Together for Hope

by Conny (SU Botswana)

Separated by the COVID crisis, but together for hope!

​Thank you for following our story and again we greet you from your brothers and sisters in Christ in Botswana!

We might have been separated by lockdown, but we were not alone! Our God never left us, nor forsook us. COVID looked strong and yes it has a real risk, but God has been there with us every step of the way. We do have to deal with our fears and take them to our Heavenly Father who reassures our hearts He is right there with us.

During the crisis, a demand to provide counseling and fight anxiety and fear to affected and infected students arose . I must admit, I wondered, “How are we going to insure the safety of our staff? How is God, going to keep us safe as we enter the schools?”

Honestly, we stepped out in faith, took precautions, but the sacrifice is not greater than the opportunity to take God’s Good News, His message of Hope in Jesus to those who need to hear and have someone step alongside them at this time. So we go, we endure the real risk because God says He is with us and will protect us.

But there was another group God placed on our hearts and that was those stuck at home. Lockdown had a dark side to it as well as gender-based violence and abuse of women and children increased in our nation. How could we speak hope into this setting?

Here is where we were encouraged by Scripture Union Global and LLI Live. Weekly, they stepped alongside us as the pandemic continued to unfold. They spoke into relevant topics like child protection and how to use social media for discipleship.

Our supporters and volunteers listened in and were so excited after each session. These sessions provided us with tools to reach others with Hope when ministry continued to transition to online venues. We realized we needed to make this shift to get the word of God into the hands of those we were now socially distant from.

God has enabled us to reach out through our Facebook page and to address tough topics like gender violence and encourage others through daily online devotions. We are grateful for those who provided timely training through the webinars and Zoom training events. Today, we see even clearer how we are in this Together for Hope!

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​Constance Walebatla has been serving as a member of the Scripture Union Botswana team for more than 10 years.