Hamilton, Dale and Chris

Dale and Christine (Chris) Hamilton

Dale was raised in a loving, Christian home in Michigan, USA and came to know Jesus as His personal Savior when he was 6 years old. Employment was difficult to come by on graduation from High School, so he entered the military, taking tours of duty in Viet Nam and an Air Force Base in Florida. His experiences led to ongoing commercial flight and aircraft maintenance training and licensing.

Chris grew up in the DRCongo, Africa, one of Merton and Jane Wolcott’s children, and also gave her life to Jesus as Savior at the age of 6. She knew from an early age that she wanted to be a medical missionary, following in the steps of “Aunt” Pearl Winterburn, and other role models involved in medical missions. She attended boarding schools in DRCongo and Kenya, Africa, completing University studies in Nursing and Global Health in the US and UK.

We first met at Bair Lake Bible Camp and later at Emmaus Bible School in Oak Park, IL, discovered our gifts and abilities were complementary, began to prepare our lives as career missionaries wherever God would lead us, grew in our love for our Savior and Lord Jesus and for each other, and were married August 28,1976. Following graduation from Emmaus, we were invited to take up leadership of the Senior Youth at Dunning Park Bible Chapel in Redford, MI.

In 1980, we were jointly commended by Dunning Park, Sturgis Bible Chapel, Sturgis, MI, and Dexter Street Gospel Chapel of Flint, MI., to the work of AIM/AIR, the aviation department of the Africa Inland Mission (AIM), in Nairobi, Kenya. We served with AIM for 36 years in numerous capacities, both as followers and leaders in ministries of aviation, medical work, church planting, evangelism and discipleship. It was an immense privilege to be involved in facilitating a church planting movement for 28 years among an Unreached People’s Group (UPG), the Wazinza, on the islands of Lake Victoria in Tanzania.

God has blessed us with four wonderful children who have been our primary disciples! Heather (Miller), Sarah (Rondeau), Josh and Janis have now multiplied from 4 to 15, including spouses and grand-children.

In recent years, our ministries have extended beyond AIM/AIR and AIM to include many new and exciting opportunities throughout East and Central Africa. Our focus, in partnership with World Mission, of Grand Rapids, MI, continues to be Discipleship, in response to Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19,20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” We are excited for what God will continue to do through these efforts as we seek to steward the gifts He has given us, and continues to expand His Kingdom!