One Year Later

The Didinga Team
From left to right: Bill, me, Deborah, Tianne, Amber Janette,
Shawn, Carly, Elly, Deborah Danny and David

June 19^th marked the one year anniversary of our Didinga evacuation. Here's the latest on the team:

Amber returned to the States in late August and shortly thereafter reunited with her longtime crush, a man who had just 'coincidently' returned early from a two year assignment to Sri Lanka. They started to date, were engaged by New Year’s and married on May 1, 2010! In the future, they are looking forward to serving as a married couple on the mission field.

Deborah returned home in early August to attend the weddings of two of her brothers. After an extended period of seeking God, she accepted a position in Philadelphia. After a brief time in Guademala learning Spanish, she is currently working as a nurse practioner at a Christian medical factuality which aims to meet the needs of the areas high Hispanic population. Ironically, her first day on the new job was June 19^th, 2010 – the exact day of our Didinga evacuation.

Shawn and Carly still feeling lead to be a part of a TIMO team, joined ‘the coast’ team in January. After years of wanting to start a family, they welcomed their first child, Elias James, into the world in early Spring.

Dustin and Ann have spent the last year and a half in Canada after leaving the field early due to Dustin’s immediate need for back surgery. Though their circumstances have not been easy, they have seen God’s provision, as Dustin’s back slowly heals and they prepare through extended Bible, nursing and farming classes for their hopeful return to Africa.

Almost immediately after our team’s end, Bill was asked to share his many talents at the TIMO headquarters in Tanzania. Due to continued work visa issues, Bill plans to return home to Canada in July. He will move to the UK this winter and marry Catrin, a fellow AIM Sudan missionary he met here on the field, in February.

Janette, our former roommate, still feeling called to TIMO, filled a last minute opening on the Madagascar team. The island life suites her and she is thriving in her position at a local university. She loves her new team and will be completing her first full year in Madagascar this August.

David and Deborah spent the last year teaching theology at Daystar University, located just outside of Nairobi. In May, they returned home to Pennsylvania. David is working on completing his doctorate, while Deborah goes about the business of making a house a home. Their son, Danny, finished his sophomore year at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya and is looking forward to getting his license and playing soccer in America.

In January, most of the team met up in Nairobi for a brief reunion. It was exciting to see the evidence of God’s loving hand when reflecting on the circumstances of the past year. While the team’s premature end was hard to understand, it is now easy to see God’s perfect timing and personal direction in each of our lives.