Our Dear Friend Billy

Still enjoying every second here, adventures and mishaps and happiness and not so great things too. I've been thinking a lot lately about where we're at and why I'm here, and especially what my reason is for being at the school and Tlamelo. Before we arrived here in my mind I guess I thought that I would really have liked to be able to do something medical or at least healthcare related. But the fact is, the more I'm here and working each day in the school of at Tlamelo, I realize that the relationships I'm forming there with the students and children are probably things I would have missed working in a healthcare environment, and the influence they are having on me and that I am maybe having on them is something I would not exchange for anything. I'm starting to appreciate the routine more, and feeling like God has really put me in this place and those projects for a reason, if for anything to teach ME lessons about life and loving and serving, and hopefully I'm serving and giving something to my students and kids each day too. I talked to one of my best friends from home last night, Rachel, and our talk really helped me to put all of this into perspective (although she probably didn't realize it!) and for that I am so grateful. Thank you to everybody back home for all of your prayers and thoughts, I think that I am definitely feeling them each day and that I am being protected and comforted and hopefully led in each step.

And now for the adventure of the weekend...I should have blogged this when it all first happened, because it was way fresher in my mind on Saturday evening, but I will do as best as I can to give you the full story!
On Saturday morning at 7am we all 7 met at the front gate of the University. Teacher Shirley, one of the pre-school teachers from our school was taking all of us plus Ana and Jessica (the two girls from KSU who are back again this year but on their own this time) to Gamadubu, a village about an hour and a half outside of Gaborone. We arrived at her tiny little truck (see below...) only to realize there were nine of us, plus three more to fit. We squeezed nine of us into the back of the truck...and it was definitely a TIGHT fit. But an adventure, nonetheless.

Once we arrived at Gamadubu, we began to chop vegetables (this day I learned how to chop cabbage, every day it's something new!) and get kind of acquainted with this particular feeding project. Teacher Shirley started this project 5 years ago after she met a boy on the side of the road who told her about the plight of the children in Gamadubu. She decided that something needed to be done, and since then, she has continued each Saturday to serve the children in this village, most of them who are sponsored, and there are 137 children that attend each week. It was so cool to be able to visit another feeding project and help out wherever we were needed, and also to see these new children and a village that was definitely very primitive even compared to Old Naledi.

The interesting part started about 5 minutes after we arrived however. Teacher Shirley announced to us that herself and a man that helps her with the project were giving us a goat. A live goat...that would soon turn not so alive. We all kind of looked at each other, realizing that this is a huge gift and a major sign of respect and honor, but definitely not of the type we are used to back home. But, as we've done so many times so far this trip, we decided to just go with the flow. About an hour later a few boys came up with a goat on a lead, tied it to a tree, and left it there for a few hours. After it seemed like maybe our friend Billy (we named him, which turned out to be not such a good idea, because I think it fostered some attachment to the poor thing) had defied death, all of the sudden a few of the older boys of the village called Matt and Jack over and announced it was time for Billy to meet his end. Jack felt way too squeamish to be involved, and even though the deed is supposed to be for the males of the village, Leslie and Marinda and I decided to take a peek at the proceedings. And...it was just as we thought it would be I guess. They killed our Billy, cut him into pieces and then literally hung him out to dry. And so we have dinner for quite a few days in our freezer. DEFINITELY an experience I will never forget.

Amidst the rest of the day, a chicken was also killed (Marinda did that deed, it was great), we rode on an "African taxi"- a donkey pulled cart-, learned how to make papata- a Botswana flat bread-, played with some precious amazing children, met some incredible women, watched a gorgeous sunset, and squeezed back into the truck, this time with an one extra human, a not so alive goat (now packed into an extra plastic bag that a comforter had originally been in...) and a not so alive chicken. All in all, the day was not one that will probably ever be forgotton, and experiences that were amazing.

Sunday morning we finally made it to church, after discovering it had kind of been right under our noses the whole time. We were a little early to Old Naledi, so we decided to go see what little kids we could round up and take them with us. We went to a house or area of houses that is right by the Tlamelo Project, where we know a bunch of our little ones live. We got there and were met with open arms from the parents, who quickly gathered all of their kids and washed their faces, changed their clothes, and handed them over. We actually gathered quite a few more than we were expecting, and it was the best thing walking through the village to church, just the 5 of us Americans each holding one or two of our little kids and the others holding our hands. I really wish I had a picture but I think the mental one will last quite a while. Church was good, it lasted quite a while, but it was really nice to be back in that environment and also to have the new experience of church here. We attended The Open Baptist church, which is the one that sponsors Tlamelo, so a lot of the ladies we work with in the kitchen were there, along with more of the kids we see everyday, so that was really neat too. The rest of Sunday was extremely lazy, which was very nice. We took naps, lounged around, and talked to family. I also got to talk to Jill for the first time in a month (we usually talk about every day during the school year so I think I've definitely been on withdrawal!) and we had so many laughs and stories and adventures to share...SO great. : )

The last couple days have been working at the school and the project and getting prepared for our weekend travels! Tomorrow during the day we are going to renew our visas, as they only gave us 30day visas when we entered a month ago. (CRAZY that we've been here a month.) Then at 8pm we are headed to the train station, where we get all aboard at 9:30 to leave for Francistown. We think that train ride is about 7 hours, and Marinda, Danielle, Leslie and I got the sleeper cabin for the four of us so that will be very fun...time for some pillow talk! From Francistown we board a bus to take us to Maun, where we should arrive sometime in late afternoon on Thursday. Travel, like most things around here, is pretty laid back, so the times of departure and arrival aren't exactly set but we're confident we'll arrive even if we do have a few adventures along the way. ; ) Friday we have a horseback ride planned all day around the Okavango Delta, and then Saturday is the all-day Mokoro trip through the Delta. I'm sure I'll have many stories and pictures to share when we get back! Sunday we begin our journey back, and we should arrive home at the UB sometime early Monday morning. I'm so excited for this trip, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we embark on yet another adventure!!