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.
The DeKam Family in Zambia 