LOTS of awesome news!! Ok, first, I’ll share about the event on Saturday at the new YFC center in Gaborone (Gabs), the capital. I feel like the event itself went well, though the turnout was less than expected. It was pouring down rain just before it started and I think that discouraged people from coming, especially if they have to walk or wait outside for a taxi ride. The people who did come seemed to enjoy it though and I shared my vision for what I’ve felt God leading me to start there—a mentoring/discipling program. Six young adults signed up to possibly volunteer with YFC in Gabs so that’s a good start. Others are interested in being mentored. One woman was just walking down the street and came inside to see what we were doing—now she wants to volunteer with YFC! I am trying to gather up other volunteers and then hold volunteer training with them.
Radical Transformation!!
On Monday, I had an awesome surprise. A few weeks ago, just after I arrived back in Botswana, I received a call from a girl nicknamed Slim who is friends with the girl I’ve been taking to counseling. Here’s the background scoop on Slim: I befriended her in September when she was in her last term of Secondary School in Mochudi, and we’ve hung out a few times (talking, playing basketball, grabbing a bite to eat, etc). She wore a long cross necklace, but seemingly for “bling” decoration, not because she really loved Christ. Slim got her nickname because of her love for rapper Eminem, aka Slim Shady. From what I could gather, she wasn’t really close to God, though her step-dad is a pastor. When we hung out just before Christmas break, she was dreading going to a church camp that her parents wanted her to attend. So I was quite surprised in mid-January when Slim called me and asked if I could give her more information about Face the Nation [the AIDS prevention program started by my church] because she thinks she wants to be a volunteer!?! Doesn’t she know how really Christian it is? How all the volunteers are committed followers of Christ, sharing the gospel and encouraging abstinence in schools? We set up a time to meet to talk more about it. We finally worked it out to meet a few days ago on Monday. I anticipated that our talk would give me the open door to share more with her about what it means to be a Christian (i.e. that it’s not just about going to church but about your heart’s relationship with Christ).
Instead, the person I encountered in our meeting Monday was not the same person I hung out with in late November. The person dreading to go to a church camp was replaced by someone who was all but bursting with joy and praise of her Savior! That cross is no longer “bling” to her, but symbolic of her “tight connection” with God. Slim Shady encountered the Light of the World at that church camp and is Slim “Shady-no-more”! She has confessed and repented, and turned to follow the Lord. His grace has empowered her to STOP bad habits that she could never shake before, like drugs. She has been set free of bitterness, addictions, etc. and set ablaze with a passion for her King and a passion to tell the world how good He is – to tell her generation they don’t have to live as friends of the world and enemies of God, but they can change (God can change them) and enjoy true life with Him. She wrote to me, “Life is awesome living by the word of God.” Almost 2 months after the camp, Slim’s fervor has not faded—she prays for hours each day and has a bible study every night with a friend from that camp. She told me she prays at 12 and then the bible study is like 2-4. I assumed she was talking about “pm,” like afternoon hours. But I found out yesterday she meant midnight and 2-4 AM! She told me that the cell phone subscription offers free calling in the middle of the night so that’s when they have their daily bible study fellowship over the phone! I don’t know if I’ve ever heard anyone talk about a bible study with such joy—like it’s such a privilege and one of the best things she could imagine doing. Her step-dad said she’s “on-fire for Jesus.”
“Slim?! On fire for Jesus?! No way!” Friends and peers can hardly believe it! Slim can hardly believe it! I can hardly believe it! But I could not deny the miracle standing before me—a transformed heart, a revolutionized life blazing before me with contagious zeal. She wants me to help mentor/disciple her too, which totally excites me. I dropped her at the bus stop, and she said she feels this desire welling up inside her to just stand up on the bus and yell, “GOD LOVES YOU!!” She wants to volunteer with Face the Nation and YFC in order to share her story and tell youth how they too can be changed by Christ and live differently. She wanted me to share her story with all of you – “Tell them how I was so lost...but now am found!” Gloriously found. This is just such an encouragement. If God could so radically transform Slim, how many other Batswana youth can be transformed as well? How many will be impacted by her testimony? What impact will it have on our mutual friend, whom I take to counseling? God is so good!!
Yesterday was my first day in my new office in Gaborone. Slim stopped by and we sat and talked. I learned more of the extent of what her life was like up until that church camp and what God has brought her out of. I won’t share details here, but trust me…it makes her redemption through Christ that much more amazing!!
Scripture Union Growing in Gabs!
The night before, I’d gotten a call from one of the students who leads the Scripture Union club at a Junior Secondary School in Gaborone with whom I’ve been working. She was at the Scripture Union camp that I went on in late November and she’d invited me to come to the club meeting the next day. She was excited to share that the club is growing and meeting every day after school. Since Slim was with me at the office, I invited her to come along to the Scripture Union (SU) club at that school. So she came along and at one point during the meeting, Slim felt led to give a word of encouragement. She told the students to keep focused on Christ and not to get sidetracked by the temptations the world has to offer. “I’ve been there…and it’s not worth it.” She encouraged them to live God’s way and keep following Christ. It was just a beautiful thing to see.
At that meeting, the SU student leader who had called me the night before thanked me for coming and shared that I am like a mother to them, a sister to them. Later she felt prompted to ask if any of those present wanted to pray to give their lives to Christ. If so, they could step into the center of our circle outside where we’d been singing worship songs. In all the SU meetings I’ve attended, I’ve never seen that type of thing happen, but 9 students stepped into the center, showing that they desired to give their lives to Christ! We prayed together with them, and now we can help them grow in their faith through the meetings and the follow-up bible studies from YFC.
Partnering with The Navigators to Disciple Youth
Yesterday, I also met with David, one of the staff of The Navigators, a Christian campus ministry started in the U.S. Their office is just adjacent to ours on the same property in Gaborone. David and I met together and realized that God has given us a very similar vision for how to reach the young people of Botswana—through mentoring/discipling (going really deep with a handful of students who then will go on to reach and disciple others). It was very encouraging for both of us to hear how our visions align so perfectly. We are partnering together to create a discipleship core group for students who just graduated in December from a school in Gabs during these 8 months until they start university study in August. The weekly fellowship meetings will be held in the new YFC center, and the school is offering to pay for the refreshments. So that is exciting!
Reaching the Nation through Radio
Soon after that, I drove to visit one of the YFC board members who has connections with one of the national secular radio stations. We’ve been invited to share on the Sunday morning Christian show, especially during March, the Month of Youth Against AIDS. We can create 3-minute pre-recorded nuggets (i.e. short testimonies, dramas, etc) and/or help lead discussion on topics relating to AIDS and abstinence where listeners can call or text in feedback. So we will be meeting soon at YFC to discuss this and make a plan that can be submitted to the radio station. Prayers for wisdom and ideas are welcome, as this will have a far-reaching impact (as I said, it’s a national station). This is also the station where one of my friends is a DJ on the Sunday morning show…and so our YFC events can now be publicized on the radio through these connections.
Open Doors to Speak in Mochudi Schools!
Finally, the last cool news from yesterday was that I heard back from the guidance/counseling teacher at the Senior Secondary School in Mochudi after I inquired about possibly being able to meet with all the students who committed their lives to Christ or committed to abstinence through the Face the Nation program last year. We haven’t been able to start the abstinence club since the school schedule changed, but I just asked if I might be able to just meet with the students briefly to encourage them. She said I could have up to an hour to speak to them during the school day tomorrow (Friday)! After talking again today with the guidance/counseling teacher, we decided I will come back next week too, so that this week I will meet with those who committed to abstinence and then next week or the following week, I’ll meet with those who became believers in Christ. Wow…so, it’s a great open door to share in the school! I would really appreciate your prayers because I just found out today I’m speaking on abstinence instead of giving encouragement to the Christians. I have no idea what to expect for numbers – over 300 students committed to abstinence back in July. Pray that students overcome the possible ridicule and decide to come to the meeting. It will be announced tomorrow morning at the general assembly to all students.
Then I might also be speaking to youth at another Mochudi school in the morning on leadership. We still haven’t heard back from the school if they could switch the time of the Leadership Training for about 50 students til the mid-morning tomorrow. Otherwise, it will be at the same time as my talk on abstinence so just Maruping and Twila will have to present the leadership training. But if it gets switched, then I will do part of the presenting for that in the morning. Both of these opportunities just came up yesterday. We haven’t been able to get into schools for months, and then BAM—two in one day! Exciting stuff!
Ok, so I should get back to planning for the abstinence meeting and then the possible leadership presentation. I won’t know until tomorrow it seems whether I’m actually able to help with the leadership training. Here, we have to learn to roll with it. You never know what a day may bring. Some days, like yesterday and possibly tomorrow, are jam-packed with one exciting thing after another. Other days like today are more relaxed.
But with everything going on, especially with Slim, I am truly loving life right now! I went for a run last night in the bush and was just so joyful. I was on this little hill overlooking Mochudi watching the sun set listening (sometimes dancing!) to worship music of the God who can transform lives.
He is good!
~Em
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