NCA News

Alumni and Constituency Newsletter
Nicaragua Christian Academy
Managua, Nicaragua

December 2009

Reunion 2010!
June 11-12, Managua, Nicaragua

It's time!  We have begun a tradition of scheduling an NCA staff/student reunion every five years.  Our first reunion was held in June 2005 and was a fantastic time for former teachers and students to get together and see how NCA has grown.  We had 71 people in attendance.

Our school has grown incredibly during the last five years, and we would love to have you visit us!  The preliminary schedule is as follows:

Friday, June 11 6:00pm - Senior graduation, Class of 2010 - 18 students (NCA Chapel) Saturday, June 12 9:00am - Welcome, registration, snacks (NCA Chapel) 10:00am - Volleyball, organized activities 12:00pm - Hamburger and hot-dog cookout 1:00pm - Tour of NCA (now 289 students) and NCA Nejapa (now 280 students) 2:30pm - Ultimate frisbee game 4:00pm - Student/staff soccer game 6:30pm - Dinner with entertainment

Please RSVP to our Director of Development, Dan Van Zoest, at ncadevelop@gmail.com.  Information related to travel and accommodation options will be provided at a later date.

Christmas Around The World

Our annual school Christmas Concert took a more international flavor this year with songs from Nicaragua, United States, Brazil, Israel, South Korea, Holland, Zimbabwe and Hawaii!  On a beautifully decorated stage, our elementary students and guest high school musicians performed a concert focused on the birth of Jesus Christ here on earth.  The audience closed by singing together, "Go Tell it on the Mountain," reminding all of us that Christmas is a time to share the Good News with others!

This concert was directed by our music teacher, Miss Lauren LaRose, with the help of our elementary teachers and many others who worked hard to make it possible.  It was received with much applause!

Train Up a Child...

Education with a Christian foundation begins in preschool at Nicaragua Christian Academy.  One of the building blocks of that Christian foundation is learning about forgiveness.  Lois Orozco, NCA’s Kindergarten teacher, recently shared this story about her students: “Our chapel lesson was on forgiveness and we talked about how God forgives us and how we should forgive others.  Since many of our students are still learning English, we are practicing saying, 'I’m sorry' and 'I will forgive you.'  One day a student said some unkind words to our classroom aide.  The other children heard and were sad.  I suggested to him that he should apologize.  He came back to school the next day and we gathered around him to hear his words of apology.  We forgave him and hugged him.  Later, his parents expressed their appreciation for the way children who misbehave are held accountable and also forgiven.”

NCA’s preschool students are taught by Sylvia Mejia (Pre K I), Ellen Rosenberger (Pre K II) and Lois Orozco (Kindergarten).  Lois has taught Kindergarten at NCA for 17 years and Sylvia is in her 15th year of teaching at NCA!  Ellen is in her 4th year of teaching at NCA.  This year NCA has 45 students in preschool!  Generally, our preschool students begin in Pre K I at the age of three and graduate from Kindergarten at the age of six. 

In preschool, the students are learning letters, colors, numbers and shapes.  The preschool years are taught in English and Spanish, with a focus on English language learning so that the students are prepared for their move into elementary school.  NCA’s elementary and high school classes are taught in English.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” -- Proverbs 22:6

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Pastor's Toolbox

By Bob and Johanna Thurlow
Missionary family at Nicaragua Christian Academy
Serving with Christ for the City International

Because most of the pastors in Nicaragua have had no formal ministry education, Christ for the City missionary Bob Thurlow equips them with training and resources.  Julio Pavon is one such pastor.  When reflecting on trying to pastor a church without any training he says, "I often felt like I was blind."  His testimony mirrors that of many pastors throughout Nicaragua.

Through a project called “Pastor’s Toolbox,” pastors learn how to study the Bible.  Although most of them are able to read, they have not been taught how to think about what they read.  Pastor Julio comments, "After the first class session, I asked the Lord to forgive me for my ignorance of the Word.  Now I am not the same; I read the Bible completely different."  Along with the course instruction, each pastor learns how to use a Bible concordance and a Bible dictionary.  The majority of pastors in Nicaragua do not have a single Bible-reference book.  Pastor Julio concludes, "I am full of joy and want to learn more!"

We came to Nicaragua in 2006 after serving for five years as missionaries in Costa Rica.  One of the reasons for our move was the stress and frustration we were experiencing over our children’s education.  We can relate to the fact that one of the primary reasons missionaries leave their field of service prematurely is due to their children’s education issues.  We are so thankful for the gifted teachers and staff at NCA.  The quality Christian education David and Lily receive gives us peace and stability as we minister here in Nicaragua.

Prayer and Praise

• Praise God for a successful recruiting trip, making contact with 125 new potential teachers!
• Pray for God's continual provision of teachers that love Him and desire to serve Him.
• Pray that Nicaragua Christian Academy and NCA Nejapa will be effective in raising up leaders ready and willing to transform their communities and make decisions of integrity based upon God's Word.
• Pray for the country of Nicaragua in the midst of difficult economic and political circumstances.