I want to start this blog by thanking everyone that helped me go to Africa. The trip would not have been possible without all you prayers and financial support. Everyday I was there, I was so thankful for each and everyone of you. Since I have been home, so many people have asked me, "How was you trip?" My reply is, "It was AWESOME!" I had such a great time spreading the Good News.

We arrived in Botswana on Friday night. Shawna (our missionary from Sandals) and other missionaries living in the same area, took our group to her house. We were all so tired from our 24 hour flight. There were two families. The first was Robert, Margaret, and believe it or not, their daughter Carissa. I know, it shocked me too! The other family was George and Fay. These two families were so welcoming. That night Robert briefed us for everything we had planned the next day. We went over our conference and all other important issues.

Saturday came before we knew it. I'm not sure most of us slept well that night. I know I didn't. Time changes can mess you up. It was o.k. I think we all spent time on our knees in prayer and in the Word. That night I kept on battling with how God would use me. See, I was in the Sheperding group of our conference. Our job was to impart into the pastors from the nearby villages on how to nurture and provide for their churches more effectively. So that might help you understand why I may have been battling with that issue. I'm not a pastor. I had long talks with my parents before I left. They gave me many words of wisdom to share with these men. So that night I laid it all down at the Lord's feet. I had to trust him and not be worried.

We were all ready and prepared as we walked to church that morning. We could not believe it. Here we are walking to church in AFRICA. That morning, Dean, our team leader, shared his message on leadership from the book of Timothy. We broke for lunch and jumped into our individual groups: prayer, worship, evangelism, and sheperding. We all felt at the end of the day that it went well. Before we left, we got to hear from some of the leaders that attended, what they are taking back to their churches.

Sunday morning we went to church at Lobatse Baptist Church and had a wonderful time. Sunday afternoon we loaded up in all the trucks and vans and went to our first village, Kanye.
When we got there, we met in a small house and discussed what our plans were. The prayer team went on a prayer walk through the village. The evangelism team went throughout the village and shared about Jesus Christ and how to be born again. The sheperding team went to visit people from the church and pray for them and any needs they may have.

We got to talk and pray with two girls. They had not been to church in a while. We prayed with them and their families. It was so neat to be able to share with the the girls and pray with them. The next three days were the same. Sharing and praying with the locals in the villages.There is one lady that I will never forget. We went to her house to share scriptures with her. The pastor had let us know that she recently became a believer. A few shared some scriptures. I felt a tug on my heart by God saying "You need to share with her Rachel." So I asked the pastor "Can I please share with her?" He said "yes." I shared with her Jeremiah 29:11 "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. " I felt that I needed to talk to her and share with her about being a mother. How God is there for us when we feel so overwhelmed and alone. That just like God says " When you come looking for me you will find me." It's in those moments that I was in awe. I knew God was right there with me, using me.

So Thank You! Thank you for sending me and letting me be a vessel that was used by God in such a awesome way. Even if it was for that one woman that I shared with, it was worth it all.

The rest of our trip was great. We spent the next few days having fun. We bonded so well, we all refer to each other as "family." We are family. I have such an awesome group of new friends in my life. I have life long friends. I have a group of seven sisters and four brothers. I hope you have enjoyed reading my never ending blog. It needed to be written. I have had it inside me for over a week now. I also hope you enjoy the pictures I posted. They are just a few, but very meaningful to me.

Keep posted as me and Duane keep you updated on our family and everything else that God has in store for us in our future. If you are wondering our title for our blog "One October Night" is from us. We were married eight years ago, one October evening.