Colin & Julie - Africa Updates

January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T04:17:00.000-08:00

When our last blog ended, we mentioned that we were heading to Mozambique shortly...We had been given an invitation to visit some friends that used to live there, and return every year for a few months to continue a turtle research project they started 17 years ago. Knowing that our time in Botswana is quickly nearing an end, the opportunity for a last major trip was more than we could refuse. We would also use this opportunity for our thirtieth wedding anniversary celebration trip. Flights with FMS were slowing and we saw that there was a brief window of time open to get away for the ten day trip.

Julie finished teaching on Friday the 9th of December and at 5am the next day we were on the road headed for South Africa. The Limpopo River divides Botswana and SA. The border post we went through on the way down sits on the Limpopo river which has been famous throughout southern African history, but became even more well known when Rudyard Kipling wrote a short story called The Elephant's Child. In the story the river is repeatedly referred to as "the great gray-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with Fever trees." We checked out of Botswana and found that there was a one lane bridge to cross the river.
The next photo shows the river, so descriptively portrayed in Kipling's narrative.

On the other side of the river was the South Africa post. After going through the appropriate procedures to continue on our way, we went to use the public toilets and were amused to see the following sign...only in Africa.
Not knowing the road conditions or how many kilometers we could travel a day, we did not make any overnight plans before our departure. The first day we got as far as Potgietersrus just before dark and realized it was a rather rough place to stay. Not wanting to travel after dark and unsure of what was ahead, we felt fortunate to find a decent hotel on the edge of town. There was a secure parking lot for the night with a guard, and the room was clean. The only problem was the loud music from a wedding reception that went on until almost 2am. It really felt like an oasis when we discovered the hotel pictured below, though we would not categorize it as "luxury accommodation".
Our plans were to get to southern Mozambique on the second day of travel, but we realized later the next day that the border closed at 5pm and trying to find our friend's place with somewhat sketchy directions in the dark, did not appeal to us. So, after a long drive up over a very steep mountain we found a lovely lodge overlooking a man made lake near the town of Jozini. We inquired about rates, and then negotiated for a discount given to people who live in southern Africa. The Tiger Lodge was built on the side of a hill and is pictured next, and we really did get an affordable night in "luxury accommodation" while staying there.

Our room

Pictured below is the view from our room with the Jozini dam in the distance.

Early on our third day, we proceeded through Jozini. It seemed like a typical African town with lots of vendors setting up shops by the side of the road.
To continue, we had to cross the Joziniz dam. We parked to take a better look, and the picture below is of the back side with water that flows on through a narrow valley.

Looking back down the valley
Crossing the top of the dam.

The next photo is from the top of the dam looking at the Tiger Lodge where we had just spent the night.

In between the rural huts along the way, there were a few additional small towns like Jozini. The last place to get fuel and food before the border was a place called Mangusi. Of course there were more roadside vendors and people walking all about.

The SA and Mozambique border was small and primitive. As soon as we crossed into Mozambique, the tar road ended. The sand-track road pictured next is the main highway. Our friend's camp spot was 20 kilometers past the border.
The next picture is our first view from the highway, of the Indian Ocean and beachfront.
After a bit of searching and asking local people where to find our friends, we discovered that they were not staying at their yearly camp spot beside the beachfront where we had planned to camp with them. Instead, they were actually house sitting for a couple of weeks in a huge house that overlooked the beach. Not only had the offer been an unexpected blessing to them, but also to us as there was more than enough room for all four of us. Pictured below are our friends, Pierre and Yvonne, as we had lunch after we arrived.
The house was a two story, five bedroom place on a hill overlooking the beach. There was also a pool. It was absolutely beautiful.

The view from our upstairs bedroom is pictured below.

It was just a short walk down the hill to the beach. The next photo is looking down the beachfront from in front of the house on the beach.

All over the beach there were little ghost crabs coming and going with the surf.

A close up of a ghost crab pictured below.

Our friends are very committed to the turtle research they started years ago. Not only were we able to enjoy daily visits with them, but we also truly enjoyed helping with their work at night. No motorized vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach except our friends while out tagging turtles.
Two hours before low tide, we would depart for the 30 kilometer drive up the beach in search of female turtles crawling from the water to lay eggs above the high tide mark. There are two types of turtles that are prevalent to nesting in the area. They are the Loggerhead and the Leatherback turtles. The one we saw the most was the Loggerhead turtle and is pictured below.
When we came upon a turtle, it was tagged, measured, and the location was recorded. If you look closely at the next picture, there is a tag on the right front flipper of the turtle.
The Loggerhead pictured below had just finished camouflaging her nest and Pierre was quickly getting her measurements. Notice the sand covering part of her shell from kicking sand all around her buried eggs.
Even if a turtle had already made a nest and returned to the water, the GPS location was documented. As we discovered turtles nightly, we had to be careful not to disturb the females while they were digging a nest. Once they started laying their eggs, the females would go into a trance like state and we could even watch the eggs being dropped. Below is a Leatherback turtle in the process of laying her eggs.
There were a few lodges and housing developments for the first 10 kilometers of our beach drive. One night there were some tourists from a lodge out looking for nesting turtles, when we all came to a Leatherback turtle at the same time. Pierre was so good at educating them about the turtles and took the time to explain the research work they were doing in Mozambique.
The next few pictures may give a perspective of how large the Leatherback turtles are.

The last 20 kilometers of beach was in an elephant reserve and extremely deserted. It was so beautiful to be out in the middle of the night, with a full moon glistening over the waves as they crashed ashore. We felt so privileged to have been a part of such an exceptional project and experience.

One day we did travel to the nearest town of Pondo De Ouro to get diesel for the truck and go to the local market. There was actually a good variety of items available in all the vendor stalls.

Later we stopped at local eating place before returning home. There was not much variety on the menu, but the food was excellent. We asked someone to take a picture of us all together by a road sign on the main road. It says "12km to Kosi border" and "674 to Johannesburg". Also, notice the "Eskimo Ice" sign.
When we finished lunch, we went to check on some things at the property our friends own. They are part owners in a resort where they usually camp while doing the turtle research. The next photo is looking up the beachfront from their property.
We had four full days and nights with our friends, before setting off to spontaneously explore the Rorke's Drift area of SA. Along the way, we spotted another sign to add to our road sign collection. This one is a hippo crossing sign.
The Mozambique border only opened at 8am, so we got a later start than we would have liked...Again as the evening approached, we were uncertain of the road conditions or how many kilometers we still had to go before reaching our destination. Colin, a meticulous navigator and planner, was very brave about all this spontaneous driving. Entering another rather rough looking town, we found the Golden Reward Inn. It looked clean and fairly safe, but it was certainly different. The ceiling was stalactite textured and there was no seat on the toilet among other things.

The place did have a TV to distract us though...and we were again thankful to have a safe place to stay. We think the half star inn we stayed at that night, was meant to really help us appreciate the lodge we discovered the next day. Venturing into the Zulu battle field area of SA on our way to find Rorke's Drift, there was a lovely lodge built up on a hillside overlooking the area of the Isandlwana battle field [pronounced "eye sand wana"]. Once again we inquired about rates and then negotiated for a discount, which made a two night stay very reasonable.The front walk up to the lodge is pictured below.
This is the view from the backside of the lodge. Our room was located on the second level below the decking pictured.

Our room

The view from our room was of the Isandlwana battle field. Note the small hill on the right at the horizon that is Isandlwana. Most of the battle took place to the left of the hill.

All the little while dots in the picture below are rock cairns marking the graves with 5 or more British soldiers each, that died during the Anglo-Zulu war on the 22nd of January 1879. This little photo does not even touch how vast the graves are scattered across the hillside. This battle between the British and the Zulu saw about fourteen hundred British, the whole encampment, wiped out. Later that afternoon the Zulu attacked the Rorke's Drift encampment, a battle made famous by the 1965 movie Zulu. This battle pitted one hundred forty British soldiers against four thousand five hundred Zulu warriors with the British prevailing. The Isandlwana battle was the equivalent of the American battle at Little Bighorn.

Close up below of Isandlwana

We were too late for the tour of the Isandlwana battle field in the morning when we arrived, but after lunch we were able to go on the tour to Rorke's Drift. The battle at Rorke's Drift was a continuation of the battle that happened at Isandlwana, so our guide gave us a brief overview of the events leading up to the next Zulu attack that took place that same day at Rorke's Drift in 1879.

Our guide was named Robert Gerrard, and he has keenly studied the historical battles of the area since 1971, and has lived at Isandlwana since 1995. We purchased one of his books and he is described as, "an extraordinary passionate man with a voice that rolls and resonates as he walks you across the killing fields." We can honestly say that certainly was true. Rob is pictured below as we stopped at the Buffalo River where many men trying to escape from Isandlwana to Rorke's Drift were drowned.
The next picture shows what is currently the Rorke's Drift museum, but it was originally the first missionaries' house. When taken over by the British, the house was turned into the hospital. On the left edge of the picture can be seen the church, which in 1879 was turned into a storehouse by the British soldiers. Two hundred pound bags of mealies [corn meal] were used to build four foot tall walls connecting these two buildings when the soldiers were given one hour notice of the coming Zulu attack. The church is now again an active church and has been for many years.

Below is a picture of the church taken from the museum.

Below is a scene from inside the museum depicting the battle.

The next picture is of the rock ledges that overlook the hospital and storehouse. The Zulu were able to fire down on the soldiers from there with guns taken from the Isandlwana massacre earlier.

Robert is speaking behind the hospital/museum in the photo above, and pictured below at the grave site on the grounds. Only fifteen soldiers were lost at Rorke's Drift while six hundred Zulu died. Both battlefields are solemn places.
The next photo is of the Zulu memorial depicting a leopard laying on and guarding the shields of the fallen Zulu.
After breakfast the next day, we were off for a private tour of the Isandlwana battle field with our guide, Rob. Julie is pictured below in the lodge dining room at breakfast.

Above is Isandlwana with a memorial and some rock cairn grave markers. Below is more of the battle field as seen from up on the side of Isandlwana.

Below, Isandlwana at sunset

During our time on the tour with Rob, we were very moved by the intense description he wove and the historical significance of the events that took place on the grounds we walked. The time spent there was incredibly powerful, and extremely memorable.

Around the lodge living in the rocky cliffs, were numerous Rock Dassies. Though vegetarians they are not rodents. Much of their digestive system and body parts closely relate them to elephants. They are equipped with canine teeth and can bite but are very easy to tame.

Colin also enjoyed seeing fine looking Naguni cattle that were grazing along the road to Rorke's Drift. For you farmers, Naguni cattle are named after the Naguni tribe that were found raising them in eastern South Africa. They have several unique pattern and colored hides. Colin likes the steel blue shade the most, and had to take a picture of the excellent example in the next photo. The Zulu warrior groups each took a different hide color and pattern for their shields to depict their unit. The Naguni are very resistant to ticks and other bugs and can live off bush and grass during droughts while other cattle types would die.
It was interesting to see how differently the Zulu people in the area put thatch roofs on their huts. The design seemed more elaborate than what we have seen in Botswana.
Leaving Isandlwana on the 19th of December, we had a 12 hour drive to get to Gaborone for our FMS Christmas party the next day. Along the way, we stopped to look at some grass mats the woman in the next picture was selling. The mats were lovely, but we really could not justify buying something. As a consolation, we bought some of her pineapples.

Arriving in Gaborone, we were met by Patricia, MT, and MT's wife KK who all traveled down from Maun by bus that same day. The next day we did a few errands around the city and then headed off for the FMS Christmas party that evening.
It was a great gathering and good to see the rest of our coworkers with FMS.

Pictured below are Mark and Deb Spicer, our Godly and fearless leaders...

The Kowalski family had travel plans with Keith's parents visiting, and Kevin was keeping everything at the base together while we were all away. The picture below is of those of the Maun team that could make the festive event.

A variation from other years when it was a potluck gathering, was that this year's Christmas party was a catered dinner. It was especially nice for us that traveled, as it is difficult to cook when you are in transit.
There was also sort of a gag "prize giving" with certificates such as "Drinks the most coffee", etc. Some were a little more serious, and Patricia got an award for always being cheerful and optimistic.
We left Gaborone by 6am, so that we could be assured to do the ten hour drive in the daylight. Just about 2 hours into our trip, the small car traveling in front of us hit a female Kudu that seemed to jump out into the road from nowhere. We were the first to stop and Colin attended the two passengers that had head injuries, while Julie was able to contact emergency services. We stayed until professional help arrived.
There were four people in the car and they were very fortunate. The driver lost control of the car when the Kudu went into the windshield, causing the car to cross into the oncoming lane and then go off the road almost hitting a tree. We thought the car was going to roll, but it spun around and came to a stop where it is pictured below.
By the time we returned to Maun, Christmas was just about here. The travels helped distract us from the fact that it is another year we are away from our family and friends in the states. It really helps that we have become a family with our team mates, the Kowalski family. This year, as mentioned before, Keith's parents were visiting and we were blessed to spend Christmas Eve with the whole Kowalski clan. Keith's folks are pictured relaxing next to all the family gifts in the corner.

Julie always enjoys getting some time with Lily.

After dinner, we sang Christmas carols with Cheryl, Jacob and Abigail.
The next morning we went to Church, but were disappointed that the annual gift give away for the local children had been the Sunday before. The churches Indian community wanted to prepare a meal for the church the week before, and our Pastor was traveling for the holiday, so the event took place while we were traveling. There were over 65 children at church Christmas Sunday, and we were able to share small bracelets and bubble gum sent from a friend in the states. We were too busy to get any photos...Later that day, we had Christmas dinner with Kevin, our pilot and neighbor.
On New Year's Eve, we had a quiet evening at home. After church on New Year's day, we spent a wonderful afternoon and evening with many of our closest friends at Island Safari Lodge. We were so engaged in visiting, that we forgot to snap any pictures to keep as memories. Even without taking any pictures, it was such a lovely way to start off 2012, that the day will not easily be forgotten in the years to come.

We thought we would conclude with a few pictures of "everyday things" you deal with when living in Maun. Every year during the rainy season there are more bugs around, and every year some type of bug or worm seems to invade us for a few days. This year there were moths everywhere. When we walked out our door or across the lawn, they would fly up all around us. Fortunately it only lasted a few days...

Shaded parking for cars along the road...

Shaded parking for donkeys along the road...

People here and over in the states, keep asking us what our plans are. At this point we just know for sure that we will go back to Alaska, not that we really want to go back to fighting all that harsh weather after 4 years in a warm climate, but there are things we feel we need to go back to do. It was not easy to leave the incredible memories and friends from our years in Alaska, but now we are struggling with intense emotions about leaving Botswana. We ask that you pray for God to reveal our next steps, because "prayer is a way for us to connect to God's plan. It is not about figuring a way to get God into our plan..." from The Beauty of God's Blessings. So, we will continue to wait and "Stand fast in the Lord." Phil. 4:1

December 5, 2011

2011-12-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

Apologies for our absence in writing these last two months...the time has been quickly passing with Julie teaching again and the flight schedule has remained busy for Colin. With Julie working elsewhere, the minimal crew at the FMS base in Maun was stretched even further until Kevin was sent up to help out for 3 months. We were fortunate to help celebrate his birthday with him in early October. Of course the Kowalski family was also in attendance.

Sweet little Lily slept through most of the celebration.

Kevin is staying in the flat next to us and drives to work with on Colin most days. They stopped at a road side vendor one day to look at the metal ostriches for sale pictured below.

Below is a picture of the current FMS Maun staff, in January another person will join the staff to fill the gap of Julie's volunteer office help.
The lovely Kowalski children pictured below, drop by the office occasionally when in town with their mom. Lily is growing fast and is very a happy baby. We really have been blessed by having the Kowalski family as part of the FMS team here.

Colin still has to spend some nights out at Jack's camp. October and November were very hot, but the rains started toward the end of November. In the photo below, you can see the clouds building in the sunset. When it is hot during the dry season, clouds are and exciting sight.
With the rains, all the bugs return. Every year there seems to be new ones we have yet to experience. They come in all sizes and there are always lots of beetle types. The one by the watch was found in Colin's pants pocket one morning.

Colin is always on the lookout for new birds and has only identified a fraction of varieties present here. A Melba finch is pictured below.
Hercules has pretty much adopted us and even sleeps outside on our patio at night. He is pictured next to a worn out shoe that Colin snapped a picture of to send to our son in Alaska. Colin cannot find size 13 shoes here, so our son sent him new shoes. We brought two pairs back from the states when we were there a little over a year and half ago. The sand here wears everything out.

Colin also had some fun shooting squirrels with Jacob Kowalski's BB gun. The deal was that Jacob would get all the hides. Hercules was around for all the action and has become quite a squirrel dog now. Colin is keeping up his skinning skills for our return to Alaska.
Misheck and Debra's little boy, Brain, turned two on the 10th of November. We went over the night before to take gifts as both of us were working the next day. He loved the truck best.
Julie has been totally focused on her group of children in Standard 1 and 2 these last few months. In the photo below, the class had been studying about animals. Since animals are living things that can move, the students made masks of their favorite animal. Then the student in the middle of the circle called out either "nocturnal" or "daytime" animal, and if their animal was one that was active at that time, then the students had to quickly move to another spot. The students had lots of fun and were learning at the same time.
The class also took a field trip to a local game farm and lodge owned by the school to tie into the same unit. It was a fun filled day and there were lots of animals to be seen on the walk around the property. Julie was blessed to have an aide, a volunteer, and a short term missionary to help with all the students this term. Everyone in pictured in the next photo while on our field trip.
The short term missionary had her last day in class just before Thanksgiving. She was a huge help and the children and Julie loved having her as part of the class.
Thanksgiving was spent with other Americans and hosted at the home of the founders of The Love Botswana Outreach Mission. This was our forth year celebrating together and each year the gathering has been growing. There were close to forty people this year, though not all were Americans. The turkey has to be specially ordered ahead of time and has been a real treat each year. Of course there was plenty of other good food to go along with turkey.
There was so much food inside the house, that all the deserts had to be placed outside.
As the school year draws to a close for this year, it was also time to take a term break from Sunday school. Many of the children attend the government schools and finished at the end of November. Attendance drops off a bit during term breaks, as some of the children go to their family cattle posts. For the last Sunday school of this year, the students shared a couple songs with the church.
Julie has worked with a great bunch of local kids to train as helpers to give out drinks and snacks after class. This next picture is of two sisters, Thapelo and Pretty, in addition to two brothers, Obekeng and Mompati. The helpers get to wear a name badge that acknowledges to the others that they are the ones to help that week. Badges, uniforms, etc are worn with pride and note position.
After a review of the 3rd term lessons, it was time for "prize giving". The kids that had good attendance all year were given certificates and allowed to pick out a brand new T-shirt that had been sent to us from family in the states. Notice Abby and Jacob getting their certificates in the next photo.

The shirts had come from Cypress Gardens when the amusement park had closed down in Florida. In addition to the certificates and shirts, students also got Bibles, book marks, and to pick out of the prize box.

For children that have so little, it was quite an event.

They were all so proud of the new shirts and wanted the tag left out to be seen. Everyone would then know they had a new and exclusive brand shirt.

Notice all the tags intentionally left on the outside of each shirt in the picture below.
Thapelo and Pretty in their shirts are pictured below. Notice that Pretty also made sure her helper name tag could still be seen.

Here are more kids coming out of the classroom for snack, wearing their new shirts.

Obekeng in his shirt.

The last week of school was extremely busy for Julie with parent/teacher conferences, practice for the Christmas play, and a class party. For the play, each class was representing a country and Julie's class was assigned China. She was also expected to have a class booth with a few items of Chinese food to sell as part of a fund raiser. Fortunately, she had a couple of parents that assisted and prepared spring rolls and sweet and sour chicken.Parents were asked to provide costumes and the class made a few additional items such as hats and Chinese lanterns. There was an award ceremony before the play and as people sampled food items of the represented countries, all the students had to change into costumes. Pictured below are a few of Julie's children on their way to the stage just before the show began.
Every class had a song to sing and a few students with speaking parts to explain the Christmas traditions of their country. The next photo is of some of Julie's kids as they sang their song.
The next day after the Christmas concert, Julie had a class party to close the term. There were games to play with the ice cream ball sent from the states by our son. It was a fun way to make a special treat to go with the birthday cake for Jesus.

After making the ice cream with the game ball, it was time for cake. It was a full day of fun, with a swim party to close the day.

Just for fun, here are some pictures and news from around the airport. Colin noticed one of the airport employees had posted a picture of her son while visiting the family cattle post. He asked to scan it, because it was so funny that we had to share it also. There are advantages to living on a farm when you are hungry and Mom just won't listen!

FMC has new VGs to add in performance.

Flying Mission Services is now in a partnership to be flying a 737. It arrived in Gaborone shortly before Colin had to take one of the planes from Maun down there for maintenance. The new 737 is pictured below.

We are heading to Mozambique shortly to spend some time with friends there and will return just before Christmas. Our time is growing short here with only 6 more months before returning to Alaska. This will be our last blog before the holidays, so we would like to wish you all a very blessed Christmas and wonderful New Year. Thank you so much for staying in touch with us through this blog, it really means a lot to us!

October 8, 2011

2011-10-08T02:27:00.000-07:00

We have over two months of catching up to do in this blog and the reason is that we have been extremely busy. To start with, as a follow up to all the flooding in the last blog which included an article about the crocs that escaped, there has been an attempt to cull some of the crocs a few weeks later. See the photo and article below.
August is the most active for tourists visiting Botswana, so of course the flying was busy for Colin. Julie was finishing her last month as a volunteer in the office and on the few days a week she could get free, she was going through materials and preparing the classroom for the teaching position she committed to for the next 3 months. Here are some before and after picture.

A concept wall before is pictured next....

And after is pictured below.

Next is the Art area before.....

And after, with an addition of a block center which were gathered in all the sorting out of materials left in the classroom.

The next photo is of the reading area before....

And after with the addition of a carpet and a few throw pillows. In the foreground of the photo is the Math center.

The class consists of children from the ages of five to eight in a combination class of Standards 1 and 2. Below is a real graph photo of the students in the Math center. There are more boys than girls in the group of 18.

Not only did Julie return to teaching the beginning of September, but she also had her 55th birthday. To celebrate, we spent a late afternoon and evening at Island Safari Lodge with the Kowalski family.

We are still very active with our church and the children's ministry there. There is still an average of over sixty children that come weekly. After over the last three years, we have gotten to know many of the local children who walk to church each week.
One such child we have mentioned before is Ontiretse. Through the years we have been watching her grow older and taller. Colin decided we needed to get her some new clothes one day after church because everything she had been coming to church in for months, was way too small. After meeting her mother and asking permission to take her shopping, we headed off to shop with Bobby as translator and Auntie Edith who rides with us to church weekly. Also, her younger sister tagged along and after getting the girls a few things, we all ended up getting some ice cream to cool us down in the growing heat of the day. Pictured below is Bobby, Ontiretse, and Colin.
The next photo includes the rest of the shopping gang.
When we returned the girls back home, we had also purchased a warm sweeter for their mother and everyone was quite pleased with the new clothing.
As September was coming to an end, we were able to get away for one night to join our friend's at their game farm to celebrate Wendy's birthday. The new property we have explored with them in previous months, now has a road cut into the location picked out for a new camp. We were able to follow Wendy in her Pajero and drive our own vehicle into the spot. In other blogs we have tried to capture the drive through thick brush in Sampie's big 4x4 cruiser. Now, as you can see in the next picture, it was a fairly easy drive on the new road.
The farm helpers met us there and we all worked at setting up a new camp. It was the first
overnight visit at the location.

It is always so nice to just relax out in the solitude of the Botswana bush and spend time visiting with good friends.
Colin also enjoys spoiling the dogs with rubs and doggy treats.
Little Hurricane spent the next morning cleaning off the braii after we had cooked a delicious meal the night before.
With the heavy flight load, Colin has spent many nights away at Jack's camp the last few months.
Elephants have been mingling around the new pool area going in at Camp Kalahari. The fence pictured below shows the mud rubbed off the animals as they step over the logs.

The next photo shows where they have been rubbing against a Palm tree.
The overnight stays are not the most comfortable for Colin, and now that the Christmas beetles have returned there have been battles to keep and clear them out of the tent at night so he can get some sleep.

After the nights sleeping on a cot at camp, Colin is in need of a day off and some needed rest. Our neighbor's dog, Hercules, continues to make himself at home here and is seen catching a nap with Colin one Sunday afternoon.

The last weekend of September was Botswana Day, when the country celebrates their independence. This year marked 45 years. Each class at the school Julie is now teaching, did something special to share at the Friday Chapel. Julie's class read a poem that explained their love for the country.
The school raises funds to help a young handicapped boy, as there are no government agencies to provide services in place, and he attends many of the special functions at the school. The next photo was taken of Julie's students after Chapel with our special friend.

To celebrate Botswana Day, traditional dancers could be found around town performing for local people and tourists traveling through Maun.

Most recently, the church welcomed a family back that had gone to their homeland of India to have twins. Because there are so many neighborhood children that attend Sunday school, a special meal was arranged for them outside the church.
The rest of the membership celebrated with a buffet meal inside the church.
Pastor Alex's wife, Ems, made one her rich chocolate cakes to finish the afternoon event.
In closing, we are always thankful for your interest, prayers, and encouragement. "The Lord has done great things for us and our hearts are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3

September 3, 2011

2011-09-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

The second week of August was the last week of school for term 2. Julie had some closing activities for Bible Club that the required the use of the school soccer field. Due to the flooding on the property, only the upper half of the field could be used. The students were blind folded and told to walk across the field to the soccer goal. Some had to be pointed away from the water as they blindly walked toward the water's edge. The point was that without God's word in the Bible to direct our lives, we blindly walk through life without a focal point.

There was also a water bottle game modeled after the swimming pool game called "Marco Polo". The students with the water bottles called out for Jesus, and the others inside the circle replied,"Loves me!" Then the bottle holders tried to spray the others in the circle with water. Of course, those making the circle boundary also got sprayed. Note the flooded field in the background.
The flooded field as pictured above, really looked more like a lake. Also in the next photo, you can see the sand bags holding water back on the field from flooding the office trailers at the school.
School will resume 12 September and Julie will not only continue to teach Bible Club weekly, but she will also be a classroom teacher for a Standard 1 and 2 combination class for the last term of the year. There will be almost twenty kids from 5 to 8 years old in the group. More on that next month....

There have been numerous problems with the flooded rivers everywhere around Maun. One situation that has many local people very upset, is that a crocodile farm on the outskirts of town lost dozens of the animals into the Thamalaklane River when flood waters rushed through the farm. Due to the public outcry, efforts to recapture many of the crocodiles have begun. In our local paper this week there was an interesting picture on the cover and we have shared it below. Click on it to enlarge and read about the poor dog stuck in a trap with a live crocodile.
August continued to be filled with company and people coming and going from the plot we live on, while using the FMS guest houses next door. A woman from the Gaborone FM program was visiting Maun with her 83 year old mother from Australia.
We had a dinner at the house with the Kowalski family and they brought one of Jacob's friends that was spending the night.

Above, the Kowalski kids and friend eating at their own little table.

Also at our house for dinner that night was an old acquaintance that Colin knew from years ago when first living in Galena. The next night we were able to meet again with Susan Todd, living now in Windhoek and her son from Alaska, who was on holiday visiting his mother for a few weeks. Susan is a UAF professor doing research in Namibia for a year. They spent a few days in Maun doing a game drive, a mokoro ride and exploring Maun. What a pleasure it was to spend time with the two of them. It has been amazing to us how many old friendships have been rekindled because of our move to Botswana and the writing of this blog.
Dr. Roy brought his whole family to Maun for a visit just a few days later. It was nice to finally meet his wife and see all the children in his large family. They stayed four days before returning to Mochudi just north of Gaborone.

Ending the month, we were blessed with a visit from our operations manager and his family, while they traveled through Maun with long time friends from the states. The afternoon of their arrival, the adults went on a scenic flight while Julie got some wonderful one on one time with Kg. Fortunately there was play-dough sent from the states to share, which is something kids always seem to enjoy.

That evening we had another dinner at our house with the Spicer family, their visiting friends and the Kowalski family. In the morning the group headed off for Kasane and Victoria Falls.
In-between the last few weeks of company, we continued with the usual business of flying and day to day relationships with the many people that have become a part of our lives here. There are so many people that we have come to love deeply such as "Auntie Edith", who rides to church with us and holds a special place in our hearts.
Recently, we attended a large gathering to raise awareness of breast cancer in women. Auntie Edith and friends had a booth to sell baked goods.
There were lots of local folks and people from out of town gathered at a nearby safari lodge.
Organizers of the event were in pink and you could spot them everywhere.
Misheck and his family attend our church regularly and have become a large part of our extended family here. Colin is pictured below with Briane, who will be 2 years old in November.
Pictured below is Misheck, Debra, and Briane outside at our house.
Our neighbors next door have a Jack Russell terrier that has adopted us. His name is Hercules, and he has become very comfortable visiting with us for hours at a time. We really miss having a little dog of our own, but possibly we will get another dog when we return to Alaska next June.

Hercules owns the remote but hasn't learned to find the Animal Channel.

Thanks once again for your continued interest and prayers. Please pray for Julie as she returns back to work teaching. She needs wisdom and guidance on how to best address the class needs, as she will be their third teacher this year. Also, please pray for the FMS team here in Maun as we are short staffed now that Kevin has been needed in Gaborone and Julie will not be volunteering to help in the office.

August 3, 2011

2011-08-03T03:44:00.000-07:00

In our last blog, we ended with Jerry, Joan, and Jeannine heading off on their road trip to Victoria Falls. It sounds like they had an incredible time in Zimbabwe seeing the falls, riding tame elephants, and walking with young lions in an environmental research trust. If you know them and want to hear more then ask them about those days, as those are their stories to share. Before going on with our travels from their last week on vacation, we want to thank them again for the use of some of their pictures from our time together.

Our original plan for the last week of the "Three Js" visit was to travel to a remote northwestern corner of Botswana and visit our missionary friends living there, but the plans changed when our friends were delayed an extra week in South Africa...So, still wanting to visit that area where the San Bushman are prevalent, we revised our trip plans.

After the "Three Js" left Victoria Falls on July 12th, they traveled through the Caprivi Strip of Namibia to the Mahangu Lodge where we were to meet them the next evening. We departed Maun fairly early on the 13th, so we could spend some time in Sepopa with Pusetso and take her more Sunday school materials, food, and some warm clothes. Driving north, we found lots of flooded areas as the water levels are much higher this year. Crossing the bridge at Toteng, we found water beginning to flood over the road as you can see in the photo below.

With more water coming down river, we wondered if there would still be a bridge to cross on the drive back home in a few days...Fortunately, on our return there were sandbags lining the bridge that seemed to keep the water from flowing over the road.

When we got to Sepopa, we were disappointed to find that Pusetso had gone out to work in the fields and the phone network was not working. Even though she knew we were coming, she apparently had lost track of the time until after we had continued our travels...We did go to the church and visited with Pastor Reuben and his wife Gaamangwe, and left the supplies with them to pass onto Pusetso.
Shortly after crossing the Namibia border, we were traveling through the Mahango National Park and came upon a herd of Sable [see photo] in addition to numerous other plains game.
Leaving the reserve, we found that the sand track into the lodge was flooded and a levy road was being used.
Driving across the road there were many water birds to see, but our favorite to watch were the Kingfishers as they hovered and then dove for fish. The one in the next picture seemed to be posing for us as we passed by.
We arrived just in time to greet the "Three Js" before they headed out in a river boat to another game reserve across the river. Then they were transferring to a vehicle for a game drive. We were a bit tired and decided we would catch up on their travels later at dinner.
During dinner we heard about the great time they had been having, but we also became aware that the truck they were using had a small fuel tank and limited range for the trip we were planning together. We had also found out that the small village of Tsumkwe, where we counted on getting gas before crossing the Botswana border, was out of fuel. Even though we were both carrying extra fuel in containers, we realized we would not have enough gas to travel north to south through the remote national park of Khaudum if there was no petrol in the village of Tsumkwe. That meant we had to make a large detour to the nearest main town of Grootfontein. The hope was to be able to get gas there and make it to the village of Tsumkwe by dark the next day. Then we thought we would have enough gas to do a short game drive in the park and get back through the remote northwestern corner of Botswana to Gumare for more fuel.

It took a lot longer to get to Grootfontein than we had hoped...Once at the nearest gas station, we happened to notice the shocking front page news on a Namibian paper. We have scanned it below for a laugh...figure out your own caption.

As late afternoon was settling into evening, we all decided that we were not going to make it to Tsumkwe before dark. At the turn off for the village was a lodge that we had stayed a year ago last January. Luckily, Roy's Rest Camp had rooms available for that night.

It is hard to explain the atmosphere of Roy's Rest Camp. The owner has purposely used old junk to decorate the rooms and surrounding grounds. The place has a rustic, old west feel and we were amazed at the creative use of old junk to individualize the bungalows. To give you a feel for the place, the two photos to follow are of the conference meeting area.

The photo below is the pool by the lounge and dining room. The unfinished brick wall was newly created to look like part of a broken down building.
As darkness drew near, we all sat behind the rock wall blind by a waterhole to watch for wild game before going to dinner.
The next morning was cold and clear as we prepared to depart for Tsumkwe. Julie is standing outside of the bungalow we stayed in.

Jerry and Joan had a bungalow next to ours that was similar. Despite the chilly morning, Jerry was out early loading their truck for the next day of our road trip together.
The drive to the Tsumkwe Country Lodge was just a few hours, and we found the lodge accommodation to be clean, simple and a bit more conventional than Roy's Rest Camp. Jeannine is pictured by the cottage of canvas and wood.

Once at the lodge, we calculated the gas usage and kilometers we still needed to travel to get back to the nearest gas station in Gumare, Botswana. After putting in the reserve fuel we were carrying, we realized there would be enough gas to get to Gumare or Maun, but not be enough to also explore Khaudum Park.
Without enough fuel to explore the park, Jerry graciously arranged for us to take a game drive the next morning with a lodge vehicle. To our surprise in the morning, the tour vehicle was a giant green army style truck.
Colin was surprised to see the battery just loosely tied down under the truck and shot the next photo before climbing the ladder up into the truck.

It was a bit chilly in an open truck, but we all had prepared with warn clothes and blankets. We entered the park boundary and headed for the park office to pay entry fees.
The picture below is the office that our driver went into pay the money due. When he returned, the truck would not start. The battery was dead. With the truck on a slight incline, we all tried to push the giant truck fast enough for the driver to pop the clutch. That strategy did not work.
As the men were thinking of another option, a couple of tourist in a rented truck pulled up and they were carrying jumper cables. It was not long, and we were on our way again.
It is the dry winter season now, and the diversity of yellow grasses over the land created a feeling of autumn colors as we drove through the sand-track roads of the park. Pictures never really capture the beauty of the land or sunsets here in Africa.
A hearty lunch was provided on the drive, and we stopped to eat in an animal viewing blind overlooking a water hole.
While we ate, we watched a large group of female Kudu drink water with their young.
Toward the end of the day, we began to see lots of elephant. We had been warned that the elephants in the park are not used to many people visiting, and could be "rather cheeky" or in other words, full of contemptuous boldness. When we came upon the elephant in the next picture, it began to charge our big truck and forced the driver to go quickly in reverse until the elephant stopped.
It was a full day, and we returned at dark to the lodge to enjoy another great dinner. The friendship and fellowship experienced with each other was truly the highlight of the day.

After breakfast the morning July 17th, we headed for Botswana border. Whenever and
wherever we travel, there always are people and children walking long distances. Their legs are the most used mode of travel. Colin and Jerry both enjoyed stopping at times and giving out sweets to both young and old along the way. Jeannine is pictured below with a group of San bushman children that was walking along on the road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
Just before getting to the Namibia border post, we came across another "cheeky" elephant. Colin waited to pass for some time after the elephant crossed the road, as the elephant remained by the side of the road and was showing signs of aggression when the car crept too close. Finally, Colin decided to move past...
The "Three Js" choose to follow close behind in their truck, and the elephant decided to charge. The picture below of the charge does not do justice to this angry giant. But considering the race to get by him, it was a pretty good snap shot by Jeannine.
We safely arrived at the remote Namibia border post and filled out the necessary papers to exit Namibia. The Namibia post is pictured below.
At the Botswana post, we realized there had not been another vehicle passing through for three days. All of the border guards thoroughly did their job, and the crossing took much longer than most places we have traveled. The post was just a simple small cabin that is pictured next.
Once cleared to enter back into Botswana, we traveled on working our way over deep and rutted sand tracks.

Even though we knew our missionary friends were still in South Africa, we followed GPS coordinates to find their house and church. At a crossroad of sand-tracks, we saw the hand made wooden sign pointing the way to the "Word to Africa Mahopa Church".
It was a lovely piece of land where the house and church are located. The young family has been living in the solitude of the bush for over seven years and minister to the San bushman in the area. They have been able to not only offer spiritual help to the people, but also basic needs such as water and community gardens.
The going was slow through the bush roads, but we finally got back on to the tar road and headed north again to Gumare for fuel. We had called ahead to make sure the station had gas, or we would have needed to complete our days travel by returning to Maun. Instead, we refilled our tanks and continued north to Sepopa. We were able to briefly see Pusetso, before settling in at a local lodge to watch the sunset over the Okavango River.
Leaving Sepopa early the next day for Tsodilo Hills, we passed the usual road obstacles and hazards. Such as loose roaming donkeys...
And people using donkey carts to travel and transport goods.
Once at the Tsodilo Hills world heritage site, we checked in at the small museum and were assigned a local guide to show us some of the more easily accessible bushman archeological paintings.
Our bushman guide in the picture below, is pointing to paintings of a penguin and whale that were used as a sign to the San ancestors traveling from the southern coast of Africa. Sort of like a sign post saying you are on the right trail...
The name of our guide was Xontae. The "X" in the San language is pronounced with a click of the tongue. If you look closely on the face of the rock wall or click the photo to make it bigger, you can see there are more paintings from the past.
The painting of in the next photo can be seen a bit better and is of a Cape Buffalo.
Jeannine and Joan climb up on the rocks to get a closer look at some paintings. They are pictured standing by a Paper Baobab growing in the cracks between the cliffs.
As the warmth of the sun increased into midday, it was time for us to pack ourselves back into the vehicles and head to Maun. Here we are pictured before starting our travels home.
At the entrance gate, we stopped to buy some jewelry made by local ladies of the village. Most of the necklaces and bracelets are made from seeds and ostrich shell beads.
Traveling on the tar road to Maun, we had the usual continuous road hazards mentioned earlier, along with cows....

Elephants...

Slow and overloaded vehicles...Notice the Coke can that was used as a flag on the long piece of plastic pipe...

And more cows....

By dark on July 18, we had stopped for a quick chicken dinner and were settled back at home in Maun. The next day was the last full day for the Alaska gang, before they were to begin the long trip back to the states. We went to the basket shop of my neighbor nearby, and the gang purchased many of her incredible baskets.
The "basket lady", as we affectionately refer to her, has three boys that Julie takes to Sunday school each week. They are pictured together in front of the basket shop. Julie had the oldest as a student when she taught Standard 4 a couple of years ago.
While taking the photo of the boys, some other neighborhood children trotted by on a donkey. Julie could not resist snapping their picture.
After basket shopping, Colin was able to take the group to meet with the famous hunting guide, Johan Calitz. Jerry and Colin are pictured below with Johan at his office in Maun.
Returning from town, Colin stopped by the "old bridge" to look at the rising level of water on the Thamalakane River. See how fast the current is in the picture to follow of the "Three Js."
Three weeks went by extremely fast and before we knew it, the "Three Js" were on the Air Botswana flight and on their way back to Alaska. What a pleasure it was to spend time with them, and we will have many treasured memories to add to our time in Botswana.

As we mentioned earlier in the blog, there has been a lot of high water and flooding again this year. Each year we have been living in Maun, the levels have increased substantially.

While the Alaska gang was in Zimbabwe, Julie went to teach Bible Club and the school was beginning to flood for the first time in decades. Many of the property staff had dug trenches to channel the water through the property. The photo below shows one of those ditches and if you look at the right corner you can see trailer Julie had as a classroom.
The students had to go to the back end of the property to take the bus home, as the front gate was totally flooded. Julie had driven in with a friend to teach Bible Club, in a 4x4 vehicle. Leaving the school that day, she caught a ride with the Setswana teacher in a small Toyota sedan. The sand-tracks on the back road were too deep for the little car to travel, and it got stuck until someone came along who could tow the car to more solid ground. As the ladies were getting assistance, a donkey cart easily cruised by. If you enlarge the photo, the backside of the cart can be seen in the right corner of the picture.
Two weeks later, Julie returned to teach Bible Club and found the back side of the property fully flooded. In the center of the photo is the white trailer that had been Julie's classroom two years ago. The school had made new roads to get into the main school area, and most of the classrooms were not affected by the water so the students could still attend daily.
Just to give you an idea of the additional water flooding down from Angola this year, the next picture is of a dirt bridge last year that goes into Island Safari Lodge. Compare it with the two photos after from this year.

The next picture was taken last year looking to the left as you cross the bridge.

Below is the same area this year.

Just after the Alaska gang left to go back to the states, Pusetso came to Maun to take care of some business. It was good to get a quality visit in with her while she was here for almost a week. She is pictured with Patricia outside our office, just before Julie took her to the bus rank.
Over the last three years while living in Maun, we have tried earnestly to surrender our will totally to the will of God in our lives. In doing that, we have felt so richly blessed by the people and experiences that have taken hold of our lives here. Please continue to pray for us, and that we can remain available to whatever service and plans the Lord has for us during our last 11 months in Botswana. Through following Him, we can genuinely state that He came "....that [we] may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10.

July 9, 2011

2011-07-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

The update for June has actually rolled into July, so hopefully this will be a quick overview of the last six weeks....

June was all about baby showers and newborn babies! Julie and the ladies at our church were able to give Nicoline a baby shower the beginning of June. It was a nice gathering in the same garden of a friend where Nicoline and Davango were married last November. There was lots of good food, in addition to wonderful fellowship with everyone that attended.
It was a real pleasure to see the joy and excitement in Nicoline's face while she went through all the lovely gifts for the new baby.
The shower was just a week before her due date, but the baby delayed his arrival for another three weeks. Finally, the last day of the month Nicoline delivered a healthy baby boy named Brayden pictured below.
The Kowalski family is also enjoying the blessing of a new baby girl to their family. Baby Lily was also a few weeks over due and ended up being close to ten pounds at birth. After a two week recovery in Gaborone where the medical services are better, the family was able to return to Maun. It was close to two months away for Cheryl and the kids and Keith had been with them for over a month at that time. We were at the airport to welcome baby Lily early on Saturday the 25th of June.
Later that day, the celebration of Lily's home coming continued with a baby shower at Island Safari Lodge. Most of the gifts were needed clothes, though due to Lily's size at birth 3 to 6 month outfits were the norm.
There was a large cake in honor of the occasion, and of course it was the traditional baby girl color of pink.
Julie was thrilled to finally get to meet this long awaited bundle of love.
June 27, we were able to represent FMS by attending a major local event for the opening of the Coaching for Conservation Educational Centre in Maun.
There was all kinds of artwork by the children to decorated the facility and a laboratory classroom pictured below.
In addition, there were activities with local children and a ribbon cutting ceremony by the guest of honor.
The guest of honor was the government minister of transportation and communication. Colin has gotten to talk with him numerous times as he has come through Maun over the last few years. We are pictured below with the honorable Frank Ramsden, just before the start of all the days events.
Our church was also broken in to towards the end of June. The sound system and small electric hot plate and oven combination were stolen. Colin spent one of his days off repairing the windows that had been broken to enter the church. Despite the disappointment of the robbery, Colin did enjoy the time visiting with Pastor Alex as he worked on the repairs.
A new coffee shop called "Kalahari Koffe", has opened in Maun. Our pastors wife is managing it for the Word to Africa mission and they are hoping to earn funds to help support their missionaries and ministry. The coffee shop is a first in Maun and it is keeping Ems quite busy. We have enjoyed stopping in to see her when we can and savoring a quality cup of coffee or tea.
July 1 has brought us company from Alaska! A friend from Galena and her sister and brother- in- law arrived to spend three weeks experiencing some of the wonders of Southern Africa, starting with us here in Maun. Pictured below from right to left are Jeannine, Joan, and Jerry just after they cleared customs at the Maun airport.
After a tour of Maun, lunch, and dropping off their luggage at our house they were off on a scenic flight with Colin to Delta. Julie was able to ride along also.
It was their first chance to see Colin since landing in Maun, as he had been flying a large part of the day already.
We all saw many animals, but a couple of the highlights were herds of elephants and Cape buffalo. To see the elephants a bit better, click on the picture to enlarge it. They are in the larger sand pan in the first photo below.
Part of a large Cape Buffalo herd seen from the air pictured below.
The next morning we all drove out to a friend's game farm to spend the weekend. Shortly before arriving at the farm gate, we came across a fresh leopard kill of two wild dogs. One was still quivering and taking it's last few breaths of life. Colin got out of the truck to investigate but quickly got back in after seeing the leopard tracks. Wild dogs and leopards are competing predators and will often kill each other. This time the two wild dogs were no match for the leopard and the fight only lasted a few seconds.
After arriving at the farm, we all loaded onto the big 4x4 cruiser to drive the fence line. Elephants migrate across the property and break the electric fence as they are coming and going, which then allows the plains game to escape. Part of the daily farm routine is to check for any fence breaks, so off we all went.
There are always tracks and things to see while checking the fences, and we would stop to take a closer look now and then.
While driving the road along the fence, we startled a Gemsbok that was digging for a root in the soft sand. We were able to pull up very close before it realized we were there and ran off.
There were numerous little Steenbok that darted through the brush as we drove by.
A young hippo has ended up on our friend's property very far from the delta waters, and because it is the dry season there is very little water for the hippo. Part of the daily chores at the farm has been to take the hippo water and after checking the fence line, we hauled three hundred gallons of water. We could see the hippo wallowing in a mud hole that will hopefully sustain him until the rainy season returns. Next time you think it a chore to give your dog a bowl of water be glad, very glad, that you don't have a pet hippo!
When we returned from our drive, there was time to relax around the camp. Colin enjoyed some quality time with Hurricane, the little Jack Russell Terrier that we cared for a couple of months ago.
As the sun began to set, a fire was started that later was used to cook our dinner.
It was a chilly morning when we all got up the next day. Notice that Jeannine is bundled up as she interacts with our friends dogs.
After eating breakfast, we lingered until the day warmed up before heading out to explore a new piece of property.
The last time we had visited a few months ago, we had been exploring for a good place to build a new camp. Since our last visit, a beautiful Mophane grove has been found and our friends wanted to show the location to us. It took some time to crash through the brush to find the spot.

After walking around the grove and spooking out several Gemsbok and Kudu, we relaxed in the shade of the trees before eating a picnic lunch. Then we loaded back onto the cruiser to return to the farm and on to Maun by late afternoon.
The next morning, Colin flew Jerry, Joan, and Jeannine to Camp Kalahari for a two night adventure in the Makgadikadi Pans. Notice that they are standing in front of a C206 that FMS has leased. It has been very beneficial to have another airplane for the busy tourist season.
When the group returned in the late afternoon of July 6th, Julie had organized a family dinner at our house for the evening. Our friend's from the farm were able to make the gathering that night.
Also a new pilot that FMS has hired, named Kevin, was able to join us. He has been flying for another air-service here in Maun for over the last three years.
Of course, the Kowalski family was in attendance as they are a big part our lives and work in Maun.
Julie got some more snuggle time in with Lily.
And Colin roasted marshmallows outside with Jacob and Abigail after dinner. We have been given the official label of "honorary surrogate grandparents" by Keith and Cheryl.
On the 8th of July, we all headed to the Moremi Game reserve for a day trip. Colin drove with Jerry in a borrowed Toyota truck we arranged for the use of while the Alaska gang was here, and Julie followed behind with all the ladies in our car.It was a full day with lots of game to see, especially elephants.
The old female in the next photo would not let us go past as we tried to drive into one area.
Packing a picnic lunch is the norm on these outings, and the tail gate of the Toyota truck made for a good table to spread out all the food. After lunch we attempted to travel by the large female again, but she would not let us through. So, we had to abandon that road and go in another direction.
Throughout the day, we saw lots of birds and the usual plains game, like impala, giraffe, zebra among other animals such as baboons,Tsessebe, and Kudu.

We arrived at the park gate just at sunset and then continued into Maun after dark.
At the point of writing this blog, the Alaska gang has ventured off to Victoria Falls for a few days and we will be meeting them at the Mahungo Safari Lodge in Namibia on the 13th. It has given us some time to take care of FMS business and ministry needs before meeting back up with them. On the drive up north, we will stop in Sepopa to see Pusetso and bring her more Sunday school supplies before continuing on to the Caprivi Strip. Much thanks to Jeannine for the use of her photos and to all of you who continue to pray for us. Having company from the states has been a needed encouragement to us as we focus on the completion of our work during this last year in Botswana.

May 28, 2011

2011-05-28T05:02:00.000-07:00

The good news is that this will probably be one of our shorter blogs. The bad news is that there will not be many pictures, as Colin's camera broke about mid month and he is the major photographer...

During the month of May, Colin was away from home more than a third of the month for a few reasons. The beginning of May he traveled to Durban South Africa for a major tourist operators gathering called "Indaba". He traveled with Mark Spicer, Tim Schubert, and our flight scheduler Melly, all pictured below together.

They spent the days at the gathering meeting with different companies and explaining all that FMS is doing in the way of aviation.
They were able to get accommodation at a well maintained B&B, that was on a hill over looking the city. The food was quite good also.
Colin outside in the B&B courtyard. It was cold and rainy most of the days they were there.
At the event there were many attractions, and below is just one of the many traditional dance groups that preformed for people passing by.
Another reason Colin was away so many nights in May, was that he did most of the over night stays at Jack's Camp. With the Kowalski family expecting the new baby, Colin wanted Keith close to home in case Cheryl went into labor early. Keith drove the family down to Gaborone the 2nd of May, so that he could cover all the flying while Colin was in Durban. There were only four days through the whole month that there were no scheduled flights. Once Cheryl was in Gaborone, we could all relax knowing she would be where there are better medical services and Keith was able to join the family on the 13th to wait for the arrival of their new "Special K" member. Still no baby as of this posting though....

Though the nights Colin was away were long and lonely for Julie, she has stayed busy with structuring the Sunday school program and Bible Club outreaches that started back up for the term in the middle of the month. Colin does enjoy the relationships he has established with camp staff. Below is a picture of Linda, a camp manager and Charba, one of the guides driving from the landing strip.
Colin also enjoys seeing birds and wildlife in his comings and goings.
Above is a Yellow Billed Hornbill

Above is a Double Banded Courser

Just after his camera broke, Colin was in the truck going to the airstrip when a female lioness was spotted on a fresh wildebeest kill. Unfortunately, there are no pictures to show of that...

And as always, there are incredible sunrises and sunset daily...

On the 12th of May, we both traveled by car to Gaborone for the Annual General Meeting of FM held on the 14th of May. On the 13th, we spent most of the day dealing with the renewal paperwork concerning our permits that expire the end of July. While there, Colin was also able to visit a friend he made in one of the local stores. We drove the ten hour trip back up to Maun on the 15th.
The flats on our property continue to be a place of rest for visitors connected with Flying Mission. In addition to a couple of visits from our chief pilot from Gaborone, we also had a Jack's Camp management couple that stayed with us twice during the month. We have enjoyed getting to know John and Astrid much better while they have been in and out of Maun to do business.

Dr. Roy Bryan also stayed a few days with his son, and a friend with his son.

Just for fun, we thought we would include a picture of some of the American products that showed up on our local grocery store shelf. The German store manager made a point of taking Julie to a small shelf with the new "American foods" they were stocking. The pork and beans were double the local brand price and not really of any interest anyway. But, Julie was pleased to see the dried onions until noticing the price...The Pula 65 is equal to $10 USD.

Oh well...so much for "American food". Guess we can wait a bit longer. We have just a little over one more year here before returning to Alaska, and it will go by fast. Many people are inquiring as to our plans when we return and it will most likely depend on what teaching jobs are open to Julie when the time comes. One thing is for sure, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

April 29, 2011

2011-04-29T00:00:00.001-07:00

April started off with babysitting a 2 month old Jack Russell puppy for friends while they traveled to South Africa for medical treatment. The picture below is of "Hurricane" enjoying the warmth of the morning sun.
Our friends gave her the name she has because she can be extremely active and when she slowed down in the evening, we enjoyed having a little pet to cuddle with while we relaxed.
Julie set up her desk area out on the patio while watching the puppy. Being outside for the day gave "Hurricane" room to play and not get into too much mischief. Having her with us those days did stir a desire to have a puppy of our own, but we will have to wait until we return to Alaska in a year. It was fun to have a little pet to care for though, even if it was only temporary.
The surprise of the month was the arrival of a new baby son to our porter, MT, and his wife. They did not even realize that KK was expecting until just a month before the birth. Julie was able to help bring KK and the baby home the day after the birth of baby Taboka who was born April 12. Below is a picture of the home coming with the four other siblings seeing their new brother for the first time.
Here is a closer look at Taboka. His name means "we are thankful" in the Kalanga language. In the culture here, the mother will stay home with the baby for 3 months and the father has to stay elsewhere. Fortunately MT had built an additional small brick flat for his brother on the plot he lives on, so that is where he is currently staying.
As mentioned in our last blog, we planned to travel to Sepopa again on April 16 to do some follow up ministry with the Sunday school program there. Patricia went with us this time and spotted a large elephant in the brush on the drive there. That was rather unusual for the panhandle area.
We arrived in Sepopa that Saturday about 1 pm, and Pusetso had already had the children at the Sunday school building for some morning learning activities. The church had been flooded for a few weeks, so on Sunday they had been using the Sunday school building for church. Due to the high water, Pusetso was meeting with the children on Saturday instead. Unfortunately not many of the boys could come on a Saturday, as it is harvest time so they must work in the fields. The children had just finished a snack when we arrived and then Julie opened up the afternoon events with some singing.
Then we took the children outside for some games that would reinforce the last few weeks' teachings. Patricia jumped right in as an additional helper with the forty children attending ages 3 years to 15 years.
Each game went along with a teaching aligned to the Wordless Book from the Child Evangelist Fellowship material we left with Pusetso in February. The gold lesson explains that God created Heaven and the world with all that is in it. Everything that was said had to be translated into Setswana by Pusetso. The pictures to follow may give you a small glimpse of a few fun learning activities we did with the group.
Learning through play seemed to be a new concept to the kids, so even translating how to play the games was not enough. For every game, Julie and Onalenna showed the group what they were to do. In the picture below they showed the teams lined with pairs of two how they were to put a balloon between them using part of their body to do a relay. Because God created man to be special, Julie would call out a variety of different body parts they had to use to relay with the balloon.
In the next picture, the children were "going for the gold" and were given a golden tail as a flag for groups of three to try to claim. The game was used to reinforce the gold page in the Wordless Book that represents Heaven, which is a wonderful place filled with God's glory and grace.
The Wordless book has a red page that represents the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross. In one of the games, the children had to crawl one by one under their team's legs to be the first to the cross Julie was holding.
The teaching was to help show that the only way to heaven is through His blood shed on the cross by Jesus.
The next page in the Wordless is a "clean" white page. When people understand the love Jesus has for them, and accept Him to be the Lord of their lives, then they are a new person and filled with the Holy Spirit. To explain this, the children were given balloon to play with. At first the balloons were not filled with air and brought no joy to play with. Once the balloons were filled with air they were a part of a fun activity that brought joy and happiness to those participating.
The game was a way to get the concept across that in knowing Christ and having the Holy Spirit, we will be filled with joy no matter what our circumstances are. There was a relay to follow as a way to collect the balloons. Later, the children were given the filled balloons to take home.
The special game lessons seemed to go over well with the group, and lasted about 2 hours. We then had a chance to get in a good visit with Pusetso and her family at their hut.
Notice the balloon in the picture of Julie with Pusetso and her girls.
While we visited, Pusetso's mother was roasting freshly harvested corn and beans, which we ate later with our dinner.
Colin even waded out into the flooded yard of the church to try some fishing. He only caught grass though...There was a fence between him and the main river channel, so no need to worry about crocodiles.
Sunday morning we all joined the growing church for morning services. Patricia is pictured next, just before church standing just outside the parsonage. The water had receded enough for everyone to meet again in the church building next door.
Pastor Reuben did an early Bible study for new believers that we sat in on until the regular service was ready to begin.
There was lots of singing before the children were excused for Sunday school. Julie left with the teachers and children to observe how things are going with the material she has organized.
Pusetso is the main teacher, and Onalenna assists her with the class. They seem to be doing quite well with the group and new children continue to come weekly.
After church was over, the congregation had prepared food to share in honor of our visit. We were asked to go first and take what we wanted, and then the others were served plates of food. It is the fall harvest time and food is plentiful. There was a lot of a chunky corn mush called Samp, cooked pumpkin and pumpkin greens, cooked bean greens, and a small portion of beef among other things. Below is a picture of Patricia and Julie as they finished eating. It was very thoughtful of the church family to make sure we had been fed before our drive back to Maun.
Just a couple days after returning from Sepopa, we had a visit from Graham Crawford who has been the IT for FM off and on for a number of years. He was in Maun back in May two years ago to help set up the computer in our office. The first day he arrived on the morning flight from Gaborone, we put him right to work repairing some computer issues on our office and personal computers.

For most people in Botswana, Easter is a four day public holiday. Unfortunately, when dealing with the tourist industry there are no holidays and we had flights to do even on Easter. Colin ended up having to overnight at Jack's Camp and on Easter had to fly to Francistown to leave one of our planes there. The rest of the day was spent driving back to Maun by car and he got home after 7pm. Below is a picture of the old runway and the new runway under construction at Francistown airport, where he left the plane.

Fortunately, our church had a sunrise service as the rest of the day Julie was busy flight following Keith and Colin. This time of year m mornings are cool with winter drawing near, and an early service was a lovely way to celebrate the event of Christ's resurrection. The story of Easter was told through narration and songs done by students from Okavango International School [OIS]. Our friend, Angela, led the group as she not only leads the worship at our church but is also a teacher at OIS. Most of the students that sang are part of the Bible club Julie does at the school with Angela.
The day after Easter, Colin got a couple of days off so we took Graham up to the Khwai River area north of Maun and spent the night in a tented camp there. Below is a picture of Graham by the river, which is really more like a creek even in the flood stage.

We saw a few animals while driving around the area and lots of bird life. The only new wildlife we saw was this Opened billed stork pictured below to add to our bird sighting list.
The tented accommodation was comfortable and clean. The reason we decided to stay there was that they gave a resident rate and allowed people to self drive into the camp.
After driving around the area a bit the day we arrived, afternoon tea was served in the dinning tent when we returned to the camp.
Breakfast was served early the next morning, and then we left to travel on narrow sand-tracks through the thick brush until we came to a large open pan.
The pan had a large herd of Giraffe lingering around in the coolness of the morning. It is always fun to explore a new area, and our wondering through the bush eventually took us back to the main road to Maun.
On the flying scene the flight schedule has remained very busy this month, with many days requiring Keith and Colin to fly larger groups in both planes. Below is a picture Colin took of Keith as they flew over a large salt pan.
Colin flies a faster plane and despite taking off after Keith, Colin would always pass Keith along the way. The next photo is of Keith landing on the Pom Pom airstrip in the Okavango Delta.
With the rivers rising as the rain waters from Angola come from the north, many of the bush airstrips are beginning to flood again this year. Below is the flooded Nxabega in the delta.
Due to the busy flight schedule, it is often more practical to have a pilot overnight at the camp if he will be departing with passengers the next day. Colin has been doing most of the overnights this month as he insisted Keith remain in town due to Cheryl's pregnancy. The baby is due the end of May, but she has gotten so big and the baby has dropped, that we are feeling it could come early. On a couple of the more recent overnight trips, Colin saw a group of southern stripped squirrels on the drive to camp.
They seemed to act similar to the Meerkats that reside in the area.
On another day while driving from the airstrip, the guide spotted a cheetah in the brush. At first, Colin could just see the tips of the animals ears and some of the face.
But then it sat up and let itself be clearly seen only forty yards from the truck. This sighting was a pleasant surprise.
Before closing, again we would like to share some photos from the flight line in Maun. With such a busy airport, there is always something interesting going on.
Beware of strangely shaped bugs before removing the pitot tube cover [above].

Six DeHavilland Tiger Moths [above] and one Hornet Moth [below].

Tiger Moth and cockpit.

Cessna 14o in U.S. Air Force livery and departing Tiger Moth.

As we continue seek direction to best serve the Lord and others while living here, we ask that you also pray with us for wisdom in the daily decisions and activities that fill our time. Our desire is to consistently remain in His will. For we know,"To God belongs wisdom and power, counsel and understanding are His." Job 12:13

March 31, 2011

2011-03-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

Another full and busy month has breezed by with lots of visitors and ministry activities. Early in the month we had a few days visit from Pastor David, whom we met while in Sepopa in February. He was passing through Maun on his way home to Mochudi, and we enjoyed having more time to get to know him better. The photo to follow was taken early on a Saturday morning before Colin took David to the bus rank. It is too bad that David had to get home that day, as the next stop Colin made after dropping David off was to the men's breakfast at our church. With the help of a couple other men from the church, Colin continues to help cook and provide nourishing meals once a month through that ministry.
Other pilots and missionaries came and went during the month, and we enjoy the fellowship as people stay in the flats next to our house. Colin continues to do all the maintenance and Julie does the cleaning of the FMS rentals to help keep the expenses minimal.

The highlight of the month was doing a 5 day Bible club outreach on the Kowalski plot for the children living in their neighborhood. Cheryl, Julie, and a few other ladies from the neighborhood teamed together to plan and run the program. Keith also helped out most of the days, and Colin came by with MT one day as well. The club was well attended with over one hundred different children during the week, with the largest group being 85 on the last day.

Every morning for almost an hour before the gate was opened, there were children gathering outside waiting for the activities to start. After a few days, we even heard them singing some of the songs they were learning. At nine o'clock, we would open the gate and children would sign in, get a name tag, and share the Bible verse from the day before with Cheryl and all the helpers.

Julie had lots of fun games to start the day off and children could easily join in after checking in at the attendance table.

As the crowd of children thinned out, the other helpers would come over to the games until it looked as if everyone that was coming was there. Cheryl was usually the last one checking kids in. Below is the Kowalski family, and the children were also a big help with the club.
Once everyone was signed in and had a name tag, Julie would end the large group game and we would start the day off by greeting all the children and introducing ourselves.
Then we would have an opening prayer. Of course, everything had to be translated into Setswana by some of our helpers from the neighborhood.

Otis and Ipataleng, in addition to a couple of their older children, were especially helpful with interpreting. Each day we taught the children many new songs, and also sang some Setswana songs that were familiar to them.

Just to give you a quick sample of the children singing a Setwana song, there is a short video clip attached again this month. The song is called "Retla bina Hosanna" and they are singing about dancing around the throne of King Jesus.

When the singing was finished, Julie and Cheryl alternated days of teaching the lesson. We used the Child Evangelist Fellowship Wordless Book that gave a full gospel message through the 5 day teaching. The wordless book uses 5 different colors that explain the lesson in a large picture book to follow. For example, the first day we talked about heaven and the color used was gold. Both Julie and Cheryl were given a variety of the CEF teaching material when on furlough, and it has been getting well used in our church Sunday School, the Sepopa Sunday school, Bible club, and now the 5 day outreach.
When the lesson was finished, the little ones 6 and under went off with some of the other ladies to learn a simplified bible verse, while the older ones learned the complete verse for the day.
Then Julie played games with the older ones that she created to also support the daily message that was taught. The younger ones played games in another area of the property.

When the games were finished, Cheryl had juice and snack ready for the kids and each day she found a away to give a snack that matched the color used in the wordless book.
On Friday, our final day, we did a few extra things for the children. When they left after the two hours of activities, the older children were all given a New Testament Bible in Setswana on behalf of Flying Mission and ...
.....a gift bag that had a few treats and essentials that we had been given to distribute. Notice that the girl getting her gift bag from Cheryl is curtsying in thanks.
Later that evening, the children and their families were invited back to sing more songs, watch a slide presentation from the week and see the Jesus film for children in Setswana.
By the end of the week we were all very encouraged by the response of the children to the outreach, in addition to the relationships that were formed. The Kowalski family even had a few extra people ride to church with them the following Sunday.

That Sunday happened to be our last Sunday school for the first term of this year. The children had spent a large portion of the term learning about Moses and they shared with the church members that day the new song, "Pharaoh Pharaoh", that was learned along with the unit.
Since there is going to be a one month term break and the weather is starting to get cooler as winter approaches, not only did the children get a special prize for good attendance this term but also the Kowalski's distributed warm sweaters that they had brought back from Canada while on furlough. There is so much need here, and anything people give us to share is greatly appreciated.
On the 27th of March it was our anniversary. Next year it will be our thirtieth and we hope to take one last major trip before we head back to Alaska. This year we went out to dinner at our favorite lodge and treated ourselves to a steak dinner for the first time.
The last week in March was also the end of Bible club for term one. The group has really grown spiritually and in numbers this year and Julie enjoyed integrating some sort of game when possible to connect the children to the lesson being taught. This activity pictured below was to lead into a story about putting God first in our lives. It is easy to let other things become more important...The cotton balls in the game were supposed to be equal to money and the children were given a spoon to gather as many as they wanted in just a few minutes. It was interesting to see a variety of character traits expressed in the game and the observations helped lead into a good discussion before the lesson.
For the final day of club this term, the children got to watch a children's video title,"He Has Risen" and eat Julie's special goodies of Rice Krispies bars. Rice Krispies treats are always a big deal to the kids, as none of them had ever eaten them until she introduced them to the kids.
Through each month we have many visitors, and do not always mention everyone in this blog, we did want to include the Word to Africa missionary family that we have grown to love so much over the last two year. Dries, Ilse, Jana, and Cordre were here for one night on their way home from Gaborone after attending their mission's annual team gathering. Jana is speaking up a storm in English now, and Cordre is walking everywhere and excited to explore everything. After his early and shaky birth at the remote clinic in Gumare, Cordre seems to certainly be a happy and active toddler these days. The family is pictured below, just before leaving for their home village in Mahopa in the remote north west corner of Botswana.
During the month, Colin also had to fly a critically injured patient with head injuries from a remote sight. The lack of medical personnel and services for serious conditions in Botswana is very frustrating. The poor man was bleeding from his nose and ears and had to walk to get into the plane when dropped off by the medical staff for the medical evacuation. Another man in a T shirt, who was supposed to be the nurse attending the patient, also flew along but had absolutely no supplies such as gloves, gauze, etc. Darkness was closing in and Colin was able to get the man as far as Maun, but the hospital here and in Francistown would not take such a serious case. One of the FMS King Airs had to be dispatched to meet Colin in Maun and then transport the patient to Gaborone. All we can do at in these types of situations is just pray for the people who are suffering and hope they get the proper medical help once FMS has completed the mercy flight.

When possible we like to add a few everyday photos before closing. This month here are a few from the flight line in Maun.

Not only does Colin fly customers to remote camps, but often he has camp staff to transport also. This is one of the Jack's Camp staff just before departure.

Some of Colin's pilot friends tow a Caravan with a little truck.
Sunrise at the airport just before an early departure.
Upcoming things we would appreciate your prayers for are: a ministry follow up trip to Sepopa the 16th of April; a busy flight schedule for the next few months through November; a safe arrival for the Kowalski baby due the end of May; additional staff needs for the Maun base as the operation is growing and we prepare to return to Alaska in 15 months. We are reminded that these things are all in the Lords hands and we place our faith there. The Lord has promised that, "...I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand." Isaiah 41:10

So we carry on and trust because "Faith is not a sense, nor sight, but simply taking God at His word." [A quote from Christmas Evans]