Innovative Nicolás Fund for Education Partnership with Seattle Pacific University

[spacer height=”20px”]Nicolás Fund for Education is partnering with Seattle Pacific University this summer in their inventive SPRINT program. SPRINT (Seattle Pacific Reach-out International) provides a variety of international immersion trips for their students designed to help participants engage in issues around community development, justice and reconciliation. Participants have an opportunity to live outside their usual comfort zones and are paired with international specialists devoted to working in their communities. The SPRINT program is facilitated by student leaders under the mentorship of John Perkins Center staff, who serve as advisors for those student leaders. The objectives of the SPRINT experience are to:

• Explore cross-cultural impact; what is the role for Western Christians in faith-driven global engagements?
• Examine and apply diverse perspectives to complex subjects.
• Study the history and culture of the host country.
• Discover Christian faith-driven leadership and community development practices.
• Learn principles of Christian Community Development as a framework for justice and community development.
• Critiques the history of Western Christian missions and factors contributing to effective, meaningful short-term mission programs.

Nicolás Fund for Education and Nicolás Christian School will be hosting a team of four SPU SPRINT students beginning August 1, 2017 and students will be staying in the Ixil region for four weeks. They will be staying in both Nebaj and in the village of La Esperanza.  The SPU SPRINT team will have their orientation in Antigua.  The team will stop for a visit to Chichicastenango on their way up to Nebaj.

During their stay, the SPRINT team will stay at a hotel in Nebaj so that they are close to Nicolás Christian School during the week.  The team’s main task, while they are in Nebaj, will be facilitating small group English conversations at Nicolás Christian School and help as needed. Additional specific assignments will be made by Professor Braulio, the Principal at Nicolás Christian School. The SPRINT team will stay with Petronila Elizabeth’s mother in La Esperanza for two weekends. The team will attend church in La Esperanza and then enjoy a meal with Serbando Merida’s family. Serbando and Ana’s daughters Oti and Jenyfer are 2015 NFE high school graduates and their son Neftaly is a current 8th-grade student at Nicolás Christian School. The team will help with family chores and childcare for Ana and Serbando’s twin boys. The team may possibly do some tutoring or another activity with the primary school children in La Esperanza. It is hoped that the SPRINT team can visit the beautiful Lake Atitlan for a day for sightseeing.

You can imagine that these young women are in for the trip of a lifetime that they will never forget. Would you please pray with us that God will use this time to build His relationship with each one of these students, that these students will learn exactly what God wants to teach them during this experience and that NFE will more than meet their needs as a host organization?  Please pray for their safety and their health during the trip. Lastly, may all their relationships during this experience be blessed with harmony and Christian fellowship.