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