hmm

did I mention that it is hot today? Very very hot---and we have no running water today!!! But I am still smiling!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving on the farm and Jimi Hendrix' birthday!

Yesterday was our Amercian Thanksgiving and I was invited to spend the day with some friends who are Peace Corps volunteers. These are American women I met while working at the Teen Club.
The day started very hot and stayed that way. The drive to the farm in Sebina was pretty uneventful except for the usual rash drivers and livestock. Sebina is about 40 klicks from Francistown. I turned unto a dirt road marked "Dikgomo Farm" andheaded into the most interesting part of the trip. The roads were rough with mudpits from the recent rains. The bush that surrounded the path seemed like it spread out forever. When I finally arrived at the guesthouse on the farm, I was once again startled by the beauty that is Africa. The landscape was huge and spacious, and the sky was a brilliant shade of blue. It was desperatelyhot, and we did not sit outside for long.
The conversation was delightful and we laughed until we hurt. There were three of us at first-LeeAnn, Laura and myself. LeeAnn is the same age as myself so we strolled, or raced down memory lane. Realizing lol, that it was Jimi Hendrix' birthday, lol, we went in and threw some old stuff into the CD player and laughed.
We were joined by Nurit, a doctor at one of the local hospitals, at around 630. We stood out on the veranda and watched the sunset. Wow! The sky went through many phases of color and the scenery changed color with the light. almost immediately the stars popped out.
We went inside and ate a collaborative feast. Chicken, mashed potato, veggies, bread and devilled eggs. Oh and dessert was homemade apple pie-not usually my favorite but I have become a convert.
The other women are not Christians, and we had the most amazing conversations. They listened intently while I talked about why I am a believer and why I am so passionate about it. I talked about how salvation was important but it was not the reason I serve. When I explained that love is the reason I serve, I think it shook them up a bit. Many times our non yet believers only get to hear that they must be saved or die. As humans this does not always sit well. It is easy to question. But if we Serve Our Lord from our hearts, and souls we serve with much more relevance and well, joy! Of course salvation is important! Vital really! But I prefer to talk about my beliefs as part of my day to day minute to minute living, not as a lawbook I carry, tucked under an arm. I do not love not yet believers less, rather it is equally important to me to share the love God has for them as well as be grateful for the love He has for us. I do not know if this is a form of evangelism. I only know that iving thanks is a daily event--and it is good to have a special day to share that.

"We will show them the Holy Spirit that lives in us"

Glyn and Susan, my colleagues in Gabs, have been supporting and starting Bible studies in various areas for the leaders of the Spiritual churches. There is one on going here in Francistown that I stop in and visit occasionally that meets every Monday evening. This past Monday evening the Francistown group finished one study and were gearing up for the next. They invited me to come and fellowship and partake in refreshments. When I arrived, the group was scattered throughout the room, finishing their exams. With great intent and focus they were al hoping they had listened well during the classes!
As the tests were being graded by Philemon and Mme Khaisa, the group of baruti lined up to receive the booklets for next session. I can tell you they did this with excitement and much conversation.
We then sat together, prayed and sang praise songs. Some of the songs were in English, and some in Setswana. All were very beautiful. I listened while several of the pastors spoke and was so blessed.
Part of the discussion was about other study groups in the area that were not so enthusiastic. Some of the pastors expressed disappointment and we discussed visiting them to see if there was something we could say to help and encourage. One maruti, who had been very quiet, spoke of his group's primary responsibilty in this. He talked of how he felt the study was increasing his knowledge and expending his awareness of the Holy Spirit's working in all our lives. He felt strongly that what we needed to do was to do what we are supposed to do first, and the Holy Spirit will be shown in this action.
I enjoyed this greatly, first there was the appreciation for the work Glyn and Susan have been doing to nurture these studies. Second, the results are awesome! If this group has anything to say about it, everyone will be doing these Bible studies! It certainly says a lot when every single member of the group queues for their next session with this excitement.
And for us, it is another indication that what we do influences others-that our love for Our God should be apparent-obvious to those around us.

Thanks Paul

Philippians 3:13-14
No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing:Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.

Rain!

Well it has finally started to rain! It has not cooled off much, but the evenings are more bearable. Everything is becoming a bit greener and the skies-wow! The lightning is just incredible. We really are very thankful for this bounty. The mornings have been a bit sunny, and then the clouds gather as the afternoon wears on-I look forward to the very romantic sound of rain hitting my tin roof. As this season opens, we also are getting migratory visitors-there are new birds here for their breeding season so I am blessed to hear new songs and cries. We are also getting some pretty interesting albeit ugly bugs but the rain is here!

Determination can come in all forms; it is a young girl, struggling with beginning in her teenage years with HIV. She sits at a table and tells us when she was 11, she just wanted to die. Everyone knew she was positive, and avoided her at all costs. Her classmates became like strangers, and relatives, well, the ones who were still alive treated her as a heavy burden. Now she is thriteen and is determined to fight-she wants people, especially her peers educated about this plague. It was not her fault she contracted it, but she is no longer deeply ashamed. Rather she is angry that children must be treated badly. This young one wants to teach people sensitivity and compassion; and she wants her HIV+ peers to feel the same.
Determination also comes with a group of young adults who do not want to continue in a tradition that is stagnant for them. They write plays, poems, and songs to demonstrate that there is a way out of a lifestyle that is destructive. Coming together to pray together, they no longer just pray for Botswana's burdens, although that is huge, they also pray for the world leaders to help. These are youth that see on a daily basis alcoholism, HIV, TB, domestic violence, and lack of motivation. Coming face to face with this takes a lot fo courage-it takes even more to push toward righting things that seem so wrong.
Encouragement seems so valuable here. I am humbled by the work the younger generation is trying to accomplish. Sure, there is still alot of apathy. And certainly many people hold to believing that things are what they are-that life is hard so do not try and sap what is left of your strength. Hope has a funny way of leaking into situations thought hopeless. God will always make a way for us if the work is Kingdom-minded.

hot

So I really have been very negligent! So much has happened and yet well here we are....
This is going to be out of chronological order so just hang on. I have two new kittens-very little, and very cute. They are fixed little boys who are mostly balck with white stockings. Their names are Jericho and Hero. I am in love although my dog is not quite there. She is a bit jealous but mostly curious.
The weather is just plain gross. Very very hot, and dry. No one feels like dong anything and everyone is in a bit of a temper. I am just plain tired. But the little bit of rain we have had seems to be sparking new life in the plants so well, we will just wait and see.
I am settling into my house and routine, and I am enjoying the work in front of me. The youth center takes a good deal of my time but I am now seeing that I have been there a tad too often. The young adults there are full of hope and energy, but are just learning now how to facilitate their ideas. It is interesting to see them accomplishing things without expecting someone else to do it. There are still some issuses and I think there will always be issues with expectations on all sides.
This is not an eaasy country to grow in....the climate is just brutal, and the death rate is high from AIDs, disease, alcoholism and suicide. It must be so hard to be young and watch what must seem hopeless. The young ones at this youth center are great prayer warriors-they believe that God hears them and they pray fervently for their peers, and their country. I am so moved by what inspirational words come from them.
My health has been decent-I am not used to this heat but hopefully will be. My Language lessons are going well, although my accent is still awful. But the criticism I get comes mostly from ex pats and not from the locals who are pleased I am learning and are very encouraging.
I have been visiting several churches and am finding friendly faces and warm greetings. Now when I go into town people will stop me to tell me they saw me and I am enjoying this greatly. I was also visited by good colleagues and friends, Dan and Yvonne. We had a terrific week and I miss them already!