This month we are in Botswana working with an organization called Love Botswana Outreach Missions. We are in the north doing ministry in a city called Maun during the week and in the bush in different villages on the weekends. Most of what we do involves evangelism and it gets exhausting. Botswana is incredibly hot and most of what we do is outside. It is a dry desert heat, so it is very easy to get dehydrated. When we are in the villages we stay in our tents and there is very little shade. In the evenings it cools off, but the ants and mosquitoes come out in full force. This month is definitely void of most of the comforts we found in Cape Town last month, but I'm starting to see God move in amazing ways, so it is worth it.
I haven't really thought it was worth it for most of the month though. It is seven months into this trip, so I am very very tired. Because of the heat and constant dehydration, I don't usually sleep very well and I don't feel very well. The Malaria meds I got make me feel queasy when I take them, so I simply don't take them. (Some nights I sit up scratching the mosquito bites all over my body and praying against sickness.) The bus rides are long, hot, and overcrowded. A lot of the evangelism we have done has involved five scripture verses and reciting a prayer. (The people who are praying it are probably only praying it because there are a bunch of white Americans at their doorstep and not out of a real desire to begin a relationship with Jesus. I'm not saying that God can't work under those conditions, I'm saying it is really hard for me to work under those conditions.) On top of these other factors, I also found out that an old friend from back home was killed last week. He was a drug dealer, so I haven't talked to him in a long time, but he was also a good friend to me who spoke a lot of truth into my life when it was seeming hopeless. All of this started frustrating me and in turn started making my attitude suck terribly.
Yesterday God changed my outlook and made me start seeing the work we are doing in a positive light again. My day started off rocky since we were walking out into another extremely hot village with our bibles in hand and scriptures verses already picked out. My attitude was poor to say the least. The first house we came to there was a woman there with her kids and her aunt. She was wrapped in a towel, so she had to go inside to change before she could sit down and talk to us. As she was coming out, our translator asked if any of us had scripture to share with the family. My teammate, Joe, stopped him before anyone could put our pre-planned scripture attack into action and said he just wanted to know how they were doing and if they were struggling with anything. We got to know them for a little bit and found out that they go to a church on Sunday's and that they pray regularly. When we asked if they had ever devoted their lives to Christ and begun a personal relationship with Him, they didn't know what we were talking about. They had no idea that even an option. Some people from our team shared about how God changed their lives and shared some scripture. The family decided that they wanted what we have and asked us to pray with them. Our translator led them through the same salvation prayer that we had been using all month, but this time something was different. Something inside of me just knew that it was real this go around. After they finished praying the woman had some testimony for us that caught us completely off guard. She told us that she had been very ill for a while. She said that she had been feeling particularly bad that morning, and when we walked up she had been preparing to bathe and get back in bed. When she prayed the salvation prayer with us, the sickness lifted and she immediately started feeling great. She was no longer going to get back in bed, she was going to get on with her day and get things done that she had been neglecting because of her illness. Wow! My mind was blown right there and it was about to get blown even more at the next house.
As we walked to the next house my spirits were definitely up and I was ready for whatever God had for us. There were four woman sitting under a tree talking and they waved us over. After talking with them for a few minutes, we found out that one of the women had an infection from a surgery she had and was in considerable pain. She said that when she saw us walking up, she knew God was going to heal her. She asked if we would pray for her. As we prayed something very unexpected happened. The woman sitting next to her manifested a demon, then she manifested a demon too. Of course some of us had seen this before and our translator, Seho, was also experienced in deliverance. We prayed for them both and both were set free. There was a lot of crying and a lot of joy. The woman with the infection even said that her pain had been elevated some and that she had faith that God was going to heal her completely.
Now I have a whole new attitude toward the rest of this month and the rest of the Race. God didn't have to work miracles right in front of my eyes. My faith in Him should have been sufficient to keep my spirits up and my attitude in check. He knows me though. He knows the things that get my excited and He is faithful. I don't know what other cool stuff He is going to do in me and through me on this trip, but I'm excited to see what is to come. This trip comes with a lot of discomfort and is exhausting, but when we are privileged to see God work right in front of our eyes, it is all totally worth it. I would like to take a moment to thank all of the people who have supported me financially and through prayer. Without all of you this incredibly experience wouldn't be possible. I pray blessings over each and every one of you. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Love Y'all!!!
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