Happy New Year, everyone!

 

2010 was one heck of a year for the Weiseth family.  Casting off, packing up, or packing away all we own and making a new life here in Africa hasn’t been without its share of turbulence.  But we find ourselves slack-jawed with amazement at God’s tender, direct, and faithful guidance over these past twelve months.  He steered us into just the right place for our family, and we are so very thankful to be here.  Here are a few highlights from our year:

 

 

 Flying Mission has a Boxing Day tradition of visiting the hospital, distributing Bibles, talking with and praying for people there.  More than ten families showed up this year, distributing hundreds of Bibles in both English and Setswana, and forging some great relationships.  Caleb and I are headed back today, and it’s a Weiseth family goal to continue visiting throughout the coming year.  The little ones in particular touched our hearts, and there’s been some talk about starting some sort of drama or puppet show for them.  If you have script ideas, let us know!

 

 

 We had kind of assumed that all neighbourhoods in Gaborone would look like this, but in actuality it’s kind of a rarity.  Many have paved streets and a good deal of traffic.  The dirt streets and relative quiet of our little corner of town allow all four of us to get out a lot and spend time with neighbours.  Caleb and Malena in particular are constantly out and about with kids, exploring and playing.  We look forward to continued open doors of ministry on our block.  Here a few kids join us for some of our own 4th of July festivities.

 

 

It’s always great to get out of town for a bit.  In early December the four of us travelled in South Africa, spending a few days at a great little cabin in the tiny town of Groot Marico – swimming, canoeing, rope swinging, bird watching, and star gazing – followed by four or five days with friends in Johannesburg.  Just before the trip I reached my limit with the Botswana heat and shaved my head.  I soon learned firsthand about what I regard to be a highly questionable Botswana practice: when someone shaves his head, people spit on their hands, dip them in the dirt, and slap the unfortunate man hard on the head. . . and laugh uproariously. 

 

2011

 

And what does 2011 hold for us?  O that we had a clue.  I must needs be a bit cryptic at the moment, but the spectrum of possibilities is wide!  Nevertheless, as we look forward to the upcoming year, we do so with great confidence.  Many years ago, my lovely and wise Mom introduced me to the passage in Joshua 4 that speaks of Stones of Remembrance, a memorial that Joshua had the people set up so that they would remember God’s faithfulness and provision in bringing them across the Jordan. Every time they and future generations passed by those stones, their confidence in the Lord was bolstered by that tangible reminder of God’s untiring, perfect, and all-foreseeing care for His people.  The four of us Weiseths have added greatly to our pile of stones this last year, and the beauty of it is that it has nothing to do with our own faithfulness or bravery.  It has everything to do with God and His character.  It is in Him that we place our trust in 2011, no matter what comes.