As we left Paris and took a ship from Bordeaux and headed down the coast of Africa, we and the Arnolds travelled together, along with the Bowers family headed for Guinea and also a single lady for Upper Volta as well as another single person for Gabon. Interestingly enough, Arnolds and we were friends and colleagues all through our forty or so years of service in West Africe. We saw them often in Côte d'Ivoire, we retired about the same time and we now live in Toccoa and see them at church here. That has been a long time relationship! The Bowers did not even make it through their first term, She was a basket case from day one. Her husband would have been a good missionary but because of her fears, they returned to ministry in the States before their first term was up. He was an Alliance DS for a time, probably retired by now.
We had also started out with a single lady who did not make it through France as her former fiancé came over and claimed her and they left France and got married, never to be heard of again. Carolyn Wright went to Burkina with us, spent a term there and during her furlough year went back with a guy she used to date and they married and the last I knew lived in the Nyack area. Grace Nelson from Gabon was long term in that country, had a great life, retired when it was time and continued ministry in her home church in Washington state.
When we arrived in Burkina, Carolyn was with us there and my parents were our first colleagues there. Grandpa was field director and they were in charge of our language study. It was nice having grandparents live near us for you girls and they used to come often to our place for a meal. Whenever we had a morning of business or shopping to do in Bobo. we also ate the noon meal with them before driving home. After they left the field, Tom and Doloris Burns lived in Bobo while he was field director, and again we had a good relationdship with them long term.
The Mali and Burkina were one field at that time and Ralph and Ruth Herber lived in Sikasso, across the Mali border from Burkina. We found in them kindred spirits, using current missionary methods and we always enjoyed visiting with them, whether in Bobo or Sikasso. We were all in language work and we read (the then new) Practical Anthropology which was published quarterly. Ruth has now gone on to Heaven and Ralph is in his early 90's I saw a picture of him recently on FB and would never have known him!
We had the good fortune of having for colleagues some of those of our own family. The Albrights were located in Mali, but were part of our larger field. And Uncle Dave and Aunt Margot were first (for a very short time) in Mali at the Bible School, and then lived in Bobo and did field-wide youth work. Having family around was always fun and we tried to spend time together around the yearly holidays. We were always careful to also include the non-family colleagues who lived in our areas, in our times together. Uncle Dave, Uncle Jim and Dad all saw eye to eye on mission policy and working with the national church, and so they had lots of discussions when we all got together. It is interesting that Uncle Jim lives right here near us in Toccoa, and Uncle Dave and Aunt Margot are less than two hours away, so we see them regularly too.
Rollo and Joan Royle joined us in the work among the Bobo when they arrived on the field. I have to give them credit for living as a family in very cramped conditions in order to learn the language and get in with the Bobo people. They and their two boys lived in the little guest house (where you girls had your bedrooms earlier on) and it was crowded with a family of four. They took it joyfully, and we made a good team together. Eventually they built another bedroom on the house and this gave them expanded room for sleeping when their family was home. Joan always referred to our housing setup as "the big house and the slave quarters"!! When we left on home assignment they moved into the big house and the singles (Peggy and Karen) lived in the slave quarters. When we returned from HA, Dad was elected Field Director and we moved to Bobo. We lived both on the mission compound and later on in various houses arund the city, to be near our work there in the Bible School, translation work, etc. All of us were (and are) long term except for Karen who barely stuck it out one term. She came to the States, got married, had a son but the marriage did not last long - we lost track of her. Jetty also joined our team and she and Peggy have had a long term working and living together relationship. which is a delight to see.
In Bobo, when we lived in the director's house, the Kauffmans were our neighbors across the yard. Such great people, we loved them and had a deep relationship. Their boys and our boys were also good friends. In the small bookkeeper's house behind the Kauffmans, there were a series of bookkeepers who occupied that little house. Betty Canberg was there for some years, and you boys used to love it when she invited us over and made meat and vegetable fondue. Barbara Douglas was bookkeeper for a while, but she had a nervous breakdown. We had several other short term women - I can think of at least four! - but none of them lasted long. We had one dear gal, and she was so homesick when she first arrived. When I realized this, I used to have her come often for meals, and would tell her just to come any time and hang out at our place where there was plenty of activity. Once in a while, she wanted to repay our hospitality and would take us out to dinner at the Eau Vive in town. She would always give money to Dad ahead of time to pay for the meal - I guess she thought that men should pay the restaurant bill!
Clousers, of course, became colleagues as well as family. They endured more than most people in the living situations they had. But it paid off as they stuck it out, then built their own place, and were able to establish a work among the Dafing people group which exists and grows to this day. They still visit and also do evangelism in that area. Courageous people - we salute you, Debs and Steve!!
Peter and Judy Colman were longtime colleagues in the city of Bobo. We taught at the Bible Institute together, were neighbors in the city of Bobo and were good friends. Peter and Judy were(and are!) both very talented people. They continue to have a good ministry in the Chicago area and teaching in other countries of the world.
From day one Neysa and Esther Cowles were neighbors, disciples of mine and dear friends. They lived next door to us for years, and they and I used to teach together in TEE and ladies' ministry. Esther went back to ATS, met Andrew and they married and came back as a family. And again from the beginning they were close friends and cohorts in ministry. Today Esther still carries on in many of the ministries in which I was involved and I look forward to seeing her (them) again soon! They are just like a part of our family and we dearly love them. Neysa and I travelled and taught together a lot when we were together in Burkina. Some of the African pastors called us Paul and Silas because we often travelled together doing teaching seminars! Neysa returned on furlough with us at one point, and she stayed in the States and married. No one had heard anything of her for ages - but recently I discovered her again on Facebook! I had a cheerful note from her - wish we could get together again and catch up on each other's lives. She is in Ohio.
Family, colleagues, friends - our lives have been enriched by so many people during our days as missionaries. I have not named them all. And these kinds of relationships have not stopped since our retirement. Again, God has provided for us good colleagues and friends, with whom we work and pray together for the extension of the Gospel in Toccoa, where God has placed us, and in other parts of the world in which we have invested.
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