FINALLY AN UPDATE!

Hello everyone! It’s been a long time since I’ve updated the blog and lots has happened. At the end of September, Botswana celebrated 40 years of independence. We celebrated this occasion at the kgotla (the village meeting place) where there was traditional dancing, speeches, and lots of traditional food. We were able to meet the village chief at the Independence celebration – he was very kind and interested to talk with us, although he did ask how the war in America was going. Hmmm… Anyway, the very next day, we celebrated our one-year anniversary at Palapye Baptist Church – the church was started last October – and about 10 members were baptized (including 2 of the girls I meet with for Bible study each week). Our pastor (Alceir) has some training in dental hygiene, so he held a special day at the church where young children could receive free fluoride treatments – you should have seen the kids brushing and brushing and brushing their teeth with their new toothbrushes and toothpastes!

At school, we been finishing up our lessons and recently gave the students the opportunity to sign True Love Waits cards. Many students made the decision to sign the cards and to remain sexually pure until marriage. Please pray for these students as they have a tough commitment to keep – especially in this culture where pre-marital sex is the norm. Some men still want to know that a woman is fertile before they will even marry her!

I just want to leave you with a few reflections. Over the past several months, God has really been teaching me about His faithfulness. I am ever humbled by how faithful our Father is and how small my own faith is in comparison. I am currently reading the book of Hebrews in my quiet time and I will end with a couple of verses that have touched my heart and challenged me this week.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. ~Hebrews 10:23-25~