"Even Me"

I have a dear friend here named Noma. One of the many things I love about her is that she finds it hilarious when I try to speak Setswana. She will imitate MY imitation of a Motswana, and I find THAT hilarious.

There is one phrase in particular that is our favorite. To show agreement, Tswana people will say "even me," much in the same way an American would say "me too." This is how it works…

Noma: I am so excited to eat dinner at Laura's tonight!

Alyssa: Even me. I can't wait!

Now according to Noma, I WAY overuse the expression. But I can't help it; I love saying it. Something about that phrase shows humility, a quality that is undervalued by the world but of great importance in God's eyes. If you ever need a dose of humility, nothing does the job quite like living in a foreign country. Sure, I expected to have to ask lots of questions about culturally appropriate behavior, and it doesn't surprise me when my attempts at Setswana are laughed at. What I didn't expect was to be convicted and challenged so often by local believers… university students near my age who are just so passionate about the Lord. 

I'm the missionary here, my pride screams, I'm supposed to be the one challenging and encouraging them! But every time we study scripture together, I identify with their struggles and their desire to follow Christ, and their words pierce my heart:

"I know the Bible says that our hope in Christ makes us very bold, but sometimes it's difficult because I am shy." 

Even me.

"I think I am not a very good Christian. I have friends that I have known for a long time and I haven't shared the gospel with them." 

Even me.

"Sometimes in discipleship I get frustrated with people, because its easy to forget that I am also a work in progress."

Even me. 

Even this young missionary girl doesn't have all the answers, isn't always patient with people, and doesn't always recognize opportunities the Lord puts in my path. Some people think missionaries are holier, bolder, or more gifted than the rest of the church. Or that crossing the ocean in a plane makes you suddenly mature in your faith. Maybe I used to think that too. But these days I find myself identifying with Paul:

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14

Missionaries, pastors, church members and unbelievers alike have no ability to transform their own lives. But praise be to the God who is faithful to work in the lives of all who surrender to Him! 

Even me. 

Jesus Wins: Week in review 4/13

"Africa wins." 

It's an expression my friends and I use when struggling through the ridiculous or frustrating situations of day to day life here that no one can possibly prepare you for. Like when a lizard falls in my hair as I'm focused on killing a deadly spider. 

Africa wins when our waitress refuses to put ice in my friend's chai latte, because that's not on the menu.

 

Africa wins when my electric bill is haphazardly folded and stuck in my gate and no one knows where I should go to pay it. (Logically, the office happens to be inside the Nissan dealership, which only took an hour of asking locals to discover). 

Africa wins when you order corn on the cob and get this:

Africa wins when my trusty GPS tells me to turn from "Road" onto "Off Road" during a 45 minute tour of Gaborone in search of a destination that is only 5 minutes from my house.

Africa wins when the waitress intentionally cuts off the wifi because I have finished my coffee and exceeded my complimentary 30 minutes of internet access in an empty cafe.  

Now to tell you the truth, most of these adventures were far more comical than frustrating. But, on rare occasion, there are times when I do feel defeated. Not because of large insects or driving in unfamiliar territory, but because of vast spiritual darkness and indifference to the gospel. I know that Christ has victory in the end, but sometimes it feels like the enemy is gloating today.

This week, however, was not one of those times. I SAW his victory this week.

Jesus wins when national believers are convicted they need to be sharing the gospel with their friends.

Jesus wins when five university students stay to listen to three crazy missionary girls sharing the gospel although their friends laugh and try to talk them into leaving. 

Jesus wins when a nonbeliever rearranges her schedule to come and study the Bible with us because she is missing something in her life. 

Jesus wins when power cuts don't stop fellow believers from squeezing together in a small dorm room for a time of fellowship and fervent prayer that, in my mind, must strongly resemble the Acts 2 church. 

Praying that the Lord opens my eyes to be able to recognize his victory every single day. 

My Place!

"Have you seen any elephants?"

"Are you in a mud hut?"

"How do you cook food?"

Due to several interesting questions I have received about Botswana and my living conditions I have decided to post a few pictures that will hopefully answer those and any other questions you may have :)

Kitchen

Looking out my kitchen into servant's quarters (and no, I do not have servants...)

Living room

Bedroom

Guest bedroom... come and visit me!

A week in review: March 23

Small victories of the week:

Buying these items at the grocery store. Black beans: because they are a rare commodity here, which is a sad thing for this Mexican food lover! I was piling them into my cart like it was Black Friday and probably looked pretty ridiculous. American measuring cup: because baking just got a whole lot easier…

Big victories of the week:

Continuing to see God's faithfulness in the same way I saw it in Letlhakane. He put it on my heart to strike up a conversation with a couple girls at UB, and it turned out they were very receptive to the gospel. They are actually high school grads who will be freshmen in the fall,  which opens the door for some exciting things I will share about soon!