So much to be excited about!!

The excitement began this week with the country of Botswana celebrating it's 44th year of independence.  Since it was independence day the kids had a 4 day weekend which was very exciting for all of them - no waking up at 5:30 am.  Woo Hoo!!  


Another very exciting thing this week was being a part of the first Missions Conference ever to be held at Open Baptist Church here in Gaborone.  Open Baptist is the church that issued us the invitation to come to Botswana to serve with Children. OBC had the privilege to have the Senior Pastor from Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, GA, Bryant Wright as guest speaker.  Bryant is also the current President of the Southern Baptist Convention in the US.  It was an honor to have him and his wife in Botswana to represent Johnson Ferry Baptist who has been on mission here for 5 years at Open Baptist Church through Face the Nation http://facethenation.org/blog/about-ftn/.

Bryant spoke to all of us during the conference about how God's Word calls us to be ministers and how we are all called to go tell.  Everyone has a place to serve and share the message of Jesus Christ.  After hearing him speak and preach all week, I am glad he is the President for the convention.  He believes churches should be sending missionaries and not just giving to one organization and depending on them to do all of the work.

The most exciting part of the missions conference was the 5 year celebration of Face the Nation.  Bryant also spoke at this event and we had another guest of honor, Sir Quett Ketumile Joni Masire and his wife.  Sir Masire was the second President of Botswana and the Patron Supporter for Face the Nation.  He was instrumental in Botswana gaining their independence and was a key figure in setting up Botswana as a Christian nation.  In Botswana, the gospel can be shared anytime and anywhere without fear.

Bryant shared from Acts 5:15 how our shadow leaves an impression on others and how our shadow can be for good or our shadow can be for evil.  He asked us to consider how long our shadow will be based on the people it has touched.  Just thought of this, the closer you get to the light the bigger your shadow grows.  Being obedient by being a minister by going where God is at work helps make our shadow expand and move to touch others for the Glory of God.  Sir Masire inspired us with his wit and charm, reminding us that various bodies of Christ need to work along side one another to save this continent from HIV-AIDS.  He also reminded us that by changing  the character of the lost people around us, we can change this country. Sir Masire recognizes that the only hope of that character change is through Jesus Christ.  Sir Masire is the man who inspired me about reaching the children of Botswana when he said, "the security of the future of Botswana is in its children". Sir Masire is part of my testimony of how God called me to Botswana.  He is the man who sat beside me on the airplane home after I had been invited to come to Botswana to help in Children's Ministry.  He believes like me, we must reach and teach children that they are valuable and their character could save a continent.

The excitement doesn't end there.  On Saturday around noon our time we received a phone call from a very excited daughter in SC!! She was engaged!! We were thrilled to be able to share in her excitement.   Tyler her fiance had come to Charleston and taken her to the beach to see the sun rise.  He gave her  a Bible and had highlighted in Ephesians 5 how a man should love his wife as Christ loves the church.  Tied to the ribbon marker in the Bible was her ring.  He asked her to marry him and she, of course, said Yes! So sweet and so exciting.  As many of you know one of our prayer requests when preparing to come to Botswana was that God would send Makenzie a friend that would be there to encourage, support and love her.  We knew before we left that God had answered our prayers through Tyler.  We have prayed for Makenzie and her future mate for many years and have total peace and assurance that this is God's will for her life.  Makenzie has very strong convictions and seeks to honor God with her life.  She knows that Tyler is the man God has ordained for her and is excited about their future together.  They both love Jesus and seek to make Him first in their lives!  They both have a hearts desire to serve Him where ever He leads.  What more could a parent ask for?  Thank you Lord for answering our prayers.

I remain in awe of how God orchestrates such powerful things around me to show me again and again, everything rests on His shoulders.  How wide, glorious and strong are His shoulders.  This is why He is Jehovah Jireh, He provides and continues to provide so many needs we can not comprehend them all.  As we start to spread our hands out into where He is at work, we pray not to mess it up by thinking we are supposed to make a difference.  He is making a difference in us and He makes the difference in our world.


Thanks for sharing in our excitement. Thanks for continuing to pray for us and for the children of Botswana.