so, a dog peed on me the other day while i was inviting this guy to church. that was kinda fun. the dog's owner didnt seem to care either and my friend lauren just watched it happen and laughed without telling me. oh, the adventures of africa.
well, i'm still in botswana, but i'm in the capital city now which is called gaberone. things are going excellent so far and the response in the schools have been great. the greatest part for us though, is to be able to ignite a passion within the local church and that has definitely happened here. we trained some of the young adults of the church in one of our presentations and they did it themselves yesterday in a school. it was a very serious drama about a girl who has gone through the worst day ever, realizing that her boyfriend dated her only for sex and that she might now have HIV. one of her friends also disowns her, her dad kicks her out of the house and another friend offers drugs to solve her problems. pretty rough day. but this is what these kids are going through all the time. the drama went great, and some kids actually came up to me and asked me to pray for them afterwards.
i wish i could write a lot more in detail, but i cant right now. our days have been full and tiresome, but very rewarding. kids are constantly hanging all over me and i love to love on them. the kingdom of heaven belongs to those like them, and i get to learn from them and see jesus all over their faces.
we have a couple days off after today, and we are going to head to victoria falls!! pray that we'll have a safe trip and a relaxing sabbath.
thanks so much for the prayers and the emails. i read them all even though i cant always reply.
kyle
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Botswana
well, i am in Botswana as i write this in the city called francistown. things have been going great so far, and i thank God for that. we're learning that there's a difference between time and africa time. it's suits me fine cause i'm not too time-oriented myself. we went to church on sunday at 9 oclock and unlike my church back home, we didnt get out at 10 but rather 1:30. so we kinda just go with the flow. when we walk in, we are automatically the center of attention since many have hardly ever seen an american in there lives. 3 of us including me were asked on the spot to stand up and give our testimonies in front of the church to encourage everyone, and it went great. the worship was so much fun. the people are very sincere and warm. later that night we went back to the church to train the botswanans in how to do our school presentations. our goal is not to come into different countries, hand out books and leave, but rather encourage and mobilized the nationals to take over the repsonsibility. basically, we provide the resource for free (the book of hope) and then allow them to use it for ministry. the response in botswana has been incredible so far. we've been receiving calls from all over the country to come and work in certain cities and train the people their. anyway, the training was supposed to go from 5pm to 7pm, but we didnt leave till 930. it was an incredible service though. not only did the people catch the vision, but we got to pray for them and enourage them with our lives, and we were so encouraged by them as well. at the end, the people wanted us to lay our hands on them and pray for them. at first were going to pray just for the kids, but it ended up being every single person that was there (about 120 people). and i'm not just talking about one of us saying a 30 second prayer of blessing. i'm saying that every single person in our group prayed for every single person in the church individually. they formed a huge line that never seemed to get shorter and they walked down our line as we layed our hands on them and prayed for them. an hour later, i was praying for the last person. phew. it was tiring, but incredible. my voice was gone by the end, but it was evident that God was moving. at the very end, the people took up a special offering for us, by their own choice. we would never ask, of course, but we were so humbled by this act of love. these are people who are struggling to stay alive, stricken by poverty and disease, but they insisted that they take an offering for us. i was moved.
the presentations in the schools have been going very well. the kids seem to understand and are enamored by our dramas (or maybe our white skin). when some shake our hands, they look at their hand in disbelief that they have touched an american. it's great to be able to look them in the eyes and tell them that we are just like them. we have pain. we hurt. we feel lonely and worthless at times. but the love of Christ is the only thing that brings us through. no matter what we have been through, what people have said or done to us, we are loved and valued by God. and these kids have been through a lot. many have been abused or even raped. many have lost family to AIDS. many are confused about life. but they seem to be humbled themselves that we would come this far to give them this message of hope. there are many in our group that have powerful testimonies of what can do. i'm moved myself every time i hear them. one girl was born to a young teenager in india and left at an orphanage until someone from the states adopted her. one of the guys' mom was killed at age 4 and his dad was put in jail for life on false charges. but God has brought all of us here for this time to speak life into these kids and love on them.
i know this is long, but one of the greatest things for us is seeing the nationals get involved in what we're doing. today at a school, a group of 7 teenagers and twenty-somethings did almost the whole presentation themselves. it was amazing to see their passion, and the kids were truly mesmerized by what they were watching. there's only so much we can do as americans traveling in botswana. we can only relate to botswanans so much. but when the botswanans do the presentation and speak it in suswanee ( their language) and talk about the specific things they are facing, it is truly a special thing.
this isn't about us feeling good about ourselves. it isnt about us presenting at a certain amount of schools or giving out a certain amount of books. this is about love and encouragement, unity and compassion. when we begin to understand God's passion for every nation, tribe and tongue to come to him in worship, we are freed to forget our small problems and join in a revolution that is bigger than anything this world has ever seen. the people in botswana have caught this passion, and i believe with all my heart that when we leave, it wont stop.
maybe we havent ended poverty or AIDS or corruption or the sex trade, but we have made a difference, even if it is small. Henri Nouwen once said, God rejoices, not because the problems of the world have been solved, not because all human pain and suffering have come to an end, nor because thousands of people have been converted and are now praising him for his goodness. No, God rejoices because one of his children who was lost has been found.
if you've made it this far in the blog, don't be overwhelmed at the darkness and sickness of the world to where you are paralized. decide to do something. get involved somehow. pray for a country. eat one meal tomorrow and pray about the kids who are lucky to get one meal here in southern africa. it's all about the small things. mother teresa said, we cannot do great things, but we can do small things with great love.
thanks so much for the prayers and the love. i love and miss all of you.
kyle
the presentations in the schools have been going very well. the kids seem to understand and are enamored by our dramas (or maybe our white skin). when some shake our hands, they look at their hand in disbelief that they have touched an american. it's great to be able to look them in the eyes and tell them that we are just like them. we have pain. we hurt. we feel lonely and worthless at times. but the love of Christ is the only thing that brings us through. no matter what we have been through, what people have said or done to us, we are loved and valued by God. and these kids have been through a lot. many have been abused or even raped. many have lost family to AIDS. many are confused about life. but they seem to be humbled themselves that we would come this far to give them this message of hope. there are many in our group that have powerful testimonies of what can do. i'm moved myself every time i hear them. one girl was born to a young teenager in india and left at an orphanage until someone from the states adopted her. one of the guys' mom was killed at age 4 and his dad was put in jail for life on false charges. but God has brought all of us here for this time to speak life into these kids and love on them.
i know this is long, but one of the greatest things for us is seeing the nationals get involved in what we're doing. today at a school, a group of 7 teenagers and twenty-somethings did almost the whole presentation themselves. it was amazing to see their passion, and the kids were truly mesmerized by what they were watching. there's only so much we can do as americans traveling in botswana. we can only relate to botswanans so much. but when the botswanans do the presentation and speak it in suswanee ( their language) and talk about the specific things they are facing, it is truly a special thing.
this isn't about us feeling good about ourselves. it isnt about us presenting at a certain amount of schools or giving out a certain amount of books. this is about love and encouragement, unity and compassion. when we begin to understand God's passion for every nation, tribe and tongue to come to him in worship, we are freed to forget our small problems and join in a revolution that is bigger than anything this world has ever seen. the people in botswana have caught this passion, and i believe with all my heart that when we leave, it wont stop.
maybe we havent ended poverty or AIDS or corruption or the sex trade, but we have made a difference, even if it is small. Henri Nouwen once said, God rejoices, not because the problems of the world have been solved, not because all human pain and suffering have come to an end, nor because thousands of people have been converted and are now praising him for his goodness. No, God rejoices because one of his children who was lost has been found.
if you've made it this far in the blog, don't be overwhelmed at the darkness and sickness of the world to where you are paralized. decide to do something. get involved somehow. pray for a country. eat one meal tomorrow and pray about the kids who are lucky to get one meal here in southern africa. it's all about the small things. mother teresa said, we cannot do great things, but we can do small things with great love.
thanks so much for the prayers and the love. i love and miss all of you.
kyle
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
i read a book in fourth grade called How to Eat Fried Worms. when i read that book, i didn't realize that this event would actually take place in my life many years later. yes, i ate worms the other night, and intestines, or something like that. good thing i learned a while back how to hold my breath, swallow, smile, and compliment the cook on the delicious food without even really tasting it.
so my training is over and my group is as ready to finally leave the base we've been staying at. we've prayed, fasted, chased giraffs, hunted wild warthog, killed wild warthog, watched wild warthog be skinned, cooked wild warthog, eaten wild warthog, laughed, cried, learned, been stretched, been confused, been overwhelmed (not only by the vastness and darkness of the world, but even more by the vastness and love of God), and prepared the best we know how. my team is heading to botswana on friday morning if everything goes as planned, which hardly ever happens in africa.
a few quick stories before i have to leave. i was talking to a few people in town the local town the other day and they said they knew our group wasnt from around here. i laughed and said, ya i know, we're americans and i apologize for being so noticably loud and insensitive. they said, no that's not it. i knew you werent from here because you looked us in the eye and smile at us. the other white people here dont do that. i then realized that though apartheid was officially done away with in 1994 in South Africa, it is still very prevalent. there is still so much separation, a little similar to the U.S. but worse. it does give us a chance, though, to sort of break down some of the barriers as most of our group is white. pray for that.
another thing, my friend nico is in our group and one of his friends comitted suicide the other day. one of the girls was trying to be empathetic by saying, ya that happened to one of my friends, too. nico said, ya, this was my 7th friend that it's happened to. wow. i hope i dont need to say more. there's a darkness here that is being pierced by light in some areas, but it is still here. people have no hope and no future. parents are dying of AIDS, 12 year old kids are leading the homes, suicide and violence rates are insane, the rich have nothing to do with the poor, racism is overwhelming. i dont even want to say more for fear of repetition which might lead to desensitization. but there is a confusion going on that can't be explained other than our enemy is not of flesh and blood. i'm a little nervous of what i have to offer the children, and the truth is that i have nothing to offer but love and truth. i find myself asking the why questions so much, but sometimes all i can ask is the what questions. what can i do or say? can i give a hug and tell a child that i love them and that there is a God that loves them and delights in them? yes, i can do that. and that's all i know to do right now.
in our presentations and dramas, we'll be focusing on tough issues such as violence, love, sex, aids, family, value, purpose. but still, how do you tell a 14 year old girl not sleep with the man at the grocery store when she has no place else to find food? i will end on this, though. i refuse to be impressed by what the enemy has done. i refuse to be frozen by his lies. i refuse to be overwhelmed by the darkness and i cling to the fact that what God is so much more impressive and mind-boggling than any sad story or statistic will ever be.
and so, i keep breathing. i keep smiling. i keep loving and praying. i keep seeking and searching. i hold on to a love that surpasses all knowledge.
kyle
p.s. things are going as good as they could ever go. God is present in our group and we are expecting Him to do amazing things through us. just wanted to say that, cause sometimes i only have time to write about the sad things and i wish i could tell everything like the time i raced a giraff, but i'll save that one for later.
so my training is over and my group is as ready to finally leave the base we've been staying at. we've prayed, fasted, chased giraffs, hunted wild warthog, killed wild warthog, watched wild warthog be skinned, cooked wild warthog, eaten wild warthog, laughed, cried, learned, been stretched, been confused, been overwhelmed (not only by the vastness and darkness of the world, but even more by the vastness and love of God), and prepared the best we know how. my team is heading to botswana on friday morning if everything goes as planned, which hardly ever happens in africa.
a few quick stories before i have to leave. i was talking to a few people in town the local town the other day and they said they knew our group wasnt from around here. i laughed and said, ya i know, we're americans and i apologize for being so noticably loud and insensitive. they said, no that's not it. i knew you werent from here because you looked us in the eye and smile at us. the other white people here dont do that. i then realized that though apartheid was officially done away with in 1994 in South Africa, it is still very prevalent. there is still so much separation, a little similar to the U.S. but worse. it does give us a chance, though, to sort of break down some of the barriers as most of our group is white. pray for that.
another thing, my friend nico is in our group and one of his friends comitted suicide the other day. one of the girls was trying to be empathetic by saying, ya that happened to one of my friends, too. nico said, ya, this was my 7th friend that it's happened to. wow. i hope i dont need to say more. there's a darkness here that is being pierced by light in some areas, but it is still here. people have no hope and no future. parents are dying of AIDS, 12 year old kids are leading the homes, suicide and violence rates are insane, the rich have nothing to do with the poor, racism is overwhelming. i dont even want to say more for fear of repetition which might lead to desensitization. but there is a confusion going on that can't be explained other than our enemy is not of flesh and blood. i'm a little nervous of what i have to offer the children, and the truth is that i have nothing to offer but love and truth. i find myself asking the why questions so much, but sometimes all i can ask is the what questions. what can i do or say? can i give a hug and tell a child that i love them and that there is a God that loves them and delights in them? yes, i can do that. and that's all i know to do right now.
in our presentations and dramas, we'll be focusing on tough issues such as violence, love, sex, aids, family, value, purpose. but still, how do you tell a 14 year old girl not sleep with the man at the grocery store when she has no place else to find food? i will end on this, though. i refuse to be impressed by what the enemy has done. i refuse to be frozen by his lies. i refuse to be overwhelmed by the darkness and i cling to the fact that what God is so much more impressive and mind-boggling than any sad story or statistic will ever be.
and so, i keep breathing. i keep smiling. i keep loving and praying. i keep seeking and searching. i hold on to a love that surpasses all knowledge.
kyle
p.s. things are going as good as they could ever go. God is present in our group and we are expecting Him to do amazing things through us. just wanted to say that, cause sometimes i only have time to write about the sad things and i wish i could tell everything like the time i raced a giraff, but i'll save that one for later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)