Tim (from Ohio) and Betsy (from Kansas) met at Vineyard Columbus in 1990, married in 1991, and have four children:

Meredith, Tim, Betsy, Ben, Ellie, Luke

Luke graduated with a degree in Global Studies from Ohio University in Athens and began medical school at Ohio University this fall 2021 . Ellie is married to David Steltz and living in Lowville, NY and they have a newborn daughter, Eden.  Ben is teaching high school in inner city Cleveland through a program for the underserved,and Meredith is working for Hobby Lobby and plans to return to Toledo from NY to complete her studies in 2021.

Tim practiced Emergency Medicine in the States for about 15 years, before we moved to the Brazil Amazon in 2005. We lived in two locations over nearly 6 yrs, taking health care and the Good News to remote villages (in the jungles for 3 yr by motor bike and on the rivers for 3 yrs by boat/canoe).

We’ve been in Angola since April, 2012 and relocated our family four times during our first two years in the country.  Though this was challenging and made it difficult to establish local relationships, we learned much about the country and its people.  We first lived in Lubango, a city of a million people, where there is a beautiful surgical mission hospital (CEML) which literally serves people from the entire country with excellent medical care and the unique love of Jesus in every interaction.  We then lived in Luena, in the eastern part of the country, where Tim describes his time as a “residency in malaria”.  We then resided in the desert south of the country in a Lutheran mission called Shangalala.  This was a difficult stretch and we learned much about living quite simply, living in extreme desert heat, and beginning a rural clinic while serving rural people groups living in extreme conditions.

We currently live in Cavango (since August, 2013), a former Leprosarium from the 1950’s to 1976, when it was destroyed during Angola’s long civil war. Cavango is located about 10 hr NE of Lubango in the beautiful Cubango River valley, quite near the center of the country. The closest major cities are Huambo (3-4 hr) and Lubango (10-12hr), mostly off-road by 4WD. Tim and Betsy return to Lubango about every 4-16 weeks to purchase groceries and fuel/supplies and reconnect with our beautiful mission family, many of whom live in or near Lubango.

We’ve moved into a new, small house next door to our former house to allow The DeSouza family to move into our original Cavango house.  Eduardo and Jocelyn DeSouza have four children and are “testing the waters” to see if they would like to serve in Cavango long-term.  Our two houses are powered by batteries which are charged by a combination of solar panels and a generator.  We have spring water which fills a large, above-ground cistern, and pretty normal indoor plumbing.

We have been affiliated with a beautiful sending and supporting mission organization, SIM, since 2011.  We love their perspective and passion for serving Jesus and those He loves.  For more information about SIM and all of their beautiful Kingdom work around the world, please visit www.sim.org.