Nica Update: Climbing a Volcano

 

Dear Family and Friends,  This past weekend I (Dan) climbed the Maderas Volcano on Ometepe Island with many of NCA's 7th and 8th grade students.   Nicaragua is called the "Land of Lakes and Volcanos" and you can see why in the picture above.  The Maderas Volcano is in the distance on the right hand side.  We started hiking at 7:30 a.m. and the last group arrived back at the base camp at 7:30 p.m.   It was an extremely difficult climb and an incredible experience to be with the students as they overcame their exhaustion and made it all the way to the top and back.  One student shared with me on the way down that he didn't think he was going to be able to make it to the top and that he was very proud of himself for completing the climb. Our theme verse for the hike was Hebrews 12:1 - 3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.    Dan with some of the students on the trail. Grace and Peace,  the Van Zoest family

 

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 7th 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 Zoest Thank you so very much! Pictured here are Dan and I at the marriage conference. We actually had a lot of fun with this.  Thanks for your prayers! I am religious (crossed out) with free written above was the theme for spiritual emphasis day.  Our speaker came from the US and was very good.  Here are Dan and the kids crossing the finish line at the triathlon!    Pictured here are some of those who attended the conference.  From time to time, there would be breaks where we needed to fill out questions in our manuals.  There were also 3 times where couples went to another location to complete a "project" which led to deeper conversation. This picture is of me prior to presenting at Spiritual Emphasis Day.

Marital Diagnostic Testing

 

Nica Update:  Marital Diagnostic Testing Dear Family and Friends,   Eric (not his real name) was one of the first boys that Will called "a true friend".  Eric was a missionary kid who had lived in Nicaragua his whole life.  Will and Eric spent a lot of time talking about "deep" things and enjoyed many of the same activities.  Then, one day this past October, we learned that Eric, his siblings, and his Mom would be leaving Nicaragua in a matter of days to live in the States. A few months later, Eric's parents got a divorce.    This event has deeply touched all of us.  Will said the other night that he wished he could have gotten in a time machine, gone back in time, and warned them that this would happen so that maybe it could have been prevented.   We cannot turn back time.  But, we can respond by joining God in something we believe He is calling us to do to support the marriages of missionaries here in Nicaragua.  We are planning a marriage conference with the assistance of another couple.  The conference will take place on February 10 and 11.  It is a video conference which is a new event that FamilyLife has developed called "The Art of Marriage".  Over the past few months, we have been watching the video sessions and we are impressed with the dynamic and engaging format of this video conference.  It was designed to empower rural communities to offer the FamilyLife marriage conference on a smaller scale in a church or in small groups.  This format is also perfect for the foreign mission field.   Our target audience is missionary couples.  We currently have between 25 and 30 couples registered for the conference.  One woman wrote to us by email last night saying, "You have no idea how grateful I am that you are willing to host this marriage conference."     There has probably been nothing harder on our own marriage than moving to the foreign mission field.  And there has been nothing that has been better for it.  Other couples have said the same thing to us.  Our sin is so much more magnified and so much easier to see living here (both our own and each other's) because we live our lives with a higher degree of vulnerability – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  The great thing about our sin being magnified is that we can see it and we become more aware how it impacts others.  And when we can see something, we  can then do something about it.  So, living "exposed" and "vulnerable" and "less secure" is a challenge, but it is also an opportunity.   Below is something I wrote and then read at our international church with the prayer that missionary couples would recognize how the marriage conference will be both a challenge and an opportunity.  We share it with you with the same prayer - that you would consider attending a FamilyLife marriage conference in your area.  For information on dates and locations of FamilyLife conferences, you can go to www.familylife.com and click on "Weekend to Remember" or "Art of Marriage".               The past few weeks I (Lisa) have been thinking about the marriage conference that Dan and I have been advertising and how the nature of it relates closely to something that happened to my Dad a few years ago.   It was a few months before we arrived here in Nicaragua and my Dad needed to go in for a doctor's appointment.  He had been having troubles with high blood pressure and his legs would get weak sometimes.  But, just months prior to this appt., he had built a building all by himself that was large enough to house his tractor and a wood working shop.  So, he actually appeared quite healthy.   However, after running a diagnostic test on my Dad, the doctor told him to go to the hospital to get another test done.  This diagnostic test, called an angioplasty, indicated that he had 3 blockages in his heart requiring a triple bypass.  After more diagnostic tests, my parents learned that Dad's left kidney had died, his right kidney was significantly blocked, and he was diagnosed with diabetes.  A few days later, he had open heart surgery.   Open heart surgery means cutting the sternum down the middle, pulling it back like french doors to expose the heart, and then wiring it back together.  I remember seeing my Dad in ICU hooked up to many tubes and monitors.  It was a painful process for him to go through and his recovery took time.  However, he is now enjoying a quality of life that he would never had enjoyed had he not learned - as a result of a diagnostic test - that something needed to be corrected.   A marriage conference can be compared to a diagnostic test that is performed on a heart.  Only, not in a physical sense like my Dad, but in a spiritual sense. Dan and I have felt like we need to go in for a diagnostic test on our marriage each year in the form of a conference or group because for one, we don't have a perfect marriage.  We need an annual reminder of who God calls us to be as husband and wife.  And two, our marriage is always changing and developing and transitioning - just as we are individually.  So, it is kind of like taking a fresh look at a different marriage each year.    And the diagnostic testing of marriage conferences or groups helps us to see areas of our hearts that are weak or sick or hard.   It's not easy to go in for the test, because sometimes the diagnostic test of a marriage conference indicates that we need heart surgery.  And just like physical heart surgery – in order for the Great Physician to do His work - the heart needs to be exposed.  It seems that it is only when our hearts are vulnerable and open and exposed that God can do His best surgical work.    And often, His best surgical tool is our spouse.   It can be painful for us when God uses our spouse to heal us.  But, there is a quality of life on the other side of the pain and recovery that we just might miss if we don't go in for the diagnostic test.   So, what we were wondering . . .  is if you would be open to calling the Great Physician this week and just ask Him, "Do you think I need, we need, diagnostic testing?"           Thank you once again for spending a few minutes reading this update.  We continue to be so amazed and honored by your prayers, your faithful and generous financial support, and your interest in this journey.   Please pray for: 1) Eric and his family - for comfort, healing, and an understanding of God's love for each of them as they walk this journey. For the marriage conference leading up to and on Feb. 10 and 11:    1) For the marriages of the missionary couples who attend to be strengthened.   2)  For God to empower Dan and I to facilitate it well (once again depending on His strength in our weakness, as neither of us are naturally confident "being on stage").   Thank you so very much!   Peace to you, Dan, Lisa, Rebekah, and Will Van Zoest Pictured here are Dan and I with David and Claudia at their home.  They are planning the marriage conference with us.

Nica Update: Pictures

Save all photos Want to save all these photos at once? Learn how

Online pictures are available for 30 days

Thank you so much for the mail at Christmas!  It is so fun for us to hear from you and to hear what your families are up to!  And we LOVE all the pictures!  My, how your kids have grown!

Opening the mail is an afternoon event!

The kids really got into reading the letters this year.  Fun to see them interested in your lives as well.

Precious letters and pictures!

Rebekah reading one out loud to us.

We love our house helper, Dona Mercedes, who is with us two half days a week.  She loves to talk with us, helping us with our Spanish.  She also keeps us closely connected to the culture, as we learn about the challenges of her life.  And she and Rebekah have become cooking buddies.  Here they are making corn tortillas.  One of my favorite moments with Dona Mercedes is just before she leaves - she always says, "Hasta a Martes, si Dios quiere."  which means "I will see you on Tues. if that is what God wants."  Her words are a continual reminder to me to live in moment by moment surrender.

Here are Rebekah and our friend Dayana doing a magic show with some neighbor kids.  I love the expressions on their faces.

Here they are "pulling a string" through Alia.

Rebekah made supper for us - grilled cheese, corn bread muffins, and tomato soup.  She added the special touch of candles and turned out the lights.  I call her "my 12 year old Martha Stewart".

I'm so proud of the man with the number 11 on his legs.

Dan and 68 other NCA teachers and students competed in NCA's second annual triathlon.

Here is the first heat at 8:30 AM.  Many NCA teachers were motivating their students to participate by offering extra credit to anyone who completed the triathlon.  It was quite a challenge for many of our students, but we were so inspired by their effort and determination.  As I look at this picture, it seems that most of the Americans chose to run the first heat.

Here is Dan before the swim with Will who was beaming with pride.

Here is everyone in the Laguna before the start of the race where they will be swimming 200 meters before transitioning to the biking part.

Here is Dan coming in from the swim.  There were life guards stationed every 10 feet or so.  Some of our NCA kids did not know how to swim well, but they did it!

Here is Dan after the swim, putting on his shoes, shorts, and shirt for the biking part.

And off he goes for the 10 K bike ride.  This ride was up hill most of the way and Dan was riding a bike that would not change geers!  So, he had to work quite hard to get up the hills.

And here he comes in from the biking part!  Go Daddy!

I drove the kids out to the 2.5 K turn around for the 5 K run and they and a couple of friends joined Dan for the rest of the run.

The run was fun for them as they passed several people before getting to the finish line.  This was Dan's strongest part of the race.  It was a good challenge and goal for the kids and for Dan.

They made it across the finish line!  Dan's time was 1 hour 20 minutes.  The fastest time was 51 minutes, the next fastest times were around 1 hour 10 minutes, and the slowest time was around 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Will celebrating by pouring water on his head.

Picture after the race.

During the second heat of the race, our family was stationed at the bike turn around.  We needed to check off all of the bikers as they turned around.

Here is one of our NCA seniors.  The night before last year's triathlon, he learned how to ride a bike in the NCA parking lot!  Another Nicaraguan student who inspires us.

The beautiful Laguna.  God gave us a beautiful day as well.

Here is Dan and I with David and Claudia at their home.  They are the couple with whom we are planning the marriage conference with.

Get Windows Live Mail to create your own photo e-mails

Merry Christmas

Christ our Savior is Born Wishing you  a Joy filled  Christmas from the Van Zoest family Thank you for your love and support! Click here to read our Christmas letter.

Nica Update:  Joy to the World Dear Family and Friends, I (Lisa) stood there, unable to sing the words.  Tears in my eyes, heart swelling with thanks.   The song was in Spanish, but I knew the words in English.  "Though the sorrow may last for the night, His joy comes with the morning."  I was in the midst of Nicaraguan friends - the grounds workers, cooks, and cleaning staff of NCA.  People who have endured great hardship and are economically among those who we might call "poor".  When I am with them though, I see how rich they are and how much they have to give.   They were singing as loud as they could with hands raised, . . . body, mind, and soul fully engaged.  Isabel sits next to me.  Never have I known a voice so strong and beautiful.  I tell her that her shoes are pretty.  She says, "Gracias".  And then she says, "You need to say, "A la orden" (which means something like "you're welcome).  We laugh together – she loves to teach us. I am pressed but not crushed persecuted, but not abandoned struck down, but not destroyed I am blessed beyond the curse, for His promise will endure and His joy will be my strength.  I look two rows up to see Blanca – she lost her teenage daughter a little over a year ago.  Ana Gabriela drowned in a torrential downpour while walking home from school.  I watch Blanca praise and laugh and beam with joy. I'm trading my sickness, I'm trading my pain, I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord.   Then, there was Rosita sitting behind me, a spirited woman who always inspires me because of her enthusiasm for life.  I remember the day we celebrated her graduation from grade school as a middle aged woman.  I admire her determination.  I'm trading my sorrows, I'm trading my shame, I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord.  And Carmen, mother of many, gifted seamstress whose face and manner remind me so much of my grandma.  She sewed curtains for my children's rooms, nurturing us like a mother and a grandma does.  Jose Angel sits in front of us.  He is the maker of bookshelves which are a centerpiece in our living room.  A kind and gentle servant heart.  We say yes Lord, yes Lord, yes, yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord, yes, yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord, yes, yes Lord, amen.  And then there is Chepe, full of fun and life.  I watch him lower the piñata which is in the form of a bell onto the head of an unsuspecting friend.  He laughs along with all who watch him.  Chepe rides his bicycle two hours to work at NCA and two hours back home each day.  When I am having a bad day, I look for Chepe because he always has a smile for me, a smile that heals and loves.  . . .  though the sorrow may last for the night His joy comes with the morning.  I look down the row to see my husband . . . child fatherless at the age of 7.  It is written on his father's tombstone . . . though the sorrow may last for the night, His joy comes with the morning.  I've had the privilege of living with a man who believed and keeps believing in joy in the midst of sorrow . . . a lifetime of sorrow because you never stop missing your Dad.  Hence, the tears and the heart full of thanks . . . thanks for the privilege of being in relationship with people who are resolved to live "joy" when they have every right to live buried in sorrow, resentment, bitterness, and anger.  The other night, Will said to me at bedtime as we exchanged our last words for the day, "Mom, I just wouldn't trade my life for any other life."  I said, "Me too, Will.  Me too."    Joy.  I've never known it like this before.    Joy to the World.   Joy to you beloved child of God.   And peace,   Dan, Lisa, Rebekah, and Will