“Do you want to go to Zambia?”

This was not a message I expected to receive from my wife, Jane, while I was away visiting my mom on the Family Day weekend. We had been tossing around some ideas for summer, but mostly they were local and more budget-wise, as last summer, we took a big road trip.

But let me give some context.

The Nudge

I have been to Korea, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Belize on trips associated with ACS. They all had to do with education and, except for the trip to Korea, have been organized through Edudeo Ministries. Edudeo is an organization focused specifically on Christian education in the developing world, based in Hamilton, Ontario.

Since these trips usually happen during Spring Break, I have tried to convince Jane to join me and perhaps make it a bit of a holiday. That didn’t excite her too much as leading a team means I had quite a few responsibilities. Still, she recognized my passion for the work that Edudeo does and how enriching it is to see God at work in Christian education in the developing world. She did have a desire to experience that for herself.

As supporters of Edudeo, we regularly receive emails about the work they do and programs they offer. When the email about the Discover and Learn trip to Zambia arrived, God nudged Jane and she sent me the message above. My surprise soon changed to excitement. Jane and I could finally share an experience together, centered on Christian education in a totally different cultural context than our own.

Transform and Explore

The main focus of this trip is to discover and learn how the gospel plus education is transforming lives. We will be visiting several of the schools that Edudeo supports through its partner agency in Zambia, encourage and learn from the educators, students, and parents in these schools, and expand our understanding of who God is and how He is working in the world. Within the current trajectory of global politics, the opportunity to connect with others is all the more important.

This trip is by far the most adventurous either one of us has taken. It will be nearly 48 hours of continuous travel (including layovers) from the time we leave Vancouver to our destination in Zambia. The last six hours will be on a dusty and bumpy road. Jane and I are grateful to be able to do it together, along with 11 other Canadian educators.

Our prayer needs

We pray and covet your prayers for safety, health, good learning and, most of all, gaining a deeper connection with God and how He is advancing his kingdom. We are eager and humbled to be part of that.

Jane and I invite you to follow our blog and connect specifically with our entire team HERE.

We look forward to sharing this experience when we return and in the year ahead.