nuts are very pricey, too. That is, if you even find the item. We have yet to find many of the items we used in the states on a regular basis.

I hope we didn't overwhelm you with this post. As we have settled into life here, much of this has become second nature to us. God created the Kane family to be resilient and steadfast. We will continue to march forward as we encounter year number two in Nicaragua. We love it here and we are thrilled that God called us to do His work in this country. 

We could not do this without the financial blessings of our supporters. If you are a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual financial supporter, we would like to gently remind you to check your records as we finish our first year of work. We are so blessed by each of your gifts (and especially blessed to buy a bottle of sunscreen) ;-)

Bottom of the 9th!

May...have electric, May...not. May...have water, May...not.

So here we are at the end of  May also know as "hot/dry season" and at the end of the school year. Students are restless and ready to be done with school. They are hot, tired, hot, overloaded, hot, and mentally checked out of school. Their exhaustion is validated with daily heat indexes in the 100's and nightly lows in the 80's. Friends back east--air conditioning is your saving grace. Friends out west--you have considerably lower humidity levels. When sweat begins to trickle down your back at 10:00A.M., you know you're in for a whopper of a day here near the equator.

Our school has experienced some challenges, too. Over the past several months we have been experiencing water shortages. Each day around 11:00 A.M. our tanks run out of water. This makes for times that are difficult and unsanitary. We are still waiting for the new transformer so that our library can be air conditioned. Only three areas of our school have that luxury: our library, the administration offices, and the computer lab. On average, electricity here costs six times the kilowatt rate paid in the states. And, if you live in certain higher income areas of the city, the rate is even higher. The average electric bill for our school to run lights, fans, technology, and two air conditioned areas is approximately $5000.00 per month. Even with these exhorbitant rates, power is not reliable. On the hottest day of the year thus far, we lost power at the school. This meant no fans, no lights, and no technology. Keeping students focused during these times is certainly a challenge!

For us, school is out on June 3rd. For the rest of Nicaragua, school continues through November. Traditionally, students in Nicaragua have the months of November, December, and January off from school. Since NCAI is a North American based educational platform and many of its teachers are North American, we follow a similar schedule as the United States. This last full week, students in grades 7-12 will be preparing for their semester cumulative exams.

World Studies 3rd Period Class

A few weeks ago, our Student Council put together something called "Lunch Box Social." On this special day, students gather in groups and choose to either make lunch or purchase lunch. Those groups who made lunch set up their meal in a predetermined classroom while the "buying groups" collected in the Eagle Center to bid on the meal they wanted. The meals are auctioned off to the highest bidding group. Themed meals included spaghetti, pizza, fried chicken, Nica cuisine, Korean, and Chinese fare.  This was a great fund-raiser and a great way to connect a variety of students who may not normally spend time together.

Our Lunch Box Social Group

Serving Lunch

Apples in Nicaragua cost $1-$2 EACH!

Spencer Making Dinner for the Rizzo Family

May 1st is Nicaragua's Dia del Trabajo or "Labor Day". Since we had that a long weekend, we took the opportunity to go visit the family in northern Nicaragua again. Before we went, we asked the family if there was anything we could bring them. Their answer: soda, ice, and apples. Remember, this family has no refrigerator, so ice is a special treat! Apples are generally $1-$2 EACH here; we rarely buy apples for ourselves. So, we took off for La Finca Argentina with a cooler of ice, a dozen apples, and several 3 liters of soda. It's become a tradition that they cook for us the first night, and we cook for them on the second night. This time, we prepared barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. With 14 people to cook for, this was no easy task. They really enjoyed their feast!

Jeremy and His Co-Pilot, Oliver, driving to
Northern Nicaragua.

 

Ice is a Luxury for Many
Nica Families.

Moving!

In a few weeks, the sublease of the apartment we are currently living in will be finished. We have found a small house in a great community near the school. This home will provide a patio for hanging a hammock, a small yard for working outside, and a bedroom big enough for Spencer! Spencer has been staying in a room that was meant to be a maid's quarters. It is only large enough for a twin bed and his feet hang off the edge. Four people living in a small apartment has been a challenge, but we were well prepared for this at Camp Cedaredge!

Our soon- to- be new home!

We are so appreciative of your support through prayer and financial gifts. Thank you for making God's work through the Kane Family in Nicaragua possible!

Hot Season Happenings

About My Girls...

Choose beautiful. Many of us have seen these campaigns either on television or the internet sponsored by Dove. Over the past two months, I have been teaching my 7th grade girls how to love themselves. Teaching girls to have a high self-esteem is no easy task. I have shared stories from other girls going through the same phase in life. Remembering when I was in 7th grade, I share stories of my insecurities as an awkward pre-teen girl in junior high. Sure, they giggle and say, "No way, Mrs. Kane, you could never be insecure!"  On Thursday, I shared the "Choose Beautiful" video.

Afterwards, I asked how many would choose to walk through the "beautiful" door. Sadly, not many of my girls said they would. My prayer is for each of these young ladies to see themselves the way God sees them--as unique, beautiful creations. Thankfully, it appears that I have earned the right to speak into their lives. I pray now for the right words to say!

 

Semana Santa

The week before Easter is know as Semana Santa, or Holy Week. Although we were out of school for the entire week, the rest of Nicaragua began the festivities on Wednesday. Our family had made plans to go back Finca Argentina to visit the Rizzo family, but a message from the U.S. Embassy halted our plans. Basically, the message indicated that beginning on Wednesday through Easter Sunday, U.S. citizens were to be on alert as crime rates are higher and there are more police checkpoints. One would think that police checkpoints would be a good thing, but not necessarily. Unfortunately, there are many corrupt officers that will stop you for no apparent reason and demand a "multa" or fine, right there on the spot or they threaten to take your license. This has happened to us on more than one occasion. Luckily, we were able to negotiate our way through the situations by basically saying nothing (easy for us since we don't know the language well). The opinions on how to handle theses situations vary within the mssionary community. Some say to give them the fine-which is basically a bribe since no citation is ever written and therefore the traffic stop didn't happen-to avoid the full day ordeal of retrieving your license. Others say that giving them the money is feeding the beast of corruptness. And still others go as far as writing down the officer's badge number if they request a fine, and notify the powers that be. With all of this being said, a four hour trek each direction to northern Nicaragua did not seem to be the wisest choice for our family. So, we stayed home. I found an inflatable pool volleyball net for $10 at the local supermarket to have some fun at the pool!

Other News!

This Thursday, Spencer and the rest of his basketball team will be traveling to Costa Rica to play in an international tournament. They will be playing against teams from Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Panama among other Central American countries. Thank you to all of you who helped him attend this tournament! Please pray for their safety and the opportunity to share Christ through their sportsmanship.

Also, the library is now open for business! I take my students every Thursday to check out books and enjoy the new facility. There is still no A/C and this is the hottest time of year, but that doesn't seem to bother my kiddos. They love to read!

Wrinkles...They Do Iron Out

Library Woes

Our new library was scheduled to open on January 24th, however there were a few wrinkles. Somehow, the cost of air conditioning the new building jumped to a whopping $30,000, when it was originally quoted much much lower. Here we are, at the beginning of March without a new facility. The library has been packed up and ready to move since early January. The most frustrating piece of the puzzle is my 7th grade accelerated reader class. In anticipation of the library closure, my kiddos checked out two books each in December to begin for this semester's course. Certainly this was enough material to get through 3 weeks of school. But, the weeks of a closed library began to add up.

Unlike the United States, books are a high commodity here, especially those written in English. I wish it were as simple as heading to the local thrift store to stock my classroom library, but unfortunately that's just not the case. We are fortunate, however, that the librarian unpacked a box of books for the students two weeks ago for them to choose a new title.

Good news, the school has renegotiated a price and hopefully, the new library will open in two weeks. Please pray for this to happen!

Festival

NCA 3K or 5K Fun Run to raise money for a pool.

 

On a lighter note, NCA organized a festival to raise money for our homeroom parents' wish list item...a new pool. Several other larger schools in the country have pools, and our parents decided that this should be NCA's newest endeavor. Did you know that a high percentage of Nicaraguan people do not know how to swim? I assumed that with the great number of huge lakes and two coast lines, Nicas were born with fins and gills. Not true! This pool can be used as a mission to teach people how to swim as well as add to the PE and extra-curriculur activity program at NCA. 

Each classroom was responsible for a game, somewhat like a fall or spring festival at U.S. schools. My girls and I decided to offer a service instead! Yes, a hair painting and nail salon! For just under a dollar, kids could get their hair painted or a get a manicure. It was huge success--too bad we ran out of hair paint 2 hours into the festival. The most popular attraction was the jail. Festival-goers could pay to have someone carted off to jail. Some put up a good fight, some went quietly, and some tried to escape...

Jeremy's Classes

Wrinkles continue to iron out for Jeremy, too. Many of you know that Jeremy is teaching Apologetics, the one class he didn't want to teach! God has a sense of humor, does He not? The first semester was a bit of challenge, but Jeremy has finally settled in and is enjoying teaching.

His newest endeavor this semester is teaching Domestic Arts. He is teaching students the arts of cooking, repurposing, and many other handy things. When he arrived, the kitchen classroom needed some work, so Jeremy worked his magic to update it and make it functional. Part of his makeover included a pot rack and a super cool demonstration mirror for the cooking unit.

 

Field Trip

The 7th and 8th grade students took a field trip to La Maquina for science explorations. Each team had a list of items to find including decomposition, autotrophs, and lots of other scientific terms I have forgotten over the years. Luckily, my girls knew what they were doing!

Influence

Many of you may have seen my facebook post earlier this week where a student proclaimed I should be a preacher. That statement made my heart sing! Each and every day, I do my best to weave God's word and love into the classroom and it's working! Moments like these are such an affirmation of God's place for us right now. Here are all of my students except a new young man from Zimbabwe that started last week. Please keep them in your prayers, the future leaders of Nicaragua, Korea, the United States and other nations. Don't misunderstand my words, these are not just the next generation, but the next leaders of our land. Many of these kiddos come from highly inflential families. You are supporting, thorough your prayers and financial gifts, the future.

NCA 7th Grade Class 2014-15

NCA 8th Grade Class 2014-15