March...In Like a Lion and out Like a Lion

HACIA Democracy XXII

The Kanes have had a crazy busy month of March! Many of you already know that I took on the role of HACIA Democracy Advisor this school year. As a reminder, HACIA Democracy is a simulation of Organization of American States put on by Harvard students each year. Students from schools all across Latin America prepare for months to meet and debate real world topics with the goal of reaching a resolution.

Coaching my girls in between committee sessions.

I have been working with a select group of students since September to prepare them for the summit in Costa Rica March 9th. They debated topics such as "The War on Drugs" "Uber's Effect on the Economy of Argentina" and "Bitcoin and Currency Controls." Spencer also attended and discussed "The Rights of Indigenous People in Latin America" and "Education Reform in Latin America".

Delegates and Advisors from NCAI

In order to prepare, students had to research their topic, formulate a position, and compose a full position paper to submit to their committees prior to arrival. At the end of the summit, the best delegates are given awards. Several students from our school won awards at this year's summit. It was an amazing experience to train up tomorrow's leaders!

Spencer debating his point.

Spencer with our school's director.

Jeremy leading devotions on the first day of the conference.

Making an Impact

I have heard it said that teaching is a thankless job and educators rarely see the fruits of their labor until many years later, or not at all. However, I am already seeing amazing things in some of my 8th grade students. I love the fact that I am able to spend 2 class periods per day with them, and this is my second year teaching this same group of kiddos. And maybe this is why I am seeing changes in them so soon. When I arrived last year, there were no identifiable writing units built into the plans. The school had identified grammar and literature units with built in writing components, but no dedicated time to teach the writing process. I wrestled with the idea of implementing writing units in 7th and 8th grade units because it is incredibly time consuming to grade and coach due to the individual and often subjective nature of the beast. I also considered the fact that the majority of my students speak English as their second language. Still, after gaining approval from my principal, I decided to give it a whirl. I spent countless hours restructuring  the units to add in 4 distinctive wiritng units per year per grade level in addition to the learning objectives that were mandatory for me to teach. I knew my task would be challenging since many of my students could barely formulate a 4-5 sentence paragraph with no real topic or closing sentence. Wow. What had I gotten myself into?

Fast forward to the 3rd quarter of my second year of this implementation. My 8th grade students have now completed 7 of the 8 newly implemented writing units. They just finished their very first 5 paragraph (40-50 sentences) persuasive essay complete with a parallel thesis statement and supporting details. That is what growth looks like. Here's the best part of all. On Thursday, one of my Nicaraguan students came to me before class and asked if she could speack with me. She proceeded to tell me that she has decided to write a novel--a spy novel to be exact. She said that she wanted me to know that because I had taught her that she has the ability to write, she was taking on this challenge. Teachers: don't ever doubt your effectiveness. You may not see the fruits of your labor immediately, but don't give up and continue to do the hard stuff. It is what we are called to do. 

1 Corinthians 15:58~ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Jeremy's Jobs

Jeremy has been working diligently on several carpentry projects for the school and church. Recently, he constructed a mobile locking bookshelf and remodled the green room for the theater department at school. The elementary teachers have been nudging administration to approve a makeover of their teacher's lounge, too. Also, Jeremy continues to teach culinary arts at the school. To most, this doesn't seem like a big deal. But, keep in mind many of the students at NCA have never lifted a spatula. Most families have empleadas to cook for the family, so the kids never have a chance to learn. In this, Jeremy has an extra special challenge!

The portable and lockable folding bookshelf.

Spencer & Hannah

Spencer has been leading his 4th grade boys' small group, playing on the worship band, and is an assistant leading youth group. He stays busy with basketball and school. Hannah is working with the elementary students teaching them how to play volleyball and teaching preschool classes at church on Sundays.

Spencer leading a group at the elementary retreat.

Hannah teaching Sunday School.

Hannah playing with the preschool
kiddos before class.

Blessings

I saved the best for last! Recently, I decided to pursue my master's degree in teaching to earn state licensure once our mission is complete in Nicaragua. In that, I was required to take a one week intensive course "on site". The school has been working to develop satellite campuses, and lucky for me, there was one in Orlando over NCA's spring break. Thanks to school loans and other financial blessings, I was able to fly to Orlando and finish an entire college course in one week. OUCH.

While I was there, I met my twin. She took notes like me, she was organized like me, she even color coordintaed her pens and notebooks like me. Scary. On the last day of class, Jeremy called me and asked if there was any way I could get several sandpaper belts for his belt sander (Nicaragua does not have them). He had broken the last peice while he was working on the book shelf. I had no car and no way of getting to a home improvement store. My twin-friend Jennifer offered to take me--30 minutes out of the way--to get the sandpaper. Not only that, she insisted on paying!

We don't look like twins, but we certainly act like them!

The blessings don't stop there. This summer, we had planned to stay home with the exception of me traveling to Virginia for 2 more intensives and 5 exams for my certification. However, some very good friends of ours blessed our whole family with airline tickets to fly to Colorado for a few weeks! They are covering food and lodging too! We are so incredibly excited to visit our friends!

Faith in Action

Nicaragua Christian Academy International's vision is to change the future of Nicaragua, and the world for that matter, through educating the next generation with a biblical worldview. One way we are doing that is through a program we are calling "Faith in Action". In its infancy, this program allows high school students to choose from a variety of ways to demonstrate faith in action based on James 2:14-19:

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

Students have the opportunity to choose from helping in the cafeteria, helping maintenance, tutoring elementary students, working on the set for our upcoming musical, teaching English classes to Spanish speaking staff, and many other teacher-led activities. It is important to note, however, that students are not forced to be involved in this. 

Peter with two 6th graders.

They also have the opportunity to opt out by choosing a study hall. As a trial run, we are implementing this only on Fridays for now, and we will re-evaluate the success in late March. It is important to note that the teachers prayerfully considered and developed their own faith in action projects. We each decided what we were passionate about and invited students to be a part of that. I decided to lead a group who will read to elementary students during lunch. I had six high school students sign up. 

Joycelin reading to a third grade student.

We made posters to advertise what we were doing, chose books we loved, and decided which age groups with which we would enjoy working. Our goal: "To show Christ's love through service and love." Here are a few pictures of our first week. 

Franz was an inspiration to these 4th grade girls.

Peter practicing with props to make reading fun.

Jessie has a captive audience of 1st graders.

Diana diving into a huge book with Gracie.

In late January, we had our annual ANCA (Association of Nicaragua Christian Academy) teacher's conference. Here, all of the staff at each of the schools under the NCA banner and the director of ACSI Latin America (Association of Christian Schools International) gathered together to worship, reflect, and recharge for the new year. The theme, "We Are Champions" reminded us that everything we do, we should do with excellence for Jesus Christ. The association celebrates 25 years of serving Nicaragua this year.

Collaboration with other educators at NCA.

Praise and worship as a unified mission to Nicaragua.

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.