Greetings - we are Rod and Lynley Talbot, missionaries to Africa. I, Rod will be writing in the first person and try to get Lynley to submit some blogs as we go along.
Well, here I am entering a new experience of blogging. Don't know where this will lead to but I hope to begin writing of our experiences in Africa over the last 27 years.
Africa has been good to us - sent to us to develop and shape us as we attempt to serve the Living God as we live out His calling in our lives. The people of Africa are its wealth, its ongoing legacy.
We first discovered Africa on a two week visit to Botswana and South Africa over Christmas and New year in 1979/80. We didn't know we would be coming back just 3 years later to live and minister in Botswana for 25 years.
Lynley and I had married in April of 1978 in Auckland, NZ and become involved in our local church ministry as Sunday School teachers and later leaders of the Sunday School. We also became involved in leading a Home Group for about 15 adults.
Lynley's sister Noreen was serving in Botswana in the late 70's and we wanted to travel overseas in late 1979 for a few months. Some family members offered to lend us some money if we would include Noreen on our travels. That's how we came to be in Africa in 1979!
We spent a week in Botswana enjoying the heat and the mid summer rains which were falling at the time. We had time to travel out to Kumakwane to see the remains of David Livingstones house and go onto Kanye on the old dirt road, returning via Lobatse. This was our introduction to rural Africa and Botswana.
The second week we traveled down to meet with Bob and Helen Bailey, at that time serving at AAST (All Africa School of Theology) in Witbank running the printing press there. Most of the staff were away being the holiday time but I can remember watching the African weavers building nests out the back of their house and experiencing the countryside around Witbank. It was a most enriching time but we never dreamed we would be back as soon as we did.
Africa drew us back into its bosom and allowed us to bring our children up there . More next time!
Rod Talbot
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OOh! So exciting - I can't wait to keep reading this. AND you write well - you've become quite the romantic in your old age :) I love you hugely, thanks for my history xxx
ReplyDeleteAimz
DAD!! This is soooo exciting! I really love it! Being the most impatient Talbot daughter, when will there be more? more more more?!
ReplyDelete***this is the 8 year old Rach(aka Skwirt) running out the door asking if you have any presents!***
Dad you are amazing,
In the words of Aimee Talbot:
I love you hugely, thanks for my history xxx
Rach
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ReplyDeleteYAY! this is AWESOME! i can scrap my inadequate chapter on the talbots in bots now and just direct any curious people to your blog. i am ACHING here to hear more, so keep writing. for everyone, but mainly for us three. we need to hear it. i love you dad.
ReplyDeletein the words of Rachael Talbot:
"In the words of Aimee Talbot:
I love you hugely, thanks for my history xxx"
lol, Jessie May
I didn Know I had a folowing. And that my first blog was that good. Daddy
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