We had a great three weeks with Peter over Christmas vacation.
It was his last visit before he graduates from University. It was fun to relate to him more as an adult than as our little boy. He seemed to have matured a lot over the last few years. I got sick just before Christmas, so was in bed for a few days, but recovered enough to do a number of projects with him. I found it rather neat, because we were able to give each other advice on how to do things and work off both our strengths instead of him doing just what I told him to do. I’m sure in a few years I’ll find myself being the ‘go-fer,’ handing him the tools, while I watch him engineer the job. It will be interesting to see how God works in his life as he enters the work force this year in May. 
TWR asked him to consider a one-year short term here in Africa helping out in our computer department. He seemed very interested, but felt that he needed to work off some of his school debt first. Pray that he finds just the right job to use his computer skills.
On April 1st we will be starting a four-month furlough. We are now actively looking for a fuel-efficient car to purchase. We plan to do a lot of driving to visit and share the work God has called us to do with Trans World Radio. It has been fascinating to see the Lord at work in and around us.
The latest project I was involved in was replacing a 40-meter (120 foot) tower on top of a mountain near the capital city of Swaziland, where we have an FM transmitter and antenna. The tower is not ours, but we work together with another company and borrow space on the tower.
The old tower was done using unconventional methods and therefore I felt it was unsafe, so pushed to have it replaced. There was already a tower base about a meter (three feet) from the old tower, so we decided to use it. I’d never put up a tower so close to another one before, so I wasn’t sure what snags we’d run into. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how fast it went. Once the new tower was up, it was easy to reach over to the old one and remove our equipment. It also made it easy to take down the old tower, as we could use our new tower as a crane to remove pieces of the old one. As we started to 
take it down, a number of things surprised us. First, we found that the hollow legs were full of water! If you look carefully in the first picture, you can see water coming out of the cut leg. Secondly, as I was disconnecting a bottom guy wire and I pulled on it just a bit, it literally pulled apart in my hands! This meant that a strong wind could have toppled the tower!! We were doing the job just in time!
Work continues at our new Benin site in West Africa. We have had to push back the proposed on air date because of delays, but that is not totally unexpected, as many things are beyond our control. Presently, three containers are being prepared to be shipped; one with the MW transmitter from the Nautel factory in Canada, the second with a generator, and the third with antenna parts and other miscellaneous items. There is such high interest in broadcasting from Benin, that our proposed broadcast schedule is already full! Please continue to pray for this project to move ahead smoothly. TWR is putting its foot into a very dark part of Africa, so we are not surprised to see some resistance from the evil one.
Here are a few listener letters you might enjoy:
“I come from another religious background and my family hates Christianity. But my wife and I secretly read the Bible to our children each evening. We became Christians through your programs. Though times will be tough, we believe God will strengthen us.” –Tanzania
“My family has rejected me since they found out I am HIV-positive. I’m a Christian, yet my life has become a heavy cross to bear. But today something has changed – God is answering my anguish through your counseling and education program. My hope is renewed.” - Africa
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