"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!

Driving and Discipleship: A (belated) week in review 3/30

My first week in Botswana when I was promised a car to use in the near future, I was less than enthusiastic. Drive a manual? On the left side of the road? In Botswana where I don't know directions, stop signs are optional, and cows are likely to meander across the road at any time? No thanks.

However, six weeks of public transportation works wonders to inspire courage in even the most reluctant of drivers. To illustrate: Sunday morning I was going with two friends to church. We set out to catch a combi at 8:45, which should have given us plenty of time to arrive for service at 10. To make a long story short, our combi driver was in no hurry and we arrived at 10:45, although the church is only 20 minutes away from my apartment...at most.

So Monday I was thrilled that my car was finally ready and I had my first driving lesson. Thanks to a few friends who let me practice on their manual cars back at home, the first lesson was great! I dodged cattle, conquered speed bumps, and avoided driver's ed students practicing on the same street. It went so well that my friend Torie was going to let me drive home. Everything was wonderful until…

    

I hit a rough edge on the pavement and got a flat tire.  The good news is, I should be good to go as soon as they can send a new tire from a town up north, which will take another week or so. Often life here is one step forward and two steps back!

But I am finding that God usually has a purpose in my misfortunes. I pulled the car over into the yard of a few ladies who were having their morning tea. By the time the tire was changed I had a new friend who is attending UB in the fall. I have a feeling the flat tire was no accident after all :)

In other news, I had my first African camping experience this weekend! 

This was the Easter Rally, which is basically a weekend-long retreat where all the Baptist churches in Botswana gather together for worship, preaching, and fellowship. The best part was seeing people I have met from different parts of Botswana. I got to see Mr. Fox, who hosted us when we were in Letlhakane. It was so exciting to hear updates on those who gave their lives to Christ during our trip. Park and his friends have been attending the new believers class and meeting one-on-one with some of the men in the church for discipleship. It is so encouraging to hear how the church embraces that responsibility and how these new believers are growing. Continue to be in prayer for them as well as churches around Botswana who strive to make disciples as Christ commanded us!

A Man Named Park: part 2

If you received my most recent newsletter, you were introduced to a man named Park who I met during our mission trip. If not, here is the short version: the Lord impressed upon me to stop at this roadside barber shop to share with the owner. As it turned out, this man had never heard the story of Christ (or any Bible story for that matter), and I was able to share the gospel with him, along with my teammates Bobo and Madeleine. After taking in everything we had said, he had many questions and asked us to return the following day. We promised we would. 

The next afternoon he welcomed us once again into his little shop and we pulled out our Bibles. One of the most encouraging things about this man was his sincerity. He came up with question after question, genuinely seeking truth. Why did Adam and Eve have to leave the garden? Why did Jesus go back to heaven… is it because he was angry with us? Why is God white? (Don't worry, we were quick to straighten that one out!)

As we spent the better part of our afternoon there, several of his friends gathered and asked to hear the story as well. Once again we shared Creation to Christ, this time with Park helping explain the story to his friends! When we shared the two paths (Matthew 7), and explained how few people are on the narrow path that leads to life, they all listened intently. Finally Park broke the silence. "What you are saying is that Jesus is the gate, and he is the only way onto that path." 

YES. He was understanding it. And so were his friends. 

"So which path do you believe you are on?"

He stared at my drawing. "I am on the path of sin. WE are on that path. But all of us, we want to be on the path of life. It is the hard path but that is where we want to be." His friends nodded in agreement.

So right there in the barber shop shack, Park and three of his friends committed their lives to Christ. "One more thing. I am afraid to go to church; everyone will wonder what I am doing there because they know who I am. But I want to learn more from the Bible." We explained to him how the church is like a body and the parts need each other. He nodded and said, "I will go. But today I am happy to read my new Bible."

You may think that's a great ending to the story. I did too.

But the Lord knew better. Because that's not the end…

The next day we took the same dirt road back to the barber shop and decided to stop one last time. I was a little nervous about what we would find; what if their decisions had been insincere? Sometimes my faith is so small and my mind so limited that I forget what an awesome God I serve. Today, however, I was reminded in a way I will not soon forget. 

Park greeted us as we approached. "Hello! You must come in and share! My friends-- they have all come to here the good news you shared with me!" Three men were sitting there with him, looking at us expectantly. One of them held a small children's Bible, presumably the only one he owned. "I told them what peace I have now," Park continued enthusiastically, "how last night I slept with such peace like I have never had! I feel like a new man!" 

It was absolutely amazing to see this man sharing his faith with his friends, even though his knowledge was so limited. How many of us have used that as an excuse? It didn't stop him. As a result, these three men also received Christ as Savior.
Funny enough, one of these men also asked if it was necessary for him to begin attending church. Before I could open my mouth, Park enthusiastically said, "You must! It is like a body, and if you are not there, the other parts will need you! We all need to go to church together!" He had not forgotten what we shared.
 

That night, our last one in the village, we held a church service outside as the sun was setting. Park and his friends proudly joined the believers there for the first time. One of the leaders in the church agreed to disciple them and teach them how to begin studying the Bible. Words cannot express the joy in my heart to see what the Lord did that week from start to finish. 

On our drive home from Letlhakane, these questions I could not get out of my mind: What if I had ignored the voice of the Holy Spirit? What if we had not stopped? How many times have I chosen NOT to listen and missed such a huge blessing?

Nothing about this story has anything to do with my strengths, gifts, personality, or persuasiveness. In fact, I pray that it has nothing to do with me except my obedience. The  Spirit who prompted me to speak is the same one who also convicted these men of truth.  Pray that I would be faithful to listen and obey his voice every day!

A week in review: March 16

Letlhakane and Spiritual Climate

Village of Letlhakane

This past week I joined with five US volunteers, six Batswana university students, and two other American missionaries like myself for a mission trip to a village called Letlhakane. The team from the US was such a blessing, and the partnership with them was very sweet… your prayers for our unity were definitely answered! For me it was interesting to be doing a "mission trip inside of a mission trip," but God worked in a powerful way, not only in the village but in our lives as well!

To give you a better picture of Botswana, it is a country roughly the size of Texas (or France), but with a population of only 2 million. In other words, it is very sparsely populated. Of that, half the population lives in the capital, Gaborone. Urbanization is increasingly common as people move from the villages into the city to find work. Even though so many people now live in the city, they still carry with them the worldviews of their home village. Up until this week, I had not yet observed village life, so it was helpful to me in gaining a better understanding of the culture. 

Historically, there have been many missionaries who have taken the gospel to Africa, but went "wide and not deep" as my supervisor sometimes says. People in Botswana will commonly say, "Oh yes, I know the gospel; I believe in Jesus," but the sad truth is that when you engage them in conversation, they don't understand what Christ did for them. False teachings abound, including the prosperity gospel, witch doctors, ancestor worship, self-proclaimed prophets, and many others.

While in the village of Letlhakane, we did house-to-house evangelism. The people were very welcoming and often invited us into their yard as soon as they saw us coming. Some even said before we introduced ourselves, "Ah! You have come to share the gospel!" Maybe the Chacos give us away. But I'd like to think they say that because the Lord was preparing their hearts… and it was evident that He did.

At the first house we went to, a group of 7 or 8 people gathered outside under a tree as I shared Creation to Christ, a presentation of the gospel that gives an overview of God's plan for salvation beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation. When I had finished, a man spoke up and said, "Many people come through here and tell us things from the Bible. They promise us wealth or healing but those things never come to pass. Today I know you have shared the truth, and I finally know. Thank you for that."

Two days later that man followed us to another house where we were sharing. He had many questions and finally said, "This is what I have been waiting to hear. I want to follow Jesus." That day, along with three of his friends, he surrendered his life to Christ. 

Before we left, he had one final concern. "I cannot read or write," he said humbly. "In two weeks I am moving to another town, and I want to find a church that teaches the truth. How will I know since I cannot read the Bible for myself?" A wise man from the church in Letlhakane answered, "The same way you knew you were hearing the truth this week. The Holy Spirit convicted your heart of truth as you listened. He will continue to do so." And he promised this new believer he would bring an audio recording of the Bible in Setswana. 

This week I have been so in awe of the Lord's power and how the Spirit works on even the hardest heart, and humbled by how small my role is in sharing the good news. All the Lord requires is my obedience; HE is the one who changes hearts. And he is so faithful! As Paul says, "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life… Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold."  2 Corinthians 3:5-6, 12

Continue to pray for the new believers of Letlhakane, that they would be discipled and grow strong spiritually, and not led astray by false teachings. 

One last fun note about this week… we went to a game park, so I got my first look at some African animals! Look for safari pictures coming soon!