We traveled north in Botswana to the town of Francistown 450 km from Gaborone on Thursday.  Friday we had LBT Botswana team meetings.  It was great to see the crew that I had the opportunity to meet last September, and for Maya and the kids to meet them all in person for the first time.  We had meetings and a great time at dinner Friday night.  It is good to have friends in Botswana to connect with every once in a while, to share ministry with, and to bounce ideas off of.

Saturday was the dedication of the New Testament and Psalms in the Kalanga language.  The festivities started at 7AM with a parade though town ending at the site of the dedication.  There was then four and a half hours of speeches, music, praise, and worship and as the keynote speaker, an official in the government of Botswana said, "It was not about the Kalanga people, but about Jesus our savior, the word made flesh."  She urged the people to "not put the book away on a shelf but to read it out loud, to read it to their children and to continue every day until our nation is transformed."   The services were followed by a traditional Botswana meal of seswaa, samp, pap, morogo, sorghum and so on.  (See pics for a sample of some of these).

The question was the most awesome part.  Unfortunately, we weren't there for it, because Rich was a little under the weather and we had to leave shortly after the meal.  Some of the LBT 'brass' was talking after the meal and they were approached by a pastor in attendance who asked, "When will this day happen for my people.  When will we start a Bible translation in the language of my people?"  The language?  Shekgalagari, the language that we have been sent here to work on.  How encouraging it was for him (and for us) to be told that a missionary family has just arrived to begin work in his language!  We look forward to the day when we hold that dedication and God speaks Shekgalagari.  For now we pray for that day to come and praise God for His word in the Kalanga language.  May they be tranformed by the word made flesh - our Lord Jesus!