All these pictures come from the mid 1960's. They were taken by my father Fred Borden or by me. I apologize for the lines not appearing correctly above the pictures. This publishing program has a mind of it's own and will not be subject to my instructions.

Rain forest on road to Tambo.

The main square from the hill, mid 1960's.

Road at Tambo entrance.

Mrs Elizabeth Lotz and Charlotte Metzger.

Class in session about 1966.

Kitchen duty- Sharon Presson in green blouse

Galilee Weldon, Priscella Gess, Janet Key,
Ann Johnson, Charlotte Metzger, Arleta Johnston

Chart of the Book of John

One of the really fun classes at Tambo was Bill Pittinger's Bible class. We had to do a chart for each book of the Bible we studied. Here is a copy of one of those I did around 1966. It is one of the few I got an A+ on so I kept it.

In a recent e-mail conversation with Maxine Morarie she told me a little about Howie’s home going. He was very young, having gone on ahead of us in 1994. At the left is a picture taken shortly before Howie's death. Thank you Mark for finding this picture and letting me use it.

I remember Howie at Tambo as a fun, all around kid. He was into sports, the soccer team shown below, and loved music. I was Ruth in the "Pirates of Penzance" and Howie was Frederic. It was great fun.

One of the fun things I enjoyed at Tambo was going out as a group on the week-ends. Mostly this was when the moon was full. Usually we would walk to first bridge, on the road to Cochabamba. I can remember walking along with Howie and my friend Bonnie Ziegler talking about the big and little issues of life. When the moon was full, it was like we could reach up and pull it down. And the stars had no competition with any city light. The night sky was awesome. We did not realize, as we cheerily enjoyed the outing that we would look back on many of those casual activities as some of the great moments of our lives - at least it is true of me.

When you are young you think you will all be around for a full life time, but with Patty Morgenroth’s home going the students at Tambo all faced the sober truth, that it was not a given we would grow old in this life. The high school students, as a whole, re-evaluated our own lives and faith. This is also how I felt when I heard of Howie's home going. I sometimes think the Lord calls the best ones home so He can enjoy more direct face time with them. I know, that's a bit whimsical.

I wish I had known Howie as a beloved School Principle. As I read the account below from his mom, I had tears in my eyes. Tears filled with a joy that Howie’s life, although too short for us left behind, was one of impact on the world he inhabited. That his death was a testimony to the Lord he loved and served.

Below is a bit of the story Mrs. Maxine Morarie shared with me recently.

“Yes, It was very hard to see Howie have to leave his family. We plead with the Lord to spare him for his children's sake, but God is good all the time, and his ways are past finding out. The marvelous thing is that his son John (21) and daughter Meghann (19) both love and follow the Lord. He would be so pleased to see them ... or maybe he does???? (Heb. 12:1)

When he was in the hospice so many people came to visit him and to tell him goodbye it was amazing. He was in the hospice 17 days.. He couldn't speak because the cancer had destroyed his voice box, but he communicated with each one by writing his part of the conversation .... Invariably the person would ask for the page from the notebook he wrote on. He'd hold up one finger ... and resume writing, signing the page: I am at perfect peace. I'm going home to see my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Howard Morarie.

He wrote to me during this time, "Mom, this dying isn't all bad. When I was a principle I couldn't say all I wanted to say to staff and students, but here I am witnessing freely to all who come!"

Mike is so musical and plays the guitar and sings so he would take his guitar into Howie's room, and he said it was like Aaron being Moses' voice. Howie would size up the situation of whoever was in the room at the moment. He'd motion Mike over and write the song he wanted Mike to sing... and Mike would deliver the message!

Carol Ann was often at the hospice, and invariable he'd want her to rub his feet and legs. He was writing "goodbyes" to people, and one day Carol came and he handed her a note. She thought, "Wow, I'm going to get a special "goodbye" too! But when she read the note it said, "Sis, can you rub my legs!"

He chose his little sister Trish (early 20's at the time) to pass his words on at the memorial. She felt so honored.

While in the hospice he was informed that he had earned his doctorate. Professors from Colorado University came to inform him. He died soon after, so when it was awarded, Howard and his wife Julia walked together for it. He accomplished so much in his life time.

I could go on and on... it was a sad, sad time, but also a glorious time! I miss him still... and so do his siblings... and I think we've all over glorified the situation... but it seems to comfort us and help us to see that God even used his death, and that it wasn't in vain.

Howie had married a girl from Mexico that he met on a trip with his Spanish students to Colima, giving them the experience of living with families there to perfect their speaking and understanding. Julia was a young doctor and for Howie it was love at first sight. They had been married only 7 years when he died. Julia is wonderful... and very much a part of our family still. “

If any reads this and has memories to share, I hope you will.

Patricia Jane Morgenroth 22/6/48-2/12/65

There had been a period of some apathy at Tambo. Many of the students were fretting about the rule. Some of the students and the staff had begun to actively pray for a move of the Lord.

Then one of the young men had suffered a severe hit in the groin with a baseball bat during a game. It left all the students a bit subdued as there were questions as to how bad the injury was and would it have long term affects.

Only a short while later,as the day was drawing toward supper time, the students were free for a while. Some of the boys were playing soccer on the field and others of us were just standing around talking and enjoying the cooling off of the day. My memory was it was fairly warm. It was the 1st of December, and we were all looking forward to the Christmas break. The year - 1965.

One of the staff members, Mr. Wiebe needed to get something done with a car battery. He was taking it on his motor scooter, placed between his feet.

As he was preparing to leave Patty Morgenroth asked to go with him and he agreed to take her. The next thing we heard was that they had had an accident. That Mr. Wiebe had swerved to miss a drunk man weaving around on a bicycle and the weight of the battery between his feet over balanced the scooter. Don Estani came and got Mr. Dave Lotz and they went and brought them back to the school. Patty was placed on a bed in the clinic and Mr Wiebe was put in another room. Mr. Wiebe seemed to be the more serious. His wife acting also as the school nurse, was attending to him.

The high school students all gathered outside to find out how Patty was. Mr. Lotz was in with Patty and it was found that she was not breathing. Mr. Lotz began to do artificial respiration immediately.

After a time Roy Barnhart asked to help and Mr. Lotz allowed him to take over. My memory is that Gloria Stairs and I helped him. Roy breathed their breath into Patty and Glory had to gently force it out and I was there to do anything that was needed -like give drinks of water and wiping the brow of the one giving the artificial respiration.

There were several teams and we traded off through the night. We even teased as we worked, about telling Patty when this was over how these guys kissed her all night. We never stopped or considered she was in serious trouble. Mrs. Wiebe was herself occupied with her husband so it was just us students in charge of Patty.

Several of the high school boys spent the night on the radio trying to rouse someone to get a message to the mission home in Cochabamba (where Patty's parents were) to have a plane dispatched to take Patty to hospital. There were no telephones and our only outside contacts were done with Ham radios. The school was a 7 or 8 hour road trip through a rain forest and over the Andes Mountains to Cochabamba - also the closest hospital. So, we needed to have a plane come to get Patty.

Then some of the other boys began asking around and found out there was apparently a Doctor down the road toward Santa Cruz. Though they were not licensed, they took the school truck to go out and find this doctor. Unfortunately they were unable to find him.

At about 4:00 AM, in extreme exhaustion, we got the news that someone had been roused in Cochabamba and contacted New Tribes Mission headquarters. Arrangements were made for a plane to come.

The school pista at that time was VERY rough, often the pasture for cattle. So the high school boys went up to clear debris off the strip, rocks, bushes, cows -
anything that appeared to be a danger for a plane landing.

My memory was that the plane arrived around 8 in the morning, and Patty was airlifted out, now on mechanical life support.

School for the high school students was suspended for the day. We who had been up all night, fell into bed in an exhausted sleep. I remember waking up in the early afternoon to hear that the Doctors at the hospital had spoken to Mr and Mrs. Morgenroth about Patty. They said no one seemed to know how long she had not been breathing when we found her and that even if they got her heart going there was a good chance Patty' mind would be gone from lack of oxygen. I am sure the decision the Morgenroth's had to make was the hardest one of their whole life. Patty was removed from life support on December 2, 1965 allowed to go home and meet her Lord.

This was a VERY hard and sobering truth for the Tambo community. It seemed impossible that one of our number, our fellow friend and peer, was not coming back. I know for me, the reality of death was re-enforced in my own life. My brother had been killed in 1961. But as I did not see his body, a part of me tried to believe he was just living somewhere else. But with Patty I KNEW she was gone.

The other thing that over time really struck me was that you didn't have to be a grown up to do grown up things. The high school student body all worked together for Patty that night. Everyone moved up to do something to help without being asked. None of us stood in line to be assigned. We each in our own way looked for the way we could help Patty and then went out and did it. Out of the fire, the students were tested and come out refined and stronger.

Patty's death brought all of us there face to face the reality of life and death.

Random memories

Just thinking of some of my favorite memories of Tambo. I remember getting up early in the mornings to study for tests - more the year I graduated if I am remembering correctly. Sometimes I would take my notes and walk up and down the roadway that lead into Tambo, which ran behind the dorms. But I found a place to study that I loved. Admittedly, I was scared every time I went there but I loved it. I would go up the road leading to the Pista, and breaking away onto the stoney ground above the river. I would walk over to the stones futherest from the roadway and sit down on the rocks. I carried a flashlight to guide my path and for studying my notes, once seated. I would arrive while it was still dark (Don't know how I ever got away with leaving the dorm so early in the morning - usually about 4:30 on test mornings) I would a be really scared of meeting up with a snake. Amazingly never thought about mountain cats. HA! Only worried about snake and scorpions. After a careful look around I would sit down and begin to study. But, the clear cool air, the velvety night, and brillient display of stars and then sky beginning to lighten up behind the mountians across the river, and finally the very rim of the sun rising above the hills, were a constant enticement away from the studying I was there to do. The studying must have worked some because I did graduate, but never since have I experienced such magical mornings. The Lord was good cuz if I had ever had any trouble no one knew where I was.

During those years at Tambo I often would leave the school grounds to sit up up in the tree house I'd found in the first year, or sitting on a tree limb or purched on the hillside up behind the dorms to have may quiet time. One of the major hurtles of my life after leaving Tambo was being in a lifestyle that did not offer an outdoor getaway for having devotions. For awhile it seemed I could not feel the presence of the Lord til I looked at the real issue which was missing this great outdoor life I'd been able to enjoy during my Tambo years.

Another major issue was the daily chapel hour before breakfast. I'm having a blank moment here. It was before breakfast wasn't it? If anyone reads this and they find errors please let me know. But, having a dad who was quite a dynamic speaker I found it initially hard to listen to the speakers who gave the devotion and chapel messages. It seems all of them just talked quietly, like a teaching session and the sermons felt like ithey weren't that important. But I came to understand I was defrauding the Lord if I just switched off and began to be attentive (most of the time). I'm sure I learned a lot of things about the Lord and my Christian walk there but it's funny the things that have shaped my way of living my life.

I cannot throw trash on the ground, as I walk or drive in a car or visit a picnic sight. One day one of the teachers spoke on the subject of defacing desks and the landscape with our trash. Then we had to walk the whole school property and clean it. I will admit, I now will throw things like apple cores or banana peels out the window but I cannot throw even a gum paper wrapper out and I want to yell at people I see carelessly trashing the landscape.

I remember Mr. Medgzar (sp) talking about honesty, even to taking of paper clips from a work place (I'm not as honest in this regard as I could be, but always I hear his message in my mind.) He also spoke passionately of how the Lord miraculiously healed Charlotte of a severe overbite - and since I thought she was one of the most beautiful girls I knew, this deeply pleased me - that the Lord heard the deep cry of her father's heart and brought her such evident healing.

I've talked much about the spiritual aspect of my time at Tambo. I Praise the Lord that in His plan I got to go there. I know many of the teachers felt I was a rebel - and I would be lying to say ther was NO rebellion in me but one of the things that happened to me was there was the peer pressure of the other students who did not accept ungodly behaviour or talk. I came to Tambo at 15, from a place where the other young people I knew in the church and at school had become increasing careless in their lives, and I, in an efforto be accepted at school began to talk and act in a way that made me ashamed but I wanted to be accepted so badly I ignored my heart. So my 'friends' and I encouraged each other in our very ungodly talk and actions. When I went to Tambo I quickly found out my talk shocked the other girls at school so I withdrew inside myself for awhile but slowly what I was seeing and hearing at Tambo birthed a deepening desire inmy heart to love and serve the Lord . I came to repentance, and found a renewed life in the Lord. People who remember me may find that somewhat hard to believe, but I tell you assuredly, it was because the Lord lead me to Tambo, and because of the encouragement and teaching there that I developed a deep love for the Lord.

Model airplanes and parties

Herb's memories of model airplanes called to mind an incident that happen later. If anyone reads this memory that remembers it differently I will be glad to have any input. The high school boys were living then in the second dormitory to go up because of space issues. It was mostly a shell with a roof at that point. The girls were now in the farther dorm that the guys had been in the year before.

The high school boys were out at the edge of the soccer field flying their model airplane. It was going sweetly. Bonnie Ziegler and I were standing looking on, as I was trying to get the attention of one of the high school guys when we noticed a little tin holding the fuel needs to run the model airplane. Wow, I thought, that would get some much desired attention. We walked up behind the guys and just reached down and picked it up. They didn't even notice. Then we quietly left with our treasure, snuck into the boys dorm - a huge NO NO and went into the room we hoped belonged to Roger Brown and put the tin on his bed.

Well, not 15 minutes later a huge cry went up. The guys were out for blood, wilding accusing everyone. They were so mad, they ran into the girls dorm to do a room to room search, and ended up forcing open one of the doors held against them - 2 rather shaken girls - not guilty of taking the fuel tin - were furious.

The whole episode was only about 1/2 hour from start to finish but ended up in the boys having to apologize to the girls and give them a party. I do not remember if Bonnie Ziegler and my part in this episode was ever discovered. Oh, and I didn't succeed in getting any attention. HA!

Model Airplanes -Herb Winstanley

Subject: Model Airplanes



A popular hobby at Tambo was building and flying model airplanes. Some guys had ready-made planes, others built them from kits, and some (I remember Alan Foster particularly) built them from blocks of Bolivian grown balsa wood. Usually they were powered by small gasoline motors, and flew around in circles on the end of a pair of control lines. Somebody even had a helicopter, but I don’t think it flew very successfully. Of course there was the occasional plane that would nose-dive into the soccer field, only to be diligently repaired to fly again.

A plane of particular interest was a glider built by Paul Gess, which was designed for free flight. After starting the .049 engine, Paul would release it with a careful throw into the air. From that point it was on its own, and would gain altitude in wide circles. We all kept our eyes glued to it as it rose ever higher, till all we could see was a small speck. Eventually the motor ran out of fuel, after which the plane would circle slowly down. We kept it carefully in sight while running through the bush to wherever it chose to land, hopefully not too far away. It was important to fly this plane only when there was little or no wind.

One day Paul launched this flyer into the motionless air, and we all expected another routine flight. However, at a certain elevation the plane began to fly in a straight line toward the south, across the highway and toward the mountains. We ran after it, but soon lost sight of it and had to give up. On a Saturday, Alan Foster and I (grade nine at the time – 1961/62) decided to go on a rescue mission. The weather had changed to the cold misty drizzle we all remember enduring from time to time at Tambo. However, undeterred, we crossed the highway and climbed up to “the scar”, continuing to the mountain top. We really thought we would find that small plane among the vast expanse of cacti and other thorn bearing trees and bushes. (I can’t remember any naturally occurring thornless plant at Tambo.) From the top of the mountain we saw another valley and more mountains beyond, but no sign of the intrepid flyer. Forced to accept defeat we returned home, cold and wet, but glad to have made the attempt.