Wabash Missions Trip 2010

As we are now all stateside, save for our dear brothers and sisters whose life mission is to serve in Botswana, we are grateful to God for making this year’s OneWay/Wabash missions trip a life-long memory.  New life was born, for both those in the villages in Botswana and on the Wabash team.

The week’s finale capped off with a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ. For some of those who were baptized, this profession was a recommitment to honoring Jesus with their entire life going forward.  For others, it was the celebration of new life altogether.  If we ever wonder why Jesus would choose immersing oneself in water as an act of profession, all one has to do is witness it taking place and all questions are answered.  The sight of seeing someone completely submerged in pure water explodes with the imagery of being “all in”.  That’s what God requires of us, and for good reason.  The world is turned off by fence sitters; authenticity is characterized by total commitment.  The real test for the Wabash men lies ahead as they return to campus and live out their new life back home.

I’ll let the pictures tell the story. Praise God.

This will be a difficult week to say goodbye to.

The week with the Wabash men culminated in a final village visit, to Sankoyo, which lies outside the “buffalo fence”, a hundreds miles long barrier keeping the wild animals away from cattle, goats, and people.  These people who live in the midst of the wild animals have special challenges.  Their crops, their livestock and even their selves are at risk with elephants stampeding and lions and various other animals of prey roaming the area.  Sounds a lot like the Christian life.

The children of Sankoyo responded with complete joy to see the Wabash team.  The visit was somewhat of a surprise; the Headmaster of the school thought the team was supposed to arrive last Friday, not this Friday.  The school kids were supposed to have exams today.  While things were being sorted out between our missionaries and the school, the Wabash men began to engage in some activities with the kids.  I think their joy and laughter was heard, as it was hard for the Headmaster to say no to the team.  Exams were rescheduled for Monday – the team went into action.

When you know it would be the last time to play with and teach the kids, the time was especially significant, despite being 96 degrees in temperature.  I am constantly amazed at the energy level of the Wabash team – there is definitely power in youth, especially when such youth is coordinated and purpose-driven as these men are.

After leaving Sankoyo, we ventured as a team into the Chobe National Park to try to catch wildlife in their natural environment, about 140km away from our base.  The Okavango Delta is clearly one of the most beautiful places on earth, and we were in its midst.  You never know what you’ll see or how far you’ll drive before being turned back due to flooded roads, but we gave it shot anyway.  We were not disappointed.

Upon leaving Sankoyo, we were greeted by a host of giraffes and elephants, who seemed less curious and interested in us as we were of them.  Some of the vehicles saw warthogs, zebra, hippopotami, impalas, vultures and myriads of birds.  Eventually, we hit a particularly low area completely flooded and impassible, even for 4×4s.  It was fine – we were already hot, dirty and tired from the day’s activities, so we turned around.  Upon our return, even more wildlife was seen from the road.

Our evening dinner was spent in a favorite local eatery – as an entire team with the Checkers.  We ordered 26 whole chickens, 30 liters of soda, and enough fries, rolls and salad to feed an army. The place looked like a massacre hit after we left, but the restaurant was quite grateful for the business, a week’s worth in one evening!

Tomorrow morning some of the guys want to profess, and in some cases, re-profess their faith and commitment in Christ through baptism – here in Africa. We thought we could use the pool here at the Maun Lodge and Pastor Ray Mensah, OneWay’s Director of African Ministries could administer the baptism.  This heart and desire stems from an intense desire to take what happened this week back to Wabash in the form of a changed life.  These men have grown together like I’ve seen no other team before them and I am tremendously proud of them.  Over the course of the week the men have given me the nickname “Uncle Jim”, as I am certain I have been unable to hide my love for these men as only one related to them could.

I look forward to their impact on the campus of Wabash College, and equally important, the shaping of their own lives as they grow in faith in Christ to be men of character and quite possibly, Lord willing, husbands, fathers and grandfathers of integrity.  I cannot overstate the uniqueness and maturity of these men and their mission. They will be missed.

Today the Wabash team travelled to a school we have been ministering to for over three years.  One of the returning men commented to me that he found value in going back to the same place each year, as it seemed as if they picked up right where they left off the year prior. Kagisano is one of those places – a place where the administrators greatly appreciate OneWay and the Wabash presence.

When we arrived today, the Principal met with the leaders of the team and expressed his apologies that the grounds were not properly prepared for the day’s activities. The grass was long and the buildings were being painted.  Looking around, it appeared as if we could make an immediate impact on the school with the many willing working hands we arrived with.

A few of the guys were able to experience mowing the lawn African style – with angled machetes! It took a bit of coordination to ensure my over-zealous landscapers wielded their weapons of grass destruction (apologies) without injuring a fellow worker. Others grabbed a rake and began piling up the long grass to clear out the volleyball court.

A separate team was given a paint can and rollers and were asked to roll out a concrete wall in a nice shade of Botswana blue.  What a blessing it was to use our numbers and our hands to make way for our message.

Following the labor, the team played games and shared the gospel with the school.  These kids – of all ages – ate the men up. The pictures lay proof to this.

Our afternoon session with a village over 140km away was cancelled because the Minister of Education for Botswana paid a surprise visit to the village.  The news was well received though, since these men have had a tremendously busy week and enjoyed a good three hours of R&R with the Checkers in the Maun city center.

Tomorrow, we are traveling to the Okavango Delta to a remote village called Sankoyo.  Sonjoyo lies past the “buffalo fence”, the huge barrier that separates wild animals from the majority of villages.  We could see anything Africa has to offer in wild animals past this fence.  Following our ministry to the village, we plan to head into the bush and see if we can spot some wildlife.

As our travels take us a long distance tomorrow, pray for safety.  As these men have played such an important role in the advancement of God’s Kingdom this week in Botswana, it is my prayer that they get to see some amazing sights tomorrow.  There’s no guarantee, though, but it doesn’t hurt to pray. Jesus encourages us to ask, and the Father, who loves his children, wishes to provide.

Sometimes those who need to hear a message of hope the most are living right nearby.

Today the Wabash men traveled around Maun, the village we are calling home for a week.  The itinerary was very full, as the men joined the African team for further training and game time in the morning, followed by visiting two schools and a village.  Many of the men are sawing logs in their cabins as I write – the day was active, the sun was hot but the energy of the men was at an all time high.

We also witnessed about 30 children and young adults make a genuine commitment to Jesus today.  During a small group session this morning, one of the men shared a story from the Bible and then discussed the story with a group of about 6 high-school aged kids. Four of the kids, after peppering the Wabash team member and the missionary with questions, asked to receive Jesus into their life. Wow.

These kids, especially at the high school level, face some serious pressures.  Signs are up everywhere on the high school grounds warning these kids about the HIV risk.  Outside the fence of the school, empty alcohol bottles litter the area.  At night, there are groups that practice witchcraft, specifically targeting this age group. It’s a literal battlefield for the souls of these kids.  So when we see these precious children listen to the gospel, some for the first time, others for the umpteenth time, and make a commitment to live for Christ, there is immediate hope for deliverance from these plagues which war against them, let alone an eternity in heaven.

For many of our African volunteers and full-time missionaries, they too have had to overcome the environment in which they live.  We call this team the “Checkers”, which is an acronym for attributes of God that they vow to embrace.  “Checkers” also means they allow others to check up on them frequently and ask the tough questions as to how they are living a life pleasing to God.  Full accountability and nothing short of it.

Later this week we are honoring our “Checkers” by presenting to them a gift of leather-bound Bibles.  Funds for these Bibles were raised by the Compass Church youth group in Naperville, IL.  Two members of the youth group joined their parents with us last year here in Botswana and learned that many of the Checkers did not have Bibles.  These young adults came back, explained the situation to their peers, and raised all the money necessary for obtaining the Bibles.

That’s the heart we are after. So many people, both here in Botswana and back in Illinois and Indiana (and beyond) have contributed to the advancement of the gospel in Botswana.  That’s God’s people in action. Keep praying!

Movie: Wabash Sings (Click to Download)

P.S. The last village we visited had about half the number of kids as Sehithwa, but they seemed twice as excited!  Here’s a larger version of the group shot. (Click Here)

The team woke up recharged. That was good because a full day was planned following a hot breakfast.  Even though this is the third year the team has stayed at this particular accommodation, the staff always seems a bit unprepared for the locust storm that swoops down on the breakfast buffet.  We cleaned them out today.

Following breakfast we met with the missionary team and had fun training for the days ahead.  How to administer the sports camps and the teaching time were the topics at hand, and the men responded very well.  The two camps we ran today were well organized events – the men picked up on their assigned tasks incredibly well for only being their second day in Africa.

Following the training, the entire team headed to the village of Komane, approximately 20 miles southwest of Maun. The men were greeted immediately by cheering children, aging from 6 to 13 years old.  It only continued as the men played sports games with the children, and then dramatized the Biblical story of David and Goliath.  After this the men were able to put into action what they have been working on for the past few months – sharing stories from the Bible they memorized with the school kids.

Everyone likes to hear a story, and these kids were literally glued to Wabash men sharing God’s Word. Several kids responded by making a commitment to Christ following a gospel presentation by the missionary team.  Even though the Wabash team will not return to Komana, the missionary team’s work only begins as they return to Komana regularly to teach the children what a life freed in Christ looks like as opposed to the path that many of their older siblings take, engaged in alcoholism and poor choices that lead to HIV/AIDS infections that plague over 33% of the population.

Following Komane, we headed to Sehithwa, 60 miles from Maun, or about a 1.5 hour drive away.  Last year, we were unprepared for the 500 children that showed up at the village anticipating the team’s arrival.  This year we came armed with the entire Wabash team and a plan to divide and conquer through organization.

When we arrived, not 500 children were present but over 700!  The administrators of the school and village mentioned that many kids stayed longer to meet the team instead of beginning (for some of them) their 3 to 5 mile walk back home.  No school buses, rides from Mom or Dad or short walks to school.  Many of these kids take over an hour to walk to and from school, if there is a school to begin with.

In order to fully capture the scene, I had to stitch 4 photographs together and take the pictures from on top of one of our 4×4s.  Truly, a sight to be seen.

Sehithwa Picture: (Click here)

The men rose to the occasion.  Upon leaving, the kids wouldn’t leave the side of the Wabash men.  As the trucks pulled away from the village, the children continued to run after the vehicles.  They loved and were loved right back today. If you’re proud of the men for being here and loving these kids, I’m right there with you.

Click on any of the titles of the entries below to record your comments to the team.  The team would love to hear your encouragement!