October 31, 2009

As you can see by the date posted for this blog, we have been working on this posting for a couple of weeks. We are not even going to try to explain all that we have been doing, but we will try to cover some of the highlights of the last month.

October began with a little neighborhood excitement for Colin when the children from next door came to him for help with a snake in their house. The parents were away, and the children had no phone to call them with. He gave their folks a call, and when they got home Colin and the Dad moved the refrigerator to uncover a poisonous Puff Adder. Colin had a heavy walking stick with him and killed it. Just a few days ago, Colin encountered another Puff Adder at the airport. It was on the airport ramp right where passengers come out to board the planes. Fortunately it was early, 6am, so the tourist missed this African adventure.

3.5 foot Puff Adder under the fridge.

Small 2.0 foot Puff Adder on the airport ramp.

Being away from our family and friends has been hard at times, especially now that we are using a less expensive internet service. Communication has been difficult and we particularly miss using skype to talk with our two sons. Zachary turned 27 years old this October and it was hard to even get a phone call to him. A little over a week later, we were able to share in a friend's 27th birthday with a small group of friends from church. It was not the same as being with our own son, but it was nice to feel we have a group of friends here in which close friendships have developed. It does help to fill some of the gap distance creates when missing loved ones back home.


The day after Tendai's birthday we drove to Gaborone for meetings and Julie had to get dental work done. The national elections had just been completed and all through the country people were celebrating the victories of their party affiliation. On the streets throughout Gaborone, cars full of people were wearing their party colors as they let their joy be known.

Are you old enough to remember when we could ride in the back of a pick-up in America?

The drive down to the nation's capital was interesting. We always enjoy the scenery and experiencing the unusual business and road side signs along the way.


On our way back, we decided to spend a couple hours driving through the Khama Rhino Sanctuary north of Gaborone. As always, the wildlife and birds were plentiful.

Mother and baby White Rhino resting in the shade.

Another mother and baby pair, along with Lappet Faced Vultures.

Springbok

An immature Martial Eagle

Crested Francolin

Crimson Breasted Shrike

White Browed Sparrow Weaver

Julie is getting very close to the end of the school year. Her students have made wonderful academic and social gains each term. They recently worked very hard on a small group cooperative learning project on the national parks and reserves in Botswana. They all felt exceptionally good about their accomplishments when the project was completed. The project display boards are up on the wall behind them is the picture to follow.

Julie is feeling that at the end of the term she should be more involved in direct care ministries in the community, so she has put in her resignation. We are trusting the Lord to provide for the missing income and will be tightening our budget belt so that she can follow this ministry direction. She will continue the Bible club at school, and hopes to do other children's ministry in a few other places.

Our local church continues to be a blessing, and we really enjoy the fellowship and diversity there. In the picture below, the Sunday school children are sharing a song with the congregation before going to their class.

A little girl born of parents from India with Julie at church.

Every week, there seems to be some special gathering to attend with people we have met through church. Julie was able to attend another baby shower and fellowship with the ladies that gathered for the celebration. This has been a month of babies to celebrate.


Our missionary friends living north of XaiXai were surprised by the birth of their son 6 weeks early on the 30th of October. They happened to be in another village for a mission gathering, so fortunately they had cell phone access. Julie received a call at 7 am that morning to see if Colin could fly up to get Ilse, who was in labor. Unfortunately, Colin was in Gaborone. Dries called there and Colin with a medic scrambled to get airborne. At 8:30, Colin was on the taxi way preparing to take off when the message came through that the baby was born at a remote and rugged hospital in Gamare. Our friends barely made it there by car, driving well over the speed limit. They decided to wait a day before moving the baby to a better hospital, but a torrential rain storm moved in that night and complicated things even more. Finally, early evening on the 31st, Ilse and the baby were airlifted to Gaborone where their new son (Cordre pictured below) is still in the hospital. Dries and the couple's three year old daughter spent a few days with us in Maun regrouping before going back to the bush to secure their home before rejoining Ilse and Cordre. Dries came back through Maun a few days later and the family is now together in Gaborone. Please keep this dear young family in your prayers and that little Cordre can grow strong quickly so that he can be released from the hospital.


Shortly after the cancelled mercy flight to help Dries and Ilse, Colin was still in Gaborone when a call came in to do a mercy flight from Maun to Francistown. He and the same medic took off to transfer a critically ill woman to the better equipped hospital in Francistown. Colin was not able to return home that day and ended up overnight in Francistown.

Medic Colin with the patient in the C207 headed for the hospital in Francistown.

Tail of the C207 and the FMS ambulance in Francistown, Botswana.

The following weekend while Misheck was over doing the gardening, when Debra called him to let him know her water had broken and their baby was on the way. Colin was flying, so Julie and Misheck jumped in the car to go get Debra and take her to the Maun hospital. The picture below is of the couple entering the maternity ward.

Their baby boy was born that night and was so big (over 9lbs.) that an operation was needed to deliver him. The picture to follow is of Debra and Briane the next day.


Misheck's sister-in-law and Julie were allowed to see Debra and the baby in her hospital room, but because she was sharing the room with five other mothers the men could not come in.

Misheck and his brother were allowed to hold baby Briane in the lobby of the ward. As you can see, Misheck is a very happy and proud father. Colin was able to help the couple take Braine home from the hospital four day later. When leaving the hospital Misheck carried the baby while walking beside Debra. Colin carried all the bags and blankets a few steps behind which enlisted many stares. Colin just smiled proudly saying, "I am the grandfather!"

Unfortunately, the work permit papers for Misheck will not be approved so we are still praying for a way he can get the proper documentation so that he can bring his other two children still in Zimbabwe here. He so wants his family to be together. Please keep his situation in prayer also. Both Debra and Misheck have to live here knowing that any day they could be picked up and deported without the proper paperwork. Just when you think Zimbabwe couldn't get any worse, the meltdown continues. There is a real possibility of open warfare which would mean a horrendous genocide by the insane President Magabe. Please pray for the long suffering people and recovery of Zimbabwe.

Most recently, Colin offered the services of FMS to support one of the other local mission groups. They were motivating young people to raise money for an old man that had been living in a tent for the last ten years in Maun. The two young people pictured below raised the most funds to by bricks to build the man a house. They were given a two hour flight see trip for their efforts.


Colin continues to fly consistently and the airport is still humming with tourists coming and going from the Okavango Delta. One day while getting the plane ready for a flight, he heard a grinding crunch sound. Just before stopping on the ramp the retractable nose wheel collapsed on this C210 seen below.


When hand painting the stripe on the taxi way at the airport (below) it helps to have a deft touch with a paint brush and good hearing. With the dry air and 100 degree temps the paint would dry as fast as it was put down, all the painters had to do was jump out of the way occasionally. Does your back hurt looking at this picture? Ours does.


As a continuation of last months blog showing the identifying tail numbers of the planes here, we decided to included a few more.








And of course we can not forget SAN, the C210 that is the second plane Colin flies for FMS. Pictured below, Colin is in the shade of SAN as he waits for the next flight.

Our rental house is feeling more and more like a real home these days. We seem to be gathering more keep sakes from our time here. Colin is pictured with his "road kills" below. (Actually, friends gave us some unwanted horns and Colin had them put on plaques.)

We are still not sure what our future holds, but one thing we can say is: "By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with us..." Psalm 42:8

September 30, 2009

Clouds, rain (pula), and cooler weather have temporarily arrived here at the end of September. Before that, the days were hot and dry with ground temperatures up to 107 degrees Fahrenheit. Last year we did not see rain until the first week of November, with October being extremely hot. This cooler weather will probably be short lived, but enjoyed while it lasts. The picture above was taken on the road coming from the school Julie teaches at. When it has been hot and dry, gathering rain clouds are a welcomed sight.

This blog posting should be a bit shorter as we have been far too busy to do any major outings. Also, most of our days have been filled with work related activities. The second week of September, Julie started back to school for the last term of the 2009 school year. The school year starts in January and is structured with three terms of three months with a month break between each term. The students all seemed happy to be back and felt one month was plenty of time off.

During the first week Julie was back to school, FMS got a charter to do scenic flights for 45 students (ages 6 to 12) and 5 teachers from a school in Francistown. It was a big field trip for them, and they wanted to see the Okavango Delta from the air. Colin was scheduled for an overnight at Jack's Camp with the C210, so Keith was left to fly the group in the C207. It took ten flights of about 15 minutes each to take all of them on a scenic to fit the budget of the school. With Colin away from Maun, Julie took the morning off from school to help Patricia and Robert with ground support. The group filled the waiting area of the terminal and Julie brought books, paper, and colored pencils to help keep the students entertained as they waited. The teachers and students were all very happy with the experience as you can tell by the smiling faces pictured below.
Colin has continued to be busy flying, as the flight schedule remains consistently full. One day while on a holding pattern he was circling over our house and snapped the picture below. Our house has the large white roof almost in the middle of the picture. Next to it with a smaller white roof is the flat rental. Then our neighbor has the brown roof and the open lot right on the river. If you click on the picture, it should enlarge to get a closer look at the snapshot below.

He also sees wildlife daily while flying across the open bush country such as these zebra and an elephant at a water hole.

Before the recent rain, there were a lot of bush fires that created a layer of light ash on the C210. Pictured below, Colin and Robert did a one step auto wash and wax on the plane to get the ash off. After a hand wax by Colin, the airplane was five miles an hour faster.

For those of you reading this that are part of the aviation community, it is always interesting to hang around the airport and see the variety of planes coming in and out of Maun. The DC3 pictured below is part of a classic safari outfit coming through Botswana from South Africa.In addition, the airplanes registered in Botswana have an A-2 country designation just as the US has an N registration, but here in Botswana there are letters instead of numbers for the plane identification.
In Africa the letter "Z" is pronounced as the word "zed" as in most English influenced countries, which makes sense of the above registration (A t0 Z). Below are some more creative registrations.

Note that the above aircraft "PIG" is a diesel engine aircraft and appropriately registered. Also note that the A2-TEN is a Cessna 210.


And of course no matter where you are in Africa, there are always incredible sun sets.


The last week end of September, we were invited to a birthday braii (B-B-Q) with friends from church. They live about 30 kilometers from Maun on the Boteti River. It was a lovely evening, with great food and fellowship. Julie was even able to take a sunset boat ride with some of our wonderful friends here.




All through term 2 at school, the primary (elementary) students were learning songs and speaking parts for a special concert presentation called "The Giant Slayer." The concert was quite involved and it was decided to wait until the beginning of term 3 to complete the musical production. All the primary teachers helped the music teacher with the final preparations, and the last week before the show there were two practices daily and two dress rehearsals. The final performance was on the evening of September 28. Two of Julie's students had key roles in the story of David slaying the giant Goliath. Pictured below is one of her students who played David. He not only did the acting extremely well, but he also sang a lovely solo song. Many of her other students were either part of the Philistine Army (in black costumes) or in the Israelite army (in white costumes).


One other student was Goliath, and he sat on the shoulders of one of a tall secondary (high school) student so that he would tower above all the other students performing in the play.
The concert was outside in a small amphitheater at the school and it was a lovely evening for all who attended. To prepare for the presentation took everyday of the scheduled afternoon activity time. Now that the concert is over, Julie will start having Bible Club one day a week at the school again in the afternoon.

We continue to see colorful plants and birds everywhere here. Below is the FMS car, affectionately referred to as the "Jelly Bean", in the airport parking lot parked under a blooming bush.
Next is a Black Necked Barbet in a tree in our yard eating Papayas.
We are thankful for our continued friendship with Misheck and Mmatshimo who help care for the house and property where we live. They have become like family to us. Misheck takes such good care of the plants in our yard and is pictures below in the vegetable garden he planted for all of us to eat from. We are still waiting for Debra to deliver any day now. Please pray for a safe delivery of the baby and also continue to pray that Misheck's work permit paperwork will go through successfully.

An additional praise is that Innara has safely returned to Zimbabwe. She has tried to call a few times from there, but we have been disconnected each time. Our hope and prayer is that she will continue to grow in the knowledge of God's love for her and Gift. We trust they will remain healthy and happy there with her mother. Please pray that the Lord will continue to provide for her physical and spiritual needs.

Another praise is Daniel, our next door neighbor. When the Kowalskis were living in the flats, Daniel and his little sister were always over playing with Abigail and Jacob. When helping with the Bible camp in August, Cheryl invited him to come with us and he did. On the last night at camp, an alter call was given to see if there were any children that wanted to accept Jesus as their Savior and Daniel raised his hand. Since then, he has faithfully been attending church with us each Sunday. Cheryl and I were able to get him a youth Bible that he could easily understand, and he has been reading through it regularly ever since it was given to him.

As for us, we are so thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to be here in Botswana. We continue to seek direction and wisdom in ways we can help and encourage others that the Lord has placed in our lives. It is our hope that those we have been drawn to, "May be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ." Colossians 2:2.

August 31, 2009

It seems like every time we sit down to start a new blog entry, there is a need to apologize for not getting something posted sooner. As you can see by the date above, that this was started at the end of August. The longer we are here, the more involved we are with people and time just gets away from us. We know this entry will be lengthy, due to the weeks that have past, but we write just as much to reflect on what we are doing for our own journal as well as a way to keep connected with all of you that read this blog.

The second school term ended for Julie on August 7. There were end of the term assessments a grade to complete, along with parent teacher conferences. Also, there was also a full day inter-school sporting event that took place at the Maun Sports Stadium. The sport complex is fairly new and quite an amazing facility. Botswana is interesting in that it is a developing country with a good infrastructure for traveling, and a state of the art hospital here in Maun, among other things like the stadium. Yet in may ways there are still third world struggles with poor living conditions for many and substandard health care due to not enough qualified people to handle the modernization taking place...Anyway, the picture below are some of Julie's students in a relay at the stadium. Julie has already returned to work and the students start back on September 7th for the last term of the school year.

We enjoyed having the Kowalski family living on the property for six weeks until they could find other suitable housing. It was like having one big FMS family on the plot, and even the dogs enjoyed playing together. Red, one of our guard dogs, has been sleeping by the gate each night waiting for their return...Their first night in their new place was August 28, and the picture below was taken one night by the fire during their time living here.

Usually, there are about two Mercy flights a month from the northern village of Seronga in the Okavango panhandle, to the village of Gamare south of there. Colin is always astounded at the way critically injured and sick people are treated. Most of the time, there is minimal equipment provided and limited personal to care for the patients. While Keith was still in training with Colin, they were called out on a Mercy flight and in the next picture Keith is helping to load a young girl with a broken leg. Note the three broken boards and ace bandage that work as a splint.


Just the other day, Colin was called to transport a baby that had ingested a poisonous substance. While people were rushing to deal with the baby, there was a car accident and two people were seriously injured. The man in the plane is being transported with a broken back, legs, arm and a head injury. Colin was able to pray with the mother of the child, and pray for the others as he regularly does in these situations.

Colin continues to love flying here in Botswana. Not only is the climate and weather much easier to fly in after years of battling the cold and snows of Alaska, but there is always interesting things to see from the air. Below is LeBala airstrip. Note the few trees that are left, it should be surrounded by forest. There are just too many elephant. Rather than having some culled and the protein going to the villagers, the animal rights extremists would rather see the habitat destroyed and the elephants suffer from malnutrition and starvation.


Click on the two pictures below to enlarge them and see the habitat destruction caused by the elephants to their and the other animals detriment.

Due to the late rains in June, the Zebras migrated back to the Makgadikadi Pans as the grass is a higher quality there. They are everywhere and often have to be chased from the runway before Colin can land.

Zebra on a salt pan. A pan is a very shallow or dry pond.

Keith was checked out to fly independently in the middle of August. Colin has usually been flying the C210 and Keith has been doing most of the flying in the C207. They have had a number of larger family groups to fly into Jack's Camp, so both planes are used. The next picture is of the C207 landing, and the three after are of the Zebra that were lingering alongside the runway after Colin had cleared the way with the C210.

Also alongside the runway, is a nesting Ostrich. She does not seem to mind the airplanes coming and going from the dirt strip.

Recently, Colin had a flight to Livingston in Zambia. The Zambezi River is still high and Colin noticed there are now three ferries moving people and equipment across the huge river. If you remember when we traveled to Zambia in March, there were only two working ferries.

Day to day life here continues to be full of variety and humor. Below in the picture can be seen a brass bell that hangs on a chain attached to a metal pole. In the event that the 6,000 gallons of aviation fuel blows up and no one notices, then any fueler that may have survived the blast can ring the bell to warn others close by. Colin tripped just before reaching the bell and tried unsuccessfully to get his feet back under him. He only increased his speed and ended up face down in the dirt smacking the base of the pole with his shoulder. Unhurt he was none the less embarrassed for those close by to notice. To make matters worse the brass bell fell from its hook ringing loudly while swinging to and fro attracting attention from all over the airport! "You may not know me but my face sure rings a bell".


With Keith here now to help with the flying, we were able to get away for a few days. It had been three months since our trip to Nxai Pans and we missed the Zebra migration at that time. Now the zebra are back, and Colin had been flying over their location for weeks, so we decided to spend two nights in the Makgadkgadi Pans just a few hours drive south east of Maun.

The camp ground we chose to stay at was located closest to the major migration, but even in the heat of the day we found smaller herds of Zebra everywhere as we drove to our campsite.

Above - Zebra in the heat

Below - Njuca Hills camp sign

Njuca Hills was the name of the campsite and it was on a small hill (the three "hills" are 50 feet above the rest of Botswana) in the northwestern part of the park. Our choice of campground was based on the location of the Zebra, and it had no running water or flush toilets. To our delight, we had the whole campground to ourselves for two nights. We set up camp and watched incredible desert sunsets while the quiet stillness of night creped in, leading to a sky filled with stars, all for us alone for two nights. Our stay there was a very peaceful and relaxing blessing to us both.

Above - Camp, ready for nightfall

Above and below is a White Faced Scops Owl, note the crescent moon

One night we even had an owl fly into camp to watch the night slowly surround us. Another night, we could hear the lions calling all around the camp and in the morning we found their fresh prints on the sandy road into camp.

Lion tracks

There was an array of birds to entertain us around camp, and many new ones to identify and add to our list of birds spotted.

Above - Kalahari Scrub Robbin
Below - Swamp bou bou

Below - Pied crows in a fan palm

Burchell's Sand Grouse

Below - Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk

Below - Greater Kestrel

Below - Anteating Chat

Below - Violet- Eared Waxbill

On our last day, we drove through the middle of the park to the eastern boarder by the Boteti River, which has not had water in it for years. It was a long, dirty drive.

We stopped on a little hill and in the photos you can see where we had driven from and where we were going to continue driving.

As always, we saw lots of animals along the way. There were elephants, steinbok, impalla, jackals, ostrich, zebra, ghemsbok, and kudu. The next two photos are a nice representation of the plains game we saw. Many of the other animals mentioned have been in previous blog entries. Once we got to the Boteti River, we also saw hippo.

Above - Ghemsbok
Below - Kudu

A few days after our return, Julie was involved in a three day Bible camp that had been prayerfully planned over six weeks. It was decided to do a day camp, as the location was again at Island Safari Lodge and the campsite was booked during the peak of the tourist season here. We set up in the pool area that had plenty of room for the 35 children to sing songs and rotate from a variety of Bible based activities. Julie, Cheryl Kowalski, and our worship leader from church help with fun kids songs twice a day.

The children experienced the biblical principals of praising God's power, through hearing stories about creation, redemption, and the miracles of Jesus. The children were divided into groups that rotated daily to four different stations to hear and act out Bibles stories, and even create their own messy snacks.

Cheryl was the crazy "Professor Praise" and did fun Science experiments with each group.

Julie did games that played out the Bible theme for the day.

The children also got T-shirts with the main focus and scripture verse used. And of course, the kids made crafts to take home as s reminder of the message presented that day.

There was also and excellent group of young adults and teens to mentor and bond with the children as leaders. One day they organized a nature walk on the safari lodge grounds, complete with a blind folded trust walk to start.

Another afternoon, two boat loads of campers experienced God's creation through the beauty of the Thamalakane River.

The last day, Julie led the children through a multi-tasked teamed relay, with the finally of creating a megaman for their group with balloons and other messy materials. Then the groups helped to clean up their man with squirt guns.


During the time of the camp, the Village church was having a three day tent revival. We were only able to attend one night and were encourgaed by the huge crowds in attendance not only from Maun but many outlying villages. We could not resist taking a picture of the two toddlers below. They were wrapped up in a blanket and sleeping on gravel during the two hours of loud praise music was going on.
While on term break from teaching, Julie was able to see Innara and Gift more often. In addition, Pusetso has been attending our church so it has been easier to spend time with her too.

Gift was 7 months on the 12th of August and is crawling.

Two weeks later, he is pulling himself up and trying to walk.

Please keep Innara and Gift in your prayers. Without proper papers or passport, she has been unable to find regular work. She is now seeking an Emergency Transport Document so she can return to Zimbabwe. The living conditions are improving there and she is ready to return.

Also, Misheck is still working through the process for a work and resident permits with a potential full time employer. Please pray that his paperwork will go through the government channels without problems. Debra is now eight months pregnant, so the baby could come any time. In our last blog, we put out a request for any boxes of used baby clothes that people may feel led to send. We did not get any response, but thought we would bring it to your attention once more.

In closing, we continue to feel so blessed to be here at this time is our lives. It has been so humbling to serve the Lord through Flying Mission and also through a relational ministry to help encourage others here in Maun. It has been so refreshing for us to serve in a place that seems to have such an openness to the gospel and a real move of the spirit working. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory..." Ephesians 3:20

July 20, 2009

Flood waters from the Okavango Delta have arrived in Maun. People in Maun were astounded the second week of July when the banks of the Thamalaklane River flowed into areas that had not seen water in over 20 years. The first picture below was taken from the bridge near our house last April. The next picture is a current picture of the river from the bridge.

April 2009

July 2009

This next picture was taken from further down river last September and the picture to follow is a current picture from the same location. Note the current in the river now.

September 2008

July 2009

In some of the low lying areas, water flooded over the roads and alternative roads through the sand were used or made.

The house that we lived in last August with Travis, is in a low area and the yard flooded but not the inside of the house. Colin helped Keith and Cheryl Kowalski get their furniture and appliances out late one night as the sand was turning to mud, making travel into the yard by car difficult. The Kowalski family had just gotten comfortably settled in the house when the water forced them out. The pictures show the yard just before it was completely covered in water.



Fortunately our pilot neighbor, Kari, had moved out of the second flat on our property at the beginning of July, and FMS had decided to rent that single room flat also. The two flats have a door between them and have provided temporary housing for the Kowalskis. Please pray that they can find another suitable home or that the water will recede and dry quickly so they can resume a normal routine in their own home.

The Kowalski "6", note river in the back ground

Flying has been a bit slow during the beginning of July, but it is picking up and looks very busy for August. Colin enjoyed a full day in the San Bushman village of Xai Xai last week, while going to meetings with a client he flew there. The pictures show a few of the stops around the village that they made. The San are an incredibly friendly, welcoming and happy people. Colin looks forward to another visit.

Xai Xai housing

Some people make do with "open" housing

Home of the villages most powerful elder

The elder and his wife

Smoke break

Grandfather and grandson

Government school

Xai Xai missionaries Pieter and Susan

Xai Xai church

We continue to be fascinated with the diversity of bird life here, and even in the cooler winter months there are many varieties everywhere.

Marabou Stork beside Xaxaba runway

African Jacana

Blue Wax Bill, about 3 inches long

Red Beaked Fire Finch, also 3 inches long

The middle of winter is here with temperatures ranging from the low 40's F ( a few days at the start of the month were just above freezing) to highs in the low 80's F. Even in the coldest months, there are all kinds of plants still blooming.


Julie continues to be busy with her class at school and has only three more weeks before the term break. Then she will have 1 month off before finishing the last term of school for the 2009 school year. The classroom she has is a trailer on the edge of the school property. She enjoys having her door open during the warm afternoons, and hearing the sounds of happy children playing games just out the door. The picture below was taken while standing at the door of the trailer during lunch time. All the students pack lunches and eat under the shade of trees on the property. In the background is one of the main school buildings.


Misheck and Debra are doing well. We were able to help secure better housing for them with free rent. The owner lives elsewhere and needed a reliable person to maintain the property, care for the guard dog, and help provide security for the other house on the plot. It was an answer to prayer for the two of them, as they could no longer afford even the simplest of accommodation in town. Debra is currently 6 months pregnant and Misheck just had to leave to return to Zimbabwe. His sister has passed away and the family looks to him for leadership. He had planned to return home at the end of the month because he has a job offer here with someone willing to fight through the paperwork and pay the costs for him to get a work permit. With a letter from the Zimbabwean police stating that he has no criminal record, he may be able to finally secure residency through legal work. This will mean that he can also bring the couples other two children here and be a family again. It is a common practice for these refugees to over stay their visa and just hope that the police do not stop them and check their paperwork. Misheck had over stayed by 7 months. In doing so, to return home with out problems, a ticket had to be paid to allow him to enter Botswana again on his return. We had already promised to pay this fee, and we ended up paying his bus fair home also. With the death of his sister, he had to return earlier that originally planned and was short the additional time he planned to set money aside through working. The extra financial help sent us, made it possible to generously contribute the money needed to give practical help and hope for a better future to Misheck and his family. Please keep this gentle and humble couple in your prayers. Pray that Misheck will have safe travels and that the paperwork for a work permit will be accepted by the government here once he returns.

The quarterly news letter has been posted on the FM web page and we encourage you to check it out under "Publications" at: www.flyingmission.org Also, if any of you have church families that may want to help with the work here, we would greatly value any toiletry items such as soap, tooth brushes and toothpaste, hand towels, used baby clothing, or fairly large pieces of scrap cloth that we could distribute again in the outlaying areas. It is costly to mail things here, but people are so thankful for the simplest of things, that we can assure that your efforts will much appreciated. If you are interested in organizing something with your friends or church family, please contact us for more details. Our hearts desire is to be able to distribute these items again around Christmas time.

Please pray for the up coming Bible camp that Julie and a few other women are planning in August. They are expecting a larger group this time, as the first camp was a huge blessing to those that attended. Many children are already talking about the next camp with lots of anticipation, and encouraging their friends to participate.

As we close, it really lifts us up when you write us and we want to thank all of you for the care and kindness you have shown us in so many ways over this last year. We know it is because of so many of you keeping us in your thoughts and prayers, that we h ave been able to..."continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith, as [we] were taught, and [we are] overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6

Leaving Alaska was not easy for us, but we are confident that being here in Maun is God's will for us. As our second year here begins, we are seeking His guidence and vision for the next year and beyond. Our hope is that we may glorify the Lord in all that we do here, and that our hearts will continue to be directed to those He has sent us to encourage and share the good news of Christ's love. "Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." 2 Thessalonians 3:16

June 21, 2009

Yes...we know this update is way overdue! The last two months have been extremely busy! Julie went back to work at the beginning of May and she is pictured above with her class of nine students. She is really enjoying the group of 9 and 10 year old students with their inquisitive and active minds. Science seems to be the favorite subject of the class and the first unit of the term has been mixtures and solutions. There have been a number of messy experiments and project reports to share from each cooperative learning group over the last 6 weeks and it will be hard to move onto a new topic....


In addition to teaching academics, Julie and another teacher at the school have been doing a Bible Club on Monday afternoons. There are currently 15 students in attendance and the students have been enjoying learning how to apply God's word in their daily life. The picture below is of most of the children that are coming to the Bible club.
A highlight for Colin in early May was getting to meet Harry Selby, a famous professional hunting guide that lives in Maun.

The busy season is here for flying, and the flight schedule filled almost every day. Just before Travis left Flying Mission in the middle of May, both Colin and he were shuffling a large film crew from the USA. Possibly some of you reading this may have heard of the show Andrew Zimmere and Bazzare Worlds. The crew was flown into a remote strip to film the San Bushman people. Pictured below was the some of the action on the airstrip when the last plane load arrived on the airfield after two days of getting everyone there.
Filming a San (Bushman) mother and child.

Interviews and getting ready for filming.

Spear received from this San Bushman.

By the time Colin had brought the last load of people and gear from Maun, it was too late to return for the night. Colin took this opportunity to camp out at the airstrip in the C207 for the night.
Shade shelter and sand buckets in case of fire.

A pillow, a blanket and mat, a cooler with sandwiches and a copy of Magnum Magazine
is all one needs for a good camp out.

When the first light appeared the following day, he was able to take off for Maun.


Since Travis left on the 16th of May, Colin has been the only pilot here and has had many nights scheduled to stay at Jack's Camp to save on flight costs. He has enjoyed viewing the birds and wildlife, in addition to building stronger relationships with the staff working there.

A desert tortoise.

Red billed Wood Hoopoe

Red Billed Francolin

Lilac-Breasted Roller

Above, Pied Crows

Below, Yellow Mongoose

Male Steenbok, about 18'' at the shoulder

Above, a birthday party for a member of the staff at camp.

The pilot tent is not as up scale as the client tents, but comfortable enough to pass the time in.



At times, Colin has had to spend a full day at the camp waiting to fly a group out the following day. He has taken some short walks in the surrounding salt pans.
WATER, PLEASE!
Too much time spent in the desert----alone!

And, as always...Colin has had ample time to view the incredible African sunsets.
On May 18, Keith Kowalski arrived a day ahead of the moving truck with his families household belongings. Cheryl and the couples two children and dog drove up from Gaborone on the 21st. Also Deb Spicer, the wife of the FMS operations manager, drove up with Cheryl. Deb spent three nights with Julie while Colin was busy flying and staying at Jack's Camp. During the time Deb was here, Julie allowed a friend to download pictures of Travis water skiing to email him in the states. On the storage "stick" used to hold the pictures, was a virus and the intensive computer virus that shut down the functions of many programs. Even the virus protection program on our computer, could not stop the virus. Fortunately, there was a good IT in Maun that was able to correct the problem. It took 5 hours, but everything was back to normal afterward and before Colin returned to Maun. It was a blessing to have Deb here and to help pray and brain storm through the problem. Pictured below is Deb at Island Safari Lodge the day after the computer was fixed and after church on Sunday. Below the picture of Deb, are two pictures from the set of pictures Travis wanted of water skiing in the Thamalaklane just before he left Botswana. He had told us it was the first time he had ever water skied were they had to get out of the water because of hippos.

Water skiing in the desert, it has its dangers.

Mr. Hippo, one of the dangers.

Now that the Kowalski family has moved to Maun, Keith has been flying as much as possible with Colin. In addition, the chief pilot has been here for two different weeks of training.
June came upon us quickly with all the flying of clients and occasional mercy flights, company coming and going, along with Julie working again. The first week of June started off clear and cool as is usual for winter. As the second week of June began, the chief pilot was here to fly with Keith. Colin was planning on some time on the ground to complete office tasks, as the chief pilot and Keith were going to take the charters. Currently, there is also a C210 here along with the C207. On Monday the8th, an actor from the US was visiting Botswana and a last minute charter was suddenly given to Colin just after arriving at the office in the morning. It meant he would have to overnight at Jack's Camp and there was not enough time to drive back out to our house to pack a bag. He decided he would be fine for one night and loaded the plane with the special guest pictured below. The actors name was Luke MacFarlane and he acts in a show called "Brothers and Sisters."
That evening, clouds moved in all over Botswana and a huge storm sat over the country pouring rain for two full days. This was extremely unusual. Because of the bad weather, Colin ended up stuck out at Jack's Camp until Thursday. The strip was flooded by the first day of rain and a Caravan pilot from another air service tried to fly out. While taxiing, he got stuck in the mud, so the plane was unloaded and with the help of camp staff he was able to get unstuck. The C210 Colin flew out, sunk into the mud halfway up the wheels just sitting parked at the strip.

Stuck Caravan, above
Water logged runway and Cessna 210, below


End of the runway beginning to dry out.

It seems for weeks we have had consistent company visiting with us. So many people have come and gone in the middle of all the other things mentioned above, that we have not kept up with a photo dairy. Our most recent memories consist of three weeks ago, when one of the short term missionaries from Gaborone was here with his family that was visiting from Germany. Two week ends ago the FM IT, Graham, drove up with the flight scheduler for Maun that is based in Gaborone. We were able to get a few pictures from their weekend here. On the way up, they had a major blow out and Graham is pictured below showing the damaged tire.


The office is officially open, and the Maun team met on Saturday to work with Graham and Melly. The chief pilot was here also here and much was accomplished.

Above left to right, Colin, Julie, Patricia, Robert and Keith. The Maun crew.

The latest FMS family to visit was a mechanic and his wife. They were able to spend a few days out at Jack's Camp, and a night with us on the return trip. Colin flew them out to the camp, but the pilot tent was full so he had to fly over to another near by camp called Planet Baobab. He stayed in one of the regular customer huts with a view of the near by baobab trees in the area. Walt, Ev, and Robert


Planet Baobab guest hut.

Below, Baobab trees
We continue to enjoy meeting people from all over the world and sharing with them what the Lord is doing through FM to help people in Botswana.


Colin even got to fly Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, to Jack's Camp. The famous author is pictured with Colin below, along with his wife and daughter.


Things that continue to catch our eye are local people packed in vehicles and in the backs of trucks. Donkeys and donkey carts for transportation, and a different night sky. Not only is the moon upside down, but also the big dipper.

Room for one more?

I wish I'd had a donkey when I was a kid.

We are still enjoying the fellowship at the local church we attend, especially the little children that come from the small houses and huts in the neighborhood.
Innara and Gift continue to be in our lives, though it has been hard to see them as often now that Julie is working and Colin is flying much more. Innara is still growing in the Lord, but her faith is being tested as she tries to find day labor jobs to provide for the two of them. Since she could no longer be under the care of WAR, she has found a small place to live on the other side of town from us. We have been able to help with the rent and some food, but she is still living very minimally. Please keep her and Gift in your prayers, that the Lord will provide a good job for her. There is still an issue of her status in the country, so it makes getting work all the more difficult.

Gift will be 6 months old on July 12. He is sitting by himself and trying to crawl now. In addition, he is cutting two lower front teeth.

Thanks once again to all of you who have taken an interest in what we are doing here in Maun. With the fullness of the last two months, we have not been very good about communicating or responding to emails. Forgive us, and please keep writing as we miss you all. We know that the Lord has placed us here to love, encourage, and help those He has places in our lives. God does nothing by accident, so we look at each person and ask what it is the Lord would have us do to bring them closer to Him. Though it was hard to leave the life we knew behind, we feel there is much we can do here to... "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galations 6:12.

May 1, 2009

The picture above is just a funny follow up from our last blog posting about how horrible the road to Kasane is to travel on. This photo was on the front page of the local newspaper as an April Fools Day spoof, though the caption states that the "road is no laughing matter." We agree.

As always, we fully intended not to let so much time laps between postings but we are staying so busy it is hard to make time to communicate all that we have been doing. Much of our time has gone to providing hospitality to other missionaries. Some of our visitors live further out in the bush communities and they come to Maun to do shopping and business. After years in living bush Alaska and needing to rely on the hospitality of others when we went to town, it is nice to be able to help fellow servants of the Lord. In addition, we have been able to support other Flying Mission pilots and personal when they come here for special charters, mercy flights, or just to visit Maun and the outlying areas.

The house and yard continue to be a blessing to all of us living here. We have a new neighbor in the flat next to Travis and he is a young pilot flying for Mack Air, named Kari, and he is from Sweden. Now that it is fall time (with the mornings and evenings being cool in the mid 50 degree range) the cement fire pit is used fairly often by us all. There is something very relaxing and pleasant about watching the wood burn and cooking over the coals.


Colin continues to build friendships with the fuel workers at the airport. Now that they all know he has a camera, when ever a new person is hired they ask to have their picture taken with Colin and then he gives them a printed color copy. Gomes is the newest person hired, and he has also been attending the same church as us.Julie has been enjoying the woman's fellowship from the church and was invited to attend a birthday tea for one of the women who turned 80 years old on the last day of March. It was a small gathering, as most of the ladies from church were working. Those that worked dropped by in the afternoon to wish this dear lady a blessed day.
Another special event that we were both invited to in early April, was the marriage of our neighbor to one of the three main chiefs for this area. It was a huge affair that actually lasted a few days. Julie ended up attending the first day reception by herself as Colin had a full day of flying. It was a lovely gathering on her families plot with lots of traditional foods and entertainment. The wedding tents were then moved the husband's family plot the next day, and the activities continued. Though we miss seeing our neighbor on a regular basis now that she has moved to her new husband's home, we continue to talk by phone and they have both been by to visit a few times since the wedding.


The same week end of the wedding, Julie also attended a baby shower for one of the Love Botswana missionary families that had a beautiful little girl while we were in Zambia in March. The temperatures were perfect for an outside gathering on the Love Botswana Outreach Mission property. Most of the ladies that attended the shower also go to the flourishing church established by the mission over a 20 year period. While the new mother was opening gifts, everyone enjoyed passing the baby around to cuddle and admire. And of course, the food and fellowship was awesome.


Innara and Gift are still doing well, and Innara continues to grow in her understanding of God's love and provision. She eagerly reads the Bible we were able to give her, and has been highlighting verses that speak to her heart with encouragement. The pictures below were taken when Gift was 3 months old and sixteen and a half pounds! On this particular visit, we were able to bring Gift some larger clothes as he has been growing so rapidly.
When ever Innara refers to Colin, she calls him "the grandfather." The title seems to fit him!
When Gift got tired and started to fuss, Innara just tied him onto her back with a towel and he went fast to sleep. This is how most of the women here carry their babies.
Our first Easter here was spent at a community sunrise service in the garden of an older woman that attends our church. The garden was by the river and it was a cool crisp morning with a diverse group, that all joined together for praise and worship. The sunrises and set sets here are always beautiful, but the Easter sunrise seemed extraordinary and emphasized even more so the awe and thanksgiving we felt for what the Lord has done in our lives.


After the service there was a wonderful time of fellowship, along with hot-cross-buns and tea in the garden.


The rest of the day was quiet and rest filled. Later, Travis joined us for a simple dinner of braiied (BBQ) chicken and a fresh apple cake for desert.

A few days after Easter, Julie was asked to help with a Bible camp being held at the Island Safari Lodge near our house. Our good friends own and operate the lodge and the camp ground with the large pool near by, was ideal for a camp retreat. There were twenty six students from two local schools, ages 7 to 13 years old, which attended the three nights and four days of camp. There were lots of fun team activities, new songs to sing about Jesus, Bible stories and verses all with the major focus being on the love of God and how He answers our prayers. The students were organized into four small groups with a leader to have discussions and prayer time with. The last picture in the set of photos is of Julie with her small group. Everyone at the camp slept in tents provided by the lodge and got a T-shirt that said, "Enjoy Jesus Christ" with the main memory verse from John 10:10...which says, "Jesus has come to give us life". The camp was a great success and by the end of our time together, no one wanted to go home. The way it all came together with all those involved in preparing for the camp, was truly a testimony of Zechariah 4:6, "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty." The spirit of the Lord was deeply felt by all of us there and we are all planning to do another camp over the next school break in August.










While Julie was having a great time being a part of the Bible camp, Colin was off flying in and out of Jack's Camp with an overnight complete with the usual Makgadikgadi Pans sunsets and huge spiders to fearlessly face inside and outside of his tent.


While the C207 was in Gaborone for maintenance, a C210 was used for the charter work. Colin was able to return to Livingstone in Zambia and flew over the ferry crossing we traveled across on the Zambezi in our recent trip in March. The Zambezi River and the Okavango Delta rivers have been experiencing a major flood. The ferry landing in the pictures below are higher than when we traveled and it was closed for some days after our trip due to the volume of water flowing from Angola. That water is all headed our way and expected in Maun by the middle of May.
The picture above is of the pilots wing mounted mirror used check to see if the landing gear is up or down.

Top of picture above is Kazungula, Zambia. Bottom shows the landing in Kasane, Botswana.

Above: Kazungula Zambia, below is Kasane, Botswana

The weekend after the Bible camp, we decided to travel to Nxai Pan National Park. The entrance is just about an hour and a half drive east from here, and then it is about another couple of hours driving north on a sand track road. The local paper had just printed a cover photo of a lion visiting a campsite in one of the other parks near by (see below) and our sense of adventure was stirred. It was also our last opportunity to get away for a couple of days, as Julie is returning to teaching along with the increased flying that Colin will be doing when Travis leaves the middle of May. The last night we were camped, we had lions and a hyena in the camp ground but they chose to investigate the elaborate set up of trailer tents next to us. Julie slept through all the commotion...
Since Colin has yet to do any hunting here with a gun, he has become very proficient in shooting game with his camera. Below are just a few shots of some of the animals he got while we explored the park. There were other parts of the park we found intriguing included in the photos below.
Steenbok above, Springbok below

Below are pictured Baines Baobabs; the Baobab trees painted by Thomas Baines in 1847. Thomas Baines was originally part of David Livingstones missionary/exploration party. In comparing the trees with the paintings only one limb has broken off in One hundred and sixty two years.




Above: Gemsbok

Below: Shower/toilet facilities at Nxai Pan campsite. Note solar water heaters and concrete cones with sharp steel stakes sticking out to discourage elephants from "taking showers" (also discourages late night beer drinkers).

Above: Kori Bustard
Below: Giraffe at sunset



Above: Impalla buck
Below: Impalla doe


Above: Colin says "Wow big pile of poo, Elephants must be close."
Alternate title: "A poo in the hand is worth two in the bush."
Below: Snail shells in the desert.


Above: Black backed Jackal
Below : Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk

Above: Elephant at the pan (water hole).

Above and below: Mud covered elephants in light of the setting sun.
While in Nxai Pan we had gathered a lot of grass, butterflies and bugs in our radiator. This with the fact that our radiator had been "serviced" with water only and no coolant, made our vehicle over heat on the way out of the park. After stopping we noticed this small (nine inch) Kalahari Tent tortoise stuck in the sand track not ten feet to our front. Praise the Lord we had to stop or he'd have surely been flattened. After cooling off a bit we added more water and removed the majority of butterflies and grass and had no more trouble on the way home. Colin has since taken to servicing the car himself where possible.


The new Flying Mission web site has been launch, so check it out at: www.flyingmission.org, it has all the current personal and projects listed along with many great stories of what the Lord is doing through this mission. In addition we are always thankful for your faithfulness in praying for us and for those we are ministering to while here in Botswana. Please keep Mmatshimo in your prayers, she has had to have numerous teeth pulled recently and is waiting on other test results as she has not been feeling quite right for a while. A screening for cancer was done over a month ago and she is still waiting to here from the doctor. We wanted to go to the hospital with her and discuss some other tests with the doctor, but she wants to wait and says she is trusting to God about her health... Also, please continue to lift Innara up in your prayers. She needs to find her own place to live and a job to provide for Gift and herself. She can no longer be protected by the organization WAR. We have been helping her some, but can not support her. There is a possibility she can move into a small flat with no electricity nearer to us, and there are some other Zimbabweans that we know living in the same place who will help watch over her. Hopefully, we can get something worked out soon because she has been in a temporary flat for the last few days but it is in a bad neighborhood...Misheck and Debra are doing well, and have been blessed with a better living situation through friends of ours. Additional work has been scarce for them, but the new housing and plot are free of charge with a good area for growing a garden to eat from. Both of them are such a pleasure to be around. Despite hardships in their lives, they continue to do just as the Lord states in 1 Thess. 5:16-18, "Be joyful always; pray continually; and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

March 28, 2009

It has been a week now since our return from Zambia and we have been blessed all week with a variety of Flying Mission Services visitors. We are eager to share about the six days of travel experiences we had, so with this first free opportunity since our return... here we go!

On Tuesday the 17th of March, we departed Maun to the north with our friends Jeff and Staci Powers. Jeff and Staci have been the Baptist missionarys in Maun for over eleven years. Their experience with the Maun area and people that they shared with us was critical in helping us settle into Maun quickly and easily when we arrived here. Their mission decided they were now needed in Namwala, Zambia, approximately seven hundred and fifty road miles north of Maun. The day before we left a large moving van had loaded most of their household belongings, and Jeff's truck and trailer were also packed to the full. Using the rack Colin had made for the Pajero allowed us to carry the two large 11 year old dogs that Jeff and Staci have had since puppies when they first came to Botswana. Staci also rode with us to help keep the dogs calm, as they had never gone on a long trip before. We did have to take a number of rode side breaks now and then so that we could all stretch our legs a bit.

Our travels took us first east from Maun to the small community of Nata. The going was good and we kept alert for some of the usual rode hazard such as livestock and people traveling by donkey carts. Note the plastic chair in the cart pictured below, it provided more comfort than we normally see built into this mode of travel.

At Nata we traveled north to the village of Kasane. The road is known to be very dangerous as it is badly in need of repair. The first 25 miles were okay, but then for about 20 miles there were huge potholes everywhere on the road leaving cars to use the gravel shoulder as it can not even be driven on.



The next 60 miles were better, with random bad spots. The closer we got to Kasane, the more elephants we saw just feeding along the road side causing us to take a wide birth around them.


After approximately 11 hours of travel we reached Kasane and spent the night at a building in an industrial area, that a friend of Jeff's owned. There was running water and a fence around the property so the dogs could roam free. Jeff and Staci stayed in an office, while we slept in our car like we had done when we went to the Moremi Wildlife Reserve in August.

Rising long before first light, we ate a light breakfast and headed to the boarder separating Botswana and Zambia. The plan was to be one of the first to cross the pontoon ferry, pay all the fees and charges, and be on our way north again by 11 am....

Going through the Botswana side was simple, and we drove to the ferry landing to cross the Zambezi River. At the landing, tourists are bombarded by so called "clearing agents" wanting to help you with all the boarder procedures. They make a living by cheating their clients with the money exchange once at the boarder post in Zambia. Jeff and Staci had warned us of their
aggressiveness, and a fight even broke out as two men each tried to get to Jeff before the other.
Jeff went across before us as the ferry can only carry one large truck and a couple of vehicles at a time. The crossing is a major transportation route north and there are always trucks lined up for about a mile with a two to three day wait before their turn.

Two pontoon ferries transport people and vehicles across, so once Jeff was on his way the next boat landed and we were soon loaded and crossing ourselves. The Zambezi reminded us so much of the Yukon River we lived beside for over 30 years. It made us rather nostalgic and somewhat homesick to be on the river while crossing....



To that point, things had gone pretty much as planned. We had been at the boarder crossing when it opened at 6:30am, but we never imagined we would end up spending the whole day waiting to get "cleared" to enter Zambia. The boarder is lined with buildings that we needed to go into one at a time and pay for the pontoon crossing, our visas, a vehicle carbon tax, vehicle insurance, a council tax, and when Colin got to the last office to pay the road tax he was denied the paperwork as we did not have the "blue book" for our car. The "blue book" is what they call the registration, though all cars have a registration sticker on the windshield. Colin attempted to sway the official to look at our sticker and allow us to enter, but he would not budge.

Fortunately Travis had a key to our house, so we phoned him and told him where the registration papers were. He then made a copy and went to the small police station by our house to have it certified. After scanning it, he emailed it to the legitimate clearing agent the Powers had in Kasane, who had one of her workers hand carry a copy across on the ferry. It all took one hour from the phone call, a miracle in it self, but then the official made Colin stand in line for two more hours to wait for the final stamp on the paperwork.

By then it was 2pm, and the Powers paperwork had not yet been cleared. It was even more involved for them because of the move and importing a car. We spent the day watching people come and go from the boarder and even their moving van that came after us, with all the main household things, cleared before Jeff and Staci. In the end, we were the last vehicles out of the boarder gate at 6:30pm and Jeff still had to do more paperwork in Livingston the next morning.


It was just about dark and we had another hour drive to Livingston where we stayed the night at a camp ground. In the morning, we left Jeff in Livingston and continued to travel northeast. The movers where now hours ahead of us, and we needed to open the house for them to unload the truck.

The road out of Livingston was bad also, but a bit better than the Kasane road as they had filled most of the larger pot holes in with dirt. There was also a long dirt detour before finally getting to good pavement again.
There were lots of interesting things and people to see along the detour, as it took us through little settlements along the way. We stopped to look at a large snake that some people killed by the side of the road where they sold charcoal at a roadside stand. Everywhere we went, bright yellow and orange daisies grew wild and the countryside was far more lush and green than Botswana.


To get to Namwala, the new location for the Powers ministry, we had to once again leave the paved road at Monze and travel northwest on a mostly one lane dirt road. It was about 4:30 pm when we arrived at Jeff and Staci's new home and after helping to move things into the house we spent the night on cots in the guest room.

Jeff had spent another full day and night in Livingston, and it was decided that Staci just wanted to start unpacking so it would be best if we started our journey back. With hugs and a few tears, we loaded ourselves back into the Pajero and had a leisurely drive back though the rural one lane road to Monze. We enjoyed stopping to chat with local villagers as they fished with large baskets or fish nets by standing in the swollen creeks along the way.

All along the way, people used oxen and carts for transportation instead of donkeys, and we never saw any livestock left unattended as you find in Botswana.


The rivers in the north are flooding this year, due to a larger amount of rain this season. We saw a village flooding and also had to cross a swollen river on our way back. Colin took off his shoes to walk across first to see how deep it was before driving through. There were ladies in the water fishing and started laughing at his ankles and feet that are bright white where his socks keep him from tanning. The river was safe to cross, so we moved on.

Just outside of Choma on the paved road south of Monze, we saw Jeff and visited briefly and said our good-byes. By late afternoon on Friday March 20, we arrived back in Livingston to stay the night. Victoria Falls is just about 3 miles out of Livingston, so we wanted to have plenty of time in the morning to see the natural wonder. Our 27th wedding anniversary was a week away, so as a surprise, Colin decided to check the prices of a nice hotel just walking distance from the falls. It is currently the off season for tourists, and in addition the woman at the counter gave Colin a resident rate when she heard we had helped our missionary friend's move up to Zambia, so it was very reasonable.

The grounds were beautiful and after days in a car, we enjoyed walking around looking at the birds and wildlife on the property. In the background was the constant roar of the falls, in which the locals referred to as "the smoke that thunders." Our room was lovely and we enjoyed the visits from the monkeys living on the grounds.








Early the next morning we got the complementary rain coats offered to people staying at the hotel, and we headed off to the falls just a few hundred feet beyond the back gate of the hotel. A major attraction at the falls was bungee jumping from the bridge built in 1904 between Zambia and Zimbabwe, maybe next time??? Even though we could only see part of the falls due to the mist generated during the rainy season, the power and majesty of the water was still incredibly spectacular.


The Zambezi River was filled to the brim from all the rain and in the picture below, we are standing at the top of the falls near the edge as the water rushes over.

Near the entrance of the falls, there were many local artists selling their crafts to tourists visiting Victoria Falls. We enjoyed walking through the little shops and bartering with the vendors while we purchased a few mementos. Victoria Falls is definitely a place we would love to return to if any of you would like to come visit us.
On Saturday March 21, after our visit to the falls, we once again crossed the Zambezi River on the pontoon boat and returned to Botswana. It was mid afternoon, so we decided to camp beside the swollen Zambezi River in Kasane for the night before driving that horrible road again. We had a great camp style meal and enjoyed a quiet evening by the fire listening to the nearby hippos. Early in the morning we arose to a bull elephant about thirty feet from our tent munching in the thick brush. We cautiously ate a quick breakfast and while packing our car rack, we had a visit from a family group of Banded Mongoose. They chattered and murmured back and forth all around our feet before moving to a neighboring camp site to raid dirty dishes left out from the night before.

Returning to Maun, we traveled south back to Nata and then west through the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pans. We stopped at the entrance to the Nxai Pan Reserve to ask a few questions and across the road was a large bull elephant. Some time in the near future we would like to camp at Nxai Pan as it is only about an hour and a half from Maun.

By 4pm on Sunday, we were home and shortly after were greeted by the FMS Operations Manager and his friend that were up from Gaborone. They had been camping at Nxai Pan for a few days and had all kinds of stories to tell about all the lions they saw. The chief pilot and another pilot also arrived here on Sunday for training exercises and left Thursday. On Friday, two other pilots had a charter here for the weekend so, as it was mentioned at the start of this blog, we have been blessed with lots of FMS family over the week.

In addition to having company after our return home, we were able to see Anne and Gift and give her a NIV Study Bible that was sent from our church family in Galena. We have also been gathering some larger baby things for Gift, as he is really growing fast. Please keep them in prayer, as they can only stay at the safe house for another couple of weeks and a door has not yet opened to resolve Anne's status to stay in Botswana.

Again, our thanks go out to those of you who continue to send encouraging emails and keep us lifted up in your prayers.