Nobo-dy knows…

If was counting, I would tell you that I’ve now been back in Zambia for 13 days and that, since dropping Drew and the twins off 8 days ago, I’ve been living all alone here on campus. That’s if I was counting. What I’m really counting on is picking up my family in 11 days!

Months ago when we were planning our furlough schedule and booking flights, it seemed perfectly reasonable that I would return early, alone, to relieve Drew so that he could join his family in the states and the campus would be manned at all times. I even dared to be excited about traveling alone (which is a rare treat I have always enjoyed).

Now it’s a little quiet around here! I keep very busy from 6:15am when I rise, to 6:15pm when the sun sets and I’m forced inside. I even managed to steal a little productivity from the dark with flashlights and power tools the other day, but once dark comes it gets, well, very dark and very quiet. I have also been able to catch up on some prep work for year 2 and do some reading, but nighttime is when being alone hits home!

I suppose there are some lessons to be learned here. Besides better travel planning, I am appreciating my family in a whole new way and looking forward to spending time with them soon! In just over a week they will begin the long journey that will take them across oceans, continents and hemispheres. They will be joined by our good friends, Andy and Tara, who will be serving here for about a week as we advance our aggressive construction schedule and set up classrooms for school which is scheduled to start on September 2.

Visit the Esther School website for updated pictures

Estherschool.org

Safe Arrival

With many thanks to all who prayed me through yet another series of travels, I can announce that I’ve once again arrived safely back in Zambia. In true form, I created the most excitement for myself by pushing the outer limits of time during my layover in London but, despite sitting on a train platform downtown with less than an hour before my gate closed, I was able to catch a train and then my flight as well and had an otherwise rather uneventful (and largely sleepless) journey. I am now unpacked, through the typical “high” of the initial return, and am fighting through jet lag and sleep deprivation to force myself back into my new schedule.

As I said before, it was a great trip back to the States and it was great to reconnect and recharge. By the end of my time, though, I was ready to return and get back to work. It was great to be greeted at the airport this morning by Drew and the twins and very exciting to see the amazing progress that has been made on campus since I left just six weeks ago. I hardly recognized the place! The TQ2 is basically finished (and is beautiful!) and the guys have made incredible progress on the bathhouse. If you haven’t seen pictures yet, you can check some out from the recent work team on the Roelofs’ blog. I’m excited to start the new school year with new students, new families, new staff, these new buildings, and the temporary grade 1 and kitchen that were retrofitted into existing buildings.

I’ll try to keep you posted on my next few weeks of solitude!

Year One

It’s as hard to believe as it is ironic that we are celebrating the one year anniversary of our departure for Zambia while back in the States! When we left one year ago today, we weren’t sure we would be able to return during our 2 year term. We are so grateful to God and our supporters that we were able to afford a much needed respite and have been enjoying our time here.

Tina and the boys have been home for about 5 weeks and I (Kevin) for the past month. I will be leaving on Saturday to relieve Drew, take over some projects, and get a jump on the fast-approaching school year. Tina and the boys will return on August 6 along with our good friends, Andy and Tara Schreur who will help out with some construction work, set up the new classroom, and finish outfitting the recently completed teacher’s quarters, or TQ2 as we call it. Tina is also very grateful for the help she’ll have traveling back with the kids.

While here we have had a great time catching up with family and friends, visiting several supporting schools and churches and conducting some business. Most of our time has been spent relaxing, recharging, and enjoying the beautiful Michigan summer! We are very grateful to each of our parents for allowing us to crash with them off and on as home base and for the many gracious friends who have invited us to enjoy meals, cabins, pools and boats. I think we’ve made the most of the opportunities and have even had to leave a few offers on the table!

We’ve had a chance to celebrate most of our birthdays together and Tina and I recently celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary with a rare night away alone. Again, thanks to all who have made these opportunities possible with hospitality, childcare and gifts. We have been so blessed and feel well prepared to return to our responsibilities in Zambia. We are looking forward to getting back to it, to reconvening with new team members in place, and to being able to hit the ground running this year. Please pray for a safe, productive and blessed year two!