It’s here. The day we’ve been waiting for, for over a month since our arrival. We are moving to Macha! As I write this, Jamie and Joel are there dropping off a van full of luggage and groceries. In a few short hours we will all be on our way. Our family will be moving to our house on campus as it’s already empty and the Sanfilippo’s will be in a house closer to the hospital until theirs is ready. Prayers are appreciated that things go smoothly so they can finally move home as soon as possible and that the well will be finished quickly. In the mean time we will do our best to use as little water as possible but are thankful for good rains that have helped.

We are incredibly grateful for our friends Joleen and Bruce who have opened up the Nahumba guest house to us for over three weeks. It has been good to be among friends in a comfortable setting and get to know the town of Choma where the majority of our shopping will be done. But when it comes to Africa, I’m a bush girl and can’t wait to get there. And more importantly I am eager to start settling and begin our work to serve at MICS. That is why we’re here. The boys will likely start school tomorrow and begin their normal routine.

While we’ve been in Zambia for over a month, in some ways today feels like day one. We are thankful for the prayers, emails and messages of  encouragement that have helped us through this challenging month. We still need them as we adjust to our everyday life in Macha and look forward to keeping you updated on our next set of adventures. Twalumba!

Four weeks ago we said goodbye to our families and started on this grand adventure. Almost three weeks ago we left Lusaka to stay at Nahumba guest house in Choma. In case you were wondering what a typical day is like while we’re in transition, here’s a little glimpse…

Much of the day is spent outside…

There is work to be done…

We finish off our day with a delicious dinner together…

And bedtime stories before being tucked back into our mosquito nets for the night!

We rounded the corner on the way back from Macha to Choma this afternoon to find the bridge had been washed out by today’s heavy rains. We spent forty minutes waiting for the waters to subside (they didn’t) and watching to see if other vehicles were able to cross successfully (they were). During that time we saw crossings by pedestrians and cyclists, vans and motorcycles, and even one very reluctant pig. We eventually decided to go for it. After a few anxious moments and some expert driving from Jamie, we were safely on the other side. Here are some photos of the adventure…

We have now been in Zambia for 17 days and we continue to be in a time of ‘in between.’ Since leaving Lusaka we’ve been staying at the Nahumba guest house in Choma, run ironically by our friends Bruce and Joleen from back home who moved here in September. They have graciously opened up the place to our two families as we continue to be in transition and it’s nice to have familiar faces around as we navigate this next stage.

We continue to wait for the well to be finished at MICS so there will be enough water to support our families living on campus (and more importantly to help the school continue to function). Progress has been made but things sometimes take a little more time on this side of the world and are often more complex. Decisions are made that are better in the long term, but mean that they take longer.

Our friend and teammate Jamie wrote a great post about what it’s been like. I’ve been trying hard to find the beauty in the waiting. But I’ll be quite honest, it’s a challenge. There are moments throughout the day and I try to hold on to them like gold… seeing our kids playing in the dirt outside all day, climbing trees, starting to reach out and connect with local kids, meeting their new teacher, a beautiful sunset, life-giving rain and enjoying a meal of chicken and chips, to name a few.

But we are all wearing down. We don’t know when we’ll get to move to Macha and that part is hard. No doubt there is an end in sight, we’re just not sure when to look forward to that. Our duffle bags are piled in a corner, mostly untouched as we live out of one or two bags, often thinking of things that would be useful but are buried in who knows what bag. We are around people all day, people who we love and are grateful for and are easy to live with, but we crave our own space as I’m sure they do. Some of us have a little more introvert in us than others. Time together with just our family takes a lot of intentionality, something that is easy to come by back home, something we probably have too much of there.

I find being in limbo I am getting impatient with my kids, who really just need some extra love and attention. It’s is especially hard when I’m running on empty. They have been out of school for a month and a half and need some structure. But school is a 3 hour round trip at the moment, half of it on bumpy dirt roads and it’s just not realistic yet. I crave meaningful work that goes beyond domestic life. Besides a few supply days, I haven’t been teaching since June and I long to set up my classroom, get to know the kids at MICS and help those who need it.

Every day gets a little bit harder and I’m not sure when this stage will end. And I know the next one will have it’s new set of challenges. Nobody said this would be easy. We chose to come and I’m glad we did. Things wouldn’t be as far along as they are if we were waiting in the comforts of our Canadian homes. I want to be here. There is beauty all around and I feel like I belong here. But it is hard.

So what do I do as I wait? I pray for patience and for grace. I do my best to choose gratitude. As we drove on the uncomfortable and bumpy dirt road yesterday, I wanted to complain but instead I searched for as many things to be grateful for as I could and it wasn’t so bad. But I also mess up. I am short with my family, I am critical when I should be encouraging, I withdraw when I need to engage, I feel sorry for myself and I think of what I miss from home.

I know trials can be turned into joy and God can use them to develop perseverance in me. Sometimes the most beautiful things happen in the waiting and I don’t want to miss out on this day because I’m waiting for the next. 

It’s hard to believe I’m writing this from Zambia. After talking and dreaming about this for over three years, we are here. There has been so much build up and hard work from so many people to get to this point. But eventually we dealt with all (or almost all) of the details, packed our many bags, checked them all in, said our goodbyes and were on our way.

Probably the part Caleb and Micah were most excited about was the plane ride as this was their first. The first leg to London consisted of lots of TV shows, some colouring and about an hour of sleep from each of them. Because we had a 12 hour layover in London we decided to get a hotel which was a great decision for our family. The late sunrise in that part of the world made it still feel like night time, we changed into PJs and went to bed. Each of the boys slept a good 6 hours. I, on the other hand, was worried about sleeping through the alarm and missing our next flight so I was checking the clock frequently. But a few hours of sleep, a shower and a room service picnic were definitely nice.

Then came the 11 hour flight to Johannesburg. Micah slept about 5 hours and the rest of us got none. I never expect to sleep on planes but I assumed the boys would. But Caleb happily watched his shows (thank God for individual TVs) and kept busy. I caught up on some movies and worked on my Tetris and Pacman skills.

Finally, we had a short layover in Joburg and were on our way to Lusaka, the capital city in Zambia. Caleb finally fell asleep, dead to the world, resulting in a rough start to his Zambian experience but eventually perked up in the van, all three 4 year-old boys having a lively conversation while the rest of us went in and out of consciousness. We were thankful that all of our luggage made the long journey with us.

Now we’re at a beautiful guest house on the outskirts of the city having just enjoyed 11 hours of sleep. Exhaustion has its benefits when dealing with a seven hour time change. We’re not sure how long we’ll stay here before we make the six hour drive to Macha. The presidential election is on Tuesday and we’ve received varying advice on when to travel. We are also waiting to hear how things are progressing with the new well that is being dug at the school. We can’t completely move into our new homes until the new water source is hooked up. Please pray that process goes smoothly.

Thanks for all the love and support that has helped us get to this point. I can’t believe we actually made it and are about to start our new lives in a part of the world we already love.

 

As we get ready to leave in only a few short weeks, we have been overwhelmed by all of the support we’ve received from those in our community. Back in June we held three dessert nights to share the vision of our work in Zambia. Friends and family stepped up to host these nights as well as bake for us. Since then we were able to raise the support needed to fund our time in Zambia. We’ve been humbled by how it’s come together and the sacrifices of many. We know it’s no small feat to raise the amount of money we did and we’re grateful to those who have invested in us and the people of Macha.

We’ve had a friend offer their basement crawl space to store our personal belongings so we don’t have to pay for storage space. Other friends are taking a few special pieces of furniture for us to look after while we’re gone. Fellow teachers have offered to gather resources for me, more than I could possibly take. Another friend dedicated several days to help me purge my house, a job that is not my strength but so much easier with her around.

Recently, in a moment of feeling overwhelmed preparing teaching materials, I contacted some friends from home church to see if they could come help. With 24 hours notice only a few days before Christmas, these three ladies came over to help me cut things out for two hours, definitely a tedious job but one we did while catching up around the table.

Lately as we’ve been packing up our house we’ve had people take our boys for the day which has been a tremendous help. It’s a whole lot easier packing up their toys when they’re not around. Others frequently check in with us to see how we’re doing and have offered their support through prayer and encouragement.

This whole adventure would not be possible without the hundreds of you who have supported us in so many ways. Life is not meant to be done in isolation and we are truly grateful for the community who has surrounded us as we prepare to go. So thanks for tracking with us on this adventure. We’re happy to have you along for the ride!

Well, the countdown is on.  After months of preparation, we are just over four weeks away from getting on a plane and heading off to Zambia.  I have officiallly wrapped up my work at Loblaw, and now spend my days packing up our house to get ready for the big move.  Julianne has been working hard to prepare, among other things, clothing in 3 years worth of sizes for two growing boys.  She is now getting in a few final days of supply teaching and enjoying a brief season where Daddy gets to make the boys’ lunches and get them bundled up for school every day.

We want to say a big thank you to all of you for the support you have given to help us get to this point.  You have shared words of encouragement, donated money, offered storage space, and provided practical support in countless other ways.  We couldn’t have done it without you.

This blog is the place to follow along with our family as we serve at Macha International Christian School (MICS).  We will add a few updates on our preparations over the next month, and then begin to post more frequently once we actually land in Zambia in the middle of January.  If you want to be notified of new posts by email, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the “Follow” button.  Or just add us to your favourite news reader.

Thanks for reading.  Lots more to come…