As many of you know, Colin (Brownie) and I have both felt a leading to return to Africa in a missionary role after our three week visit to Tanzania in 2004. Even though we have lived in Galena for over 30 years and spent over 20 years serving in what ever way we could in the middle Yukon region of Alaska, we feel that God has been preparing us and given abilities that can be used to further the gospel in Africa. Last summer we began to search for a mission to work with and in February of this year the Lord opened a door to join with Flying Mission Services (flyingmission.org) in Botswana. We will be stationed in the northern part of the country in Maun, after spending about a month in the capital of Gaborone for cultural training and getting to see all that the mission is involved with in Botswana and Zambia. So the house is sold and, with some major help from our son Clint (pictured above with us) who was here the beginning of May, we have been frantically sorting, selling, packing, shipping, and cleaning things to get ready for our move and are now just one day from departing Galena to start our new adventure for the Lord.
Once we leave Galena, we will fly our plane to Fairbanks to finish storing the last of our things and leave our 10 year old beagle with a family there. Then we will fly down to Wasilla and spend a couple days with friends and turn the plane over to the new owner. On the evening of June 18, we will fly out of Alaska from Anchorage for New Hampshire.
In New Hampshire we will spend time with Colin's mother, who will be 93 years old in July. Zach and his girlfriend Kristin (pictured to the right), will come from Oregon on June 21 and stay with us until June 26. They will return home when we fly down to Florida to see more family and secure the small house we own there.
Our departure for Africa will be on July 3 when we fly out of Tampa to Washington DC, then after a 6 hour wait we will fly 17 hours on South African Airline to Johannesburg, South Africa. We will spend the night there with the sister of a friend that lives in Galena (just one of the many things the Lord has done to provide for us in this move). On July 5, we will finally arrive in Gaborone, Botswana.
The years here in the middle Yukon with the Athabascan Indians, and so many other incredible people, have greatly impacted us. Everyone will be hard to leave behind...but we will return in two years. This blog spot will be one way we can keep in touch with so many of those we love. Thanks so much to our family at the Galena Bible Church for the wonderful going away dinner and all your many prayers.
