Meanwhile, their wider family in Cromwell is praying for the Australian couple, close friends and former neighbours, who were kidnapped by extremists.
Jim and Helen Harrington, of Cromwell, were shocked by the terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso on Saturday.
Al Qaeda militants seized the Splendid Hotel in the capital Ouagadougou.
They opened fire on a restaurant and attacked another hotel nearby, killing 29 people and wounding 50 others.
The Harringtons were missionaries in Burkina Faso between 1991 and 2003 and two of their four daughters were born there.
The family were close friends with Australians Dr Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn, who were kidnapped from Djibo village near the Mali border.
The Elliotts had delivered the Harringtons' two youngest daughters in the village.
The independent missionaries from Perth were aged in their early 80s and had run a "bush hospital'' in Djibo for more than 40 years.
"They are the most amazing couple,'' Mrs Harrington said.
Nearly all the people they treated at the hospital were Muslims and people travelled from across West Africa for treatment at the Elliotts' clinic.
The Harringtons' daughter, Christine Johnstone (28), son-in-law Pete Johnstone (29) and grandson James (1) had been in Sebba, a rural village about 200km from Djibo.
They left Clinton for Christian missionary work about three years ago.
In Sebba, they taught villagers and helped them grow crops and care for livestock.
After the attacks on Saturday, three heavily armed policemen provided an escort for the first two hours of the eight-hour journey to Ouagadougou.
The Johnstone family drove their Toyota Hilux behind the police escort.
Another visitor from Auckland travelled with them in the Hilux.
The Johnstone family was holding up well, Mrs Harrington said.
"Pete is a hardy South Otago farmer and not easily scared and Christine is similar - strong and independent.''
The family were expecting to be relocated outside Ouagadougou for the next month while the Burkina Faso Government assessed the threat level.
"They don't want to keep foreigners in large numbers within the capital.''After the month, a decision would be made on whether the Johnstones could return to Sebba.
"The Government appreciates the missionary help but they are aware Westerners are becoming a target.''
The Johnstones skyped the Harringtons after arrival in Ouagadougou on Sunday.
The Harringtons had never asked them to return to Otago.
"We encouraged them to go, so we wouldn't be telling them to come home,'' Mr Harrington said.
The Johnstones' placement in Burkina Faso ends in May.
They would return to Otago for a holiday but the Harringtons expected the young family would go back to Burkina Faso to resume missionary work, Mr Harrington said.
He said the Johnstone family were good friends with the missionary killed when extremists raided a restaurant in Ouagadougou on Saturday.
American Michael Riddering (45) had been running an orphanage in Burkina Faso with his wife and children.
