Sunday Snippet: Lesotho and a Chance to Serve…

Our church has a sister church: “Calvary Hope of the Nations,” in the mountains of Lesotho. The church is in Tyateyaneng (Ty), Lesotho (about 40km NW of Maseru) and is pastored by Pastor Thomas and his family. This church has reached out to its own community and has also managed to plant a number of other Churches in the surrounding area.

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Our church sends mission teams throughout the year to visit them and encourage and to teach them. The emphasis is on training in children’s evangelism and discipleship. In a land where so many children have been orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS and so many children are raising children this seems to be a natural way to provide support.

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Over the Easter weekend a couple of friends from church went to visit the church in Ty as part of a mission team to serve them and help and encourage them. I know our kids would love to do this but I fear our car is a bit of a jalopie and may not make the trip all the way across the country!

Here is one friend, Kate’s report back… and I have used her photo’s in the post:

Over the Easter weekend, our family of five had the privilege of traveling from Cape Town to Lesotho for a mission trip. We were warmly welcomed in Teyateyaneng, also known as TY. Although we were crunched in the car for a total of 39 hours in just five days, it was well worth the journey to be able to experience all that we did. The Basotho people with whom we came into contact were extremely friendly and loving, and although our conversations were severely limited by the language barrier, it was so powerful to be able to worship the same God as brothers and sisters in Christ.

I was reminded once again of how blessed and privileged we are in our home in Cape Town in terms of material goods and resources. Sure, there are always things we want or think we need. But the majority of us have hot, running showers every morning, and many have more than one flushing toilet in the comfort of our own home. The people we visited just a couple of weeks ago live with no running water in their homes. Many have to walk long distances and carry buckets of water on their heads back to their homes. We were priveleged to have barrels of water in the home where we slept, but still had to boil individual kettles and pour hot water into a bucket to wash ourselves every morning. And then there were the “long drops,” a.k.a. huge holes in the ground with toilet seats on top that are located a short walk away from the buildings. No flushing necessary! I had to hold onto my three-year-old so she didn’t fall in! Think about that the next time you wake up at 2:00 in the morning to go to the bathroom!

Overall, we really had a great trip. The training of the church leaders was extremely encouraging, to hear of their desire to know more about how to properly teach the word of God to their flock. Another thing we take for granted: easily accessible Christian bookstores and even Bible colleges and places of study.

Please do keep these dear people lifted up in prayer, as they joyfully use what God has given them to build the church in Lesotho. Pray also for the numerous children left orphaned by the horrible scourge of HIV and AIDS. The church in TY, Calvary Hope of the Nations, is working hard to feed many of the orphans at least one meal a day — and they could really use your help! Consider “adopting” one of these orphans by sending a fixed monthly amount and make a world of difference in one child’s life.

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When the team reported back at church last week our kids were so inspired and came home with a plan to earn some money so that they could sponsor one of the many orphans in the school that has been started by the church there. Their plan was quite realistic – surprising for kids that are always trying to earn some extra pocket money but never follow through with the actual action!!!

They figured out to earn about Twenty Rand (about $2.00) a week, which could make a significant difference to the life of a child hoping for a daily meal at school.

Once a week they will bake one of the following:

All goodies they can bake and create with no intervention from the mother person. I like their thinking! They will sell them to someone on an approved list (grannies and friendly friends) that they will rotate through the month. Each person (on the list) only has to buy something once a month. I for one was surprised at their insight that perhaps one granny alone would not want to sponsor their project. Anyway, it is a great opportunity for them to serve and am glad that they are so keen and willing to be involved.

As well as being a blessing to a child in far off Lesotho I know it will be a great lesson to our kids, especially by maintaining their commitment to the project. So often when we think we are going to help someone and serve them we end up receiving more help and learning and understanding ourselves.

7 Replies to “Sunday Snippet: Lesotho and a Chance to Serve…”

  1. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho in 1996-98, so it’s great to hear about ministry going on in that part of the world. The Basotho really are wonderful people! What clever and thoughtful children you have that are willing to creatively serve! Thank you for sharing.

  2. Hi K, thanks for commenting… I am looking forward to hearing more about your daughters travel plans! Have a good week.

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