Raymond & Audrey.

He was 22years old, handsome, dressed in a starched white shirt, neatly pressed cargo pants, safari hat as he stepped off the train many miles and days away from the comforts of home, college and the women he loved.  For the next months he would travel by bus, truck, car and foot through the bush from village to village spreading the gospel, administering medicine and education to the village people. His guide  who he met for the first time as he stepped off the train, once a village chief was his translator, driver, mentor, navigator, savior and friend.

This young preacher had the voice that reached the summits of mountains, that travelled through the air like the ripples of harp strings they captured your heart like the crushing sound of waves and then lifted you up and moved you like a Sahara sandstorm. The birds stopped singing, the elephants graciously waived their ears, the giraffe elegantly raised their necks further towards his voice, and the springbok hopped and jumped like dances to the music of his voice. The people sat under shelter of the trees, women one side, men the other with the children in front and  translators voice in tandem with his.

Learning every day that it was not his to teach the western ways but to embrace their culture and to earn their respect and give them stories of life beyond their village and to some day return with stories such as the  day a huge snake fell out of a tree while he was preaching making all the women grab their children and run. Stories of meeting other young westerners teaching of food in cans yet not having a can opener to get the food out and it not being part of their palette  of food group. Stories of sitting by the camp fires listening to the great elders talking of their forefathers and traditions. There were days that the rains would flood rivers making them impassable, no roads to follow just a tribal scout who would find a place to camp out for days.

The adventures, the people, the bush would become this young handsome mans home but first he had to go back home, marry the women he loved and bring her back with him to the place he loved, where she learned to love and where they were both loved by many.

She was 19 he was 23 as they set off together to their new home. She was beautiful, soft spoken but strong willed yet gracious. She was the rock that fully supported this young man restless adventure through Africa.  Together they travelled many miles and adventures. Together they raised three children…..my brother Vaughan myself and my sister Linzi.

Our mothers voice we still hear often through the harp strings of our heart. Our fathers voice has aged however, still strong and reaches the summits of mountains, booms like the waves, moves across the sands and still makes us sit up and listen to his stories of a handsome 22 year old adventures of Africa, Europe and United States of America.