Michael writes: “Hello St. Olaf and greetings from Nicaragua! We hope this letter finds you well and enjoying summer. We are still busy working away as teacher missionaries; our school year doesn’t end until Dec. 6! This has been a tremendous year of growth for all of us, as we have adapted to living in a new culture, in a third world country with poverty all around us, very far from loved ones and the comforts of home. But we are so thankful for the opportunity God has given us to serve here, we know we are meant to be here, and we are accomplishing wonderful things! Annette has developed an entirely new curriculum for kindergarten and is mentoring other primary teachers. I have developed a PE curriculum, am teaching English, and am leading after school sports, a novelty here. Mackenzie (13), Evan (10), and Kai (6) have been going to school with Nicaraguan classmates and teachers and are doing an amazing job at trying to fit in. We’d appreciate prayers for our family and mission!

Nicaragua is the poorest Spanish speaking country in the world, with 85% living in extreme poverty. We wanted to serve where our gifts of teaching and speaking Spanish could be used, and God brought us here to Nicaragua. The school is in its 2nd year and is growing dramatically due to the strong need for better education. We feel serving in the area of education offers hope for long term change and a better future for Nicaragua. Our service will continue to help students for years to come because our mission involves planting seeds in students and teachers.

We are teaching completely as volunteers, with no pay or stipends, and therefore totally dependent on support from people like you! It is a scary road at times, but so far God has provided through many generous individuals and families. Our funding goes through Resourcing Christian Education, which is a non-profit, designed to help teacher missionaries who do not have a sending organization. We are seeking funding for the rest of this and next year, and we pray that you would consider supporting us with a one time or recurring donation. You can donate directly to our RCE account, or through Grace Lutheran in Wenatchee, Wash. Thank you and peace be with you!

We are SO excited to come home to visit this December and January! We’ll be in Washington, Colorado, and Oregon, and look forward to reconnecting with friends and family and to sharing more about our mission and experiences living here. If you are interested in meeting with us individually or would like us to make a presentation, please send us an email! For more information, check out our blog.