Another of our horses has died...

Hi to you all from Windhoek!

Stirling and I came down to bring Aimee to catch her flight back to Canada and to do shopping for our annual missionary retreat. We are currently waiting on the large tent we’ve ordered as the meeting tent. It should be here on Friday! Please PRAY that it will come on Friday as we are anxious to get home – NO – PRAY it will come early! Like tomorrow – that would be better!

We got word from Tchincombe today that another of our horses has died. SIGH. It’s the horse that Jeffrey had chosen as his own. They found ‘Trinity’ dead in the pasture. It’s hard to be here when we know the kids are feeling sad! So we’d appreciate your prayers for them that the enemy will not be able to use this to turn their hearts away from God or make them afraid to love!

Please continue to pray for Fran Gralow who’s coming to work in Bible Translation. She hoped to be here by the end of May but actually lacks about $400 of monthly support!

Pray for the meetings at Imbondwe this weekend. We’ll not be attending but a team from Tchincombe will go and so will a team from Lubango! Continue to pray for open hearts!

Pray for our missionary conference which is July 13-18. That we would experience rest and renewal!

Thanks for partnering with us in prayer!

In Him,

Donna

We do feel loved!

Dear Friends All,

THANKS so much for all your prayers and for the many hugs that have come our way! We do feel loved! The biggest shock about Strider is that he didn’t look sick. One minute we realized he was sick and the next 5 minutes he was dead so we had to preparation time mentally. The greatest loss is for Stirling because Strider was big enough for him to ride. He was one of the few large horses around. On top of everything he was very gently even though he was a stallion. Again we do appreciate your understanding.

PRAISE! On a positive note Aimee has made wonderful progress with the other horses that we have. We received 8 horses from a farmer friend. Our idea is to choose 4 or 5 to keep and four to train and sell (in order to pay for the 4 we keep). The horses were delayed on end arriving (nothing new for Angola) but in the two weeks since they came Aimee has managed to catch and halter and lead them all. One is ready to ride and another will be ready soon.

On Saturday Stirling and I will drive Aimee to Windhoek where she will wing her way back to Canada. Please pray with her and with us as she contemplates the possibility of returning to do more horse work and to work with youth here. Our desire would be YES, YES, YES please do come back!! But we know that it must be the Lord’s YES first!

While in Windhoek Stir and I will be shopping for Spiritual Life Conference which is July 13- 17. Please pray for Pastor José Abias who is our speaker that God will prepare him to share with us what’s on His heart! SLC will be held at Tchincombe again. It’s a joint retreat for missionaries from various organizations and for our Angolan colleagues. Pray for Stir and I to be able to plan well so that we can enjoy the retreat as well. Pray too for the team coming from Canada who will be doing the cooking and leading the children’s worship. Pray that we’ll all REST and have FUN!!

Jeffrey and Meghan will be staying with our MAF colleague/friend, Brent. They will be holding down the fort and taking care of all the critters and keeping on with school!

PRAISE! Herbs got a two year multiple entry visa. This means that next year they will be able to plan their trip and come without the uncertainty of waiting for a visa.

PRAISE! At the Bicuar preaching point there were 40 people. Our church here is excited about this outreach. Since it is closer than Imbondwe it is feasible to send a team every week.

PRAY for the Angolan Embassy in D.C. Visas delays are costing lots of time and money for those wanting to come and be a help here in Angola. Dr. Nick Comminellis is supposed to be coming to relieve Dr. Steve Foster so that he can participate in SLC but Dr. Nick still doesn’t have a visa!!!

Thanks for your partnership in the Gospel!

With much love from Angola!

Donna for all of us

Sometimes the adventure isn’t fun

Dearest Friends and Prayer Partners,

Sometimes the adventure isn’t fun - one never knows what the day will bring - our horse, Strider, suddenly died this morning!

I feel a bit worn out so here is the story in Shelley’s words –

“a sad thing today - and it may seem a bit frivolous to some of you - but it is a real part of the warfare for our joy here - my brother Stirling's horse died suddenly this morning from what appears to be African Horse Sickness. What is especially sad other than losing a family friend and pet, is that the horse had just finished being trained to ride and Stirling had just ridden him twice. It is a big blow to our sense of joy when such things happen, but we know it is, as I mentioned, part of a warfare . . . Please pray for Stirling in particular during this time of grieving over this loss.”

Aimee has spent many hours training Strider and done such a wonderful job – pray for her too – she was at the beach this weekend and will only be finding out now as she returns from the beach and then here to Tchincombe tonight.

We only realized Strider was sick after Stirling left to go to town for fuel. Stir will only be back late tonight. There are long line ups for fuel. The fuel company is having a hard time keeping up with demand in terms of transporting fuel from the port.

Someone also just came and said that one of the ladies here (Cristina) has just started with a miscarriage. Please pray for her and her family. Pray that the bleeding will stop. Pray for wisdom and strength.

The Herbs were granted a visa but it was too late and so they have postponed their trip till next year. Pray for their peace of heart and mind. They lost quite a lot of money because of cancelled tickets, etc.

Pray for us too as we work through these disappointments!

I will praise him – though the mountains fall into the sea and all around me is dark – I will praise his name!

Donna for all of us

Stirling and Jeffrey are haying today

Stirling and Jeffrey are haying today – we are dreadfully behind because of breakdowns. Aimee, Meghan and I are getting life organized to go to Imbondwe! Stir should come at noon to eat then we pack and leave!

PRAY for hearts to hear and receive God’s Word and love into their hearts! Brent, our MAF colleague, is coming as usual and he is bringing a new MAF family along so that’s exciting and encouraging. PRAY for Steve & Peggy Foster – they are crazy busy these days with med students and other medical visitors coming and going!

PRAISE – the Hall Family got their visas and are here in Angola!

BUT please CONTINUE to PRAY for the Herbs – they still don’t have received their visas! If they don’t come by next week they will have to cancel their trip - L!

In Him,

Donna for all of us!

The Herbs and Halls DID NOT receive their visas last week!

Greetings from Tchincombe! The Dry season has come! It was 11º C (52º F) this morning! The air is dry. Harvest and haying are in full swing!

The Herbs and Halls DID NOT receive their visas last week! Please PRAY that they would be granted this week!

Today we go to Lubango to meet with the rest of the SIM team, SIM Int’l leadership and the UIEA leadership – meetings are tomorrow.

Jeffrey and Matt will stay here and take care of the critters and do their school work. PRAY for them as they take on this responsibility.

Aimee is making great strides with Strider! She is riding him now and helping him to be confident. Meghan is enjoying her lessons on Star very much. Continue to pray for safety! Aimee is a great blessing to us!

At the end of February a mapping team came from SA. Their project is to map the national parks in Africa. We ‘happened’ to meet them at the petrol pumps in Namibia and gave them our contact information in case they needed help or advice on mapping Bicuar which is a national park that is 45 minutes from us. They contacted us and Stirling accompanied them to Bicuar for two days. On that trip the game guards of Bicuar having heard that Tchincombe was a mission asked Stirling if someone could come and do services there! Stirling took a group from Tchincombe Church twice before we went to Namibia. A team went while we are away and another team went yesterday – Stirling didn’t go because we are traveling today. Yesterday there were 30 people that came to the service! We are excited that the Believers here at Tchincombe are excited about this outreach. Pray for open hearts!

Now there are two preaching points to pray for!! Imbondwe and Bicuar!

Thanks so much for your partnership in the Gospel!

In Him,

Donna for all of us!

Please PRAY for visas for two families

Hello again from Tchincombe! Please PRAY for visas for two families:

Brenda Herb and her son, Brandon are dear friends of ours from Raleigh. They were supposed to be traveling Monday to start their journey here BUT they have not received their visas! They have had to delay their departure please PRAY that their visas are granted on Monday or Tuesday.

The other family, the Halls, are a family from Greensboro that are coming out to visit Peter and Shelley Duplantis. They fly a little later this month but they too have not yet received theirs visas.

It’s always a huge encouragement to us to be visited by friends and supporters so please do PRAY that these visas will be granted! We know that nothing is impossible for God!

New Pictures!

Sandals for a real man! Notice the long horns!

First Potluck at Tchincombe Church

Bridge! We decided not to use it!

Lunch on the way to Cavango

Camping at Imbondwe - sleeping on roof rack is easier than putting up tent!

Meghan & Aimee

Village elder from Imbondwe

Hay field at Tchincombe

Wire for fencing

Poles for fencing

Strider #3
Aimee & Jeffrey working with Strider

Meghan and her piano

Strider #2
Strider

Strider #1
Strider under saddle

We spend a beautiful sunny day at the beach. Encountered this rain on the
way back to Lubango. Rain in the desert is always welcome!

Around the bridge - YEAH we made it!

Going around and not over the bridge

Going around the bridge looked safer than going over!

Into the Land Rover and then on to Cavango where Peter and Shelley will be
working

Out of the plane

Waiting for the MAF plane to arrive at Chinhama. The Land Rovers are

waiting to take people and supplies to Cavango.

This young monitor lizard dropped in for a visit. He likes warming himself
on the top of our wood fired hot water heater!

Waterholes on Tchincombe are full!!!

Benches in the bush.

Fueling up in the bush! This is the fuel pump that has been half way between town and Tchincombe. You can imagine how long it takes to pump 1200 liters! These pumps have recently closed so we are back to driving 4 hours for fuel!