J. Howard Anderson was born on August 13, 1942 to Earl and Esther Anderson in Kaimoisi, Kenya. He was the youngest of three boys, Herbert (Dilly) four years older and Willard two years his senior. His parents were second and third generation missionaries, Howard grew up in Kenya as a very immersed MK in African culture and living.



He came to the Lord at an early age schooled in the Word at the knee of his parents. His childhood was a happy one. He had all his schooling at Rift Valley Academy, except for two different times in the states, the first grade in Rhode Island, seventh grade in Pennsylvania and eight grade in California. He attended and graduated from Azusa Pacific University in CA where his grandmother was a professor. He worked all four years in the maintenance department. During his first week he wandered over to their shop and saw a disabled forklift, which no one could start. He asked them if they wanted him to fix it and they gave him a try. It ran and he was hired on the spot and expected to finish up when he received his B.A. in 1964. But he continued to work in the maintenance shop for a year after he graduation until he and Doris left for the mission field. He had met his wife Doris at APU and they married on June 1964.



His goal when he began college was to return to Kenya as a missionary. As a member of the church of the Open Door, Los Angeles; he received excellent training and preparation for the mission field. Doris shared his missionary vision and soon after graduation and marriage their support came in quickly. By November of 1965 they began their safari across the US (in the winter so was it eventful) to Brooklyn, NY and AIM. Their first assignment in Africa was to Rift Valley Academy at Kijabi where Howard rebuilt Jubilee Hall and Doris was a 4th Grade teacher. They were content with this assignment but God had more in mind for them.



During this time the then Field leader, Erik Barnett, his father Earl Anderson and Dr. Propst were concerned about the Northern Frontier District of Kenya. The British had never allowed missionaries up there except a few Anglicans and R.C.s. these three men made a survey trip to Mt. Kulal where a desolate place called Gatab rested. They heard that there was water at the top of the mountain above Gatab that the British had harnessed to some extent. With the permission of the new independent government of Kenya, they made a trek and returned to find recruits. Howard, Charles Barnett and Paul Teasdale answered the call and left with their wives in February 1967 for this new pioneer work. Just building the road up to Gatab was a challenge as they had to have firearms in one hand and a pick and shovel in the other, due to the fact that raiders made havoc in the area, killing people and stealing cattle, tribe fighting tribe. The fact that they had a spot light at night in their camp (that scanned the area hourly) and rifles constantly on hand, made an impression on the locals. One day 200 Samburu were found in their camp when they returned from roadwork. As 11 had been killed and cattle taken in a raid the night before, these people wanted to live near them. They didn't mind that these men were missionaries and had the Words of God for them, they wanted security and peace. From the two or three men they had previously seen about, they now had a village of 200 plus. Thus began the missionary work at Gatab. Howard and the other two missionaries built the church, school, and dispensary before Charlie and Paul left Gatab for other ministries. From 1967 to 1999 Howard and Doris remained at Gatab, during this time their four children were born; twins Andrew and Tamara, Philip and Edward. They are all serving the lord, the three boys as missionaries in Africa and Tammy as a wife and mother serving in a church in Maine. As Howard continued at Gatab he saw the need of a Dormitory for the children of the nomadic Samburu herders and thus built Haven Home that was funded by Merv Roswell Ministries. He also built a Nursery School and some Out Station Churches. Many of the these students who went though Haven House are in high positions today in government, medical, church and education jobs. Gatab has contributed greatly to the spiritual, material and physical life of the NFD.



Beyond Gatab, Howard was Executive Secretary of the DCC and responsible for the entire Marsabit District for AIM and AIC. He traveled on a monthly circuit visiting each church in the district and covered many miles over rough terrain and desert tacks considered roads. He did many water projects, and made 130 kms of road, building sometimes with his father and sometimes with his brother Dilly. He also built over 45 kms of pipelines. His most amazing accomplishment in this area was when he was asked in 1999 by the Chief at Gatab to harness the water in the Ngororoi Canyon to bring it down 8 ½ kms by pipe to the water tank sitting empty at Ngororoi. This had been attempted unsuccessfully by another NGO. It was at this time that Doris become unwell and she left for the states in April to be near Tammy and have further treatment in Maine. When the possibility of Lou Gehrig's disease was diagnosed, Howard left Gatab in September of 1999. They were assigned to the AIM retirement center in Florida, in October 2000, where he eventually became Maintenance Manager while caring for his wife. Doris passed away on January 2, 2001. Howard continued in his assignment at Media but returned to Gatab for three months of the following two years, to get the water project started. On September 28, 2002 he married Virginia Jones, who was residing at Media, she joined him in this water project venture in May 2003. The water project was successfully completed in July and he began to build a church and pastor's house for the new village of Ngororoi. They returned to the states in December 2003 with the completion of Phase One (the physical way) and Phase Two (the church and pastor's dwelling). Phase Three followed with the completion of the airstrip, a school, meat processing plant, and a dispensary to make Ngororoi a strategic village of the Marsabit District. It began with an African Chief's request to harness water in the canyon high up in Mt. Kulal to come down to a tank and through, producing 500 gallons of water and hour, for the benefit of the people and animals in an arid area of Kenya.



Howard retired in 2007 with over 40 years of Faithful service. God alone knows the fruit for Christ that has resulted from his labors. His favorite hymn was "I will sing of my Redeemer, And His wondrous love to me. On the cruel cross He suffered, Paid the debt and set me free". He was a man of quiet humility who only wanted the Lord to be glorified in his life and in his death with a song of praise to his redeemer, Jesus Christ.



A Memorial Service will be held at the MEDIA Center on September 30, 2011.



Interment was private at Oak Hill Cemetery, Clermont.