Extreme Makeover, Extreme MKs

Sanyati Baptist Hospital, a 60 year icon of Southern Baptist ministry in Zimbabwe, is in need of an "Extreme Makeover" as a result of this country's economic collapse.  This hospital meets the needs of over 1,800 inpatients and over 35,000 outpatients each year.  Nine missionary kids, four dads, and one mom from South Africa and Botswana descended onto this property.  The purpose of this trip was to help with the renovation project and do ministry in local churches which have sprung up over the years as a result of this ministry.

Thanks to the mom, Shawna Davis, the kids had plenty of food to eat to give them the energy needed for the hard work they would experience.  The team was divided into 4 teams to help with food preparation and clean up.  Shawna always had plenty of help to get the food prepared and the dishes washed.  The kids did a great job and had an even better attitude.  Looks like Josiah Janz and Meredith Davis are enjoying their meal.  The photo jacker behind Josiah is Micah Davis.

Josiah's brother Caleb had kitchen duty.  It was hot at Sanyati so we drank a lot.

Each morning, after breakfast, we gathered for Bible Study and prayer.  Dennis Janz, the team leader, encouraged the youth to understand that young people keep their way pure by living according to God's Word.  Pray that the youth of the K2 Cluster will commit to living according to God's Word and will be committed to a life of purity.

The kids had a list of jobs to complete.  One of them was less than glamorous.  They were asked to assemble roofing screws.  These screws came in bags of 1,000 and each screw was made up of three separate parts that needed to be assembled.  There were 15 bags of these screws.  Some kids spent hours working on this job.  Some would take advantage of a spare moment and grab a bag in hopes of finishing all 15 bags.  By the last day all 15 bags were completed...just in time for another 20 bags to show up.  They worked on those as well.  By them doing this the next team, a roofing team, will have screws ready which will enable them to roof more of the hospital. 

Painting a hallway of the hospital was also on the list.  This job created a lot more excitement than the less glamorous screws.  After cleaning, scraping, and preparing the wall, eager middle school students, lead by Dad, Tim Shaw, also known as "Mr. Man" tackled the job of painting.  After Daniel Shaw and Josiah Janz labeled every can of paint so that future teams will know where it is to be used the kids gathered supplies to paint the hall.  With patients, nurses, and visitors walking up and down the hallway these youth worked diligently to paint.  Pray that these youth would learn the value of hard work and grow to do all for the glory of the Lord.

The big boys were always ready to do the heavyweight jobs.  Micah Davis and Andy Janz dug a ditch at the nearby Sanyati High School in order to bury the cable supplying electricity to the water pump.  With shovel and pick axe these two made quick work of it.
A day later a truck showed up with 15 tons of roofing supplies.  Micah and Andy offloaded the steel and handed it to Dennis Janz and Brandon Warner and some national helpers who organized it in the storage container.  Pray for Micah as he plans on starting University in August of 2012.  Pray for Andy as he and his family return to the US in late April where Andy will finish his senior year before starting college in the fall of 2013.

This container is where all the supplies for the project are being stored.  Anna Shaw and Meredith Davis compiled an inventory of all the supplies and tools stored in the container.  The container is not level and therefore the doors do not shut properly.  Dads, Brandon Warner, Dennis Janz, and Daren Davis spent hours jacking up the container in hopes of leveling it.  After 3 days it still was not completely level.  Pray that when teams come they will be careful when closing the container. If the handles break the supplies will not be secure.

The youth also had opportunity to teach the Word of God at local churches.  Micah Davis taught on the importance of forgiving yourself and one another just as God forgives us.

Meredith Davis taught on the Prodigal Son.

Dennis Janz did an excellent job of summarizing the previous lessons and challenging the believers to live lives committed to God's Word.

After a long day of working the youth enjoyed playing games, and just hanging out together.

One of the teenagers grew a year older while on our trip.  Daniel Shaw turned 14.  Pray for Daniel as he returns to Rift Valley Academy where he is in school.  Pray that Daniel will continue to grow to become the man God wants him to be.

The K2 Youth Mission trip team - Daren Davis, Brandon Warner, Dennis Janz, Daniel Shaw, Shawna Davis, Tim Shaw, Josiah Janz, Rhett Warner, Meredith Davis, Caleb Janz, Andy Janz, Micah Davis, Peyton Davis, and Anna Shaw
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Let the Little Children Come

These 3 lovely ladies are shining the light of God into the lives of many Tswana children.

(From left) Torie Warner, Teresa Kabika and Amanda Turner meet at Gaborone Baptist Church each Friday afternoon to lead the GBC Children's Ministry.

Pray that these children will come to know the truth, that they are each a special and unique creation of the One True God and He desires a relationship with them.

Torie teaches the children a Bible story each week. The number of children have almost doubled recently. Thank God that these children are so eager to learn His Word.

Amanda works with the children to memorize scripture. Recently, a young girl came for the first time. After the meeting she quoted 2 scriptures that had been memorized at previous meetings. Amazed, they asked her how she had been able to do this and she explained that her cousin had been coming home and teaching her the scriptures! Praise the Lord!!

The kids love having Amanda's oldest, 4 year old Taylor, around to keep them smiling.

Torie's oldest, 11 year old Rhett, helps lead the children in singing praises to the Lord by playing his guitar. What a blessing to see children ministering along side their parents.!

Pray that these children will continue to come and learn God's eternal truths, pray that they will continue to teach their family God's Word when they get home, pray that the children of Botswana will impact their country for God's glory.

Thank God for the faithful witness of Torie, Teresa and Amanda. Pray that the children will see Christ in everything the women do. Pray that the children, while intrigued by games and crafts, will be drawn to the Cross.
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Two Churches, One Village

Molepolole is the largest village in Botswana, with a population of over 70,000 people
...and quite a mouthful to say, "Mow-lee-po-low-lee"

There are two Baptist churches in Molepolole. This is David & Selabe Thokwane. He pastors Calvary Baptist Church.

One of the believers at Calvary Baptist is a blind man, once he found such a warm welcome from the Thokwanes, he invited his other visually impaired friends. They are all very active at church together. In this picture they were singing for the church. Pray that the worship of these two churches would please God and glorify His name.

Molepolole Baptist Church is pastored by Sethuba Kalaeng, he is in the center of this picture. He and a church member were out evangelizing in their community and were joined by Pastor Jack Ranto, of Lobatse Baptist. Pray that these pastors will find their strength in the Lord and not grow weary of doing good, that their lives would point their communities to Christ.

Pray for the children of Molepolole, that they will hear and believe the Word of God, that they will make a decision to serve the Lord with their whole heart and not be lead astray by the world.

The ladies of Molepolole Baptist and Calvary Baptist came together to prepare this meal and fellowship together. Pray that they will stand united as the body of Christ, that their large village will see a difference in them and the way they live. Pray that many Tswana people will come to know Christ as their Savior through the witness of these two churches.

Chief Bottle Washer

Jim and Teresa Flora and their three daughters live in Katse, Lesotho. On a recent visit to Lesotho we were able to minster alongside Jim. Teresa and the girls had to stay in Johannesburg due to Teresa recovering from surgery. This trip provided us with numerous opportunities to minister in the mountain villages of the Sotho.

Jim was host, teacher, cook, and chief bottle washer!

In addition to washing the bottles he also led us along the mountain passes and trails to the villages of Makoabateng and Mapoleng where we had the opportunity to meet those who are learning the Word of God.

As we made our way from village to village the road was often blocked by the animals the Basotho raise for their livelihood. Sheep like these are a staple to the economy of the rural Sotho. Isaiah 53:6 says "All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." Pray that the Sotho would no longer stray away from God but turn to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Huts like this are clustered together to form the villages which sit on the side of the mountains. As we looked out over the mountains, villages were seen in every direction, villages where people live who need to hear the gospel.

Pastor Phoka lives in one of these mountain villages and pastors Khoklo-ntso Baptist church. His wife prayed for him for years before he became a believer in Jesus Christ. She prayed with tenacity and commitment. Now he works closely with Jim Flora and together they proclaim the truths of Scripture.

Kantine is growing in his faith and relatioship with Christ by leaps and bounds. Jim believes he will be ready to be the Pastor of the Makoabateng Church by the end of this year. Presently Jim is leading this church. Pray that Kantine will continue to be faithful and continue to mature in his faith.

We were honored to serve for a few days with Jim. He and his family serve in a very tough place. Lesotho is a rugged country with a very challenging climate. While we were there the wind was blowing with the temperature hovering right at freezing. Pray for Jim and Teresa Flora and their three girls as they experience the joys of serving God together.This Basotho boy is loving the attention. Pray for boys like this, who will grow up to be shepherds and while living a lonely and tough life, will choose to follow the Good Shepherd.

Buckets of Blessings!

Talk about giving your life for something...That is what Gregg and Donna Fort have done so that the light of the gospel will shine throughout Zimbabwe. Gregg grew up in Zimbabwe as a missionary kid. After college, seminary, and a few years as a pastor God called he and his wife Donna back to Zimbabwe to plant their life and family among the Shona people in order to share the gospel, disciple, train leaders, and plant churches. They are passionate about their Lord Jesus Christ and the task to which He has called them. They are partnering with the Zimbabwe Baptist Convention to plant churches in the Mberengwa area of Zimbabwe and are seeing hundreds of people decide to follow Jesus. Gregg also leads the Zimbabwe Evangelism Team of IMB missionaries who are involved in a variety of ministries throughout Zimbabwe.

The newest member of the Zimbabwe Evangelism Team is Ramona Beam. She has been working hard for over a year to learn the Ndebele language and culture and is doing great. Please pray for Ramona's daughter in law who had premature twins about 1 month ago. Mom and babies are doing well. Being away from family at crucial times is a real challenge for missionaries. Thanks for praying for Ramona.

During a recent trip to the Mberengwa area of Zimbabwe the day was spent filling a trough, bucket by bucket, with water, training new believers, baptizing those new believers, and worshiping. It took most of the morning to fill the trough which sat at the foot of the bore hole. As the last few buckets of water were poured into the trough, the singing, clapping, and dancing started. As the singing and dancing grew louder and more celebratory, people started lining up at the foot of the trough to be baptized. It took a long time to fill the trough with water but even longer to baptize the more than 70 people who had decided to follow Jesus. It was an amazing picture seeing this trough of water surrounded by people singing as new believers, one by one, stepped into the water to be baptized. The bore hole used to fill this trough is used by multiple villages as their water supply. Pray that the people using this bore hole will hear from those baptized about the spiritual water that will satisfy their spiritual thirst forever.

Throughout the baptism those watching sang praises. This man was full of joy and led out in the singing. Praise God for these new believers who are worshiping the King of kings.

Pray that these new believers will be faithful to share their faith with others resulting in the need for another baptism service.

Join Gregg and Donna Fort in praying for the Shona and Ndebele people of Zimbabwe.

Pray for Donna as she faithfully disciples women, encourages the ladies serving on the Zimbabwe Evangelism Team, and hosts numerous people in her home.

Pray for people gathering all over Zimbabwe in church buildings, in their homes, and under trees to worship the Lord Jesus and learn the Word of God.

Young men like this one watched as others were baptized. He sat under the tree as people shared their testimony and the Bible was taught. Pray that this young man and many more like him will follow Jesus!

This elderly man sang with joy, excitement, and sincerity as people were baptized and then sat under the tree and read the Scripture, answered questions, and listened. Pray that he will be an example for other men.

God is moving in a remarkable way among the people of the Mberengwa area. They are experiencing blessings as numerous as the buckets of water it took to fill the trough. Pray they will recognize they are blessed to be a blessing! Pray they will give their life so that the light of the gospel will shine throughout Zimbabwe.