We have been married for 43 years and have three children and four grandchildren. We both started following Christ during our school years. Bruce grew up in Matamata, and after finishing high school, became a farmer, milking cows. He also was very involved in the church and did some volunteer work with Open Air Campaigners.
Christine was born in England, where she studied classical music and played the piano. Her family emigrated to New Zealand, and when Christine followed, she studied Agricultural Science at Massey University. She has always been very keen on missions.
Although we had considered missionary service from time to time over the years, it wasn’t until after our children had left home that God called us to visit missionary friends who lived in Nairobi in Kenya. We also visited a Tanzanian pastor that our church had a relationship with. Staying in a Maasai manyatta in a traditional hut, sleeping on a narrow bed made of a cowhide stretched over a framework of thin tree branches, let us know we could overcome such challenges.
Language and cultural issues, dust, dirt, flies, heat, poor roads, no piped water, differing perceptions of time, can all be overcome – if you are willing. Loving cows, admiration and care for a good bull helped connect with the men, children’s health and education, family relationships, and food helped build bonds with the women. This leads to opportunities to share the gospel or to help with the challenges of discipleship.
That initial trip led to several more trips into East Africa, either church-to-church or to encourage friends. Eventually, we came to realise that being part of a missions’ organisation would lead to greater effectiveness in ministry. Having support in times of stress and in changing circumstances, having team members nearby was extremely helpful during the years we served with AIM in the Karamoja region of Uganda (2017-2021).
Being able to find ways to share the gospel in another culture, with some insights and understanding, has helped us have some useful input into reaching into communities, strengthening Christian faith, encouraging locals to lead their families, and communities to live out God’s love in their locations. We have been encouraged and blessed to have walked the pathways where Jesus is walking, and fan into flame the fires of faith so they burn brighter.
Since early 2022, we have been serving as AIM Mission Mentors in New Zealand, seeking to stimulate churches and individuals into greater participation in mission and to mentor those serving with AIM or who are seeking to do so. These days, mobilising is not an easy task: many churches seem to have become disinterested, and the number of people seeking to become more involved is declining, yet the need for cross-cultural missionaries has not diminished!
