Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Engaging with the Smallest in Botswana

During our time with Love Botswana Outreach Mission (LBOM), our team was able to assist with the Lorato House of Love - The Baby House. This is one of LBOM's community outreach programs.

Normally the house is run by two women during the day and two women during the night. Our team took over the house from Sunday evening until Tuesday evening. The house at capacity houses 10 babies and over the 10 days were onsite the 10th baby arrived. Our team rallied to the challenge and fed babies, loved on babies, bathed babies and played with babies. Whew. We had a tired group of folks - six babies and four toddlers is work for sure.

Lorato House is a rescue center and orphanage for abandoned babies and children in need. The Northwest and Okavango Districts of Botswana have among the highest levels of orphaned children and children affected by HIV/AIDS in the country. This is the first rescue center of its type in Botswana.

The goal of Lorato House of Love is to place these babies into loving families in Botswana that the children will grow up to be contributing members of society. Lorato House educates and empowers the extended families, guiding them to raise healthy, well-balanced children.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Our Missionary Adventure

Charles and I just returned yesterday after spending the last two weeks in Maun, Botswana with Love Botswana Outreach Mission. It had been 10 years since I last visited LBOM and I was so excited to share the experience with Charles.

We're both attracted to adventure so I knew it would be a relatively easy trip for us both. Having been there before I had some pretty easy expectations. Charles, in typical form, arrived well prepared and with lots and lots of tools and medicines in his two bags of luggage.

One of the things he may not have realized that would prove useful was his knowledge of working on 4x4s or his Texas State Guard medic training. Read more about 3/4 down on Sarah Witt's blog post Kev's Version Of the Moremi Adventure.