June 12, 2008

Dear Friends,

We cannot believe how much time has passed since we wrote last. It feels like winter is here, with snows in the high mountains, and here in the “lowlands” (5,000 feet!) frost is on our breath in the mornings and evenings. Deep winter is still a month away. It has been almost a year since we moved to Lesotho, and we find our roots slowly growing into the soil and culture of this beautiful land.

Frank meeting with villagers in the Democratic Republic of Congo during his recent trip.

Frank is just back from a month-long trip which took him to Tanzania, Kenya, Congo, and Ethiopia. The contrast of his meetings struck him hard. In Tanzania he was meeting with the leaders of 14 Christian health associations of Africa together with the World Health Organization, the Global Fund, and others. Held in a beautiful and comfortable resort hotel, the discussions centered on macro interventions and the efficient disbursement of millions of dollars to impact the health of nations. By contrast, at the end of his trip, his meetings in Ethiopia were held under a lone shade tree with two or three village chiefs asking for help with a clean water source, or enough food for the extra children in their care. He feels privileged to have the opportunity to examine such important issues from diverse perspectives. His local tasks with the Christian Health Association of Lesotho and the National Orphan Committee help keep him busy when home.

Nancy changing a baby on the floor of the baby room at an urban orphan-care program called Ministry of Insured Salvation, where Nancy has recently joined the board.

Besides caring for the four children still at home, Nancy has been volunteering as secretary to the little United Church where we attend. Her duties include basic bookkeeping, typing correspondence, and producing a monthly newsletter. The congregation has no pastor or administrator at the moment and volunteer lay leaders are “standing in the gap.” The head of the church council is a Sri Lankan dentist. His elders and deacons are from Gambia, Liberia, Lesotho, and Namibia. The congregation has 30 nations represented and has its own set of challenges. It was started 100 years ago by a group of very open-minded Presbyterians, Methodists, Anglicans and Dutch reformed Christians! Nancy has also joined the board of an urban orphan-care program called Ministry of Insured Salvation. It has some huge challenges facing it, namely seeking to improve standards of care, while the director and founder is not always cooperative. There are 105 children in the program. They range from infants to upper teens. Please pray for these children and for wisdom for those of us in leadership positions, to know how to proceed appropriately.

Nathan (turning 22 this summer) is with us for a few weeks, and we are all enjoying having him around. He is on summer break from Montreat College, where he is a rising junior, studying Bible and missions. While here, he is hanging out at the Mission Aviation Fellowship hangar and learning a lot about airplane mechanics and the flying doctor service. In fact, he flew up into the high mountains yesterday to help install a satellite communication system at one of the health centers, and will return today. We look forward to hearing about his adventures there.

Moses (also turning 22 this summer) is studying Art in Germany on a semester-abroad program from University of North Carolina-Pembroke. His classes finish on July 19. He plans to travel around Europe a little bit before returning to the United States in early August. He is staying with a German family, has met a very nice Bulgarian girl, and has been playing soccer on the local men’s team, so all is well in his world.

Jessica (turning 20 in September) is a rising junior at Davidson College and is spending her summer in Malawi working with the Livingstonia Synod AIDS Program. She is happier at Davidson, after a difficult start. (We think the Wildcats’ run on the NCAA basketball championship this spring was a big help!) After Malawi, she is headed to Switzerland for a semester in Geneva, studying public health and French. We know she will have a rich experience there.

Photo of a smiling Katie in the front see of a shiny white car.

Katie (turning 18 in July) will graduate from Rift Valley Academy in Kenya on July 12, and we will all be there to celebrate with her—thanks to Frank’s frequent flier miles! She is very much looking forward to returning to the United States immediately after graduation and doing all kinds of fun (adult)  things like getting her drivers’ license, registering to vote, and maybe, with Mom and Dad’s help, getting her first set of (used) wheels! She has been accepted to Montreat College, and we are glad that she will be near her brother and grandparents during her first year of college.

Andrew loves riding Basotho ponies.

Andrew, Alifa, Isaac, and Jackson continue to grow and grow. Andrew (11) is becoming increasingly intrigued by girls, but also finds them scary and incomprehensible! His real preoccupations are developing a six-pack, riding horses, and playing soccer with his friends. Alifa (10) is our girlie girl. Her tenth birthday party in May was a profusion of pink with a Barbie doll theme. Five friends from school came for a “bring your own Barbie, sleepover.” They watched Barbie DVDs and played dolls until well after midnight. Isaac (5) has really enjoyed school this year, learning to recognize and write letters and the sounds they make. He keeps Jack (3) firmly in his place, explaining that he has “homework” and must “color in the lines,” which Jack will only be able to do when he is “big like me.”

Alifa (second from right) in uniform with four of her friends from school.

We had a visiting group from University Presbyterian Church, Chapel Hill, with us recently and were reminded again of our wonderful network of support in the United States. We love what we do and are privileged to live and serve on this incredible continent, but it is you who keeps us faithful with your prayers and you who keep us present with your support. Thank you, thank you!

With love from all of us,

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 30