day eleventeen (we lost count)

well- we are TIRED!
o yeah- hannah and anna were on this trip too. they said they had a good time!
see you on wednesday!

afriCANTics day 6

1. michael jackson died today... did you hear?
2. nathan and hunter made today honorary michael jackson day! it may have been the most entertaining day of their life- as we sang (at least the 4 songs we know) and danced (at least the 2 dances we know) all day long.... did i mention we have no dance skills at all!!! but we taught the kids all kinds of michael jackson moves....at least the 2 we knew.
3. at the feeding station, we attempted to teach the kids MJ songs.... (please sing as high as possible the next word) "thriller"... "ABC; 123"...... the words are supposed to be "abc, easy as 123, as simple as do re mi, abc, 123, baby you and me......" the kids sing...."abc.....def.......ghi.........jkl........mnnnnnopp.....qrs......."
4. hunter moonwalked.
5. the cashier at the bank apparently is going to michael jackson's funeral in the states..... she is "leaving today"
6. we went off-roading in a church van today while hunting for baboons..... we nearly got stuck several times....
7. kim smiled today- and no lions were in sight

day 6

Started the day VERY slow!!! Had to change some currency at the hotel and then went baboon hunting while off-roading in a church van. Very interesting!!!
The feeding station was great! We had some time to continue to build relationships with the kids who have attached to us throughout the week.
God taught us today to enjoy His creation. We saw so many beautiful things in the wilderness today. His creation is amazing. We can't wait to continue to be amazed during our safari tomorrow!

afriCANTics Day 5

1. The elephant song: If you should meet an elephant, upon a summer's day, what would you do, what would you say. I'd say, "good morning Mr. Elephant, how do you do? Nice to meet you elephant, may I dance with you?" Tra, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

2. Nothing else funny has really happened today......IN AFRICA!!!!!

Day 5

we finished sorting all of the donated clothing and supplies this morning. we have already met people that needed this clothing and have already given out some sweaters as it is 65 - 70 degrees during the day and the africans are cold! We went on to the feeding station and gave out toothbrushes and toothpaste after their meal. During the bible story time the students acted out Noah's Ark and then demonstrated how to use the toothbrush and toothpaste. Once the children were through with their meals they received their toothbrush and toothpaste and ran home in excitement. We later saw them smiling and yelling at us "I brushed teeth, I brushed teeth". We then went to the church where some of us played 'net ball' and Nathan amused them with a card trick. The children did not want us to leave when it was time for us to go, however, we needed to prepare for the youth group meeting. The youth group time was funfilled with songs, praises and dancing!!! After introductions and a prayer we each gave our testimony and Paige gave a devotion, all of which were fantabulous! The night ended with a closing prayer by Nathan and hugs from the participants. We learned today that although we are getting more sleep than normal, we are exhausted. Why? Because investing in people is exhausting!

afriCANTics day 4a

6. kim's on the phone, talking to her mom. all is quiet. the silence is broken by kim saying, "no, mom, the lions are fine." good to know that at least one person is reading this blog.

afriCANTics day 4

1. the steak had a great flavor... but we are still chewing it!!!! (we cooked it though!!!! what they cook is MUCH better!!!)
2. hunter doesn't know why in the world he got gum.... after his jaw is broken from chewing the same piece of steak for 17 minutes!!!
3. as anna went to greet a 3-year old child, she mistakenly called the child "uncle"
4. our waitress' name was 'beauty'.... we asked her "where's the beast?" as we flexed our muscles and said "right here!!!!"..... she laughed!!!

day 4

today was a great lesson in flexibility!!! the original plan was to unload the luggage and paint part of the church and we would cook dinner for them and serve them... maruti james' son was sick and maruti was with him for the better part of the morning- meaning we did not have room for the luggage to be transported to the church....
so- while some of the team went to get food for dinner, the rest stayed to paint (which really means smear 'vanilla pudding' on the side of a building) and "garden" (which really means move "dirt" aka 'african concrete' from one spot to another)...
the painting /gardening teamswere finished 2 hours before the shoppers returned back to the church...
then off to the feeding station- we found out 5 mins before we were up... that we were giving a Bible story of Jonah and the whale.... our group did a great job and even acted out the story!!! the kids have requested a story every day that we are here, they loved it so much!!!
for dinner, we had steak, potatoes, mushrooms and onions, corn on the cob, and cake for dessert (and erica's birthday)... all was great!!!! except the steak which was not as tender as we had hoped, but had great flavor!!!!
God is continuing to teach our group something special!!! we continue to see God in the middle of the 'ordinary!'
thanks for your prayers!

afriCANTics day 3

we begun unloading and sorting the nearly 1000 pounds of donatated clothes, shoes, vitamins, and hygene products. we still have about half to go- but we are off the a great start!
then came our first hands-on experience at the feeding station including washing dishes, playing with the kids. i noticed that several kids were sharing their food with others. this is a significant growth step since just 9 months ago- they were STEALING food from one another.
a prayer gathering followed at the church- where you could clearly feel God's prescence in the room, even in the absence of musical instruments, computers, or sound equipment. the volume of the music was expressed from the heart.
then it was dinner time and on for a traditional setswana meal - dumplings, chicken, and stew.... YUMMY!!!!!! so good!!!!!! very filling!!!!

how bout some funny stuff?
1. upon completion of dinner, Mathatha suddenly gets up and says "im fed up".... in america- this means "im mad"... apparently in botswana it means "im full and have had enough food"... this debate went on for the next 5 minutes and caused extreme laughter!
2. hunter apparently will forget how to speak english- as he stated on the ride home "with all this setswan, i think im gonna forget english when i get home"........ if this occurs, however, his extensive vocabulary will only include 7 words. (hunter, yes, no, hello, hello sir, hello ma'am, hello all)
3. as im typing the above #2.... kim attempts to detract attention and says "that gets 'stupider' every time i hear it"........... everyone on the team says "whatever 'LION GIRL'"
4. all the kids are convinced that sara's name is "polo-holo".... which means "beast"
5. dirt was peeling off hunter's smelly feet after playing soccer all day.... he was forced to take a shower prior to debriefing....... make that 2 showers..... the first one did not work.......... on the way to the room, the same woman as in day 1 afriCANTics- says "what's dying in this hotel?"
6. kim's obsession for lions is getting out of hand!!!!! she now claims to have seen a lion track............ tregea watched the dog make the alleged lion track!!!!!

thanks for praying for us! we will update you tomorrow!!!

afriCANTics day 2

we hiked up mount kgale today... there was some great views that could only be experienced by completing the hike. it makes me wonder how often we sacrifice getting a chance to see the big picture because we are content with the little pictures. what happens if God's intentions is for us to see the whole picture all along? the hike was a great opening to the day.. challenging and difficult but rewarding.

alright well along with this great experience came just a few more funny moments...

1. on the trek up to kgale today we meet some mormans on their mission... they passed us (we were very slow)... on the way up one of our team members said "when we get to the top can we push the mormans off????... yeah then we can say then you lose.........TWICE!!

2. the above mentioned mormans attempted to convert erica using a morman tract.... erica politley responded "um....i cant read!"

3. those same mormans mentioned in 1 and 2 put the same tract at the top of mount kgale. as our eyes caught the tract our instincts said "get that out of here!" so nathan gladly balled up the tract and threw it off the mountain!

4. kim's love for lions is become evident on this trip.... she expects to see them everywhere we go but her appreciation for safety is much greater. on her hike up kgale she stated "ive noticed botswana is really really safe.... i still havent noticed any lions..

5. tregea died part of her hair pink before the trip... has anyone noticed it yet...... no.....except THE MORMANS!

afriCANTics 1b

8. tregea asleep!!!!................... "tregea!!!!!!!!!!! hurry up, our plane is boarding!!!!!!!!!!" with some 10 hours before departure........ tregea jumps up, grabs her stuff, and begins running to gate to catch plane not even at the airport yet.... nice joke on a "sleep deprived-benedryled" tregea
9. remember the "explosive chemistry experiment"?....... kim says "it would have worked if you would have put the cap on first, then poured the koolaid".................................... hmmmmmmmmmm- think about that one!!!!!!!!!!!
10. currently, nathan is wrestling hunter to the ground in attempts to throw him in the shower to get rid of his stank feet. nathan says "oh dude my arm stinks now!" hunter says "no dude that's your armpit." nathan proceeds to take a whiff and says "...maybe it is..." remember, it has been over 50 hours since our last shower. yay

afriCANTics 1a

hunter's disclaimer to the HOT pink journal AND the bathroom incident is "im confident in my sexuality!!!"

we are here!!!!

we made it!!! we arrived in gaborone on time and all is well... the church is very glad to have us here and we are pumped to have an amazing 10 days while we are here...
here are some humerous notes of the day: this feature will be called "afriCANTics (that' a contraction for africa antics)...
1. nathan accidently purchased "sparkling water" instead of "spring water"... no biggie right? well, it was disgusting- so in an effort to "help it out a bit" he decides to make sparkling "koolaid" with a pack of koolaid powder.... well..... sparkling water + koolaid powder = explosive chemistry experiment...
2. "hunter.... make sure you check out the boys room at the hotel".... hunter enters..... finds women...... hunter exits quickly (after a brief conversation consisting of "oops, wrong one, my bad...." the woman's response was "what is that smell???...... i smell some feet"... hunter's reply.... "my bad")
3. debrief time..... question was "what have you noticed about gaborone?" .... kim's sleep deprived response...."iv'e noticed everything seems safe........ they've taken safety measures to keep out the lions"
4. achmed abinijad.... LOTS of laughs!!!!!
5. hunter's journal for the trip is PINK.... hot pink!!!
6. anna's attempt to pull a "jacob vining" by reaching for sunglasses behind an "invisible" glass case!!!....... on the floor in laughter.......................................LITERALLY
7. hunter's repeated attempts to perform a "magic trick" in the joburg airport for 17 hours........................failure....................failure................failure................failure.............failure ......... SUCCESS (well almost)!!!!

thanks for praying for us!!!! we are here and cant wait to get started.....

one hour and counting

we FINALLY will be boarding our last flight from joburg to gaborone in about an hour! we are exhausted after spending the last 17 hours in the joburg airport- including sleeping on airport benches!!! it was the BEST night sleep we have had!!! thank you for your prayers- we are ready to get to gaborone!!!

T.I.A..... This Is Africa!!!

we are here safe and sound after only a few delays in columbia and atlanta. we are IN AFRICA!!!! God has belessed us with great flights and we trust that he will continue to bless our ministry as we minister to the people of old naledi.
we are in the jo-burg airport for the next 15 hours..... yes - 15 hours... part of the new international travel regulations kept us from being able to have a layover any shorter than 2 hours.... but our attitudes are fantastic!!!
we met some groups on our flight that are doing mission trips to malawi- we will pray for them and their group(s) as they serve the Lord by serving others this week!!!
we are tired and look forward to our night of "sleep" in the airport while taking turns bag-watching.
we love you guys and covet prayers. thank you and God bless!!!

the night before

we leave in the morning.... bags are packed, weighed, and weighed again.... the day is finally here, and the countdowns can now hit "zero." our group has been counting down the days for the past several months...
please pray for safe travel and the God will open MANY doors for us to share the gospel... we will keep you posted as often as possible...

the week of:

we are starting to pack up all of our supplies this week. it's hard to believe that the past year of planning, training, and raising funds has finally turned into "go time." i can't wait to see what God will do in us and through us! please begin now to pray for safe travel.

2 weeks and counting

Well, we leave in a little over 2 weeks for ADBC's third trip to Old Naledi. It will be my second trip back and I cannot wait! Our team of 10 eagerly waits for what we know God will do in us and through us! Please pray for our safety and travel! We will keep you up to date on everything Botswana!

6 Months Later

Can you all believe that it has been almost six months since we returned from our amazing mission trip to Botswana? March seventh it will be six months since we eleven stepped off the plane in Columbia as changed people.

Our mission trip to Botswana was my very first (and NOT last) mission trip. I can honestly say that I was NOT ready for it. I didn't do the things I was suppose to do to really prepare for the trip. I did not spend enough time on my knees in prayer about the trip and I didn't study the Bible stories enough.

What I saw and experienced in Old Naledi changed my life forever. It may have taken a few months, but man oh man has God done a MAJOR work in my life!

Everywhere I go, I am STILL telling everyone and anyone who will listen about our trip to Botswana, to Old Naledi and how God took this emotional woman and totally changed my view on my life. I NEVER, EVER want to look at people, situations, circumstances or life the way I did before I went to Africa.

God has brought me closer and closer to Him since I have been back. I have made an honest effort to stay close to Him in prayer, Bible study and in giving Him my problems daily. (Sometimes more than once a day)

I am so very excited about what God has done in Old Naledi since we left also. To see the pictures of the new church astonished me. I can't believe that it was completed so quickly. God is so good!

I love to hear the updates from Moruti James on the people that are coming to church there. It fills my heart with so much joy to hear how the teenagers and the children are going to church there. Then I found out that they were able to buy a bus! How fantastic is that?! Amazing. I cannot wait to return there one day ... in HIS time.

There is a wonderful Christian song by Brandon Heath called "Give Me Your Eyes," that sums up how I feel since returning from Africa. I want the Lord to give me HIS eyes so I can see people's needs around me.

I can't wait to hear the news from Nathan and his group when the go back to visit our family in Old Naledi. I am so thrilled for him that he gets to go back so soon. I am a little envious though, I would love to be able to go back this soon; but I know it will have to be in HIS timing.

I pray that you ten have been as blessed as the Lord has allowed me to be. My health is getting better, and since returning from Africa I have lost 35 pounds for a total of 75 pounds lost since last March (2008). My stomach has been doing much better with the awesome help of my GI doctor and many prayers from some of you. Thank you very much for that.

With my weight NOW under control and in healthy range for the first time in years, I am now trying to live according to my New Years Resolution. That is to apply the word MODERATION to every area of my life. My main areas of struggle are as follows: talking too much, not eating as healthy as I should, spending too much time on the computer and continually beating myself up about my past failures and not recieving God's grace.

I pray that you guys that went with me on the trip are doing well. I don't seem to talk to but a few of you guys. Everyone seems to be pretty busy with life, which is normal I guess. Please know that I think of you all often and you are in my prayers. Thanks again for such an AWESOME, AWESOME trip!

While we were in Old Naledi, we were all excited to see that Naledi Baptist Fellowship did Awanas on Wednesday evenings with the children of Old Naledi.


Learning to walk in HIS grace,
Kim Wright

"... as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Naledi Baptist Church's Awana Program