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Kowalski Christmas Chronicle 2016

Hers`s our latest newsletter!
February Kowalski Chronicle

Its a Kowalski Christmas (Letter)

Just click on the link above to view our latest news.  Have a joy filled Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hi everyone.  Hope that you are enjoying your summer.  We have moved again - here is our latest newsletter to prove it - lol.  Click on the link below to view our newsletter.

Kowalski Family Newsletter July 2015



The map above shows Maun in the north of the country, our home for the last  years, and Gaborone on the south east corner, our new home since March.  Our newsletter tells more of the story.

Also, if you didn't see our March newsletter, please let us know, and we can make it available to you too.

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.

A Wheelchair for Miesorela!

Meisorela sitting in front of his house with his new (borrowed) wheelchair.

Rejoicing in the yard when we got home. (My house is the white one you see in the background)

The neighbours washing my truck to say thank you.

This week was another busy one, but I managed to make some phone calls and did some running around, asked some friends from church, sent some emails, checked some directories, spoke to some other missionaries, looked in some catalogues from medical suppliers, with one goal in mind, to get Mieso a wheelchair. It paid off when finally I was put in touch with the Lutheran Thuso Rehabilitation Center. Occupational therapists assist people with disabilities at this non-profit mission organization and was told that if I brought Meisorela in, they could assess him and determine what he would need.

It was quite a ways away and off the beaten path, so after sloshing through some deep mud puddles, getting lost, getting better directions, we finally arrived. When I got there, some women told me I couldn't be helped because I didn't have an appointment, but I boldly repeated what I had been told on the phone 2 days earlier and insisted that I would not leave without a wheelchair. I was determined! (I saw a few wheelchairs lined up against the wall in a corridor and had used one of them to bring Meisorela inside)

A technician kindly told me that they had nothing and no funds at the moment because they relied on donations only. He showed that me some of the materials he could use to make him a custom made crawling device, but was out of the plastic and the liner. I insisted that a wheelchair with sturdy wheels would be best. His leg needs to be out of the dirt. (I had even considered welding him one myself, or getting Kieth to.)

Eventually, a caring and kind gentlemen came to tell me that Meisorela could borrow one of Thuso Centre's wheelchairs for a month.
Hallelujah! He also gave me a number for a medical supplier in Gaborone as well.

Things were looking up.

Next, I attempted to get the wheelchair into the trunk of the Corolla and it wouldn't fit. Then, I tried the front seat. It would be a tight squeeze and I had a wheel at my throat but I was determined. After all that, I couldn't, get the car to start.

I called Keith who was working at the office, and he came. While we waited for him, I sat down, exhausted, with a book that was in my purse "Oxygen--Deep Breathing for the Soul" and started to read it to Petunia (his 10 yr old niece who's been coming with me to the hospitals and clinics to help lift Miesorela in and out of the truck, and to translate). The scripture that it happened to flip open to was from Luke, and we read the story of the friends who went to all that trouble to get their paralyzed friend lowered through the roof to see Jesus. The Lord spoke to my heart...and I received a promise to see Jesus work a miracle as a result of my obedience and effort. (I think Petunia heard from God in that moment too. Of all the 206 pages in the book, this was the story we randomly opened to.

Keith arrived and we switched vehicles and he managed to get the corolla running again. (He knows it's quirks)

When we drove into Miesorela's yard and started unloading the wheelchair there were smiles, squeals of delight, and much celebration. No one in the family expected it was possible, and it was beyond their means to even dream of such a thing!

Rejoicing in the yard when we got home. (My house is the white one you see in the background)span style="font-weight:bold;">All things are possible for those who believe! When they thanked me I said "Thank Jesus. He made this happen." Then I attempted a traditional Batswana happy dance with MmaBepi and the girls. Today was truly a day to celebrate!

MmaBepi noticed my muddy truck, and with tears in her eyes, she offered to wash it for me. She was so grateful. Several others from our neighbourhood, of all ages worked together on it. I could hear singing, and rejoicing, and laughter, as they worked.
The neighbours washing my truck to say thank you.

And I looked over and saw Meisorela grinning from ear to ear.
Meisorela sitting in front of his house with his new (borrowed) wheelchair and happily chatting to his nieces.

"Pure religion before God the Father is this, to care for widows and orphans in their distress. James 1:27a" I thought of all of our support network and was filled with awe, we couldn't be here without you!

UPDATE!!! It's been 2 weeks since he has had his chair and the wound on his leg has healed up!

Caring for Meisorela

In an earlier blog and newsletter, I introduced you to our precious neighbors from across the street. I had prayed for MmaBepi last December, and when Jesus miraculously healed her, I have been called to pray for all of the injuries and infirmaties that cause distress to the family.

One morning(April 16th), MmaBepi and 9 year old Petunia came over and told me that Miesorela (MmaBepi's blind and extremely crippled nephew) had sores on his leg. When I got over to pray for him it was worse than anything I have ever seen. Looking at his leg, the wound was so deeply infected and looked so pussy and sore it almost made me cry. He sits in the sand all day and I think sometimes has to drag himself through his own excrement. I did pray and annoint his leg with oil for healing, but let's just say I was feeling empty and didn't have the faith for a miracle. I knew he needed medical care.

My immediate response was to gather Jacob and Abigail into the front seat of the truck and I hefted Meisorela (with 9 year old Petunias help, Keith was away flying) into the back seat. We drove to the private Hospital because it was a Saturday morning and it has seemed that doctors are only there every few days and not on weekends. The first question I was asked when we arrived was "Who will pay for the treatment?" Of course I would. It was not anything I wouldn't do for any of my own children and this man is God's dearly loved child.

They scraped out his wound (a sloughectomy) I think they called it, and gave me the antibiotic prescription and pain meds to have filled. I had no idea what the whole thing would cost, but Keith had just taken out money from the bank, so I was trusting that what I had in my wallet would be enough. Thankfully, the bill was less than I thought, (under $200 Cdn) and I was given instructions to bring him back every 2 days to have the bandage changed and the wound cleaned.

Every few days we repeated the process of lifting him into the truck, (he weighs about 40kgs, I think) but now it was to the government hospital which is closer, and covers his dressing change. Once there, I have to track down a wheelchair (which could be left anywhere) so we can get him inside. I started asking questions. "Has anyone ever given you your own wheelchair? Would that be helpful for you?" His emphatic yes was news enough that I had another job to do; track one down for him.

The next week I couldn't take him till evening and was scolded by the nurse and sent away because she had told me the last time that dressing changes are only done in the mornings. I tried to explain again, that I just was not able to take him in the morning. Disappointed, we returned him home without being helped, and I was getting very weary.

The next morning, Keith was flying again (it has been a very, very, busy month flying) so I had to bring Jacob and Abigail to the hospital too. The line up was painfully long and Jacob was experiencing extreme culture stress seeing all of the sick and wounded (and probably just looking for an excuse to get out of doing schoolwork too). By the time we got home I wanted to scream! I decided then, that I would just buy the dressings and change them myself at Meisorela's place and it would not be so disruptive for my Jacob and Abigail. (I had watched the nurses a few times and was confident that I could do it.) When Keith got home the next day, we discussed and felt the dressings and the wheelchair could definately be a worthy Johnathan's Seeds project.

Another 2 weeks have gone by, Meisorela is continuing to heal (a slow process)and I am still working on getting him a wheelchair (also a slow process). The healing is impeded because the bandages are always full of sand from Meisorela pulling himself crawling.

I actually took him back to the hospital when I saw the wound looking worse again. I had run out of the dressings I had purchased, and I secretly hoped the doctor would admit him so that his leg would have a chance to heal, and that he would be given a bath. But that didn't happen.

My friendship with the family has reached a new level and it had occurred to me that I would let Meisorela help us learn Setswana. We will read to him from the Setswana Bible and have a notepad and paper handy so we can write down and remember other things He, MmaBepi, and little Azalia say. And with little Petunia to translate sometimes, I really believe I will learn some of this language that has seemed so impossible to grasp up to this point. And, Meisorela's value and worth is increased in the process. I can just sense how much he wants to give to us because he is so thankful. I really think he will be a patient and gracious tutor!
Isn't God neat?!

Now that's Refreshing

You wouldn't have guessed it, but you can go camping with 22 elementary school children and still come back refreshed. This past weekend, we had the opportunity to go camping with a group of kids that regularly attends "bible club" at their private (non-Christian) school in Maun. Jacob, Abigail, and two of their home-schooled friends were also invited to join in the bible camp weekend. Cheryl and I helped where needed, and also led some of the praise and worship times. It was a real blessing to be with this group of kids and encourage them in their faith. There was plenty of fun and laughter too. And yes, we did come back tired, but definitely refreshed.

A real live safari experience

In the middle of March, Cheryl and I had the opportunity to stay for three nights at the tourist camp that I regularly fly to. It is called Jack's Camp, and is located on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans, a series of salt pans which offer surface water to migrating animals at this time of year. The highlights of the trip include watching the migration of 100's of zebra and wildebeest as well as sighting a herd of antelope called the oryx for the first time in Botswana. We were catered to very nicely, but left the camp exhausted as they kept us going from morning to night. As local residents, we would have preferred more down time, but I'm sure that paying guests prefer to get their fill of wildlife. (We stayed for free - a once in a lifetime - or at least once in several years perk we get for flying for the camp). I flew several guests to the camp, along with Cheryl, and we then safaried with them and flew them out to Zambia, before heading back home to Maun. We feel blessed to have had this experience.

Giraffe by the runway

There is just something so exhilerating about looking out the window and seeing a giraffe by the side of the runway as you land the airplane. It's not something that happens all of the time, but when I am flying into the Delta, I often see some type of wildlife. I didn't have my camera with me this time, but I'm not sure that I would appreciate another picture of a giraffe as much as I do the actual experience itself. God has made some amazing creatures, and I am so glad that we have the opportunity to see these ones.

Keith

Mom, Can We Keep Him?

While we were out bike riding this morning, Jacob saw a Chameleon on the road who was about 20cm long from nose to tail. When he stopped for a closer look, the little guy climbed into the spokes of his front tire. Then came the dreaded question every mother of a young boy must hear...

“Can we keep him?”

What could I say, both looked so cute. Jacob gave him a “ferris wheel” ride home while the poor thing clung for dear life, and now we are the owners of a Chameleon.

Our spunky Abigail was the brave one who picked him up and put him in the pail.

There's water flowing from the tap!

Even here in Botswana, water was something that we mostly took for granted - until recently. When we moved into this house in August, the landlord agreed to provide water by means of a "jojo" tank. He was responsible to haul water and keep the tank from running dry. Well, we had a couple of close calls, but somehow there was always just enough to keep us going. The promise of "city water" was fulfilled in early January, several months later than promised, but very welcome, none the less - that is until the water supply became very erratic. In the last month, we have had water on during the day about 1/2 of the time, but its been about ten days since that happened. Now, usually, the water will go out in the morning and come back in the evening, but on Sunday the water went out altogether and did not come back on at all (thanks to an electrical storm, power outage, and water supply issue). So, we have been going out to the jojo tank and filling 5 liter jugs to provide for our bathing, washing and flushing needs. The jojo, however, is almost empty, and since the plumber cut the pipe from the jojo and promised to come back and reconnect it a month ago, it had not been refilled whenever the water was on. After bathing in 3-5 liters of water for each of the last 3 days, you can imagine my delight to hear the water runing this morning - even though it was 5:30 am. I did what any sensible person would do, I jumped up, had a shower, ran a tub for Cheryl, and stored water for flushing. The good news is that the plumber is actually coming back today to reconnect the jojo tank, and we will be able to use that as back-up water supply after this. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that the internet was down for two days, and the power was also out for about 12 hrs? The things we take for granted - well not as much any more!) - Keith

Pretty To Look At, Tasty To Eat

This fella is a Mopane worm and we are finding lots of them in the yard these days. The interesting thing about these LARGE, spikey, caterpillars is that the locals EAT them! Fried in oil, I am told they taste a lot like termites. Then, when I naively ask what termites taste like they say "Like salted peanuts, only mushier."

I think I will save them for the locals thank you very much.

Its Like Pulling Teeth!

Abigail lost her first two teeth bravely, all in a span of one day! As soon as the first one was loose she asked Cheryl to help her pull it out...with pliers! When she discovered that kids can make money on lost teeth she wanted the one beside it pulled out too. (it was a bit loose) I wish everything out here was as easy as pulling Abigails teeth!