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Last updated 11/03/2000

Grady and Ivy, celebrating a 40thanniversary weekend aboard the "Delta King" in Old Town Sacramento California. Singing with the "Golden Valley Chorus"

Missionary Radio Activities

Ghana Mission Trip

 Grady, K6IXA; Chuck Mancebo, W6GAM; Jim Ford, KD6FJU & Dan Gaines went on a short term mission trip to Ghana West Africa in February 1996. They installed a key telephone system for the Assembly of God, Relief and Development Agency in the Capitol City of Accra. The team took a 1000 mile trip throughout the country, calling on clinics in Kamasi, Tamale, Nakpanduri, Saboba & Yendi, repairing and checking radio & solar power systems. Note: route marked in red on map...

While in Nakpanduri we were able to set up the trusty Kenwood TS-440 Ham Transceiver and make phone patches to the wives & moms back home courtesy of a friend Fred Moore, W3ZU in Pennsylvania… For more about Ghana check the Ghana Home Page Missionary Radio Email On July 3rd , a converted W.W.II freighter, the "Spirit of Grace" operated by Friendships left Wilmington, CA on a Christian, Humanitarian mission through the Panama Canal to the island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras. Grady began manually forwarding email for the ship to and from the Internet. Since then the manual mailbox system has grown from a single user to an automated system with over a hundred users, handling in excess of four thousand messages a month. Missionaries in Mexico, Central and South America are now using the system, along with numerous sailing vessels in the region…

Gabon Mission Trip

As a result of becoming involved with Radio Email for the "Spirit of Grace" Chuck Mancebo and I had the opportunity in 1998, to install a Radio Email Network for the Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA) in Gabon, West Africa… The Post Office end of the system was placed in Libreville the capital with three remote, radio email units at the Evangelique hospital complex in Bongolo, twenty miles from the Congo border…

Arnie Solvig is the Post Office Administrator at the C&MA headquarters in Libreville. The system operates on a H.F. frequency licensed to the C&MA by the government of Gabon… Radio email messages to and from Bongolo and are stored in the Post Office computer… At a predetermined time interval the computer dials up an Internet provider and forwards email to and from the Internet… Prior to having this system, postal mail from Bongolo had a response time of three weeks to three months… Now, they have same or next day turnaround, with the system passing an average of 2500 emails per month…

Dr. Dave Thompson and Grady going over the operation of the radio email system installed in the Thompson home… This system allows Dave and Becki to keep in touch with their children at Simpson College in Redding, California and with friends throughout the world…

"Spirit of Grace"

The M/V (Motor Vessel) "Spirit of Grace" is a 338' W.W.II freighter operated by Friendships of Wilmington CA and Galveston TX… For six months during 1999, I had the privilege of serving as Radio Officer on board the "Spirit of Grace… The mission of the all-volunteer crew was to deliver donated relief cargo to victims of Hurricane "Mitch" in the Caribbean area around Guatemala, Honduras and the Island of Roatan… After which we sailed the ship through the Panama Canal to Seattle Washington for dry-dock… It was a blessing and a thrill beyond belief… The email was handled via the Radio Email Gateway located my home… Ivy with the help of another amateur radio operator, Vaughn Wilson, k6imn looked after the system at home while I was away…

We spend three additional months anchored at Port Royal near a beautiful Island called Fort Morgan Caye… This time was spend with some the crew working on building project on the island and others refurbishing the 50' landing craft used to haul supplies into areas where there is no deep water port... This also gave me time to breathe life back into a 50 kW Raytheon Radar (Affectionately known as "Ray")... Ray had to work in order to navigate through the Panama Canal and on to Seattle for dry-dock...

This landing craft was used to ferry  117 pallets of donated food, clothing, medical and personal supplies inland along the La Mosquitia Coast of Honduras… That area was extremely devastated, in that it is low lying and the Hurricane remained stationary there for four days… With very little livestock and poultry still alive, it was heart touching when one of the families insisted that the returning work-boat crew take one of their last chickens back to the ship for dinner... It was a tremendous  gesture of love shown in appreciation for the supplies that had been delivered to their stricken area...  With no roads in or out of the region, no deep water port and only a small airport, the Spirit of Grace on a this and a previous trip carried the ONLY relief cargo they received...

In addition to my radio watch, I also pulled a watch on the bridge as helmsman or lookout with Stacy Richards a 19 year old veteran of the ministry… She is a very accomplished, whether at the helm steering the ship or manning one of the cargo booms loading tons of palletized cargo… It was a real treat serving with her on the voyage… With a Panamanian Pilot on board, Stacy at the helm and myself at the engine telegraph, we took the "Grace" through the Cutebra strait into the San Miguel locks on the Panama Canal… Whatta Thrill!!!

Most of the steering was done from the small wheel which has power steering and the auto-pilot affectionately known as "Iron Mike"… With Mike in control it is a matter of making sure he is holding a correct course and making minor adjustments for current and wind… I decided to take a two hour stint on the BIG wheel, no power steering there!!! I gained a new understanding of the term "Wooden Ships & Iron Men… To do that strenuous work out in the elements in the olden days would have been tough duty indeed.

What's Next?

Look where ever God's people are at work relieving suffering humanity… As long as I'm physically able and there is a need that I'm being called to fulfill, hopefully you will find me there… At the moment it looks like next project might be Uganda in Africa to set up another missionary radio email system … There are also needs again in Ghana and Gabon, with new opportunities in Cameroon and the Sudan…

If you are retired and able, involve yourself serving our Lord meeting the needs of suffering humanity, you don't have to go overseas, there is plenty to do right here at our back door… Can't find anything?  Let me know, I'm sure we can find something for you to do...    God Bless

Ivy's Stuff

With the closure of Castle Air Force base in 1995,  Ivy had the opportunity to retire... Since then she has been busy with volunteer work... She has delivered meals on wheels, tutored students at Elmer Wood Elementary school, worked numerous hours with the Telephone Pioneers painting US maps on school grounds, making "Signs for Life" books which allow law enforcement and medical personnel to communicate with the deaf, along with various other Pioneer projects...  As a result of her activity she received recognition as  "Atwater Volunteer of the Year 2000..."

Telephone Pioneer Map Projects

Here's how it's done... Day one, the tarmac is cleaned and the stencil placed... The US outline is drawn and a light background seal cote is applied... Day two the stencil is again laid out and small holes defining the statesare then sprayed... The stencil is then removed and painting of the different states begins...   Lots of hard work... Ivy on the far right side is painting the state of California...

Helen Drusedow, president of the Local chapter of Telephone Pioneers & Ivy (right side) view the completed map...  Maps are offered to local schools as a fun means of educating students on state names, location and capitals...

Ivy (center rear) working with the Telephone Pioneers, assembling the "Sign for Live" books... These books contain graphic illustrations of sign language used by our hearing impaired citizens...  They are provided free of charge to Police, Fire and Medical response teams to assist the hearing impaired...

It's Vacation Time

In that Ivy had to man the radio email system while Grady was on the ship most of 1999, it seemed prudent to take her on vacation the following year...   Sooo we drove the Alaska Hwy. to Anchorage, AK for the Cessna 170  Convention... Spent a glorious month touring Canada and Alaska before and after the convention...

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