It’s 5:30am here in Zambia and I’ve given in and gotten out of bed after lying awake for some time. This morning we will open the sea container for which we’ve waited 4 1/2 months. In it are the supplies we need to open the school and the administrators’ duplex.
Yesterday we were able to work with officials from Zambian Customs to be granted permission to open the container. It has been teasing us by sitting on site since being delivered on Tuesday, but we were told we could not break the seal until a Customs agent arrived to conduct a full physical inspection and verify the contents. This could have taken any number of days as most agents do not have their own mode of transportation from the capital city and agencies such as this are often very inefficient and slow to respond.
Apparently, though, for a slightly higher fee, one can order a full physical inspection report that does not require a full physical inspection. We have, therefore, been given the green light to open and unload the container. Unfortunately, some of the team didn’t arrive back from the city on time last night to begin, so we are starting at first light this morning. What a joy to be able to finally see and assemble and utilize so many things that were procured or donated back in the states.
Some more updates:
We have our students! After testing nearly 100 students last week, we poured over the results of their assessments to determine which were most ready to begin school. We then met with a committee including myself as administrator, Pat DeHaan as a learning consultant, the two American teachers and three community leaders from the village to weigh the readiness of each student, along with several other factors (proximity of family home to school, capacity of family to use their gifts to serve the school), and select the first 48 students of the Esther School. This was really a beautiful process; one bathed in prayer in which we sought not to make our own decisions but to seek God’s will in discerning which children He had already chosen.
I was very encouraged by seeing the ability for Americans and Zambians to work together well and share each one’s gifts towards the work of the Kingdom. I am very impressed by the wisdom, faithfulness and selflessness of the people we are working with here and am very grateful, especially, to Chapman Zambara, Jessie Kabaghe and Peter Silungwe who have proven not only to be great friends, but wonderful, Godly examples of leadership in this community.
I’m also thankful to Pat, Jean and Rachel for their hard work in sorting through the results and serving on the selection committee. I was very moved by the manner in which we carried out this process and am very confident that we have been given the correct children and families with which to work.
This weekend we will announce through the churches and post the results on Monday. We will then hold a parent meeting on Wednesday, orientation day the following Wednesday (9/26) and officially begin classes the following day on Thursday 9/27 at 8am. (or 27/9 at 8 hours as we say here!) Please pray for God’s hand of protection and grace during each of these critical next steps.
Yesterday we said goodbye to Pat and Ron DeHaan, Jan and Dale Boone, and Tim and Lauren Swieter. We are so grateful for their willingness to share their time and gifts with us and move this project forward. They (and we) were disappointed that they were not able to assist with unloading the sea can – even after we delayed several of their trips – but they were able to do some very critical work that prepared us for this point. In fact, we have again noted the blessing of God’s timing in all of this as the delay has allowed us a more manageable process of preparing for this point. A HUGE thank you to these people and prayers for their safe return home. We are also thankful to Barb Miedema who offered to delay her return to the states by another 2 weeks to support us during this time.
We are all doing well and looking forward to this important day. Thank you to the army of prayer warriors who have ushered the container in this far and continue to support our efforts!
Zikomo kwa Mulungu!
The DeKam Family in Zambia 
Can hardly believe this day has arrived. I couldn’t sleep,either, and gave in, got up, checked my email and found this wonderful message! Can’t even imagine ow thrilled, excited, and overwhelmed you all must be. God is good! Have fun! God bless.
Great to see that the container finally made it to its “final resting place” and hopefully it has been a great day of unloading. We can only imagine what it means to finally lay your eyes on the things that you have been waiting for for such a long time. Thanks be to God for never failing us.