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It is strange feeling that almost three and a half months has passed since we left Canada. In some ways it seems like we have been here for so long, and yet in other ways it has flown by. Every day we get more comfortable in Zambia. We know where the potholes are, and where the police will be waiting to catch speeders. We know where to find the supplies we need, where the good restaurants are and how to find out way around Masala, the local market. We have figured out what we like to eat and have learned to smell all the meat before we buy it. Zambia is feeling more like home.

November has brought the first rains, and boy do we love it! There is excitement in the air as the kids all rush out of their dorms and dance in the rain. It cools things off nicely and seeing all the vegetation turn lush and green is wonderful! It is a busy time on the farm trying to get all the crops in and the farm managers are working so hard! Fun fact about AJ is that he knows a lot about construction, but also A LOT about farming! He has been busy working with his construction crew, but also with the farmers!

On the Construction front, the suite for Aunt Maureen is complete and she will be moving in soon! Levi and I were both happy to do the post construction cleaning since we did so much of that back in Canada together. The youth center is coming along nicely and next week they hope to finish the walls and then put the trusses up. Lucas and Levi help out when they can, especially if it means using machinery:)

Earlier this month a team came and it was so wonderful meeting people from the Fraser Valley (and beyond). They invited me along on many of things they had planned for their trip. One of the days we went to local dump, to feed the families that live there. This was very hard to see and wrap your head around. As soon as someone drives into the dump their vehicle is immediately full of men and boys climbing all over it, searching the load for food and other things of value to them. We met with the counsellor of the dump who escorted our van up a narrow “road” between piles of burning garbage. He was with us to keep us safe and help hand out the food we had brought. Our vehicle was surrounded by hungry men, old ladies and even children. We handed out the food we had brought, and some toy cars for the children. How incredibly heart breaking to see. We have so much, and yet are surrounded by those who barely have enough to survive. Deuteronomy 15:11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, “you shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor in your land”.

Another thing I did with these wonderful women was hand out hygiene kits for girls and women. These kits are washable, reusable menstrual products that these girls can use for a long time. They no longer have to miss school or work, or feel ashamed about something that is natural and how our bodies work.

The most fun thing that we got to help with was Christmas at Grace! The team brought gifts for everyone. We celebrated together with a Christmas lunch for over 250 people! That is a LOT of mashed potatoes!! Each dorm put together a skit or song or dance and performed it for everyone (even the Van Maren dorm performed). It was special watching the kids all open their gifts, especially the new kids who have never experienced this before. It was even more wonderful celebrating Jesus’ birth with everyone here.

Thanks for following along and your continued prayers for our family!

We are having a great time here in Zambia!

The construction projects have been going well. Other than a few finishing touches Aunt Maureen’s suite is complete! I’ve had to take a bit of a crash course on cabinet making(thanks YouTube), but they turned out pretty good. Aluminum windows and doors are installed also. Fun fact, windows can be measured, made, and installed on the same day! And I only called it in the day before!

The shop foundation is complete, we’re just completing the backfill and slab prep. We’ll be putting this building on hold for now to focus on the youth center.

The youth center foundation is also complete and backfilled. Rebar down and ready for concrete! We plan to pour the slab later this week.

But its not all work here, we took the construction crew out to a double header football (soccer) game. We were treated like celebrities, random fans showing up and taking selfies with us! Not the guy below, that’s Cornwell our electrician. I think we all had a fun time.

Spending time with the Grace kids is an important part of every day for us as a family. It can be a bit crazy and overwhelming having so many fans, but its a lot of fun spending quality time with these amazing kids! They really enjoy going for walks to the farm and around Grace, so we try to do that most days. Laura had a bunch of craft material for making bracelets etc. and the kids have been having a great time with that. We just had the pleasure of watching a talent show done by the kids on independence day here, and there is no shortage of talent here! It was a lot of fun, and we all have +- 3000 videos and pictures to remember it (the kids may have commandeered our phones).

Well we’ve been here just over 5 weeks now and probably could have done more blog posts than we have. Its not that we aren’t seeing things worthy of sharing, we are, its just that the strange and remarkable things kind of turn into normal everyday occurrences, so its hard to know what to write.

On the construction front we are busy building a suite for the head dorm mother here. We’ve had to put the shop and youth center projects on hold for the moment while we get this done. Its just a small studio suite, but it requires renovation to 2 neighbouring rooms/ units. As of today the blockwork is nearly complete and the plastering has started. I have started to build a wall unit with a murphy bed, and then I’ll be building the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. There is a cabinet company that we found while looking for some stone, so maybe we’ll give them an opportunity to price it also.

Dave was absolutely great at passing the baton and literally spent days just driving me around, showing me all the different stores where he buys tools, supplies, etc. There isn’t a one-stop store in Ndola like Home Depot so buying materials takes at least a few stops every time we go to town. Finding good materials is interesting; block manufacturers are as frequent as Starbucks in Canada, but finding consistent size and quality is difficult. Aluminum windows are great here though, they can measure, build, and install the windows in the same day! And they are quite nice windows in my opinion.

On the home front, we’ve really settled in to our wonderful home. We’re really enjoying the kids and staff here, and appreciate daily what a wonderful place Grace is. We’ve met other families, made some good friends, especially the boys. We’ve started to explore a little too. Last weekend we went to a small game park for Levi’s birthday. We caught a few fish, saw antelope, impalas, kudus, waterbucks, zebras, a croc, a few very large snakes, and much more! Africa sure is beautiful.

Three weeks!! Yet it feels like so much longer. These weeks have been jam packed with so many different events, and so many different experiences. I have been struggling with what to write in this post. Do I share the hard? How do I even put into words the things we are all feeling about what we are learning about life in Zambia. Sometimes there are no words.

One of the first events we had was graduation! What a beautiful afternoon it was. 16 graduates that have worked SO hard to get where they are. There was an aunty at the graduation who had been with some of these kids when they first came to Grace Academy. She was talking with Shannon and shared that some of these kids were so sick when they came and they did not know if they would live, and here they are graduating!! This was the first time it hit us hard of what the reality is in Zambia. Many children don’t get to graduate. Many children don’t get to even go to school. Maybe their families are so poor they need these children to beg on the streets, or to sell things at the market so the family can afford to eat. Many children die of malaria, or starvation. Tears filled our eyes as we applauded these graduates for their hard work and successes, and in thankfulness that Seeds of Hope is here and giving so many a better chance at a different life.

AJ has been busy learning and taking over the construction side of things. He has started a few new projects. The biggest one is the shop and we are excited for this one to be complete. It will open up room for some much needed storage, not to mention a place to fix vehicles, and do woodworking projects. His crew is working hard digging the footings for the foundation.

Another project is the Youth Room. The teens here are VERY excited to have a place where they can go. A place just for them to play games, hang out and spend time together.

His third project is renovating an existing room and making it into a suite for one of our Aunties here. She also is very thrilled to be getting her own home and the pressure is on for AJ to get it done!!

Lucas, Levi and I have been busy getting to know the kids and just exploring what all happens here at Grace Academy. We have learned many games and its so neat to see the different ones they come up with. The girls have been trying to teach me to dance, truthfully there is more laughing then dancing 🙂 We are loving getting to know these beautiful children!

One morning Susan invited me along to go pick up some new kids and bring them to our orphanage. Levi came along and it was an experience I never though I would have in my life. First we went to social welfare. A little boy and girl were sitting on the bench waiting for us and we were greeted with shy smiles and excitement in their eyes. We were then led to a room where a grandmother was waiting with her 6 month old granddaughter. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she rocked the beautiful baby girl, preparing herself to hand her over to us. Her own daughter had abandoned her baby and the grandmother couldn’t provide for her granddaughter. My heart broke watching this. The love this grandma had for this baby, but love doesn’t fill a belly or keep a baby alive.

The next place we stopped was an Orphanage called St. Anthony’s. Many of the kids at Grace come from here. This orphanage is a horrible place for kids to be. They are not loved here, not fed well, not given a good blanket or bed to sleep on. They are beaten and abused. It is extremely hard to hear the stories that come out of there. Susan takes as many kids as she can from there and brings them to Grace. You should see the awe in their eyes as the gate opens and we drive down the driveway to where they are going to live. Again the awe in their eyes as they are given clothing, shoes, bedding, a towel and facecloth and their very own toothbrush. These kids have never owned anything of their own before.

It feels very strange some days seeing what life is like here in comparison to what life is like at home. It is hard to reconcile it in our minds. At home we have everything we could ever need, yet we want more. We want the biggest homes, and the nicest cars. We care about whether our shoes are Nike or Adidas. Our kids are not faced with a life of absolute poverty if they don’t do well in school. We have government programs that will provide for the less fortunate…as far as even giving them the drugs they are addicted to. Here? Maybe they eat once a day if they are lucky. Here their children die of malaria because they cannot afford the medicine that will cure them. Here children raise their siblings because mom and dad have died and there is no one to care for them. Many many people here don’t have access to clean water and live in deplorable living conditions. So, while it is extremely difficult to see first hand the devastation, we are so thankful to be able to, and get a reminder of what really matters in this world. And we are also very grateful that we can be a part of this wonderful organization that is doing so much to change the future of these kids and the future of Zambia!

Our first few days at Grace Academy have been wonderful. Our new house feels like home already and we are so comfortable in it! We have spent our days exploring the grounds, enjoying the beautiful ever changing skies, visiting the farm animals and meeting so many new people. We are learning so many new names and trying to remember which face they go with!!

AJ has been working with Dave and gleaning all his wisdom! Shannon and Susan have been showing us and teaching Lucas, Levi and I all about life at Grace. We are so thankful for our weeks that overlap with them, and we already don’t want to see them go! Shannon is a treasure and I am honored to get to spend this time with her. Both Susan and Shannon have been making us feel so welcome here!

Its been a busy few days! Learning to drive, playing sports with new friends, snuggling beautiful babies. We are loving being here and we are excited for the next year.

We finally received the boys’ passports on Aug 3! Thank you all for your prayers for that! We immediately sent photos of them to Zambia immigration so our Work Permit could be completed. Our flights were booked for Aug 15th so we had an open house on Saturday evening for family and friends to say their goodbyes, it was a very full and busy house, but a wonderful time! Sunday we were called up to the front of church to be blessed and the congregation prayed over us, very comforting to hear and see the support behind us!

After dinner with all our kids that evening, completing our last minute packing, AJ received a message from John that our work visa was still not completed and without it we would not be able to enter the country, in fact we could be deported until we get the permit. Joe (immigration) and John (SOH) were both hopeful that we would have good news the next morning, but a 4 day delay in travel plans was likely. We went to sleep that night, a bit unsure of what tomorrow would bring! Monday morning we spoke to John and Susan who were now in Zambia, and there was no news yet at that point. We discussed the possibility of delaying our flights, but with so many things planned for leaving that day, changing all of it wouldn’t have been easy. Both Laura and I felt sure that the permit would be completed in time, so we agreed to travel at least as far as Toronto, and if we still hadn’t heard anything, on to Ethiopia. After all, God had opened every other door on the journey to this date, so we knew He would do it again. So after some tearful goodbyes to our kids and Brody, we left Vancouver at 4:45pm.

We landed in Toronto at 1am and went to the ALT hotel to sleep for a few hours before the next flight. We still had no news on the permit, but John and Susan had found a way for us to get a travelers visa for Ethiopia, a ride from the airport, lodging, and an orphanage to volunteer at, should we be delayed. After a very comfortable rest of about 6 hours, we woke up, showered, and got ready to fly to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. About an hour before we boarded our flight, we received a message from John: our permit was APPROVED!! What fantastic news, and a huge answer to prayer! We could continue our journey with peace in our minds and hearts that we were doing the right thing, and there would be no major changes to our travel plans going forward. It was a blessing for sure, because our flight was delayed leaving Toronto, then when we approached Addis Ababa, the control tower had lost power and couldn’t communicate, so we had to stay in a holding pattern for a bit. When we finally landed, we rushed across the airport to catch our next flight, running and taking busses, and just made last call to board! Good thing too, because we only had to wait in the plane 1.5hrs before we could take off due to more communication difficulties with the control tower. Anyway, we did eventually take off and about 4 hours later, landed (or dropped would be more accurate) onto the runway in Ndola, Zambia! Getting through immigration took a bit of time, but all went smooth and we could collect our bags and get on our way. All of our bags with the exception of a bundle of hockey sticks made the trip! We made it!!

This past month has been a busy one. The end of June was full of end of the school year trips and events. Adriena graduated grade 12 , and we were so happy to be able to attend her grad ceremony and banquet. Lucas and Levi finished grade 10 and 7, packed up all their school supplies and said some emotional goodbyes to teachers and friends. It’s a strange feeling that they aren’t going back to Abbotsford Christian School next year. ACS has been so helpful in helping me plan for the boys education while we are in Zambia (thank you Monica!!!!!) 

AJ has been finishing up a job in Vancouver and the timing is working perfectly with our move to Africa. He can finish this job in July and his next one should be waiting for him when we come home in August 2023! 

This is my last week of cleaning most of my clients houses. Now I have a few weeks to get mine ready for our renters! What an answer to prayer. We have renters for our place from just after we leave til we come home again, and the best part is that the house is being rented out fully furnished. We barely have to pack a thing! Such a relief! 

John and Susan did a presentation about where we are going, what we are doing, and what Seeds of Hope all does. Thank you John and Susan, not only for presenting, but for the work you do for these kids. We are so happy to get to be a part of what you are doing! Also a big thank you to everyone who came out to share this evening with us. We are grateful for every person who has encouraged us as we plan for this year away. We are so thankful for your continued prayers and for your financial support. Without all of you behind us, we wouldn’t be able to make all of this happen. Thank you for partnering with our family 

As we write this, we are still waiting for Lucas and Levi’s passports to come. I just received an email from our MP today that he talked to the passport office on our behalf and the applications have now been marked urgent. Please pray that they come nicely in the mail for us in the next few weeks. We are preparing ourselves for spending a night or two on sleeping on the street in Vancouver, but we sure hope we don’t have to!! 

You are invited!!

Come hear about where we are going and what Seeds of Hope is all about!

AJ was born into a construction family, and started working in the trade when he was 12 years old. Currently he is a superintendent with VanMar Constructors (who have graciously given him the year off to go to Africa!). Thank you VanMar!! AJ is super handy and can build or fix almost anything. A skill that will serve him well at Grace Academy.

Laura is above all a mom to our 4 children. On top of ensuring our home is in order and everyone is well fed and cared for, she cleans homes for very happy clients. She loves hiking and exercising, and as often as she can she’ll be out hiking with Nova(our dog) and AJ and the kids if she can persuade them to join :). She loves Jesus and is a great mentor and support for her family, friends, and small groups. In between homeschooling Lucas and Levi, she will be volunteering at Grace Academy also.

Lucas loves sports. ALL sports. His favourite is hockey and he plays as a goalie. He plays on a basketball team and also a roller hockey team and I’m sure he would join any other sports team if time allowed. I’m sure we will find him playing basketball with the kids at Grace Academy.

As much as Lucas loves sports, he also loves people. He hates to see someone hurt and would never will say something bad about anyone. He has always been kind and caring and looks out for the ones that need some extra love. Lucas wants to be a firefighter when he graduates and I feel like this would be a job so well suited to him.

Levi is my adventure buddy. He always says yes when I want to hike or go on an adventure. He loves golf, road biking, and building lego, but I’m sure his favourite thing to do is flood the sandbox with the garden hose and spend hours building in the sand.

Levi is hard working and pays attention to detail. Since kindergarten he has come with me cleaning houses and loves to help make things look perfect. He wants to do construction with his dad, or maybe be a mechanic! Levi also loves big. He cares about people and stands up for his friends when they need him. I think I’ll find him either working with his dad, or in the baby house at Grace Academy

Some ways you can pray for us are:

-That Lucas and Levi’s passports arrive on time.

-We find a renter for our house.

-AJ’s work permit gets completed in time.

-That we meet our fundraising goal.