A Patchy Post

So much has happened in the past month that it was difficult to name this post! I kept contemplating which things to write about, so I decided to make this post a sort of bulletin to share life in the mission field.

Our Second Christmas

We celebrated our second Christmas in Nicaragua. Last year, as you may have read, was filled with exploration and adventure. This year, things were quiet. Almost too quiet. Many missionaries often feel a sense of loneliness at different times while they are in the field. Christmas morning was the first time I felt this. I think it was the isolation of being in a foreign country combined with the new season of our lives where the excitement of Christmas morning has lost its pizzazz. What Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" and cinnamon rolls could not fix, prayer and perseverance did.

Trip to La Finca Argentina

After Christmas, our family went north into the mountains to stay with a Nicaraguan family for a few days. On this farm they plant, harvest, and prepare coffee as well as other typical farm chores. Experiencing life with a Nica family was enlightening, peaceful, and reflecive. Gallo pinto and Nica cheese were served at each meal with either soup, fresh chicken or eggs. The house had electricity, but it ran on solar power only. The sunlight charged a battery pack that powered the home with lights, and even television. Little 5 year old Maria Belin knew that no sun means no cartoons today. All of the water was directed to the house from a spring that runs through the farm. 

In return for their hospitality, our family prepared an Italian meal for their family-15 people to be exact. Jeremy prepared chicken fettucine alfredo, I prepared a salad and garlic bread, and Spencer and Hannah served them. They were refusing to eat until we sat down with them, but Jeremy convinced the family that this is something we wanted to do for them. Reluctantly, they started without us. Here are a few moments from our time with Nelson Rizo and family.

Sharing Spencer's guitar. Douglas had not played in years!

Picking my one of my favorite things...COFFEE!

Spencer hauling 150 pound bags of coffee to the husker.

This little guy works at the farm. La Finca Argentina
employs over 20 people.

Jeremy & Spencer sorting the grades of beans.

Teacher Retreat

Each year before the beginning of second semester, NCA teachers and staff get together to refresh, reconnect, and rejuvenate. It was a great time of relection on our relationships with Christ and team building.

Jeremy in catching marshmallows from his
teammates.

The van push/pull relay.

Arrival of an Intern

In early January, we had an intern from Cedaredge arrive to spend two months with us! Megan Bradshaw will be working at a local orphanage, helping out at NCA with the library move in the coming weeks, and experiencing life on the mission field. We are happy to have her!

Spiritual Emphasis Week

As the second semester is in full swing, we experienced yet another first. This past week was Spiritual Emphasis Week at NCA. Throughout the week special activities led to up Friday, where normal classes were cancelled in exchange for praise and worship, breakout sessions, and a wonferful keynote speaker. Students were able to choose from sessions such as "The Connection Between Science and Faith", "Worth the Wait (ladies only)", "Dealing with Depression", and "Coping with Stress and Worry." Although there were many more sessions from which to choose, students had to decide on four. Tough questions were answered in a safe place as relationships were fostered between teachers, students, and the Master Teacher, Jesus Christ. 

I think that sums up our busy month! Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!

Reflections: San Juan del Sur 2013

On Christmas Day 2013, our family made the trek south to San Juan del Sur for some much needed relaxation. I had just completed a full year of studies including both summer terms while working full time. My family vaguely remembered who I was! We decided to take a mini vacation at Playa Marsella Beachfront Hotel for 5 nights. We settled in for 5 days of nothingness. Beach, pool, naps, and reading consumed our days.

One of the days, we ventured to SJDS town to explore the town and some select real estate. Walking into a RE/Max agency, we inquired about a particular property of interest. And, yes, it was still on the market.

In my spring semester world geography course, I chose to do a missions project for my final assignment. The goal of the assignment was to choose a particular area of the world and apply the 5 themes of geography. I took it a step further and researched San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Why Nicaragua? Ten years ago in the highlight of my travel agent experience, Jeremy saw a documentary about Nicaragua. Then, over and over again through various outlets, Nicaragua kept reappearing in our lives. So, I dug in, and developed a geography assignment like no other.

When my grandmother died in 2010, I decided to someday open a Christian school in her honor. I didn't know where, when, or how, but I knew it was what I was supposed to do...someday. Hence, the theme for my project. I researched the country of Nicaragua and its economy, government, education system, real estate, climate, and culture. Now, we were there, in reality, looking at the possibility of a Christian school on the square in a quaint red building in San Juan del Sur, NI. However, we all knew in our hearts that this was a future possibility, not for here and now.

So we relaxed for a few more days before our trek to Granada.

Reflections: Arrival 2013

8:34 p.m. December 24, 2013. The Managua airport welcomed the Kane family after a lengthy day of travel from Salt Lake City, UT. Gathering our luggage while adjusting to a 90 degree temperature difference, signs exclaiming, "Bienvenidos!" captured our attention. Sure, we have traveled to many countries over the years with similar customs and immigration experiences, but never with the intentions that we had for this trip.

After clearing immigration, we met our driver to take us to the Art Hotel in Managua for the night. Along the way, we experienced the sights and sounds of Christmas Eve in Nicaragua. It was anything but a silent night. Late into the evening when North American families were tucking their children into bed, Nicaraguans were lining the streets gearing up for a celebration.

When we arrived, the hotel attendant showed us to our room. Exhausted, we were ready to turn in. She gently explained that we should just stay awake, because at midnight we would be be awaken anyway. So, we decided to stay up to see what the hype was all about.
At 5 minutes till midnight, the popping and crackling of the fireworks began to increase. At midnight, the Kane family was immersed into a deep fryer of fireworks. The smell of sulphur and the remnants of paper filled the warm, humid air for nearly an hour. Our first Nica Christmas was louder and brighter than any Independence Day celebration we could imagine in the U.S. Once the commotion subsided, we settled in for a long, not-so-winter nap. For tomorrow, we would travel south to San Juan del Sur.

November in Nicaragua

Ahhh...well, the temperature has finally cooled to an average daytime high of 85 degrees. In the evenings temperatures are dropping to a pleasant 72. We are finishing out what is known as the "rainy season" in Nicaragua. Although we saw quite a bit of rain in the last month, the drought is still taking its toll on the country. Below, you can see and hear a heavy downpour we experienced during a thunderstorm a few weeks ago. Keep in mind, in these videos, we have no electricity and the lightning and thunder are quite intense.

 

Also, a few weeks ago, we experienced our first noticeable earthquake in Nicaragua. It was determined to be a 7.3 off the west coast of El Salvador and Nicaragua. For those of you who have never experienced an earthquake, the best way to describe it is a deep rumbling sound that makes the earth tremble beneath your feet. Oftentimes, I mistake the heavy machinery of roadwork outside our school entrance for the rumbling of another quake.

The results of the quake were frustrating to say the least. It seems that in recent years, the government in Nicaragua is exercising more control over the schools, both public and private. Even though the quake presented no additional major after shocks, the ministry of education declared a "yellow alert" for 4 school days. The frustration lies in the fact that, to keep our accreditation with ACSI, we must have 180 days of instruction. So, we improvised. On day two of the closure we implemented online schooling. In order to be prepared for future mandatory closures, the staff has been training students on how to use Google classroom, a pilot program in which NCA is currently involved.

In spite of earthquakes, downpours, and power outages, I continue to see my students grow and learn. In homeroom each morning, I get the privilege to talk with my girls about life, offer them God's word, and pray with them.

Academically, we are learning how rationalize our thought processes through debates and collaborative learning.

Thinking through problems in World Studies

High school students preparing to debate
legitimate topics.

Our first field trip was a service project to Tesoros de Dios meaning, "God's Treasures" where my 7th grade girls experienced serving God by serving those with developmental disabilities. The director of this mission is a graduate of NCA who went to college in the states and returned to serve in Nicaragua. Michelle is living example of the results of the mission work Jeremy and I are doing now. We may not see the fruits of our labor for many years, but God is blessing it now.

Painting--oh so messy.

Tesoros de Dios student
enjoying the puppets we
brought for a puppet
show

My girls helping in the physical
therapy area.

This link will take you to Tesoros de Dios,  God's Treasures in Nicaragua.

Finally, big things are happening at NCA! We are currently transforming our old chapel area into an amazing library! Scheduled to open on Spencer's birthday, January 24th, this library will allow our school to grow with a larger selection of materials, multimedia capabilities, and library class space. Our current library situation is organized but small, about the size of a typical classroom. We are very excited about this blessing. Here are some images of the construction process. Check out the styrofoam panels covered in cement and stabilized by reed bar to form the walls!

As I said earlier, in the type of mission work we are doing, we don't see the immediate fruits of of our labor. With many short term missions, there is the "satisfaction" of seeing lives changed, people fed (both physically and spiritually), churches and house built. But in our mission, we must rely on something I call "God winks." These are tiny little milestones where God let's me know, "Yeah, this is what I want you to do, Kim. This is how I designed you to serve Me."  One morning, I was in a fury trying to get things prepared for classes. I had copies to make, plans to print, supplies to gather. When I came into my classroom after a mad dash to the copy room, this is what I found:

Wow. Of course, I cried and joined my girls in a group hug. Relationships are being built. Lives are being changed. God's work is being done. 

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

                                          Romans 8:28.   

                                                             Still my life verse.

Each trip out things get easier. We are slowly picking up the language and navigation is a snap with WAZE ( a real time GPS app that tells you where accidents, construction, heavy traffic, and the police are located).  Today, Hannah and I made a  run to the open air market looking for a tarp (no luck) but we were able to find her two pair of shoes for school for under $20.

Market

A Happy Camper

Tomorrow starts a new adventure for me. Since I only teach three days a week at the school, I have Mondays and Wednesdays to explore and get to know the people in the surrounding community. Last friday I was introduced to a lady who spends her mornings cooking for the people who work at a factory close to our house. My friend interpreted to her that I loved to cook and needed to learn spanish. So, she told me to be there Monday morning at 8am to learn to cook "Nica style" food. This will all be done over open fire and totally in Spanish. 

These pictures are similar to her kitchen but are not the actual one I will be working in. After I get permission to take some pictures I will post them 

Stay tuned, more to follow.......Jeremy

Well we have been here in Nicaragua for close to 3 months now and I have to tell ya so far it has been an awesome experience.

Before we came we had people say things like: Isn't it dangerous there? How are you all going to get by? You don't even know the language. Won't you miss your friends?

Well I have to tell ya, we DO miss our friends. It has been the hardest part of the whole thing. That, coupled with not knowing the language making it harder to make new friends is hard on all of us. Sure there are English speaking people who work at the school with us and they are super nice. I'm sure we will become great friends, but one of my desires is to be able to make Nica friends here as well.

We were blessed to find a great apartment in a super nice facility with a pool, but many of the people here are North Americans who teach at the school where we teach. So it's kinda like we live in an Americanized bubble in a foreign land (don't get me wrong it has it's advantages).  However, those of you who know me, know that I have never met a stranger (at least once I met them they weren't a stranger for long) So, to not be able to strike up a conversation with someone in line at the grocery store or on the chicken bus is frustrating. Luckily Spanish classes start tomorrow!

Here is a snippet of one of my favorite routes home. This cobblestone road is called "The Cow Road"

As for being dangerous, I feel just as safe here as I would in Clarksville, Louisville or Denver. We have not run in to,  or heard of anyone running in to any problems thus far. People are poor here and they are opportunists. For example, if you leave a package in your car with the windows down while you go into a store, it may or may not be there when you come out (lesson learned).

On the other hand, we were at the beach Sunday afternoon and I got our vehicle hung up in the sand. Thankfully I didn't bury it. As I was digging the sand from around the wheels in an attempt to free us from this gritty peril, a couple sets of gringos rode past on rented four wheelers offering no help, but within a few minutes we had close to fifteen Nicas offering to help push, pull, dig whatever it took to free us.  The people here are very friendly and for that we are thankful.

Lastly how are we getting by? Well thanks to the support of friends and family we are making ends meet. Food is a lot more expensive than we budgeted for but we are making cuts elsewhere. For example, filtered water is $48 cords per bottle (about $2) and we go through about  5-6 a week $10 to $12 per week. So the other day we purchased this filter that will pay for itself in 1 month and reduce our monthly budget needs by about $45 a month.

Our New Filter

We are extremely grateful to everyone who is sending support, monetarily or through prayer. We are still in need of supporters who are willing to commit to a monthly donation, REMEMBER no amount is too big or too small. Contact us through email kanefamilynicaragua@gmail.com or find us on facebook.

Point of View: Spencer & Hannah

Now that we have been living in Nicaragua for a little over two months, we have settled into our apartment, our mission, and our overall general routine. I decided to survey the kids to see how they feel about living in Nicaragua. Here is the summary of my Q & A interview with them. Enjoy!

Q: Hannah, what is the best part of living in Nicaragua?
A: I like that I have new friends, and the school is good. It makes me happy when I see the bright, colorful, cheerful views from Laguna de Apoyo.

Spencer in Masaya looking over Laguna de Apoyo Crater Lake

Q: Spencer, How do you feel about living in Nicaragua?

A: When I actually understand what people are saying, they are super nice and polite to me. However, when my parents turn to me and ask, "What did he say?" it gets super frustrating. Nicaraguans speak Spanish very quickly and I don't always understand what they are saying.

Q: Hannah, is there anything you don't like about living in Nicaragua?

A: I am sad that my friends can't come see us. I miss them. I wish my Granny Kay could come with us. Also, it would be nice if my classroom had an air conditioner. It is SUPER hot here!

Q: Spencer, what are you unhappy about living in Nicaragua?

A: I am sad that my friends in Colorado miss me. I especially miss my closest friend, Kaleigh. But, one thing that brings a smile to my face is the writing on the desks as school. They say things like, "I love God" instead of bad words.

Q: Spencer, how have you seen God work since you've been in Nicaragua?

A: At Ignite last weekend, we went to a Nicaraguan family home with dirt floors and made of cinder blocks. With a translator, my dad and I talked to them, just getting to know them. Then, I used my special skills to chop wood for them. We plan to take some rice and beans back to the family this week, since most people eat gallo pinto each day. It was cool to spend time with them and get to know them. Hopefully, we'll get to talk them about Jesus soon.

Well, there is how an 11 year old and a 15 year old view their lives in Nicaragua!