I have always been interested in the lives of other people.  The Roy Merritts are no exception.  Roy's father, Dow, and his wife, Helen Pearl, were "pioneer missionaries". Roy was born in 1944 and grew up on the Namwianga Mission.  He attended Harding University in the mid '60s and returned to Zambia in 1968 and has been here ever since.  He married Kathi in '93 and had one child; however they have many, many Zambian children.  Following the death of her husband Kathi settled here. Her former husband was Zambian and they had two children who now live in the states.  Kathi  is the ultimate caregiver.  She has mothered and nursed "'many' and 'very many'" orphaned Zambian children.  And, although she says she's retired, she continues to work tirelessly.  This couple dedicated and invested their lives in the people here and it is evident. Roy wrote a book that was published in 2001 and entitled, Potholes:  Ups & Downs on Zambia's Mission Road. His book is very interesting and quite poetic. Good read.