Let me tell you how I met Kevin Egan. While away on an 8-day retreat with total strangers, this guy approached me and said: “Dude! I know this is odd, but I really feel impressed to meet and talk to you. Can we get together after this session?” So, I said, yes. I soon learned that Kevin is a SUPER boisterous, VERY energetic visionary who loves people and loves to encourage them! After the session, we met in a side room, and he began telling me all the wild things he was hearing during our meditation time. It was a fun conversation; I was just grateful he wasn’t trying to sell me a time-share or recruit me to be in his down-line (Lol). After that, we ran into each other a few more times, and as a result, we became friends.
On my last night, we were all together in an assembly, and I asked him: “So, Kevin, what do you do?” He freaked out and said: “Dude! We’ve been hanging out all week, and I haven’t even told you what I’m doing! I responded, “I know, right?!”” So, he tells me he is head of this ministry ministry called, Tower of Strength, and that they have a property in Zambia where they plan to develop a center for widows and orphans. He had a specific vision of how he wanted to develop the property, so I told him I could help him transform his vision into tangible products for promotional purposes. He teared up, and told me he was desperately looking for someone who could do just that. I asked him to sketch out his vision and send it to me. He sent this (image to the right):
Being a man of my word, but with concern that I may not have time in my schedule, I started working on his project after returning home. I quickly became consumed by this project! Kevin and I communicated frequently about details, and I sent him status updates. (see below) Kevin often called after receiving one of my updates and would say, “Dude! I’m totally blown away!”
Runners often describe the “runner’s high” or “getting in the zone” feeling like they could run forever. This project was like that for me. I lost track of time, forgot to eat, stayed up late, and rose early to work on it. I ultimately designed the property layout in 3D, including the farm, cottages, service buildings, rooms, furniture, and colors. I also created designs for the assembly room, kitchen, cafeteria, living quarters for volunteers, and apartments for the supervisor and special guests… I got carried away!
Kevin’s vision includes two large service buildings at the front of the property where they will feed, serve, and care for their inhabitants AND members of the surrounding community. My designs centered around simplicity and cost-effectiveness, applying basic rectangular shapes to buildings with simple roof lines. I wanted each building to have its own unique flair, so I designed one building with an open entryway including a large wooden cross suspended in the front, while another has an enclosed foyer with large windows that form the shape of a cross of the same dimension in negative space.
(front entrances of each multi-purpose building)
Part of Kevin’s vision is to partially power the community with solar energy, so the roofs are all designed for solar panel installation. The community will be self-sustaining, with a well and water tower, vegetable farm, chickens, bees, and partial solar power. There is an outdoor common area planned for recreation and gathering. While the farm and cottages will be primarily for the inhabitants, the two front buildings will be open to the public. There will be worship gatherings and education in the assembly building and a large cafeteria and kitchen in the other building for feeding the people living in the surrounding area.
The plight of the widows and orphans in Zambia is extreme. Kevin and his team are already doing amazing things. They have been feeding and caring for the locals by building a grain mill so that people would not have to travel so far to prepare their grain to make bread. The well and farm are already operational and growing food. One of the cottages is nearly finished, and another is under construction (as of the posting of this entry). Their vision and integrity captured my attention and energized me to pour my talents into this project. If you are looking for a worthy cause where you know your money is going directly to the need, please go to his web page and see for yourself: www.towerofstrengthministries.com