Leadership in Lobatse and Beyond

Developing leaders is crucial to the future advance of the gospel throughout the K2 Cluster. Robert Fortenberry and Pastor Jack Ronto from Lobatse, Botswana have started a practical based, theologically focused leadership training program. It is designed to train men and women to learn how to share their faith, disciple new believers, and provide leadership in their local churches. Men and women throughout southern Botswana as far away as Kang are attending and benefiting from this training that meets at Lobatse Baptist Church.

Pastor Jack Ronto is the pastor of Lobatse Baptist Church. This Motswana man is truly a man of God and a great leader of both this local church and the convention of Baptists. Here he is leading the students of the leadership training program in worship. His joy in the Lord is contagious and young men and women are benefiting from his mentoring of them. His influence is evident not only among the Batswana people but also among the Kgalagadi people of Kang.

Jones, wearing the black shirt, gave his life over to Jesus in the summer of 2009. Students from Mississippi College were partnered with Robert Fortenberry and Pastor Jack Ronto, in the village of Kang where the Kgalagadi people live. This Kgalagadi believer is growing strong in his relationship with Jesus. Just last week Jones accompanied Daren and JB in a village north of Gaborone where he effectively shared his testimony and the gospel with a family. Pray that Jones will continue to be an effective witness for the Lord Jesus. Pray for Jones as he completes his education in Agriculture.

These ladies from Lobatse are serious about growing in their faith. Pray that these ladies will teach others the Word of God, be examples of godly women, and live out their faith among the Batswana people.

Andrew recently graduated from the University of Botswana and instead of securing a job he decided to work alongside of Andy Pettigrew in the student ministry at the University. He meets several times a week with students to teach and disciple them as well as sharing his faith on campus regularly. He is also leading a team of Batswana students to a remote village in Lesotho for a mission trip. Pray for Andrew and the other students as they prepare to take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the world and share their faith with the Basotho people. Pray for Andrew as he applies all that he is learning from the leadership training.

Pray that the hearts of the Tswana people would be good soil, that when the gospel seed is planted, it would produce, 100, 60, 30 times what was sown. International research continue to show that less than 2% of the Tswana people in Botswana are evangelical. There have been missionaries in this part of Africa for 90 years. Pray for pastors and missionaries like Jack and Robert, that they will persevere in doing the work of an evangelist and disciple.

In addition to the Tswana of Botswana being less than 2% evangelical, the Kgalagadi people are also less than 2% evangelical. Pray for Lobatse Baptist Church and Robert and Margaret Fortenberry as they seek to start a church among this unreached people group.
Pray that Kgalagadi believers will follow the example of Jones who is taking the gospel to his own people.