To begin, I would like to apologize to my supporters for not updating my blog as frequently as I should be the last few months. Wrapping up my time in Malaysia, selfishly, I felt there was too much to write and I didn’t know how to get my thoughts organized into a blog. So it turned out I ended up writing nothing!
Next, I have been living for about a month now in Botswana, Africa, in a small desert village called Kokotsha! To give a brief overview of what is going on here, I’ll explain a little about our living conditions… It’s safe to say it’s pretty different than anything I have ever experienced! But… In my opinion, what I signed up for:)
•living in my tent with no indoors
•no running water (meaning bucket showers and a sad excuse for a toilet)
•no electricity
It has been up to my team to create our own ministry while being here, which has resulted in being a huge blessing. We have gotten involved in the local clinic, the primary school, the church, have started bible studies, the boys do bar ministry, we play with the children, and have even begun playing volleyball every night with some adults from the village!
These people are HUNGRY for the Word. No matter where we go in this village, we are not only looking for opportunities to share the gospel, we are asked to share the gospel, read from the Bible, pray over people, or sing a worship song. They are craving truth and they are craving the life that they know that the Truth brings! The problem is, most people here cannot afford their own Bible, which is a problem for multiple reasons. Other than just the fact that it’s a problem for them not to be able to read the Bible, but unfortunately many churches here are corrupt in their teachings and manipulative especially when it comes to finances. Because they don’t have Bibles of their own, the people cannot read truth for themselves, and therefore cannot determine what teachings in their churches are not biblical.
My favorite ministry here is at the clinic. When we first were introduced to the people working at the clinic, we asked if we could come twice a week for a few hours to pray over patients or just be there praying in general. They couldn’t say yes fast enough! We were already so excited to go on our first Monday morning, but to our surprise when we got there, all these people stood up as soon as we entered as if they had been awaiting our arrival! The word had gotten out fast that the Americans were coming to the clinic to pray, and a pray session turned into a full on church service! The nurses at the clinic are very strong believers, and they began with leading everyone in some Setswana (their native tongue) worship songs (their songs give me the chills every single time), and then we sang some of our worship songs, someone shared a word the Lord had placed on their heart, there was prayer and dancing and singing and hugging and laughter all right there in the clinic! This has become our Monday and Wednesday morning regular:) we all find so much joy in that place, and the Spirit is so present it is absolutely undeniable.
In addition to the hunger and the even desperation that these people have for the Word, this place is also so broken. Broken families, broken homes, broken lives. The family structure is practically non-existent. The lack of a father figure in these children’s lives is evident, as is the way that children are treated even if there is a father in the picture. In general, the children are viewed as a nuisance only, and don’t receive any kind of loving attention from the parent or parents. Although there is nothing that we can do to fully change this kind of situation, what we can do is love on and care for and share the truest love which is Christ’s with not only these children, but the adults and their parents as well. We can pray for them and over them. We can set an example by the way that we live!
Everything we are involved in is so relational, which is so fun and rewarding! Everyone we meet is so welcoming and warm to us being here in their village, and everyone looks out for us and checks up on us!
My new team has been such a blessing as well. In the living conditions that we have here, attitude could make it or break it. My team has been absolutely as positive as any group of seven 18-21 year old American boys and girls could be using a can for a toilet with maggots crawling up the inside!! The only time we even talk about things like that is simply laughing about it and being thankful for what we do have. Not a single complaint. Now that makes all the difference! Each person on my team is genuinely Spirit filled and seeks the Lord in every situation! It is inspiring and an honor to be here with them.
This is just a general overview of what is currently going on with me here in Kokotsha! Hopefully I will be more faithful in sharing blogs with specifics on his experience whenever I can:) thank you always for your continued love and support!!!
-Megan
