| A Solidier is Called Home |
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 Henry & Anne Osborn When Anne Kemp was eight years old she was introduced to missions in a striking way. A missionary came to her church dressed in black from head to toe, including her hat, sturdy shoes, and gloves. Almost as striking as the missionary’s ensemble was her account of Korean Christians who met each morning for prayer at 4:30! Anne was impressed. Anne’s church in Woodstock, Georgia, had no resident pastor. Seminary students served there occasionally and one of these students was preparing to go to Brazil as a missionary. Again missions impacted Anne. After graduating from high school, Anne chose Columbia Bible College. Those were challenging days as she worked her way through school. If anyone had asked Anne in her freshman year if she were a Christian, she would have answered, “Of course.” She was a church member and was trying to live right. But during her first semester while studying the Word, Anne understood that Christianity meant a relationship with Christ. She chose to trust Him. Besides her relationship with Christ, Anne established another significant relationship, with a young man named Henry Osborn. Henry was a senior and Anne a lowly freshman but they began dating. When Henry graduated and left for the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) they continued correspondence. One day Anne picked up her mail between classes and found a letter from Henry. She opened it in class to find a marriage proposal inside! Henry and Anne married June 4,1948,Henry’s 24th birthday. The day after the wedding they left for SIL where Anne gained training in basic linguistics. While still single, Henry had heard a presentation by Ruth Hege, veteran BMM missionary, then working in Venezuela. She pled for someone to work among the Warao Indians in the Orinoco River Delta of Venezuela. Henry’s previously vague call to missionary linguistics gained a clearer focus. He and Anne were accepted by BMM in 1952. They left that same year for language study in Costa Rica. There were many new experiences for the Osborns during their first term in Venezuela. They made survey trips from the city to the Orinoco River to visit the Warao. They also took on the responsibility of parenting when they welcomed Stephen into their home in 1953 and Grace in 1954. In that same year, they made a major change when they moved among the Warao. Their few household possessions were transported by river barge to their new home. Trips back and forth between the city and “their” village took 10-12 hours by boat. The Osborns chose to live as the Warao did as much as possible including a house on stilts and without walls. Later, Anne would wonder why the children never fell out of the house. They also chose to speak like the Warao as much as possible. Upon their arrival, the Warao language was unwritten. As Henry and Anne interacted with the people, they began to learn Warao. Henry found the Indians eager to learn. They wanted their language to be written down. Henry immediately put his linguistic ability to work. They shared the gospel with the people and eventually saw some come to Christ. But the believers struggled and did little outreach or personal evangelism. As the New Testament was translated into the Warao language, believers began to grow. Anne was busy with their growing family that included the addition of David in 1958, but she enjoyed helping to teach the women in literacy classes. Their last child, Elizabeth, was born in 1962 while they were home on furlough. The Osborns left Venezuela in 1969 for health reasons. Although they left the ministry in Venezuela they did not leave BMM. They stayed on as “part-time” missionaries. Henry taught at Grand Rapids Baptist College and Anne worked as a paraprofessional in the Grand Rapids school system. Henry traveled in the summers, serving as a language consultant to people groups on several continents. On some of these trips, Anne traveled with him. In 1985, Henry and Anne decided to join Bibles International, BMM’s recently formed Bible society, where Henry served as Chief Language Consultant and Anne served as literacy consultant. They continued their travels in Africa, Asia, and South America. The Lord called Anne to a new ministry in 1999—the ministry of suffering—when she was diagnosed with cancer. She handled the new role courageously. She endured years of chemotherapy with all its attendant side effects. Yet she rarely complained. In July 2004, the Lord allowed Henry and Anne one last trip to Venezuela, as they traveled there for the dedication of the revised New Testament. Anne’s final trip was on June 20, 2006, when another soldier was called Home. She had fought the good fight throughout her earthly pilgrimage and had done it with grace. |
