Prior to moving here, we count ourselves privileged to have spent 12 retirement years in Africa. Firstly, we went to the Kenya bush with AIM, completing phase 1 of the first secondary school for the East Pokot tribe. Successful Literacy and Evangelism programmes were set up in all the local churches for uneducated local people at the same time. Then further north in Chalbi desert, Roger joined a colleague to pipe water 5 miles down a canyon from a spring on Mount Kulal, to support life for nomadic herders. A village sprung up around the water and the guys built a church, pastor's house with its garden in the desert, and an airstrip, which enables medical clinics to fly in to this remote place. Streams in the desert...the water still runs, 20 years on and the church prospers...

From there we joined Flying Mission in Botswana. In the midst of the AIDS pandemic, Roger built an orphan daycare centre in the village where we lived. I worked with youth from the local vocational training centre in the same village, using the daycare building for a youth gathering weekly, with games, food and, most importantly, Gospel teaching and testimony, assisted by Flying Mission pastor, Pastor Nwako.We used the Jesus film in the local language to reinforce the messages. 2 students from Church in the Barn in Penrith, came out for 3 months to show the love of God to the youth and children alongside us. In that time Roger also set up an office complex for Flying Mission in Gabarone.

Within a few months we began a new work in Zambia. Roger, as Project manager, drove us up, together with a recently widowed lady from our home church in Testwood, southern England. We 3 worked to turn a farm house into a home for the first pilot to be stationed there; also cleaning the land, activating services and enabling a runway and simple hangar to be operational for mission flying in that very rural country. We moved up to Zambia permanently in 2006 and further developed that plot, as well as setting up runways and housing on other mission sites around the country. It was exciting to be enabling missions, hospitals, orphanages and Bible colleges to be linked quickly to Lusaka and to each other by plane rather than by the rough roads. A 3 hour flight or a 2 day drive in rainy season? You choose! Medivacs, transport for visiting missionary volunteers, logistical support, evangelism, conservation, and more, are on the agenda for our pilots. I loved being in the different settings, working with local children and women to help them to manage their challenging lives with income generating schemes and get to know Jesus better for themselves. At the Lusaka base, we held weekly Bible studies for the workforce, 6 soccer teams practised weekly onsite; there was a weekly Kids Club, and a Women's Bible study and handwork group, which sold their products to feed their families. A Guest House was set up in the original farmhouse, providing visitors with simple but comfortable accommodation and meals. Volunteer teams who come from the West still enjoy its Zambian hospitality.

We remain in touch with friends in all those venues thanks to WhatsApp, and continue to invest in them in prayer and practical advice, facilitating financial support as we are able. If you are interested in knowing more, or want to get involved, we are always delighted to tell more about our friends. Thanks for taking time to read about them here.

Sally & Roger