Last week we had our first official meeting for our Botswana mission trip. It was so great to finally meet the folks we'll be traveling and working with on the trip. Jenifer and Barrett, the leaders, are friends of ours, but we didn't know anyone else before the meeting. It's a great mix of people, and it's so neat to see how God has put this team together!
Several team members have been to Botswana to minister previously (some many times!), and others (like us) have never been. Some folks are on staff at our church, and some (like us) are not. Most have a good deal of mission trip experience, and some (like us) do not. Some of these couples have been married for decades, and some (like us) have not. I think I hold the prize for the least-traveled of all the group, especially in regards to air travel!
Our church has developed a fairly strong relationship with Open Baptist Church (OBC) in Botswana over the past few years. Our main goals for this trip are to encourage, build relationships, and equip the church to more effectively minister to their community. Specifically, we'll assist David and Denise Glenn in a two-day "Freedom for Families" conference; we'll set up the facility, and lead small group discussions to support what they are teaching from the stage. The following two days, we'll be teaching or assisting in additional classes on parenting, marriage, and more. I'm preparing to teach a continuing education class on "Forgiveness" for the new class of Stephen Ministers at OBC, and try to answer any questions they have about my experiences as a Stephen Minister. How exciting to have an opportunity to encourage people in the same ministry I'm involved in, but on the other side of the world! Our counseling ministry is sending some DVD's and books for the counseling library at OBC; it's easier for me to bring them in my suitcase than it is to ship them. Another day, we'll visit an orphan feeding station and visit with the children there. We hope to have time to do some prayer walking in the community, and possibly visit an orphanage in the area.
For a bit of fun, our last night in Africa will be spent at a game reserve. We'll have an early morning safari drive, where we're looking forward to getting some great photos; wouldn't a zebra photograph we took in Africa (I feel so cool saying that!) look awesome framed on the wall in Lindsey's room? After the safari drive, we'll have breakfast, then we'll head to the airport for the trip home.
We leave in less than a month! We'll be gone a total of ten days, but four of those days will be spent traveling, so we actually have just six full days in Botswana. Soon, I'll post a specific list of prayer requests for our team, and for us specifically, but for now I'd appreciate your prayers about my apprehension about flying. (I could quite easily hyperventilate thinking about getting on that plane!) Other than that, I am eagerly anticipating our trip!
Several team members have been to Botswana to minister previously (some many times!), and others (like us) have never been. Some folks are on staff at our church, and some (like us) are not. Most have a good deal of mission trip experience, and some (like us) do not. Some of these couples have been married for decades, and some (like us) have not. I think I hold the prize for the least-traveled of all the group, especially in regards to air travel!Our church has developed a fairly strong relationship with Open Baptist Church (OBC) in Botswana over the past few years. Our main goals for this trip are to encourage, build relationships, and equip the church to more effectively minister to their community. Specifically, we'll assist David and Denise Glenn in a two-day "Freedom for Families" conference; we'll set up the facility, and lead small group discussions to support what they are teaching from the stage. The following two days, we'll be teaching or assisting in additional classes on parenting, marriage, and more. I'm preparing to teach a continuing education class on "Forgiveness" for the new class of Stephen Ministers at OBC, and try to answer any questions they have about my experiences as a Stephen Minister. How exciting to have an opportunity to encourage people in the same ministry I'm involved in, but on the other side of the world! Our counseling ministry is sending some DVD's and books for the counseling library at OBC; it's easier for me to bring them in my suitcase than it is to ship them. Another day, we'll visit an orphan feeding station and visit with the children there. We hope to have time to do some prayer walking in the community, and possibly visit an orphanage in the area.
For a bit of fun, our last night in Africa will be spent at a game reserve. We'll have an early morning safari drive, where we're looking forward to getting some great photos; wouldn't a zebra photograph we took in Africa (I feel so cool saying that!) look awesome framed on the wall in Lindsey's room? After the safari drive, we'll have breakfast, then we'll head to the airport for the trip home.
We leave in less than a month! We'll be gone a total of ten days, but four of those days will be spent traveling, so we actually have just six full days in Botswana. Soon, I'll post a specific list of prayer requests for our team, and for us specifically, but for now I'd appreciate your prayers about my apprehension about flying. (I could quite easily hyperventilate thinking about getting on that plane!) Other than that, I am eagerly anticipating our trip!
