Tsala yame

As we are starting to visit some existing churches since we have moved to Gaborone, we are all getting to know some new people. As we pulled into church last Sunday Taylor said “Are those my new friends?” She loves having friends! The Setswana word for “friend of mine” is “tsala yame” (tsah-lah yah-may) and Taylor has learned this word as it is hard for her to remember all of the names and she just calls them “friend”.

This past Sunday we arrived at a new church for the first time. As we got out of the car, Taylor ran up to a little girl about 8 years old and said “come on, friend” and proceeded to take this little girl by the hand and into the church and asked her to sit with us. I know that this was such a God thing for Taylor to befriend this little girl as halfway through the service the little girl leaned over to me (Amanda) and told me she had a problem. I asked her what was wrong and she told me that she had been raped. I sat there horrified trying to not lose my composure and I sat down with her and asked her when it had happened. She told me it happened last year. I asked if she had told her mommy or daddy and she said she had but they told her not to tell anyone else after they reported it to the police. I believe this little girl just needed someone to tell her that she was special and that they loved her and were praying for her so that’s what I tried to do with her in my short time with her. Unfortunately this happens all too often here with young children. Please pray for this little girl for healing.