Dear Ladies,
Greetings from Botswana! It is a beautiful COOL cloudy day with the promise of rain in the forecast. We have enjoyed about a week of delightfully cooler days and lots of rain showers. On our trip to the village yesterday, I noticed that there is a little water in the riverbeds—a very unusual sight. The rains have started early this year, so we are hoping that is a good sign and will mean lots of cool days and lots of rain.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week with George and Kristin and the kids. Sam arrived safely back home on Thanksgiving Day, so we were able to all be together. We praise the Lord for His many blessings in our lives, and especially for the safety during our recent travels to America and back. It was a blessing to see many of you and even though the time was short, it was good to be back in the USA.
The men that my husband left in charge faithfully carried on the work here while we were gone. It was a time of stretching for them—but a time of blessing as well. And what a blessing to hear from the others how they enjoyed the studies and how they are growing! Please pray for these men that they will catch the vision of reaching their own people with the gospel.
I met Keitumetse a few months ago—she is a friend of another woman that I have been meeting with. When she found out that we had correspondence studies available, she started talking with all her friends about studying the Bible. Keitumetse is one of those that signed up for the studies, and she has gone through all 14 of the booklets. I contacted her and asked if she would be interested in during a personal Bible study. She eagerly agreed, so I started meeting with her and a few others, doing the Scripture diagrams. This past Saturday when we met, it was just her. The others have gradually fallen away. I did the last of the diagrams and shared my testimony with her, then I asked her if she had been saved. She then shared with me how she had been saved in February, and how God had worked in her heart through the correspondence Bible studies. Please pray for her as I continue to meet with her and teach her how to grow as a Christian. Pray that she will see the need to leave the church that she is attending and meet with us on Sundays.
Sometimes we feel that we are not making any progress—there are so many people to reach and so little time. Then when you invest your time in others and they turn and walk away, it can be very discouraging. Yesterday I was feeling a little down—until we went out to the village of Makobo. As I was sitting there, I looked around the room and there were 12 adults that have been saved in the last year or so. As they shared testimony about how their lives have been changed and how happy they are to know the truth about God and to be saved, my eyes filled with tears. The Lord reminded me again that He is working in the lives of people, and though it may seem slow, I just need to be faithful in doing my part and leave the results up to Him.
And whether you live in Africa or America—or wherever you are in the world—that truth applies to you as well. God has put you in your particular place, and He expects you to just be faithful doing what He asks you to do. And even when it seems like nothing is happening or no one is listening, God IS working in the lives of others. We just need to be faithful to do our part—and leave the results and the timing up to God!
Until next time,
Bev
Beverly is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She and Doug Hammett have been married for over 35 years. Since her father was a pastor and her husband was already a pastor when she married him, she is well acquainted with the blessings as well as the problems of the ministry! Bev’s favorite things to do are read and spend time with her family.
In Autumn of 2010, Doug stepped aside from his position as senior pastor at LVBC to reach and train men in Botswana and South Africa. Beverly continues to write for our ladies publication, giving her unique perspective of life in the ministry, and now life on the mission field. You can read more about their ministry here.
Read Beverly’s articles here and her salvation testimony here.