Remembering Dr. Bob

Dear Foster Family,

Len and I consider it a great privilege to have known your Dad. He is a man who loved deeply: His Lord, his wife and children, his ministry in Africa. He has touched countless lives in countries all over the world, and as others have said, his spiritual legacy is staggering.

We treasure the time we spent with Dr. Bob and Belva in Greensboro during the years that Sheila was here with her parents as Helena, Sara, and Daniel finished high school and entered their college years.  Bob’s strength and energy began to diminish, but his love for the Lord, enthusiasm for missions, sense of humor, and ready laughter were as strong as ever.  During this time, Bob, Belva and Sheila welcomed many people to their home.  We have wonderful memories of lingering at the table during meals listening to Bob’s stories of daily life raising a family in Africa:  The cobra spitting in Steve’s eyes when he was a boy; Steve shooting Sharon with a dart gun--he had climbed to the top of a bookcase to get the darts; Steve and Sharon rolling down a hill in the car after Steve released the emergency brake and being saved when the car got stuck on a tree trunk; the kudu getting it’s horn stuck in the grill of his vehicle as he drove late at night,  Shelley and Stirling learning to ride horses, Dr. Bob growing coffee plants in his garden.  We always left from a visit with him feeling encouraged and uplifted in our faith.

In his own words, from The Sword and The Scalpel: “It’s a wonderful thing to put your hands in the hands of God and to believe that He’ll do what He says. It’s great to look back and see what God has done, not only through His Word, but in your own experience. As you’re reminded, it gives you tremendous courage to ask God, believing Him.”

We loved him and will miss him greatly. Surely there was great rejoicing in heaven when he arrived!

Much love to all,

Len and Lorrie Nyland