Let the Little Children Come

The Lobatse Baptist Care Center is a new ministry of Lobatse Baptist Church in southern Botswana, founded by Allison Hunter and Kasey Ambrose, while under the watch care of national Pastor Jack Ronto and career missionaries, Robert and Margaret Fortenberry.

Presently 10 Tswana orphans and vulnerable children come to receive tutoring in their school subjects. Tonya Shipes enjoyed listening to Maria read to her.

The center located at Lobatse Baptist Church is a safe place they can play. Pray for physical and spiritual protection for each of these children. The status of orphan or vulnerable children makes them low man in the community and abuse often goes along with that.

Meredith Davis volunteers several afternoons each week at the center and is preparing to serve them a hot meal.

Thank God that these children are able to experience His love in such a tangible way!

Kasey Ambrose, along with Allison Hunter, started the Lobatse Baptist Care Center to share the hope found in Christ with those children that seem to be hopeless.

The children are learning Bible stories, memorizing scripture and praising God with their sweet voices! Pray that they will develop a deep love for His Word and use it to make decisions in their lives on a daily basis.

Each of these children have had their young lives impacted in some way by the AIDS crisis. One in every four adults in Botswana has AIDS or is positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

These precious children, living with extended family or friends, are not able to be provided with much from an already stretched thin family budget. School shoes are one of many items that passed down and the children feel blessed to have shoes at all.

Allison Hunter prepares to lead the children in thanking God for the meal they are about to eat. Allison has been coming to Botswana as a volunteer missionary since 2008. Pray that more university students will be called out to serve the Lord among the people groups of the K2 Cluster.

Thank God for the teaching of His Word, pray that the children will hold tightly to this dear treasure. Pray that each of these children will learn to read His Word for themselves.

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27

I was blessed to be able to spend one afternoon at the Center along with several other missionary women from Gaborone. It helps us know how to better pray for Allison and Kasey, the national women that work with them every day and the children.

"Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place." 2 Chronicles 6:40

This is Boipelo and Meredith. Boipelo, along with 2 other national believers, meet with Allison and Kasey every morning for Bible study, prayer and training, in preparation for their afternoons with the children. Thank God for these 3 godly women that are committed to caring for the orphans of their community.

 

Here are Kasey, Boipelo, Josephine, Neo, Meredith, Allison and 9 of the orphans. Pray for each one of them, that they would persevere through difficult situations, that they would grow in the Lord.

On this specific day 6 missionary women that live an hour north of Lobatse came down to spend the afternoon loving on the children, playing with them and praying with them. It also served as a reminder that the AIDS pandemic is seriously affecting every country in the K2 Cluster!

While we were there Allison was able to use money given to the Care Center to buy one of the children new school shoes. My heart was overflowing as I saw the happiness on his face at this wonderful gift. Pray that each of these children, that each one of us would, "and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him." Colossians 3:10

Hands

Well, this may be how my trip to the Botswana Baptist Women's Conference almost ended, but even this was a blessing. Not a word of complaint, just helpfulness and  patience, as we waited, as we were towed, as we worked together.

The Botswana Baptist Women's National Conference was held in Francistown at Great Commission Baptist Church the weekend of July 13-16

Ann Carruthers, who just returned from the states, was happy to be reunited with women from Tsessebe Baptist Church.

The joy of the Lord is our strength, what a precious time it was with each of these ladies!

Greetings, so very important in the African culture. Thank God that these women are able to meet freely and openly worshiping Him as the One True God.

Selebo Jobe from Gaborone Baptist was used by God as she lead the worship team.

Laura Pettigrew, Noma Ndhlovu and Amanda Turner. Pray for Noma,  she is an integral part of the Baptist Student Leadership Team, and is busy finishing her degree while discipling other students.

Vivian, Janet and Teresa, - sisters in Christ! Pray that the believers in Botswana will be known by their love for one another.

The theme of the conference was "Every Woman In Ministry" 1 Corinthians 3:9, throughout the conference women would go to the front and with paint put their hand print on the cross.

There was a special time of prayer dedicating our hands in service to the Lord.

Pray that each woman present will remember this as they have returned home and the world seeks to distract them from the Lord's service.

All ages of women were present, from 6 am till 11 pm each day. "Yet those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31

Pray that the Baptist Women of Botswana will shine the light of the Lord for all to see.

I jump in this picture with the Gakuto Baptist women as they displayed the baskets they had made.

They were happy to show the work of their hands!

Grace, from Gaborone Baptist Church had made a matching scarf and hat. Right after she showed me her work she promptly gave it as a gift to a friend. "God loves a cheerful giver" 2 Cor. 9:7

Many of these christian sisters shared testimonies of what God was doing in their lives.

Praise the Lord for He is worthy to be praised. Pray that each of these hand prints will represent God's fellow workers, God's field, God's building!

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.