As I mentioned in the last post, I sat down to do a reflection on 2018 for my blog only to realize that I didn’t post much about 2017! So I’m finishing up 2017 here…and then will move on to 2018 .
Sabbatical – Rekindling this Ember
At the airport in Johannesburg on my way back to Michigan, I opened a book to this:
"We all need times of rekindling and reignition."This fits perfectly with the first goal for my sabbatical that I had written the night before:
"That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination]."
-2 Timothy 1:6, AMPC
"To rest and be refreshed and rekindled to return to Botswana more ablaze for Christ and the ministry there."
First Stop— Michigan
Unfortunately, I didn’t get off to a very restful start, having contracted a bad food poisoning bacteria (campylobacter) in Botswana that struck me hard the night I flew into Michigan. I basically stayed home on antibiotics those first couple weeks, but did venture forth one evening when I was feeling a bit better to go to the Caro Meet of Champs track and field meet largely because I learned that my high school coach, Peggy Regan, was going to be honored during her last season of coaching.
So I was glad to be there to celebrate with her and also reunite with my other high school coach, Jackie Boswell, and her husband Todd.
Let the Road Trip Begin!
Soon after that, I embarked on a long cross-country journey by car. I drove to Kansas City first, stopping over in Illinois to visit Katie (aka KTB) who served with YFC Botswana for 1.5 years in 2010 and 2011. It’s always great to see her, reminisce about our time together in Botswana, and catch up.
Kansas City – IHOP Training and Bethel Worship Night
I drove on to Kansas City to attend an 8-day training on worship-leading at the International House of Prayer (IHOP). Besides the general teaching, I attended classes daily to help develop my skills in singing, piano, and…the drums!! I hadn’t planned on learning the drums, but they needed someone else to take the class or else it would be cancelled. It has always been a dream of mine to learn to play the drums, so I signed up! I really loved it!
During that week, I was so blessed that Bethel had a Worship Night tour for the first time and they happened to be holding a Worship Night in Kansas City while I was there! So I went along with a dear friend, Amory, who was hosting me during my stay.
I met Amory back in 2007 when she came up to Bethany College of Missions as the worship leader on the International House of Prayer team that was teaching at our college for a week. Since then, I’ve visited and stayed with her several times in Kansas City, so it was really great to see and reconnect again with her and her husband and two sons.
Also at the International House of Prayer on the last day, a young lady came up to me in the bookstore there and wanted to talk to me. I learned that her name is Anna. During one of the classes together, she had heard that I’m a missionary in Botswana. She is from Huntsville, Alabama, and a youth group from Huntsville had been in a tragic bus crash the previous week on the way to the airport to go to Botswana on a mission trip. I had actually heard the news, and how one teenage girl had died in the rollover crash. I had already been in touch with a pastor that I know there (who used to be a missionary in Botswana) to offer to help in any way they might appreciate. Anna knew that pastor and his church! You’ll read further down how I did end up going to Huntsville to speak to that grieving community. Here is Anna and me in the IHOP bookstore when we met:
Southwest Kansas to Meet my Namesake, Ember, and Reunite with her Mom, Whitney!
From Kansas City, I drove southwest in Kansas to reunite with my dear friend Whitney, whom I met in 2014 at a Youth for Christ staff conference in Chicago. I was very humbled to learn in 2015 that she and her husband Luke had decided to name their baby girl after me! Little Ember was born in August 2016 and this was the first time I got to meet her in person! Here are some pics leading up to that point…
And this was when I first met little Ember!
Luke is a farmer, and I arrived during the wheat harvest, so we joined Luke for a bit one evening in the combine.
Whitney organized for me to sing my original songs and share testimonies at a local coffee shop, so we enjoyed that. Even little Ember came along . I’m thankful for that great opportunity.
Next stop: Colorado!
Whitney heard that I’m writing a book and so she invited me to go stay at a cabin her family owns in Colorado to have a quiet place to write! So from southwest Kansas, I just drove 6 more hours west to reach the mountains in Colorado! While there, I also got a 50-minute phone interview with a publishing agent and continued writing.
What a peaceful, relaxing time I had there. Here is some of the scenery just nearby:
From there, I turned northward to start my journey back toward the Midwest. I stopped in Palmer Lake, Colorado at Mission Training International (MTI), where the six of us in my first rollover crash had been training in 2008. It’s always an encouragement and blessing to visit the staff there, who showed such care, compassion, and love back then and even now. I visited the memorial that is built up on the ridge behind MTI for the three who did not survive our accident—Karin, Jessica, and Isaac.
I continued driving north and met up with Robin, who had been one of the first people on the scene of our accident in 2008. She had held my hands that fateful day as my life hung in the balance while I hung upside down in the car, assuring me that God was holding me, and to hold on—that help was on the way. Over the years, I’ve stayed with their family in Littleton several times. It’s always great to see her!
From there I drove toward Minnesota. At some point, I pulled over to get more fuel and then saw a sign that made me smile:
In Nebraska, I was blessed to spend the night at the home of Kristin, a fellow classmate from Bethany College of Missions. We had great conversations before I headed out on the road again the next day. Around lunch time, I was feeling hungry and was thinking, ‘What place would I really like to eat?’ Chick-fil-A came to mind, but I hadn’t seen a Chick-fil-A restaurant on my entire road trip that started a month earlier and didn’t know if they existed in Nebraska either. Then, I kid you not, the very next exit had a sign for Chick-fil-A!! I exclaimed aloud, “Lord, you answered the cry of my heart!” haha. So I got to enjoy that chicken goodness for the first time in years!
Two-Week Stop in Minnesota!
After that delightfully delicious lunch, I continued on my journey and finally made it to Minnesota!
I stayed the night in Mankato with one of my dear friends from St. Kate’s, my first university. We became friends as freshmen there in 2001 and started leading the bible study on campus together. I was blessed to be the maid of honor in her wedding in 2004 to her high school sweetheart, Dave. They have two beautiful kids, and it’s always a joy for me to visit them.
Meeting My Adorable Niece, Sawyer!
Another little one that I got to meet in person for the first time was my niece, Sawyer. Ryan, my brother, and Amanda welcomed sweet Sawyer into the world in December 2016. She was born with a full head of hair! Here are some pictures up until when I met her in Minnesota in July 2017:
And here are some pictures when I finally met her in person in July 2017:
Visiting Precious People and Places in Minnesota
In Minnesota, I also spoke at my church and its youth group there to give an update on the ministry in Botswana. It was great to see many friends and supporters there and throughout my time in Minnesota. Unfortunately, I was unable to see everyone I would have liked to have visited due to various reasons and because of the shorter time frame than usual in Minnesota, but I’m grateful that I got to see the ones I did! Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures with a lot of the friends I met up with, but I did after lunch with two dear friends—Norma, my student-teaching supervising teacher, and Dr. Marty, one of my music education professors:
I took these pictures while on a walk at Hyland Lake with friends from childhood in Michigan, Nichole and Jenny:
Another place I like to visit each time I’m in Minnesota is the park where I found EMBER carved on a wooden bench…I first saw it in 2007 and it was EM inside a heart…then in 2009, after “Ember” had come up, I saw that it had been extended to say EMBER!! For more details on that story, check out the blog post on the story of how God gave me the new name Ember: https://hope4botswana.blogspot.com/p/ember.html
Trip to Pacific Northwest to YFC Missionary Care Retreat House
A dear couple of veteran YFC missionaries, Ron and Ruth Berger, felt the Lord calling them to care for the YFC missionaries by inviting them to a retreat home in Washington state during their sabbaticals and furloughs. I first met Ron and Ruth in 2007 and it’s always an encouragement to see them.
So I flew out to Seattle from Minnesota to spend about a week there of R & R with R & R (Ron & Ruth) at Manoah House.
They have kayaks so Ruth and I went kayaking on the water just near the house.
They also treated me to day trips to Victoria, British Colombia and to Olympic National Park:
We also welcomed one of my friends from childhood, Meg Harvey, to spend one night with us at Manoah House so we could catch up. She lives in Washington state now, so it was great that it worked out to see her again and have some great discussions in the evening and during this walk along the beach:
The Road Trip Continues…From Minnesota to Michigan
After about a week in Minnesota again, I left the home where I had been hosted so warmly (by the Freemans who work at Bethany Global University) and drove to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I decided to be a tourist in my home state and go an hour out of the way to see the Pictured Rocks for the first time:
Celebrating my Mom’s Wedding!
I headed back to Port Huron, Michigan to help my Mom prepare for her wedding celebration in early August. As you may know, my dad passed away in 2010. After several years, my Mom Hannah met a kind gentleman named Bill in late 2015.
Flashback to 2016 - Mom and Bill's Trip to Botswana and Victoria Falls
I first met Bill when he and my mom came to visit me in Botswana for two weeks in 2016. I’ll share some pictures from their trip, which included a few days together up north in Kasane, Botswana with a day trip to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe:
The wedding celebration nearly a year later in August 2017 was a great time with family coming in from across the U.S.
Roadtrips to Canada and Dexter, Michigan
I spent much of August and September speaking in churches that regularly support my ministry. I also drove to visit friends in Ontario, Canada—all of whom I’d met in Botswana when they went on mission trips there. We gathered at the YFC centre in Listowel, Ontario, and then I drove to spend the night at Twila’s house. Twila served in YFC Botswana in 2010-2011 and returned to serve a couple months in 2015. It’s always refreshing and laughter-inducing to spend time with that champ.
I also went on an overnight trip with my Mom and Bill to my first hometown (and my mom’s hometown) of Dexter, Michigan. We visited various friends in those two days, including 5 sets of people who hold a very special place in our hearts for many years. Again, unfortunately we forgot to take pictures of us with our friends, but here is a picture of Half-Moon lake, where we stayed with one couple and where I used to swim as a kid:
Here are a couple other pictures taken from my time in Michigan:
Speaking to a Community Grieving after a Bus Accident of Youth Headed to Botswana
As I mentioned above, I was also invited to speak in a church in Huntsville, Alabama, to offer some comfort after another youth group from Huntsville got into a rollover accident on the way to the airport to go to Botswana on a mission trip in June. Once I’d learned they’d been heading to Botswana, I just felt like my story (surviving a triple-fatal rollover accident right before I was supposed to move to Botswana as a missionary) could offer some measure of comfort. I soon realized that one of my friends, whom I met as a fellow missionary in Botswana, is now a pastor of another church in Huntsville, so we got in touch and he invited me to share at his church, youth group, and home group.
I also was able to reunite with Anna, whom I’d met in June at the International House of Prayer. She helped me get connected to a couple of the survivors of the crash, and we ended up talking for about four hours together. The night before, Hurricane Irma had passed through Huntsville as a tropical storm, having weakened after hitting Florida.
YFC General Assembly in Miami – A Fire and a Hurricane Could Not Stop Us!
We were not sure if we would be able to have our Youth for Christ General Assembly in Miami a few days after Irma hit,
but almost miraculously, we were able to continue on course to hold the conference that gathers the worldwide YFC family leaders every three years. We were originally booked to be in a hotel on Miami Beach, but about a month before the conference, a fire made it uninhabitable. Of all the hotels in Miami to choose as a replacement, YFC leaders happened to choose the only hotel that would later not be flooded or lose electricity after Hurricane Irma hit! It just had a bit of wind damage, as you can see on the HILTON sign:
The hotel staff urged us to carry on with our conference, since it would give them business when many others would be cancelling their trips to Miami. Therefore, about 350 of us in the YFC family from around the world gathered in Miami for an amazing week of worship, training, and fellowship.
Like the last General Assembly in Thailand, I served on the Prayer Team (pictured above), which was a great experience. God really ministered in our midst, and we saw God heal people of health problems that had plagued them for months or years! For example, I remember walking behind a fellow missionary to check out of the hotel...she was walking fine, carrying the big plastic knee brace she had been wearing for weeks after a severe knee injury! The night before, some of the prayer team had prayed for her knee to be healed, and she instantly felt better and was even dancing!! No more need for the knee brace! God is so good!
Hurricane Irma Relief
I was grateful that we were able to partner with Miami YFC to do some Hurricane Irma relief work. We were some of the first people allowed back in to Miami because our flights were already booked for the first day flights resumed back into Miami, so it worked out to have quite a large YFC service crew readily available! It was scheduled to be the time we went to the beach, but most of us chose to help with the clean-up efforts instead, and we were mobilized to different places across Miami, under the direction of Miami YFC. EJ, Koekoes, and I from Botswana all ended up together in one team, and George is pictured sawing a large branch at another location (one of the YFC Miami centers).
Retreat at the Prayer Cabin in my Hometown: Lexington, Michigan
Since 2010, friends Richard and Nancy Cannon have offered me to stay in their prayer chapel/cabin in the woods about half a mile from where I used to live in high school. It's always a peaceful, sweet time alone with the Lord to rekindle and refocus me for the next season.
Trip to Swanage, England where my Aunt lives
Less than a week later, I was off to England to stay at my auntie Roni's home in Swanage, along the English Channel. That was my most relaxing month, having ample time to hike in such beauty along the cliffs and enjoy the picturesque town.
I also enjoyed the time with my aunt and uncle, Roni and Anthony, and a visit to see a dear family friend, Glenda, in Ipswich.
I also got to meet another little baby, my cousin Tess’ daughter, Daisy. What a cutie! Unfortunately it didn't work out to see Daisy's dad Tom or her older brother Forrest, but next time! They are a fun bunch!
I was grateful for the time with Tess and Daisy, especially our walk to Durlston Castle nearby.
Back in Africa to Round Out My Sabbatical
I flew back to Botswana after 5 months away to spend the last month of my sabbatical there and in South Africa. I wanted to be in Botswana when my German friend Frederike was visiting Botswana again for the first time since she volunteered with YFC in 2011 and 2012. We spent a great week together before she and her boyfriend travelled up north in Botswana. It was nice to be back in Botswana to see the beautiful purple Jacaranda trees in bloom.
I also was able to attend the bridal shower for Nametso (aka Skillz), one of the YFC volunteers whom I’ve mentored and who is like a little sister to me.
Trip to South Africa
I spent a couple days visiting dear friends, Ant and Nellie, who used to live in Botswana. They live in Kleinmond, South Africa, which is absolutely beautiful!
Ant and Nellie kindly drove me up to Wellington, South Africa, where I spent a couple weeks at Beulah Christian Retreat. The drive along the coast and up through the winelands was so breathtaking!
I have been going to Beulah Christian Retreat since 2013 for refreshing retreats apart with God every year or two. It’s always rejuvenating to my soul. It's always a blessing to reconnect with the hosts Jacques and Hanneke. I love hiking/running with the dogs there, and I do say, they enjoy it too—they wait outside my doorstep until I’m ready to go for a hike with them.
Three Beautiful Weddings in Late 2017!
I made it back from South Africa in time to drive up to Francistown, Botswana for Nametso’s and Cygnas’ wedding.
I stayed for the kgoroso celebration at Cygnas’ family’s home in Tonota a couple days later as well.
That was the last couple days of my sabbatical, so I started back to work, and was glad to be around Gaborone for the next celebrations that took place there. Next up was my dear friend Keziah’s bridal shower:
And her beautiful wedding to James:
And lastly was the bridal shower for a Dutch friend, Jiska, who was a YFC volunteer and housemate in 2011-2012. It was also great to reunite with Lydia, a German who volunteered in Botswana at the same time:
Jiska's wedding to Patrick was also a beautiful celebration:
Altogether, looking back at my sabbatical and all these pictures, I feel so blessed to have reunited with so many friends and family, met new family and friends, and visited so many beautiful places. I thank God for it and that I have friends/family who live in such stunning scenery! It was a rekindling time indeed. In the next post, I'll share the ministry highlights that happened in Botswana during my sabbatical and in the rest of 2017. Blessings!
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