12 days ago the Alice Drive Baptist Church Student Team left Sumter to make our way to Gaborone to minister to the children of Botswana and serve with the Shipes. Scott and Tonya are allowing us to share with you just a little bit of what we have been able to experience. The entire trip has been amazing for all of us - from the 3 days it took to get here, to seeing giraffe, rhino and impala on game drives, to shopping in the market, to just getting to be together and spending time with the Shipes. But most of all, it has been incredible to experience God in real and tangible ways - on another continent and in the lives of the children and people here.
We left Gaborone on Tuesday morning to head 8 hours north to the remote village of Mosojane. Mosojane is a village of 3000 people, 490 kilometers North of Gaborone, with 233 children between the ages of 6 and 12 enrolled in the school. Education in school is below par because of difficulty comprehending and reading English. The Shipes are working with Moruti Andrew Mwima the pastor of Mosojane Baptist Church and his wife Elizabeth to minister to the children of the village.
Our group of 11 students and 3 adults ran VBS for the children at Mosojane Primary School. We prepared craft materials, snacks and supplies for recreation for 180 children - 200 at the very most. It was amazing to see how God supplied each day, just like the 'loaves and fishes' as we were able to have just enough to minister to close to 215 children! The children in Mosojane were excited to have a group come and be there just for them. They were very attentive, soaking in the Bible stories and having fun with our students. Much like the children of Old Naledi, many of the Mosojane children are orphaned, have been abused and often go hungry. We also fed them each day - both physically and spiritually - giving them an actual treat they wouldn't normally have as well as the chance to hear the truth of Jesus Christ.
One highlight of the trip was the chance to go into the children's classrooms to see what school is like for them - school without electricity and very few books or supplies. Some of us were surprised when they unexpectedly asked us to actually TEACH the children! Our incredible students did a great job teaching English, Math and Science on the spot! In the classroom and at VBS, our students encouraged, uplifted and loved on the children - something they don't often experience. As much as we had the chance to give to them, the children of Mosojane gave to us through their sincere appreciation for everything they had - even when it wasn't much - and being so thankful for us just being there and spending time with them.
We returned on Sunday evening and over the last two days we have worked at the Old Naledi feeding station and gone to the village of Gakuto. Many have read Tonya's previous blog about the time they spent working with and ministering to the teachers there. When they asked Karla Hafner if someone would do a Bible Study with them, she knew Tonya would be the right person and she was right! Due to a bit of miscommunication, today was actually the first day that Tonya had a chance to lead the Bible Study and I (Leandra) had the amazing privilege of being there.
What an amazing time we had - talking, teaching and spending time with those teachers in the presence of God. Doing a cross cultural Bible Study is a little intimidating - not knowing how they will respond, wondering if they are coming because they think they should, rather than because they really want to. But any fear of that was quickly put to rest. They asked deep questions, interacted with us and were sincerely trying to understand and work out issues of faith and what it means to have a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ. The two hours we spend with them flew by as we felt the presence of the Holy Spirit open their eyes and hearts to the truth of His word!
Today's Bible Study was about having CONFIDENCE in your salvation - that it comes only from God through His son and knowing that once you have been saved, there is nothing that can ever change that. We believe that many of the teachers do know the Lord, but there were many "ah ha!" moments as they continued to understand more of what it means to know God. The most moving moment came from a teacher who shared that she now understands that NOTHING could ever separate her from the love of God - that because she knows Jesus He will always be with and never leave her. Our prayer for the teachers of Gakuto is that they will continue to grow in the Lord and share their love for Him with their students.
Going on a short term mission trip is an awesome experience that everyone should have. But it is so different from LIVING on mission in a foreign country every day. That is not always easy or fun and I'm sure sometimes it is pretty discouraging - being far from family, friends and the comfort of "regular" life. Today, though, I had the chance to see the Shipes on Mission - to watch God work to fulfill the incredible purpose that He has called Scott, Tonya and the boys. Tonya explained to the teachers why they live here and what they are doing as Children's Missionaries - that they can't minister to every child in Botswana - but by ministering to those teachers, the children in their classes will be changed, changing the village, changing the country. What an incredible example the Shipes are of what they are trying to help the people of Botswana understand - total faith, total trust, total obedience to the ONE true God. We are so thankful for the awesome privilege of being just a small part of the work God is doing in and through them.
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