A ROCKY BEGINNNING It has been quite a month. Cami and Charlie arrived at RVA on August 23rd and were welcomed by Kevin, who had prepared the house and gone through staff training. How surreal to be on the campus where we visited Toby and not find him here. Less than a week after we arrived, we received word that Kevin's dad, Ken, was in the ICU and not expected to live. He had been going through cancer treatment which was expected to eradicate a tumor when he suddenly had a heart event and it was discovered the cancer had spread. He passed away within a few days, leaving the whole family shocked and grieving. Kevin flew back to the USA to be with the family and help with arrangements, and will return to Kenya on September 25th. We are so grateful to RVA for encouraging him to go, and supporting us here while he is gone. The memorial was held this weekend, and those there confirmed what we had already known about Dad: He was a kind man who loved well. We miss him terribly and are mourning the loss of the years ahead with him. We know we'll see him again up there, and know he is well and whole. Please pray for us and the family as we grieve. God knew this loss was coming, and arranged things for us to show His care for us. Our pets, through an incredible series of events and the help of many people, arrived last Saturday morning, just hours before we got the news that Kevin's dad was in the hospital. I've written a blog post about it if you want to read more here. Although coming to RVA was an alternate plan centered around helping Charlie be here, Kevin said to me soon after his dad's death "I know God placed us here this year to help me through this." It is a place filled with caring people and is a great support after the sometimes lonely Namibia years. Charlie started school about 2 weeks ago and so far things are going really well. He is living a life rather different than the dorm kids do, but is finding ways to interact by doing things like having board game club meet at our house 2 Saturdays in a row now. There are many activities for the dorm kids, and as some of the 9th grade class sponsors we are helping out with those. I brought the dogs to the class get-together one evening on the field, and they were enthusiastically petted almost continually for two hours by kids missing their doggos. We also host kids at our home regularly and I am getting to know names and stories. At our last get-together we went around and asked questions like "where did you grow up?" You never ask missionary kids where they are from - that's a complicated question! We had kids who have lived in Egypt, Tanzania, Madagascar, Kenya, Uganda and other countries. Charlie felt right at home. I'm glad to be settled with a standing desk looking out on our little yard which has flowers and grass, a change from Namibia. My back has been worse since arriving, from walking on the rocky paths frequently. As I try to take better care of myself, I appreciate your prayers for recovery, wisdom and clarity of thought in work with AfriGO, Namibia and Angola. I'll travel to Namibia at the beginning of October, soon after Kevin returns. Toby was able to come to the funeral thanks to the generosity of some family members, and is doing well in his sophmore year at John Brown University. Kevin is helping his mom with a million things there in Connecticut and we appreciate your prayers for him and for the family as they walk through the daily reality of dad's loss. This is not how we expected to begin this phase . . . but God saw it coming. He prepared things for us, and arranged some gifts to comfort us. We are grateful. Kevin & Cami
Kevin & Cami in Southern Africa 