Gale & Chrisann Dawson
Gale Dawson
Gale G. Dawson never expected his life to lead from a berry farm in Washington State to the interior of the Congo.
After joining the United States Air Force, Gale was stationed at Yokota Air Base in Japan, where he first heard the Gospel and trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior. Missionary biographies soon stirred in him a desire to serve overseas, and in 1991 he and his wife, Chrisann, moved to Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
They spent seven years living and serving there with their family. Those years brought experiences Gale could never have imagined beforehand: rebels and AK-47s, the 1995 Ebola outbreak, malaria, witch doctors, deadly snakes, political upheaval, unusual friendships, unexpected opportunities, and repeated reminders that God's plans rarely follow ours.
Those experiences became the stories behind his missionary memoir, Steps I Never Planned: True Missionary Stories from the Congo.
Gale continues to direct Rise Congo, helping raise indigenous spiritual leaders through Christian education, Bible colleges, churches, and leadership conferences.
He writes about the places where faith leaves the theoretical and becomes very real.
Chrisann Dawson
Chrisann Dawson spent seven years living and serving
as a missionary in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, giving her firsthand knowledge of the people,
culture, and realities of daily life there. She and her
husband, Gale, began their work with the Congo in 1991
and were living in the interior during the 1995 Ebola
outbreak. Their years there included war, political
unrest, hardship, and many of the events told in Steps I
Never Planned. Chrisann speaks Lingala fluently.
Chrisann and Gale have been married 1991 and have
three grown children.
With a background in English grammar and history,
Chrisann has taught English grammar for more than
twenty years. She is also an author of a three book
series, Congo Crisis, Congo Terror and Congo Ebola.
You can learn more about Chrisann and her books at
