May 31, 2012

Currently, we are back in the states and staying in Florida visiting relatives in Lakeland. We tried really hard to get a blog posted on the last day we were in Maun, but just ran out of time before departing for Gaborone. On the 1st of June, we departed for Johannesburg and from there we connected with South African Airlines for our flight to the states. Our last month in Botswana was so full, not only with activity but also much emotion. Even though we are now in the states, we will try to recap some of the highlights from our last weeks in Maun.

After four years of hosting our missionary friend from Rakops when he came to Maun for business, Julie and a friend drove there to see the day care John has been running for orphaned and vulnerable children. The building and equipping of the facility is really an incredible story and too long to write down here, but it is apparent that God had a plan to see the children cared for in the rural community.  Julie is pictured below with her friend, Wendy, and John in front of the day care buildings.

There are 2 buildings with offices and a large meeting room along with four classrooms for children 2 years to 5years. Some of the teachers working there participated in the CEF training a couple of months earlier.

After the morning activities and lessons the children went out to play before having their lunch.

At lunch time, everyone sits outside the classrooms to eat their meal on a plastic plate.

Colin continued to fly a lot, right up until our last week. As always, there were numerous overnight stays at Jack's Camp. On one of those visits, he was fortunate to see lions on the drive from the airport to the camp.

One of the things Colin had been encouraging Patricia to do during the three years she worked for him, was to get her driver's license. We were pleased to see she passed her written exam after a number of tries, so Colin presented her with a special certificate. On our departure, she was practicing for the actual driving test.

Colin also turned over his Maun Base Supervisor duties to Keith on the 1st of May. Part of the turnover was presenting Keith with his own FMS rubber ink stamp. In Botswana, everything official must have a stamp on the documentation. This meant that Keith was "officially" in charge.

As our departure drew closer, our special belongings were gradually all packed and mailed back to Alaska. Colin had a few oversize items, such as the mounted horns that were given to him and that had been on our living room wall.  Those had to be sent by a taxidermist and we were able to finally meet Debbie Peak from Mochaba taxidermy.

Shortly before leaving, we saw more signs that Maun is becoming more modern. Two intersections now have streetlights installed. We did not get any pictures of the three used car lots that also just suddenly opened up in an industrial area.

Eleven days before we left Maun, a number of the young people Julie had been doing a discipleship Bible study with were baptized after church. There were seven teens who have shown a genuine commitment. In addition, Pusetso had been doing the study and wanted to make a statement of re-dedication in her faith. Pictured below is the group at Island Safari Lodge where the ceremony took place.

There was a small gathering of people from the church in attendance, and we joined together in song.

Pastor Alex shared a short message explaining the importance of baptism.

Then Julie and another church leader had the joy of baptizing the eight in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Alex met each one as they left the pool, to pray a special blessing on them.

It is now winter in Botswana, so you can tell that Julie and Graham were a bit chilled when they came out of the cold pool water.

A week before our departure date, Mark Spicer and Melly our scheduler, came up from Gaborone to have a farewell dinner with the Maun staff. FMS had recently hired another pilot and Ralph is in the blue shirt pictured with the Maun team at dinner.

Our last Sunday at church was very special. Julie was able to award the students that had fully completed the discipleship study, with a special certificate of completion sent to Maun from the FM home office in Gaborone.

Julie had started with twenty teens, but only ten stuck with the 18 lesson course. Not everyone was in attendance that day, but the core youth were recognized for their commitment in front of the rest of the church membership.

After church there was a lovely "going away" luncheon.  Julie is pictured below with the woman who will continue overseeing the Sunday school program, and some of the children that attend.

We will miss Lily's first birthday on the 11th of June, but Cheryl dressed her in a special outfit that had been saved for her birthday so that we could see her dressed in it. The flowers on the front are embroidered.

After church, Pusetso spent the afternoon at our house before we all went to another gathering. She has become a part of our dear family in Botswana and has been living back in Maun since January.

At 3pm that same day, our missionary friends that moved to Maun from Mahopa had an afternoon tea as a way to gather others to say goodbye.

It was such an emotional day, as most of our closest friends shared about our time with them in Maun. Then, there was lots of great baked treats to share together.

Below is a "self timed" photo of those that were in attendance and who have become like family to us while living in Maun.

 Our last week in particular was so busy with dinners, group gatherings, and people stopping by to wish us well on our travels. People poured out their love to us and we felt so blessed to have had such caring people to share in our lives while in Botswana. A group of close friends even paid for Julie to be pampered a bit before returning to the states. She was treated to a pedicure and a day at the hair dresser with Cheryl. Below is a picture of Julie with Lily after having her hair done.

We are so thankful for how our time in Botswana came to a close. FMS bought our household belongings and will continue to rent the house and flats on the plot where we lived. After finally getting the parts to fix our car, it sold to good friends that desperately needed a better running vehicle. The sale of our household goods and car will be used to relocate someplace in Alaska, though at this time Julie is still seeking employment as a teacher with hopes of being on the road system. We would appreciate continued prayer for a position where we both can continue to serve and be used of God. As we continue on our journey we will post more about our travels, and update on where we end up in Alaska, once those things become clear.

Though it was extremely hard to say goodbye to so many people who  have grown so dear to us, we felt it was our time to leave and that we had been obedient to the things God had sent us to do. The devotional page to follow, from a booklet on "Experiencing God", pretty much sums up our feelings.Click to enlarge.