An assortment of God's artwork

Jan 26, 2012

Dumalang! Otsogile Jang? Liena lame ke Minda. Ke tshotswe ka lesome le bongwe ka moranang 1988. Ke tshotswe mo India. Ke nna mo America. Ke na le dingwa ga di le masome a le mararo. Ke Na le Banyan aba le bone. Ke gofejane mo banyaneng mo lapeng. Sisitra yame ena le bana ba ba setsana ba le pedi le ba simane ba le bararo.Ke tshotswe ke sena matsogo le maoto. Ke kgona go kwala ka pensele fa gare ga matsogo le seledu. Ke ithutamo Botswana. Ke tla ya lapeng ka phukwi.

Okay that is a brief greeting and introduction of myself in Setswana. First I said hello (Dumalang) and told you that my name is Minda and that I’m 23 years old. Then I said that I was born in India but I was raised in the states. I also said that I have four sisters and I’m the last daughter in my family. I then explained that my oldest sister has 2 daughters and 4 sons. Next I told you that I was born without arms and legs, but, I can write with a pen/ pencil between my arm and chin! I also explained that I am studying in Botswana and that I would be returning home in July!I’m working on lots more, and I am loving my helper/companion/ teacher Ntebeleng. She is making these Setswana lessons a whole lot of fun! So far we have been out and about ever since her first day here. From day one we have been practicing the Setswana greeting and social exchanges such as: Dumela Rra - Good morning Sir! Or, Dumela Mma - Good morning ma’am. Otsogile jang? means "How are you?" Keteng, wena okae? means, " I’m well, how are you?" Ke itumetse means, "I’m happy" and "Ke lapile" is what I say when I’m tired! She also writes down EVERYTHING word, phrase, question, and comment that she teaches me, so that I can see it as well as hear it. I also am recording a lot so that I can read it and hear it and practice it myself, over and over again. I’m one of those kinesthetic learners who has to actually put what I learn into practice immediately, in order ot remember it, so I do! Ntebeleng is so patient with me and if there is a word I don’t know or a sentence I’m unable to pronounce she gently corrects me and shows me how to fix it or say it properly. She sounds out every sound in the word for me so that I can get it right.

For the last 2 weeks we have been going nearly every day to different places nearby to practice my Setswana speaking skills. We have been to the grocery store where she had me practice saying what I needed in Setswana and asking how much things cost etc... Even when we order food I’m to ask in Setswana, and the cool thing is, is the other day I managed to order my whole meal in Setswana with very little need of correction! That's PROGRESS!!We've also gone to interesting places like the Thapong Art Gallery here in Gaborone where I got to speak with many of the artists who are doing multi-media productions. Some did watercolor, acrylic, oil, but others worked with wood or clay structures, while others did amazig things with marble. Not all of the artists were from Botswana either. Many other Africans come ehre to study or to live because it is a peaceful country. I met a man from Zimbabwe who did clay and marble sculpture. He is really good, and he gave me two miniature clay sculptures of the San (desert) people that he did! Then there was another man who did images out of fiberglass with which I was quite impressed. Another did black and white abstracts with black acrylic paint on a white canvas.I loved being with artists, and Ntebeleng loves the digital camera I brought with me! She took pictures of just about everything on the planet! It was a lot of fun to watch her taking the photos, because of how excited she got taking them. Bless her dear heart. When I first pulled out the camera, showed herhow to do it, and asked her to take pictures for me, her eyes lit up like a sweet child who has been given a beautiful doll and had been told it was hers forever! I wish I had some way to capture that moment!

We have been to the Museum here in Gaborone, which is also really cool because it tells the history of Botswana from the first peoples that inhabited the land, the influence of the first missionaries to arrive, untiol today. They even had an animal exhibit! Unfortunately Ntebeleng and I could not take photos in the museum because the light was so dim the pictures came out too blurry.

Learning Setswana has been good for me in a lot of aspects including being patient with myself as I am learning. I am not going to lie and say that this is the easiest language to learn, because it certainly isn’t. I don’t always say the words correctly, and I don’t always remember the right order of words in a sentence. I have to remind myself that I’m a just learing, there are just some things that are more difficult for me to learn at a fast pace - but that’s okay, because this whole six months is going to be hard as well as wonderful, and I have to keep talking with the Lord about this! I realize once again that when I give up my struggles and frustrations to the Father, I’m able to relax with it all and just enjoy being here, enjoy the peopel, and enjoy learning. By doing this I find how much I enjoy the journey one step at a time!

I’m working on my studies at the coffee table in the center of the living room. It’s great because the table is right at my height which makes it very easy to move around without any great difficulty. I have put my books and assignments on one side and my computer is located on the other side. I’m nice and spread out, which I like. This arrangement is wonderful for quite a number of reasons. First, I am almost never in my manual chair and that means I’m moving around a lot on the floor which is extremely good for me. Secondly, I find that I get really stiff just sitting in my manual chair or my electric chair all the time which I didn’t really notice very much before, but now that I’m out of it I’m not as stiff as I used to be and I feel terrific! Thirdly, I am getting a lot more exercise by being on the floor than I usually used to get by being in the electric chair all the time! I don’t have to try to fit exercise into my schedule anymore. it just is automatically part of my life and this is really nice!I’m also figuring out ways that I can help around the flat with various chores. I love to sweep floors, and mop them as well. Ntebeleng and I do this every other day in between our lessons and other things.

I’m the kind of person that really enjoys doing house work, and I find it restful as well as rewarding. I cannot even begin to tell you how nice it is to walk around on the nicely cleaned floor with not much dust and NO bugs! I’ve also been able to do my own laundry here in the flat. The washing machine is the kind in which the door opens from the front not the top of the machine. I can easily put my own clothes into it and then turn on the machine. The place where the soap is poured in is something either Sandy or Ntebeleng does because I cannot reach that. Then I sit and watch as the clothes turn in the machine to get clean. This is a perfect time for me to spend in prayer. As the clothes turn and the machine is humming a quiet relaxing tune I talk to the Father about the things I’m learning and what He is teaching me here in Botswana about joyful giving, patient learning, and gracious receiving. I spend the 1st hour of the morning doing this and afterwards I feel so refreshed and ready to begin again. Who knew that simple tasks like this could bring me even closer to the One who loves and is always making us clean and fresh every morning!

This last week has not only opened up many opportunities to practice Setswana, but I have also had the privilege of meeting a wonderful assortment of people as well. I met a chubby, round faced man last Thursday named Foster. He sells all sorts of things like brooms, Botswana flags, aprons, baby bibs, clothes pin bags, and more. He sits every day by the local grocery store and sells his things to the passersby in order to support his family. He is trying to keep his niece in school and raise his own children at the same! His niece now lives with him, because her own parents have died. He is a very lovely man and he is quite persistent with his little business! I also met a kind- hearted taxi driver, Brian, who is very reliable for Ntebeleng and me, and his little red car is very easy for me to get out of!

I have met some women from the Anglican Women's Fellowship who are just lovely. Mma Florence, in her mid-fifties, is just about one of the most beautiful African woman I’ve ever seen! Her features are very distinguished; her skin is a rich chocolaty-brown with eyes so black it’s like you're looking into a deep, never-ending well. She is very strongly built in body, and her tightly braided her goes just past her shoulders. I admire her so much. Then there is Mma Mabusi, who is older and very funny, with a smile that is on her face at almost every moment! She is a delightfully plump woman with shining black skin that glistens in the light that she seems to carry with her, that just shines out of her.

And last Sunday was really AMAZING! Sandy and I attended the 9:30 am service at the cathedral. The Bishop, Trevor Mwamba was there and requested that Sandy play for the choir that was visiting the cathedral from South Africa. They were really wonderful and they sang the Halleluiah Chorus like I had never heard it in my LIFE, and I was so blown away that I felt like I was going to fall out of my chair and topple onto the floor! African culture is built on music- they sing all the time at almost every moment!

On Tuesday the 31st of JanuaryI, Ntebeleng and I will be going out to St. Peter’s Daycare in Mogodishane to talk about my service project. The one in charge of the Daycare is Ms. Gladys Mudereri, who is eager to talk with me about doing something with teh children, like re-telling the bible stories, especially stories of Jesus to the children and help them find ways to paint, draw and act out the stories!

I’m very excited about working with the kids.- I miss my nieces and nephews, and these little ones are going to teach me as much about languagem, but also about the love of God as I’m going to teach them! Please pray that this goes well and produces some good fruit in their little lives.There is so much to tell, and I just don't have time to say everything each week, but I am trying to give you a flavor of my life here. I am so very happy! God is good - so very good to me!

I love and miss you all!

Sala Sentle - Stay well!