Dumela!! That is how you say “hello” in Setswana here in Botswana. Life here in the desert has been HOT HOT HOT. This month, my team and I have been doing a lot of village outreach as well as event planning! Tomorrow, my team and I will lead a church service and I will be giving a sermon (I am super excited about this, and will update y’all next week how it went!)
Later this month, my team and I are also planning a Beauty for Ashes women’s retreat for the women in the village of Kumakwane. Each week, we also put on a worship night (Wednesday) and a movie night for the kids (Friday); it’s been really cool to plan out events for the community and see through that lens of ministry.
One of the main reasons for me writing this blog was to share with you all how the Lord has been working in my heart this month and what He has been teaching me. I’ve been diving deeper into my relationship with the Lord through poetey, and I wanted to share some of the poems that reflect what He has placed on my heart.
Poetry has become a way of worship for me with the Lord, and usually is accompanied with coffee and lots of surrender. It may painful, but Jesus is so good.
———
“Sailboats”
I once bought a sailboat—
It was y’all, sleep, and beautiful;
I took great care of her majesty.
Every day, I would walk down
to the docks to see her elegance—
shining, a beauty among the rest.
In the marina, she bobbed and danced
among the waves and other boats.
Everyone marveled at her beauty.
One day, a sailor was in town—
he stopped to admire the boats
docked in the harbor.
He took a gander at my pride and joy;
“What’s her name?” he asked,
“Life,” I replied.
With a quizzical look and hand on
his chin, he pondered deep in thought.
“Where have you sailed to with this ‘beaut?”
I stopped— confused with his question.
I realized I never took my boat
out on the water; instead, I left her
chained and secure.
The sailor took one look at me—
“What’s the point of a sailboat if you never let her leave?”
Too afraid to let her sails come down
and venture into the waves of the sea,
I asked myself—
“What’s the point of a sailboat if
you never let her leave?”
———
“Surrender”
I come before You,
on my hands and knees—
completely weak and vulnerable.
Hands outstretched,
palms open wide,
I’m ready to give all that I am.
With tear-stained eyes
and a broken spirit,
I come with a broken and repentant heart.
This is all that I have,
and it is all I can offer,
but I give it to You, to freely use.
I am here as Your loyal servant;
broken, unworthy, but
here I stay and remain.
With hope in my heart,
I see the light— His name is
Jesus.
You come and take
all that I am,
and use and love me anyway.
———
“Stillness”
To be still, and rest in your embrace.
To be still, and know that you are God.
To be still, and let my mind be at ease.
Stillness—
how lovely a companion you are.
