Humbled and Blessed!

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 17^th. 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.

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!

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).

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.

Country profiles of each of the 8 African countries that Hands works in

"The Wall" of protection that we seek to build around each child

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.

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.)

Diane preparing me for the deed

The deed being done

My beautiful hair ...

Diane about to cry

Just when she didn't think it could get any worse ...

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

P.S. - thanks to my cousin, Justin, for the great pics!

One Year Down … And Two More On The Way!

Yes, I realize that’s a lot of information to process in one nine-word title but what better way to capture your attention?

One Year Down

As most of you are reading this, you’re probably thinking, “Has it really been more than a full year? It feels like an eternity without them home because we miss them so much!” In all likelihood, you’re probably thinking the exact opposite – that the year has blown by and it feels like yesterday when we were saying our teary goodbyes. We’re thinking the same and find it hard to believe that more than 365 days has passed since we first landed in Africa.

September 14, 2012 – Diane and Byron first step foot on African soil as they arrive into South Africa, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, wondering what the heck the next year is going to hold for them. Not even 4 months into wedded bliss, the newlyweds are beginning the rest of their lives together by making their passions and dreams come true – committing to a year in Africa with Hands at Work to serve and care for the most vulnerable children in the poorest of the poor communities.

True story.

Most of you expected us home by now. So did we. Before we left, we told everyone that, regardless of whether we extend our commitment with Hands or not, we would come home around the one-year mark. It was very much our intention to be home for the 8(!) weddings we were invited to between August and September but with apologies to Chris & Annette, Claire & Jennings, James & Mae-Lee, Tyler & Jacquie, Jen & Dov, Jack & Sharon, Carol & Trung, and Chelsea & Brenden, plans changed. We didn’t feel at peace about leaving despite our one-year commitment having been fulfilled. There is always a big push at the end of the year to finish up current projects and to plan for the upcoming year and we wanted to stick around to help see that through. As a result, we made the decision to extend our time until the beginning of November before coming back home to Canada.

With our one-year anniversary in Africa officially having come and gone, I initially thought about providing a bit of a recap, complete with highlights and challenges, but realized that I had already done that at the 6-month mark. So, in an effort to keep this post reasonably sized, let’s just move ahead to the question you’ve all been asking from Day 1.

Two More on the Way!

I guess the title of this post doesn’t leave you in much suspense hey? Well, just so that it’s official in your mind, we have committed to come back to Africa with Hands at Work next year ... And this time, it’s a two-year commitment!

In all honesty, we never once envisioned committing to anything beyond one more year, giving us the flexibility to take it one year at a time but, somehow, Hands at Work tricked us into committing to two more years, much like I tricked Diane into thinking she was marrying a rich, successful lawyer. Looks like the tables have turned. Nicely done, Hands at Work. Nicely done.

As most of you know, this decision hung over us for many months. No matter how hard we tried, we just couldn’t escape it. It seemed like every little thing that happened, every emotion we felt, would somehow factor into our own little decision-making machine. Every time I thought of a good reason to stay, I would manage to come up with an equally convincing counterargument for why we should go home. If I felt a certain way, I’d inevitably end up second-guessing why I felt the way I did or strain to uncover the root of what that specific thought process was. In the end, I was torn. I loved being with Hands at Work. I loved Africa. I loved living life the way we were living. So what was the problem?

Holding on to life as we used to know it

The first problem was what I felt I was holding onto. From the beginning, Diane and I made it very clear that our time in Africa with Hands at Work was going to be more than just an ‘experience’. It was not our goal to do one year in Africa so that we could check it off the list and say, “Been there, done that!” Rather, we always said that it was the next step in our lives and the soil that we were choosing to plant our marriage in. It’s why we left our commitment completely open past the one year. We didn’t want to have any plans. Instead, we wanted to live by faith and allow God to lead us. Well … easier said than done.

As we debated for months on end about whether we should stay or go, I finally found myself asking the question: “What is it that is preventing us from committing to Africa?” I couldn’t really figure it out. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I miss family and friends dearly. Seeing my nephews and my niece grow up over Skype and pictures is not really how I had imagined it. And yes, there are certain aspects of home and North American living that we often get quite nostalgic about. But I discovered that the real things that were holding me back were things that are all too familiar to me – fear, anxiety, worry, doubt.

There was still so much I was holding on to back home. As much as we said our commitment was open-ended, we still very much had in our minds the default of one year. It’s like Diane and I, without ever saying it out loud to each other, had a secret pact that we weren’t really going to stay in Africa any longer than one year. Anything beyond that is too long to be away from family, too long to have our careers on hiatus, too long to go without earning an income. Basically, too long to be away from reality. It’s like I unknowingly, despite everything I said this year was going to be about, treated our time in Africa as something other than reality. The real world beckons, Byron. Don’t get left behind.

It was hard to come to grips with this revelation. In spite of how faithful God has been, in spite of how much we’ve grown during this time, and in spite of everything that our hearts were feeling about being here, my mind, plagued by constant fear, anxiety, worry and doubt, would not allow me to feel at peace. It exposed a lot about where our hearts were at and how we were mostly paying lip service to our faith rather than really living by it.

This is what we have been really challenged by since being here. What does it mean to live by faith? How different would our lives look, and our actions and choices be, if we lived with the absolute, undoubted assurance that God is true to His promises? What would it look like if we made choices based on where God was leading our hearts rather than based on what it might cost us?

Making the decision to commit for another two years doesn’t signal a seismic shift in our faith. Again, we love Hands at Work, we love Africa (most of the time), and we love the way we are living. We’re not making ourselves out to be martyrs, by any means. But it does represent a step for us, and a rather large one, at that. Our heads were holding on to the things of home, the real world and the traditional way of life. Our hearts were leading us to live a different way. After it was all said and done, our hearts won out. And it likely wouldn’t have been the case had we not grown in our faith and our understanding of God’s promises to us.

Committing and Digging Deep

The second problem was that I was wary of choosing to stay in Africa simply because it was the easy thing for us to do. Being in Africa, with a missionary organization committed to caring for the most vulnerable children, immersed in a community with an amazing group of people that share the same heart and vision, makes it easy for us to live our lives in line with our values. The greater challenge is for us to carry that over into our lives back home or wherever we choose to carry on next. It’s easy to think that there’s nothing else that God is possibly calling us to do when we’re already caring for orphaned and vulnerable children in the poorest of the poor communities and that this is the closest to God’s heart that we could ever be. But it’s not like African children are the only demographic in need of people reaching out to them in God’s love and grace.

With that in mind, I knew I wanted to continue to serve this cause. I just wasn’t sure what was the best way for me to do it. I wanted to look beyond how I felt and, instead, look at how I could be the most effective servant or where I could have the greatest impact. Whether that meant staying in Africa or going back home, I had no idea. All I knew was that I wanted to serve and I wanted to do it in the best, most effective way possible. I wanted to combine everything involved – my time, my skills, my passions – and maximize it for the greatest output. So typical Byron.

The problem of our generation is that we have too many options. We’re so preoccupied with finding fulfillment, achieving success (however we define it) and unlocking our full potential that we’re never really satisfied. That pretty much sums up the source behind my constantly conflicted mind. Fortunately, I was deeply challenged on this by some of the leadership at Hands. I was asked to think about some of the greatest people in history. Those people accomplished what they did, not out of an abundance of options but, rather, because they really didn’t have any. Instead, they accomplished great things because they were firmly committed to the path that was either presented before them or that they had chosen.

Ashamedly, I am plagued by the ‘grass is greener’ predicament. I am so hesitant to commit to anything because I worry that I may be passing up something better. I’m constantly one foot in, one foot out, always preparing myself to jump ship should a better opportunity or alternative come along. Ironically, it’s that type of mindset that will prevent me from ever finding fulfillment. I realize that, if I truly want to find fulfillment, I have to be willing to commit to something, to see it through, to dig deep. I can’t expect otherwise despite what our instant gratification culture has trained me to believe.

I also had to come to grips with the fact that I will never be, nor should I ever be, irreplaceable. In short, I had to get over myself. I was so busy filling my head with expectations of greatness (in the conventional sense of the term), with thoughts that I was special and unique and had so much to offer the world, that I was losing sight of the great things God was already doing through me or could potentially be doing through me here. It took me a while to come around to it because, in a smackdown to reality (and humility), I wasn’t the hero. And that’s the whole point. God doesn’t want me to be the hero. The pride I would take in that would ultimately be my undoing. Rather, He wants me to get back to an understanding that, without His mercy, His grace and His love, I am nothing.

After coming to those humbling realizations, the decision actually became much more of a no-brainer than we had ever imagined. We desire to build into the mission and vision of Hands at Work. We want to dig in and dig deep and to continue to commit our lives to serving the most vulnerable children in the poorest of the poor communities. We aspire to continue to invest into the relationships we have established here and to be part of a life-giving community. We are excited about how God will continue to challenge, shape and mold us and how He will continue to reveal His heart to us.

Because of all this, we decided two years felt right. Had we committed to only one year instead, we likely would have had the whole “should we stay or should we go?” conundrum hang over us throughout much of the next year. As we have already experienced, one year goes by in a flash. We needed something that was far enough away that we could not grasp it, allowing our minds and our hearts to be fully committed and fully present to being here in Africa. Committing for two additional years gives us an opportunity to really build into and build off of what we have already started here. And we couldn’t be more excited.

The Caveat

At the risk of sounding too lawyerly (which has never really been a problem for me), we did build in one caveat to our two-year commitment. Can you guess what it is? Well, if you’re part of the Chan/Hoang/Nguyen clan, I’m sure you’ll find much relief in the caveat taking the form of a potential Byron Jr.! While Baby Chan hasn’t entered the immediate plans, it’s definitely in the picture for the short-term future. I mean, we’re not getting any younger (Diane turned 29 this past week!), and we’re both coming down with a slight (or serious, if we’re talking about Diane) case of baby fever. Our family planning hasn’t changed since being in Africa and we’re getting to the stage in our lives where we do want to start our own family soon. And, at this point, we envision starting our family in the love and support of our family and friends back home (and because Diane’s mom would probably beat us otherwise).

Having said that, our plan is to concentrate on our time with Hands and keep the Chan clan to just 2 members, at least for now. Fortunately, this is something we feel completely confident and at peace with in terms of leaving it up to God (not like we have much choice in the matter, anyway!). If we are blessed with a little By-Ju in the oven, we will take it as a sign that it may be time for a new season and reassess what our commitment here looks like. If not, we’ll take it as a sign that we’re exactly where we’re meant to be and continue on. Either way, we stand firm in faith that God will lead the way. After all, He’s brought us this far and continues to show us His faithfulness time and time again. 

- Byron

Old Friends and New Friends

Back in October of last year, Byron and I did our very first community stay in a South African community called Oshoek. We spent four days and three nights in the home of a Gogo (grandma in Siswati) and her six grandchildren – getting to know them and experiencing life the way they do. Click here to read about our experience the first time around. The family is from the country of Swaziland, the border of which is about a half hour drive from Oshoek. With the desire to put her six grandchildren through school, Gogo made the decision a few years ago to move her family to South Africa, where school fees are much cheaper than they are in Swaziland. Since then, she has been fighting tirelessly to put food on the table and to make ends meet. Life has been difficult. They are isolated, tucked away in the hills of Oshoek, with little to no support from anyone. 

Beautiful scenery in Oshoek, South Africa

A few weeks ago, Byron and I had the opportunity to visit our family again and to stay with them for a night. This time, we had our friend, Sibusiso, with us, a fellow Hands at Work volunteer who was born and raised in Swaziland. We felt grateful for the opportunity to spend time with our family again, to show them that we hadn’t forgotten about them and to encourage them in the small ways that we could. 

Our friend Sibusiso

Clement, the youngest boy in the family, ran at full speed and jumped straight into Byron’s arms as soon as he saw us – what a special moment!  We were relieved that they hadn’t forgotten us and that we wouldn’t have to battle through the shyness that many African children have towards foreigners. It was almost as though we had never left!

Clement was all smiles!

We decided to go with Gogo to fetch firewood as the girls in the family went to fetch water. Byron tried his hand at chopping wood but that lasted all of two minutes. Sibu and the other two boys did the rest of the chopping while I gathered the chopped wood and Byron pushed the wheelbarrow. 

Wheelbarrow duties never got in the way of Byron being stupid

Observing as the boys chopped fire wood

Gogo

That night, Byron and I slept in our sleeping bags on a foam mattress on the floor. Gogo spent a lot of time preparing our sleeping quarters, ensuring that we had more than enough to be comfortable and warm in our bed and providing us with the best that she had. What an incredibly sweet gesture. The condition of the home was about the same as it was back in October – old, dirty and seemingly on the brink of falling apart. With Gogo so old and away from the house most of the day working, the house is often left a mess with dirt and garbage everywhere.

The room we slept in

Our bed

The front area of the house

Kitchen on the right and a bedroom on the left

Gogo's bedroom

The kitchen with a wood burning stove

We were sad to discover that the two youngest kids have not been going to school for a while (they’re not too sure how long they’ve been out of school for). With the large amount of Swazi citizens illegally settling in South Africa to put their children through school, the South African government often cracks down on the public schools, chasing out any children without the proper papers. We wondered if anybody knew about this, if anyone was doing something to get the children back in school.

Clement and Nonhle, the two youngest in the family

As the day wore on, Byron and I both felt a growing sense of hopelessness. Gogo is old and can barely earn enough to feed the children. The eldest boy, 20 years old now, but only with a grade eight education, is more interested in making rap music than pursuing an education. The eldest girl, 19, is often gone for days on end (she wasn't there when we visited and we suspect she was staying with a boyfriend), leaving the cleaning and cooking up to Gogo and her younger siblings and cousins. The two youngest children have been chased out of school and have no immediate plans to go back. The middle sister, age 14, spends her time hanging out with friends outside the neighbourhood bar where loud rap music blares and guys get drunk. Needless to say, it's not the ideal hangout spot for a young, teenage girl, especially when her little sister often follows her there. Without the intervention of Care Workers and those who can advocate on these children's behalf, what hope do they have? What hope does Gogo have in trying to provide a better life for her grandchildren? This is where the role of our Care Workers is SO critical. If home visits are being done properly and if Care Workers have a deep, parental-like relationship with the children they are visiting, situations like this one would never go unnoticed. It’s our job to advocate for children who have no voice and to stand up for those who are helpless. As discouraging as it may be at times, we will continue to pray for our family and to follow up on their situation.

After a cold, wet night, we said our goodbyes the following morning and continued our journey to Sibu’s house in the beautiful country of Swaziland!

As I mentioned earlier, Sibu is one of our fellow volunteers at Hands. He was discovered in his tiny little rural church after the leaders at Hands at Work, desiring to expand into the HIV-ravaged country of Swaziland, caught wind of a man who had devoted his life to caring for the orphaned and vulnerable children in his community. Since then, Sibu has been living in South Africa at the Hub, learning about Hands and taking up responsibilities as a member of the South Africa Regional Support Team.

Byron and I were invited to spend a couple of days with Sibu in his home, to spend time with his brothers and to meet his Gogo, the woman who raised him and his siblings. Sibu doesn't often get the opportunity to go home to see his family so this trip was a real blessing for him. He also could not have been more excited to show us his home and introduce us to his family. Byron and I were just honoured that we got to meet his family, see where and how he grew up in and visit his beloved church.

All in all, it was a great weekend. It's moments like these that really offer us a lot of perspective and remind us of how blessed we are.

Here are some pictures of our time with Sibu.

Look what we stumbled upon in Mbabane (the capital of Swaziland) ... The food was actually really good!

Sibu, Byron, Sibu's brother and his cousin

Byron and I at the top of the hill we climbed with Sibu

Resting our feet and enjoying the view

Huddling around the fire while dinner was being cooked at Sibu's home

Making breakfast with Sibu's sister the next morning

Sibu's Gogo

 

Sibu and his Gogo

 - Diane

Back to Zambia!

Again! After 3.5 months at the Hands at Work Hub in South Africa, we return to the place where a huge part of our journey began in Africa – the magical land of Zambia. We arrived with mixed feelings. On the one hand, we were dreading having to pack our lives up … yet again. It feels like, lately, we’ve constantly been on the move, making it difficult for us to feel settled in one place. We also aren’t looking forward to Zambian living – the many inconveniences and inefficiencies and the slow pace of what seems like all aspects of life here, not to mention the constant heat! There’s also much less of a community feel here. While Hands is focused on building up its presence in Zambia, there are still far fewer people here than there are at the Hub in South Africa. At times, it’s easy to get a little stir crazy because there’s really not a whole lot to do. We live rurally, on a farm, with a handful of Hands volunteers. The farm is about 12 kms away from Luanshya, the nearest town, and about 45 kms away from Kitwe, where we lived the first time we were sent to Zambia. But, as we’ve learnt in the past, it’s good to be uncomfortable. After all, we certainly didn’t come to Africa to be comfortable!

On the other hand, we are really looking forward to connecting with everyone back in Zambia, particularly the Kitwe Service Centre team – Blessings, Towela and Clement – that quickly became like family to us, and the international volunteers here that we became good friends with. We are also really excited about what we will be doing from a work perspective. When we first arrived in Zambia in mid-October of last year, we were mere rookies, fresh out of orientation. We didn’t know anything about Zambia, nor did we understand much about who Hands was or what we were going to be doing. Fast-forward 10 months and the difference is like night and day. We’re not saying that being in Africa a year has made us experts, by any means, but we now have a far greater understanding of our roles and of the big picture. We feel we have finally reached a point where we are contributing into Hands and really building into the work that’s going on here. In fact, it’s a big part of why we’ve been sent back to Zambia!

This time we’ll only be in Zambia for 6.5 weeks, as opposed to the 6.5 months we spent here the first go-around. It’s shaping up to be a very busy 6.5 weeks for both of us, though! Diane’s main responsibilities include training and working together with a new accountant that Hands recently hired to fill a huge role with our Zambia finances. She’ll also be helping out the Kitwe and Luanshya Service Centres with their bookkeeping functions, an area of constant need. As for me, I’ll be spending the majority of my time working with our Regional Support Team and our Service Centres in Kitwe and Luanshya to ensure that certain projects are completed by the end of the year. I will also be facilitating the planning and budgeting for essential projects and workshops in 2014, as well as providing general support wherever I can.

When we shifted into our long-term roles a few months ago, I wondered if I would struggle with not being out in our African communities, interacting with our Care Workers and seeing the children we serve on a regular basis. It was very much a regular part of our day when we walked with the Kitwe Service Centre for those 6.5 months and I absolutely loved it. I mean, who wouldn’t love this ...

Me and Philip, a little boy from a community called Mulenga (and yes ... that is me wearing a headband ...)

But now that we’re back in completely different roles, we are both very excited about how everything has taken shape. As much as we loved being in the community, we know and now completely understand that, as foreigners, that could never be part of our long-term role. Never mind the fact that we could never fill the shoes of our local community leaders, it’s just not sustainable, nor does it build into one of our core values of local community ownership. A part of us will always want to be on the ground and in the community with our kids (they’re pretty damn cute). But we know that we add much more value and build into something much bigger when we serve as the behind-the-scenes support. While we haven’t been able to settle down in a home as of yet, it’s been really, really good for us to feel like we’ve settled into our roles with Hands. We love that we’ve been entrusted with more responsibility and are being given opportunities to build into what we’re doing here.

With the rollercoaster 6.5 months we had here, it definitely became a love-hate kind of thing in our relationship with Zambia. But since we’ve been gone, we think fondly of our experience and are now able to laugh about the tough times we faced. We look forward to what God has in store for us this time around. It’s good to be back!

Enjoy some photos from our first few days back.

- Byron

Playing with 5 week old puppies at the farm

Relaxing, roast pig style

All 6 puppies napping

Jessie, the puppies' mom

Community church in Mulenga

Visiting a Care Worker's home after church

Diane with Johnny, Philip's older brother

Sylvia and Denise, one of our Care Worker's wife and daughter in Mulenga. She was NOT happy to see white people.

Shekinah, Blessings' new baby boy

Our room for the next 6 weeks inside the main house at the farm. Separate beds make for romantic times.

View of the farm

The office at the farm ... where all the magic happens

The volunteer kitchen

Got milk?

Former chicken coops being constructed into new accommodation for volunteers

Guest "chalets", also converted from former chicken coops

The back of the main house with our ghetto, non-functioning swimming pool

Reunited with our favourite little sweetheart at the farm, Towanga