Pest Management Professional, April 2012

hile waiting at the airport for our flight home from visiting our son Daniel my husbands cell phone rang As he spoke Stuart smiled and pumped his fist in the air Were going to the Final Four basketball tournament in Houston he cheerfully explained after the call Pete Caruso from Athletes in Action AIA a ministry that uses the universal language of sports to spread hope and healing to people all over the world offered Stuart three complimentary tickets to the Final Four basketball tournament in Houston Jeff Boucher a pastor friend had suggested Caruso call Stuart who is a big basketball buff and the middle school basketball coach at Hawthorne N J Christian Academy It was no accident Stuart and two of our four sons Nick and Chris attended the big event God had bigger plans for the Aust family While in Houston Stuart met with Caruso and Eric Nelson the international director of AIA Caruso and Nelson shared with Stuart information about their ministry and upcoming summer trip to Nairobi Kenya Unlike our three oldest boys our youngest son Michael Stuart and I had never served abroad We prepared extensively for the trip We needed inoculations against typhoid yellow fever and malaria which is responsible for at least 300 million annual cases of illness and is estimated to kill more than 1 million people annually Malaria is spread by female night biting Anopheles mosquitoes infected with the Plasmodium parasite Throughout the past decade countries have reduced malaria deaths by at least 50 percent with the use of mosquito nets malaria tests and insecticides Bug Doctor Termite Pest Control established Project Tanzania a nonprofit organization committed to donating pretreated mosquito nets to families in Tanzania and surrounding countries AIA Team Photo Division 1 2 and 3 basketball players and coaches pose with the Aust family Eric and April Nelson led our team of 30 people pictured above comprised of pro basketball players musicians teachers and others from different parts of North America to offer help where needed Stuart our sons and several basketball team members spent the mornings coaching basketball clinics for Nairobis athletes In the early afternoons AIA team members headed to Soweto Academy in Kibera an East African slum where our team provided programs including physical education classes for elementary middle and high school students Witnessing the poverty was heartbreaking We saw many small homes made of mud and sticks with no running water or electricity Donna Aust Contributor Daniel and I had the privilege of teaching a Bible curriculum to three classes of middle and high school students at the Soweto Academy Our other three sons conducted physical education classes The students there speak fluent English despite their schools complete lack of financial assistance Our trip ended with a two day Safari to the Masai Mara Reserves Nothing excited Stuart more than the huge termite mounds Every day we observed exotic animals as well as familiar pests In fact Africa is an ideal training ground for inquisitive Bug Doctor technicians and inspectors For example you cant drive through Nairobis city streets without seeing hundreds of pigeons and other pest birds landing on city buildings Many of our friends and employees partnered with us to help the people of Kibera Bug Doctor employee Sherry Carlson donated womens crosses and Kimberly Periard bought childrens clothes for us to donate Our boys gave away their favorite jerseys and T shirts and Soweto Academys teachers were delighted with the neckties and scarves we brought them Giving back to our brothers and sisters in Kibera truly was as much our blessing as it was theirs pmp Donna and Stuart Aust co owners of Bug Doctor Termite Pest Control Bird Doctor Nationwide Animal Doctor Mosquito Doctor and Bedbug Doctor can be reached at stuart@ bugdoctorinc com giving back Bug Doctors family hits the mission field From left to right are Donna Aust Nick Aust a Masai Warrior Stuart Aust back center Mike Aust front Dan Aust another Masai Warrior and Chris Aust 64 April 2012 Pest Management Professional mypmp net