Grandma's Letters From Africa: A Memoir: “Giraffe, gentle ambler of the plains”

Monday, July 8, 2019

“Giraffe, gentle ambler of the plains”

What a busy week! We celebrated the 4^th of July with a 6.4 earthquake, but we live far enough from the epicenter that we had no damage—just an interesting ride.

The next day we experienced a 7.1 earthquake but, again, because of our distance from the epicenter, we only felt the jolts and jerks. My heart goes out to those living in the disaster zone. May God hold them close and help them recover in so many ways.

Now we’re staying with our grandsons and our new baby grandpuppy for a few days and, as you might imagine, writing a blog post just hasn’t worked out.

Instead, I’ll share a couple of photos with you. What rich experiences I had in Africa! My favorite of the continent’s breathtaking animals is the giraffe, and I never dreamed I’d get so close to one. They are so graceful and gentle, and their eyes are so soft and beautiful.

The second is a photo I took and a Karen Blixen quote. If you haven’t seen the movie about her, Out of Africa, I encourage you to do so.

I still have to pinch myself when I think of all of Africa’s splendid animals I got to see up close and personal—sometimes in good ways, sometimes not. (More on that in future blog posts.)

So, enjoy these photos and come back next week. I have stories to tell you.

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What others are saying about Grandma's Letters from Africa

Great stories, great humor, and real spiritual depth! (Susan Van Wynen, Director for Communication, Wycliffe International)

Grandma’s Letters from Africa is an engaging, memorable account of Linda’s years in Africa. It was a privilege for me to read over the shoulders of her granddaughters as Linda tells her story through a series of letters. Through both laughter and tears, she learns to balance her roles as missionary, wife, mother, and grandmother. In the process, Linda falls in love with Africa, its people, and her work. Readers will be moved by this compelling story that reveals God’s heart and extraordinary grace. (Bob Creson, President/CEO, Wycliffe USA)

No matter what age you are, Grandma’s Letters from Africa transports you to that intriguing continent and gives you a glimpse of everyday life there. Make sure you have a box of tissues nearby because sometimes you’ll cry and other times you’ll laugh until tears roll down your cheeks. One caveat: Don’t start reading this book late in the evening unless you want to stay up all night. It’s a “can't-put-down” book. (Aretta Loving, Author, Together We Can! and Slices of Life)

Grandparents and soon-to-be-grandparents, read this book and give a copy to all your grandchildren old enough to read. In it, you will discover how to leave a life-impacting legacy for the children of your children. You will laugh and cry your way through Linda’s four incredible years in Africa … away from her children and grandchildren, but connecting with them in powerful ways as she skillfully weaves a tapestry of how her life made a difference. (Don Parrott, President, The Finishers Project

Linda tells it like it is—she and her husband actually lived and experienced what she writes about. TIS recruits teachers for the mission field, including those over fifty, and Grandma’s Letters from Africa is a must-read for those potential teachers—even though many will never have the plethora of experiences Linda did. (Thom Votaw, Ed.D., President, Teachers In Service, Inc.)