For month nine of the race we were in Botswana, which although it is close in geographical location to Swaziland it was a stark contrast to that country. Swaziland was a land of rolling hills and lush green vegetation. Botswana was very flat and barren and characterized by miles upon miles of sand. We went from the forest to the desert but it was a beautiful country none-the-less. It was not uncommon to see giraffes, zebras or elephants while driving along the road and this country had some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen in my life. I hope everyone gets the opportunity to experience an African sunset at some point in their lifetime- they are absolutely phenomenal.
Our ministry for the month was working with an organization called Windows of Hope that is run by a local pastor and his family and seeks to provide for orphan and vulnerable children through different feeding programs, after school activities and bible studies. We were the first World Race team that this organization has hosted and it was only discovered about a month and a half before us arriving there. It was an interesting experience to be the first team to be hosted at a ministry location. It provided some glitches to be worked through as different cultural norms collided and there were some logistical details to overcome and made for a memorable experience for sure. It was one of the more difficult months for me on the race but a month I am beyond thankful for.
I fell in love with Africa in Swaziland and although our living conditions were rather primitive in Botswana my love for this continent and the people there only increased during my month in Botswana. Revival is happening in this continent and Jesus is moving in that place. The believers experience so much hope, joy and freedom. They have some of the most enthusiastic worship services I have ever seen and people are hearing and believing the gospel. We had the opportunity to do outreach to a local tribal community that lived in huts the size of a small bedroom but these women and children were eager to hear the gospel and lining up for us to pray for them. The children would eagerly await us to sing songs and play with them and began arriving earlier in the afternoon the longer we were around.
One of the children I grew especially attached to was a 5 year old boy referred to by his family as “small boy” (also known as Matah). He was about the size of a three year old and quickly became my shadow for the month, he never spoke but wherever I was there he also was. Anytime I moved locations he would follow and usually he would walk around with his arms in the air staring at me with his beautiful big eyes beckoning me to pick him up. He would spend his days playing with the neighboring children rolling around in the sand and looking for little rocks or twigs to make a game out of. I saw very few toys in my time in Botswana- the children had to rely on their imaginations for fun. And although these children would often come to us hungry and some with diseases resulting from malnutrition their faces radiated joy and you would have no idea they were lacking physical needs.
Looking back on my month it could in no way be described as glamorous. I went a week without showering because our only bathroom was being renovated so there was no place to take a shower. I was always dirty because there was an inability to escape the sand that seemed to cling to your body and gave the illusion I was getting a tan which was really only a thicker and thicker layer of dirt. I spent a week of the month sick with barely enough energy to get out of bed. Although this doesn’t sound like a glamorous month and most people from Swaziland and South Africa when I told them I was going to Botswana would wrinkle their noses and ask why I would want to go there- even though it challenged my physically, spiritually and emotionally this was a beautiful country. I look back on my month in Botswana full of smiles because God gave me so many gifts and treasures during the month and I can without a doubt look at the country of Botswana as a place where God is moving and beautiful things are being created out of the dust.
This month my team and I are in Albania doing Unsung Heroes. What this means is we are not partnered with a specific ministry but we spend the month traveling around the country looking for different Christian organizations that we can either help to promote or possibly to partner with in the future. After being here only a couple days I can confidently say I love this country and want to explore more of Europe. There are little hidden gems around every corner and after only a couple days God has already given us the opportunity to meet multiple amazing people and I can’t wait to see what this month looks like!
