As the year comes to a close, here's a look back at some of the highlights of this year.
Youth Week 2019
As with every year, we start right away on the 1st of January with the Youth Week meeting of the Botswana contingent, preparing us before our departure early on the 2nd to drive about 5 hours to Magaliesburg, South Africa for Youth for Christ's annual Youth Week camp, which gathers approximately 700-800 youth from across Southern Africa.
In 2019, we took 205 people from Botswana to Youth Week! Three coach buses full!
Here is the Botswana Contingent performing our war cry:
This year something new and exciting was "Gladiator Wars":
Here are some more pictures of the 205-strong Botswana contingent:
Thoriso took the opportunity to take a pretty sweet selfie, haha.
Everyone always loves the Tabernacle sessions during Youth Week, where we have amazing praise and worship and speakers.
Youth Week is an amazing time where youth are challenged, inspired, and equipped to grow in their faith and deepen their relationship with Christ. Every morning starts with a devotion time with small group bible study discussions led by the cabin leaders whom we have trained since October. There are morning and evening Tabernacle sessions, as well as electives in the afternoons that go deeper into different topics which can empower and equip youth.
Another awesome part about Youth Week is reuniting with friends from the other contingents/nations:
There is also a competition between the contingents for the War Cry, Banner, sports competitions, swimming gala, etc., and this year the Botswana Contingent won for the third-straight year! As one of the Botswana Contingent leaders, they called me up on stage to give me the trophy on behalf of the contingent. What an awesome end to another amazing Youth Week! Special thanks to all the committee members from Botswana (shout out to Reitumetse (Tumi), Pete Healy, Obie & Queen Bodigelo, Bonno Balopi, Tshepi Majelantle, Dikatso Nkile, Palesa Ramatokwane, Joshua Tlangae, Neo Khachana, and Thoriso Bogwasi). Without these leaders, it would not be possible to take 200+ youth to Magaliesburg (and bring them all back alive, haha). And shout out to the awesome team of cabin leaders...(it will take me forever to type out all 30+ names, but you know who you are)...you are appreciated!!
Burn 24/7 Field Training
On January 20, I started an 8-month online course to better equip me in my role as the YFC Botswana co-Prayer Coordinator to mobilize worship, prayer, and missions. I was glad that the course was structured in a way that allowed me to maintain all my regular ministry duties but still manage to do all the coursework each week. It is through Burn 24/7, a global movement combining worship, prayer, and missions around the globe.
Wedding Celebration in Palapye!
If you read my last post, you may recall that I shared pictures from my dear friend Vivien's traditional Ghanaian wedding on 1 December 2018. In February 2019, they had another wedding celebration in Palapye, Lamech's home village. I was honoured to read the scripture reading during the ceremony. It was a beautiful, joyful occasion!
The wedding celebration ceremony took place in the morning at Cresta Hotel (pictured above), and then later in the same day, the Kgoroso took place at Lamech's family's home there in Palapye (pictured below).
All in all, the wedding was a beautiful, joyful time celebrating with the bride & groom and also enjoying the company of the crew that came through to celebrate, including Viv's sister, GiGi, who came for the wedding from Canada, and bridesmaids Keziah and Zizi.
Before and after the wedding in Palapye, I stayed at Mizpah Farm in Mahalapye, where we stay during our annual prayer camp. This enabled me to visit several schools and drop letters requesting permission to do a "Month of Youth Against AIDS" assembly for 1 hour for all their students. By the time I left, I had secured 5 different schools (each afternoon) for our outreach in March. Here are some of the pictures from the scenery near Mizpah, mostly from when I went running with Minx, my canine companion whom I first met at Mizpah back in 2013.
"Month of Youth Against AIDS" Outreach in Mahalapye
In mid-March, I returned with a team of YFC volunteers (Bobo, Thuso, and Khumo) to do the outreaches at those 5 schools in Mahalapye. We used guitar/singing, rap, dance, video clips, Powerpoint pictures/slides with teachings/statistics, and testimonies to encourage youth to abstain from drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity. We reached approximately 3,285 students over 5 days.
We also spoke against the dangers of intergenerational relationships (i.e. with SugarDaddies/SugarMommies/Blessers), especially there in Mahalapye, which has some of the highest HIV rates in the nation! We also shared about how a relationship with God through Christ can give them hope and also strength to abstain. So we gave out YFC's "Knowing God" tracts, and Choose to Wait booklets.
We enjoyed our time at each school, and students always wanted selfies and pictures with us!
We stayed at the Mizpah Farm, where we stay for our prayer camp each winter. On one of the days after the school ministry, we stopped by a Cultural Village on the way back to the farm. So this is the team pictured outside a traditional rondavel hut. The team from left: Khumo, me, Bobo, Thuso.
In the evenings and on the last morning, I took the opportunity to run with Minx and sometimes Candy, the Mizpah farm dogs. This is always one of my favourite parts of staying at Mizpah Farm.
Birthday Surprise for Patrick!
Another highlight of our outreach was that it happened to be the birthday of one of the guys we met and ministered to at Princess Marina in the Spinalis Ward. Patrick was actually the first patient I ever visited in Spinalis Ward and we visited him weekly for almost a year, even organizing with his doctor to take him to church with us before he was discharged and moved back home to Mahalapye. Here is a picture from when we took him to church with us in 2015:
Later in 2015, I organized for him to get a P.E.T. (Personal Energy Transportation) device (basically a hand-pedaled cart), which enabled him to be more mobile on the sandy roads/farms in Mahalapye. So I drove it up there to Mahalapye, and Hannes (another YFC volunteer who happened to be in Mahalpye then too) and his brother helped me assemble it for him.
Since he stays in Mahalapye and we are often there for our prayer camps and outreaches, we try to stop by to see him. So this trip, I realized it was his birthday (thank you Facebook for reminding me!), so we planned to surprise him with a cake and Coke for his family. We just showed up, not knowing if he'd be there, but it was absolutely perfect timing because his relative was driving him into the yard, just before us. So when he got out of the car and into his wheelchair and turned around, we were there with the cake to yell, "Surprise!"
At home, he usually just uses his wheelchair since it's a bit more comfortable to sit in for long periods of time, but his nieces and nephews were riding his P.E.T. device around the yard for fun! Patrick was really touched by us coming and celebrating him and even became teary-eyed when he said to me, "Thank you, Ember...I am so blessed." We all gathered around him to pray for him as well, and again he was teary eyed. I am so grateful that it worked out that we were there in Mahalapye on his birthday and that we could help celebrate him that day.
On the drive back from Mahalapye, we stopped at the Tropic of Capricorn for a fun team shot:
Ministering on Yarona FM National Radio during "Month of Youth Against AIDS"
The very next morning after returning from Mahalapye, the outreach team was on Yarona FM for the next segment of our weekly Month of Youth Against AIDS program that we have done each Sunday in March since 2011 (this being the 9th year). We share during the Inspirational Grooves program led by Trevor Jones. We shared a lot of the same things we shared with the students in Mahalapye. Throughout the month, we focused on encouraging abstinence until marriage (and faithfulness in marriage) and giving tips on how to practically abstain. We also spoke against rape and gender-based violence. We spoke against the intergenerational relationships (Sugardaddies/Sugarmommies/Blessers) and the dangers therein, and instead shared about how God intended sex to be within marriage and for men to respect and care for women.
For the first week in March, Khumo was also one of the guests in studio, as well as David, a YFC volunteer from years back who happened to be back in Botswana (now he lives in Germany, married to a German named Sara who served as a YFC Botswana volunteer years back as well).
The second week in March, David joined again. Pictured is also Dee, who works for Yarona FM, but is also a YFC volunteer in the Youth Week committee.
The third week was the outreach team, pictured above, and the fourth week, Bobo and Thuso again joined in the conversation.
The fifth Sunday in March, Cygnas (Kagiso) and Fairhope (Martin) joined in the conversation, specifically speaking against rape and gender-based violence and sharing how men should treat women. We were joined in studio by Cyg's wife, Nametso (Skillz).
Launch of the Kiddies Mingle Club in Gaborone!
Another highlight in March was that Youth for Christ Gaborone launched a Kids Club for children ages 5-13 with games, bible story, craft, snacks, and sometimes swimming!
Let's break here after the first quarter of the year. Check back for the next 2019 highlights sometime soon (or you can also sign up to get notified when I make a post). Have a Happy New Year!
Blessings,
Ember
