Botswana Bulletin – Twenty Seventh Edition

Botswana Bulletin – Twenty Seventh Edition

“Not My Will But Yours Be Done”                                                  

September 9, 2007

Greetings from the beautiful city of Edmonton, AB, Canada!  It has been almost 2 months now since I’ve updated you all on what has been happening in my life.  Hopefully that gave you enough time to get through my last e-mail and now your just dying to hear more about the wild adventures I’ve gotten myself into.  So, without any further delay let me fill you in on the goings-on.

First off I should probably speak to the questions most of you have in your head at this time, “Where are you?” and probably “When are you leaving Canada?”  Well, the first answer is easy, I’m still here in Canada.  I’ve been on the road travelling quite a bit the last two months (more on that later) but as of right now I’m back home in Edmonton.  Many of you may recall that my original target departure date was set at August 31^st.  Since it’s September 9^th and I’m still in Edmonton, obviously that departure date has changed.  Exactly why that has changed is what I’ll explain next.

The original plan we had for me leaving was setup like this.  The hope was that by August 31^st I would have all my financial support in and that a plane ticket would be purchased for early September.  See, in order to leave SIM requires that I have 100% of my support for the next two years (which is the length of this term).  The amount needed at the time was about $2200/month which is the amount I set in my support letters.  So with this goal in mind we began praying that God would provide the necessary funds.  As time went by the goal looked like it was going to met but unfortunately some finances weren’t accounted for and my monthly needs went up to about $2900/month.  As of today about 83% of the needed funds are in.  Praise the Lord!  Now some may say that the goal was not met.  That’s how I felt at first.  I’ve realized now how untrue that statement really is.  The original goal of raising $2200/month was in fact met by August 31^st.  In fact about $2400/month was in by that date, smashing the original need.  So the original need wasn’t just met, it was exceeded!  Our God definitely dislikes doing the minimum!  Unfortunately though, there were some finances unaccounted for so now a new goal has been set.

Before I continue some may remember that I was hoping to be in Botswana by September 17^th as the IT Manager was planning to leave for the UK on that date.  Well, it just so happens that Richard (Flying Missions IT Manager) has changed his plans.  Due to problems with one of the computer servers as well as some troubles with his car, Richard has decided to stay in Botswana until November to resolve these problems.  This was a great relief to me because I was hoping that no extra stress would befall any of the Flying Mission personnel knowing that they would be without any IT support.  As much as I’d like to be there to help Richard now, I’m glad that he will be there so that we can have a proper hand over like we had planned. 

Anyway, with that said this is now the new goal that has been set.  My support goal has now been set to $2900/month and the hope is that this amount would be raised by September 30, 2007.  Since about $2400/month has already come in that is a shortfall of about $500/month.  Please pray that the Lord would continue to bless and supply this need by the end of the month. 

Ok, enough about finances for now.  Sorry to bore you all with these financial issues but I want you all to know exactly what is happening so that you know how best to pray.  So, what next?  Ah, how about I tell you about some of my travels.  When I last spoke to you I had just came back from a trip to the lower mainland.  The rest of July was spent in Edmonton where I kept busy visiting with friends and supporters.  I especially enjoyed the time I was able to spend with an old friend, Gabriel Ting.  He and his wife Karen have been living in Ontario but have recently been called back to the mission field and were themselves travelling to raise support for their ministries.  We were able to catch up during an Edmonton Eskimos football game and I was encouraged to hear that almost all their support had come in.  It’s great to talk with other missionaries and hear how God has called them into different parts of the world.  The story is different each time and it is such a testimony to me of how God loves us so individually.  He meets us where we are at and tailor makes a place for us to serve.  What a loving God!

So with July finished it was time to make plans to visit churches again.  So on August 11^th I set out on a 2 week journey first to Fort McMurray, AB to visit the Fellowship Baptist church there.  During my time in Fort Mac I was able to visit with some old friends, Ken & Gloria Krahn.  Ken & Gloria used to be my youth group leaders and one night we broke out some old videos Ken had made while I was in high school.  It’s slightly embarrassing knowing that such tapes exist but we had a lot of fun watching them and laughing at how different we all looked.  Thanks Ken & Gloria for your hospitality!

Fort McMurray Fellowship Baptist church is the church I grew up in so it’s always been a pleasure to come back and see familiar faces.  I was able to spend some time with the new senior pastor there, Pastor Brent Carter, and was thankful for the support shown by the church as well as individuals in the congregation.  Thank you Fort McMurray Fellowship Baptist church for your continual prayer and financial support.  May God continue to bless the ministry of “the church in the heart of the community, with the community in its heart.”

After Fort McMurray it was back to beautiful Vancouver Island.  Parksville Fellowship Baptist church had invited me to come and share again the ministry that God has laid on my heart.  I was especially grateful for the chance to meet the new senior pastor there, Pastor Paul Hawkes.  I had heard a lot of hype about Parksville’s new pastor and was glad to see that the rumours were true.  I got along great with Pastor Paul and this was proven during the Sunday morning service when Pastor Paul interviewed me on stage.  We had a lot of fun and shared a few laughs much to the congregation’s delight.  After our short stand up routine a member of the missions committee presented a cheque to me which I totally wasn’t expecting.  Thank you so much Parksville Fellowship Baptist church for your continual support.  I never tire of visiting the island and enjoying the company of such a loving congregation.  God bless you as you continue to reach out to the needs of the people there in Parksville/Qualicum and area.

From time to time I still get e-mail messages from Botswana inviting me to dinners and meetings and other such things.  I was amused at one e-mail in particular that came in the middle of August.  For those who have been to Africa they know how hard it is to get directions to someone’s house or a specific shop.  To give you an idea of the complexity of the directions you’ll get in Botswana, please read the passage below.

“Dear Personnel,

Here are the directions to the prayer meeting tonight:

From Molapo Crossing Circle:
Go towards Grand Palm (will pass it and Met Court on your left) heading on into Mogoditshane. Stay in left lane. Go to the first robot (will see Western shop on right side of road) and turn left. Just a little ways down this road, you will come to a crossroads. Take a right. As you drive down this road, you will come to two places where STOP is painted on the pavement and you'll need to stop (it sneaks up on you, so be careful). You will eventually pass a bar on the left, which will let you know you are getting close. You will then pass a guest house on the left called Phomolong (white cement wall). Just past this, also on the left (and before the road comes to a T) is a small tuck shop, sitting in the middle of the dirt. There is also a small sign to the left of the tuck shop that says Terrence Secondary school. Drive to the left of the tuck shop (this whole road is dirt, so watch out for all the potholes) and down the alley (this is the road we live on). Driving down this road, you will come to a crossroads (watch for traffic) but stay straight and just past that crossroads on the right is plot 25, then plot 22, both with black gates. We live in Plot 22 (the 2nd one on the right). Easy!”

For those who are wondering what a “robot” is, that is a traffic light.  And don’t think that they look like “The Terminator” or anything, they’re just regular traffic lights.  I’m assuming the “bar” you pass on the left is a pub style bar and not just a big metal bar or something weird like that.  For those who are used to street names notice that only one street name exists in these directions, “This road”.  Hopefully those of you who haven’t been to Africa now realize the complexity in getting from A to B.  If I had to give you an explanation on why directions are like this in Botswana I would probably guess that it’s because of a lack of maps.  If all that was given was an address how would you find the address without a map?  Thus the verbal map has evolved.  Plus, how would you plot a map according to these directions?  I don’t think I could.

Anyway, the rest of August has been mostly visits with other friends and supporters which I won’t elaborate on at this time.  I’d like to thank all of the people who have been an encouragement to me during my time back home.  Those who have prayed for me and supported me in different ways, I thank you with all my heart.  Please continue to pray as I continue to visit with churches and supporters to raise the remaining funds.  Speaking of prayer I would like to continue on with my “saving the best for last” and leave you with a few prayer requests to close out this letter.  Here they are in no particular order:

1)     As mentioned, please pray that my monthly support of $2900/month would be raised by the new target date of September 30, 2007.  Pray that I would be able to partner with new churches as I seek to expand my support team.

2)     And please pray a prayer of praise for the $2400/month monthly support that has come in.  God has definitely proven his ability to provide once again!

3)     Pray for Richard, Flying Missions IT Manager, as he deals with some major problems with our server in Zambia.  Pray that he would have time to see to the IT issues as well as the personal issues with his car.

4)     Pray for rain.  Botswana is experiencing drought like conditions once again.  Pray that rain would fall on the dry ground and bring life to the desert.

5)     Pray for me as I prepare to say good-bye to people here in Canada.  Pray that I would “leave well” and that time will allow for proper good-byes.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this letter and especially for taking the time to pray for my needs and the needs in Botswana.  Until next time, may the Lord continue to bless you in all you do and say.

Peace and prayers,

Graham Crawford <><