STAFFORD 50th

John and Ruby (Kruger) Stafford celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Aug. 19, 2018, at the fellowship hall of the Village Church in College Place, Wash. Helping them celebrate was their family, numerous friends and relatives.

They met at Walla Walla College (now University), where John was a French major and Ruby a religion major. They were married on Aug. 18, 1968, at the old Village Church in College Place. They spent their first year studying French at Collonges, France. After John graduated from Andrews with a Master of Arts in Teaching degree, they went to Gitwe College in Rwanda. After three months they were sent to Kivoga College in Burundi, where they both taught for eight years. During that time, God blessed them with two sons, Jeffrey and Michael.

After a study leave at Andrews and serving as pastor in the Idaho Conference, the Staffords returned to Rwanda to train pastors at the new University at Mudende for French-speaking Africa. In 1987 John served as ministerial secretary for the Rwanda Union Mission in Kigali. In 1990 they had to leave Rwanda because of the tribal war. He then served in Seychelles Islands as mission president. After a year and a half they returned to the United States and served as associate pastor and Bible worker at the Village Church in College Place for 16 years.

They went to Sri Lanka in 2008 to train pastors and teachers at Lakpahana Adventist College and Seminary. Four years later they returned home and retired. John is currently volunteering as Gospel Outreach (GO) regional director for French-speaking West Africa, visiting and training GO workers in Gabon, Chad, Benin and Togo. He has recently served as part-time interim pastor at the Zillah and Sunnyside churches in Washington. They have recently received a call to the New Zealand Union Conference to be the pastor of the Adventist church on Pitcairn Island.

In 2012 they retired, remaining in their home in College Place.

Son Jeffrey is married to Jeanne and is a CEO private pilot, flying out of Hong Kong. Son Michael and his wife, Andrea, live in Washington, where Michael has a dental clinic in Zillah. The Staffords also have 7 grandchildren.