Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Nico Van Zyl

This week we will introduce you to another faculty member of ACA. He and his wife, Mrs. Wendy, are from South Africa and have been serving at ACA for 2 years now. He has a long experience working in Christian Ministry and Bible Studies. At ACA he taught Middle School Social Studies and Bible before, and now he is the High School Bible Teacher.

In this edition, you will get to know a little bit more about him!

What is your Higher Education Background?

I have a Bachelor\’s degree in Christian ministry and just completed my Masters\’ degree in Christian studies in April.

What was your Teaching/Work Experience before working at ACA?

I\’ve been involved in youth ministry for more than 15 years. I was also the Bible teacher at a Christian school in New Zealand.

What do you enjoy the most about working at ACA?

I love our amazing students. It has been really difficult to only see them online. 

Tell us about how you got to ACA and how that influenced you today.

I was brought up in a Christian home but never put my trust completely in Christ, I never really understood what being a follower of Christ really meant. I became a follower of Christ at the age of 22 at a Christian camp that I attended over a weekend. Over the course of that weekend, I realized that I was a sinner that needed a Saviour. My life changed completely after that. I left South Africa for London, England a year later and that is where I first felt like God was calling me into ministry. Two years later I returned to South Africa where I began my theological studies and started to work at our local church. 

I was working at a Christian summer camp in Canada when we decided to contact ACA to inquire if they needed any teachers at the time. Everything happened very quickly after that and we left Canada for Paraguay 2 months later. We immediately felt at home in here and at the school. We love the Paraguayan culture and people. It took a while for us to get used to the heat and humidity after living in Canada but we have acclimatized rather well. We as a family feel blessed to be part of ACA and to have the privilege of living in Paraguay.