Annual Bible Distribution at Princess Marina Hospital

It is a tradition here in Gaborone,Botswana that Flying Mission personnel will spend the morning of Boxing Day at the local public hospital distributing bibles to the patients who have had to spend their Christmas there. This year I was privileged to be part of this tradition.
I have to admit that the thought itself scared me...approaching total strangers and offering them a bible...what would say, how would it go? But like most things, the thought of doing something is much more terrifying than actually doing it. I was privileged to spend time with two men that received bibles. The first, Godwin was a middle aged man who had many complications from diabetes. He was very open to having a visit, and I was able to pray with him. A real peace settled upon us, and we were both grateful for our time together. The second man has a difficult multi syllable name which I can not remember, but I do know that he is about my age and had been in the hospital for about two months now. I knelt by his bed for about a half an hour, and almost the entire time, I held his hand. I prayed mostly silently for this man, and he wept from time to time.
I don't know what impact this day has had on my life, but I have been keenly aware that Christmas can be a lonely time for many, but that each of us can make a difference to someone.

The birth of a child

That's what we are supposed to be remembering this year as we run around to parties, go shopping and sing Christmas carols by the swimming pool (just rubbing it in - I heard about the -42*C last weekend). It's far too easy to forget about the real reason we have a holiday called Christmas. But I hope this year that we will take time to really reflect on what happened in Bethlehem around 2000 years ago... God came down to earth as a little baby. Why would the creator of the universe humble himself and take on the form of a defenseless baby - one that would depend on his parents for everything that he needed? Because he had a plan. It seems that God really trusted Mary and Joseph - and I guess that means he really trusts each one of us too. And if Mary and Joseph had a part to play in God's big plan for our salvation, it seems that he must have a plan for our lives that is bigger than we can understand too.
Since Johnathan died, we have been praying that God would use it for his glory, that he would indeed work good out of the situation. The fact that God sent his Son to earth to die for our sins, is the reason that we can have hope in the midst of a tragic situation like this. Johnathan has gone to Heaven to be with the Father. Yet we are still here, because God has a plan that is bigger than we can comprehend. We shed tears, and we grieve, but we also rejoice because of that.

Unless a grain of wheat...

Johnathan Reese Kowalski
Feb 16, 2007 - November 5, 2008

It is with great sadness that we must share this news. Our little Johnathan fell into our swimming pool and drowned this week. Cheryl, paramedics, and finally doctors worked to save his life, but were unable to.
We have been comforted by many here in Botswana, and by many through prayer, calls and e-mails. We are beginning to see the fruit of this accident in how our own hearts have changed, and how the lives of others are changing as well. One Botswana man told me tonight, "This happened for our sake. I am learning so much from this and my heart is changing". We are praising God for His goodness, and are GRATEFUL for the time that Johnathan was with us.

Happy Thanksgiving

It has been an unusual feeling to celebrate Thanksgiving sitting outside, beside the swimming pool of another missionary family. No there wasn't any turkey, but we did have chicken and pumpkin pie, and we were with a number of other Canadians. It was great to be able to celebrate a Canadian holiday together, as it is easy to become immersed in the day to day life of Botswana.

Jacob and Abigail have finally found a couple of friends including a boy from Zimbabwe, a boy from South Africa, and one from Germany. For this I am thankful, as I was feeling bad for them that they had not found any friends in the first 5 weeks here. I am thankful for the friends they have made.

Cheryl and I have also been making friends, and we are thankful for the people that we have been meeting. In particular, we have really connected with a seminary student from Zimbabwe named Terrance. He actually had a brother named Keith (who passed away a couple of years ago). He lives right in the neighbourhood too.

We are thankful also for the house we have to live in and the vehicle we drive. We have been given so much, and we don't have to drive very far away to realize that. We are thankful for the ones that we are able to help because our God cares for our needs so well.

Finally, we are thankful for our family and friends back home. Without your support, we would have never made it. Thanks for helping us all along the way. We continue to be blessed as we are able to e-mail and SKYPE now, and are able to remain part of your lives in spite of the distance between us.

We have a great big God who takes care of us and makes this all possible. For that I am truly THANKFUL. Oh yeah - did I forget to mention flying - of course I am thankful for that too!

It kinda hits home

A couple of days ago we were on a medical flight to Maun. When we arrived at Francistown to drop off the patient, we received a call directing us back to Maun. There was a six year old boy (Jacob's age) with a head injury as a result of a car accident who also needed to be transported to Francistown. I wasn't prepared for the emotions that I would feel when I saw this young boy, and heard his cries of pain. As well, although the hospital had bandaged his head, they seemed to have ignored the torn flesh on parts of his leg. I became very emotional inside, feeling what I can imagine the Father of this child was feeling. I prayed, asking God to allow me to do my job to the best of my ability, as I was the pilot flying this leg of the trip. I was there to do a job. My part is to fly the plane, the paramedics are there to care for the patients. Together, we can save lives - sometimes. (A few days earlier, the patient died before the plane got off the ground). We had a third flight to Maun - Francistown the next morning, and the paramedics took the time to check in on the little boy. I am praising God that he was doing much better, and the scan showed no hemorrhage on the brain - perhaps a miracle itself.

The public (ground) ambulances here are basically transport only, and provide no medical care for the patients themselves. It is boggling to wrap your mind around this, as it is so foreign from what we have back home. I am struggling to understand how a patient in critical condition can simply be loaded into the back of a truck and driven to the airport with no medical equipment to sustain them, but I have since been told that the clinics themselves often don't have much medical equipment. So without the airplane, many patients would not make it to the larger hospital, and would not get the care they needed. I am grateful for the lives that can be saved because of the airplane, and the (private) paramedics we transport.

I'm an Air Ambulance Driver!

I was moved today as I reflected on God's goodness and all that He is doing on our behalf. He has arranged for us to rent a house that is safe, secure, and affordable. This is a big God thing, because there is just not much available that meets those criteria here right now. I just got my paperwork, and already I have had two flights. I sat under the wing of the airplane waiting for the paramedics to return from delivering the patient to the hospital. It was then that it hit home. These medical flights save lives. That alone is worth being here. I had a real God day just realizing how he has been working things out - bring us to Botswana, providing us with a place to live, resurrecting my aviation career, giving us some options for vehicles, and just being with us. I was so moved by His kindness, as I thought about all these things. Then on the way home, He impressed on me to bless a particular street vendor with a little boy. We won't be able to help everyone, but we can make a difference to the one to whom HE sends us.

My First King Air Flight

This morning I went up for a test flight with one of the Captains who was checking out the airplane after some maintenance. As the non-flying pilot, I learned about the aircraft and called out the checklist for the Captain at his request. After a successful test flight, we radioed in to request permission to return to the airport. To our surprise, we were told we would have to wait. The President's plane would be arriving, and as such, the airport is closed for about 10 minutes on either side.
Since we had some time to kill, the Captain took the opportunity to turn the controls over to me so that I could get the feel of the aircraft. Flying today made me glad that I had just renewed my instrument rating back in Saskatoon. The haze over Gaborone was so thick that most of our flying was strictly on instruments. You could not see the ground for most of the flight. It was good practice on instrument flying, without all of the stress of being responsible for the entire aircraft. Then, once we got clearance, the Captain allowed me to fly the aircraft in. He even had me land the airplane, which was quite stressful, but went well.
I was supposed to do some actual training this afternoon, but then a medical flight came up, and the guys are gone for the rest of the day with the aircraft.
Speaking of training, Cheryl drove from "home" clear across the city yesterday. It is quite a bit different driving a standard (in the right hand seat),on the left side of the road, with the signals and wipers on the opposite sides that you are used to. Besides that, many of the roads are unfamiliar to us, so navigating with a map is mandatory. She did quite well, but will hopefully get some more practice before having to venture out alone.
We are waiting to hear about a house that we would like to rent - which may happen today. The cost and availability of housing is much like in Saskatoon - it is a hot rental market in Gaborone as well. We are currently living in a suberb, much like Martensville is to Saskatoon, and we are hoping to be able to stay out there as several of the Flying Mission families are living there as well.

Finally A hello from Botswana

Hello Dear Friends, its been awhile since we have had internet access that would allow us to actually post a blog.

Life in Botswana is wonderful right now. I have just written and passed my air law exam. I will be doing my flight training this week, and provided that my work visa comes through, will be on the flight schedule by the 15th of Sept.

We are living in the home of a family on furlough right now, and are waiting to hear from a landlord here who has been renting to another Flying Mission Family. If the rent doesn't go up too much, we will be renting the house of the Director of FM who is moving back to the US.

Cheryl and the kids have launched into another year of home schooling and things so far are going well. The kids have adjusted well, although we have not met many families with kids yet. That's a point of prayer for us.

Grocery stores are plentiful, and there are stores / shops that carry pretty well anthing you need. There seems to be things that you might only find at one or two stores (kids bikes for instance) but we are still very blessed here. We also were able to pick up some housewares at a church thrift shop, which runs on Monday mornings.

We are getting around Gaborone nicely in Flying Mission's car right now, and are in the process of finding a different car to purchase.

Life here does not seem that much different from Saskatoon in many ways. Although, it always gets dark before 7 and you tend to just stay home after that. All of the expats (foreigners) and many of the Botswana tend to live behind walls, with electric wire, and often a dog in the yard. The locals call this "stop nonsense".

Most of all, we are missing our friends and family back home. We have not been able to get on SKYPE yet due to the internet situation, but have had several phone calls back and forth. There are very few land lines here, and everyone has cell phones. The cost to call back to Saskatoon is 6 pula ($1) a minute, but texting here is next to free. I'm not sure if anyone in Canada has recieved the text messages I sent...haven't heard yet.

It's the end of winter here, and temperatures are much like what we had in Saskatoon when we left. I have seen 2 monkeys up by the airport, and there is a small game park right by Gaborone that we are going to check out. They apparently don't have lions, but who wants to get eaten for lunch anyway. I've been told that when you go to the big game parks, animals are in charge, so drive carefully.

I'll sign off with a few pictures. God Bless

Hey, click on the image to the right to read this article from the Living Light News.

Bless You!

9 Days left, How did we get there so Fast?

Well, the headline tells the story...only 9 days and counting to our departure for Botswana. The last month or so has been a fleury of activity, and now, we're almost there.

We have been richly blessed by so many people who have joined with us in this journey. Thanks for all of the encouragement, the finances, the suitcases, and the help packing. It has been great sharing meals and laughter and tears with so many people.

Our prayer is that we would be found faithful, and it can't happen unless we are daily drawing near to the Source of our Salvation. I must admit that my faith journey is not what I would like for it to be right now. Yet I trust that this season will pass, and I will walk closely with my Savior again.

"two are bettter than one for if one falls the other will lift him up again" thank-you for lifting us in your prayers

Blessings

Eastend, Waldheim and Govan

It's been a busy couple of weeks. Besides packing, which is / should be our # 1 priority, we have done a fair amount of travelling as well. We made a very quick trip to Eastend, attended four nights at the Waldheim Missions Conference, and camped for a couple of nights with Keith's family.
We had the opportunity to speak at Waldheim, and I'd like to talk a little about what we shared. It was about God's faithfulness. This was our third annual trip to Waldheim for the Missions Conference. The first time, we were fresh out of MAF Orientation, the 2nd, we didn't know what was going on in our overseas calling, and with the third, we were able to say we were leaving in three weeks for our first posting! We are now seeing God's faithfulness through the whole process. God's goodness overwhelmes us and what has seemed like an impossible task, has been made possible because of the many who have shared with road with us. The generosity of our friends and all who have given is cause to believe that "His Kingdom come and His will be done" is a reality.

Boxes and Suitcases

If you drop by the house these days, that's what you'll see - boxes and suitcases. As the days are quickly passing by, we are preparing to leave our home behind. We moved into our house when Jacob, now 6 1/2 was only a couple of months old. We have since brought two more Kowalski babies home and have also watched them growing up here. This place holds alot of memories for us - our growing family, the friends who have shared their lives with us, our family who has been so supportive of us. And now, the fluery of activity to pack the lives of five people (including three growing and changing children) and leaving behind what we will not be able to take - giving away, selling, sorting, storing. We ask for your prayers as these are the decisions that have to made throughout the day...we really need wisdom. And please pray that peace would surround our home and our lives as we go through this process. Most of all, it is my prayer that we would be able to take the time to spend with those who mean so much to us, while we still have time left here.

Keith

Our Flights are Booked!

It's official! We step on the plane August 21, for the start of our two year term in Botswana. The flight takes us from Saskatoon to Toronto, over to England, down to South Africa, and up to Gaborone. We arrive two days later (due to the time change) and arrive the afternoon of the 23rd in Botswana (Lord willing). In total we will be travelling for 21 hours in the air with around 16 hrs of layovers in 3 different airports. We covet your prayers as we prepare for departure and especially as we make this long journey.

Alberta Trip and Family Time

55 Days and Counting

We suddenly realized that we don't have weeks left anymore, just days. Sure, we could count the weeks, but when you think about it in terms of days, it puts it into perspective. Only 55 left and counting...and we know how quickly a day can go by. So, we want to make the most of what is left, because too soon it will be gone.

A couple weeks ago we left on a road trip for Alberta. First we went to Drumheller and visited the Royal Tyrell Museum (the kids favorite part had nothing to do with disnosaurs!). We stopped in on a couple of MAF families in Three Hills and were very encouraged. Then, off to Red Deer for a nice visit with my Aunt and Uncle. We headed down to Claresholme for a wedding social for Cheryl's niece. Next, we were off to Airdrie for a night with some friends who spent a year in Nepal. We went North to Edmonton and visited with several families. On our way home, we stopped in Derwent and Lloydminster to visit two other families. It was a great trip over 8 days covering 2100 km. Phew, I'm tired just thinking about how busy that was. We had a great trip and were richly blessed by the great connections visiting with so many friends.

The True Nature of Christ

Allow me to introduce to you my hero. She turned 95 this week, and she's my Baba. She's an amazing woman who reflects the nature of Christ. Her extravagent love is a true reflection of the heart of the Father.
I remember when I was young sitting with her in the kitchen early in the morning. It was always my special time with her, before everyone else got up. We would have a cup of tea together, she would fry me some perogies for breakfast, and we would talk. I reflect back on this time together. She was my safe place - I never felt less than, never felt inadequate. These were some of the best times of my childhood.
I am honoured that we could celebrate her 95th birthday together.
Keith

Flight test passed!

The past month of working toward my multi-instrument flight rating culminated in one beautiful spring day this week, when I flew for my flight test. I wanted to be able to say I aced it, but can only say that God's grace was with me, and I passed. I guess that I should stop wanting to rely on my own skills and abilities. There is no good in me, but only what God allows me to accomplish. I guess we should celebrate that the grace of God is always enough!

And we know that God works all things together for the good...

Can anything good really come from a snowstorm in late April? The answer is...yes, absolutely.

I have started doing my multi-engine instrument training, and although I tried making my bookings far ahead, it was uncertain how I would be able to get the right bookings (because the flight school was so busy). I needed to start this week in the simulator, and managed only a couple of bookings to start with. Well, wouldn't you know it, a winter storm came along and all but cancelled two days of bookings at the flying school. Suddenly I was able to pick up a couple of extra sessions in the simulator. As a result, I am now ready to get started in the airplane for the actual flight training. I continue to trust that the One who controls the weather will indeed work all things for the good.

God's Timing

We were accepted by Mission Aviation Fellowship as outgoing missionaries in May 2005. So what have we been doing since then? Well, we started gathering a team of prayer and financial supporters. Then, we went through some cross cultural training, had another child, went through a church split, a job change, and alot of confusion. As time went on, we weren't really sure how to proceed. At one point, almost had given up on MAF. As we prayed about it, God was strangely silent...or not so strangely. The fact that God wasn't saying anything new wasn't a bad thing. We realized during this time, that he hadn't changed His mind, and didn't feel like He had to repeat Himself. So we waited, knowing only that we were called to go somewhere, sometime, but not knowing when or where. So we waited...and carried on with "normal life". Kids, work, kids, kids, kids...

This past Feb., we came back from a restful family vacation to Edmonton...and found a very important e-mail waiting for us. We were asked to consider a two year posting with Mission Aviation Fellowship, loaned out to Flying Mission in Botswana (a common practice in mission circles). We prayed, and felt that this was the right opportunity for us. So, we accepted the position, and have been preparing to get over there.

What do we need to do to make the move overseas? Well, we are sharing the need, and have been gathering prayer and financial support already. We have started selling off and giving away un-needed items. We have begun getting vaccinations, and have started to cherish the last moments we have with each of you. We want to make the most of our time left here, realizing that thing will never be the same again. We will miss our falily and friends, but we know that this is what we are called to do. Yet before we go, we hope that our times together will make rich deposits in the lives of each other.