It is pretty quiet here at MICS these days. Report cards have been handed out, classrooms are closed up, and students have gone home for term break. But even though it is quiet right now, it has been a busy month at MICS. In fact, we want to share with you two big pieces of news.

First, we are thrilled to announce that after a long search, we have found a new Director to lead MICS. Mr. Sinamwenda is currently a teacher and boarding master at Macha Girls Secondary School. He is also a leader in the local BIC church here in Macha. On January 1st, he will join us at MICS as our new school Director. We are so excited to have him join the team and know he is going to make a great contribution to MICS.

Second, we have decided that as a family we are not quite ready to leave Zambia. So even though we have a new leader to replace Joel, we will be remaining here in Macha for another year or two. Julianne will continue in her role of mentoring teachers and helping with curriculum development. Joel is going to be making a transition back to the corporate world and doing some retail consulting working remotely from Zambia. This will allow our family to become self-supporting — we will no longer require donor support for our work here. Joel will also remain available to coach Mr. Sinamwenda as he learns the ropes in his new role.

We are feeling great about what these changes mean for our family and for the school. 2019 is going to be a great year at MICS. 

One of the impacts of hiring a new local Director is that the school needs to find additional funds in the budget for his salary. We are seeking to raise $24,000 over the next 2 years to assist with this cost. To make a contribution online please click HERE and select “CE-104 MICS Salary Increases” when prompted to choose a project from the drop-down menu. Or to learn about other ways to donate email joelpercy@gmail.com.

Thank you to all of you who have supported and encouraged us over these past four years. It is a true privilege to serve here at MICS and it would not have been possible without all of you.

As promised, we are holding another dessert night during our time in Canada where you can learn all about the work we are doing a Macha International Christian School. We hope you can join us! The details are below…

ZAMBIA DESSERT NIGHT

Date: Tuesday Aug 21st

Time: 7:30pm

Location: 1068 Harcroft Court, Oakville

Host: Derek Finch

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to joelpercy@gmail.com so we know you are coming. 

In a few short weeks, our family will be climbing onto a plane in Livingstone and starting the long journey to Canada. We are excited to be coming home for the summer and looking forward to connecting with many of you.

As we have in the past, we will be holding a dessert night for people who want to hear updates on our work and ask any questions. We will also be sharing an opportunity to support the work of Macha International Christian School financially.

Below are the details on the dessert night. (Can’t make it to this one? Don’t worry…we are hoping to hold another event in the Oakville/Burlington region in mid-August. Stay tuned!)

ZAMBIA DESSERT NIGHT

Date: Wednesday Jun 27th

Time: 7:30pm

Location: 57 Bay Street, Mississauga (Port Credit)

Hosts: Bruce & Gael Miller

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to joelpercy@gmail.com by Tuesday Jun 19th so we know you are coming. 

Early next year, Julianne and I will be wrapping up our term at MICS and heading back to Canada. At this point, we are still looking for someone to step in and fill our shoes in providing point leadership for the school when we leave.

Do you know someone who loves kids, has a background as a teacher or school administrator, and might be interested in coming to serve in Zambia for a few years? If so, we would love if you could pass this opportunity on to them.

Our hope would be to have someone start in January 2019 so we can have a bit of overlap and make the transition as smooth as possible.

For a full role description click here: MICS Director Role Description

And if you have any questions or know someone who might be a good fit for the role, you can contact joelpercy@gmail.com.

Thanks!

The government recently announced that the outbreak of cholera seems to be under control and that schools are free to open. This is the news we had been waiting to hear, and it came sooner than expected.

The announcement has meant a flurry of activity this week, including a busy week for our cleaning staff, a visit from the health inspector (we passed), and a busy day yesterday organizing new curriculum materials for the year.

But we are happy to say that we are ready to welcome our teachers back on Monday for a training day, then open our doors to begin classes on Tuesday.

Below, Julianne and the crew get things organized for the start of the year…

Do you know a young adult who might be interested in coming to work as an intern here in Zambia at MICS? We are currently accepting applications for 2018 internships.  No experience is needed…just a love of children and a willingness to be flexible. Interns live here on the school campus, have opportunities to support in classrooms during the day, and spend time building relationships with boarding students in the afternoons and evenings.

We have spots available for all three terms next year:

Term 1 (January – March)

Term 2 (May – July)

Term 3 (September – November)

Deadline for applications is September 15th. For details please contact sarahjantzi@gmail.com.

Celebrating Canada Day in Macha

It is hard to believe that it was a little over three years ago that we began to share publicly about our plans to move to Zambia. At dessert nights, over coffee, or between Sunday services at church we began to share with people about a little school in rural Zambia and the adventure our family was about to undertake there.

Now, three years later, that little school has become home. Our kids have gotten bigger (and a lot better at soccer). We have added a new member to our family who is, unbelievably, almost two years old. We have taken on new roles at the school. And just as we were three years ago when all this got rolling, we are so thankful for the amazing support we have received from family and friends.

Many of you know that our original plan was to serve here in Zambia for three years. Now, after much thought and discussion and prayer, we have decided to stay a little longer. We will be extending our term by a little more than a year, staying throughout 2018 and moving back to Canada in early 2019.

Although it is hard to be away from family and friends in Canada,  we are excited to be able to carry on the work we are doing here and continue to serve with the fantastic team at MICS.

Of course, our extended timeline means we will need continued financial support from those who have given so generously to allow us to serve here. For those who currently support us financially, we will be in touch soon to share with you how you can continue giving or, if needed, make a change to your support. If you are not currently supporting us but would like to make a contribution, please contact us at joelpercy@gmail.com and we can give you all the information you need.

Thanks again to all of you for your continued prayers and support!

We are excited to be back on Canadian soil soon and to have the chance to see so many of you who have been supporting us and cheering us on while we are here in Zambia.

In order to connect with as many of you as possible, we will be holding a series of dessert nights in November. These events will give you a chance to learn more about our work at the school and to hear some stories about life in Zambia. Of course, we would also love to answer any questions you may have.

Below are details on the three events. We hope you can join us for one of these evenings. If you are interested in attending, please email juliannepercy@gmail.com for more details. We hope to see you there!

MISSISSAUGA — Thursday Nov 24^th
Where: Port Credit
When: 7:30pm

BURLINGTON — Tuesday Nov 29^th
Where: Near Appleby & New Street
When: 7:30pm

OAKVILLE — Wednesday Nov 30^th
Where: Near 8^th Line & Upper Middle
When: 7:30pm

It has now been two weeks since I took on the role of School Director here at MICS. It has been a wonderful two weeks of meeting with staff, hearing their ideas for taking the school to the next level, and trying to get my head around all that needs to happen in the three short weeks before we return to Canada. I continue to be so impressed with the team here at MICS. They are smart, passionate and dedicated…it is going to be a joy to work with them.

Now, on to one of my first and most important tasks in my new role: recruiting my successor. Our commitment to the school is to be here till the end of 2017. After that, we will need someone to step in and take over.

MICS is looking for someone to fill the role of School Director at the end of 2017. We are looking for someone who cares deeply about children, is passionate about offering a quality education, and is committed to teaching them about God’s love. Do you know someone who might be a fit for this role? The ideal candidate will have some experience in primary education, either as a teacher or an administrator, and be flexible and humble enough to adapt to working in a new culture. A full role description is available here: Role Description – MICS School Director.

The role would formally begin in January 2018. Ideally the candidate could arrive in Zambia in September 2017 to allow some time for training and a smooth transition.

If you know someone who might be a fit, please share this with them. If you are interested in learning more about the role yourself, please email joelpercy@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

There are big changes happening at MICS. Earlier this week we announced to staff, students and parents that MICS Directors Gil and Ronda Krause will be retiring. It is hard to overstate the contribution the Krauses have made to the school. Ten years ago they started the school with a small group of Grade 1 students. Today, MICS has nearly 200 students, a full boarding program, and has consistently delivered top-notch results on national exams. But it goes beyond that. During their time here in Macha they have touched many lives. You could see it on the teachers’ faces when they heard the announcement. Many of them have been at MICS for years and were no doubt remembering how the Krauses have supported them and invested in them over the years. They are not just losing their school Directors. They are losing two friends.

This transition brings changes for us too. With the departure of the Krauses, Julianne and I have been asked to step in and fill the gap. As of next week, I will be taking on the role of School Director. Julianne will also be taking on an expanded role, working closely with our Head Teacher, Cynthia Mweene, in providing mentoring and leadership for the teaching staff. We will serve in these new roles until our three year commitment ends in December 2017. We are both excited to continue working with the great team at MICS to give kids in the Macha area the outstanding education they deserve.

MICS Directors Gil & Ronda Krause