Surprised by God

Yesterday afternoon John and I went to the area of Francistown called Block One. We went to visit an older woman. She was not home. It was getting rather late so I thought we would just leave to go home. John noticed a man across the street setting in his yard. We went there and just as we sat down his wife came home from work. She invited us in to their house. I shared Creation To Christ with them. Soon into the story, their son (about age 9 or 10) came in the house. Half way into the story I looked at the man and woman. They looked totally bored. I almost thought about quitting, but decided to continue until the end and we would leave. I asked them, "Would you like to ask Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savior to take away your sins?" I thought that they would say no and we'd be on our way. The woman said, "I want to ask Jesus into my heart." The man said he did too. I led them in a prayer of salvation and not only did the man and woman pray, their son did too! I was totally surprised by God! We will follow up on them next Monday.Today John and I went to the village of Tati Siding. We met with a group of seven ladies in front of a restaurant & store. We had a FANTASTIC time of Bible study, praise, & worship! They sang to the top of their lungs! Several people walked by and looked over to our group. What a witness! I didn't want to leave. This group is awesome! John and I had to leave to make another visit. We went to see a lady named MmaTumati. We led her to Christ three weeks ago. She is a precious older lady. We met with her, her daughter, and a young lady. It was a good Bible study. It was not a long one, but a good one. Just before I was ready to end the group I heard a man's voice outside the house. It was getting near the time for me to leave to go pick up my daughter, Kb, from school. The man came into the house and sat down. John said, "He needs to hear the gospel." I'm thinking, 'I don't want to be late picking up Kb. I have no way to contact her." Then I said a silent prayer..."Lord, I need to share the gospel with this man. You're in control." So I shared the gospel message with him. I then asked him, "Rra (sir), would you like to ask Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savior to take away your sins?" He said, "Yes." I led him in a prayer of salvation. He was sooooo ready to trust Jesus. He was in his 70's/80's. Not only did he pray, but the young lady who sat in the room with us also prayed! Again, God surprised me by bringing this man and the young lady to us. I was so excited to see God work here! I had plans to leave soon, but God had other plans. (Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans!). Before we left, MmaTumati said, "Will you please pray for an old man who is sick? He is in the other building." I said, "Yes, we will do that." I'm thinking, "Wow God! You are working in an incredible way today!" I entered into the building where the old man was. He was sick, laying on his mattress on the floor. He was at least in his 80's. He could not see. John introduced me to him. He reached out this hands to me. His hands were partly deformed with arthritis. I don't know how much longer he will live. That's how sick he looked. I thought to myself, "Randy, you need to ask him about his spiritual life." I asked him, "Rra, if you were to died today, do you know for certain you will go to heaven?" There was some uncertainty in his answer. So I shared the gospel with him. His hands were very rough...evidence that he has worked hard all his life. As I held his hands, his grip spoke many messages to me--respect for the moruti who came to see him, wanting to be healed, asking for hope. As he prayed to ask Jesus into his heart, his voice had such passion; trusting, expecting Jesus to come into his heart. It is so incredibly rare to see someone this age to come to Christ with this much passion. Today I was so wonderfully surprised by God three times! Sometimes God shows up when you least expect it, but when He does...Wow! And yes, I did make it in time to pick up Kb without being late. God is good!

When You Don't Feel Like It

I read Deuteronomy 17:1 this morning. It says, "Never sacrifice a sick or defective ox or sheep to the Lord your God for He detests such gifts." (NLT). We don't sacrifice animals today but we do sacrifice our time, money, possessions, talents, energy, etc. How does this happen? The Lord showed me this past week. We were preparing to go on a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa this weekend for a time of much needed rest. I have had a long, tiring week. I was to go to the village of Shashe and Tati Siding on Friday. It would have been so very easy to call my helper and say, "I can't make it today. I've got to prepare for my trip." But I knew I needed to go. But I did not FEEL like it. All the while as I drove from one village to the other I felt like I was going through the motions, but I knew that I needed to do this, to share God's word. I felt guilty because I did not feel like telling anyone about Jesus today. John and I made three visits. Our first visit was in Shashe. It was a good visit. Shared a Bible story and prayed for a man who was sick. It was good ministry. As we left I thought again, "I really don't want to go to the next village!" We made our second visit in Tati Siding village. I shared the gospel with three people. All three trusted Christ! I felt a little better, but even as we went to our third visit in Tati Siding I still felt like going home. In this visit we talked with three ladies. All three prayed to trust Christ! Six people coming to Christ and I didn't FEEL like going into the villages!! As I did leave the village on the way home I thought, "Lord, if I did what I FELT like doing, these six people would not have met You. Thank You Lord for showing me that it's not about what I feel like doing, but that I just do it." I went out to the villages with what little faith I had. My heart was not into sharing the gospel, it was inconvenient, and my mind was focused on something else, God still honored the sacrifice of my time, effort, and energy. As I did share the gospel I did my best. I did not do it half-hearted. I felt some guilt in not feeling like telling people about Jesus. But the Lord showed me this--If I will make myself available and do my best regardless of how I feel, He will honor my efforts. He certainly did on this day, and now six people will see Jesus instead of going to hell all because this unworthy servant went to where the people are.

Village of Tonota

On Saturday, 1 August...Kb, Luke and I went into the village of Tonota. I've been going to Tonota for two months leading Bible Studies. But on this day we went into another area of the village with some other missy friends. They have been going every Saturday for two years during the school year to feed the children. When I found out about their work, I wanted to go and help. There were 60 children who came this day. We had meat and palechi for them. The children came to the Kgotla - where the chief's office is located and where public meetings are held. As the food was being prepared, the children started out watching a kid's Christian video. Next was a Bible study with a skit to help them understand the Armor of God.

When the food was ready, everyone lined up in front of a bucket of water to wash their hands. They dipped a cup into the bucket and poured the water over each other's hands! It was so cute to see two, three and four year-olds helping each other wash their hands. (The washing is more cermonial than sanitary since there is no soap).

The preschool kids went and sat side by side in the sun. It was a chilly day. They were so adorable. The children lined up at the table to get their plate of food. Most of the children ate with their fingers as utensils. That's how Africans eat palechi. Palechi is cornmeal and water...boiled until it is very thick. This is the number one source of food in Africa, and they love it.

The way to eat palechi is to get a piece with your fingers, roll it into a ball and make a dent in it with your thumb. Then scoop the meat or vegetables into the dented part and put it in your mouth. It truly is an African experience. Palechi has other names in other countries.. In Zambia, they call it Nshema and in Kenya they call it Pop.

It was a joy to help the other workers touch the lives (and stomachs) of these precious children. I am so glad that Kb, Luke and I could experience this together. It's a wonderful way to take the gospel into a village and meet a physical need.

Shashe School

Yesterday morning John, my national helper, and I went to Shashe School in the village of Shashe. We made an appointment last week for today. The Head Teacher said that the assembly usually lasts about 10 minutes. I thought that there would be at most 80-100 students there (grades 1-7). The children assemble every morning outside so the head teacher can speak to them. I was so overwhelmed at the number of students. There were well over 500 students plus the teachers! I told them the Creation to Christ story. I spoke for a good 25 minutes. I provided a time for the kids to pray to invite Christ into their hearts. It sounded like almost all 500+ prayed the prayer of salvation. I know that some prayed because their friend next to them prayed or some did because it was expected of them, but I know that some, perhaps most, prayed a genuine prayer trusting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. After I spoke the teacher gave the students time to say thank you or anything else they wanted. Many students came to the front and said things like "Thank you for sharing God's Word with us. Now we have God in our hearts." Wow! Then I presented the head teacher with a Bible in the Setswana language. She held up the Bible high above her head and spoke to the kids in Setswana saying, "Now we have a Bible for the school. I will read it to you in the assemblies." Double Wow!! The Head Teacher invited us back to speak again! This is a government school! It's a shame that government schools in America do not give us the same freedom to speak God's Word. Just think how much fewer school shootings, rapes, etc. there would be if it were possible to have opportunities for Jesus to change the lives of people in schools. It was so humbling to speak to these 500+ kids and teachers. As my helper John says, "God is doing something here!"

Divine Appointments

John and I were in the village of Shashe on Friday. We had some great visits. John got a call from one of his friends. Her name is Motshabi. She was asking for prayer since she just got out of the hospital. We were going to make some more visits, but I sensed the Lord leading us to go visit Motshabi that day. We went to the store to get her some juice and bread. We met Motshabi at the house where she is staying. She was very sick still. I asked her if she was up to us sharing God's word with her and she said yes. I shared the gospel, using the F.A.I.T.H. message. Motshabi prayed to trust Christ! I told her that we would be back on Monday (August 3rd) to see how she was doing and to see if she had any questions about God's word. John and I went back to where Motshabi was staying. She was not home but out looking for a job. We met the lady who was the landlord of the house. John asked her if we could share God's word with her. She said, "I cannot refuse God's word." I shared Creation to Christ (C2C) with her. She prayed to trust Christ too!! Today John and I went to his home village of Tati Siding. We went to visit his aunt and cousins. They were not home. So we visited with the neighbor lady. It was just John, myself, and the neighbor lady. Soon one of John's cousins came to the Bible study. As we continued the study 5 other ladies came. God impressed on me to share many messages: The Woman at the well (John 4), Phil. 4:6-7; Romans 12:1-2; and Ephesians 6:10-18 The Armor of God. It was an awesome and powerful time of worship!! The greatest worship time that I've had since I've been in Botswana the past seven months! The presence of the Holy Spirit was very evident. One lady burst out crying with tears of joy and praise for Jesus! Another lady broke out singing "Our God Is An Awesome God"! Our prayers were vibrating in our souls! Words cannot do justice to how awesome of a time of worship it was! These are just a few of the divine appointments that God has given us. How I look forward to many other times when He shows us who to talk to about Jesus! As my helper John says, "People here are hungry for God!"

God is Doing Some Great Stuff!!

John and I went back into the village of Shashe today. I wanted to go back to talk to the chief (Kgosi) about where he was spiritually. When we got to the Kgotla the chief was not there. He was home sick. But there was a public meeting going on. About 100 people were there. John and I started to drive away, but we felt led of the Lord to stay. We walked up to the meeting. The only 2 chairs were in the very front. So we sat there listening to the speaker. I thought, "Ok Lord, what are You going to do today?" We stayed about 30 minutes. They were addressing the issues of water. Some people do not have it to drink there...no bore holes/wells. As we left I felt a little disappointed, but God spoke to my heart, "I wanted you here today so that people will remember you when you go to their homes. You will be familiar to them. The chief has given you permission to share God's word in this village." I thought, "OK Lord! This is Your village. Just let me know where You want me to go here." We then went to the home of RraMaja & MmaMaja. We visited them last week. RraMaja was out tending to the cattle. MmaMaja was home with her 3 grandkids. I shared Creation To Christ (C2C) with her. I asked her if she wanted to trust Christ as her Lord and Savior. She said, "Yes, I want to do that." She prayed with me to invite Christ into her heart. As I led her in prayer I noticed another voice. It was her oldest grandson (about age 12). He had been sitting behind me. He too trusted Christ!! I gave her and her two oldest grandsons notebooks, the gospel of John, & pens to copy the gospel. This helps them to grow in their faith. We will go back next week to see what questions and/or insight they have from copying Scripture. Please pray for MmaMaja. She is still grieving the death of her oldest son and daughter who died last year. Not only did she love her kids, they were helping to support her & RraMaja financially. Now they are struggling financially and emotionally. After we left MmaMaja's home we left to go to her daughter's house. It took a while to find. We had not gone to her house before, but we talked to her last week when we visited with her brother at his house. We found her house. Her 4 kids were in the front yard. John went up to the gate and asked if their mother was home. She was not. John asked them if we could come into the yard to share the word of God. They said no. John came back to the car. We were preparing to leave and the youngest daughter came to the car and told John, "We will listen to the word of God." So we went in. I again shared Creation To Christ. I asked them if they wanted to trust Christ. They said, "We have Christ." I gave them notebooks, pens, & the gospel of John to copy. After we left John said, "They are not saved." I asked him how he knew. "I see their eyes. They are empty, without Jesus. Their responses are not with Christ." Wow! I told John that he had the gift of spiritual discernment! I trust him. He knows his own people well. But since they are willing to copy Scrirpture, God will speak to them! Isaiah 55:11 says "My word will go out of My mouth and not return to me void, without accomplishing what I desire..." We will go back next week to follow up on them. It is getting busy going to the villages of Tonota and Shashe!! Praise the Lord! I will also go to the village of Tati Siding next week where John lives. There is a Bible study going on there now. It was started by our colleagues, Kelly & Ann Carrutheres about 2 years ago. Pray that the Lord will put fire in their hearts! On our way home John said that people in Shashe were responding to the gospel of Jesus. He said, "God is doing some stuff!!" I love to hear John as he speaks words of wisdom. He also said, referring to God's word..."When you know where the Medicine is, why go some place else?" Good advice!

The Chief of Shashe

My national helper, John, has a favorite verse that he is constantly quoting: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord" (Zechariah 4:6). Here is how we are seeing God's Spirit at work:Last Thursday John and I went into the village of Shashe to visit the chief to get his approval of wanting to come to share God's word. The chief said, "We cannot refuse God's word. You are welcome to come." There was a lady setting next to the chief. She leaned forward and said "You can come preach God's word in the school. I am the Headmaster!" After we left the chief we made two visits. One was to an older man and his wife, RraMaja & MmaMaja. They listended to our message. John interprets for me. He asked us to visit his son who lives near by. We then went to try to find the son's house but we could not. But we stopped when we saw an older lady. She invited us into her home. She and her older sister (MmaBosele & MmaKoba) live there. We shared God's word with them and gave them notebooks, gospel of John booklet, and pens to copy the gospel of John. Today we went back to Shashe to follow up on these ladies. They have started to copy the gospel of John. They had great insight. MmaBosele said, "Just like Andrew, the younger brother of Peter, brought Peter to Jesus, my younger sister invited you into our home last week and she brought me to Jesus through you." Wow! Marvelous insight!After this visit John said, "Let's give a Bible to the chief." We went back to the Kgotla (place where the chief has his office). Kgosi (the chief) was sitting alone in a area where they conduct public meetings. We walked up to where he was and sat on a bench in front of him. John told him that we wanted to give him a Bible as a gift. I gave it to him. He took it and as he held it, what he said next brought tears to my eyes....With great passion he said, "Ke al leboga, Thata! Thata! Thata!" (Thank you Very much! Very much! Very much!). Oh how I wish that I would always have this kind of passion, awe and respect of God's word. Sometimes I take God's word for granted. I forget who the Author of the Bible is. I get so wrapped up in daily activities and responsibilities that I am so focused on the stresses of life that I forget that God is still in charge and that my life needs to be an ongoing lifestyle of worship to my Savior. The way that Kgosi said "Thata" melted my heart. The way he held that Bible was like it was a priceless piece of art (which it is!). As we left I looked back and saw that Kgosi was reading his new Bible. It was so humbling to experience this. "Lord Jesus, forgive me when I take you for granted. Give me a continuing hunger and thirst for Your word that I may stay close to You, for without You I will fall to all kinds of temptations and make decisions that do not honor You." Amen!