From our street to yours ...
Glyn, Susan, Maeyken, Adriaena
January 2006 #3.1
Some Images and Impressions of the Summer...
Summer vacation has just ended. Maeyken and Adriaena returned to school this week to new teachers and new grades. Maeyken has begun her last year at Thornhill (Standard 7) and Adriaena has begun Standard 4. Our summer vacation was busy especially with events surrounding Christmas and New Years. Here are some of our highlights.
The Christmas season began with saying good by to our good friends and missionary colleagues Heidi and Jens Lomborg and their three girls, Silje (Adriaena’s class at school), Thea and Nenia. Heidi and Jens were Lutheran mission workers at the Lutheran seminary here in Gaborone and have returned to Denmark. There were several parties for them including one that Adriaena planned for Silje with all of their classmates. (Girls only!) Our two families managed a night away together at a game park. While saying goodby to friends is one of the challenges of living in Botswana, it is not one that we enjoy!
We spent a day entertaining the children of our Lutheran missionary friends while the adults attended a farewell party for their outgoing Bishop. We had children from 3 families (Danish, German and Finnish). We have an advent tradition of making gingerbread houses. So one activities was house building. Susan forgot to include the triangle which holds up the roof when she made the outside walls. So quite by accident they became authentic Botswana Village Gingerbread Houses with flat roofs!
Glyn had the opportunity
to spend two nights in the Khutsi Game reserve in the Kalahari with
Jens and Gunner (A German Lutheran mission worker/pastor). They did not
see lots of wildlife but there were a number of Lions. A young male is
pictured here. He and another one were about 2 km from their camp site.
They spent over two hours patiently waiting at a waterhole in the
evening hoping to get another glimpse of them but to no avail! The men
were the only people in the park and were camped about 40 km from the
main gate. It was a wonderful sense of isolation, and real quiet. Even
their cell phones did not work - a wonderful treat here in Botswana.
Laura Snyder, a Canadian
Mennonite University mission intern working near Umtata,
South Africa, joined us for Christmas. Her roots are in Waterloo, so we had lots to talk about. Laura travelled with us after Christmas to Swaziland.
On December 23rd we hosted a Carol Sing in our backyard for friends who were spending Christmas in Botswana. What a wonderful evening - English Christmas carols in the cool of a Botswana summer evening! The highlight of the evening was the singing of Silent Night in people’s native languages: English, Finnish, German, Danish and Setswana,
In Swaziland we stayed on a game reserve where hiking was possible. We met Phil and Christine Lindell Detweiler and their three children, Nathan, Anneka and Lydia. Phil and Christine veteran Mission workers with Mennonite Church US Network are beginning a new ministry in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (Near Durban). A significant part of the trip was to have our families get to know one another. Our families along with Laura had a good time playing together, hiking through lush green spaces and up steep mountains, watching animals as well as worshipping together.
New Year’s Eve we were entertained by local Swazi’s with their traditional dance. Then we returned to our rondavel and enjoyed another one of our traditions - Chocolate Fondue!
On January 2nd,
Meghan Wagler and Jennie Bowman joined us. Both are members of Wilmot
Mennonite Church in Baden, Ontario and are students in medical fields.
Jennie a third year midwifery student is working at the local
government hospital. Meghan a fourth year Health Sciences student is
visiting various Non Government Organizations (NGOs) and government
clinics and hospitals to observe health care and issues here.
Bible Classes resumed a couple of weeks ago after the Christmas break. The leaders and students continue to be excited about studying God’s word. This coming year we plan to continue to support the existing classes and spend more concentrated time with some of the newer classes. The women’s class at the Spiritual Healing Church has not go off the ground yet although much talking has been done. Some things take time!
We have been finding Jennie and Meghan’s studies here to be enlightening for us as well. Listing to Jennie’s stories after a day at the hospital and tagging along with Meghan on her visits has been very informative. It continues to highlight the major crisis that Botswana is in with the HIV/AIDS crisis. And it helps us to be clearer on both government and NGO responses to this crisis. We continue to pray and think about ways in which we can respond as a faith based organization that has unique contacts with AIC’s.
In December we presented a cheque for $500 US to the Kanye Branch of Abanaesa Association Church to contribute to finishing their church. The church is almost complete lacking only windows, doors, a smooth floor and the finishing layer on the walls. Moruti (Rev) William Monaka has a vision for ministry in Kanye. He has a keen desire to follow Christ and to study the Bible. William has completed the Bible class diploma a number of years ago but continues to come to classes as he desires to complete all of the study books. The amazing thing about William is that he has faithfully travelled weekly from Kanye to Gaborone for over 5 years to be part of a study group! Kanye is about a 50 minute drive. While the road is good there is a level of risk especially travelling after dark with cows, donkeys and goats freely roaming beside and on the road. It has also cost him significant money in Petrol. When in class William always takes the studies very seriously asking many challenging and sometimes difficult questions! We have been incredibly blessed by both his dedication to study but more so with his commitment to faith. William is feeling the downturn of the economy here very much. His small business has a hard time competing with the bigger stores in town. Since most of the funding for the church has come from his own pocket he is finding it very difficult to complete it. The money that he received from us helps to boost his moral as well as get a bit closer to his goal of completion!
Susan & Glyn
In The Future
Ariel Campion arrives Jan. 25. Ariel is a young adult from Stratford Ontario who feels called to spend time with a pastor in Zimbabwe she met at Mennonite World Conference in 2003. We have agreed to be a supportive presence for Ariel as she ventures out into this experience with all of it’s unknowns.
Soon one or both of us will visit Francistown to encourage the Bible Programme and the youth ministry at Bopaganang Basha youth centre.
As things start up after the Summer break we will be returning to Setswana classes and other planned Setswana practice.
We need to reformat the Bible lesson books to reduce copying costs. This is a significant task with over 20 books.
Please Pray for...
... Maeyken and Adriaena as they start a new school year and all the excitement and anxiety that can produce.
... Meghan Wagler, Jennie Bowman and Ariel Campion as they spend time in Botswana and Zimbabwe. All three are delving into parts of life that are far different from life in Canada. All their experiences include significant connection with people with HIV/AIDS.
... Glyn and Susan as we look forward to the next two years. Ask for help for us to be realistic in what we can accomplish in ministry, neither setting goals too high nor too low. We are also involved right now in the lives of a number of young adults from North America. Ask that we be wise in what we say, and helpful in their learning and growth both in terms of Africa and faith.
... Bible classes are growing. Please pray for the leaders, and the new students as they get up to speed. The approach to instruction is different in the classes than in public education here. We expect discussion, and do not expect that there is necessarily one correct answer to some of the questions. But students here are used to having answers dictated to them by the teachers.
... us as we continue to search out ways to help the churches we work with approach the topics of HIV/AIDS and lifestyle choices in healthy ways. Pray as we continue to seek resources that are appropriate and people who can implement them in their congregations.
... Moruti William Monaka as he continues to complete his worship building and as he reaches out to the people of Kanye. Pray also that God would intervene for him in his business or give him new vision for securing income.
Thank God for
your faithfulness in prayer and financial support during the past year. As we wrap up a financial year we are mindful of how your contributions have contributed to our ministry here.
Contact us
Mail us at:
Susan Allison-Jones &
Glyn Jones
Box 33, Gaborone,
Botswana
Phone us at:
267-390-5554
(just remember that we are 7 hours earlier than Ontario time)
Email us at:
There are lots of pictures of Khutsi and Swaziland on the web site. There are also pictures of some of the people we spent time with in North America. Check it out, you might be there...
We welcome your contributions for our support and invite you to send these to:
Mennonite Church Canada WITNESS
600 Shaftesbury Blvd
Winnipeg MB
Canada R3P 0M4