March 31, 2011

Another full and busy month has breezed by with lots of visitors and ministry activities. Early in the month we had a few days visit from Pastor David, whom we met while in Sepopa in February. He was passing through Maun on his way home to Mochudi, and we enjoyed having more time to get to know him better. The photo to follow was taken early on a Saturday morning before Colin took David to the bus rank. It is too bad that David had to get home that day, as the next stop Colin made after dropping David off was to the men's breakfast at our church. With the help of a couple other men from the church, Colin continues to help cook and provide nourishing meals once a month through that ministry.
Other pilots and missionaries came and went during the month, and we enjoy the fellowship as people stay in the flats next to our house. Colin continues to do all the maintenance and Julie does the cleaning of the FMS rentals to help keep the expenses minimal.

The highlight of the month was doing a 5 day Bible club outreach on the Kowalski plot for the children living in their neighborhood. Cheryl, Julie, and a few other ladies from the neighborhood teamed together to plan and run the program. Keith also helped out most of the days, and Colin came by with MT one day as well. The club was well attended with over one hundred different children during the week, with the largest group being 85 on the last day.

Every morning for almost an hour before the gate was opened, there were children gathering outside waiting for the activities to start. After a few days, we even heard them singing some of the songs they were learning. At nine o'clock, we would open the gate and children would sign in, get a name tag, and share the Bible verse from the day before with Cheryl and all the helpers.

Julie had lots of fun games to start the day off and children could easily join in after checking in at the attendance table.

As the crowd of children thinned out, the other helpers would come over to the games until it looked as if everyone that was coming was there. Cheryl was usually the last one checking kids in. Below is the Kowalski family, and the children were also a big help with the club.
Once everyone was signed in and had a name tag, Julie would end the large group game and we would start the day off by greeting all the children and introducing ourselves.
Then we would have an opening prayer. Of course, everything had to be translated into Setswana by some of our helpers from the neighborhood.

Otis and Ipataleng, in addition to a couple of their older children, were especially helpful with interpreting. Each day we taught the children many new songs, and also sang some Setswana songs that were familiar to them.

Just to give you a quick sample of the children singing a Setwana song, there is a short video clip attached again this month. The song is called "Retla bina Hosanna" and they are singing about dancing around the throne of King Jesus.


When the singing was finished, Julie and Cheryl alternated days of teaching the lesson. We used the Child Evangelist Fellowship Wordless Book that gave a full gospel message through the 5 day teaching. The wordless book uses 5 different colors that explain the lesson in a large picture book to follow. For example, the first day we talked about heaven and the color used was gold. Both Julie and Cheryl were given a variety of the CEF teaching material when on furlough, and it has been getting well used in our church Sunday School, the Sepopa Sunday school, Bible club, and now the 5 day outreach.
When the lesson was finished, the little ones 6 and under went off with some of the other ladies to learn a simplified bible verse, while the older ones learned the complete verse for the day.
Then Julie played games with the older ones that she created to also support the daily message that was taught. The younger ones played games in another area of the property.

When the games were finished, Cheryl had juice and snack ready for the kids and each day she found a away to give a snack that matched the color used in the wordless book.
On Friday, our final day, we did a few extra things for the children. When they left after the two hours of activities, the older children were all given a New Testament Bible in Setswana on behalf of Flying Mission and ...
.....a gift bag that had a few treats and essentials that we had been given to distribute. Notice that the girl getting her gift bag from Cheryl is curtsying in thanks.
Later that evening, the children and their families were invited back to sing more songs, watch a slide presentation from the week and see the Jesus film for children in Setswana.
By the end of the week we were all very encouraged by the response of the children to the outreach, in addition to the relationships that were formed. The Kowalski family even had a few extra people ride to church with them the following Sunday.

That Sunday happened to be our last Sunday school for the first term of this year. The children had spent a large portion of the term learning about Moses and they shared with the church members that day the new song, "Pharaoh Pharaoh", that was learned along with the unit.
Since there is going to be a one month term break and the weather is starting to get cooler as winter approaches, not only did the children get a special prize for good attendance this term but also the Kowalski's distributed warm sweaters that they had brought back from Canada while on furlough. There is so much need here, and anything people give us to share is greatly appreciated.
On the 27th of March it was our anniversary. Next year it will be our thirtieth and we hope to take one last major trip before we head back to Alaska. This year we went out to dinner at our favorite lodge and treated ourselves to a steak dinner for the first time.
The last week in March was also the end of Bible club for term one. The group has really grown spiritually and in numbers this year and Julie enjoyed integrating some sort of game when possible to connect the children to the lesson being taught. This activity pictured below was to lead into a story about putting God first in our lives. It is easy to let other things become more important...The cotton balls in the game were supposed to be equal to money and the children were given a spoon to gather as many as they wanted in just a few minutes. It was interesting to see a variety of character traits expressed in the game and the observations helped lead into a good discussion before the lesson.
For the final day of club this term, the children got to watch a children's video title,"He Has Risen" and eat Julie's special goodies of Rice Krispies bars. Rice Krispies treats are always a big deal to the kids, as none of them had ever eaten them until she introduced them to the kids.
Through each month we have many visitors, and do not always mention everyone in this blog, we did want to include the Word to Africa missionary family that we have grown to love so much over the last two year. Dries, Ilse, Jana, and Cordre were here for one night on their way home from Gaborone after attending their mission's annual team gathering. Jana is speaking up a storm in English now, and Cordre is walking everywhere and excited to explore everything. After his early and shaky birth at the remote clinic in Gumare, Cordre seems to certainly be a happy and active toddler these days. The family is pictured below, just before leaving for their home village in Mahopa in the remote north west corner of Botswana.
During the month, Colin also had to fly a critically injured patient with head injuries from a remote sight. The lack of medical personnel and services for serious conditions in Botswana is very frustrating. The poor man was bleeding from his nose and ears and had to walk to get into the plane when dropped off by the medical staff for the medical evacuation. Another man in a T shirt, who was supposed to be the nurse attending the patient, also flew along but had absolutely no supplies such as gloves, gauze, etc. Darkness was closing in and Colin was able to get the man as far as Maun, but the hospital here and in Francistown would not take such a serious case. One of the FMS King Airs had to be dispatched to meet Colin in Maun and then transport the patient to Gaborone. All we can do at in these types of situations is just pray for the people who are suffering and hope they get the proper medical help once FMS has completed the mercy flight.

When possible we like to add a few everyday photos before closing. This month here are a few from the flight line in Maun.

Not only does Colin fly customers to remote camps, but often he has camp staff to transport also. This is one of the Jack's Camp staff just before departure.

Some of Colin's pilot friends tow a Caravan with a little truck.
Sunrise at the airport just before an early departure.
Upcoming things we would appreciate your prayers for are: a ministry follow up trip to Sepopa the 16th of April; a busy flight schedule for the next few months through November; a safe arrival for the Kowalski baby due the end of May; additional staff needs for the Maun base as the operation is growing and we prepare to return to Alaska in 15 months. We are reminded that these things are all in the Lords hands and we place our faith there. The Lord has promised that, "...I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand." Isaiah 41:10

So we carry on and trust because "Faith is not a sense, nor sight, but simply taking God at His word." [A quote from Christmas Evans]

February 28, 2011

Traveling to Sepopa, a small village in northern Botswana on the Okavango River panhandle was definitely the highlight of the month. We left early on Saturday February12, and arrived in the early afternoon. Pusetso had made arrangements for us to stay at the parsonage with Pastor Reuben. The house is situated on a beautiful piece of land, which is set right on the edge of the Okavango River. When we were there in December, the channel by the parsonage plot was dry and in the photo below, you can see that the waters from Angola had just filled the channel that week. The water will continue to rise and reach Maun in late June.
Even arriving mid day on a Saturday, we found the village so quiet and peaceful. People were going about their daily chores and a young boy was at the water's edge spearing fish for the family meal.
After meeting with Pastor Reuben and his visiting friend David, who was staying to do a crusade over the next two weeks, we went to see Pusetso's mother and explored a bit more around the church property. Colin always is fascinated with the huge cactus plants that grow in Botswana and there was one by the Sunday school meeting hall on the church property.
Pusetso and her friend, Onalenna, had a few other responsibilities to complete before we could meet with them for some children's ministry training. Pusetso had told us in December that she was trying to teach over fifty children with no materials or experience. So after planning ten weeks of lessons and gathering up basic supplies to help with the teaching, we spent the afternoon going through everything. In addition, Julie taught the ladies some children's songs and games that could support the concepts being taught in the lessons.
By the time the training session was over, it was evening and getting close to meal time. When returning to the parsonage, we discovered that the power was out in Sepopa and the two burner hot plate used by Pastor Reuben was not going to be an option for cooking. Reuben and David had already begun roasting a lower cow leg bone to boil in a large cast iron cooking pot over the open fire. In the picture below the two legs look like some firewood, but if you look closely you can see the legs while the fir and hoofs are being burned away. Also, in the back ground is the little church building on the property.
Julie pitched in with an additional pot of cheese and noodles.
In the morning it was time for church. The local children began to gather in the church early and like so many of the kids attending our church in Maun, they carry in little siblings that they are carrying for.
The actual church prayer, praise, and worship service went on for two hours before the children were excused for Sunday school class. It was a very lively service with Pastor David playing a key board that he had brought with him. Everyone attending had such pure joy and never seemed to grow tired of singing and dancing in the aisle. We have attached a short video to give you a sample of a truly African worship service. Pusetso and Onalenna are leading the singing and everyone is singing "Hosanna, Hallelujah..." repeatedly, though it is hard to hear over the keyboard.



The children were up front in church and participating in the service right up until they were excused to walk up the hill to the Sunday school building. Pictured below, they are coming out of the small church structure.
Once settled in, Julie introduced herself and taught the lesson to model teaching strategies for Pusetso and Onalenna. The two Batswana ladies took turns interpreting everything Julie said into Setswana. A mother and a few older children were also recruited as additional helpers for the class time.
When the lesson was finished, everyone went outside to play some games and sing some more songs as church was still in session. It was an hour and a half before the main preaching was finished and everyone returned to the church building for some final music, dancing, and closing prayer.
All in all, it was a 4 hour service and we had to leave shortly after for our long drive back to Maun. Pusetso and her church family seemed genuinely thankful for our visit and we felt truly blessed to be a part of what God is doing in Sepopa through this small group of believers. We have continued to be in phone contact regularly with Pusetso and are looking forward to a follow up trip to Sepopa in mid April.

On the flying front, February was a bit slow for tourists but Colin was asked to pilot a private plane out of Gaborone to a village located in the south western part of the country. The owner of the airplane services boreholes and pipelines, but does not know how to fly. The arrangement with FMS is to basically rent a pilot to fly the plane. This is the second time Colin has been asked to do the flying, but it was his first time to travel to that part of Botswana. He always enjoys making friends with new people, and enjoyed his day with the passengers.
About a week later, Colin was also able to be joined by the son of a good friend for a few hours of flying from the Okavango Delta to Jack's Camp in the Kalahari. Jordan has a strong desire to learn to fly and it had recently been his birthday. So, to fly with Colin for a couple hours was quite a treat for him.
Then as the month came to an end, an FMS affiliate and his wife came to Maun for a weekend visit. Colin was asked to fly them on a scenic flight into the Okavango Delta and Julie was invited to join them.
It was a lovely evening and the lush delta was full of all kinds of wildlife. It was the first time Julie had seen hippos from the air as they rested under the clear waters that are prevalent in the area.
Flying Mission Services has a tracking system to follow the flight paths of all their aircraft. The map below shows the path of the one hour scenic flight that evening. Spidertracks, as it is named, updates every ten minutes and if the flight follower clicks on one of the dots on the red flight line, then the time, altitude, and airspeed can be seen.
Concerning other areas of our work in Maun, we decided to meet weekly with our FMS team for a Bible study at the office since it is the slow season. It has been a very positive time of fellowship and has brought us even closer together while we grow in our faith.

As for direct ministry and teaching, Sunday school continues to grow and the numbers are now getting close to eighty. We are looking at separating the older children of 12 to 14 years and having more age appropriate lessons for them next term. There are fifteen attending regularly and usually thirty weekly in that age group. A young man from New Zealand, that has been attending church regularly, and a few other people may help with that group. If so, it would relieve the overcrowding problem that is currently developing into an issue. Please pray about this with us.

Also, Bible Club is going strong every week with a number of new kids attending this term. Furthermore, Julie and Cheryl are in the planning stages for a 5 day outreach to the children in the Kowalski's neighborhood over the term break in April. The dates will be April 4 through 8. Again, please keep these ministries in prayer and that the children attending will have hearts that are open to knowing the love Jesus has to offer.

Sometimes we like to share just some ordinary and daily experiences of life we have here. For instance, on Colin's last couple of days off he has been trying to help our Pastor solve a problem with Pigeons that have taken roost in the parsonage carport. The birds make a huge mess all over the car nightly, so Colin has had to try to figure out a way to discourage them from setting on the upper beams of the carport. He first tried stretching rows of wire above the beams, but the Pigeons still found a way to roost. The next stage of this project has been to put chicken wire above the beams. So far, Pastor Alex says it seems to be working.
Just for fun, another small day off project included here is a picture of Colin putting new tires on the little Nissan March we affectionately call the "Jelly Bean". If you really look closely at the size of Colin beside the car, and the size of our Pajero next to it, you can see just how small the "bean" is. It is amazing to see Colin cram into and drive the March when needed....

As a continuation on the last couple of statements concerning things mentioned "just for fun" and birds roosting, here is a picture of a Barn owl that has taken up roost in the Maun Airport terminal. We had not seen one before in Botswana, so it is another bird we can check off the list of our Southern African bird book.

In closing, we would like to share a portion from the Blackaby devotional, Experiencing God Day By Day... "There will be times when, immersed in the ordinary details of life, you may be oblivious to the extraordinary that is right next to you. You can be in the midst of a common moment, only this time the activity is filled with the presence of God. There may be times when, in the middle of your harried day, you notice something unusual. Your first reaction may be 'I'm too tired to go aside to investigate this!' or 'I'm not going to disrupt my life for this.' Yet, in that moment you may have the opportunity for a unique encounter with God."

Our time in Botswana has been passing quickly but day to day, week to week, month to month, and now even...year to year, we continue to leave ourselves open to being used of God in whatever He puts before us. Even in the ordinary things of life, we feel God's presence and pray that we can continue to, "...live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:2

January 31, 2011

With the New Year, the main tourist season and holiday flow of travelers flying began to dwindle about the middle of January, allowing us even more time to devote to the various relational and direct ministries we are involved in. Sunday school and Bible Club have started back up with the new school year and the attendances for both are overflowing with enthusiastic children. The weekly highlight for Colin is church, where he continues to love the little children that flood in from the surrounding neighborhood.
January 7th was MT's birthday and we had a celebration at the office. It is so nice to have the Kowalski family back, though Cheryl was not able to attend as she was in Gaborone for an ultra sound of the new baby that is rapidly growing and due the end of May.

Early in January, we also had a visit from the family we know that are living in the remote northwest of Botswana that have been ministering to the San bushman for the last 7 years. Due to our travels, and other things happening with their mission and family commitments, it had been 6 months since their last visit with us. We could not get over how much the children had grown in that time and little Cordre was walking! In addition, Jana is speaking such good English that we could really have fun conversations with her. The children are pictured below after returning from a day of shopping in Maun. Jana was dancing for us in the new ballerina outfit that she was able to get at one of the local shops.
It is the rainy season now, and the landscape is a lush green with thick vegetation. Every year that we have been here during the rainy season, we have woken up in the morning periodically to find some sort of infestation of bugs, worms, beetles, spiders, etc. that pass in a day or so. One day we had tiny little frogs all over our patio. That was a first...the picture below has one of the little frogs next to a 5 Pula coin that is about the size of a quarter. Having the little frogs hopping around was much more pleasant than some of the other critters we have experienced during the tropical season of our summer here.
On Sunday January 16, the power went off shortly after 11am just when we had returned from church. Power outages are not uncommon at all here, especially during the rainy season, but this one was unusual because it lasted for almost 36 hours. Apparently, not only was Maun without power but all of northern Botswana for those hours. All of the cell phone reception was down until Monday morning also. The outage was caused when a lightning strike hit an important power cable south of Maun. Our only real concern was for the things in our freezer, though not having a fan or air conditioning in the summer heat was uncomfortable for the day and a half without electricity. Fortunately, the things in our freezer only marginally thawed and nothing was lost to spoilage. We tolerated the hotter parts of the day, and pulled out our emergency candles as lighting for a couple of nights. All we can say is, "This is Africa."

Patricia also had a birthday on January 24. It gave us another reason to celebrate with a chocolate cake, which is her favorite.
The last weekend in January, we were able to get away for a night to our friend's game farm about an hour and a half drive from Maun. It was July and winter when we were last able to go out for a visit. At that time, it was the dry season when it is the coldest time of year. Now that it is the rainy season, the bush was extremely thick with brush even though there had been a veld fire through there last September. Not only was it really nice to be in the bush with all the birds and wildlife, but we enjoyed the Christian fellowship of our friends immensely. Something different that we did while there, was to explore a new piece of land by following the elephant trails that lead to areas of water known as "pans". Riding in a very large and heavy4x4 cruiser, we crashed through all kinds of thick brush and only got stuck once in a large whole made by an elephant. It was right by a small pan and a good place to stop for a picnic lunch. After a relaxing lunch, the guys hooked an electric winch to a nearby tree which easily pulled the truck out.
With the truck unstuck, we all climbed on top of the cruiser to look around for the next trail to follow and then crashed on off into the bush.
Julie's favorite spot to ride was right on top of the truck cab, but through the thickest brush she had to ride low in the back to avoid being torn to pieces by thorny branches. Colin rode in the cab.
Every year during the summer months there are many migratory birds fluttering, chirping, and singing out a variety of songs in our yard daily. The first song we hear just as day is barely breaking, is the Kingfisher. There are a few different kinds, and this year we have a Grey Headed Kingfisher [pictured below] that has taken residence on our plot. His wake up call in the morning is somewhat like, "cheeeet choooooo, cheeeet choooo...." It is one thing we miss when summer is over and some of the birds travel elsewhere until the next year. At least we still have a few more months of their presence here.
We neglected to take photos of a few other things, people, and events that were a part of our lives in January. There was a quick trip to Gaborone for Julie to have more dental work, a Mercy flight to Francistown for Colin to transport a patient having an appendicitis attack, pilots and other visitors coming and going while using the flats, just to name a few.

Thank you again for the interest shown in what we are doing while in Botswana. Upcoming events are a trip to Sepopa to help Pusetso with organizing a Sunday school program and a 5 day outreach Bible club is in the plans for the term break in April. Please keep these outreaches in prayer. The major issue in working with the younger children here is the language barrier. A fluent Setswana translator is crucial for the success of the children ministries. In closing, please pray that we reflect Christ in all that we do. "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:5.