Botswana Bulletin – Fourteenth Edition

Botswana Bulletin – Fourteenth Edition

“Hot N’ Sandy Holiday Edition”

December 18, 2005

Greetings to you all from the hot and sunny country of Botswana!  Well, am I ever glad I finally found some time to sit down and write to you all about my trip back to hot and sandy Botswana.  So without further delay let me fill you in on my adventure so far.

Well as most of you know I left Edmonton on December 1^st and flew to my first destination, Toronto.  However, before leaving I had a bit of a problem at the airport.  As it turned out Air Canada reduced the weight limit of each bag you can bring from 70lbs to 50lbs.  Fort Saskatchewan Alliance Church had given me a bunch of stuff to take for our orphan programs but unfortunately I was over weight and had to leave 20lbs of it behind.  So, after dealing with that and saying good bye to my parents it was off to Toronto. 

During the flight I introduced myself to the person sitting beside me.  His name was Mario and he was off to his home country, Peru.  He had just bought a new digital camera and as it turned out it was almost exactly the same as my new one (Canon).  He had no idea how to use it so during the flight I gave him a little training on how he could use his new camera to take pictures of his home land.  He seemed a bit confused at first but I’m sure he made out fine.  So before I knew it we had landed in Toronto.  I had about a 3 hour wait or so for my next flight so I tried once again to get ahold of my long time friend Gabriel Ting.  Well as it turned out what I had written down as his cell phone number turned out to be his work number.  I tried him at his home number and I was forced to leave a rather awkward message telling him I didn’t have his cell phone number.  Not knowing whether he would get the message in the next few minutes or hours I decided to sit put and wait for him.  I waited about 30 minutes and my hopes of seeing him began to dwindle.  So, I did what everyone does when there depressed…eat!  It ended up being a big mistake as later I found out Gabriel did get my message and ended up searching high and low for me in the airport!  Sorry Gabe!  In hindsight I should have phoned and told him where I was eating but as they say hindsight is 20-20. 

Anyway, going and eating turned out to be a bit of an adventure in and of itself.  I went to Swiss Chalet since it would be the last time I graced there doors in a while.  As it turned out there was a bit of a line up with just people wanting tables for one.  Well, the waitress only had one table so she was wondering if there was a group of people waiting so she could fill the table.  Once person volunteered that he would be willing to share the table with other people.  I figured that was a pretty good plan so I said that I’d join him.  Another older lady agreed to join us so I ended up eating supper with two complete strangers. 

The gentleman sharing the table with me was named Naqi and he works for IBM.  The other person was Cynthia and she was heading on a safari trip in the African countries of Rwanda and Kenya.  Naqi was from Atlanta, Georgia although his appearance would suggest otherwise.  His family originates from Pakistan.  Cynthia was originally from the US but living in Ontario.  She had a huge digital camera strapped around her neck and her plans were to take pictures of Mountain Gorillas in Africa.  She showed me all her camera equipment and I tell yah, she had everything.  She was probably packing $30,000 worth of camera equipment with her.  And I thought my new camera was nice!  Anyway, we had a great meal and had a great chat with each other.  I was able to share with them the missions trip I was going on and Naqi thought it would be a good idea if he got my e-mail address so he could hear more about what I was doing.  I didn’t think I’d ever hear from him but low and behold an e-mail arrived shortly after I arrived in Botswana.  So to Naqi, thanks for keeping in touch buddy.  I’ll let you know if we need anything from IBM.  A free server maybe?  J

Anyway, after supper it was off to catch my next flight to jolly ol’ England.  We flew all night and landed in London around 9:00AM local time.  Picking me up at the airport was my friend Beth Parkinson.  I met Beth and her husband Rory in Botswana earlier this year and they told me if I was ever in England I should give them a ring.  Well, that’s exactly what I did and they were nice enough to have me for the weekend at their house in Bedford (north of London).  I spent threee days with Rory and Beth and got to see some of the English countryside which was cool.  I even got a chance to visit their church on Sunday and even played the drums with the worship team.  Rory had asked me if I’d be willing to play so I volunteered and it was really great.  So if you're ever in Bedford be sure to check out Kings Arm Church, they have great church services!

So after some great English hospitality it was off to sunny South Africa!  But before I get ahead of myself I should remind you all of what I’ve said before.  Flying internationally has always been an adventure for me.  And once again I was stunned by what happened.  Considering I only knew about 3 people in England I wasn’t expecting to see anyone I knew at Heathrow Airport.  Well, who should find me but me friend Kristi Evans!  Kritsti is the grand-daughter of a man some of you would know, David Evans.  I couldn’t believe it.  Well, guess where she was flying?  South Africa!  Guess which flight?  Mine!  Guess which row she was sitting in?  You guessed it, Mine!  Too weird.  Anyway, so I ended up flying to South Africa with a friend.  Who woulda thunk it?  So when I landed I was able to meet Kritsi’s family and spend some time with them before I was off to my next flight.  It was only a short wait before I was off and flying to my final destination, Gaborone.  After coming through customs I was shocked by the turnout that greeted me at the airport.  A ton of people from the mission had come to greet me and it felt really good to have that kind of support.  So, after some quick hellos I was off to get settled into my temporary living assignment (my own definition for where I was to live). 

I am currently living in our Chief Instructors house owned by Ken & Anne Marie Baerg.  I should be here till around the middle of January when I will be on the move again.  Adapting to the Botswana culture and way of life has once again been relatively easy.  Knowing what to expect and remembering most of the Setswana I’ve learned has made the transition into life here pretty simple.  In a way I didn’t have much choice because within two days of arriving I was already attending my first Elders Meeting (they're calling it an “Executive Meeting” now) with Open Baptist Church.  A lot had happened in my absence including finding a senior pastor (praise the Lord!).  Jonathon Larson, a pastor from Atlanta, Georgia has now been officially made the pastor of our church.  It was good to hear and I believe it was an excellent decision.  Jonathon speaks fluent Setswana and understands the people and culture of Botswana.  With many ex-patriots in our congregation it also seems perfect that he has roots in western society as he will be able to meet the needs of our ex-patriots as well.  So yah, that was definitely a great answer to prayer.  I played the drums on my first Sunday back so I’m pretty much picking up where I left off.  I’ve also had my first youth meeting since returning and it made me glad to see that familiar faces were still attending. 

I also have already attended a traditional wedding during my first weekend back.  A friend of mine who happens to share my name “Rapula” was getting married and I was fortunate enough to attend his wedding.  I took a lot of pictures and should be posting them on my website soon.  Yesterday, the band I’ve been doing worship nights with had a braai which gave us time to discuss our future plans.  Our band now has a name, “Audience Of One”, and we are planning to do another big worship night in April.  During my absence they had performed at the Gaborone Civic Centre in front of 150 people and apparently it went over very well.  Our vision is to see the family of God unified in this country.  We want to see worship become a conduit for believers and hopefully these worship nights will be a way to unify us.  The fact that many churches were represented and many enjoyed the night I’m confident that this can happen at our next event.  Please be praying for me and the rest of the band as we prepare for this night of worship.

Well, I think I’ve got you all up to date now.  Oh, one thing I know some of you will be wondering is “How hot is it?”  Weather is usually something I talk about at the beginning of my letters but I thought this time I’d save it until the end.  My friend Kristi e-mailed me to tell me that Alberta had its first cold snap getting down as low as -25ºC.  Apparently its warmed up and its now around 15ºC so most of you won’t be as jealous as usual.  Anyway, in Gaborone its presently 31ºC and overcast with a bit of a breeze usually signalling the potential for rain.  Oh, one praise item is that since my arrival it has rained a few times which is a great blessing.  This country still needs a lot of rain to fill its dam before the dry season so continue to pray for rain. 

While we are on the topic of prayer I’ll leave you as I usually do with a few prayer requests.  Once again I would also like to take time to thank all of you who are praying for me and supporting me financially while I’m serving here in Botswana.  Thank you so much for helping me return to this country and do what I love to do!  Lastly, I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year.  Happy holidays everyone!

Prayer Requests:

- please pray for me as I settle back into my responsibilities with the Flying Mission and Open Baptist Church

- please pray for my band “Audience Of One” that our preparation would be fruitful and that the worship night planned for April would create a feeling of unity among the Christians in Botswana

- please pray for rain as the dam where we receive our daily water is only 17% full

- please pray for my transportation issues.  My car is for sale back home and I’m hoping to use the money to purchase a car here in Botswana.  Pray that my car would sell and that I would find a suitable replacement here.  (For now I’m still on “Mighty Mouse” – my 100cc Honda motorcycle)

- pray for my family and friends who are missing me during the holiday season.  I miss you too!

Peace and prayers,

Graham Crawford <><