Tumelo gave her life to Christ!!!

Dumelang!

It’s been a memorable couple weeks, to put it mildly! When I typed everything out I was going to share, it was crazy long, so I’m just going to save some of it until later. But here’s the best news!--

Tumelo = Faith

The Saturday before last, there was a follow-up camp to the camp at a private school in Gaborone where I had helped with worship leading and counseling. Tumelo, the student from Mochudi that I’ve been taking to counseling, asked me if I could pick her up so she could go the follow-up camp. She had gone to the day-long camp in early April but had not given her life to Christ. At the follow-up camp, I helped lead a discussion group on the message that the pastor had just given. Tumelo was in my group and was giving all the right answers about what it means to become a Christian, what it means to abide in Christ, etc. On the drive home, I kinda joked with her that she knows all the right answers (but yet she and I knew she had not taken the step of faith and accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior). She smiled and said that she’s paid attention (seemingly referring to that camp’s teachings and our previous conversations about it). Here's a picture of us on her birthday (she is ok with me posting this):

On an encouraging note, Tumelo told me in that car ride that she had gone to church the Sunday before of her own volition—I think the first time she had ever gone to church in Mochudi while at boarding school (and not with her mom in her home village). She told me she just really felt like she should go to church that day, and so she got up early to do so. So that was encouraging, as well as the fact that she wanted to go to the Christian follow-up camp. At that camp, by the way, I led one of the workshops, teaching teens how to play guitar. It was a bit challenging teaching 15 complete beginners at once with only 4 guitars, but I think it went well.

Anyway, I had worked it out with the school that Tumelo had permission to leave for 4 afternoons to receive special counseling in Gaborone from a visiting American ministry team called Fresh Start through the Face the Nation program at my church. Face the Nation is the same organization where her regular counselor works.

The first day she was scheduled to meet with the Fresh Start counselor was actually the first day the schools were closed down [this is the other main news I was going to share…in a nutshell, please pray for Botswana for a quick but lasting resolution to a civil servants strike that’s disrupting education, health services, etc], so it actually worked in her favor that she was able to attend their morning teachings as well this past week. On Wednesday, I took her out to lunch at the mall during the lunch break and that night I received this long text message from her [I’ve asked her permission and she gave her blessing to share it, the things that follow, and her picture]:

Hey Em. I got home safe. I want to thank you for lunch. But mostly I thank you for the love, care, guidance, teachings and opportunities to build my life that you give me. Thank you for being my friend. I am glad I met you. I love you. You are like a sister, a friend, a teacher, a mother and a minister to my life. I thank God for uniting us. Thank you very much for what you have done in my life and continue to do, you and [regular counselor]. God bless you all for the wonderful work you are doing, you and your ministry. Keep on with the holy work, my life is changing for the better because of all you have done for me. Thank you once more. Am grateful.

Wow…I almost cried reading that. May I briefly remind you that when I met Tumelo in August, she was a suicidal, emotional wreck who hated God and didn’t want to hear anything about God. And while she had been showing great strides in counseling and said she was moving toward God in February and March, things took a complicated turn in early April where she had a disagreement with her mom and moved out and missed school for about a week. She hasn’t had an appointment with her regular counselor since March because we didn’t want to force her and then the counselor was too busy with Face the Nation discipleship school that is currently running. I was relieved that when I invited Tumelo to this Fresh Start counseling as part of that Face the Nation training, she agreed…and then she wanted to go to church and to come to the Christian follow-camp. And now this text message… It was evident that God was continuing to pursue her and soften her heart. I texted her back the following:

Wow, if I could frame an SMS [text message], that would get framed!—almost made me tear up. Thanks so much for your sweet words. It’s been a pleasure watching you be transformed. I am also so thankful the Lord united us. I hope you’ve been able to see some of His love through me too—He loves you so much. He has great plans for you, you have such great potential. May the song of your life truly be a sweet, sweet sound—a melody to His name. See you tomorrow at Face the Nation dear. Robala sentle [sleep well]! Love ya

The part I mentioned about the song of her life being a sweet, sweet sound and a melody to His name is quoting the song she always plays in my car, even as we drove together that day she sang along to it at the top of her lungs. I could just sense that she was so close to coming to Christ in faith [I’ve been calling her Tumelo (meaning faith in Setswana) in these communications to protect her privacy, but also as a prayer/prophecy that she would come to an unshakable faith in Christ one day]. I felt I was supposed to stay up and pray to that end. Here is some of what I journaled in a reflection/prayer:

The girl who hated God and wanted nothing to do with Him—didn’t even want to talk about Him or hear worship songs—that girl has since asked to hear my testimony, chosen to play and sing her heart out to Christian songs, attended a clearly Christian camp and took the initiative to attend the reunion camp, and gone to church of her own volition…and perhaps most amazingly, the girl who hated God when we met just thanked God for uniting us and asked God to bless me for the “wonderful, holy work” I’m doing.

Father, thank You for softening her heart towards You. Lord I pray that [Tumelo] would gain a fresh revelation of Your love. I pray that she would come to faith, radically saving faith, in You. I pray that any schemes of the Enemy to distract her from public declaration of her faith will be thwarted…Draw her unto Yourself—that she may take the step to trust in You and give her life to You to be a sweet melody in Your ear. Father continue to draw her and transform her heart to beat for You, to be yielded to Your Lordship fully. Help her trust that it is worth it to follow Your ways. Grant her the courage to take the step to call upon You as Saviour and Lord from a sincere heart, and may her life never be the same. Tumelo = Faith. May it be so. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

It was around 1 am when I was journaling that prayer and I actually half-fell-asleep for a few seconds when I was writing the sentence, “I pray that any schemes of the Enemy to distract her from public…” and awoke to see that I’d just seemingly unknowingly, on that borderline between dreaming and wakefulness, written “public”?! Why did I write public?! I wondered. But I just finished the sentence that she would give public declaration of her faith…? I finished the prayer and went to bed.

The next morning, it all made a bit more sense. When I arrived at the church for the Face the Nation training, I opened the door and what did my eyes behold, but Tumelo up at the front of all the Face the Nation volunteers and staff speaking through tears into the microphone. “I have had experiences that have controlled my life. I have been overwhelmed by them. Today I am renewed. Today I have given my life to Jesus Christ. I have given my life to Jesus Christ!” –a “public declaration of her faith”!!! Praise the Lord – He is mighty to save!! Her regular counselor and I went to meet her as she walked back—both she and her counselor were crying as they embraced. It was simply a beautiful moment—a beautiful answer to oh so many prayers. The angels rejoiced with us over this one who had repented.

I spoke with her Fresh Start counselor in the following moments, and she told me that the day before, she had gone through with Tumelo again what it means to give your life to Christ, what true repentance is, etc., and she’d wanted Tumelo to think it through that night. In the morning that day during break time, they’d met and Tumelo wept under conviction as she confessed sin after sin and gave her life to Christ! And now just minutes afterward, she’d stood up of her own volition to make that beautiful public declaration of her faith!! What a beautiful Saviour!

We took pictures soon after that…a beautiful new creation in Christ!!

The Day of Salvation!

In the afternoon, she met with the Fresh Start counselor for the last time to pray through issues of forgiveness, especially with her mother. She was radiant afterward and we took some more photos.

Then she wanted me to drop her off at the hair salon. As she hopped out of the car to get her hair cut, she said, “New me—New look!” The next day she attended the whole day of Fresh Start teachings, and she is attending all this week as long as the schools are still closed. One of the Face the Nation leaders joked that the schools have been closed just for her so she could attend Fresh Start and Face the Nation teachings! I wouldn’t go so far to say that, haha, but I know my God brings good out of adverse circumstances and works all things together for good…this is just another beautiful example.

At church on Sunday, during the time for visitors to stand and introduce themselves, I recognized Tumelo’s voice just a few rows behind me. I turned around—sure enough, she had taken public transport by herself to get to church! (I had thought she would’ve gone to the church she goes to with her mom, but she wanted to check out ours). So after church, I took her to the mall and we had lunch together. I asked if she’d like to pray for our food. She agreed, and though she spoke softly so I couldn’t fully decipher her words, it was another beautiful moment—the first time we’d ever prayed together.

During the meal, she mentioned that next year, she wants to be a Face the Nation volunteer. Also, at some point, I asked her how her relationship is with her mom now. She said things are much better. I asked if she feels like she has fully forgiven her mom, and Tumelo replied with a smile, “I don’t feel like I have, I KNOW I have.” Amen! Her mom is so excited that she has come to faith, and it’s such an answer to prayer to see the reconciliation between them.

After lunch I leant her my phone to call our friend and her former schoolmate, Slim, to share the good news. It was definitely a blessing to be able to hear Tumelo testifying again how she had given her life to Christ and to hear Slim’s excitement. Slim gave her life to Christ in late November, so now they can be of encouragement to each other’s faith. Even then on the phone, Tumelo encouraged Slim that things will be ok (Slim’s going through a rough patch with circumstances beyond her control, so prayers for her encouragement are welcome). I find it a privilege to help them both to grow in their faith. It’s been such a joy to be able to see God transform their lives.

I captured my sentiment this way in a journaled prayer: “You are worthy of ALL the glory, ALL the honor, and ALL the praise. You are the relentless pursuer of lost sheep and for that I praise You. Thank You for softening [Tumelo]’s heart and seeking after her, showing Yourself to be mighty to save. And while You deserve ALL the glory for her salvation, how truly beautiful and poetic that You chose to use [her counselors], me, and others (i.e. those who read my newsletters and blogs) to partner with You to bring it to pass. What a precious privilege You’ve given me to co-labor with the King of Kings, what a blessed existence.”

So in case you didn’t catch that, I was also acknowledging that the prayers you may have offered over these past 9 months for Tumelo have been part of the means by which her heart was softened from hating God, to tolerating God, to liking God, to loving and trusting God. So I want to thank you for any and all prayers you may have lifted up for her. When I just told Tumelo the other day that hundreds of people in the U.S. and around the world have been praying for her, she seemed stunned in a good way and said, “Thank you.”

Today Tumelo was singing “Your Grace is Enough” as she walked around at Face the Nation…the praise seemingly overflowing out of her heart. In the afternoon today, I was given the opportunity to address all the Face the Nation volunteers and staff (and Tumelo) for 20-30 minutes and share about the YFC mentoring program I’m establishing. With Tumelo’s blessing, I shared the story of our relationship and her transformation as an example of the kind of transformation we hope this mentoring program will bring to many more teens in Botswana.

God is so amazingly good!!

Love, Em

Olifants Drift Outreach Adventure!

Greetings all!

Olifants Drift Outreach!

'Tis time to share the stories from our outreach to the remote village of Olifants Drift. On Friday, 29 April when the world’s attention was fixed on the royal wedding in England (even Botswana’s President Ian Khama was in attendance), six Batswana staff and I piled in YFC’s SUV (Toyota Venture) for the journey northeast to Olifants Drift, a remote village of roughly 1200 people accessible only by dirt/mud roads. Thankfully the roads were dry both ways so I did not have to exert my mud-driving prowess again! Along the drive, we encountered many cows, donkeys, and goats…and a few other humans.

Last post I shared some of the ways we felt led to go to Olifants Drift, and now I’ll share a bit more to show how it all worked out for this outreach to happen. I mentioned that Olifants Drift first came up to me in August one day when I noticed it on a Botswana map for the first time and just felt a desire to go there…and Maruping (having no idea I’d been thinking of Olifants Drift) brought up later that day or the next as a prayer point that Olifants Drift has no Christian church and we should pray for it because a church in Mochudi called Bible Life was hoping to establish a church there. Then the next day, I saw “Olifants Drift” written on a woman’s day-planner at an NGO meeting for those fighting AIDS.

Well, we had tried to go on an outreach to Olifants Drift in November, but we couldn’t find accommodation. Soon after the New Year, John, a Motswana Christian policeman from Mochudi interested in furthering the kingdom of God, was directed to YFC by his friend Justice, who used to be a YFC staff member. John came and met Maruping, and it was discovered that John is good friends with a Christian police officer in Olifants Drift named Mookitse. Mookitse had already called John and urged him to bring a group of Christians to do an outreach in Olifants Drift because at that point there was still no Christian church or fellowship in the village. Thus, John had already been organizing a group from Mochudi and planning a trip to do that. Maruping told him that we at YFC had also been planning to go, but just lacked accommodation. Because of John’s connection with Mookitse, they were able to work it out so that half of us stayed with the police, and half at the primary school. So that answered our prayers for accommodation in Olifants Drift!

So when we arrived in Olifants Drift, we went straight to the police station, where we met Mootkitse (pictured above) and he directed us to the school. That evening I met a woman who shared more of the story that shows how it truly seems like God has been orchestrating this whole thing. She is a woman from Mochudi who has owned land/fields out near Olifants Drift for decades. She would travel out to Olifants during the holidays and school breaks. She attends a church in Mochudi called Christ Embassy, and she told me that God put a burden on their hearts at that church to pray for Olifants Drift last August – the same time that it first came up to me and that the other church, Bible Life, also had a burden to start praying for it! So Christ Embassy, Bible Life, and YFC all started praying for Olifants Drift in August! This woman, an elder in the church, was appointed as a national “missionary” to help with the establishment of a Christian fellowship in Olifants Drift. Since her retirement from teaching 5 years back, she has lived in Olifants more regularly, and now she has moved there full-time to help get the Christian fellowship going.

So two months ago, in February, she and others (including Mookitse) started gathering for Christian fellowship at the primary school. When we came, the fellowship consisted of 10-12 people with no pastor, just the oversight of this church elder. Even in their short two-month existence, they’d already faced opposition and challenges, especially from a group who came to the village claiming to be the literal twelve apostles.

Unique Experiences :)

When we first arrived at the primary school, our home for the next few days, we quickly saw that we had arrived just in time for dinner…to be killed. There tied to a tree was a large goat and a couple guys were getting ready to slaughter it. The goat, sensing his impending doom, jerked free of the cords that had bound it to a tree. So… “dinner” ran away! The goat made a mad dash for the bush with our guys chasing after it!! They caught it in the field and led it back by its horns…literally “led to the slaughter.”

Wow…I’ve lived in Africa, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Nicaragua, etc, but never seen an animal killed for dinner. We enjoy the privilege of supermarkets here in Mochudi, or you can buy meat from a slaughter house. So this was a new, and honestly, slightly disturbing, experience for me! A couple of the YFC staff and I moved away from the scene and found our solace in husking corn and throwing it in the big black cauldron over the open fire in the outdoor kitchen of the school. Also a new experience for me, and definitely less disturbing, haha.

Goat ended up being on the menu each day…let’s just say, I’m thankful we brought along a lot of bread. Even if we hadn’t killed it right there, I just really don’t like goat meat. I wasn’t a fan in Bangladesh, and 6 years later when I tried it again in Olifants Drift…nope…still not a fan. Please know that I was careful not to be disrespectful; and if there hadn’t been sufficient alternative food, I would’ve partaken of the goat meat more.

Another interesting experience was bathing. It involved boiling water over the fire, mixing it with cold water, then standing in a large tin ‘bathtub’ and pouring water from the bucket over oneself. But where did one do this? Outside in the walkway between two buildings (NOT an enclosed space)! Can’t say I’ve ever bathed outdoors in the open under the stars. Due to the darkness and lack of backlight, those walking by (whom you could see because they were illuminated) could apparently not see the one bathing because of it being so dark. Still…awkward! I wondered if my white skin made a difference to this theory…haha. Right before I was about to bathe, someone started up a car that happened to be facing directly in line with where we bathe…the headlights flipped on as they reversed and drove off! Had I bathed two minutes earlier, I could’ve been “caught in the headlights,” literally…and I’m sure I would’ve resembled a deer in the headlights…supremely awkward! So, I am thankful for that NOT happening—supremely awkward situation averted…thank you Jesus!

The first night we had a meeting discussing the situation in the village (hearing from the local Christians) and spending time joining together in worship and intercession. We had walked down to the river earlier in the evening…which is perhaps the Limpopo or a main tributary from it (people were disagreeing on that), but either way, the water of the Limpopo flows in that river. Some locals we met beside the river told us there is a snake-spirit-woman living in the river who kills people (people disappear). They said she looks like a mermaid, but with a snake bottom. Interesting…

Later that night, I wondered what was in the metal tin on a desk in the classroom where I slept. Oh—how about the decomposing, furry goat skull!?! Sweet dreams! That night’s sleep was perhaps one of the worst in my life—due to the river nearby, the mosquitos were out in full-force, and we, sleeping on the floor of a classroom, did not have mosquito nets, nor did we think to pack repellant spray. I tried covering myself, head and all, in my sleeping bag to keep them away from my face and ears, but this got way too hot. When my head or arms were exposed for relief from the heat, mosquitos whined and landing on my face and arms almost immediately. Finally, I decided to change into long pants, socks, and hooded sweatshirt with the hood over my head/face, and sleep on top of the sleeping bag. Finally, I could fall asleep! This successful discovery was not made until 3 am, however. This wouldn’t have been so bad, had we not planned a prayer meeting for 5 am!

So I got up at 4:45am, physically appeared at the prayer meeting, but soon realized that I left my mind on my pillow. In my bleary-eyed, half-dead state of mind, I glanced in the closet of that classroom thinking I would leave my backpack in there. What did my bleary eyes behold? Oh—how about the bloody goat carcus!?! Ok, not putting my bag in there!… Wow…I was so tired I couldn’t really pray anyway, so I got the keys to the Venture and slept for awhile more on the bench seat. I felt kinda bad since we’d talked the night before about how important it was to pray in the morning before we go out to do ministry (with which I agree) and how we all should be there. So I felt like the others might view me as a “pansy-Christian” or something, but I knew that given my lack of sleep, my choice to sleep longer was in fact wise to prepare me for the long day of ministry ahead. When I returned to the 2-hour prayer meeting at 6:15am, God comforted me and made me smile by leading me to read Psalm 127—“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Amen! :)

Reaching an Old Woman for Christ

After breakfast, we split into groups to go house-to-house through the village, inviting people to the evening open-air service we were holding that night and sharing with those who wanted to learn more about Christ. I was the only white person (and non-Setswana speaker) in the entire group, the entire village for that matter, so they paired me with Thapelo, one of our YFC volunteers (he’s the translator for his pastor during sermons). I only had time to reach one house because I was going to return back to the school to help with the Children’s Ministry.

At the one house, we sat down and talked with an old woman, whose Setswana name I would murder if I tried to spell it, but whose English name is Elisa (Batswana usually have two names like this). She was recovering from leg surgery so would not be able to make it to the evening service, but wanted to hear more about Christ. So I shared the gospel message with Elisa, using the bridge analogy that I often use with Victoria Falls (but in her case I contextualized it by using the river in town). After a long talk and discussion, she indicated that she wanted to trust in Christ alone…not any ancestors, witch doctors, or other gods. She wanted to give her life to God. So Thapelo and I prayed with her, and then prayed for her leg to recover quickly so she could walk to the church services at the school. This very sweet, gentle old woman was very thankful that we came and talked with her.

It was only after we were leaving her yard that I remembered how earlier that morning John, the Mochudi policeman, had felt strongly during prayer that we need to reach the old people too (not just young) in the house-to-house ministry because some of them would be unable physically to get to the evening service or the church services, and we don’t want them to die without hearing the gospel message. So it seems like Elisa was perhaps one of those very people!

Music & Sharing with Kids/Youth

I walked back to the school and helped lead songs with guitar with the kids. Naomi from YFC shared bible stories with them, and then I shared the gospel using that bridge analogy (having the kids physically try to long jump across the “river” I’d drawn in the sand and realize they all fall short and need a bridge—which I drew as a cross). There honestly weren’t that many kids…only about 6-8, but later that night at the evening service and the next morning at the Sunday morning church service, there were about 50 youth and children.

All told, in the house-to-house ministry, 106 young people were reached with the gospel message and 40 chose to give their lives to Christ! We gave them the sign-up sheets to start our Indepth 18-part correspondence bible study course. Normally from such a distance, we would mail them back and forth, but interestingly enough, they don’t even get mail in Olifants Drift! Their mailboxes are in Mochudi! So that would be pretty much pointless to mail them the bible studies! Once again, it’s the policemen to the rescue…Mookitse and John drive back and forth from Olifants to Mochudi at least a few times a month, so we’ve organized it so that the Christians in Olifants Drift will turn in their bible studies at the school (where the church meets) and then Mookitse or John will bring them to us to get corrected and to provide the next ones.

Can’t Get Away…from the Goat!

On Saturday afternoon, I was attempting to take a nap in the classroom when my peace was disturbed. What’s that grinding sound I hear? Oh—someone sawing and cutting at the decaying, furry goat skull to glean more edible parts!?! Later in the afternoon, I went with Maruping and Mookitse to set up for the evening program. We all got in the car, but then Mookitse got out. He evidently forgot something. What did he bring in his hands when he returned? Oh—a bowl containing the decaying, furry goat skull!?! Seriously!?! I feel like that freakin’ goat was haunting me, haha! I turned to Maruping before Mookitse got back to the car with the goat parts and said, “Maruping, you have to hold that…I cannot hold that!!” (The smell of the goat was really quite disturbing to me by that point…well and of course, gazing at decaying goat parts isn’t on my top ten list of things to do). So Maruping thankfully held the bowl of goat parts on his lap as we drove to a house, where it was deposited. Thank God! And no…it never reappeared…the goat’s haunting presence only remained in the meals we ate. I just find the whole situation quite humorous…first the goat tries to run away…and then it haunts around every corner, haha!

Open-Air Services in the Village

The evening service on Saturday was delayed due to a thunderstorm. We had 12-15 people squished in the Venture to provide cover, including an old man and woman from the village. At one point there were 5 people squished in the front bench seat of the Venture as we waited out the storm. Good times!

Then the weather cleared, revealing an amazing clear starry sky, under which we held our tent meeting. At one point during prayer for people, I was invited to play the keyboard ‘til the end of the service. I appreciated and enjoyed that opportunity.

Sunday after the church service, we handed out Christian literature to adults/youth, and storybooks & little toys to the kids.

We made sure to reiterate the times the church fellowship is meeting at the school and encourage the people to continue meeting there and growing in their faith. Then we had lunch (goat again! Praise God for fresh rolls!), packed up, and took some group photos:

Then we headed back to Mochudi. Thankfully, the rains hadn’t made the road too muddy or water-covered, so it was smooth driving (just had to dodge the cows and donkeys). All in all, it was a memorable, albeit exhausting, trip! Thanks so much for any & all prayers that were offered for it. We continue to pray that God strengthens that growing body of believers and helps them to be lights in the darkness.

Sharing from Suffering

Later that night I was scheduled to Skype (internet video call) with one of the YFC World Outreach leaders, Art, and his church bible study group. They have been studying the book of Job and wanted to interview me on my views on suffering and God after my accident and dad’s unexpected death. The internet connection quit in the evening though, as is usual, so they called me instead. I was thankful for that opportunity to share some of what I’ve learned and experienced over these past few years.

I’ve found it also helpful in my one-on-one ministry with young people here who are going through hard times to be able to share some of what I’ve learned through my experiences. Right now, if you think of it, Slim could really use some prayer for encouragement. She’s had some trials and setbacks as of late and it’s been getting her down. Please pray for her faith to remain strong and for her to continue to cling to the Lord. Tumelo could also use prayer--unfortunately her counselor is booked up with the running of the Face the Nation AIDS-Prevention program these next few weeks, so she cannot counsel Tumelo. During this break from counseling, please pray for Tumelo’s reconciliation with her mother and that she would make wise choices and come closer to God.

Take care…gotta finish planning for the next volunteer training tomorrow in Gaborone!

Blessings,
Em

Outreach to a Remote Village!!

Dumelang!

The big news I’ll focus on this time is that this weekend I’m going on an outreach with 8 Batswana staff/volunteers from YFC to a remote village called Oliphants Drift. I hear it’s a 5 hour drive along a dirt road to reach the village, which happens to be on the famous Limpopo River! I am the driver for our team, and due to heavy rains lately, the road may be somewhat precarious or even water-covered at points. Please pray that the rains hold off the next few days so the road is passable and safe.

I am quite excited to go because since late August, I’ve felt like the Lord has been leading us to go there. Here’s how that story began…I was sitting in my bedroom in late August, looking at the map of Botswana on my wall. I noticed Oliphants Drift, a village I’d never noticed or heard of before, and for some reason was really drawn to it. I had a desire to go there sometime. Then later that same day or the next day, at the weekly prayer meeting, Maruping brought up as a prayer item the village of Oliphants Drift! He said that there is not a single Christian church there, and that a local church in Mochudi has a desire to help plant a church there. So we began praying for Oliphants Drift, and my desire to go there was strengthened.

The very next day, while a man was presenting during a collaborative meeting of NGOs who are fighting AIDS, I was thinking how Oliphants Drift and other outlying areas may not have as good access to the HIV drugs. As the same presenter continued, my eyes happened to glance down at the day planner of a woman sitting two seats away from me (her planner was in my field of vision as I looked at the presenter). My eyes glanced down at one point to see that her day planner was open to the day where she’d written in large letters across the page: Oliphants Drift! I nudged Twila next to me to point it out—I had already told her about how it had come up the day before and how I feel like perhaps I should go there sometime. We both smiled in amazement.

In the month or so after that, E.J., the YFC National Director, shared with us at a staff meeting that he really felt the Lord putting a burden on his heart that we need to go on an outreach somewhere—to share the gospel in other places in Botswana. He asked us to pray and make plans. I immediately thought of Oliphants Drift, and talked to Maruping about it. He agreed that we could go on an outreach there to precede the work of the church from Mochudi who would be trying to plant a church. So we set the date for mid-November for the outreach. However, accommodation fell through so we had to cancel the trip until after the new year.

But meanwhile, the same week in which we would have been on the outreach there, Franzi and I went on a little exploratory journey on the drive home from church, ending up driving past the turn-off toward Oliphants Drift, designated with a sign. That was when I first saw that the road leading there is dirt!

In March, we planned to go there with a visiting South African dance & drama team to do an abstinence rally, but then the team was unable to come up from South Africa, so that never materialized. Instead, we held the abstinence rally in Mochudi, and interestingly, right afterward, as I was about to drive Slim home from the rally, she told me that her family was all camping in Oliphants Drift right then! Slim had never mentioned Oliphants Drift to me, nor did she know we were hoping to minister there. It seemed that we weren’t supposed to forget about Oliphants Drift, but keep seeking the opportunity to go there. And finally, now is the time!

Once I heard of this outreach opportunity in Oliphants Drift, I knew I wanted to be a part of the team to go. They actually needed one of us foreigners to drive since none of the Batswana staff/volunteers have their driver’s license. So I will be driving, as well as helping with music and going house to house (or hut to hut) to share with people about Christ if they are interested, and inviting them to the new church that is forming. Apparently a body of Christian believers in Oliphants Drift has banded together since the new year and has been meeting in a school, though they have no pastor. So we hope to strengthen, encourage and support their fellowship, as well as invite others to join them, especially children and youth. Church leaders from Mochudi and Gaborone are also coming on the outreach to help the ongoing church to grow. We leave Mochudi tomorrow (Friday) around 11 am for the 5ish hour drive. Saturday we will visit people at their homes and hold an outreach for children. We will leave Oliphants Drift after the church service on Sunday.

I am excited to see what God has in store, and I covet your prayers—for protection, that the Holy Spirit would guide our words and ministry, that the people’s hearts would be open to receive the gospel and embrace Christ, and that the Body of Christ would be built up in that village.

I know I am already a missionary…but this feels like I’m really a missionary, if that makes sense! It reminds me of my first 2-month mission trip to Botswana in 2004 where we reached out in similar ways in 2 remote villages in northern Botswana. We helped plant a church in each of those villages, which, to my latest knowledge, are still meeting to this day. In fact, I found out while mentoring one of the students at Bethany College of Missions that she had actually gone back to one of the villages two years after I had been there, and her team had helped to build the actual church building for the church we’d planted 2 years earlier!

Thanks for your interest and prayers. It does make a difference!

Oliphants Drift-Bound!

~Em

Leading Worship...Awesome Camp...Teaching in Schools!

Greetings all!

Transformer Camp!

The camp last weekend went really well. It was a one-day evangelistic camp that we put on three days in a row. We had a full worship band, dramas, dances, games, rap, “magic” show, and speakers. Last Friday, April 8, it was for the whole student body at the school. Then Saturday and Sunday it was opened up for youth from outside the school, mainly from Gaborone. There were about 550 youth from outside who came, and then 365 secondary students from the school.

So all told, about 900 youth experienced the camp that was run by the visiting mission team from the Philippines, with help from local Batswana, the school staff and me. About 200 of the youth decided to give their lives to Christ. A group of counselors (which included me) then followed-up those students who prayed to trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior by counseling them and explaining the gospel clearly again, answering their questions, etc. It’s cool that one of the Filipino guys who did the “magic” and ventriloquism used to be a pickpocket and steal cell phones in the Philippines, but he attended one of the same camps in 2007 there and came to faith in Christ. Now the Lord is using him around the world to bring joy and to be a living testimony of Christ’s power to transform lives. One of the students who rapped about Jesus came to faith in Christ through the camp last year.

Girls Club Field Trip to the Camp

In Mochudi, we recently started up a Girls Club at the YFC office on Saturdays. I am not officially part of the planning team for that because often on Saturdays I have volunteer trainings and events in Gaborone (and also the abstinence club at 2:30pm). However, I like to go when I can just to interact with the teen girls and build friendships. I invited the Girls Club to come to the camp in Gaborone last Sunday. The girls were so excited when they heard about it, they screamed and jumped up and down! It’s not often that young teens from Mochudi can go to Gaborone at all, let alone for a free camp! So I drove a handful of them in our YFC SUV so they could attend the camp. Five of them went forward to pray to receive Christ! Praise God! They really loved it.

I also invited Tumelo, the girl I’ve been taking to counseling. At that point she had been living at a friend’s house all week due to a disagreement with her mother. She wanted to come along, so she came to the camp as well! Though she did not pray to trust in Christ, it was a positive sign that she wanted to come to a clearly Christian camp. A few days after the camp, she moved back home with her mother, but she could really use prayer. I won’t go into all the details, but just pray that she makes wise decisions and that her relationship with her mom can be reconciled. And let’s continue to pray that all the seeds that have been planted regarding Christ can take deep root in her and that the flower of faith (tumelo in Setswana) will come forth.

More Opportunities in Schools

We already had it worked out that we would be teaching in two different schools—one in Mochudi, and one in a nearby town called Borwa—last week and this week. Last Monday at noon, the school in Mochudi asked if we would be willing to come and teach 4 separate classes the next morning at 7:55 am on a different Lifeskills topic. So we rose to the challenge of the last-minute opportunity and four of us prepared to teach on goal-setting – helping them to discern their vision/dreams in life and how to set goals to achieve their vision. Then on Wednesday, I taught at the school in Borwa on self-esteem and their value and worth. So last week, I had the opportunity at these schools to teach youth that they are not a mistake, but rather they are of extreme value to the God who created them and has a purpose and a dream for their lives. Those are lessons I love to teach!

Begging for more teaching!

At Borwa, I finished my lesson as the class period ended, but the students were still sitting there as if class wasn’t over listening attentively and waiting for me to continue. I asked what time the class ended and they said, “Oh, don’t worry, keep going!” I looked at my watch and confirmed that class was over. I found out that their next class was there in that same classroom and their teacher would come to teach them. “Do you want me to keep teaching until your next teacher comes?” I asked. “YES!!!” they yelled back enthusiastically! So I kept teaching, sharing the dangers of premarital sex, even with condoms, in this country where the HIV rate is so high, and that if they know their value, they can stand against the peer pressure to engage in risky behaviors like that. Then once the next teacher arrived, I concluded and left, as they waved and yelled “Bye!! Wow…that was an encouragement that my lesson was not too boring, or even just bearable for them, but actually enjoyable. It’s times like those that I remember why I like to teach. I am scheduled to teach that same lesson today, tomorrow, and Wednesday at that school in Borwa to different classes.

Volunteer Training in Gaborone

Last Saturday morning, I led another volunteer training in our centre in Gaborone. It was cool to see this week on facebook, that one of the volunteers had put a quote from the training as her facebook status:

“One of the greatest joys of life is knowing that a teenager or person in whom you have invested has grown up to be a mighty man or woman of God.”

All-Night Praise & Worship Event at YFC!

This Saturday, I didn’t lead a volunteer training because I was up all night Friday night…literally. We held an All-Night Praise & Worship event at the YFC office in Mochudi. Despite the rains, people showed up in large number. We didn’t actually count how many were there, but we had 90 chairs and they were pretty much all filled! At one point, everyone started dancing what seems to be Botswana version of the Electric Slide. It was cool!

I helped lead the worship for that, and also spoke in the beginning to encourage the youth from different churches to join together to pray regularly. I shared how God had really been putting it on my heart, and also Maruping’s, to restart up the prayer movement at our Mochudi office. So we will start it again on Tuesdays at 5:30pm.

Saturday (after sleeping til 1 pm after the All-Night Praise & Worship), we led the Real Life Revolution club at the Senior Secondary School in Mochudi. It went well—I think the students enjoy it and will find it a place where they can be ‘real’ –discuss real life issues that affect them and find positive peer pressure to encourage them to do what’s right. Pictured below are some of the members--

So, all in all, God is at work here! E.J., the YFC director, said recently that right now is the most ministry that YFC Botswana has ever been doing at once in its history. We just gained two three new Batswana staff to help us, which is a huge answer to prayer. Thanks for all of your prayers and encouragement. It is making a difference!

I hope you have a most blessed Easter, recalling the loving sacrifice Christ made for us to enable us to have life to the full…and then life eternal. He has triumphed over the grave, and so shall those who are connected to Him!

Blessings, Em

P.S. Here is an intriguing reflection on the Triumphal Entry celebrated yesterday on Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem and all the people were shouting “Hosanna!” and laying down their palms on the ground before him:

From The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer --

“It’s ludicrous for any Christian to believe that he or she is the worthy object of public worship; it would be like the donkey carrying Jesus into Jerusalem believing the crowds were cheering and laying down their garments for him.” –Charles Colson, p167

“Rise, O Lord, into Thy proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health and even my life itself. Let me sink that Thou mayest rise above. Ride forth upon me as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to Thee, ‘Hosanna in the highest.’”

Namibia trip, Worship band!

Greetings all!

Today is a most stellar day!! It’s my 28th birthday…and also the first time I played in a praise and worship band in Botswana! I’m helping to lead worship for a camp this weekend at a Christian school here in Gaborone. It’s the private school where I spoke to the whole student body (K-12) last September about my accident/recovery story.

A visiting team from the Phillippines is putting the camp on this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and the school leadership asked if I’d like to help. I was planning to help last year, but I got sick that weekend. There were over 800 kids from Gaborone that came last year though! So a similar turnout is expected this year, many of whom are unchurched kids. Yesterday I stopped by to meet the Filipinos and see how I could help out. They told me the different departments I could volunteer in, and when they mentioned the praise and worship band, I knew that’s where I would fit! After meeting the Filipinos (who are AWESOME people, by the way…I love working with them!), I watched several of their dramas that will be performed during the camp—powerful. In the afternoons, the Filipinos are teaching the dramas to students from the school who want to learn them…so the dramas will be performed by those Batswana youth. How cool that people from a former/current missionary destination (the Phillippines) are now going on mission trips to other places around the world? That’s how it should be. And it’s cool to partner with them, and to see their love for Jesus and the ways they can reach youth worldwide.

This morning, we had praise and worship band practice. They asked me to bring along songs I have, so I ended up providing all the music. For those who are familiar with the songs, we are singing “Trading my Sorrows,” “Every Move I Make,” “Taste and See,” “We Want to See Jesus Lifted High,” and “Go gona ya Tshwanang le Jesus” (There’s no one like Jesus). It turns out the other two band members that were recruited to help besides me and J.R. (Filipino) are Batswana guys I know from church who are also new YFC volunteers that I’m training! So that was cool to see them walk in and then we jammed together. So I play acoustic guitar and sing, J.R. plays keys or acoustic guitar depending on the song, Moses plays drums, and J.B. plays bass. It was truly an amazing birthday gift to be able to play/sing in a full praise/worship band again – as I said, it’s the first time since being in Botswana (and for that matter, the first time since December 2009 when I left Bethany College of Missions and my church in Minnesota). So yeah, a true blessing! And they have a really nice Yamaha keyboard, so I was able to play that for awhile too…and Moses played along with the drums which added a sweet effect. Students from the school were there with us, singing along and listening. They were making up worshipful lyrics to my original piano compositions while Moses added the beat. It was epic, haha. I’ve really been “itching” to use my music gifts more here in Botswana, and even on Sunday I was thinking how much I miss leading worship in a full band (not just myself playing guitar)…and then this opportunity came! God is so good.

I enjoyed some KFC and an ice cream in Gabs before I headed back to Mochudi for a run in the bush during a gorgeous sunset—one of the most beautiful I’ve seen in my time in Botswana, where the clouds across the sky turned a soft pink/orange contrasted with deep blue around it. And now the stars are amazing. My American housemate Katie baked me a chocolate cake and found Pillsbury chocolate frosting with which to ice it. A blessed birthday indeed.

Namibia!

My weeklong trip to Namibia was amazing! Five of us international YFC staff/volunteers (2 Americans, 2 Canadians, 1 Dutch) left our house at the lovely time of 5 am to catch the bus in Gaborone, whereupon we rode “cramped-style” for 12 hours to Windhoek, the capital city. We spent one night there in a hostel, then caught a combi (van) for another 4 hours through the Namib desert to the coastal town of Swakopmund. This experience altered my definition of desert. Botswana is largely the Kalahari Desert, but here you find shrubs and thorn bushes and some trees. This was sand. Purely sand. What came to mind as we drove through what seemed very desolate sand – no green anywhere – was, “It’s easier to endure the desert when you know the ocean is on the other side.” Fits with hard times in life too.

We did arrive at the other side of the desert, greeted by the Atlantic Ocean. Swakopmund is an old German colonial town, so there is ample German influence and architecture. It was a very beautiful, quaint town with a nice boardwalk pier out into the Atlantic, a lighthouse, markets, huge sandy beaches, and many nice restaurants. One is on the pier and another just next to it in a converted old ship. We spent most of the time relaxing on the beach, swimming (the first time I’ve swam in what is officially the Atlantic Ocean—the English Channel is, well, the English Channel and not technically the Atlantic), reading, journaling, praying, watching sunsets over the Atlantic, etc.

One morning we went “sandboarding” with a local company. It’s like snowboarding or sledding on sand, reaching speeds of 70 km/hr. I was not stupid enough to do that with my somewhat more delicate neck. But I went along to watch the others and to see the scenery. So they drove us out of town where it is the Atlantic on your right and endless sand dunes to your left. We hiked up into the dunes and the view was just amazing. It was like mountains of sand as far as the eye could see one direction and the ocean the other—a stunning juxtaposition.

I posted more pictures on facebook if you are on there in “Namibia trip” folder. The instructor invited me to go down with him both sitting on a board on a very safe, slower dune. So I enjoyed that one trip down, a free unexpected gift.

The next day I “enjoyed” a one-day flu or food poisoning experience (3 of us felt gross but I was the worst), so I stayed at the hostel that day. Besides the couple times I was really sick and felt gross, it actually was a really relaxing time where I spent a lot of time with God, listened to sermons on my iPod, and journaled. The others went 4-wheeling on the sand dunes that day, but said it probably would’ve been too rough for my neck anyway.

The next day I was feeling fine again—went swimming in the Atlantic again. I swam in part next to a break wall, so I could just float in the ocean. Never done that before because the ocean is usually too wavy—and I love to just float and relax. But I also like to wave crash, so Twila and I went further down the beach to where the waves were crashing and enjoyed jumping over/into the waves for a bit.

That morning, I also got my hair cut for the first time in Africa at a salon we found. Really great quality for a very reasonable price. That’s what I’m talking about! I saw a massage therapist’s office near the salon, and my neck and back told me to inquire within. I signed up for a half-hour neck/back massage (also reasonably priced). Amen. I used to get massage treatment twice a week for my neck/back until I left Minnesota, so this half-hour of course did not iron out all the knots and tightness I’ve accumulated, but it felt great and loosened me up a bit.

The last morning in Swakopmund, I walked/jogged out to the edge of the desert, where the sand dunes start at the edge of town, to see the sunrise and the river. The locals told us that there hasn’t been a river running there for 30 years because it’s been so dry, but this year the river is flowing due to abnormally high levels of rain. People were marveling and taking pictures of it earlier in the week, like the others saw a busload of people stop and get out to take pictures or something. So I figured I’d go take a gander too. Reminds me of all those scriptures about how God makes rivers in the desert, or streams in the desert (i.e. Isaiah 35, 43, etc).

Then it was another lovely 4 hour combi ride to Windhoek. I realize that sometimes I use the word “lovely” in all sincerity and other times I am being facetious. This would be an occasion of the latter. It wasn’t horrible, but “comfortable” isn’t a word I would associate with our drive. We stayed at a different backpackers’ hostel that night in Windhoek and got up wicked early again—a taxi picked us up at 5 am to be taken to the bus stop for the 12-hour journey back to Gaborone. All told, it was worth the long travel excursions for the beauty and respite we enjoyed in Namibia. After some really busy weeks of ministry lately, it was a welcome break for us all. Growing up on Lake Huron, I miss large bodies of water…so it was refreshing to be at the ocean.

Hope you are doing well!

Blessings,

Em

Happenin' times! God's at work!

It’s been a happenin’ week at YFC! I was supposed to lead an assembly with an entire junior secondary school in Mochudi last Monday, but due to crazy hard rains, the outdoor assembly was canceled. Perhaps it will happen after the school break. Schools closed for break on Friday and re-open on April 5.

Perhaps I’ll just share something cool about the rain. It hadn’t rained here in weeks and was crazy hot lately. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time it had rained. Koekoes told us on Sunday to pray for rain. Then Sunday night/early Monday morning, it RAINED!! Here is what E.J., Koekoes’ husband and the YFC National Director, wrote on Monday morning in his prayer update:

Yesterday at our church service we prayed for rain. The past weeks we had not rain. The day temperature was about 38 degrees Celsius every day. Even the weather reports predicted no rain, not even for today. And then it came last night. It rained 100mm during the night and still it is pouring. God is really good!!

For those not fluent in Celsius, 38 degrees is about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Yesterday, Sunday the 20th, it again rained like nobody’s business. It was insane! While I was driving to pick up Potlako, one of our staff from Botswana, to drive her in to the radio station, I felt at times more like I was driving a motorboat than a car. It felt like I was fording rivers flowing onto the main road from side dirt roads that couldn’t absorb anymore water! Good times!

Speaking to Entire Schools!

On Thursday last week, we had to leave the house at 5:50 am in order to pick up the recently revived YFC Dance & Drama team and drive about 45 minutes to a school in the middle of nowhere. I mean really—I think I saw 2 shops and 2 abandoned houses on the entire drive there until we reached the tiny “village”…otherwise, bush: trees and tall grasses. Franzi and I were going to lead a 2 hour assembly for the entire school (668 students), and we plugged the Dance & Drama team in throughout the presentation to keep it engaging and exciting. They did dances, skits, and testimonies that encouraged youth to make good choices and abstain from risky activities (i.e. sex, drugs, and alcohol). Franzi and I, along with Papi from the Dance & Drama team, performed the step dance and a new rap. Then Franzi shared about self-esteem and peer pressure, and I talked about HIV/AIDS and encouraged abstinence. I shared the information about Uganda that I included in my last post, and rallied them by saying I believe that that kind of change can happen here in Botswana. But it will take the youth to stand up and be the change. It was cool to see some of them really agreeing and being motivated.

In fact, afterward they wanted us to fill another 40 minutes, so we did Q & A and then students wanted to come forward to address their whole school, sharing comments agreeing with what we’d said and how it’s good to abstain, thanking us so much for coming. etc. One of the students received cheers when he stood up to make a comment. He explained how what we and the Dance & Drama team had shared really impacted him and he is genuinely thinking of changing his behavior. One of the teachers came up after him and was amazed, saying that if that student can change, there is great hope for their school. Apparently that student is known to be a big trouble-maker—the teacher said the student has tried to punch him twice, as recent as the week before. One of our Dance & Drama team guys then shared how he had tried to punch a teacher and was a really rebellious teen, but God changed him…so He can do the same for that student. Overall, it was just a really positive experience and it seemed like it really did mean something to the students.

The next morning, Friday March 18, I had the opportunity to speak to the entire student body at the Senior Secondary School in Mochudi where we are now leading the Wednesday and Friday morning assemblies. We decided that since it’s the Month of Youth Against AIDS, I would share a brief version of the abstinence talk I’ve been giving at other schools. Maruping has continued sharing the gospel on Wednesday’s to 1/5 of the school, but this was the first time we at YFC have ever really shared a message (besides rapping and dancing) with the whole school. I realized it was indeed timely because the students apparently just had to report to school for the assembly and then they were free to leave to start their school holiday until April 5. Thus, I was able to encourage them to make wise choices while on break. If that keeps one kid this school holiday from engaging in sex and putting him/herself at risk for HIV, then it was worth it.

Remember when we couldn’t get into schools at all? From July until February? Not even to do a club after school that is optional? Now we are able to speak to entire student bodies for sometimes 2.5 hours during school! In the last week or so, YFC staff/volunteers have led an assembly for 0.5 - 2.5 hours for hundreds of students at 5 different schools; and it would've been 6 schools had the one not gotten rained out. Praise God! Praise God! Oh, and yesterday, Twila and Jen visited another church in Mochudi started by Americans and Canadians, though we’d never met them before (they do most of their shopping in another town). It turns out they have been trying to get into that Senior Secondary School in Mochudi for years, but haven’t been able to get in. So that just highlighted to me how much of a blessing it is that we at YFC not only “got in,” but the guidance teacher actually asked me if we would come and lead the assemblies! And now we can help to get these others in to the school as well, so we can work together to make a difference.

Tumelo’s going to church every night!

Perhaps some of the most encouraging news of the week is that when I was taking “Tumelo” to counseling on Thursday afternoon, she told me that she has started going to church every night after school! Her mom meets her there after work, and they go to various prayer and worship meetings until typically 11 pm!! She told me she is reading the bible every morning too! When I inquired where she’s at with God these days, she said that she’d be lying if she said she’s accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior, but she is going to church to receive prayer and comfort. This is HUGE coming from her, especially that she would go to that particular church of her own volition (because of some issues in the past there). I asked if she is planning on going to the church camp in April with Slim and she said, “Yes! And the camp in December!” [So it’s Slim’s church too, though it’s in Gaborone. That’s how they met each other].

On Thursday after counseling, I dropped Tumelo off at the church at 5 pm…where she’d be until 11pm. That is not something I would have imagined doing anytime soon! Wow. God is at work. She really needs prayer now though as she’s getting closer to accepting Christ. I asked her what’s holding her back and she said, “No good reason.” It seems that she doesn’t want to give up control of her life, but to still do whatever she wants. I explained that she might feel like she’s giving up her freedom to come under the Lordship of Christ, but really she is already a slave to herself and her sin, and letting God lead your life actually brings a true freedom and unrivaled joy. I told her it’s hard to understand unless you’ve experienced it. I didn’t want to push it any more than that…but let’s keep praying for her! Thanks for any and all prayers offered for her thusfar!

Bible Quiz in Gabs

Saturday, all of the YFC Botswana staff & volunteers reported bright and early at 7:00 am to pack up and drive to Gaborone to lead a Bible Quiz Competition at a rented community hall. It was a competition for secondary school students. Teams of 4—2 guys, 2 girls. One of the University of Botswana students I met and recruited to be a YFC volunteer heard about the Quiz at volunteer training and formed a team of students who actually ended up being the team that won! Also one of the students from the P.A.C.T. club I co-led last year was the overall female high-scorer. She was excited to hear that we can restart the P.A.C.T. club in April. The advisor/leader of the second place team is someone who I met last year at Face the Nation and she told me then she wants to volunteer with YFC. I’ve tried calling her but hadn’t got in touch, so it was nice to run into her there and tell her about the volunteer training. She is very interested and will be joining YFC as a volunteer at long last!

Confronting the Stigma of HIV/AIDS -- Yarona FM

Sunday morning was another early one—leaving at 6:30ish am to drive in that torrential downpour to pick up Potlako and drive in to the radio station in Gaborone. I was basically the vehicle, literally, for her addressing the nation through radio (because I didn’t talk much on the air this week besides reading the text messages people were sending in; my main role was just driving her there). Potlako was taking a big step and going very public with her HIV+ status to encourage others to speak out about AIDS and to lessen the stigma and ignorant fears surrounding it. E.J. interviewed her live on the air, asking her what it’s like to have HIV, how the people reacted whom she’s told, how people have treated her, how she’d like to be treated, etc. She told me a lot of the stories in the car on the drive there. I was amazed that she lost so many friends when she told them her status, and how hardly anyone except YFC staff went to visit her when she was really sick in 2009. I thought we were past this level of stigma and fear in Botswana, but apparently it is still prevalent. All the more reason that Potlako speaking out was a powerful and meaningful thing—hopefully a catalyst for change in the way people treat those with HIV/AIDS and for those with HIV/AIDS to have the courage to be open about their status. There is still a lot of secrecy here. Even though recent stats have said as many as a quarter of the population is HIV+ and people talk about AIDS a lot, people are still very hesitant to admit they are HIV+ or that someone died from AIDS. Hopefully our discussion on the popular national secular station will have made an impact to lessen the secrecy and stigma…which will encourage more people to get tested and be willing to share their status if HIV+, while taking precautions to quit spreading HIV.

This week’s topic is on what the Church’s response to HIV/AIDS should be. Though I won’t be able to be on the radio this Sunday (because I’ll be in Namibia), I started recording people again to get their feedback to these questions: “If you go to a church, what, if anything, is your church doing to address HIV/AIDS?” “What can/should churches do? How should Christians treat those with HIV/AIDS?” I just got back from interviewing random people in Mochudi, and it was awesome because it unexpectedly served as a springboard for deeper discussion. One guy was sharing how he uses condoms every time, because abstinence is really hard and they grew up learning that condoms were safe. So I was able to share some of the stats with them of how condoms fail 15% of the time in preventing pregnancy and preventing HIV transmission.

“Always be ready to give an account of the hope that is in you…” -1 Peter 3:15

The best, though, was after interviewing a guy my age and engaging in a little small-talk where I think I mentioned I am a missionary with Youth for Christ. As I was getting ready to move on, he said in a completely genuine, inviting way, “So…are you going to tell me about God?” He continued, “Yeah, you can share with me about God, right? Please do.” Hello open door!! So I started sharing the basic gospel message, and then realized I had in my bag a little booklet YFC prints called “Knowing God” that explains it clearly with scriptures and pictures. So I whipped that out and we used that as the basis for our discussion for the next half hour or 45 minutes.

I’m not sure where exactly he is in terms of his faith and trust in Christ, but he certainly knew a lot. He believes in God and prays, though he doesn’t go to church. He knows that Jesus died for our sins, to forgive our sins. He asked me if I believe in heaven and hell, and who goes where? So that fit with explaining the gospel more. I explained that it’s not enough to just know that Jesus died for us and provided the way to God and heaven (even Satan believes that), but it’s about whether you really trust in Christ, accept his forgiveness, and want to live for Him. I said it’s not about whether you go to church—yes that’s helpful and normative for a Christian, but you can be a Christian without going to church and you can go to church your whole life without being a Christian. He understood how if you give your life to God, you change and have a different mindset about things, i.e. you would have the conviction and ability to abstain and wait until marriage for the one person God has for you. He talked about believing deep in your heart.

He talked about hard times and how it can drive us to God or make us question God’s care. I was able to share about the accident and my dad’s death and how God was near to me through those hard times. He’s had his share of hard times—his mother died; perhaps his father too (I wasn’t clear on that). His father was a pastor. He is planning to go to church during Holy Week/Easter and might stop by YFC this week during the Yarona FC time. It was getting dark so we were wrapping it up, and some of his technician friends showed up so I didn’t want to push the issue of whether he’s really trusted in Christ as his Savior and Lord, but I left him that little “Knowing God” booklet and he invited me to stop by more in the future to continue the discussion. So…that was sweet!! I wish I had the radio recorder all week because it is such a good means for conversations to arise about deeper issues. Tomorrow is the last day I’ll have it though, in order to give Trevor enough time to edit and get it ready for Sunday. I’m looking forward to interviewing people in Gabs tomorrow!

Holidays!

Today we started our holiday programs for the kids who are on school break—Kids Club in the morning; Girls Club from 2:00-4:00pm; and YaRona FC drop-in centre for boys and girls from 7:00-10:00pm each night. The daycare staff are on a 3-day camp with the orphans/vulnerable children about 2 hours away. The rest of us don’t all run all the clubs—we spread it out amongst us, don’t worry! I’m helping mainly with the Yarona FC, and Girls Club when I can. Tonight I have the night off for Yarona FC (hence my ability to email this now), then I’m on for the next three nights, speaking on Wednesday. Our theme is the theme for the Month of Youth Against AIDS this year: My youth, My health, My responsibility. I’m speaking about the “my responsibility” part and again giving the little abstinence talk (since this is mainly a different crowd than those who have already heard it). Tomorrow morning I will give that little abstinence talk to the weekly club at the private school in Gabs.

Then Friday morning, 4 other YFC staff/volunteers and I are boarding a bus in Gabs that leaves at 7:00 am for Windhoek, Namibia! After the 12 hour journey, we will spend a night there and then ride public transport out to the coastal city Swakopmund. It is very German, since the Germans settled there. The Atlantic Ocean sounds so lovely after being landlocked in a desert! I heard there is a paved trail along the shoreline in the midst of the sand so you can run along the beach. Amen! We will return the following Friday, April 1. Prayers for our safety and for a refreshing time are appreciated.

That’s all for now. I will try to post another entry before I leave, but if not, I’ll catch you on the flip side of my Namibia trip!

Thanks for your interest and prayers!

Blessings,

Em

Radio, Rapping, Real Life Revolution, and Rally!

Dumelang!

Well, it’s been a busy couple weeks, but in a good way. There have been a lot of exciting things happening. I’ll start from where I left off. Monday February 28 we were able to restart the Scripture Union club at one of the Junior Secondary Schools (the one where I used to co-lead it). They invited us to come during the last hour of the school day. The students there love to sing along to worship songs that I lead on guitar, so it was great to be back doing that for the first time since July. It was actually the largest turn-out I’d ever seen at that school—upwards of 65 in one classroom! Jen (the newest YFC volunteer from the Netherlands) and I performed a skit that illustrates the gospel. It seemed to really impact them. We asked them to write down their ideas for topics we could discuss at the club. It was cool to read how many of them just want to know more about Jesus (how He died, why He died, how to have a closer relationship with Him, etc). They seem hungry to learn more.

While that was an amazing club meeting, afterward we learned from the guidance teacher that she had been told by the school-head that the club could not take place during school hours, though she had given us permission. It was a mistake on her end. She apologized for the confusion and thought we could start it after school at 4:30pm. But that plan is also falling through because students have said they are unable or unwilling to stay after school—it is getting darker earlier (we are heading toward fall/winter) and they will have been in school since 7:30 am. So now we are entertaining the possibility of having a short half-hour club at lunch time. This hasn’t been finalized yet. At least we were able to have that one club to expose many new students to the club and also to the gospel.

On Wednesday, March 2, Youth for Christ led our first morning assembly in the Senior Secondary School in Mochudi. One of our staff, Maruping, spoke and shared the gospel message—to help students understand what it means to be a Christian because there are some misconceptions here. On Wednesdays, they break the student body up into 5 groups of 10 classes. So Maruping will speak to one group a week, thus teaching the same message for 5 weeks rotating between the groups. I went along the first time to introduce him to the guidance teacher who directed us where to go.

Later that day, Maruping, Twila, Jen, and I drove in to Gaborone to teach 2 large classes at the YWCA school on self-concept and withstanding peer pressure for an hour and 40 minutes. This is the school where we had the PACT (peer-counseling) club last year, and where we can restart the club next term starting in April. The next morning, bright and early at 7:00am on Thursday we led the morning assembly at the same Junior Secondary School where we had Scripture Union on Monday. This is a weekly opening we have been granted to address the entire student body for about 20 minutes. Twila, Jen, and I performed a skit that discourages gossiping, played a game with them, and sang a song—even getting the guidance teacher to dance with us, causing the students to cheer and laugh!

Friday morning bright and early, it was time for YFC to lead the first morning assembly with the whole student body at the Senior Secondary School in Mochudi (Maruping had addressed 1/5 of the student body on Wednesday). We decided it would only be right to introduce YFC and ourselves with a dance and rap! We each wrote a short rap introducing ourselves.

Here’s a little known fact about me—I was a state champion rapper 3 years running. That’s right. What what. In 6th-8th grade I wrote most of the raps we performed (with choreography and costumes) for the Michigan Social Studies Olympiad. So, yes, one could call it “nerd-rap” but hey, we had to have some skills to win the gold each year! Anyway, it was nice to unleash the “inner gangsta” again, haha. The students seemed to really enjoy it and were getting into it with us, clapping and cheering.

The next day, we were finally able to start the abstinence club Real Life Revolution at that school. We initially had planned to start it in September but couldn’t due to the school schedule changes. Twenty-five students came to the first meeting on Saturday afternoon! That’s an impressive, encouraging turn-out! So it’s exciting that it’s off to a good start.



Directly after that club, I drove to Gaborone to our new center there to lead the first volunteer training. E.J. the National Director shared his portion of the training to the 13 college-student volunteers who could make it last week. It was encouraging to talk more with them and see their excitement in being involved in the YFC ministry in Gaborone.




Speaking to the Nation via Radio

The next morning, dark and early (the sun was just rising as we left home), Twila, Dan, and I drove in to Gaborone to be on live radio. Yarona FM is one of the most popular national radio stations in Botswana. It isn’t a Christian station, but on Sunday mornings, Trevor from the YFC Board and our friend Sam [Samantha] from church lead a Christian program called “Inspirational Grooves.” March is the Month of Youth Against AIDS in Botswana so we’ve been invited to help lead the program each Sunday in March. Last week’s topic was “Protection: How Can I Live my Life so I Don’t Get HIV?” We had gone out to the Main Mall in both Gaborone and in Mochudi earlier that week and asked people that question and recorded their anonymous responses. So Sunday on the air we played those pre-recorded clips from people on the street (answers included: Abstain, Use condoms, stick to one partner, etc). We shared some stats about condom failure and mentioned that it isn’t “Safe Sex” but “Safer Sex.” We mentioned that abstinence is the safest choice to prevent the spread of HIV. We then shared the pre-recorded clips of people’s responses to another question we’d asked them on the street –“Why is it so difficult to abstain?” (Answers included: peer pressure, “I have to have sex,” “addicted to sex,” media influence, temptation, alcohol/drug use, can’t control feelings, etc. It had been a bit disheartening at times to hear some of the really young teens saying how they just want to have sex (some were primary school aged—13 or younger). It was encouraging though that some who were Christian shared that God gives them strength to control themselves and abstain. All of us in the studio also acknowledged that as well. We also opened up the text-messaging line and read texts from listeners.



We encouraged those who may have already been sexually active that they can have a fresh start and abstain from now on until marriage. I also shared some research on Uganda’s success story in drastically lessening their HIV rate in the 1990s, due in large part to the culture embracing abstinence and faithfulness.

[taken from Family Research Council--http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS06B01&f=WA06B33]--

Uganda had the highest AIDS rate in the world in the 1990s, but it dropped from 21% to 6% in from 1991-2000. Condoms were definitely not the main element of the AIDS prevention message. President Museveni said, "We are being told that only a thin piece of rubber stands between us and the death of our Continent ... they (condoms) cannot become the main means of stemming the tide of AIDS."[9] He emphasized that condoms should be used, "if you cannot manage A and B [Abstain and Be Faithful in marriage] ... as a fallback position, as a means of last resort."[10]

Several reports show that the decline in AIDS prevalence in Uganda was due to monogamy and abstinence and not to condoms. According to Dr. Edward Green, an anthropologist at Harvard University and an expert on Uganda's AIDS programs, fidelity to one's partner was the most important factor in Uganda's success, followed by abstinence.[11] A 2004 Science study concluded that abstinence among young people and monogamy, rather than condom use, contributed to the decline of AIDS in Uganda.[12]

From The AIDS Crisis: What We Can Do by Deborah Dortzbach and W. Meredith Long --

Uganda was canvassed with stark messages: “You can change your behavior or you can die from AIDS.” “You can remain abstinent and live. And when you marry, have sex with your spouse only.” “You don’t have to get AIDS. Keep to your own pasture if you are married. Zero graze. Don’t roam.”

From 1989 – 1995 males having premarital sex dropped from 60% to 21%. Females dropped from 53% to 16%.



So on the radio, we encouraged the people of Botswana to see that if such a change happened in Uganda, it can happen here. We challenged the nation, “Let’s see a change here like in Uganda.” Change is possible!

Overall, it went quite well. Yarona FM has a link where people worldwide can listen live via the internet, so my mom and others were able to hear it live. Yesterday morning, the topic was “Hope: How Can I Live My Life If I Have HIV/AIDS?” This time we brought one of the YFC volunteers from Mochudi, Thapelo, along as well. He wanted to come last week but was out of town. So Twila, Thapelo, Trevor, Sam, and I were in the studio yesterday. We also played a pre-recorded testimony from one of our YFC staff who is HIV positive. She will likely be live in the studio next week. We shared from a curriculum called God’s Answer to AIDS by Bruce Wilkinson some suggestions on how people with HIV can find hope—Dealing with the Present (accepting the reality that they have HIV); Dealing with the Past (forgiving whoever infected you; apologizing to those you may have infected, etc); Dealing with Your Eternity (keeping an eternal perspective—that life on earth is VERY short compared to eternity, which can be amazing if you spend it with God); and Dealing with Your Future (how to spend the rest of your days with purpose and meaning).

I also shared in the eternity section, that though I can’t identify with having HIV, I have gone through some difficult trials in my life (my accident and my father’s unexpected death) and that keeping an eternal perspective has helped me to have hope and encouragement. And also that God is faithful through those hard times. Twila shared an image that sometimes we come up against huge mountains in our lives that we cannot move. God can remove them and we can definitely pray for that, but also realize that His answer may not always be to immediately remove the mountain but to reach out His hand and help us to climb over it with Him. So yes, people with HIV can keep praying for God to heal them, for nothing is impossible with God, but they should also be sure to do all they can to live healthy and take their medications as they climb that mountain together with Him.

I’ll be on Yarona FM again this coming Sunday (or Saturday night depending where you live). It is quite late/early though for North Americans, so no pressure: Eastern time it’s 2:00-3:00 am Sundays, Central time 1:00-2:00 am Sundays, Mountain 12:00 am, West Coast 11:00 pm Saturdays. Here (GMT+2hrs) it is 8:00 am-9:00 am Sundays. Those are different than what I sent out in an email earlier this week to some people because I didn’t realize the Daylight Savings Time change…but those should be accurate now for this week. I won’t be on the last Sunday in March because I will be on a short vacation to Namibia with 4 other YFC staff. But of course, you are welcome to still tune in to hear our other staff/volunteers.

Other odds and ends

Backing up a bit to this past Friday, I spent most of the day with the YFC Dance & Drama team at a Month of Youth Against AIDS program for the student body at a Junior Secondary School in a nearby village. Our team performed their drama about abstinence and HIV, and Maruping spoke on managing stress. The Botswana National Youth Council had representatives there who spoke, as well as a couple other youth organizations.

Saturday I led another volunteer training in Gaborone from 9:30-1:30. Seventeen college students came this week, including 3 who had never signed up but either had heard me speak and decided later to come, or were invited by others. Another one who couldn’t come Saturday called and told me that several more Univ. of Botswana (UB) students in her cell group want to volunteer now as well. E.J. repeated his session for those who weren’t there last week, and then I presented a couple more sessions.

Abstinence Rally

After that I drove back to Mochudi to the Senior Secondary School for the Abstinence Rally that YFC put on in conjunction with the women’s prayer movement in Mochudi. Most of the YFC staff and volunteers performed a step-dance (stomping and clapping—if you’ve seen “Stomp the Yard” or Stomp the musical that’s an idea of what we did) and then each gave a rap about their respective ministries to a sweet beat in the background. The audience loved it! Here’s my rap:

Emily’s my name; call me Em for short
Gaborone’s my aim, let me report
that we just got a new center down by UB
Where we’re training up mentors to shape history.
We got clubs in 3 schools and one at our place
Teachin’ Lifeskills, SU, and all about grace!

There were about 250 young people who attended, which is many more than last year. Slim and our friend “Tumelo” whom I take to counseling both came. It was very God-centered in that pastors spoke, a church led worship, etc and I remember thinking during the worship that just a few months ago, I wouldn’t have pictured either Slim or Tumelo willingly coming to something like that. But God likes to exceed our expectations!

Blessings,

Em