Saturday, May 30, 2020

Covid19 Food Hampers

Due to Covid19, here in Botswana we went into lockdown on April 2 and were only allowed outside of our homes on May 21 without a movement permit from the Government. 50 days of being stuck at home and if we went out of our home there were police and military waiting all around the city checking to see if you had a permit and if not you could be jailed or fined. It was easy to focus on the negatives and what we didn’t have the freedom to do anymore, but as a family we chose to focus on the positives and make it a fun time (not to say that we didn’t have our ‘bad’ days). 

We were able to remain in touch with our ministry partners and we kept hearing how people were really struggling and were starving, We applied for funds from BGR (Baptist Global Response) and were approved for funding for 215 food hampers to help out some of the struggling communities located around some of our Baptist churches throughout Botswana. Each of the food hampers included the following: 5kg Flour, 5kg Maize Meal, 2.5kg Sugar, 2.5kg Samp, 1kg Beans, 2L Oil, 1L Milk, Yeast, Tea, Bath Soap, and Laundry Soap. 

The US Embassy also collected some funds and we were able to purchase an additional 29 food hampers for distribution. 




We have been working hand in hand with a Batswana pastor and his wife on this project, from developing what should be included in the food hampers to how to best do distribution. As I was speaking with her recently she said she wanted to share a testimony with me. She said she and her husband were feeling quite discouraged as there are so many people suffering  (including them) during this time and it seemed that no help was coming. She said that 2 days later I contacted her and told her about the food hampers we were hoping to do and she said that was such a “pillar of her faith” to see the Lord provide for them and other Batswana here in Botswana. 

Over the next few posts, I want to focus on some of the stories that came out of distribution of the Food Hampers. 

Urban and Rural Worlds

Botswana is a very interesting place. The country is an interesting mix of urban and rural communities working and living together. We live in the capital city of Gaborone. It’s a beautiful city with all of the modern conveniences that one might enjoy such as gyms, restaurants, parks and green space. Our kids attend a wonderful school and enjoy being able to interact with people from all over the world.

In contrast to the cities, we have beautiful, peaceful villages that would be considered rural areas. This is the Africa that most people think of when they dream of Africa. People in such areas tend to manage livestock, farms, and enjoy a very peaceful lifestyle with little influence from the modern world.

 However, when it comes to the Covid-19 pandemic that gripped the world, both communities were affected in very different ways. Here are some of the stories of how people were affected in both the rural and urban settings. 

Urban

In the urban areas, the people that were most affected were the domestic workers or those who did “peace jobs” (a temporary employment) on a job to job or day to day basis. They work as maids, yard workers/garderners, etc.  When the lockdown started, they were not able to go to work and therefore had no income to go buy food.  Those who live in city have traded the ability to have a garden or livestock for life in the city where these are not possible. In the city most of the poorest will live in compound type living. It’s a group of single rooms with a shared bathroom between all of the tenants most with just a drop toilet.  Imagine living, working, cooking, and sleeping all in one room. They are small and crowded spaces and social distancing is next to impossible. Since they were not able to work or travel, they simply ran out of food. 



We met one widow who said that they were on their last meal. She was taking care of many children as well as her aging parents. The night before they had to cut their daily food portions in half and that night they were going to be out of food. This is a family that was not able to work and had simply run out of food. When the food hamper arrived to her family you could see the relief come to her eyes because she knew that they would now survive. 

We met many folks who did not qualify for assistance from the government during Covid19. We came to one family who was taking care of a little girl in a wheelchair. They explained they did not receive any help from the government because the father was working. However, the sad part is that the father has nothing to do with this family…he lives in a different town and drinks most everything that he makes. This family now had food to eat that evening because of the food hamper. 



Village

In the village areas we ran into a very different type of story. While it is now harvest time, many of the people were not able to travel to take care of their fields and ran into all type of troubles providing for their families. 

We talked to one family in the village and she said that her entire crop was destroyed. We asked what had happened and she said that the elephants had come in and ate all that she had…yes, elephants! No one able to keep guard against the elephants, they came in at night and ate many peoples crops. They now had no way of providing food for their families until the food hampers arrived. 


We came to one family and saw a large pile of melons which can be cooked in many different ways. We could see however that most of the melons were not ripe with many of them being harvested way too early. Asking about her crop she said that they had to take what they could because they could not keep the baboons away from the field.


Talking to one of our blind pastors who lives and works in the village, he said that his crop of maize (corn) was all stolen during the lockdown by thieves. His field is very close to the village in order to allow him to walk and work with his blindness. This pastor was robbed of his crop because he was not allowed to leave his plot to check his fields. 


In Botswana, the villages hold a slower pace of life with everyone knowing their neighbor and helping out when needed. We went around with the community nurse and visited many disabled people living in the village. Many were completely depending on their families or neighbors and with this virus their care has been greatly interrupted. When we took them food hampers, tears would form because they could now provide for themselves, giving them dignity and self-worth.  


Covid19 has affected people throughout the world in one way or another. It might be the loss of a job, finical security, or simply just normal daily life. It also affected those living and working here in Botswana, both in the Urban and Rural areas.

We are told over and over again in the Bible to Love God and to Love People. To be the hands and feet of Christ. Isaiah 58:10 reads “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noonday”. We have been blessed to be able to be called for such a time as this to the wonderful country of Botswana. We are blessed beyond measure to be able to call the people of this country our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are so thankful for the ability to serve those with the biggest needs both in the urban areas and also the rural areas. We praise the Lord for your giving and gifts that were able to meet a physical need  through the food hampers but also to share the love and hope that we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

GBC kids food hampers

We have around 60-80 kids who attend our Friday children's ministry and we have missed them terribly since the lockdown. I worry about the kids as I don't know what their situation at home is like and some of them I have visited and do know what their home life is like and know it is not a great situation for them to be in 24/7. I also worry if they have enough to eat.

As soon as we got the food hampers, I knew I wanted to go visit with the kids that we see each week to check them and take them some food. We wanted to help with a physical need, but also to help encourage them and bring hope in Jesus Christ to their families. My friend Tebogo and I were so encouraged seeing the children again. Here are some testimonials we received from our visit.

  •       Late one evening I received a Message from a little boy named David who comes to our children’s ministry every week: “Hello, Aunt. It’s David, can you help me with something to eat, I’m starving. So thankful this little boy reached out and plans were made to visit him the very next day and take him a BGR food hamper. 

  •      Message from a single mom with 5 kids after receiving her hamper: “thank you so very much…the love you have is too much! God bless you!” The sister of the mom does not know Jesus and we presented a clear gospel presentation. She was not ready to make a decision at that time, but wants to visit our church when things reopen. 

  •      Message from a mom after delivering a food hamper to her and her 4 kids: “Morning…thank you teacher Amanda for the food hamper we really appreciate it. I was taking a bath when you arrived. The kids were so happy for seeing you and they were singing all praises about your love and generosity. We did not receive anything from the government and they were saying you are the best. They told me that you prayed for them. May the almighty richly bless you.” The government has collected donations to assist those here in Botswana during Covid19. They are sending social workers around to assess the need, but we are finding many people in need are not receiving the help from the government that is clearly needed. This family’s home burnt down last year and they lost so much. 






Rondavel


In the village many will live a very simple lifestyle. While the homes look differently, many will live in a single round structure called a rondavel with a grass roof. Grandmothers will be the care givers for the sick, disabled, and grandchildren. If the mother has a job in the city many times the children are sent to live in the village. 

One home we visited was a single room with an unfinished roof. The roof was unfinished to allow a breeze to filter through, but when rain and winter time approached I imagine this is not such a benefit. Inside this one roomed rondavel made of mud was a crippled woman and her family. The mattresses that were spread onto the floor and were super thin were right next to each other where she lived with her daughter and her 2 grandchildren. As she lay her head against the dirt wall, she expressed her thanks to be able to help provide for her family with the food from the food hampers. 

This lady was crippled 

This bed was on the other side of the one roomed home
where this family of 4 slept. 

Door

One house that we went to the thing that I noticed the most was the door. While this man had the door closed you could see right inside. The door provided little to no shelter from the elements as the years of wear and tear had taken it’s toll. Every time the door was opened or closed it would make such a noise. It was a struggle to open this door and to close the door due to the damage this door had endured.  At our house we have a metal security door with netting to keep out the bugs and another wooden door to stop the wind and elements. In the summertime our wooden doors are always open as we enjoy the weather but can still keep out the bugs. We are so thankful for our doors. 




The Chair


One of the first things we bought as a married couple was a rocking recliner. When we moved to Africa this chair came with us. It’s a simple, brown chair covered in soft leather material. It was showing some major age and we had it recovered last year. It is already starting to show its age again (aka falling apart) and I was told the other day that we will be needing a new one, heart breaking I know.  When you visit someones home here in Botswana, the men (especially the pastors) are always given a chair to sit on. It does not matter if it’s a simple bucket turned upside down, a plastic chair held together with wire, or even a brick to sit on…they will always make sure the visitors to their home have a “chair” to sit on under a nice shady tree.  What a selfless act where the comfort of the guest comes before the comfort of self and we are so thankful for our comfy, worn recliner.


Village Tithe

What does 10% of your income look like when you live in the village with little to no income and only your land to farm. In the village with Pastor Thokwane, it is always amazing to see how he is taken care of. While we are giving out food hampers to the those in need it was amazing to see how they in turn tried to give of what they had harvested from their land.  As my truck was starting to get emptied of food hampers, I noticed that almost every yard we went to visit that Pastor Thokwane received a tithe of some sort. Pastor was given corn for his chickens, meat, beans, maze meal, and melons. It’s amazing to see how the village can take care of this pastor. While not having money to give they can give what they have – to be a blessing to a man that is such a blessing to others. How can you tithe during these times? Could it be time, resources, or even skills to help further the Gospel? Or it might even be some melons to give to your neighbors. 



Hedgehogs

We have some new members of the family-2 sweet little hedgehogs. Taylor's is a girl and named "Cookie" and Bradyn's is a boy and named "Pokie". They are super cute and we are loving having them. They curl up in just the cutest little balls when they are cuddling to go to sleep.


Post Lockdown

As soon as lockdown ended in Botswana, we went to one of our favorite places-the Gaborone Dam-with some of our favorite people-the Xaviers. We hadn't been here since just before lockdown on April 2 and 50 days later we finally made it back out there. The most amazing sunsets happen here!!





We also checked Mmampho when we could. Ellie was so super excited to see her again. We are still social distancing, but nice to see people from afar. 

Ellie giving Mmampho a flower

Taylor's best friend came to visit outside the gate when lockdown was done


A puzzle we completed for Mother's Day.
Perfect lockdown activity!

Brent made this beautiful bed/couch for outdoor

Ellie has found a new hiding place...the dryer

Beautiful girl

Guess who found some lipstick...yikes!

 The kids started back to school via eLearning. The are able to complete their coursework at home. School starts back on June 3 at their school so they will be gearing up with their masks and heading back.


Bird house

Brent has been doing "shop" class with the kids and teaching them to build a few things. One of their projects has been building and painting a bird house. The kids had so much fun doing this project.




Monday, May 4, 2020

Potty Training

One positive of staying home 24/7 is being able to potty train your toddler. Ellie officially is potty trained...praise Jesus!!! She was bribed A LOT...here is some ice cream from one of her bribes and somehow she also negotiated her sister and brother getting some.

Date night...on the back porch

The kids wanted to host a date night for me and Brent on the back porch since we have not been able to go out on a date in a long time. It was such a fun, special evening.
My love

They dressed up so nicely

Heart toast

Potato soup

Cheesecake