This past Valentine’s Day, I finally got to partake in a local Southern African delicacy…mopani worms! I read all about mopani worms before I came to Botswana and I’d been waiting for an opportunity to try them out. Mopani worms are actually caterpillars that are the larvae of a rather large species of moth (the first time I saw one of these moths I thought it was a small bird!). They’re prepared by basically squeezing out their guts (someone showed me how to do this, but I haven’t tried it myself…yet) and then they’re dried and can be eaten as a snack (this is how I ate them in the video below), or they’re re-hydrated and cooked with vegetables, usually tomatoes and onions. When I tried them for the first time, I kind of felt like Simba in the Lion King when Timon and Pumba were encouraging him to try their daily diet of “grubs” – except my worm wasn’t raw and I had a glass of water on hand. They weren’t bad. I’m not sure it’s something I’ll ever crave, but I’m glad I gave them a try. Do I feel a little more African after the experience? Yes, absolutely.
November/December 2012 Newsletter
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Merry Christmas!
A couple photos of the kiddos at my church getting ready to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus at our Christmas Eve Service. Enjoyed my first Christmas in Africa!
Youth Camp
Our youth group went on their annual youth camp to Tantebane Game Ranch. We had about 40 youth attend from our church in Francistown, as well as from our sister churches from the villages of Tati Siding and Matshelgabedi. It was the first time several of the youth had ever attended a youth camp. It was a great time of relationship building, spiritual growth, and fun for our youth!
Youth Sunday
Every year our youth group, Generation of Light, is in charge of facilitating an entire Sunday morning church service. This year the theme was “Whosoever Believes” taken from John 3:16, a celebration of God’s love for people of all cultures. Everyone came dressed in cultural attire and various parts of the service were spoken in the different languages represented in our church. It was definitely one of my favorite church services to attend since I’ve been in Botswana!
Youth Sunday Greeting
At our cultural-themed Youth Sunday, we greeted our church congregation in 7 different languages: English, Tagalog (Philippines), Setswana (Botswana), Bemba (Zambia), Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Kalanga (Botswana), and Korean. I love all the different cultures represented in my church!
Bible School Graduation
I finished my first term of Bible school and I’m happy to report that I passed all of my exams with flying colors! Our Bible school held its 12th graduation ceremony, graduating 7 students for completing the 2-year program; other students and I also participated in the ceremony and were recognized for completing either a term or a year of courses. My classmates range in age from 18-75 and we represent 15 different nationalities. I am proud to be associated with such an amazing group of people and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a student at Light of the World Bible Training Centre.
October 2012 Newsletter
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September 2012 Newsletter
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Month of Prayer for HIV/AIDS
Last month was the national month of prayer for HIV and AIDS in Botswana. Our church held a free HIV testing, counseling and education clinic. Our pastors even tested in an effort to encourage others to not be afraid of being tested. Botswana currently has the second highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world, despite having one of the most aggressive AIDS prevention campaigns in Africa. We had a great turn out and actually didn’t have enough testing staff to test everyone that came. At the end of the event, our pastor shared a message of hope in Christ. Even though people here have the resources to know about how to avoid contracting AIDS, it’s not enough to persuade them to change their lifestyle, so the love of God is the only thing that can make them want to change and give them hope.
I painted this sign for our Free HIV Event.
