U.S. Trip Highlights!

Greetings from Botswana!

Well, this is long overdue, but I will share the highlights of my trip to the U.S. As I got ready to leave for the airport in Gaborone, I told my housemate Jen that I would be hiking a mountain in those same clothes. After a long journey, that was indeed the case. But first, I’ll share the interesting parts of the long journey:

The long journey started with the drive to the airport on Thursday 22nd. I was driving a YFC car because my car wouldn’t start, and then the YFC car started having major issues and smelling like burning enough that Jen and I knew that it was best to pull over. Always awesome when you’re on the way to the airport! So I flagged down a man in a pickup truck who kindly drove me to the airport. Now lest you think I’m incredibly unwise and naïve to hitchhike with a stranger…it is very common and safe here in Botswana. People hitchhike all the time…and well, in my circumstance it was the only option to make my flight. So once at the airport, Air Botswana’s computer system was still down (I had called to confirm my flight and it had been down then). But then they couldn’t find my name on the printed out list from the day before. They called the Johannesburg airport and airlines, but my ticket reservation was nowhere to be found! They sent me to go upstairs to Air Botswana’s office where it was determined that the Gaborone to Johannesburg leg of my journey had never been paid for!?!! I booked it all through a travel agent in the U.S. who still has no idea why that happened. So…just 35 minutes before my flight, I had to buy a ticket on the fly (literally!) with a credit card, rush back downstairs to check in, check my luggage, and go through security. You could say my heart rate was increased slightly for those few minutes until I reached the gate and made it on the plane!


Colorado!! Reuniting with old friends and making new ones!

After that, everything was smooth…Johannesburg to Atlanta, then arriving in Denver, Colorado around 9:45 am Friday 23 September. Fresh off the plane, I rented a car, drove down to Mission Training International (MTI) where I’d been training before our tragic accident in 2008. I visited with the staff, but one was currently teaching the participants for a couple more hours. So…in the meantime, I drove out to a small mountain outside of town and hiked it (so I did hike a mountain in the clothes I left Botswana in, as I had hoped!).

Then I returned to see that MTI staff member after classes had ended. I stayed for dinner and asked if any of the participants had planned to hike a mountain the following day—indeed there was a group hiking Mt. Herman on Saturday. Back in 2008, I had attempted to hike Mt. Herman with Jon (who also hiked Pike’s Peak with me), but the access road had been iced over and we ended up getting on the wrong trail and never reaching the top. So I was excited at the prospect of summiting it. I knew that if I didn’t hike some mountains before the conference in Denver, I would not enjoy myself as much being drawn to the mountains in the distance but stuck in a city hotel.

That first night I stayed in Littleton with the George family who were some of the first on the scene of our accident. I’ve stayed with them 4 times now! It was great to see them and see how the kids have grown, and have an excited welcome from their dogs Hunter and Kirby. The next morning I drove back to MTI to meet up with the other hikers, and we hiked to the top of Mt. Herman. With jetlag and altitude adjustment, it was a good workout. There was a great view of Pike’s Peak and the surrounding countryside from the top, 9000 feet above sea level.

After that I spent a couple hours reflecting and journaling near the memorial at MTI for our friends Karin, Jessica, and Isaac. This is the view of Mt. Herman from near there (it's the tallest one):

That night I enjoyed a home bible study at the George’s place. The next morning on the drive out of Littleton to church, I saw all these people biking in the beautiful scenery. I love riding a bike, but I haven’t since 2009. I really wanted to ride one again! I recalled that the Georges have bikes, and I could go back and ask to take one out for a ride instead of going to church. But I had planned to revisit the church where I’d gone the day after I got out of the hospital, so I decided to just keep driving to that church. Now in retrospect, I’m very glad I did. (I’ll share more about the church service in the next post).

After that it was on to the hotel in Denver for the YFC International General Assembly, which ran from Sunday to Saturday. Once there, I learned a beautiful fact—my roommate told me the hotel had bikes we could check out for free! But then I thought, Oh, but I need to wear a helmet…. But then she told me they provide helmets too! But then I wondered aloud, Oh but I don’t know where to go; what if I get lost? Then she replied that there is a bike trail just down the road from the hotel that leads past a lake! So I checked out a bike four times that week and within a few minutes was at a beautiful lake framed by the Rockies. So I got to ride a bike after all! God is good!

At the conference, it was great to reunite with YFC friends from the U.S. but also ones from Africa that I’d met in Namibia or in Botswana last year when many National Directors were trained here. There was great worship, speakers, and training with leaders in YFC from 80+ countries. I was in the “Effective Leadership” track and learned a lot to enhance my leadership here.

On Wednesday that week they took us on an excursion down to Colorado Springs to visit Glen Eyrie, a gorgeous retreat center owned the The Navigators (a worldwide Christian collegiate ministry with whom we work here in Gaborone). We toured the castle there and were able to explore the beautiful trails through a canyon. Then we headed to the nearby Garden of the Gods, which is where I had spent most of the Sunday before the accident with Jessica and a couple other MTI friends. So it was a bit different this time around…but still beautiful.

Thursday night was a celebration open to the public where each area of YFC’s worldwide family had time to share what God is doing in their region. Overall, God is really moving—YFC pioneered into 23 new countries since the last General Assembly 3 years ago! The Buyela Dance & Drama team from South Africa performed several times throughout the week, including that night. Their first performances were in Botswana in March 2010, so it was great to see them again:

Before the program began that evening, I was looking for a place to sit but all the chairs were filled. As I stood and waited while more chairs were brought, who should I see walk right in front of me but author Philip Yancey and his wife! They were really excited to see me. [The reason I know them is that we had been on our way to hear him speak when we’d gotten in our accident in 2008; he had called me in the hospital, sent me his books, and had the survivors (Scott, Andrea and me) over to their house; and now we keep in touch via email and newsletters. He has been helping me with some advice & connections in the writing/publishing process]. They brought up my second rollover this July in Botswana and how it’s crazy that it happened, but also amazing how I’m fine. I ended up sitting with them for the program. What an unexpected blessing to run into them!

On to Minnesota!!

After YFC’s General Assembly and one last bike ride to the lake just before checkout, I flew to Minnesota. There I stayed at my brother’s house. It was great to see him again. We really enjoyed seeing the movie Courageous in the theater, so I highly recommend it! It speaks of the value of fathers and mentors in our lives.

The mighty Mississippi River in St. Paul

You can see my first college, St. Kate's, in the middle with the metal watertower, and the Minneapolis skyline behind

I needed to get my jaw checked out at the specialist there in St. Paul, and have a week between visits. So I got a new appliance (the old one was breaking) and time will tell if it really will correct the issues. I think my jaw is more in line than when I first reached Minnesota, but not the best it’s been post-accident. So I’m praying that this time it really works to keep it in line. I also visited the chiropractor to get massage therapy on my neck to loosen up the tightness and to make sure my spine is aligned. He couldn’t tell I’d been in another rollover accident—my back wasn’t way out of line by any means! So that’s good! He also taught me how to use my spring-loaded Activator so I can make small adjustments to my neck and jaw here in Botswana (where there are, count them, NO chiropractors!). So now I “shoot myself” once a day in four places to try to maintain a proper alignment. This should help with my jaw because if the neck is out of line, soon follows the jaw.

Though 9 days was not enough time to see everyone I would have liked, I was thankful to reconnect with several friends. I was invited to share to the youth group at my church. I also shared a longer Powerpoint presentation after church to update people on the ministry here. One of the current leaders of the Cru bible study fellowship at my first college, St. Kate's, came to hear me share and it was great to catch up with her. I'll try to share more on that another time.

On to Michigan!

After this, I flew to Michigan to see my mom and friends/supporters there. One of our good friends from my childhood in Dexter, MI came up to visit, and I also saw many friends when we hosted an open house where I shared a Powerpoint about the ministry here in Botswana. During church, I was also called up to the front with no advance notice to share a bit about the ministry here and receive prayer from the pastor/church.

I am also grateful to have had the opportunity to visit some of the more meaningful places to me. Thankfully we know the people who bought the cottages where we used to live on the lake in Lexington, and they’ve said I can go and sit on the boathouse or use their ramp/stairs down to the beach. So I was able to walk along and pray on the stretch of beach where I often prayed (where God called me to missions and to Botswana, and where I walked during my recovery months).

Then I spent a night at our friends’ prayer cabin in the woods up near there to have some more quiet reflection time with God. It was refreshing. After that I visited my dad’s grave in that town. It was stereotypically rainy and blustery as I stood there in the cemetary, so I didn’t stay long. I just felt a strong sense of the truth I know—that dad’s not there; but he’s with God in heaven. His body is 6 feet under, but his spirit is high above.

One exciting addition to the family is a cat that we adopted who came with the name Tiger Lily. We’ve never had a cat because my dad was allergic. After Chester (our beagle) died, my mom thought it best to adopt a cat instead of a dog. So Tiger Lily came home while I was visiting. She would often curl up on my bed with me. She’s a keeper!

Back to Botswana!

My journey back had no major issues (i.e. not having a ticket!), so that was nice. It was a WARM welcome back—I arrived at the beginning of a heat-wave that lasted all week, with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. One day it was 105 degrees! Thankfully we had a big rain and the temps have come down a bit, though it’s still quite warm (89 is the high today).

I’ll share more in a later post about things here. But here are a few prayer requests, if you’re interested:

1.) Tomorrow we are starting a three-week holiday program for the students who just graduated Standard 7 (essentially 7th grade). Tomorrow, a newer German volunteer and I will be explaining the gospel message to the youth. Please pray for many youth to come and for their hearts to be open and ready to receive the message.

2.) Please pray for students, especially Tumelo and Slim, as they are taking their final exams that matter a LOT here in Africa. Slim’s are intermittent through this month, but Tumelo will have exams every day!

3.) Please pray for one of the YFC volunteers from Gabs who stopped by and shared deeply with me yesterday. Pray for God to give him direction, wisdom, and the courage to do what is best.

Alright, well, I also have more meaningful reflections to share from my U.S. trip so I’ll likely do that next post. This one was long enough!

Thanks for reading! And thanks for your prayers & notes of encouragement.

Blessings,

Em

Speaking this Sunday and Tuesday--MN and MI

Greetings from Minnesota!

Just wanted to send a quick update and reminder about where/when I'll be sharing in Minnesota and Michigan. (I've already had a wonderful time at the YFC international conference in Denver and will share more details in a future post). So if you're in Minnesota or Michigan, here are the updated details:

Minnesota: I will be here until Monday October 10. On this Sunday, October 9 I will be sharing a Powerpoint presentation after the 11 am service at 12:30 pm in the upstairs Loft at Messiah Church in Highland Park, St. Paul (1631 Ford Parkway...just one block west of Snelling Ave). It will be about 30 minutes and include some snacks. If you go to a different church or none at all, you are welcome to just come for the presentation at 12:30 (though of course you are welcome to attend Messiah if you'd like as well).

Michigan:

My mom and I will host an open house get-together at our home in Port Huron on Tuesday October 11th from 6:00-9:00 pm. Since I'll only be in Michigan briefly, we thought this is a way I could see friends and supporters. Feel free to come anytime in that span, even if just for a few minutes. I will share a short powerpoint presentation about the ministry in Botswana at 7:00 pm.

If you're interested in coming, please RSVP to my mom, Hannah, by this Sunday October 9 at 810-359-5772 just so we know how many chairs and refreshments to prepare. She will also give directions to find our house (near Mercy Hospital). This is also to determine if we will need to change locations to our church if the numbers outgrow the house. So please call her so we can know on Monday whether it will remain at our house or will need to be relocated to the church. If you've already RSVPed to us, plan on it being at our house--we will contact you otherwise if it changes to the church.

It's always hard to see everyone I'd like on short trips like these, but it's been nice to reconnect with many friends so far and I look forward to seeing more of you on Sunday and Tuesday!

Blessings,

Em

Namibia re-cap...Concert tomorrow...headed to U.S.!

Hey everyone!

Back from Namibia…Headed to the U.S.!

I’m back in Botswana after nearly a month in Namibia…but not for long! I will be heading to the U.S. for three weeks leaving next Thursday the 22nd! I was invited by E.J., YFC Botswana’s National Director, to attend YFC International’s General Assembly conference in Denver the last week of September. It will be a meeting of all the National Directors and key staff from each country of YFC around the world. I’m really looking forward to learning a lot, being challenged, and deepening my own walk with Christ at this multicultural gathering that happens every 3 years.

While in the States, I am going to stop by Minnesota for about 10 days (Saturday October 1- Monday October 10) in order to get my jaw checked out at the specialist again and to get my jaw appliance repaired, staying long enough for a follow-up a week after the appointment on the 3rd. [My jaw appliance started breaking earlier this year, and my jaw is still a bit out of line as a residual from the first accident]. So…I’m excited to see friends, family, and familiar places in Minnesota. I’ll be attending Messiah Church in Highland Park those Sundays so I look forward to seeing some of you there! For now, I don’t have anything else planned besides the doctor appointments. If you’d like to meet up, let me know and we’ll try to schedule something.

On October 10, I’ll fly to Michigan on the way back through to Botswana. It worked out that it was actually cheaper to add that extra leg to Michigan than to fly straight back to Botswana from Minnesota! So I’ll be in Michigan essentially just October 11 and 12, flying to Botswana on the 13th. We are working on plans now for either an open house at my home or I may speak at a church. I’ll let you know the details once we’ve got it sorted out.

Now I’ll backtrack and share some of the stories from my time in Namibia:

Leadership Camp for 52 Teens!

As part of the YFC staff training in Namibia, we were split into two staff teams who facilitated two simultaneous 3-day camps of teens at the YFC camp there. The 52 Namibian students in our leadership camp were organized through the government, whereas the other group of campers was a church youth group. It was an intercultural experience, with our diverse team of staff hailing from Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the U.S.

The second night, the YFC Namibia leaders were away so we had full responsibility to run the camp. They requested that one of us lead a Powerpoint presentation on Leadership as a Calling. The others in my staff team nominated me to do it, and it ended up being a natural opportunity to share my own calling story with the teens. I shared how God called people in the Bible, such as Abraham, Moses, and Paul. I asked if they thought God still calls people today? Then I shared my own story of how I sensed God calling me to leadership in Botswana. While many of the students were not Christians, they seemed open and interested to hear my story. I also shared how those called to leadership will likely face challenges and obstacles, but that leaders overcome and don’t give up. I shared about my two rollover accidents and my dad’s unexpected death, but how, by God’s grace, I’m still leading where I know I’m called to be—Botswana.

A few students gave me handwritten notes in response. Here’s an excerpt from a young man in another team than mine:

Dear Emily, I just want to thank you for what you have taught us…You have taught me that no matter what happens, God is always there for us and that He loves us very much. Thank you!!

Here’s an excerpt from a young lady from another team:

Dear Emily,

Emily I want to tell you how much you impacted me and I think God for that…I am very happy that you have came and taught me and tells us of being a leader and I know I can be a leader one day. I have realized that I can be a better person. And I know that I can perform better in my school work and behave well where ever I go.

Here’s an excerpt from a young lady in my team:

Dear Em, I just have some very confirming words to say to you. You are just like a mother to me. Whenever I want to be sad I just think about your words that you told me.…Wherever I go and whenever I am sad, I will just think about your words.

It's amazing to me how just sharing your story of how God has worked in your life can have such a positive impact on someone else.

In small group and one-on-one discussions with these teens, it was evident how much they were thirsting for love and affirmation, as many of them do not receive it from their parents (if they still have parents). The last morning, the YFC Namibia National Director felt we should scrap the scheduled plan for a bit and just offer to hug and speak affirming words over any of them who feel they need that. It was a beautiful time as teen boys and girls came forward and embraced us, many of them breaking into tears as we spoke affirming, encouraging things into their ears (i.e. “You are so valuable”; “God has good plans for you”).

Fire at the YFC retreat center—snuffed out!

A night or two after the campers left, the camp manager at the YFC retreat center where we were training was walking the long walk (perhaps half mile) back from locking the gate at the exterior of the camp. For some reason, he turned and looked back down the driveway, only to see flames illuminating the dark sky back near the gate. Namibia is a desert country with a lot of dry brush and grasses. To illustrate, the “river” down the road from the camp is completely dry. I ran there often and walked across the river on dry ground (almost like Joshua and the Israelites in the Bible crossing the Jordan, except for the detail that God didn’t need to part the water!). All that to say, it’s a dry area. Fire in the bush grasses spreads quickly and dangerously. Thus when the camp manager saw the fire, he was rightly alarmed and alerted others back at camp.

The fire alarm sounded quickly afterward and those in the camp drove up there with all the fire extinguishers from the camp we could find. In just a matter of minutes, the fire was put out! An area about 30 feet by 20 feet was blackened and burnt, but that was all. Literally just inches away were trees. The potential was very real for a raging wildfire that could’ve consumed acres of the camp. BUT, the camp director had looked back just in time. Based on the footprints in the sand, we can see that it was not just a random fire, but in fact, someone had deliberately set fire to the property. We are thankful to God that his/her destructive plan was foiled…“snuffed out” in infancy.

At the training graduation ceremony

Back in Botswana – reuniting with youth!

My first day back at the Junior Secondary School where I help with the Scripture Union club, I was welcomed back by one of the young girls screaming “EMILY!!!!” and running from 20 feet away to hug me! It’s nice to be back! On my first run back in Mochudi, I had my posse of 8 kids emerge from their yard shouting “EMILY!” and high-fiving me as we started running together down the dirt paths. Two of the older boys wanted to race and gave me quite a workout, but eventually the one was like, “Emily, you are running too fast!” as he stopped and turned back for home.

And Tuesday I experienced one of those moments where the verse about how God orders our steps makes more sense. I drove to the Main Mall in Gaborone to pick up packages from the post office. I parked, and who should be sitting in the car next to me, but the student I mentioned a few posts ago whose father passed away recently! Remember I’d shared the encouraging text message that she had sent soon after his death? She moved from Gaborone several months ago to attend school in a village maybe 30 minutes away, and I haven’t seen her since. We had just been keeping in touch via phone. I’d messaged her right before Namibia, but hadn’t heard from her since.

When we reunited yesterday, she told me that she’d lost her phone and therefore didn’t have my number anymore. So we were especially grateful to have crossed paths, since I was able to give her my number so we can keep in contact. How cool is that?!! I was just there for a 5 minute errand, and yet of all places to park there (out of TONS of spaces), I parked next to where she happened to be sitting and waiting in a car…far from where she now lives and attends school! God is good!

It’s been a blessing also to have one-on-one meetings again with each of the three young women I’m mentoring– Tumelo, Slim, and a University of Botswana (UB) student who I started mentoring in May. She was actually promoted a couple months ago to the chairperson of the Face the Nation Club at UB (Face the Nation is the AIDS prevention program of my church with whom YFC works closely together).

Concert at University of Botswana this Friday night!

Tomorrow night, the Face the Nation Club is holding a Christian concert event at UB with many artists, dancers, drama teams, poets, etc. I am also on the program to sing two of my songs. It was just thought to be a small event with a few artists in a small amphitheatre, but it has grown into a large event, with many artists, in the large amphitheatre, advertised on the national radio and I heard that the national TV station might also be there or advertise it! We are praying that this has a big impact on the campus, and even those who attend from off-campus. Prayers are especially appreciated for all of us who are performing, and for all those in attendance to experience the presence of God. Just a couple weeks ago, that same amphitheatre was the site of a massive party that turned violently out of control; we are praying that this concert called “Radically Different” will set a new trend and direction for UB. Last night and this morning I’ve developed a bit of a sore throat, so prayers are welcome that I can still sing well tomorrow night!

Thanks for your continued interest and prayers.

Blessings,

Em
P.S. I'll also add pictures from Namibia into my last post (I wasn't able to upload them while in Namibia)

YFC training in Namibia

Hi everyone!

It’s been a long time since I wrote! I’ve been quite busy. I write this from a YFC camp in Namibia. I’m here for close to a month of YFC staff training for those in the Southern African region. I came with E.J. (YFC Botswana national director), and fellow staff members Fifi and Modise. It was a 13 hour drive in which we saw wild ostriches, kudu, springbok, warthogs, gemsbok, etc. There are about 20 of us YFC staff here from Namibia, South Africa, Angola, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. It’s been a great time of learning and fellowship…lots of lectures, assignments, discussions, etc.

Driving through the Kalahari Desert

The lecturer the first week heard parts of the testimony of my accident/recovery and wanted everyone to hear it as well, so he worked it into the program for me to share with all the YFC staff. The lecturer really encouraged me to keep writing and finish my book.

Last weekend, those of us from Botswana and one more rode with E.J. through the desert on a sand road (picture nothing but sand, tall grasses, and some rock formations as far as the eye can see) until we reached the coastal town of Henties Bay.

Some of E.J.’s friends graciously gave us the keys to their vacation home there so we were blessed to stay there for the weekend…within earshot of the Atlantic’s waves. The next day we drove down the coast to Walvis Bay and hiked to the top of Dune 7, one of the tallest sand dunes in the world! That was an amazing experience!

Dikwididi Outreach

I realize I never shared that the outreach to the small village of Dikwididi in Botswana went well. We really reached people who lived out in the surrounding bush, as well as those more in the village. We also had the opportunity to share the gospel message with the school headmaster and all the staff. Several people prayed to receive Christ as Lord and Savior, and the Christian family that hosted us will help to follow-them up and disciple them. We were able to distribute some blankets to a family we felt most needed them—a single mother and her 3 small children living with her elderly mother in a small tin shack.

Leadership Camp for Namibian Teens!

In a few hours, we will be leading two camps here at YFC Namibia’s campground. My group of 8 YFC staff (from Namibia, Angola, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, and the U.S.) will be leading a camp of 50 Namibian teenagers for the weekend. So it should be a cross-cultural adventure. Prayers are welcome!

Also, I need to make some decisions in the next few days that will determine what the next few months will look like, so I would appreciate prayers for God’s wisdom and clear guidance in that. Thanks so much. I'll have more details soon. Hope you are doing well!

Blessings,

Em

Hospital visits, rhinos, outreaches!

Hey everyone!

Accident Update

First off, I’ll give an update on our recovery from the recent rollover accident. (If you missed last post, read that one first). All of us are doing well. I am pretty much back to normal. I just have a couple bruises that are still healing. My neck and jaw feel just like they did before this recent accident. My jaw is still not fully better from the first accident, but this didn’t aggravate it any worse. I played football (soccer) two days after the rollover and basketball for an hour this past Saturday. I’ve gone running a few times too—so I feel just fine. Praise God.

Upon closer inspection of the Venture, it appears my body slammed into the passenger door when we landed upright again, because the door is noticeably bowed outward. But thankfully, I only have a bruise to show for that.

About half an hour before the rollover, I’d felt randomly like I should lock that door, so I’d locked it. Perhaps that was a nudge of the Holy Spirit that kept the door from flying open when I hit it evidently very hard minutes later. I guess we won’t ever know for sure, but I’m thankful I locked it!

Visiting Hospital Patients

Charlotte, the Canadian who fractured a vertebra in her back, is doing well too. On Tuesday last week, I drove Charlotte’s sons Jesse and Jake (along with the two other YFC long-termers Katie and Jenn) to visit Charlotte in the hospital in Gaborone. By that point, she was already unplugged from any machines or IV’s and was able to walk to the bathroom and even be upright long enough to shower. She was in good spirits. Her husband Kevin stayed with her at the hospital most of the time.

We’d been planning on visiting the hospitals with the Canadians, but not thinking we’d be visiting one of our own (Charlotte)! Charlotte was the one who’d actually asked me the day before the accident to take her to the hospital to hand out dolls that Kevin’s 90-year old grandma and her friends in Canada had knitted and sent along for children at the hospitals. When we visited Charlotte at the private hospital, we left some with Kevin to hand out in the children’s ward there. Then Jesse, Jake, Katie, Jenn and I drove to the government hospital and met up with one of the YFC volunteers who visited the hospital with me recently. Then we handed out the dolls in the children’s ward there and prayed for the kids.

Adventures with Canadians—close encounter with Mama Rhino!

Three days after the rollover, we escorted the Canadian team to a church in Mochudi, which included walking through the bush on trails and crossing over the raging Notwane river (please note my sarcasm…it’s probably only 10-15 feet wide and 2-3 feet deep) on a fallen tree. So that’s always an adventure!

On Thursday last week, the whole team stopped by to visit Charlotte again just before she was taken on a medical flight back to Canada (she arrived safely and is continuing her recovery there—latest news is that she might go home from the hospital tomorrow!). We then drove the team to a nature preserve for a surprise game drive (aka safari). The most exciting part was seeing 3 rhinos, including a month old baby rhino with a little stump for his horn. So cute!

Mama Rhino was not so keen to see us, however, and started to charge at us. She stopped a split second later, but it was enough to stun us and send everyone on the side closest to her sliding over in an attempt to prevent possibly being impaled by her massive rhino horn! It’s not one of my dreams to become an Em-kabob.

On a more peaceful note, we also saw a few giraffes at sunset.

The following day, I took some of the Canadian girls to visit and pray for patients in the Mochudi hospital. It was super cute when one little girl sat up, bowed her head, and clasped her hands in the “praying hands” position as we prayed over her. Saturday morning we held the second interdenominational Youth leader forum at YFC. We are trying to facilitate the youth leaders working together to plan events and discuss ways to help the youth on various issues. We are planning another fundraiser concert and fashion show (modest of course!) to support the poor in Mochudi.

Right after that meeting, we drove the Canadians to the airport to fly back home. All except Charlotte’s 15-year old son Jesse. He is sticking around for another month to help out. Katie, Jenn, and I are excited to have a little brother around for a month. We are currently educating him on how to feed himself. He cooked his dinner last night successfully, for the most part :).

It’s a change only having four of us in the staff house instead of 20 for the two weeks the team visited. The team was primarily teenagers, so it was understandably a crazy time in our house! But we enjoyed it. I led worship with them a few times and had opportunity to share my testimony with them one night. For those who are familiar with it, I shared the July 10th story—perhaps I’ll share it on here again sometime soon. But in a nutshell, that was the date when I first had an overwhelming sense I’m supposed to be a missionary…and then things kept coming up on that date in various years that confirmed that I’m supposed to be a missionary in Botswana.

Sharing the July 10 Testimony in a village church…on July 10!

This year, I was invited on July 10 to go to a small village called Mantswabisi, where my church partnered with a missions organization called Reaching the Unreached to plant a church there a few months ago. It worked out that I was able to speak in the church service on July 10 about my July 10 testimony! It was a cool moment when the translator finally realized that the date that day was July 10! So July 10 is now also the first time I’ve spoken during a church service in Botswana. We were supposed to meet the chief of the village that day, so we visited his home, but unfortunately he wasn’t feeling well so we didn’t get to meet him yet. The village was composed of a lot of traditional huts called rondavels, which are less prevalent in Mochudi and definitely rare (if not, nonexistent) in Gaborone.

Youth Outreach in Tlokweng

The following three days, July 11-13, I led an outreach day-camp with the Canadians in Tlokweng, the village right next to Gaborone. It went well. The first day we had around 30 kids, but by the last day there were 60+! Since it was a 3-day camp, we based it around 1 Cor. 13:13—“These three things last forever—faith, hope, and love…” The theme was “Treasure Forever: 3 Things Last Forever,” and each day was focused around one of the three as a means of explaining the gospel message. I really appreciated the help the Canadians offered with games, bible trivia, memory verses, leading worship, sharing testimonies, etc. That enabled me to focus on leading worship and the message each day (supplemented with video clips). Let’s pray that the message will take deep root in the hearts of the youth.

Other tidbits

The previous week, before the Canadians arrived, we’d led holiday programs in Mochudi. I helped out with the Kids Club by leading worship songs with the kids. Every evening, we had the YaRona FC drop-in centre, so I helped out with that a few evenings, sharing the message once. This past Saturday, I also spoke and shared the testimony from our recent rollover.

In more serious matters, a young person that I’ve not mentioned before recently attempted suicide, but thankfully failed. She is doing much better now, and I’m assisting in getting her professional counseling. Prayers for her are certainly welcome. Another girl I know from Scripture Union club in Gaborone let me know last week that her father died after his battle with cancer. The burial was Saturday. Since I lost my dad, I guess this is now a circumstance where I can offer empathy to a deeper degree, in accordance with 2 Cor. 1:3-4—

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

When I’ve talked to her on the phone and texted with her, she has seemed to be holding tightly onto her heavenly Father through this. I was amazed and inspired to just now receive this text message from her. May these words from the lips of a 15-year-old who just lost her father also inspire you:

“God is so great and loving. He is “I Am that I Am” and never changes. No matter the challenges you’re facing, He still loves you, and remember He can never give you a challenge that you can’t handle. You have the potential and don’t quit. There is a reward ahead of that mountain, and it’s so difficult as you go up, but keep pushing and you shall make it. Love you.”

Wow… God is indeed so great and loving.

Another Outreach!

Oh—another prayer request. We at YFC are going on another outreach this week to a tiny village called Dikwididi. The Batswana YFC staff left yesterday with John, the Mochudi policeman who went with us to Olifants Drift in April. Since I had ministry in Gaborone yesterday, Jesse and I will drive out this afternoon in my car and stay the night and return with the whole team on tomorrow evening. We welcome prayers for our safety and for effective ministry there. It is only about 30 km from here, and I’ve driven through there once. And yes, we will return to Olifants Drift sometime. We’d already been planning this outreach to Dikwididi though.
Thanks for your prayers, encouragement, and interest.

Love,
Em

Walked Away from a Rollover Accident

Hi all,

Well... I survived another rollover accident Thursday--I'm fine, no one was critically injured. God's hand was extremely evident in protecting/rescuing us. Ten of us were driving in a YFC vehicle (Toyota Venture) in the middle of a 3-vehicle convoy driving a YFC Canadian team up to the remote village of Olifants Drift to do an outreach. I was a front passenger in the Venture. As we were coming into a turn on the dirt/sandy road, our left rear tire blew, sending the Venture out of control...drifting/sliding back and forth (imagine being on ice and trying to regain control). The rim of the blown tire dug into the dirt causing the Venture to flip in the air, land once on its roof, and land upright on its wheels (so one roll). The worst injury sustained was one of the leaders from Canada, Charlotte, who fractured a vertebra in her middle-lower back. Of course, I was concerned how my previously-broken neck would do as we rolled, but amazingly, though most everyone else hit their heads hard, I did not hit my head at all! My head/neck did not hit anything and I was able to walk out of the Venture by myself. Truly there does not seem to be a good explanation for this apart from the hand of God.

The windshield and back window blew out, as did the window right next to me. But I have no cuts or lacerations. I believe only Potlako (next to me in the front center) had a cut, and it was minor. None of our extremities were crushed. The four in the very back did not have seatbelts on (there are none back there), yet none of us or our extremities left the vehicle. My ipod was found on the road outside, the force of the roll ripping the earbuds out of my ears.

I can even remember that my glasses flew off my face during the roll, but I actually caught them in mid-air at armslength away! Right away once we'd landed upright (which is also amazing..and allowed everyone to evacuate much more easily and safely), I was able to ask if everyone was ok, and let myself out of the car. Also, although there is not a roll bar or roll cage on the Venture, the roof did not crush in much at all when we landed on the roof. Some of the guys who know more about vehicles said that is miraculous that it didn't collapse on impact more than it did.

The accident occurred in seemingly one of the worst places possible. We were in the middle of nowhere...literally--no villages, no houses, no side roads, no cell phone reception for at least another 30 minutes. There was no way to call for help, and even if we could, it would take half an hour to reach us. In the entire time we'd been driving on the deserted dirt road (about 30 minutes I believe), we had only seen one other car on the road. But the next beautiful display of God's hand was that within 5 minutes of the rollover, two police vehicles "happened" to be driving by! So they were able to transport the worst victims to Mochudi for help and get the investigation process underway. The cause was definitely determined to be the blown tire, so there are no charges for our driver. She was commended for staying as calm as she did. The police investigators feel that there was potential for fatalities.

I stayed at the roadside with the rest of the team, along with 3 others from the Venture who were ok. We camped out under some trees for about 6 hours while the police came to investigate and we brought other another vehicle to transport us home. During that time I shared my testimony from my first rollover accident in Colorado, we just hung out, some skipped rope and played ultimate frisbee, and the time actually flew by. Amazingly, after changing the blown tire with the spare, the Venture was actually still drivable! The front and back windshields had blown out, but one of the guys drove it back to Mochudi carefully, with the other two cars behind. It was quite the sight to see them driving with no windshield but with the windshield wipers on to ward off any potential birds! The Venture is totaled though in the sense that the body/doors/windows are so bent up that it's not worth the cost of fixing it.

I just have a few bruises and some soreness. My neck feels fine, just a bit tighter and sore, but my rotation ability is still there and no major pain at all. In fact, I've only taken 4 Advil tablets since the rollover (none yesterday or today)! Everyone in the Venture was home and fine (just sore) the same day, except Charlotte from the Canada team (the leader Kevin's wife). She is still in the hospital today, but I just talked to Kevin and he told me she was walking to the bathroom today and they took the IV out. They think she will be able to be med evacuated to Canada next week to get optimal care there. Charlotte is here with the whole family--husband Kevin and teenage sons Jesse and Jake, so it's good that they've been able to be together at this time. Please pray for her, and for the family.

We had good fellowship Thursday night, helping us process and release our emotions...had a long time of worship together (I just learned it was about 3 hours!). I think we all have realized how it could have been so much worse, and that God's hand was all over us. Some fitting ones I led were "You Never Let Go," "Trading My Sorrows -- "I am pressed, but not crushed; persecuted, not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed..." and "Our God" -- Into the darkness You shine, Out of the ashes we rise...Our God is greater, Our God is stronger, God You are Higher than any other; Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God, Our God...And if our God is for us, than who could ever stop us, and if our God is with us, than what could stand against?! Our God is greater...".

Also, I'll share my journal entry prayer the night before the accident. I ended my prayer with this: "Held. Embraced. Secure. Safe." So "Safe" was the last word written in my journal before the rollover in which His hand kept us safe.

Then my daily devotional the day of the accident, which I read after the accident, started this way:

Our Lord, we thank Thee that Thou has kept us.

Rejoice indeed that you see My Hand in all the happenings and the keepings of the day. Protected, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea; so are you protected in all things. Rely on this and go forward...Go forward unafraid."

And as I was flipping to that entry, I saw the one from Monday (11 July), entitled "Guardian Angels":

"You are Mine.Once I have set on you My stamp and seal of ownership, all My hosts throng to serve and protect you. Remember that you are children of a King. Try to picture a bodyguard of My servitors in the Unseen, waiting, longing, efficient to do all that is necessary for your well-being."

Yesterday, I went with two other passengers to get officially checked out at the private hospital in Gaborone just to be sure everything is fine. I had X-rays of my neck, jaw, shoulder, chest, lower back...everything is fine. Praise God. My neck, of course the biggest concern, is stable and the vertebrae are in proper position (remember the big concern after the accident was the tendons/ligaments between the top two vertebrae). My daily bible reading plan yesterday included this verse: God: “The sinews of your neck were iron.”-Isaiah 48:4 (in context it's not a compliment, but in my case, it's definitely a positive truth, glory be to God!). Amen!

The radiologist/doctor thought I might have a screw loose in my neck (on the titanium plate connecting C2 and C3), but upon closer examination, it seems secure (they think it was just an overexposure on that one X-ray). So...it's only once that I've been medically diagnosed to have a screw loose (on my halo 3.5 years ago)...apparently now I don't...at least physically :). The others are fine too. I just came back in from playing a short soccer match after the tournament we hosted in Mochudi with the Canadians.

The outreach on Saturday and the youth outreach day-camp Mon-Wednesday went well...but I can share about that another time...kinda got eclipsed by Thursday's events. Thanks so much for all the prayers during those days and on Thursday. Wednesday my daily bible plan had included Joshua 3:5 -- "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you." I had of course, been thinking in terms of wonders in Olifants Drift village during the outreach the next day. Instead, we saw the Lord do wonders on the dusty road there.

Thanks for your prayers. God is good!!!

Blessings from Botswana,

Em

Some sadness...but God still brings Beauty from Ashes

Hey all,
Just realized it’s been awhile since my last post. Sadly, my beloved dog Chester passed away this week at the old age of 14.5 (102 in dog years)…so that was another sad phone call to receive. My mom feels his absence most keenly because he was living with her in Michigan, though it’s hard for me too since he was such a faithful friend all these years (since I was 13).

More Beauty from the Ashes

So June is a tougher month now because of the anniversary of my dad’s death, Father’s Day, and now Chester’s death. I wrote a new song for guitar/vocals two days after Father’s Day called “Beauty from Ashes,” and it’s actually the first song I’ve written since my accident. So it’s borne out of that and my dad’s death:

“Beauty from Ashes”

Verse 1:
This life can have its pain, its trials, and its heartache
But You never said You’d keep us from all heartbreak
Yet what You promised is that nothing could ever separate us,
That we’ll look back and see how You beautifully re-made us

Chorus:
You bring beauty from ashes
You trade joy for mourning
You bring beauty from ashes
My King, My Love

Verse 2:
When tragedy, and grief, and trials enfold us
You are still in control and tenderly You hold us
You work all things together for the good of those who love You
And You’ll be glorified my King, proven faithful and true

Chorus:
You bring beauty from ashes
You trade joy for mourning
You bring beauty from ashes
My King, My Love

Bridge:
You are so good, You are so kind
You heal my heart, You blow my mind
You are so faithful in my life
Jesus

You are beautiful
So beautiful
You are beautiful
My King, My Love

Jesus, You are so faithful in my life
Jesus, You are so faithful in my life

About a week later (last Monday), I got to see God bring even more beauty from the ashes. One of the YFC volunteers in Gaborone asked if I’d come with her to the hospital in Gaborone to visit a family friend, a young pastor who’d survived a fatal car accident where 3 people died. His main injuries were related to his neck and jaw. Sound familiar? So I brought along my laptop and showed him the slideshow that depicts the testimony of how God has brought beauty from the ashes of my accident, triumph out of tragedy. I encouraged him that God can bring him through this valley back to the mountaintops, and that God is faithful and good in the midst of such tragedies. The other visitors encouraged me to lead a prayer for him, so I prayed for his healing—physical and emotional. Due to his neck brace and jaw it was difficult for him to speak, but he reached out his hand to shake mine afterward. The next day, when I stopped in to visit him, he looked much better and was able to talk a bit with me and thank me again.

Hospital Ministry in Gaborone

When the volunteer had asked if I’d go to the hospital with her, I was hoping that we could visit other patients afterward. It’s been on my heart to visit patients at that hospital, but I didn’t know the procedure. Before I had a chance to ask her, she asked me if we could visit other patients! She said that the Lord had really been calling her to visit patients there, and she was hoping that our visit that day could be the start of a regular hospital ministry. That, of course, resonated in my heart, as I’d been hoping the same exact thing! So after we visited her pastor friend, we visited and prayed for several other patients. In the process, we ran into the college student I’ve been mentoring! She too was there to visit and pray for patients! I found out the next day that she has been going to minister at the hospital almost every day since 2008! So it looks like we already have a core of committed hospital ministers, and we can invite other volunteers to join us!

Hospital Ministry in Mochudi

I typed the following up awhile back about our hospital ministry on Fridays in Mochudi, but left it out because the entry was already quite long, so I’ll include it now:

The day in May we shared the Gift of Time lesson at the school assembly [that God gives us all the gift of time and we have to choose how to fill our time], we were praying for and talking to a teen girl patient who wanted a nurse to assist her. We went to get one, but they said they were busy attending to a corpse. Someone in the next room had just died. It just struck me regarding the time teaching we gave earlier that day…that woman’s time was up. We only get so much time on earth. How are we using it? Meanwhile, while that girl could not be attended by a nurse I sang over her a lullaby, the lyrics of which are from the perspective of God singing to you. Any of my youth group kids from the US would recognize it as the song I’ve sung to them at camps and overnights just before bed. It’s “I am” by Jill Phillips. Here are the lyrics:

Oh gently lay your head
Upon My chest
And I will comfort you
Like a mother while you rest
The tide can change so fast,
But I will stay
The same through the past,
The same in future, same today

CHORUS:
I am constant; I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy; I am wise
I'm the only one who knows your heart's desires
Your heart's desires

Oh weary, tired and worn,
Let out your sighs
And drop that heavy load you hold
‘Cause Mine is light
I know you through and through;
There's no need to hide
I want to show you love
That is deep and high and wide

CHORUS(2x)

Oh gently lay your head
Upon My chest
And I will comfort you
Like a mother while you rest

The patient closed her eyes and rested as I sang. I think it calmed her down. I often sing that song over patients in the hospital and am so grateful for the chance to help them sense God’s love and care for them. Another particularly memorable moment at the hospital was when we went up to an old lady lying in her bed. She didn’t understand or speak English very much, so in my halting Setswana I tried to find out what was wrong and ask if we could pray for her. After we prayed, she reached for my hand, pulled it gently closer and bent her head down to kiss my hand. She communicated love and appreciation through that and her eyes/smile better than words could have done. She then signaled for Jennifer to come closer so she could do the same for her. By the time we left her bedside, she had kissed each of our hands three times.

Other News

There’s a lot going on with mentoring, clubs, etc., but here are some main things: This week I’m meeting again with the leadership of the Face the Nation program to determine how they might partner with us in the mentoring program I’m developing. Prayers for wisdom and God’s will in all this is much appreciated. We are running holiday programs the next couple weeks in Mochudi and a village next to Gaborone, so prayers for that are also welcome. A visiting team from Cape Town just left this morning, and a week from today, 20+ Canadians will arrive to minister with us, and all somehow fit into our staff house for two weeks! Two of the regular staff/volunteers, Corine and Franzi, just flew back to Europe after their times of service here (sad for us!!), so we only have 3 of us living in the house now…until the Canadians arrive!

Michelle Obama Visited Mochudi!

Oh, and in other random news, U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama made an unscheduled stop at the restaurant just 300 meters from our house in Mochudi last week! We didn’t know she was coming to Mochudi, but as I drove to Gaborone that morning and saw all the police and tanks along the highway from Gaborone to Mochudi, I wondered what was going on. I knew that Michelle Obama was in Gaborone, and so I assumed she was going to visit Mochudi?! So I called my housemates to let them know, and sure enough, she not only drove by, but stopped to get food right across the street from where they were standing to see her drive by, less than a quarter mile from our house! You can watch a Reuters news report on it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qr9Uu4w2Ag. She drove back through the next day on her way back to the airport.

Take care, and I appreciate your care and prayers.
Blessings,
Em