From:Mark and Debbie Blosser
          Your Missionaries in Swaziland


July 2001


Mark, Debbie, Peter, and Ira Peter is Home Again! Yes, our son Peter arrived home from school in Malaysia and will be here for about two and a half months before starting at a new school in Kenya, called Rift Valley Academy. We are trusting the Lord that he will have a smooth transition in his new school. Debbie and I will be taking him there in August. It is great to have him home again! He is hoping to help out in the office with the computer department. We also hope to do some things together, like take a few weekend hikes. He is finding it quite cool here, since we are just getting into our winter season and he came from a warm, muggy climate.

Group photo
A sign showing the altitude
Mark and Debbie in their tent
A Wonderful Vacation! What a wonderful vacation Debbie and I had at the beginning of May with two other couples with whom we work, Ray & Sandy Alary and Chuck & Darlene Saunders. Both of these couples are about our age, have two kids and our kids have left home--that is except for Peter who comes home between semesters. So we have a lot in common. We had hoped to camp out most of the time, but due to the cold and rain we experienced at the start, we opted for a cabin and a backpacker's lodge for a few nights, leaving us with only two nights in the tents. In this part of the world we are going into our fall and the trees were beautiful, somewhat like we would normally see in October or November in North America. It was so beautiful and invigorating, especially since Debbie and I have not seen a fall in years. One of the 'man' things the three of us men did was to climb the tallest mountain in southern Africa. It turned out to be a longer hike than what we were told, so our wives were getting concerned when we didn't return when we said we would. Of course, we felt like old men the next day! This vacation trip took us high up into the Drakensburg Mountains, into the country of Lesotho, which some call the "Switzerland of South Africa." The last night out we camped at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in South Africa. What beauty -- similar to the southwestern United States, with interesting mountains and fascinating strata!

God Intervenes in Thefts: We had some excitement at the transmitter site. Twice, in just a few weeks, our tractor was stolen. The first time they didn't get far, as the hydraulic system was damaged while they were trying to drive it through the bush country, making it impossible to steer. The second time, the tractor was found close to the South African border. But again, the thief had problems driving in a heavy fog and drove it into a cement ditch from which he couldn't get out. We are thankful that in both cases the Lord caused the thief's plans to be foiled. We've had very little problems like this in the past, as the transmitter site is so far from the main road. Needless to say, we are working at trying to make the site a bit more secure!

In a second incident, one of our FM suitcase transmitters was stolen. (We have four in different locations; this one was very remote.) Since these transmitters are covered by insurance, it was turned in and a new one was ordered. However, soon after the new one arrived at our headquarters in the US, the stolen one was found in some bushes and the thieves were caught and reprimanded. Trans World Radio notified the insurance company right away and was told that the stolen transmitter now belonged to the insurance company. Since the old transmitter was here in Africa and we could make good use of it, an offer was made to buy the old one from the insurance company. But the insurance company answered that they would not accept payment, instead they would donate it to us even though it was still in good working condition. So as you can see, what the Devil intended for evil, the Lord turned into something good. Isn't it encouraging to see how the Lord works in these situations?

Today I attended a funeral of the mother of one of my African co-workers, Albert. It was an interesting cultural experience with a lot of good African singing and not a lot of weeping and wailing like I've seen in India. They even asked me to speak at the end of the ceremony! I shared about the hope we have in knowing Christ and how attending a funeral makes us think about whether or not we are ready for what we all must face some day. And that is what Trans World Radio is all about.
Your partners in Africa,

Mark and Debbie Blosser



Read about Trans World Radio at : www.twr.org

Field Address
Mark & Debbie Blosser
P.O. Box 1652
Manzini, Swaziland
e-mail: mblosser@posix.co.sz
Rhonda's Adress
Rhonda Blosser
402 N. Indiana Ave.
Goshen, IN 46528
e-mail rhondabear@juno.com
TWR Headquarters:
P.O. Box 8700
Cary, NC 27512-8700
U.S.A.
http://www.twr.org



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