Oh Happy Day!

What a wonderful Sunday in Botswana.  We started this morning worshipping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at Old Naledi Baptist Fellowship.  Old Naledi is the church that Alice Drive Baptist has a partnership with.  We arrived just in time for Sunday School where they were teaching about Pentecost.  It was so neat to be in the room hearing the Word taught in Setswana and being translated into English while the lesson was on speaking in tongues.  We were reminded during the lesson that on that day God did not have His message for just one people group but for all people of every tongue, every tribe, every nation. He came to save us all!!  After Sunday School we enjoyed the Praise and Worship and the preaching - brought to us by Jock Hendricks (Worship Pastor at ADBC).  Jock did an awesome job bringing the Word.  He reminded us that we are all the same but our callings and purpose are all different.  He challenged all of us to be like the trees we could see outside the window of the church - Be rooted in God, produce leaves to provide shade for those that need it, be in bloom to reflect the beauty of our Savior, to bear much fruit in our service to the Lord and to bask in the "Son"!!  His message was a perfect picture for everyone in the room.  Immediately after the service we went outside on the church grounds for a baptismal service.  Incredible!!! 14 people took this step of obedience.  The baptismal was made of wooden slates that sort of resembled a coffin.  They lined it with a blue tarp and filled it with water.  The person being baptized had to sit down with their feet straight out and then their back and head were lowered into the water.  The preacher would say,  "this is a testimony to the death of Christ" as they laid the person down. (It looked just like the were laying down in a casket) and then the preacher would raise them up and say "and this is like His resurrection.  Now go and tell the World what the Lord has done for you."  All of the people gathered around would clap and sing songs of praise as the next person entered the pool. We are so blessed to have experienced this day of celebration these new believers and with Old Naledi.

After church we had lunch with the ADBC team.  These guys are awesome!! I think it is so neat that God would put together this team of men to come for such a time as this. These guys are all friends.  We don't have to entertain them we can just be ourselves and enjoy each others company.  We have spent lots of hours together in the van and it feels like we are one big family!! I LOVE IT!!  We took them to the game preserve this afternoon.  You should have seen Mark and Chris standing out of the sun roof with all of our boys...I think we were more interesting to look at than the animals were!  I was the Driver and Jock was in the passenger seat.  Everyone loved it.  The team says we are going back there before they leave.  Jock just kept wishing he had his hunting gear!!! Those were some BIG deer (Eland) we saw!

This evening we came to the house where we are staying and everyone got to Skype or chat with their families.  WE are grateful everyday for technology.  I even got to Skype with Karla, Leandra, and Jenni at Tyler's 3rd Birthday Party.  It is so neat to see everyone's face and hear them just as if I was there.  I am thankful for my friends and I really, really miss them!!  As happy as I was to see all of them - It made me a little sad just wishing I was there!

I titled this blog "Oh Happy Day" because I am happy to have spent it with a wonderful team of friends and I am happy to celebrate with new believers over their baptisms and I am happy that I can Skype with friends across the world and most of all I am happy that Jesus loves me and allows me to be a part of what He is doing in Botswana!

Please pray for this team of guys as they begin construction tomorrow of an orphan feeding station at Old Naledi.  Please pray for us this week: 1. That we can secure a vehicle 2.  That we can get the kids registered at school  3.  That we can get settled in our new home (move in day is Wednesday)!

We love you all and appreciate your love and support.
Tonya