May 31, 2012

Currently, we are back in the states and staying in Florida visiting relatives in Lakeland. We tried really hard to get a blog posted on the last day we were in Maun, but just ran out of time before departing for Gaborone. On the 1st of June, we departed for Johannesburg and from there we connected with South African Airlines for our flight to the states. Our last month in Botswana was so full, not only with activity but also much emotion. Even though we are now in the states, we will try to recap some of the highlights from our last weeks in Maun.

After four years of hosting our missionary friend from Rakops when he came to Maun for business, Julie and a friend drove there to see the day care John has been running for orphaned and vulnerable children. The building and equipping of the facility is really an incredible story and too long to write down here, but it is apparent that God had a plan to see the children cared for in the rural community.  Julie is pictured below with her friend, Wendy, and John in front of the day care buildings.

There are 2 buildings with offices and a large meeting room along with four classrooms for children 2 years to 5years. Some of the teachers working there participated in the CEF training a couple of months earlier.

After the morning activities and lessons the children went out to play before having their lunch.

At lunch time, everyone sits outside the classrooms to eat their meal on a plastic plate.

Colin continued to fly a lot, right up until our last week. As always, there were numerous overnight stays at Jack's Camp. On one of those visits, he was fortunate to see lions on the drive from the airport to the camp.

One of the things Colin had been encouraging Patricia to do during the three years she worked for him, was to get her driver's license. We were pleased to see she passed her written exam after a number of tries, so Colin presented her with a special certificate. On our departure, she was practicing for the actual driving test.

Colin also turned over his Maun Base Supervisor duties to Keith on the 1st of May. Part of the turnover was presenting Keith with his own FMS rubber ink stamp. In Botswana, everything official must have a stamp on the documentation. This meant that Keith was "officially" in charge.

As our departure drew closer, our special belongings were gradually all packed and mailed back to Alaska. Colin had a few oversize items, such as the mounted horns that were given to him and that had been on our living room wall.  Those had to be sent by a taxidermist and we were able to finally meet Debbie Peak from Mochaba taxidermy.

Shortly before leaving, we saw more signs that Maun is becoming more modern. Two intersections now have streetlights installed. We did not get any pictures of the three used car lots that also just suddenly opened up in an industrial area.

Eleven days before we left Maun, a number of the young people Julie had been doing a discipleship Bible study with were baptized after church. There were seven teens who have shown a genuine commitment. In addition, Pusetso had been doing the study and wanted to make a statement of re-dedication in her faith. Pictured below is the group at Island Safari Lodge where the ceremony took place.

There was a small gathering of people from the church in attendance, and we joined together in song.

Pastor Alex shared a short message explaining the importance of baptism.

Then Julie and another church leader had the joy of baptizing the eight in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Alex met each one as they left the pool, to pray a special blessing on them.

It is now winter in Botswana, so you can tell that Julie and Graham were a bit chilled when they came out of the cold pool water.

A week before our departure date, Mark Spicer and Melly our scheduler, came up from Gaborone to have a farewell dinner with the Maun staff. FMS had recently hired another pilot and Ralph is in the blue shirt pictured with the Maun team at dinner.

Our last Sunday at church was very special. Julie was able to award the students that had fully completed the discipleship study, with a special certificate of completion sent to Maun from the FM home office in Gaborone.

Julie had started with twenty teens, but only ten stuck with the 18 lesson course. Not everyone was in attendance that day, but the core youth were recognized for their commitment in front of the rest of the church membership.

After church there was a lovely "going away" luncheon.  Julie is pictured below with the woman who will continue overseeing the Sunday school program, and some of the children that attend.

We will miss Lily's first birthday on the 11th of June, but Cheryl dressed her in a special outfit that had been saved for her birthday so that we could see her dressed in it. The flowers on the front are embroidered.

After church, Pusetso spent the afternoon at our house before we all went to another gathering. She has become a part of our dear family in Botswana and has been living back in Maun since January.

At 3pm that same day, our missionary friends that moved to Maun from Mahopa had an afternoon tea as a way to gather others to say goodbye.

It was such an emotional day, as most of our closest friends shared about our time with them in Maun. Then, there was lots of great baked treats to share together.

Below is a "self timed" photo of those that were in attendance and who have become like family to us while living in Maun.

 Our last week in particular was so busy with dinners, group gatherings, and people stopping by to wish us well on our travels. People poured out their love to us and we felt so blessed to have had such caring people to share in our lives while in Botswana. A group of close friends even paid for Julie to be pampered a bit before returning to the states. She was treated to a pedicure and a day at the hair dresser with Cheryl. Below is a picture of Julie with Lily after having her hair done.

We are so thankful for how our time in Botswana came to a close. FMS bought our household belongings and will continue to rent the house and flats on the plot where we lived. After finally getting the parts to fix our car, it sold to good friends that desperately needed a better running vehicle. The sale of our household goods and car will be used to relocate someplace in Alaska, though at this time Julie is still seeking employment as a teacher with hopes of being on the road system. We would appreciate continued prayer for a position where we both can continue to serve and be used of God. As we continue on our journey we will post more about our travels, and update on where we end up in Alaska, once those things become clear.

Though it was extremely hard to say goodbye to so many people who  have grown so dear to us, we felt it was our time to leave and that we had been obedient to the things God had sent us to do. The devotional page to follow, from a booklet on "Experiencing God", pretty much sums up our feelings.Click to enlarge.

April 17, 2012

Over the last month since our last blog update, we have attended numerous social and spiritual events. Shortly after our last posting, we were invited to a belated birthday event for Jacob Kowalski. It was a full evening of food, fun, and film. As you can tell by the photo to follow, Jacob has been growing into a young man and was very excited to be the guest of honor at the gathering.
Since Jacob loves Star Wars, and the evening was to end with the showing of the movie, we enjoyed a meteor meatball meal.
Between the meal and desert, Julie had a few games organized using the ice cream ball. After filling the inside cylinder with a sweet cream mixture, the main part of the plastic ball was filled with ice and rock salt. Then the kids had to keep the ball moving to shake and freeze the cream mixture into a smooth frozen treat.
The kids had a great time mixing the rich mixture to eat with cake.
Then it was time to eat homemade ice cream, cake, and open presents before the movie. It has been such a privilege to be a part of this lovely young family's life while serving with FMS. It will be very difficult to say goodbye soon...
The end of March was the end of term 1 at Okavango International School, where Julie has had a weekly Bible club for the last three years. This last term, there was a regular attendance of thirty students. The picture below was snapped at the last club while the students watched a creative puppet show presented by the Kowalski kids.
Over the last few weeks of Bible club, it was really fun to have Cheryl and the kids involved. They brought in new songs and a "breath of fresh air" using puppets to share Biblical stories and principles.
During the last week of school for term 1, there was also an inter-school swim gala [competition]. Jacob Kowalski is now attending Standard 5 at the school, so Julie tagged along with the Kowalski's to watch the event. The campus at the school is in a beautiful setting and all the structures are so tastefully built.
Jacob is a strong swimmer and either won or tied each event he participated in. He felt good about doing his personal best, as is evident by his smile in the next photo.
Also at the end of March we had a visit from the Barker family, who are with FMS in Gaborone. Of course we had to have a family gathering for dinner at their arrival and even Kevin and Tim were able to attend due to a special charter. We really enjoyed our time with them and wish they could have stayed longer than a few days.
Easter was particularly special for us this year. Once again we were able to fellowship at a sunrise service set in a lush garden by the river, at the home of a long time resident of Maun. Our first Easter living in Maun was spent in the same way, and this was our last Easter while living here...
People gathered while it was still dark at 6am and the service started thirty minutes later while the sun was rising and the numerous birds along the river joined in song.
Ten of the students Julie has been doing a foundational Bible study with at church, were able to make it. It was only possible with help from a young Australian member of our church that went across town to pick them up at 5:45am. The picture to follow is of some of the teens with Julian who drove them.
The service was absolutely beautiful and a perfect way to rejoice in knowing our Lord has risen and lives. "Now this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3
After the service, there was a time of fellowship. While people mingled and visited, coffee and rolls were also enjoyed.
Our dear friend Angela and her son, continued to share their gift of music even after the service had concluded.
We were able to drive Auntie Edith to the service and have been so blessed to have her in our lives. We joined her for cake a little over a week before when she celebrated her 83rd birthday.
Lily was happy as usual despite being woken up early to attend.
Misheck is pictured in the middle with some of his Zimbabwean friends. Debra and Brian, Misheck's wife and son, have been visiting in Zimbabwe for a over a month now.

As the sun grew higher in the sky, people slowly went their way for the remainder of the day, leaving the still solitude to the songs of the morning song birds.

Later in the day we gathered again at the home of friends to rejoice in the baby dedication of Lily, and water baptism of Jacob and Abigail Kowalski. Lily is pictured with Cheryl below in a special outfit made by Keith's mother.
There was a time of singing with friends before an informal ceremony.
As friends, we witnessed Keith and Cheryl's commitment to do the best they can to raise Lily to know and love the Lord.
Then Abigail shared her faith and was baptized.

Jacob was next.

After the time of testimony, those of us gathered there had a "bring and braii" meal that lingered until after sunset. Unfortunately Colin could not attend the afternoon events, as he was scheduled for a full day of flying after the sunrise service...

The next weekend, we were able to host a Pastor and his wife for a night. They will be coming to lead the church we attend next December. It was a pleasure to spend some time with them on their visit.

The temperatures have been cooling down with the approach of winter, and it was an excellent evening for a braii and to share the many blessings we have experienced while living in Maun. Colin is pictured below relaxing by the fire while cooking the meat.

 Flying has continued to be very busy for both Colin and Keith; often they have had to be gone over night at Jack's Camp multiple nights a week. The nice thing has been that the camp management has been treating them more like the guests, and they have been able to enjoy the main lounge area and meals with the clients instead of staying in the back of camp with the staff.

 Custom tents are used and the lounge area is really a museum, with information and many artifacts from the Makgadikgadi Pans in the Kalahari Desert.

 The entire camp is furnished with antique items to give the appearance and atmosphere of the golden era of colonial safaris.

 In the next set of pictures, there are old photographs of the man the camp is named after. Jack Bousfield was a legendary big game hunter, safari operator, and pioneer adventure.

 Jack's son built the camp in honor of his father after a tragic airplane crash that claimed his life. The location was one of Jack's favorite spots to camp.

 In the next photo, notice the bare feet. This is still very common for men that have been or spend much of their time out in the wilds of the bush.

 Coming and going from the camp, Colin gets to enjoy showing clients wildlife when spotted from the air.

 This herd of elephants was from a recent flight to the Savuti area.

 Around town, Colin has been watching some young men building up a new roadside business. Possibly the spelling on the sign is another British version, but most likely it is a misspelling for "burglar". It looks like the "c" could easily be changes to a "g" though...

 Everyday as Colin has gone to and from town, he has noticed these two young men increasing their product to sell.

 A few days ago, Colin stopped by to check things out and the guys were very eager to show off their work.

 Around the airport in Maun, there has been a lot of foundational preparation for the construction of the new terminal. FMS is very close to starting the 737 program to help accommodate the increasing tourists that visit this area yearly. The other day, the new jet stopped in Maun on a flight check from Gaborone to Maun and back.

 It is a beautiful jet, and drew a small crowd on the flight line when it taxied in and changed pilots.

 Colin was also there as well as the airport manager, who is just now realizing the problems that will be occurring in the extremely slow security gate, when  trying to board a large jet full of passengers.

 Just for fun, click to enlarge to scanned column from our local paper. Not only is the first portion rather interesting about the King of Spain visiting for an elephant hunt, but the comments from two Canadian tourists are humorous in the middle section.

 So, "Only in Maun" can you go to fuel an airplane and find an owl poop full of mouse hair and a skull on the wing.

The months, weeks, and days are beginning to draw us closer to our departure date of June 1st. We have been busy not only with the usual activities in our lives, but also packing and planning for our return to the states. It is going to extremely hard to leave here after four years, but there are things we need to attend to and work towards in Alaska for the next few years...

Currently, Julie is still applying for teaching positions in Alaska and trusting in the Lord to provide a suitable location on the road system. We will leave Maun for Gaborone on 31 May, then depart Botswana the next day for Florida. After a ten day stay seeing family, we will continue on to Colorado where Julie will take two classes for 12 days to get credits for her teacher re-certification. Then it will be back to Alaska on 25 June. Hopefully by then, we will know where she will be teaching for the winter. Even if things do not come together as we are hoping, we know God has a plan fro us and hold to the many truths and promises in God's word..."And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches." Philippians 4:19 Our next post may be from American soil...We will see.