The Beauty of Botswana

Don’t you wanna go to Botswana? I know I sure do! (Even though we just recently returned from a short 5 day trip up to the beautiful country.)

Words do NO justice in trying to express the insurmountable joy that filled my heart during this trip, please bare with me. While in Botswana, we were graciously welcomed by the Walker family, whose genuine love, compassion, and hospitality made it hard to head home. An overflow of God’s wisdom was poured out in the midst of great fellowship. Being able to continuously learn from an experienced missionary families has been a HUGE stepping stone in preparing me for the future God has in store.

We ventured to Lobatse, Botswana where we had the opportunity to encourage and be encouraged through the fellowship with the Walker family It was ever so rare to have dry eyes when hearing testimonies and stories from the Walkers. Between fits of laughter and tears of joy, my heart was wrenched more for God’s love. I was extremely and deeply encouraged by the faith they had battling through the storms of life. As the week went on a scripture from Isaiah 54:10 kept ringing in my spirit; “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken.” WOW! Talk about love and grace. God promises to never leave nor forsake us. His unfailing love will never be shaken, never removed. It’s always going to be there! God IS the essence of love. And check out the encouragement radiating through this one: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) By Jesus conquering death upon the cross, we are free to live in him from now until forever. This is no trick, or scam, but a gift. Jesus gave us the gift of eternal life! Shewww! His grace is sufficient. How awesome?!

 We played an intricate role helping the ministry of Word to Africa establish themselves in their new property. We did some home renovating and painting! Oh, here is the scoop. So they have this missions school, right, to help train and raise up missionaries. In one sense, it is very similar to Impact ME (the program I am currently involved in). Through classroom teaching and hands-on training, these students are gaining a well-rounded understanding of the life of a missionary and the test of faith it takes to live souled out for Jesus. Us ladies had the privilege of rooming with one of the mission school students, Dudu, who had such a passion and heart for missions and reaching the lost. I was greatly encouraged by her servants heart and hearing her own testimony. We also got to jump in on a bible study session with all of the students one evening, engaging in a powerful night of fellowship and prayer! Mr. Len, one of the teachers, took us through a short wisdom-packed session on the heart of Word to Africa, the mission school, and the future of where God is leading them. He threw in a slew of nuggets that I was dying to write down...should of brought that notebook, hey. One day was spent solely on traveling to one of the villages to minister the Gospel and pray with those we visited. Our translator, Phillip or Brother Sainosi, took us into the bushlands of the Mhopo people, where we ventured from door to door, sharing God's love with the people. We encountered wide variety of different people, from young to old, including a 4 generational family that we had the pleasure of accompanying in an afternoon pow-wow. We also met a sweet old lady who was born back in 1929, in the very same house we visited her in. It is safe to say that these people don't travel much. Overall the testimonies that were shared along with the the work that we saw being done, had a lasting impression on all of us and inspired us all to move forward in our missions endeavor.

What a blessing this trip was! Thank you Walker family for you love, wisdom, and hospitality. We will be praying for you and standing in faith along with you! Hopefully we will make it back to Botswana someday.