On March 27, 1977 Rev. W. Donald McClure was gunned down in the Ogaden desert by Somali guerillas. Don McClure was in this dangerous area because of a personal promise to His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I to provide a medical and agricultural complex in Eastern Ethiopia. Don and his wife, Lyda, had been serving in Eastern Africa for over 50 years, long enough for his bright red hair to turn to snow white. In the end, his blood mixed with the soil in the land he served with much enthusiasm. He was buried in Gode, Ethiopia. Don was heavily mourned by many, but none mourned more than his wife, his two daughters, his son and his nine grandchildren. W. Don McClure Jr., Don’s son, survived the melee of March 27 and continued the work in Ethiopia and then in Zambia.
Hundreds of miles to the south, Rev. Ruben Pedersen and his wife, Helen, labored in the hot sun of the equatorial country of Kenya. Ruben, an evangelist and a gifted linguist, preached the Lord’s word and headed the Lutheran effort in that country. Helen, a nurse to lepers, poured out her heart every day in an effort to stop the advancement of some of the worst tropical diseases known to humankind.
Twenty years later, Don's and Lyda's grandson, Jonathan, graduated from Iowa State University with a Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics. Ruben's and Helen's grandniece, Sara, graduated a few years before with a M.S. in Condensed Matter Physics. Jonathan and Sara married in August of 1996.
This is where God's will for their lives became clear and took them in an unexpected direction. Instead of pursuing traditional jobs in academia or industry, Jonathan and Sara were led by the Spirit to investigate overseas mission. "Surely," they thought, "this can’t be where we are being led - what possible use is there for two physicists on the mission field?" But they dutifully investigated.
The Lord closed many doors. However, He opened wide the door to Ethiopia.
Therefore, Ethiopia is where we serve. In retrospect, the Lord’s plan for us was beautiful, and we are overjoyed to be working in the same land in which three generations of our families have labored in His name.