A few updates...

There have been a couple major changes since our last post…

• I took a surprise trip back to the US for two weeks to be with my grandpa before he passed away. It was a bittersweet time, but I am so thankful to have been able to spend some time with him and to stay with my grandma; our family has always been close. He passed away a week after I returned back to Botswana.
• Jon and I found out that we are having a baby. We are about 16 weeks along now and expect the sleepless nights to begin mid-May.
• My cousin, Sara, came to visit for a month during which we thoroughly enjoyed her company and encouragement as well as took a short holiday to Khama Rhino Sanctuary and the Limpopo River.
  

… otherwise, life has continued on as usual.

Below is an update letter that we recently sent out that gives a bit more detail and some prayer requests, if you are interested:

Greetings friends!

Life here in Botswana is going well. Our seasons are backwards compared to you so we are well into the summer season and the temps are on the rise and getting hot. We wanted to send our greetings and an update on what is happening.

Jon’s job at Flying Mission Services (FMS) is keeping him very busy. In addition to working as a pilot for our medical mercy flights, he serves as the Base Supervisor for Gaborone. That position has had him working on a number of major projects including overhauling the company manuals, introducing new maintenance procedures, and most recently taking over the pilot ground training. Like most people, he seems to run from one thing to the next. He keeps assuring himself that once this next project is completed then things will slow down but...they never seem to.

In March, Alysa took over the HR Manager position for the Flying Mission on a voluntary basis. She enjoys her work but it keeps her very busy as it includes a little bit of everything: recruiting, writing employment contracts, coordinating orientation, teaching language classes, managing housing, planning hospitality and events, coordinating the website and quarterly newsletters, organizing retreats and member care, and many other things. As the position had been neglected for a number of years, she has found a tremendous amount to catch up on and not having a background in HR has done a lot of research and learning. She loves a good challenge and has been enjoying the variety.

We are living just outside the city of Gaborone in a village called Mmopane. We very much enjoy village life and the opportunity that it provides to get to know people and be a part of the community. Building deep relationships has been more challenging than we anticipated – both because of our busy lives and also because of the language and cultural barriers - but we have made a couple of very good friends. We have also been collecting games, art supplies, and math flashcards and have a steady stream of little girls through our house every weekend to play, create, learn, and help Alysa bake and clean.

We attend an Anglican Church in the village that is about 100 yards from our front door. The building itself is 80 years old and is a about the size of a living room. It is a concrete block building with a sheet metal roof and believe me...in the summer months with 50 people in there it gets a little warm! Thankfully, the Anglicans are the exception when it comes to African churches and their services are relatively brief at a mere two hours. Jon has recently begun attending an Anglican men's group and has enjoyed the fellowship of meeting with other Christian men.

After seeing her involvement with the village youth, Alysa was asked to begin a Sunday School program in June and has started meeting with the kids outside under a tree in the church yard. It has been so exciting to start at the very beginning with kids who haven’t heard much of anything about God: to listen to them learn to talk with God and to watch their fascination as they hear Bible stories for the first time. Teaching has been a challenge with up to 30 kids between the ages of 2 and 14 who are learning in two languages, but they are enthusiastic through any lesson flops and love being there.

For those interested, you can find some prayer requests included below. We would love to hear from you whenever you get the chance!

With love and affection,
Jon and Alysa

Prayer Requests

- Cancer – Alysa’s best friend in Mmopane has been diagnosed with a progressive form of cancer. Pray that we would have the perseverance to support the family well through these difficult times and that we can help them find the comfort of faith. Pray also for Alysa as she finds her way in the community without her guide and ‘Setswana mum’. (The photo is of Alysa and Serwalo on their way to a wedding a few months before the diagnosis.)

- Sunday School – Pray that Alysa would have wisdom in preparing culturally appropriate Sunday School lessons; that the lessons would go to the core of what it means to follow Christ rather than simply to teach stories or information. Pray that the kids would have open hearts and begin to understand the message.

- Pregnancy – We are thrilled to be expecting our first baby in May. Pray for a safe pregnancy and healthy baby… and also for our families at home who are longing to be involved in this part of our lives.

- Relationships – Pray that we wouldn’t get too caught up in things to be accomplished that we become too busy to slow down and nurture the relationships that we are making.

- Finances – Praise God for his continued provision. When things begin to look impossibly tight, He has provided blessings from surprising places to sustain us.

- Spiritual Encouragement – Although we love our church and community, it is a struggle not being able to worship in ways that suit our language and culture. We have found some encouragement through online sermons, worship music, and books but it has still left a gap. Pray that God would be gracious and draw us near to Him.