Hi everyone,

We are embarking on something new, and attempting to post our newsletters on the blog.

Hope you enjoy it!

Kowalski Chronicle Christmas 2014

Back in the saddle

Well, we've been "home" in Botswana for almost two weeks now. The suitcases are unpacked and stored away, the goodies have all found a home on the shelves, and the kids are back into activities and home schooling. It seems that furlough came and went so quickly, and here we are, back in full swing. I (Keith) started back to work after a few days, and am now attempting to establish a new rhythm to life. You see, work was almost all consuming in the first half of the year, and then we slammed on the brakes, and I had no real work responsibilities for the next 3 months of furlough. Now that others have been carrying the torch (work wise), I am attempting to find my niche, and not just re-assume the massive workload that had once been mine. I think there will be some growing pains as I determine what things are mine to pick up again, and what I can leave to others, who have been doing the work while I was gone. In the meantime, we are re-connecting with the gracious and lovely friends that the Lord has blessed us with on this side of the Atlantic. It is a challenge to change frame of mind, and live our Botswana life, while our hearts still have residue of Canada calling out to us. We pray for the grace to fully engage wherever the Lord has us, that we can bring glory to His name.

The Grace of God

You've heard it said that things don't always go the way that you have planned. Well, that couldn't have been more true for our trip back to Botswana. We had a decent itinerary planned which saw us leaving last Thursday, arriving in Johannesburg Saturday morning, spending the day with our dear friend Alrike, and flying home Sunday afternoon to Maun. Well, we did arrive Sunday afternoon as scheduled, but that was about the only thing that went as planned. Our parents bid us a tearful good-bye as we went through security about 13:00 Thursday at the Saskatoon airport. We got on the plane as scheduled, and settled in for our hour long flight to Calgary. Well, the plane pushed back from the gate and spent an exceptionally long time doing what seemed like engine runs. Then, the Captain announced that he had an indicator light signifying a malfunction. We would be going back into the terminal and waiting for them to figure out a plan. "Please collect your luggage off of the baggage carousel, and return to the check-in desk for further info." What???!!! So with Jacob and Abigail's help, we dragged our six carry-on bags, and collected our eleven suitcases off the baggage carousel, and returned to the starting line. Now, our parents had long since gone home, and we were in a holding pattern at the check-in counter. You see, it may be easy enough to find space for one or two people on different flights, but we were going to miss our first connecting flight, and so the entire itinerary had to be re-booked... for six people. Air Canada did a great job of taking care of us though, which started with food vouchers while we waited in Saskatoon (6 hours), and included a hotel room in Calgary while we waited for the next flight to Toronto....yes, we had to go to Calgary, to get to Toronto. We had a surprise blessing on the leg to Toronto, as Air Canada had given us prepaid meals on that flight as well. Why do I mention this? Well, you see, when we travel, we try to do things on the cheap. We will buy a kind of minimum amount of food to share, and wait for a more economical option. So, when we each were given the ability to each order a complete meal, it was a real blessing. It is also difficult to keep everyone hydrated, and fed, so when the food comes to you, it works much better. We were routed from Toronto to Munich, Germany (7 or so hours), and seven hours after that, flew to Frankfurt, for our connecting flight to Johannesburg. We had been given another set of meal vouchers by Air Canada in Toronto, and attempted to use them in Munich. The restaurant would not accept them, but suggested that we approach Lufthansa to exchange them for us. Well, here was God at work again, as our fifty dollars were transformed into fifty Euros. Now the Munich airport is quite expensive, but with fifty Euros, we managed to eat like kings, and even have ice cream for dessert. We made all of our connecting flights, and every piece of luggage arrived along with us. We had a small hick-up in Johannesburg, as we waited for our car seat to arrive at the place we were told to pick it up. It ended up coming on the normal luggage belt, which we discovered, after waiting 1 1/2 hours for it to appear at over-sized baggage (all the while being reassured that this is where it would be sent). It made our connection time tight, but we made it just in time for our final flight home to Maun. We were the last folks off of the airplane in Maun (typical for this family of six), and were surprisingly escorted to the middle of the line for immigration, while others stood outside in the scorching heat. Checking into the country went well, and we were greeted by Mandy, one of our co-laborers in the field. At the end of a long (72 hours) journey, we found ourselves back in Maun, ready to launch into the next phase of life (after some much needed rest)!

Still hanging on

Well, August disappeared on us, and we are already half way through September. We had a wonderful trip through Red Deer(visiting my aunt) to Salmon Arm (Cheryl's Aunt), Kaledan (Cheryl's nephew), and Fruitvale BC (Cheryl's sister and her children's families). It was wonderful to see so much family after four (or more) years! We arrived back in Saskatoon at the start of September, and have been running ever since. We have a house in Saskatoon, and our renters moved out, allowing us the opportunity to do some upgrades and repairs. And suddenly, we are faced with the inevitable trip back to Botswana. We originally intended to travel back in November. However, South Africa passed a law-starting Oct 1 - which required all travelers with children to carry the unabridged birth certificate...not usually a problem. Well, we couldn't find Lily's birth certificate before we left Botswana. Our amazing HR manager in Botswana tried numerous times to get the certificate for us, but because of technical problems, did not succeed. So, with Oct fast approaching, MAF decided we better get back before the new law takes affect. Wouldn't you know it, last Friday, our tickets were re-booked for September 25th(with a financial penalty), and Monday morning, our HR gal managed to get the birth certificate. Not only that, but Monday afternoon, South Africa announced that it would delay implementing the law until June 2015. Well, the Lord must have a reason for this all. So, we are headed back to Botswana a week from today. Knowing that our time was shortening, some lovely people from our church in Saskatoon decided (in August) to host a dessert night, in order to give us the chance to share our ministry with a larger group of people. We had a lovely time with a great bunch of people, and a lot of great desserts. Thanks to everyone who attended, served, gave, and prayed for us. The evening was a huge success! So, with one week left to go, it will be a whirlwind of activity, as we finish renos, pack up, and say goodbye again to all our wonderful family and friends. We are excited to go back to Botswana, but we are going to have to hang on with all our might to get everything done.

Hitting the road and holding on.

Well, August seems to be our month for travel (include the end of July too, I guess). We have driven over 4000 km so far, and are just getting started. Saskatoon - Regina - Saskatoon... Saskatoon-Waldheim(x5)-Saskatoon (next time we'll stay in Waldheim)...Saskatoon-Sherwood Park-Legal-Sherwood Park-Legal-Sherwood Park-Edmonton-Sherwood Park-Edmonton-Sherwood Park-Stoney Plains.....well, you get the picture -lots and lots of time in the car. It's funny, but our time in the car is some of our most treasured time as a couple. We get to sit side by side, hold hands, and even talk to each other for uninterrupted minutes at a time! I also love to spontaneously belt out Praise songs - even if I don't know all the words. It helps to make the time pass too. On the horizon, we've got Regina again, and a big BC tour. Can't wait to strap the kids in and have some time "alone" with Cheryl.

Waldheim Missions Conference

Two nights have passed.  It's been a great missions conference so far.  Brian Doerksen is leading worship into a sweet place.  The speaker has also been very good.  He is speaking on the missional heart of God....going where God wants you to be.  My heart has been challenged to step out of my comfort zone and extend myself into less comfortable places....to reach the unreached.

Please pray for our family and especially for Cheryl.  She is speaking Tuesday (tomorrow) morning at the ladies coffee time.  We appreciate your prayer cover.

Re-entering the world of the Blog - the heart of the Father

Last night, I had the privilege of spending time with a young couple whom we have known somewhat in passing. It was great to get to know them better, and share in the journey that they are on. They shared with us a scripture from Malachi 4:5-6...the last two verses of the Old Testament. "Behold, I will send Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction." As I pondered the scripture for awhile, I came up with a few questions. (1) What does it mean to be a father? (2) Why is God so concerned about restoring the hearts of fathers to their children and children to their fathers?...Will that hold back the wrath of the Lord? Eph 6:2 says, "Honor your father and mother"(this is the first commandment with a promise), "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." The inverse of this of course is that if you don't honor your father, it will not go well for you (the striking of the land with utter destruction?). "Fathers do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." In order to protect the children from judgement, they must honor their father (and mother). Knowing this, God instructs fathers not to provoke their children to wrath...and further, to bring them up in the training and discipline of the Lord. A child who is brought up in the ways of the Lord should, by default, be equipped to honor his father. So, the role of the father is to love, train, and discipline, and the fruit of this is a child who honors his father. Psalm 68:5 says, "Father to the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation." We are instructed to imitate Christ, and He only did what He saw His Father doing. Therefore, I suggest that we should also become fathers to the fatherless, as followers of Christ. Finally, we, as earthly fathers reflect the image of our heavenly Father (so don't provoke your children to wrath - if they reject you, they will likely reject God too). For those without earthly fathers, we can become that example / image of the heavenly Father, by coming alongside younger men, as spiritual fathers.