Here's a picture or two of Sam - our new truck!

Clinic - a mom and two sick kiddies and Nurse Rode - Shelley's best friend out at Cavango

Listening to a baby

Preparing Iron and Fansidar for the maternity patients

No good segway from maternity to Hippo's but we were excited to see a couple of hippos in the river!

Next Angolan Open Champ in the making!?

Duplantis Update, Aug 3, 2012

Dear Friends,

After 5 months and 10 days away, over 22,000 miles traveled(air and ground) and some 30 different beds slept in, we are finally home in Cavango!  Kids came pouring out of their huts, running to greet us and yelling "Cili Wino! Cili Wino!" (Peter's tribal name that means "it is good") bringing tears to our eyes as did the bear hugs we received upon getting out of the vehicles.   It was a warm welcome home!

Today we have spent catching up on the news of the mission and clinic and we are told all is well.  We had been warned not to expect too much from the clinic as one of the main nurses had to leave in June, but instead of bringing the clinic down it seems to have caused the remaining staff members to pull to together and carry on with renewed vigor and they have seen even more patients!  A quick reveiw of the statistics today shows that they registered 60 patients for July and a few months ago they were only getting about 10, so that is a huge blessing!  With the "bad apple" out of the barrel it seems that there is hope and vision and the patients even sense it.  Please do pray for us as we want to start some weekly community outreach clinics for maternity and children, and include an evangelistic outreach with this, so no doubt there will be increased spiritual warfare. 

Praise, too that we found all our "personal" interests in order too - the dog, the cats, the house, the garden are all doing well having had the very good care of Tio Isaque - or Uncle Isaac - who agreed to be the "guard" while we were gone.  He is a huge blessing - trustworthy and hardworking - so praise the Lord for him as well.

Well - that's just a quick catch you up!  Thank you for your part in all that we do - I wish you could get to see the delightful happy faces greeting you too! 

Running the Race Together,

Peter and Shelley Duplantis

Advancing the Gospel in Angola, Inc

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

Reaching the poor and needy of central Angola for Christ by providing logistical support for Church and Clinic ministries through hospitality, transportation, education and services, by raising awareness of their need, and by raising funds for projects.
 

Duplantis Update, June 26, 2012

Dear Friends,

 

It's hard to believe, but we leave for Africa on July the 2nd - less than a week away!  We covet your prayers in the last visiting, collecting of necessities and packing, as well as for safety and smooth travels.  We are so blessed to have so many praying friends and feel God's Peace and Presence in these last few days.

 

We had a great trip all around the eastern portion of the US and into Canada returning to Greensboro on the 7th of June.  These last couple of weeks have been busy with an A.G.A Board meeting, a birthday party for my sister, Sheila, shopping, a wedding in the mountains and lots of visiting!  We still won't manage to see everyone, but we have had many Divine encounters certainly in response to the daily prayers to have our steps directed by Him.  We have had a few pledges made - Yay!!  but still would love to see more come in before we return....However we know it's really not our problem - it's God who takes care of all our needs! 

 

We haven't heard any news from Cavango since we've been gone - so we trust that no news is good news.  Please continue praying for the Pastor and the Clinic staff as they try to keep plugging away - that they won't "tire of doing good".  We are looking forward to getting back there but it probably won't be until the end of July as we have a conference to attend in mid July. 

 

Again, we thank the Lord for you and your faithful prayers and support!  We definitely couldn't be there without YOU - our "team" - behind us!! 

Running the Race Together,

Peter and Shelley Duplantis
Advancing the Gospel in Angola, Inc

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

Reaching the poor and needy of central Angola for Christ by providing logistical support for Church and Clinic ministries through hospitality, transportation, education and services, by raising awareness of their need, and by raising funds for projects.

www.duplantisdialog.blogspot.com

www.hopeforangola.org

Duplantis Update, May 26, 2012

Dear Friends,

We are currently in Westfield, Indiana - just north of Indianapolis.  We are about half way through our "tour" of family, friends and supporters that reside outside of North Carolina and it has been a wonderful time of fellowship and encouragement all along.  We have really appreciated this time of getting to know so many of you better.  We have a much greater understanding of the sacrifice so many of you make to support us and other ministries and that has been very humbling.  We also have a greater understanding of the difficulties many of you face these days in North America - financial, political, social, not to mention the Church.  It has given us much "food" for prayer.  Please continue to share your prayer needs with us as we want to be a part of your team as you are a part of ours!

 

Some of you are new to our "team" and these updates, and some of you have been receiving them for so long you have forgotten how it all started - so attached to this email is a pdf flier that tries to summarize the history of and work at Cavango Mission......

 

Specific Prayer requests for us for these next few weeks:

1.  Continued safety in travel

2.  That we would be a blessing to friends and family as we continue visiting

3.  For Dr. Bob Foster's Memorial Service on June 3rd in Brantford, Ont to be glorifying to the Lord.

4.  For A.G.A.'s Annual Board Meeting on June 9th in Greensboro - for unity and clarity of vision

5.  Pledges to meet regular monthly ministry needs "budget" - fuel, vehicle maintenance, internet, Cont-Ed, Livingstone House guard when we are away. - total up to 865.00/month

6.  One time gifts to meet need for a new vehicle....( still need 40,000USD)

7.  Project needs - motorcycles for pastors(1000USD can get a new motorbike for a rural pastor), continuing construction and development of church, clinic and house, as well as micro-enterprise projects.....(let us know if you would like any more info about any of these)

 

Donations can be made by check made out to, A.G.A. Inc and mailed to, 25 Maple St, Addison NY 14801 with Acct 01002 on the memo line or mention a key word of any of the one-time projects.  You can also donate online by going to the website www.hopeforangola.org and clicking on the "just give" icon and following the directions and choosing Duplantis from the scroll down menu.

 

Running the Race Together,

Peter and Shelley Duplantis,

Advancing the Gospel in Angola, Inc

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

Reaching the poor and needy of central Angola for Christ by providing logistical support for Church and Clinic ministries through hospitality, transportation, education and services, by raising awareness of their needs, and by raising funds for projects.

 

Duplantis Update, April 22, 2012

Dear Friends,

Well, you all know that "time flies when you're having fun" so we must have been having lots of fun because we cannot believe how fast the last month has flown by!  We've been resting, reading, visiting, eating and shopping and somehow the days have zipped by almost without our noticing, but we have been encouraged! 

 

We've been encouraged by your words and interest and continued support and prayers.  We have been encouraged by Peter's continued good health - he says he feels back to 100%!  We've been encouraged by worshipping and hearing the Word in English!  We've been encouraged by a generous gift that gets us well started on what we need to purchase a new vehicle to continue our ministry in Angola.

 

We've also been feeling daunted.  Daunted by the finances still needed - both regular monthly committments and one-time gifts for the previously mentioned vehicle.  Daunted by the size of the task before us in Cavango - the endless needs, the amazing opportunities, the struggle to not be overwhelmed by daily living! Daunted by trying to share what the GOD of the Universe is doing in a very small corner of it called Cavango and in our very small lives and hearts! 

 

Daunted but not dismayed!  We know He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine!(Ephesians 3:20) Today, I was convicted by this thought from Jesus Calling - "Walk with me in holy trust, responding to My initiatives rather than trying to make things fit your plans. I died to set you free, and that includes freedom from compulsive planning.....A mind preoccupied with planning pays homage to the idol of control......Listen to me and live abundantly!"  I am a "planner" and like to "know" what is going on....Ha!  So I need your prayers for me to listen to God and not my "plans" that I may radiate His Joy and Peace!

 

Ironically this next paragraph is about our plans but we know that they are all in His control!  We plan to leave on Weds, April 25, and return to Greensboro around June the 7th.  We will be in Louisiana for just over two weeks to visit many of our Duplantis' family and then we head up through Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ontario, New York, Pennsylvania to visit many of you!  If you live in those places and you don't know about our coming then let us know and we'll see if we can't work something out!   We'll be going over 3500 miles in 7 weeks!  Pray for "Scarlett" - the little red VW bug that has been graciously loaned to us - it is adorable and we love it, but it has a lot of work ahead of it!  

 

Running the Race Together,

Peter and Shelley Duplantis
Advancing the Gospel in Angola, Inc

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

Blog: www.duplantisdialog.blogspot.com

Website: www.hopeforangola.org (you can donate online!)

 

Duplantis Update, March 20, 2012

Dear Friends,

It's hard to believe, but we have been in the US already for two weeks today!!  It's been a busy time of visiting, getting on to the right time zone and appointments, but we are glad to be here and looking forward to getting to see many of you!  Our airline travels went well, we have a lovely place to stay in Greensboro and we just came back from Alabama picking up the car that has been loaned to us for the time we have here.  Our daughter, Jasper, very graciously loaned us her car for these first two weeks so that was also a huge blessing.

We plan to be here in Greensboro, NC until mid April or so and then we hope to start a long trip going to Louisiana to visit family and friends there for a couple of weeks and then wending our way up through Alabama, Tennessee, Kentuckey, Indiana, Michigan and then into Ontario, Canada and back down through New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and home again!  Please pray for these many miles and the many visits and conversations that we would be encouraging and a blessing to all that we meet.  Also pray for all the logistics of our travels to work out and that the car we have been loaned will stay well for all that distance!

Our phone number is 336 543 7701(mobile).  You can text us or call!   

Other prayer requests:  For Cavango - for the health of our colleagues,  spritual growth for them (and us), for the clinic and the house to be safe (and, personally, for our dog and cat too?!), for the pastor to have daily wisdom and strength for all that is required of him. 

Thank you for your prayers and love!

Running the Race Together,

Peter and Shelley Duplantis
Advancing the Gospel in Angola

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

Emailing: DSCN5469, DSCN5481, DSCN5482, DSCN5483, DSCN5485

The house now fully plastered - the team of young men who helped and the whole team celebrating on the day of completion!

Duplantis Update, Feb 29, 2012

Dear Friends,

We had a wonderful month out at Cavango and managed to complete the external plastering of the house!  We even had an extra day left in which Peter had the guys attach the roofing sheets to the generator house so we were very pleased to be leaving things so much improved!  It was a busy month as we had two medical teams visit for weekends and our very first car visitors from Lubango came for another weekend!  It was wonderful.  We also have been rejoicing because Peter has been feeling better recently.  The sad part was saying goodbye to our friends and colleagues out there that we won't see for several months....but we know they are, as ever, in God's very capable hands!

We left Cavango last Thurs and managed to squeeze in a much awaited beach trip this past weekend and now we are at Tchincombe having arrived yesterday from Lubango, and tomorrow we head south to Namibia with Donna.  We hope to get to Windhoek on Friday, and visit with our friends and supporters at All Nations Church in Windhoek on Sunday and then on Monday evening we leave Windhoek for Frankfurt and Tues we arrive in Charlotte, NC!  Another huge praise is the answer to a prayer request of our last update - we have been offered a car for our time in the US!  In fact I hadn't even finished sending the last update to our whole list before we got a reply!  God is good!

Mom is doing quite well.  She has times where she seems sadder and more depressed than others, but other times when she seems "ok".  When I said goodbye to her yesterday, she very deliberately squeezed my hand so it made me glad to know she does understand and care even though she can't express herself verbally.  Pray for my siblings who are in the day to day care of her as it still tiring.

We are so thankful for your love and prayers.  We are looking forward to seeing as many as we can!

Running the Race Together,

Peter and Shelley Duplantis
Advancing the Gospel in Angola, Inc

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

website: www.hopeforangola.org

blog: www.duplantisdialog.blogspot.com

Fw: Emailing: DSCN5447, DSCN5452

The clay court season is open at Cavango! good for the physical and mental health!  Praise the Lord that Peter is MUCH better even before the court was finished!

Emailing: DSCN5410, DSCN5412, DSCN5417, DSCN5419, DSCN5422, DSCN5425, DSCN5428

Plastering the house!

Duplantis Update, Feb 1, 2012

Dear Friends,

Where to begin?!  First, a HUGE thank you to all of you for your prayers and love and sympathy expressed in these last few weeks over the passing of my dad, Dr Bob Foster.  We have really felt sustained by you all!  The funeral went really well - the church folk in Lubango wonderfully took care of all the details - basically we as family just had to attend.  It was/is all a bit of a blur still, but was also very God honoring and as lovely as a funeral can be.  You can read tributes, if you are interested, at www.drbobfoster.blogspot.com or you can send tributes to be posted there to sjffive@gmail.com. Keep Mom in your prayers, too.  She is grieving.  

The next big thing for us - is FURLOUGH!! Wow - as we think back it has actually been four years since we were really in the US to visit our "team".   We fly out of Windhoek, Namibia to Frankfurt on March 5th and then from Frankfurt directly to Charlotte, NC arriving at 3pm on Tues, March 6th.  We plan to be in the US until early July.  Apart from all the "boring" routine medical appointments, our plans are to VISIT as many of you as physically possible!!  We will be in touch more personally as we know better what our schedule will look like.  We also want to pursue as much physical, spiritual and mental healing/health as we can and toward that end are also booking in time with a  Christian psychiatrist/counsellor couple and we will follow where that leads us - particularly hoping it is out of the depression doldrums and on to full recovery for Peter.   We thank you for your prayers to that end. 

One really big need we have is a vehicle for furlough.  Our original plans have recently fallen through, sooooo if you or someone you know would be willing to loan us a vehicle we do need one!  We need something to get around the Triad/Triangle area of NC initially and then we need something that could go up and down the east coast in order to visit our out-of-NC supporters and family.  Please let us know if you can help us out!  We are a bit "late" for the missionary service organizations that do this for ministry - but we know God has a plan! 

We are currently at Cavango and it is great to be "home".  As of today we have 8 young men working on plastering the outside walls of Livingstone House(that's the name of our house) - so hopefully it will be completed before we leave for furlough!  That is the goal anyway!  We will probably need to make a trip to town next week for more cement and a medical team comes the following weekend(18-20th) so we will be busy to the end!  

Once again this year, Jesus Calling, is hitting me where I need it!  Today's reading started out with "Follow Me one step at a time.  That is all I require of you." and it ends with this admonishment  - "Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying My Presence.  Walk by faith, not by sight, trusting me to open up the way before you."(pg 34)  So we go forth each day, knowing that God in His sovereignty has all our ways in His perfect plan.  May you also rest in knowing His Plan is perfect for you too!

Running the Race Together,

Peter and Shelley Duplantis
Advancing the Gospel in Angola, Inc.

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

Blog: www.duplantisdialog.blogspot.com

Website: www.hopeforangola.org

 

Emailing: DSCN5267, DSCN5274, DSCN5293, DSCN5304, DSCN5310, DSCN5312, IMG_5250, IMG_5259, IMG_5261, IMG_5703, IMG_5705, IMG_5710

Dec 2011 and Jan 2012 - a mixture of celebrations and farewells both physical and spiritual

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Robert Livingstone Foster, 1924-2012

Robert Livingstone Foster, 1924-2012

 Our father, known to so many as Dr. Bob, went home to Glory on January 8,  in Lubango, Angola, Africa at the age of 87. He had increasing loss of control of his muscles over several years, but was aware to the end. In his last days, the family members in Angola (including 4 children and 5 grandchildren) took turns sitting by his bed.

He leaves his wife of 63 years, Belva Foster, who is in poor health, their 7 children, 17 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren, his sister, Rhoda Lane, 4 hospitals in rural Africa, countless churches, many missionaries called into service by God through his counsel, and many, many others who knew him as a preacher or as a doctor.

The funeral will be in Lubango this week. 

Dad was born in what is now Zambia, grew up in Canada and, after medical school, served as a missionary in Zambia and Angola and as a mission leader based in the US and in England.

God gave him amazing energy—at 83 he spent six weeks camping in the Angolan bush to help build a clinic!

God gave him amazing courage and initiative—he and Mom went in their mid-40's to an Angola at war to learn a new language and start a new outreach, when they could have stayed where they were fruitful and secure.

God made him an amazing Dad—an example, a challenge, a comfort, a great teller of stories and giver of gifts and hugs.

Many will want to share words of memory and appreciation and will not be able to get to the funeral. 

Please send to: sjffive@gmail.com

drbobfoster.blogspot.com

Memorial gifts can be sent to: 

 

Advancing the Gospel in Angola (AGA)

25 Maple St. Addison, NY, USA 14801

• Angola Medical Outreach (AMO)
• 18 Wynford Drive, Suite 710 , Toronto, ON, M3C 3S2, Canada
• 
  

We are deeply grateful to God for Dad's life. Pray for us and with us as we praise his Lord.

Stephen, Sharon, Sheila, Stacey, Stuart, Stirling and Shelley (his children)

stephen@fosterangola.ca

Dupantis Update, Jan 8, 2012

Dear Faithful Friends,

We had  wonderful Christmas and New Year's celebrations with many friends and family around us.  Dad and Mom participated to the extent of their abilities through the holidays themselves, but during the night of the 31st Dad started slipping downhill physically and was very weak on the 1st and by the morning of the 2nd could no longer get out of bed.  During the night of the 2nd I was called to his bedside because his breathing was very rapid and labored.  I assisted him to a better position but he found no relief.  I then awoke Steve, and had him come to see Dad as well.  We felt the end was imminent and thus called Sheila to come from across town and Stirling who had come in to town from the farm due to Dad's rapid decline and we spent the rest of the night at his side - praying and reading scripture fairly certain that he would be called Home any minute.  Somehow, he is still here physically though he is less and less responsive as the days have gone by, has taken nothing to eat since Monday and not even ice chips since yesterday morning.  We(Steve & Peg, Stir & Donna, Sheila and Peter and I), have all spent the week here in Lubango never far from his side - turning him hourly and trying ice chips, putting in eye drops and massaging with lotion, reading and praying and sometimes just sitting at his side.  Everyday we are "sure" he can't physically make another day, but so far he is still here, giving me a more real understanding of the "cords of death" and "the anguish of the grave" from Psalm 116:3 - Dad's favorite Psalm.  Later in the same Psalm the writer says, "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" and we know this to be true, we just keep praying that the Lord will take him soon to His Rest where Dad will be "freed from his chains" Psalm 116:15-16.

It has been a week of lots of tears and hugs and precious time together as siblings as we have continued mourning the slow loss of our beloved Dad.  We know so many of you love him too and are praying for us all at this time and we cannot thank you enough.  We will send out another update as soon as we can when Dad goes Home.  Pray for Mom too,especially.  She can't express her grief per se, but seems to understand that things are not "right" as she has been more frustrated and frustrating in the last couple of days.  Pray too, for all the details of the funeral when it does actually happen, the safe travel of many who will come to the funeral, the rest of our plans and lives that are currently "on hold" and that God's Glory would SHINE in everything!

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Peter and Shelley Duplantis

Advancing the Gospel in Angola, Inc

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002