Independence Day

Happy 4th of July! Celebrating the independence of a country that is not my current place of residence is still a little weird. In the morning, Stacie and I had no other plans than to watch a movie, but by noon, a party was planned and our house volunteered for the venue. Even with the short notice, altogether it was really nice. Along with about 18 other people, we grilled hamburgers, ate a decorative flag cake, and shot off fireworks and made our neighbors mad. Up to this point we've been the good neighbors, not causing trouble or making too much noise. Hopefully we can regain our good reputation. Even though the celebrations were a far cry from baseball games and picnics, they were still fun. We never did watch our movie though...the World Cup was on and we couldn't very well pass that up.

Girl's club

Every Friday night while school is in session, we have a little meeting we like to call "girl's club." It's designed to be an outreach and an encouragement to students who are typically unchurched where we spend time discussing issues teenagers are facing...but from a Biblical perspective. Sometimes we play games, sometimes watch movies, but largely it's to provide a safe place for young girls to come and get some solid teaching. The group has grown considerably over the last few months and many have given their lives to Christ! But the Clines are leaving so we desperately need a new host home in order for the club to continue. Definately something to lift up.

Imparting wisdom to inquiring minds

So this is part of what we do most days...attempt to engage the class in interactive learning. Some classes interact better than others, usually depending on the topic. We teach both Form 1's and Form 2's. This is one of our Form 1 classes (8th graders). There tends to be about 45 students per class...and we have 12 of them!

This is Otis, one of my teaching partners, using John 10:10 to explain the difference between God's plan for our lives and the Enemy's plan

Here's Lingani, another one of my teaching partners, explaining the dangers of drugs and alcohol and how they affect a person in all "5 dimensions of life" (physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual).

International World Changers

For the past week and half, Francistown was invaded by about 70 youth and adults working with a group called International World Changers (IWC). The group was made up of high school, college, seminary students, and adults from 4 different churches in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area. During their time here they were split up into 5 groups, 2 teams working within F/town and 3 teams ministering in the villages surrounding. Depending on their location, they did any number of things, from prayer walking, to school assemblies, to visiting the hospitals and clinics, to back-yard bible clubs, to sports, to home visitation and evangelism, etc. etc. etc. What a blessing! These guys were real troopers. It's the middle of winter here and they were all camping out in tents, cooking their meals (on a rotation), going all day long, and still had such great attitudes. Here are some fun pics from their time here...

In Moroka, a village outside F/Town, the team hung out and played sports with some primary school kids. Here's Jason, a youth minister from one of the churches, helping the kids make it through the daunting task of getting themselves through the hula-hoop.

Here's a new game Packy invented where you get a bunch of kids in a circle to hold hands and kick a ball around within the circle. Apparently his new game was a hit b/c they played it for about 2 hours!

Sunset from on top of the only hill in Francistown

Get your cameras ready

As we were visiting a nearby village and sharing the Good News, we came upon a lady who was hitting a pile of wheat with a stick. Come to find out she was using this process to separate the wheat from the chaff. It made the parable Jesus told make a whole lot more sense. As you are beating the wheat, the two separate and since the chaff is lighter, it gets carried off in the wind. Here's Will and Ricky lending a helping hand to the woman.

In Sebina, one of the villages surrounding F/Town, the team went to a clinic to visit and pray with the patients. These are 4 ladies who work at the clinic.

Comforting arms at the clinic

The teams in Francistown spent several afternoons in the public schools presenting drama and songs, sharing with the students about who Jesus is and how He can change their lives. Praise God the schools were welcoming of the Gospel!

After the drama, the team separated the students into smaller groups for more discussion

After some great Chinese food, we all popped some complimentary mints into our mouths and ended up with a little surprise

Two of my new friends, Christy and Packy

Shoulder surgery

Back at the end of April I had surgery on my right shoulder due to an injury playing/coaching softball. I tore my labrum (cartilage) and needed to have it repaired. My arm was immobilized in a sling for 4 weeks and the next 3 weeks after that I spent doing intensive physiotherapy in Johannesburg. The doctor said it could take anywhere from 8 -12 months to be completely rehabilitated so I've still got a long way to go! While in Joburg I was blessed to be staying with a missionary couple, the Tadlocks, who took very good care of me. Their dog Teddy, who is actually a teacup poodle but you would never know it, kept me company when all I could do was lay around the house. Although I'm not a huge fan of dogs, Teddy and I had fun. I definately got in a lot of practice throwing that silly ball with my left hand.