How can it be the middle of February already?!?!?

Hello friends and family~

I hope this find you all well!

I just realized I have not sent out an update for quite some time, sorry! It's been a bit busy since I returned from the States at Christmas. My friend Tricia came to visit about 2 weeks after I got back to Nica, and we had a GREAT time!! It was SO nice to have someone to show around my life, it's great too because she can report back to everyone at home ;-) We hit the Masaya market, Gran Pacifica beach resort, El Crucero orphanage, Tesoros de Dios and of course...NCA. THANKS for coming TVM, you're awesome! Marlo and Carol Van Klompenburg are also here for the month of February...more familiar faces. It's been a real blessing having them here. There is a team for Faith church here this week as well, in fact they are probably just landing in Managua right now, so another fun week for me!

Things here are going well, it's been very busy but I enjoy it! We have a student teacher in our first grade room now, so needless to say, the kiddos are getting lots of attention ;-) We've been keeping busy with fun things too. We've spent some time at the beach this semester and taking out the student teachers so they can experience the Nica culture through our gringa eyes...hahaha. We went to Granada yesterday and had a great day...I'll try to get some pics up on Facebook and on the blog.

There are always ways you can be praying for me...read below!

~I have turned in to the resident counselor for all the teachers at NCA, which I love, but last week I had a bit of a meltdown. SO much hurt in their lives and I guess I just wept for all of them. Pray specifically for my 2 dear friends, Jed and Gina. I don't want to give out too much info but they are both walking through fire and have entrusted me to walk with them. Pray for wisdom for both of their situations, and that God would use my words to speak His truth in to their lives.

~Praise God for continued safety and his proctection over us as we travel out and about...it's been fun to learn to drive here, but can be quite scary at times.

~Financial support is a big part of my ministry. I'm at about 80% of where I need to be through July. If you would like to support me in that way, go to www.crwm.org and look for my name ;-)

~It's decision time again for me as far as what I would like to do in the next school year. Pray that God's guidance would be present in all my thoughts and that ultimately, His will be done.

~I am SUPER excited to be able to meet my parents in Honduras next week with a team from the area. Pray for safety for me as I travel on the bus (I'm a bit nervous) and for them as they travel. And, in all the many activities that are planned in Honduras, God be glorified!

Thanks for keeping up with me, I LOVE hearing from many of you!

Blessings~

Angie

Earthquake!!

Just when I think nothing exciting happens here...

This morning at 11:15 we experienced a 5.1 earthquake here in Nicaragua. It was VERY scary for all of us and it just creates some uncertain feelings here. The kids did well, we've practiced earthquake drills so they knew what to do, although they have a lot of questions. It makes you realize REAL quick who's in control of all things!

Join me in thanking God that it was not any worse, and asking that all people here will be kept safe and that there are no more earthquakes anytime too soon :-) No one was hurt at school, so we're all thankful for that.

Blessings~

Angie

Welcome 2011!!

Hello friends and family~

It was SO great to see many of you while I was in the States over Christmas and New Year's...for those of you I didn't see, let's try again in April :-)

Again, I returned to Nicaragua and hit the ground running...I flew in last Saturday (January 8) and we started school on Monday. We survived the first week, and it actually went pretty well so we are thankful for the small things. It was great to see the kids again and they were pretty excited to see me. Most of them were just excited to hear about the snow that I saw, many of them have never seen snow but they love to hear about it!

I was VERY happy to get back up to El Crucero last weekend too. I assumed that I shared with all of you my love story with my litte Frankie but I learned that I have not, so here's the short version. Frankie is about 2 1/2 years old and I'll never forget the first time I saw him in October when I first met him. He melted my heart right away. One look and I was in love!! He walked up to me, lifted his little arms, I put him in mine and the rest is history. I am just so attached to him and I know he feels the same way about me...he WOULD NOT let me put him down on Saturday. I'm not sure who cried harder when I walked out the door. Anyways...needless to say, Frankie got pretty spoiled over Christmas, he now has a basket of clothes, a basket of toys, and his own shoes at my house. I LOVE my slumber parties with him, and I think he like them too :-)

I feel like I've adjusted pretty well to the Nica life again, it feels different this time. I'm not too sure why, it just does. I've really been missing my family a lot this time...I think I just got used to them all over Christmas. Seems so quiet here without them...

THANK YOU for all or your support...you're all amazing!

Things you can be praying for~

~Another tragedy with an NCA Nejapa student. She was killed today from a stray bullet in a gang related shooting....SO SAD!!! These kids just lost another peer in August, so there are many raw emotions at our Nejapa campus. Lift up this campus and the students as well as Gabriela's friends and family.

~The orphanage that I spend lots of weekend time at is having LOTS of issues...sexual assault activities among the children who learned from their own homes. Staffing has been a HUGE issue and now they need even more supervision for the kids as they are feeling that they are not as safe as they may have been before. Pray that God would send the right person to work with these children who so desperately need love and attention, but most of all safety. Unfortunately, these kids come from some very traumatic homes prior to the orphanage and learn at a very young age the negative behaviors they see in their homes.

~My dear Australian friends (Jed and Liz) got robbed last week. THEY TOOK EVERYTHING!!! Pray that God would provide their needs and replacement for all the things they lost....God has been so good already!

~There are a LOT of teachers leaving NCA this year, pray that God would work in the hearts of future teachers and volunteers so the school's need can be fufilled next school year. Any of you reading this that are teachers...have I got the job for you :-)

I love hearing from all of you frequently, thanks for your notes and e-mails, they are so encouraging to me! Again, I LOVE visitors, I would love to show you this country! Consider this your invite and come on down for a visit. It's really warm here right now and sunny all the time...isn't that enough to make you want to get away from winter?!?!?!?!?

Thanks guys, you all rock :-)

Blessings~

Angie

Quick note...

WOW!! It's so hard for me to believe that it is December already...it just does not seem like it would be possible because there is no change in weather here to indicate seasons in the country! BUT...the exciting part of this is that I am coming home in only 11 days!! I am very anxious to get home and spend some much needed time with family and friends and being able to relax a little bit :-)

Things have been going well here, really just getting into the daily routine of school. Bible Study, tutoring, Spanish classes and trying to find some time to just enjoy life as well! I've found myself doing exactly what I said I was not going to do...get so busy! When I was in the States, I was always busy, having committments almost every night of the week and I swore not to do that here...well, so much for that plan!! However, I feel that it is good for me to be busy because it can keep my mind of realizing that I'm thousands of miles from home. I guess it will just make me appreciate my time at home even that much more! HOWEVER, I would love to be busy visiting with lots of you guys...seeing familiar faces will be so appreciated!

Just a few things I'd like to share for you to keep in prayer:

*I got a car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a whole new life for me here...I'm so thankful that I found a good car for a good price. I've already noticed a few things that the seller may have "forgot" to mention that may need fixed, but none of the issues seem to be too big of a deal. I've been so fortunate to meet a North American man who is a very honest mechanic :-) I'm hoping that he will keep my car while I'm home over Christmas and get the issue fixed without spending a lot of time and money going in to it. This is most exciting for me to think of the many other ministries that I have been wanting to get involved in, but haven't felt like I could committ to things without knowing if I would be able to get there, so I'm excited to see what else Managua has to offer :-)

*On that same note, pray for my roommate Emily. I have NEVER driven a stick before and lessons start today :-) Pray that I would pick it up quickly and that there are no major accidents to report :-)

*As I already mentioned, this is a very busy time of year (I'm sure for many of you as well). I just ask that you pray for things to get wrapped up around here so all of us that are traveling home for the Christmas season can truly relax and enjoy our time in our homes!

*I got my true taste of motherhood last week...Emily and I went at stayed with the 5 children at the orphanage...WOW!!! I can't think of a a time when I've been more exhausted than I was last Sunday. Pray for Leo, Frankie, Ophelia, Yulka, and Emily. They need so many things and have experienced so many things in their lives...pray that God would provide their daily needs in big ways.

*Thanks to God for a successful bike trip down the eastern coast of this beautiful country over the Thanksgiving weekend. Of course, I did not ride a bike...I was part of the "support team." I rode in a car and helped people with medical issues (thankfully there were not very many) and getting drinks and snacks as needed. We stayed in a NATURAL RESERVE. I think it's a good thing that I didn't know what that meant before they drove me almost down to Costa Rica and dropped us here...not a super fun experiece, however the beach was BEAUTIFUL and we got to see a sea turtle lay her eggs in the sand...what an amazing experience! The trip was to raise awareness and financial support for the Luke Society here in Nicaragua, a organization that is founded with CRWRC.

I'm looking forward to seeing many of you over Christmas. I am going to ATTEMPT to order my photos from my time here so they are waiting for me when I get back to the States so I can share them with you. I am also planning to share a small bit about my time here in church on January 2 so I hope to see many of you there.

Thanks for your support, both prayerfully and financially. I am one blessed girl! I pray that you all have a wonderful blessed Christmas season in light of the birth of our King!

Blessings~

Angie

Oh, and one more thing...just for those of you who will want to get in touch with me over Christmas (I would love to get together with as many of you as I can) I will be either at my parents house or Amy's and do plan to check e-mail regularly and will have my States cell phone if you need to contact me. That number is 641-780-2741.

My Big Top Adventure

I've added a few more pictures...enjoy! Things are going well here, and I'm getting REALLY excited to come home in 2 1/2 weeks...can't wait to see many of you over my 3 1/2 week trip to the States!

November...WHAT?!?!?!?!?!

Hello friends and family~

I hope this finds you all well!

I've been terrible at keeping everyone up to date...life has been busy!

Not a whole lot new to report, things at NCA are going well...I've been getting more involved with the counseling department and that has been fun for me, since this is where my passion is. Great kiddos I'm working with in a lot of tough home situations. When I talk with them, I'm SO thankful for the home and community that I grew up in. It makes a WORLD of difference. I'm still teaching English to my boys, I think they're stuck with me :-) The other girl who was supposed to do it kind of backed out, so I am still teaching English every day. It's good for me, I really love the boys and was very sad to think of not working with them anymore. I always wonder if what I'm doing is helpful with them, I just don't feel adequate. God knows...this week I had 3 teachers tell me how much they have improved in English, so I must be doing something right :-)

I had the opportunity to go to an orphanage in El Crucero last weekend and work with 5 babies who were rescued from the Atantic Coast...and I FELL IN LOVE!!! I am going back today (Saturday) and just want to go live there. The stories of their little lives are heartbreaking, I just pray that God would provide all their needs. I told my mom I might have 5 little mouths to feed at Christmas...I just want to take them home :-) It's been a GREAT experience and one that I'm so thankful to have had, it really is an eye opening experience.

In the social aspect of things...I've been going to lots of movies and attempting to go to baseball games (that's a whole other story) and hanging out with friends. It's good for me to be busy. I'm hoping to get to the beach at least one more time before I come home at Christmas :-) THings are going well, and I'm so thankful that I've found a few really good friends here to help me keep my sanity :-)

My mom flies in on Wednesday and I am so excited! She stays for only a few days, but I'm planning to keep her very busy :-) It's so nice to have people come visit, it helps fight the homesickness aspect of it all. I've been struggling with that, but I realize that I'm not the only one and we all just know when we need a night out do distract ourselves from thinking about it :-) I love visitors and if you're reading this, consider it your official invitation to come to Nicaragua, I promise you would enjoy it :-) The time with my sisters are great, we were pretty lazy (can you believe it?!??) and didn't do much of anything besides just catch up. We went to San Juan Del Sur which is about 5 miles from Costa Rica and stayed at a great bed and breakfast there. Their time here was all too short, but I appreciated them coming, it was a fun time!

I have lots of preyer requests this time!

~Update on the legal situation: Liam just informed us that nothing new has happened with the case. Like everything else in this country, it's taking a long time. Continue to pray that the right actions will be taken and for a hedge of protection around all the staff and students at NCA. Sounds like it could still get ugly...

~My principal, Slyvia, had a miscarraige yesterday. She has a son who is 17 and has been trying to have another baby since he was born. She was SO excited to be having another baby, so this is devestating news. Pray for her and her family as well as us at the school so that we can support her in the best ways we can.

~I've been working on my Spanish and it's going pretty well. Pray that I continue to pick up the language and for patience for my tutor as he tries to teach me. A lot of times he laughs at me and says "Do you know what you just said?"

~Financial support is a huge need for my work at NCA. Thanks to God (and many of you) I was able to surpass my fundraising goal for this past semster. However, since I decdied to come back next semester I need to raise $9000. Pray for God's provision in the financial aspect so that I can continue my work at NCA. I feel so blessed to be here because I know this is where God has called me to be.

~I've really been wanting a car and I ask that you pray for God to show me the right way in this situation. It's been very frustrating to share a car with 3 other people and I at times feel very trapped and unable to really get invovled with other ministries that I would like to be involved with because I have no transportation. I just pray that God will provide a car and that it will be a good car (those can be hard to find here.)

~Pray for Frankie, Yulka, Ophelia, Leo, and Emily...the 5 kiddos at Que Mas Vencedores (More Than Conquers), the orphanage up in El Crucero. Pray that God would provide all their needs and that he would open the hearts of their forever families so that they may find a home.

~Praise God for the safety and protection he's given us as we travel out and about. It's amazing how many times in the car we've felt God's hand of protection. People aren't great drivers here, so it's great to know we're in good hands!

~Pray for safe travel for my mama as she comes on Wednesday. She has long days in the airports, so hopefully all flights are on time, safe and good for her. She'll be sleeping before the wheels are up...

~I slept though my first earthquake yesterday morning...yea, I slept though it. Pray that God would not send anything like that to this country and that he would keep us all safe. We were talking about it last night and feeling very at risk for a bigger earthquake here and feeling more vulnerable, but ultimately decided that God's plan prevails no matter where we live and what event He puts in our lives, it still just feels a bit more scary after there was an actual earthquake yesterday.

If you have a second, I encourage you to check out the pictures, there are some fun ones of the babies at the orphanage. One look and you'll see why I'm in love :-)

Thanks for all your prayers and support...it's epic! I love getting e-mails and notes from all of you, so keep them coming!

Blessings~

Angie

My Big Top Adventure