Monday, March 28, 2016

Easter Rally 2016

Each year over the Easter Holiday Weekend, Baptists from all over Botswana gather for our annual Easter Rally in Radisele, Botswana. It is one of the highlights of our ministry time getting to be with our brothers and sisters in Christ for the weekend worshipping our risen Lord and Savior. It's a little different from the typical Easter holiday in America. We meet together in the middle of a field where they are just beginning to build a structure and have erected some tents. We don't go get a new Easter outfit but yet look for things that will show the least amount of dirt as that is what we are surrounded by. It really is a step out of the busyness of life and a time to just be together worshipping, we love it!

Happy Easter from our family
 
Sitting in a worship service...Taylor was using her binoculars.
This girl keeps us laughing, we were on the 2nd row!!
Amanda had the privilege of working again with the children's ministry. We averaged about 40 kids and had a wonderful time together.
Egg/spoon race



Teaching the children Romans 10:9, I love that Taylor loves to
minister right alongside of me.

Bradyn praying

Seminar break out session

Ladies cooking our meals in the traditional pots...
lots of mouths to feed!

The guys bringing in water

Bradyn and Riley having too much fun together

Some kids hanging with us in the back of our truck
 
Between Gaborone and Radisele, we pass over the Tropic of
Capricorn. Finally this year we stopped to get a picture :)

Brent's birthday

Brent celebrated his birthday on March 21. We went out to the Gaborone Dam and had a picnic and did a little hiking. Love this guy and how he loves his family!
Yummy picnic

Taylor sitting on a rock we hiked up and looked out over the dam
that is only 13% full. You can see a little water to the left.


Taylor's selfie at the bottom of our hike

Bradyn's selfie :)

Happy Birthday, Brent!

Love this man!!

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Pula!!

"Pula"(poo-lah) is what they call our money here in Botswana, but "pula" is also the name for rain. This shows how valuable rain/water is here in Botswana. If you look at our Botswana flag it is predominately blue and that represents rain/water as it is LIFE.  We have been in a huge drought for about 2 years now. Our dam was completely empty and we were relying on water being piped down from northern Botswana, so they had to ration our water and cut our supply about 4 days a week. Thankfully this last week we finally got some much needed rain. Our levels at the dam rose to nearly 20%. We are praying for more rain but thankful for what we got in just a few short days.
We have been enjoying mud puddles (which we rarely have here) and took a ride in our bikes through them. Too much fun was had by all. Thank you, God, for the Pula (rain)!!

Bradyn with sopping wet feet

Taylor, muddy tires and all

Of course, daddy joined in the fun



Rain also brings out the millipedes or
chongololo's as they are called here

The rain flowing down the roads...it all came at once
 

Goodbye for Torie

I am going to miss my best friend and ministry partner, Torie Warner and her sweet family as they follows God's leading and move to South Africa. God knew that I needed someone just like her when I moved to Botswana. I am thankful for the time we have had together! God is so good!
Torie's goodbye at our Gaborone Baptist Church Friday
children's ministry

When kids play together...


Different language
Different culture
Different skin color
None of this matters when kids play together!