stepping into a new year

We have entered 2025, and those who know me probably know how much excitement I feel at the start of a new year. I'm not about all kinds of drastic resolutions, but I do love to pick a theme word to summarize my intentions for the year. In the past, I've chosen words like 'hospitality', 'discover' and 'bloom'. This year I've settled on the word 'engage'. In a season of an overwhelming amount of change, I want to really settle in, find my place, and thrive in the roles I've been put in (whether that is within our family, in homeschooling, within Living Hope etc.). I have found myself wishing that I came to Zambia better equipped with something like a teaching background, or counselling skills or even to be able to play the piano. Something really tangible and obvious to bring to the table. But I know that God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called. So in 2025 I hope to really engage the gifts and talents He has already given me, and find contentment in that.

I always love looking at the year gone by to analyze things like what went well, what was hard, who impacted it, and if there is anything to change in the year moving forward. Jon & I were already thinking and praying about the possibility of moving to Zambia a year ago, but things weren't solidified till a few months after that. 2024 included so much prayer, planning & prepping for our move. A huge part of the planning was figuring out how in the world to even start with looking into homeschooling. Then came the daunting task of having to sell our house. The summer was filled with so many beeeautiful memories. After everything was finalized with our home (still can't believe we no longer own that house that we grew our family in!), we moved in with dad and mom, and had a lovely month stay with them. September rolled around in no time flat, and before we knew it, we were boarding 3 flights to move to our new home. Our home away from home.

I still get choked up just writing about Canada. But maaan, God has been good to us with our move here. I've never had the privilege of working alongside Jon quite like this before, and it has been really awesome to get a front row seat to watching him lead, guide & mentor. Some days feel long & tiring as I support the kids through big emotions about who & what they miss about home, but we wouldn't have it any other way. It's been incredible to witness their growth in empathy, gratefulness & cultural awareness in a way that probably wouldn't have happened had we remained where we were.

December started out with a flurry of end of school excitement, both for the Living Hope children that live on site, and the Living Hope Christian Academy students. Before school was out, the kids and I arranged a Christmas craft, and baked & decorated sugar cookies for the 75 students.

We made little paper hats that summarized the birth of Jesus, and the students were busy coloring and gluing things in place. Jon happened to be coming home from town when school was let out, and as he drove up the road, he saw all these cute little kids proudly wearing their Christmas hats! So sweet!

I had the opportunity to join the teachers and Living Hope leadership on a village visit. There were a couple openings in the new kindergarten class starting in January, and so we met with some families in the village to discuss the requirements for the applications and talk through any questions they had. Wow! It was super interesting to be in the heart of a village and witness their hospitality. One of the teachers translated for me so I could understand what was being discussed. The end of the visit included freshly picked mangos to eat & take home!

It is encouraged by Social Welfare that if the children that live on site have any living relatives or close family friends, that the children spend the break from school with them. After school was out, we had a bonfire, prayed over the children, and just days later all the children were off site and staying in the community. With no students walking in to school each day either, the campus is no longer a buzz of children talking & laughing. At first it felt awfully quiet, but we've come to really settle into the extra quiet time with just our family.

Jon has remained busy with projects like moving the solar controller from the coffee storage area to the solar room to keep it protected and less exposed to dust and elements. He has been overseeing the maintenance of the children's dorms (so nice to do it while the kids are away!) both inside & out, and also a renovation on the staff offices to make the boardroom more functional. He had a vision to have a red brick feature wall and couldn't find the small sized red bricks anywhere. With a bit of sleuthing, they found a 100-year-old structure that was not being used! The bricks are currently being scrubbed and cut in half and will find their home in the new boardroom!

I've started coaching some of the village guys volleyball - which is so fun to be a part of! Not just the volleyball side of it but also getting to know people in the community. There have been a few soccer games, too, that are always fun to watch! One of the games, it just started pouring, and Austin was freezing by the end of the game!

Jon also played in a game and even scored a goal!

We got ourselves a puppy! One of the things Jon wanted to do when we first decided to move to Zambia, was get a dog. We have such a great spot here to have a dog with a solid walled property. We've named the little guy Chevy (after Jon's Chevy Tahoe back in Canada), and he's been hours of entertainment for the kids! I wasn't too excited to get a dog, but I must say this little guy is pretty charming! This is him sitting on Jon's chair like he owns it, haha!

Christmas also came and went. It felt odd to set up a Christmas tree when it was 30 degrees outside. It was strange knowing that our families & friends were getting together and doing the traditional gift exchanges, dinners & games. It's been interesting to reflect on what all makes Christmas feel like Christmas! We had a few Canadian families over for appies one day, watched a children's Christmas play & enjoyed a big bbq, sang Christmas carols at church, and were invited to someone's house for Christmas lunch. It's been pretty incredible to be on the receiving end of people's hospitality and thoughtfulness this Christmas.

Last night we rang in the New Year. We invited the staff that live on site for a braai, and then played some charades, UNO and spoons together. It was pouring (100 mm in a couple hours), but we huddled under the cover of the cafeteria overhang, and Jon lit off some fireworks. Jon has always loved fireworks and will always arrange them for our family celebrations back home, so it is so cool that he could do it out here, too. It was such a joy to have fun together as staff like that. And pretty amazing to be part of such a great group of people, all with the intention of bringing glory to our Father!

That wraps up this blog post! We step into 2025 excited for what this year holds. I hope the same is true for you, and those dear to you!

Much love,

Renae