To our loyal and faithful readers – we’re still here! Thank
you for continuing to follow along in our journey and for being such a huge part
of it. We realize that it’s been over 4 months since our last blog post but
there’s good reason for that (well, kind of). As most of you know, we returned
home to Canada for a 3-month break. It was a time of rest, relaxation and, in
typical Chan fashion, stuffing our faces. More than anything, it was a
wonderful opportunity for us to reconnect with family and friends before
returning to Africa again.
With family trips to Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, Scottsdale
and Vancouver sandwiched between our time in Calgary, it was a jam-packed 3
months. But it was definitely time well spent as we saw and spent quality time
with so many people who have supported us throughout this past year and whom we
love so dearly (including some solid bonding time with our niece, Reese, and
our nephews, Tyson and Teddy).
We return to the Hands at Work Hub in South Africa feeling
refreshed, renewed and excited for what lies ahead in the upcoming year. A huge
part of the inner peace we have in returning is what transpired on the night of
January 17th. On that evening, Diane and I hosted an information
night and fundraiser for our family and friends at our home church in Calgary,
Westside Kings Church.
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| The Setup |
Having committed to serve in Africa for an additional two
years with Hands at Work, we needed to raise financial support. As
missionaries, we are responsible for raising every dollar required for us to
live and work in Africa. What most people don’t realize is that this means we self-fund
all of our accommodation, food, transportation, medical and travel expenses.
Just as significant as the fundraising piece, however, was
the opportunity to share our faith and our hearts with everyone back home. We
sensed that most people had no concept or understanding of what we actually do
in Africa or why we have chosen this path for our lives. After all, they aren’t
topics that can easily be discussed in depth in a casual conversation. We
figured this would be our one shot, our one forum, to try and have our family
and friends catch a glimpse of what has captured our hearts here in Africa.
In all honesty, we were extremely anxious about the night.
For starters, it’s incredibly humbling to come before people seeking financial
support. To add to the anxiety, we didn’t want to shy away from sharing about
the one thing most responsible for us being here – our faith. We were uncertain
about how people would respond to our invitation, let alone the things we would
be sharing, and how willing people would be to walk alongside us financially
for the next 2 years. What ended up happening on that night, however,
completely blew our expectations away.
For starters, 83(!) people attended. When we first started
planning for the evening, we thought we would be lucky to have a turnout of 50.
Friends brought their family. Some brought other friends. The fact that so many
people showed up to be a part of the night in itself was so encouraging.
After trying, and failing, to secure any donations from
catering companies, family and friends stepped up to help us prepare food for
the evening. Diane’s parents, in particular, prepared a ridiculous amount of
food – salad rolls, spring rolls and Vietnamese baguettes – which were all a
huge hit. We went from stressing about not having enough food for our guests to
stressing about what we would do with all the leftovers! There was a serious
spread and what was originally meant to be some light finger foods turned into
a massive feast. It was incredible!
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| A glimpse of the spread |
Another key component of the evening that worked out so much
better than we could have ever imagined was the silent auction. Up until a few
days before, we weren’t even sure if we were going to have a silent auction at
all. The only items we had were a couple of handmade African baskets and shoulder
bags that we brought back with us. Again, our friends stepped up big time and a
few days before the fundraiser, our silent auction miraculously came together.
We ended up with Flames jerseys and tickets and gift certificates for
restaurants. We even got a little creative and auctioned off a home-cooked
Vietnamese dinner for two (which went for much more than we could have expected)!
The ultimate item, however; the one that drummed up the most excitement for the
evening, was the opportunity to shave my beautiful
I-grew-this-for-14-months-in-the-sweltering-heat-of-Africa-much-to-the-chagrine-of-my-wife
hair off (more on that later).
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We structured the night to be informal and were careful not
to throw too much information at people. We wanted everyone to feel free to
mingle, grab food and check out the various displays we had set up throughout
the room. But the real purpose of the night was for everyone to catch a glimpse
of our vision and our hearts for being in Africa.
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| Country profiles of each of the 8 African countries that Hands works in |
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| "The Wall" of protection that we seek to build around each child |
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| South African biltong |
Diane began by sharing about our past year – where we had
been, what we had done, what had impacted us – which included a bucket bathing
demonstration by yours truly. Don’t worry ... I kept my clothes on. I then
followed up by sharing about our decision to commit for another 2 years – the
way we wrestled with the decision for much of the year, the reasons why we’ve
come back and the sacrifices we knew we were making as a result.
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| Bucket bathing! |
After a brief break, we were back up on stage, this time
explaining Hands at Work – who we are, what our vision is, what we do – and how
Diane and I fit into the whole structure. We were cognizant that it’s not the
easiest model to explain and to attempt to go into depth would likely result in
glazed-over eyes and nodding heads. But the one take-away that we wanted to
leave people with is the significance we place on local community ownership and
sustainability. We emphasized that we are two-steps removed from the work that
happens on the ground and that, for the most part, we spend most of our time
doing office and administrative-type work that supports the local men and women
in the field. It’s like we’re working regular office jobs … just without the
paycheck! The huge difference, however, is that we are still very connected to
the work on the ground and the people doing it. When all is said and done, it’s
not a job for us. It’s a passion and life choice.
After we finished speaking, Brian and Lisa Dalley, the
couple who operates the Hands at Work Canadian office, came up and spoke about
the financial component of the evening. They explained the different ways that
people can support us, both financially and prayerfully, why we need support, and
what people’s donated funds actually goes to. A huge point that they wanted to
make everyone aware of is that for us to be able to do what we do so far away
from our homes and our families, we need moral and prayerful support just as
much as we need financial support. It was invaluable for Diane and I not to
have to speak on the fundraising piece ourselves and to have Brian and Lisa
there to answer questions and handle all the donations that came in.
The rest of the evening was left as time for people to
mingle, to make their final bids on the silent auction items and, for those who
felt it in their hearts to get involved, to submit their donation forms to
Brian and Lisa. At the beginning of the night, our good friend and host for the
evening, Chris, communicated our fundraising goal. Even though we had so many
people show up, I was worried that we had set our goal much too high. We were
hoping to raise enough funds to cover our living expenses for the next 2 years.
When I did the quick math in my head, I realized that it was a lot to be asking
of the 83 people in the room.
Earlier I mentioned our silent auction item of shaving my
head. As an added incentive for people to donate (which, if you had seen my
hair in its long state, should have been more than enough incentive for most
people), we communicated that the deed would be done only if we reached our fundraising goal. I had mixed feelings about it.
As hideous as it looked, my luscious, long locks had been a big part of my
journey in Africa, not to mention how much I (and Diane) had to endure to grow
it out. On the other hand, it would be nice for my wife to be semi-attracted to
me again and to be able to look at me without the inevitable look of disgust on
her face. But maybe ‘mixed feelings’ isn’t the right term because trumping
everything, of course, is how amazing it would be to reach our fundraising
goal.
Well, folks … it happened! People frantically filled out
donation forms and hiked up their bids on silent auction items. We had so many
people come up to us throughout the evening asking what our greatest needs
were, how they could best support us, and blessing us with words of
encouragement. In an incredible display of love and support, we exceeded our fundraising goal. We were
so blown away. Our words of thanks at the end of the night did absolutely no
justice to the amount of gratitude that had welled up in our hearts.
And, this, my friends, was the end result. (A secret bidder
emerged (which turned out to be my brother-in-law, Benny), offering to match
the winning silent auction bid to shave my head if I kept it like this for one
week.)
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| Diane preparing me for the deed |
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| The deed being done |
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| My beautiful hair ... |
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| Diane about to cry |
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| Just when she didn't think it could get any worse ... |
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| The guys responsible |
It was so humbling to be a part of something so special. We
could not feel more blessed or more loved as we return to Africa. The financial
support was huge, no doubt. But even more encouraging for us was the way that
all of you chose to be involved, not only in our journey, but in the work that
Hands at Work is doing in shaping and transforming the stories of thousands of
the most vulnerable children in Africa. For us, it was, yet again, another
incredible testament to the faithfulness of God and His ability to do amazing
things under any circumstance.
As I mentioned at the end of the evening, Diane and I could
not be here in Africa without all of your support. Please know that you are
every bit as connected into the work we are doing here as we are. In our view,
you are not our donors. Rather, you are our partners in seeking to bring life,
love and hope to a world in desperate need of it. We hope that this is just the
beginning and are excited about the potential of what we can do together!
- Byron