Introducing Hank and Cathy - a Daughter's Perspective

From the "pen" of Cyara, fourth child of Hank and Cathy

Growing up, we always knew that the day would come.

Ever since we were kids back in the US and Canada, my siblings and I knew that a certain portion of our parents' hearts had been cut out and left in the fertile soil of Southern Africa. They had left the US as a young married couple in 1974 to spend the next ten years as missionaries in Zambia and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). Though they left Africa richer by a lifetime of friendships and experiences, as well as four children, they also left a piece of themselves behind. We always knew that one day they would go back to reclaim that portion of themselves.

A few years ago, that day came, and our parents left to travel throughout Africa for six months of every year, teaching as they went. From South Africa to Kenya to Cameroon, their mission was to teach about marriage and family, enriching the lives and sharing God's love with those they met. Ever since then, they have spent six months in Canada and six months in Africa, falling in love all over again with that diverse continent.

Communication has improved greatly this year and last, and finally, Mom and I had the fantastic idea to start blogging about their travels. Though they only have sporadic internet access, my parents' lyrical souls compel them to write in detail whenever possible about their experiences. My job, then, as "blog moderator", is to make sure that you, their faithful supporters, family, and friends, get to hear the inside scoop.

So, although I always knew the day would come that my parents would abandon this continent for another, I never knew that I would be able to play so vital a role in keeping them connected.

Stay tuned: from here on out you'll be hearing all the adventures in the field directly from Hank and Cathy!