OFFICIAL RECOGNITION OF BOTSWANA COG December 4, 2011

What a wonderful time we had in Botswana. The area around Maun is sandy and dry and their summer has begun with temperatures rising to over 100 degrees during the day. On this, my first visit to the country of Botswana I traveled with Jim & Mary Nipp who began serving in Botswana in 1962.  After we cleared immigration and customs we were greeted by about a dozen folks from the church. They loaded our bags into the vehicle they had for us and brought us to the home where we stayed for the week. We then gathered on the porch and visited for a while with Jim & Mary catching up on people and the various happenings.  When we arrived at the church at 5:00 pm to be welcomed, we were greeted by children, youth, younger and older adults. The youth worship team led us in music and Pastor Keeme officially welcomed us and gave Jim, Mary and myself an opportunity to greet the church. The youth closed in a song and prayer. Then they served all there sandwiches and snacks with juice and coke to drink. As is the case at all church functions, everyone stood around and visited until it began to get dark.

At the conclusion of the church service on December 4th we presented the placque that officially recognizes the Churches of God in Botswana upon which the whole congregation erupted in clapping and whistling/cheering.  We visited a number of the churches around the Maun area throughout the week and visited with various members.  The Church of God in Botswana is alive and well, and growing.  The work that Jim and Mary Nipp helped start has a heart to reach others for Christ.  The people are beautiful and it was precious to meet and worship with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ in Botswana.

 

Cote D'Ivoire Oct. 8-13, 2011

Hope the saying "better late than never" is true. We were not able to blog from Cote d'Ivoire and when we got back to the US, mail and things were piled high from our 5 weeks in Africa and then it was the CBH Retreat in NC, some business on the road, debrief in Anderson and a conference in IN and then "the holidays" and here it is 2012 already!!!  Whew!!  So let me try to fill you in since the last blog and hopefully I'll be able once again to include some pictures.

 

Kay & Sherman Critser with Daniel N'Goran





When we left Uganda we had to fly to Niarobi, Kenya (East) and then from there to Cote d'Ivoire (West). It was a 5 1/2  hr flight for us from Niarobi to Abidjan and then a 3 1/2 hr ride to Yamoussukoro!  It was a "reality check" for me as to how vast the continent of Africa is as we didn't even fly the full extent from east to west coasts!  We were hosted by Sherman and Kay Critser as Larry and LeAnn Sellers are on furlough. We were able to attend a church service with them--complete with lots of prayer and dancing--and meet several of the leaders they are training.  

Solomon-John Baptiste-Timothy
Lead the program:
 Hope for Youth without Aids
(an abstinence education program)



Art in Radio Studio

A couple of days we went out in the rural areas to visit church leaders and see their communities--observe cocoa being dried, mud bricks being made, see some crocodiles, hold an impromptu service and eat a "typical Ivoirian" meal--foutou (a ball of gummy, yellowish, sticky meal) with a fish sauce, fried bananas and a drink made from Bisap (a kind of grape juice color and "musty" grape-prune taste). They speak French there and it was comical to observe as Art spoke his Haitian Creole to one of the pastors and the pastor would speak French to Art--they were actually able to figure out fairly well what the other was saying...of course the Critsers were there to interpret too...and there was lots of laughter along the way.


CBH French Program is produced
and aired from here

There is a radio station/studio in the Yamoussaokoro Church that produces the CBH program for the French-speakers in Africa.

While in CI we also were able to see the "Bascilica" (Roman Catholic church that "rivals the Vatican" and is a bit bigger). The stained glass, architecture, marble columns and ornate fixtures were quite impressive but saddened me to think about how much was spent on a structure used very little and that costs a lot to keep up the 130 acres it's built on and just what that could have done for the welfare of the people in the country. A few pictures below:

Kenya & Uganda

We've  been "on the move". The Webbs in Tanzania drove us the 5 hrs over bumpy, dusty, roads from Dodoma to Babati to visit with Ben & Kelli Shular and their two boys--Noah, 4 yrs and Jonah, 2 yrs. --Their main responsibilities are Country Development Director and over-seeing the work at Aldersgate School. While our time with them was brief they were very warm and welcoming. We enjoyed a special time of worship with them on Sunday and some wild game roast for Sunday dinner (Wildebeast & Grant Gazelle that Ben had hunted there)...Very Good!! A driver picked us up in the afternoon to drive us the next 2 hrs to Arusha where we spent the night in a "rustic hotel" and left the next morning from the Kilimanjaro Airport which was about another 1 1/2 hours drive (but did not get to see the mountain). The agent there seemed to feel it was her duty to give us a very hard time about checking in our baggage (very frustrating!!) and we ended up having to pay $120 in fees!!  We flew from there to Niarobi where we had a lay-over and met an agent to take us to the Cote d'Ivoire Consulate to get our visa for that country for the end of our trip (another story for another time). The city was HUGE--felt like New York City...with traffic as bad... Really surprised me!! Things went amazingly smooth with the visa and we got back and checked in early for the next leg of our flight. This agent was very nice and even let us check in one more bag! Guess we checked in too early as just as we were boarding for Kisumu Art was called to check with the agent--(bad news)--it seems the extra bag we were allowed to check in got sent out with an earlier flight going in the opposite direction :(  BUT...(good news)...the baggage supervisor caught the error and had it coming on a flight to Kisumu that would arrive 1/2 hr after we did! :)  We finally arrived at KIST (Kima International School of Theology) about 7:30 pm and were a bit weary from the day's travels starting at 5 am.  A group from the Shartel  Church of God in Oklahoma City had been there for several days and we found out to our delight that SueJo Good was leading the team. She and her now deceased husband (Ken) had been missionaries there and 3 or 4 other places before they retired. We got to take pictures "AT the EQUATOR" and visit with the other missionaries here and there, between their duties, (Rod & Jan Dormer--Principal and Teachers; Ernie and Laurie Nicholas--Overseer of the Scholarship Funding, Campus Nurse and Teachers; and The Baylors--David & Bonnie and their two boys Joshua-13 yrs and Michael-7 yrs--Finances, Hospitality and Teaching). We also attended a chapel service and one of the mentoring group of students that were talking about what "excellence" means and how it is exhibited in the Christian walk. A very interesting discussion in light of the varied ages and cultural backgrounds represented there. Art was in constant meetings. I also walked the grounds and strolled through the cemetery and was struck with awe as I looked at the names--even a whole family--that gave the ultimate sacrifice--their very lives--to minister there.  One of David Livingstone's children is buried there along with some other unmarked graves... I felt as if I was standing on holy ground! Oh Lord, if we can only be so faithful--no matter the cost!
From KIST Rod and Jan Dormer drove us the 6 hours to Kampala, Uganda as Jan and Rod had some consulting they were going to do with Heritage International School so it worked out perfectly for us to ride with them. When we got to the Kenya/Uganda border, it was quite the scene--"shagalabagala"!! --(My new favorite Swahili word which means chaotic, disorganized.)--But, we made it through in only a half hour with the help of a very good agent--otherwise I'm sure we would have been there for hours!  Amazingly our Google map gave us very good directions to the Stevenson's (plus a few phone calls to be sure we were on course). We met 3 Canadians that had been with the Stevensons for several days--working with the Canadian child sponsorship program. They left and another group of young people from Germany arrived. I've been especially moved by the T.A.P.P. ministry the Stevensons started here 5 years ago (Tumaini Aids Prevention Program). It has just exploded! The program is aimed at women and children that are HIV positive and/or have AIDS. Most are women with 2-5 children that either their husband has died or just abandoned them and the family has rejected them--sometimes even abused them in horrible ways and then thrown them out like trash! They have nowhere to go and no means of income! So sad to hear their stories and see how/where they are living and trying to eek out a living. The TAPP program is helping the women to be trained to make a living--from bead/jewelry making to tailoring programs to candle-making, etc.  Whatever each community sees as their need...plus  they network with them to find medical and social service agencies to meet their needs along with Bible studies, support groups, and finding sponsors for their children to go to school, etc. WOW!! They have at least 45 locations where groups are meeting and other places crying out for help! As you can tell, I could go on and on and this is just one aspect of what's happening in Uganda.  Pray! The needs are great!

Safari and More

We did go on Safari at the Mikumi Animal Reserve and had a wonderful time! The day we arrived we went on an afternoon animal drive, saw some nocturnal animals while at supper and then went for an early morning drive. Between the two we saw a lot--herds of Impala, Cape Buffalo, Wildebeasts, Zebras, and Elephants, quite a few Warthogs, Reedbucks, Bushbucks, Giraffe, a pond of 8 Hippos that gave us quite a show--bobbing up and down in the water and sometimes opening their mouth and making their grunting noise, some crocodile, 4 female Lions which we got to within about 15 feet of (my heart was racing! We were in an open safari vehicle!!), a Leopard that ran across the road in front of us, a Black-backed Jackal, a Verivert Monkey, whole flock of Crested Guineau Fowl, several different kinds of birds that we thought we identified from our guide and several we didn't, some Eland and the night creatures were Bush Babies (between a squirrel and a monkey), a Honey Badger, a Pot Rat (HUGE rat), and a couple Genet Cats. Our guide said we must be people of God because we saw so much on just two drives and actually got to see a Leopard, which is rare... Art was like an excited kid at the zoo for the first time. (However, a zoo will never be the same for us).  :)  Our quarters couldn't have been more perfect--a huge tent on stilts--complete with wood floors, flush toilet and shower! This was all under a thatched roof with a wrap-around porch that had chairs to sit out and overlook the game park. Now I could camp like this!! :)  Pictures will have to come later as we are having "technical difficulties".  :(
We had about a 5 hr ride from the park to Dodoma where we've spent the rest of the week in the Webb's home.   We have had a blessed time as each day we would go to visit in different pastor's homes and pray for the needs and concerns on their hearts. It was heart-warming to meet these men and women of God, to hear their stories and concerns then to pray with them. They were always so welcoming, gracious, and had encouraging words for all of us. We were humbled and blessed. It was obvious they loved the Webbs too. We also met the students in the TEE (Theological Education by Extension) and were encouraged to see the dedication of these students and hear how they are putting their education into practice. We feel so blessed to have been touched by each person.

Arrived in Tanzania

We got up at 4 am to head to Lilongwe, Malawi (4 hr drive) and then catch our plane to Dar Esalam, Tanzania where we arrived at 2 am. in the morning. Mike met us at the airport in the wee hours of the morning. Today we slept in a little and then ate lunch at a lovely place on the Indian Ocean. We are currently with the Webbs--Mike, Heather and ten-month old, Madalyn. Tomorrow we'll drive 3 hrs towards "home" and stop by a game reserve for a day's safari--on our way back to their place Dodoma, Tanzania.  Also below is a picture of a typical art-form called "Tingatinga"(we saw on the wheel cover of a vehicle). Hopefully we'll be able to say we've actually "seen" these animals after tomorrow!

High Tea and Luggage

Malawi Church of God Logo

We've had a couple of good days--Monday we were finally able to retrieve our two missing pieces of luggage! PTL! Tuesday we ran some errands, met some of Tammie's friends and visited the recently purchased property where the Church of God is building a training center on about 7 acres.  So far they have a well with hand pump, a very nice bricked 3-hole latrine, and an almost completed house where the overseer of the property will live. In addition to this, there's a temporary thatched house for the guard and a temporary thatched roofed area that a new  church group is meeting under.  The last workteam that was here also planted an area with Mango, Avacado, Papaya, Guava, Orange, Lemon and Lime trees.

Church Shelter/Guard House

Latrine

House for Property Manager

There's a master plan for the property for classrooms, church and dormitory, road with a bridge over a small ravine, etc. but building can only be done as funds are received.  The next project is the road and bridge for accessing the property as they have been borrowing a passage-way through someone's garden and soon it will be time to plant again...

The "Lodge"
After looking over the property we headed off to the Satemwa Tea-Coffee Plantation about 20 miles out in the middle of hundreds, if not thousands of acres of one coffee or tea field after the other. It was a beautiful ride through the rolling hills of various shades of green. We passed a grove of Macadamia Nut trees too. We arrived at the "lodge for "high tea" about noon and it was like 

Three for Tea (Art, Suetta, Tammie)

One garden area/pool

Tea field

something out of an old novel or movie...our three plush chairs and a coffee table were set out on the lawn under an umbrella with another umbrella-ed table nearby that had our finger sandwiches, scones, and "biscuits" ? , jam, marmalade and clotted cream AND, of course, a couple pots of tea. To top it off there was a lovely (and very yummy) chocolate cake with a fresh flower atop it. A most relaxing and beautiful setting (except for the tea fleas). We looked in some of the rooms they offer for over-night guests and they were done elegantly with mosiquito-net drapped poster beds, sitting areas with fireplace, footed tubs (one bathroom even had a fireplace) and delightfully attentive servers. A real get-away place to relax! Then we came back to reality and drove home--stopping on the way at a quaint little coffee shop where we watched the woman actually roasting the coffee and making "blends". She also had macadamia nuts and dried fruits. Art and Tammie had a cup of her fresh roasted coffee and I inhaled the wonderful aroma. It was a wonderful day!

Sunday -- A Blessed Day Indeed!

Downed tree

We got a very early start--leaving the house at 6 am for our 5 hr. trip. Our vehicle was loaded. There were 11 people plus the personal belongings of the 8 that had been at the pastor training for 2 weeks.   We dropped off one pastor on the way and then visited the congregations of two other pastors that were "kind of on our way" for a "quick hello" and to bring greetings to their congregations. We were treated with warm welcomes--singing and dancing, handshakes and smiles. Then we were finally on our way to our destination--Nsanje--where the roads kept narrowing and getting rougher as we neared this southern mountain village. We were within about 30 min. of being at the village when we encountered a huge tree that had fallen across the road. We were able to clear a path--chopping down a small tree and clearing away brush just wide enough for the vehicle to pass (up around to the left in the picture).

We were a little late getting there but found members from several "area" Church of Gods (some coming from as far as 50 kilometers--31 miles--on foot) as well as some other denominations in the local area, all singing and waiting under a HUGE Mango tree. We were seated at the front (in chairs) and greeted with everyone coming by to shake our hands and/or curtsey.
Then they took their seats on the ground around the base of the tree and the sloping hillside. During the introductions we were told we were the first white people to ever put foot in their village. [Wow! Kind of makes one feel like a "pioneer"--making a road where there isn't one--setting foot where "one of our kind" never has been... :)]

Prayer time

Some choirs sang and then Art shared a message that was translated by a delightful young man, Emmanuel, then a time of prayer for various needs.

Art preaching, Emmanuel translating

"Shaker" - Instrument

Again we were greeted again by adults and children alike, all filing by with a handshake/curtsey, then fed a meal and were on our way back to Tammie's home in Blantyre. There were some men working on the big tree across the road when we came back through and wish you could have seen the looks on their faces when we just went up and around on the path we had cut earlier in the day. ! ? :)  As we all chatted in the vehicle going home, we all agreed, it was a VERY GOOD day and we all were VERY BLESSED by the day!

Guitar