Email from Botswana

Last year, just before we left Botswana, I developed three courses for the first-year classes: the first is called "Methods in Home Evangelism" the second is "Home Evangelism Practicum 1" and the third is called "Home Evangelism Practicum 2." (We have 3 terms of school in Botswana, so each course runs for one 10-week term.) The purpose of the practicum is two-fold; the first goal is to familiarize students with an unfamiliar method of ministry. The second purpose is to make disciples.

During the first term, the teacher introduces the concept and explains just what it is the students are expected to do. At the same time, the teacher is responsible for contacting local pastors to arrange for students to have ministry in the homes of some of the members. The point is to connect students with church families that speak the same local language; this explains the "home" part of Home Evangelism Practicum.

During the second and third terms, students begin meeting with the assigned families and with a few neighbors of the same language group that the church family may invite. We encourage the church families to invite either other believers or unbelievers. Thus the "evangelism" part of Home Evangelism Practicum.

I hesitated to introduce this new series of classes because Chuck and I would not be there to help, encourage, and monitor. But I did all that I could and left in in God's hands--and I also left it in the hands of one of our Batswana teachers, Pastor Phodiso Ntwaetsile. I was extremely encouraged to receive this e-mail from Pastor Ntwaetsile just a few days ago.

Phodiso wrote:

Hi the Wilsons.

It's a long time without hearing from each other. However God is still sustaning us and keeping us in his love. We are still praying for you and believing that soon you will be joining us here in Botswana.

Well, regarding the Home Evangelism, everything is in place. We managed to complete Practicum 1, and now looking forward to do the last Practicum, thus Practicum 2. However, I want to admit that I still have some problems with making the pastors get motivated to influence their church members to give us opportunities to use their homes. For example, pastors around Gaborone are happy about the program, but they are failing to influence their members. This forced me to look for opportunities at the Botswana Prison to run the program with them. Of course it was a good thing to penetrate the prison apartments, but the problem is some prisoners who participated in the program are executed before the end of the program. And this will mean that at the end of the program we will be left with few persons who completed the program and can therefore remain doing it with other prisoners.

Apart from the prison, we are running the program with at least one family, and some of my students are compiling their lessons in Sekhalahari language since we failed to find a family that speaks Sekhalahari. I have a strong hope that their material will aid the next year students during their preparations for the same program.After all, I want to tell you that the goals and objectives of the program are being met. I believe next year we will have many families involved in the program as I am still discussing the program with pastors around. Some pastors from Apostolic Faith Mission are showing interest on the program, of which I still want to ask you if you are comfortable with running the program with them?After all, everything is in place. You will hear good reports when you return.

Lastly, pray for me and my wife, we are opening a church branch in Kopong. The village has got 5571 people. We have started the cell-group and people a responding to the gospel.

Yours in Christ.