Reverent Hendrik Du Plessis
For those who do not know, Bere is about 200 kilometers from D’kar. Gantsi is 40 km from D’kar. Then you drive through the town about 10 kilometers. Bere’s turn-off is then 134 kilometers from Gantsi. When you turn off at the dirt road, it is still 15 km.
Bere are a community with many people in the grip of alcohol. If you want to do missionary work among people who do not have many problems, who are well-educated, ambitious and with a lot of potential, you should not go to Bere. Many work for the government (piece work). They call it “drought”. The government hire people from the village to pick up rubbish and perform other tasks for them. Only a limited number of people can be hired every month. If you were hired this month, you may not be re-hired next month. Then someone else must be given a chance. They work from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The payment is P500 per month. But alas, when they receive their money, it’s a done deal where they’ll spend it. This is very tragic.
Late Thursday afternoon when we arrived at Bere we went to greet some of our aquaintances. One of them is the local chief who has probably been in the post for a year now. Soon one of the others wanted to know about the audio Bibles. We then went camping around a kilometer outside the town.
The next morning a bunch of people came to be among the first to receive an audio Bible. My answer to them was to come back at 4 o’clock, because then I was planning a big Bible study. Their objection was that the Bibles would be too few and those who came first would be at the back of the line like last time. My suggestion to them was that I will take a group photo of them so that they can enjoy preference during our Bible study this afternoon. With that, they were at peace.
We gathered at around 4 o’clock and those on the photo sat separate from the rest to receive their audio bibles first.
When everyone was more or less present, we were able to begin with the Bible study. Of course, not everyone could receive a Bible, but they eagerly wanted to know when we would be back. Afterwards, everyone walked away with the Bible turned on, and they were excited and grateful to hear the Gospel in their own language.
On the next photo in the background you could still see people coming out of the bushes.
The next day it was wonderful to see people listening to their audio bibles. One of the chiefs could tell me in detail what he was listening to. He was listening to the Qgõo version of Luke. They listen to it as if it was the first time they have heard the Bible.
After many visits and conversations, we were able to drive away satisfied on Monday. We could leave the Word of the Lord in their midst, and the Word of the Lord is alive and powerful to cause the hardest heart to crumble. Where anyone hears the Word of the Lord, the Holy Spirit works there.
We ask for your intense intercession for the people of Bere. We targeted Bere not because there are such beautiful people, nor because there are so many possibilities. No, we targeted Bere because they are drowning. Who but a fool will ignore the cries of drowning people and pay more attention to them on the beach. Only the Gospel of our Lord Jesus can save them. Our sincere prayer is that the Lord will make the Gospel shine like a light to the Western part of Botswana.
In addition to the audio bibles, it is my intention and I am currently preparing Bible studies to make them available to them via smartphone, as with Mababe and Motopi. Bere are privileged above Motopi and Mababe with a 4G+ internet connection. All three of our headmen there have smartphones that make it a lot easier for me.
We ask you for your continued intercession for the people of Bere.
Greetings and best wishes in Christ,
Hendrik du Plessis.