This month I am in the bush of Africa. We drive 60 miles on a bumpy gravel road to buy groceries. It takes an hour to simply check email – if you’re lucky. The mosquitos eat us alive. The bright sun and 100 degree heat leave our skin red and sweaty. There are spiders on the walls and black mambas in the trees.
But all it takes is a drive past savanna vegetation and blue skies with the windows down or a cool, early morning full of the music of birds or watching the sun go down over the river delta for me to be content with this life.
From the beginning the beautiful Botswana brought a peace over me. Nature is all around me. People wave and smile as you pass their homes. The pace of life is slow and sweet. God knew this is exactly where I needed to be this month.
Our team is living in Seronga, a village in northwest Botswana located in the Okavango Delta. We are working with Delta Cross Ministries, staying with Willie, Estelle and their three college-aged girls. The family has been in Botswana almost 20 years and with the ministry in Seronga for almost 10 years. All of us have already enjoyed being a part of their family – eating meals together, watching action movies with the girls and sharing lots of laughs.
The Okavango Delta region is very remote and therefore has not had much exposure to the gospel. The vision of Delta Cross Ministries is to bring the gospel to the region through evangelism but also long-term training and investment. It takes time to build trust and relationships with the people here and it takes even longer to make disciples of Christ instead of people who just say they are Christian.
Our time this month has consisted of three different ministries. Some of us spend time meeting the people of the village, getting to know them and their stories. As we spend time we are hoping to have the opportunity to share our stories and the gospel with them as well. Some of us also get the chance to help at a local Christian pre-school, teaching the teachers and also learning from them. Our final ministry is with the children of the community every afternoon. We provide a place for kids to come hang out and have fun while also creating a space for us to share more about God, Jesus and the Bible with them. It is a chance to invest in the next generation of Botswana.
I am loving this month. Living in the bush is not always easy but God is already using this ministry and this month to show me more of who he is and more of who I can be if I take the time to find my identity in him.
