Two students conduct Bible and health evangelism among ancestor worshipers in their home country.
by Rachel Perry
“Wow! I never knew this was in the Bible. My pastor never told me,” said one lady after learning about the seventh-day Sabbath.
During winter break, two students, Goabaone and Botho, returned to their home country of Botswana to apply what they’ve been learning at Hartland. They focused their efforts in Moremi, a small village deeply rooted in ancestral worship with no Seventh-day Adventist presence. Their plans included personal visitations (offering simple health treatments, Bible studies, and prayer), two health expos, and a three-week evangelistic series.
“The village chief was so happy to have us there that he provided a place to conduct the evangelistic meetings!” Botho beams.
But some villagers were not happy. That meeting place was dedicated to their ancestors, and Christians had no business there, they asserted. When boisterous storms threatened to cancel the meetings, these villagers claimed it was a sign from their ancestors! But for the students, it was a sign of the great controversy, and it made them even more determined to trust the Lord and continue His work.
“The people had never heard of the Sabbath before,” Botho continues. “As we opened Scripture before them and shared the good news, this melted their hearts.”
Goabaone and Botho also recruited a team of 27 Seventh-day Adventist youth (and sometimes more), whom they trained to help with medical missionary and Bible study outreach. The team learned massage, hydrotherapy, and simple remedies for common ailments, as well as effective Bible study techniques. These skills were applied as they went door to door in the village.
“Most villagers were very happy to have us minister to them,” Botho reports. “After the meetings, some gave their lives to Jesus and were baptized. This brought so much joy to our hearts!”
“My training at Hartland College really prepared me for this mission trip,” she reflects. “Working in the Hartland Lifestyle Center instilled discipline and hardworking skills, which helped me throughout the mission trip. I used what I had been taught in my classes to do the medical missionary training.
“I really praise the Lord for all that He did through this mission trip, because it changed each and every one of our lives. We look forward to the next mission trip at the end of this year, and can’t wait to once again witness the Lord working in the lives of His children.”