Adventures In Lesotho Week 3 All DRIMEd out!

Saturday March 22^nd

We made our way back to the church this morning to distribute the team jerseys. The campers were super excited to have new uniforms but they had to wait patiently until Pastor James arrived as well.  We started with making breakfast which consisted of preparing sandwiches with fat spread, ‘margarine’ and shredded bologna.  Jordan and Rylan helped as well and we also made juice for them as well.  We then packed them into our van, about 20 passengers at a time in a 9 seater van and made our way back to the Maoeng village where PJ lives.   Jordan, Rylan and I were pressed into being referees for the 3 team tournament.  It was supposed to be just a fun outing, but one coach took it very seriously putting a lot of pressure on these rookie refs! 

In the afternoon, Rylan, Sharon and the girls made their way to the LXP youth program at Godfrey and Elizabeth’s in the Nkoeng village.  There were about 80 youth and children there and they played memorable games like ‘do like I do!’  I then made my way back to the tournament where every game ended in a tie which was perfect for me as I could tell them that they were all champions!  The one coach unfortunately didn’t see it that way and just had a difficult time accepting that.  It was a joy to bless all the teams with 4 soccer balls each.  I then made my way back to pick up the team from LXP and reconnected with some of the youth there from the camp I went to in the fall.  We then went into Butha Buthe and splurged on pizza.  While waiting there we noticed a large group of students return from an athletic competition and they were dancing and jumping around so we joined in the flash mob with the students from St. Paul’s HS.   The youth group started around 10pm and so I dropped Addi and Carla off and the youth night regularly goes to about 2am!  So, we heard them arrive home around 2:30am!  The mosquitoes kept us awake until they arrived!

Sunday March 24^th

It was another passionate, celebrative worship service today.  There was Selena leading the music with all her heart as we sang “The Lord God Almighty, He Reigns!”  They sing and sing and sing until it really sinks into your soul and feel it in your spirit!  I was on to preach again and spoke on, ‘how to get people to change’.  I focused on speaking life not death, Proverbs 15:4; changing a negative spirit with the opposite spirit (the orphan spirit being replaced by acceptance and our adoption into God’s family); enabling positive change through the power of blessing, Numbers 6:24-26; 2 Corinthians 3:17,18 as well as being heirs not slaves from Romans 8.  I then finished by challenging them that we can only give away what he have received ourselves and to go deeper into the river, Ezekiel 47!  We then had prayer ministry and 2 people received Christ as their Savior.  There was also prayer for healing and any needs.  I had the opportunity to pray for one young man who when I asked his name said his ‘English name was minister because he wanted to minister to others!   I just loved his faith and it was a joy to pray into that!

After the service we made our way to Sediba Lodge in Clarens, SA where Matt and Sheila lead the Cave Church.  They blessed us by opening up a beautiful 3 bedroom lodge to us on a small lake and it was a taste of heaven to have a retreat there.  We went swimming, took a kayak and rowboat out for a ride and had a blast!  Matt then loaded us up into his pick up and we made our way to an entrance to their game reserve!  Sheila led us on a hike through the 600 acre property where we saw zebra and wildebeest up close.  The leader of the wildebeest snorted us down but then ran away. 

After returning to the lodge we visited with them and then sat down to an amazing dinner prepared for us.  We enjoyed scalloped potatoes, bacon wrapped chicken, salad with fresh mango and toffee crust dessert cake.  It was an amazing day for Carla to celebrate her BDAY as we ate with a fire crackling in the family room.  We then laughed and watched our ‘go pro’ videos into the evening. 

Monday March 24^th

We woke up this morning and had another swim, enjoyed bacon, sausage, eggs and coffee for breakfast before heading into Clarens for some souvenirs shopping at the ‘rock shop’.  Sheila stopped in to visit us and share a great vision that the Lord gave her for both Sharon and I as well as a word for Rylan that the Lord had awakened her in the night for.

 We then rushed back into Lesotho to do a drime presentation for a school in the Ngoajone village in a remote area in the foothills at Rehauhetsoe HS (means received with grace).  A teacher, Pitso, had seen the drime on Sunday and requested our visit. After our performance, a young girl was rushed up to Pastor James and was resting on the floor like she had fainted.  After prayer, she had shared with PJ about a demonic attack that had come upon her during his invitation. We prayed in agreement over her and it was another reminder of the spiritual battle we are in.  We then visited with the students, took pictures and played some volleyball with them. 

Afterwards we were off to do a village outreach also in Ngoajone with a lady pastor named Mabene.  She has lost her husband recently, but continues to run an amazing ministry out of her home and it is a branch church of AFM.  We performed outdoors by the use of a generator and the lights of our van after downing another large bowl of sorgham.  Jordan describes it as apple sauce with a strong hint of BBQ sauce.  After performing the drime and PJ’s message, many came forward for prayer and all of us including our kids were involved in prayer ministry and it was awesome for me to watch their faith in action laying hands on those they prayed for.  We then arrived home around 8:30pm for a late supper prepped by M’e’ Matsepo that included pasta and a hamburger mix along with salad.

Tuesday March 25^th

This morning I woke up early to spend time alone with the Lord and God gave me Exodus 34:19, a passage reminding me of the consecration of the firstborn and the call to redeem!  So, it was a great moment to share those thoughts with Jordan on this, his 20^th BDAY.    We celebrated his BDAY by granting his wishes.  We made our way to the Nkoeng village where I promptly led us through these crazy thorns that stuck all over our clothing.  From there things did get better as I met a local who was willing to allow Jordan to ride his donkey and he got a solid ride all through the village, up a trail and back to the soccer field.  We then hiked up the local mountain which had some good places to scale and allowed us to have a breathtaking view.  From there we made our way back down and I drove Sharon to the ladies LXP retreat.  In the afternoon we did our drime presentation at St. Phillips HS and it was a ZOO!  They were full of excitement and energy and Piet had to settle them down after Retabile led them in ‘go bananas’.  The youth here got such a charge out of hearing the ages of our kids, especially Addi and Rylan.  We then had a quick turnaround and made our way over the worst of dirt roads with massive ruts to Halepotisa, another village where a lady by the name of Mamoqothole leads a church in her garage!  It was a packed out joint and we had to perform our drimes outside to a group of about 80.  After another invitation by PJ and prayer ministry, the group broke out into a spontaneous worship dance session and we joined in.  A young group of guys also had a stick like a staff that they pumped in the air and so Rylan and I took turns as well. After receiving more sorgam and dry corn, we made our long drive home arriving back at 10:30pm for another wonderful supper prepared by M’e.  Tonight it was squash, salad, rice and sausage waiting for us.  We then broke out with a Happy BDAY cake for Jordan and Carla.

Wednesday March 26^th

Today Sharon was off first thing to the ladies LXP (Leadership Experience Lesotho) retreat where she spoke on the diversity of the body of Christ from 1 Corinthians 12.  I went to the church to meet up with Pastor Apollo and others who were working on building the second floor above the prayer room.  It will be used for offices for the pastors as well as administration.  Makhunoane, a pastor of one of the branch churches joined me as I went to St. Paul’s HS to ask for permission to perform our drime presentation there.  We had a funny moment on the way up as he was trying to tell me he remembered me from the fall and he started telling me about fishing.  I was nodding, but definitely didn’t do any fishing until he continued to work hard at pronouncing and said ‘vision’.  He had remembered my message on vision!  It was a good laugh for both of us.  At St. Paul’s, I spoke with the deputy principal, Thabo Selokoe, and within minutes permission was granted for Friday.  It was a huge answer to prayer for Matelo Mamello, a teacher who attends the AFM church as well as for myself.  I just kept believing that we have a God of open doors! 

I then picked up Carla and our kids and we travelled with Mak and PJ to the Makateng Village where Mak leads a branch church for an afternoon visit.  On the way I realized I had forgot my laptop and felt sick.  However, God works all things out for good and it turned out to be a very small group of mainly grandmothers so we improvised.  I asked who would share their testimony and Carla and Addi did.  Carla spoke of overcoming fear in her life and Addi shared on the courage to share her faith and growing closer to God especially in part since meeting Maggie in Guelph. 

We then raced back to Belo HS near Caledonspoort to perform our drimes to the most disciplined group of students yet.  We performed in the science lab and then PJ spoke to the students there and led them in a prayer of invitation to receive Christ.  God certainly was moving in that place and the teacher there thanked us and talked about our hearts being unified.

Afterwards we made our way to Hlotse for a quick visit to the Leribe Hotel followed afterwards by ministering in drime for Pastor Alex’s congregation.  Sharon and I met Alex on our first missions trip here this past fall.  The congregation was meeting in their, ‘Royal Beauty Salon’.  It was a tight fit for drime.  Sharon took an elbow to the nose from Jordan, but she was ok!!  They were a really inspired group and there was many hallelujahs, AMEN!  They treated us to fish and chips afterwards.  On the way home we drove a young man with the English name, John, home.  He was hilarious.  He kept referring to Sharon as ‘mammie’ and me as ‘father’.  He asked if he could sing for us in the van within minutes of leaving and then he spoke the whole way of his dreams, passion and business in selling clothing.

Thursday March 27^th

Today it really hit me that our time in Lesotho was almost done and I thanked God for all the open doors and prayed for a few more!  I visited the Likila HS and met with the deputy principal, Mr. Motsamai and within minutes had permission to do a performance here as well. It was also very helpful that I was recognized by a teacher that attended the AFM church as well.  I spent some time with the students and watched a geography project in action and the classic volcano explosion….my kind of class!  I then picked up some ‘oats’ on the way home as porridge has really taken off with our kids while here.  We took an afternoon trip into Clarens, SA with M’e Matsepo as we had to pick up Rylan’s trumpet that he left at the lodge.  It was a great afternoon off and we enjoyed hearty burgers at the Highlander Inn as Sharon went for the salad and sandwich combo with M’e.  They had an amazing salad with feta, roasted butternut squash and avocado.  We then joined a family from the church for dinner in the evening.

Friday March 28^th

Today’s verse!  1 Corinthians 15:58  Stand firm, let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because your labor is not in vain.  It was a good reminder for our last day of drimes that nothing is ever wasted in God’s economy.  After more ‘oats’ for breakfast, I ran to the church to pick up sound equipment and on the way met Stephen, a teacher in the technical subjects from the Butha Buthe HS.   He also serves in the youth ministry and is a carpenter by trade. We had a great talk and he introduced me to the principal there about a presentation there, but this Saturday unfortunately the students were not in school; however an open door was there for the taking if time was on our side.  We have been received so favorably wherever we went.

At 11:30am, we presented at St. Paul’s to a packed out student body of around 500 students in the outdoor plaza area.  It was a perfect spot for us to perform.  Our kids and Carla all gave their Sesotho names and told them what they loved about Lesotho. Piet from LXP did an amazing job giving the youth an opportunity to respond and over 80% raised their hands in desiring to give their lives to Christ.  LXP has been here doing an after school program on purity in the past and they now have a meeting with the principal to restart that which is excellent.

Drime performance at St. Paul's HS

After a quick lunch, we were off to Likila HS to present there and there was more time for icebreakers that Addi and Rylan led.  They did ‘go bananas, ‘she picked the ball’ and a song, ‘Higher’ with them.  There was another fantastic presentation of the gospel made by Clonie, another LXP leader and again, an overwhelming response.  LXP will have the opportunity to do an after school program here as well.

In the evening we made our way to Qalo Village which means ‘beginning’.  Pastor David is growing a new congregation here and has great faith and vision and is such an inspiration to me.  He shared how he often takes funerals here and every time he prays to see the dead raised!  After our presentation here, PJ spoke to the group and our whole family again engaged in prayer ministry for all those who came forward

Lots of love shown after our ministry at the Likila HS

Having a great moment with Pastor David before the outreach in his Qalo village takes place.

Saturday March 29^th

1 Corinthians 16:9 A great door for effective work has been opened for me!  I really resonate with Paul’s words today as we have come to our last day in Lesotho.  Today we visited the Tlhakuli foster home that Addi did a fundraiser for bunkbeds and bless them with soccer jerseys and a ball.  We had the boys take each other on in a game of mini-soccer and then the girls as well.  It was such a joy to bless them and pray over them.  Makhauta is continuing to gain weight and her health looks great…so encouraging.  In the afternoon, we had a great time of fun, laughter and the opportunity to perform our drimes with LXP led by Godfrey and Elizabeth and their team.  We finished with a time of celebrative worship singing, “I am a friend of God.”  We then made a quick KFC run and we were blessed with traditional Lesotho hats from Pastor Alex.  We then travelled with him to the potential site where he will begin the Royal Beauty training school.  When we arrived home a family in the church was making a surprise BBQ for us at the home of Pastor James.  Later in the evening our kids joined the youth at the AFM church and kicked up the dust as the worshipped in dance and singing with incredible rhythm and passion late into the night

Mini soccer match at the Tlkhuli foster home!

Godfrey leading worship!

LXP Youth!

Worship dancing with the LXP youth!

Sunday March 30^th

There was lots of tears and hugs as we said goodbye to the Qhobela family early this morning.  We left around 6:15am and spent the day driving down to Beaufort West where we are now at the Backpackers Inn.   We were able to see some monkeys on our way down through the desert like landscape. Tomorrow we are off on a safari run through the Karoo National Park before making our way to Capetown for a week to see the sights!

If you made it to this part of my blog, congratulations!  Thanks for following with us on an adventure of a lifetime for our family!!

Adventures In Lesotho! Week 2 With LXP and AFM Butha Buthe!

Everyone wants pics after the LXP after school program at St. Phillips School.

Saturday March 15th

We started our day by meeting with Pastor Alex, a friend that we met last time that we visited here in the fall. Alex runs the Royal Beauty Salon and a spice shop in the same plaza.  He has a real heart for people who have been ‘expelled’ from their churches.  He welcomes the broken and disillusioned to his church.  They simply show love and grace and reach into the hearts of those who come.  The theme for his church is 2 Chronicles 7:14.  After a time of visiting and sharing, Addi and Sharon got their nails done and along with Bryn and Carla, they found some great dresses at a shop nearby.

We hiked up Sebothoane in the afternoon and packed a lunch for our trip.  It was hot and a very challenging walk in the heat of the day as we started from a lower point.  We met up with a young man who we gave a Canadian name, Elijah!  He led us up the mountain and it was there we met up with a group of children returning from school.  They sang to the girls and it was a great moment for them.  We had lunch at the top, drank our Stoney’s and the kids had Mountain Dew of course!  At the end of our walk we blessed Elijah with some pay, a soccer ball and uniform and he was thrilled. 

In the late afternoon we made our way back into Hlotse to play with the children that we had met up with earlier in the week and played and had snacks together.  Once again our girls were met by some very forward young men who were making marriage proposals with us.  They were turned down to their dismay.

Sunday March 16^th

Church @AFM Butha Buthe

This morning we packed up and loaded our van complete with our mattresses and blankets and gear and made our way to BB.  We arrived early at the church and the worship music began shortly after.  It was loud and passionate just as we remembered complete with whistling.  It was a mix of Sesotho and English.  A challenge was presented on giving and then Pastor James called Sharon to come forward and introduce our family.  I was asked to preach and so I spoke on Mark 1:9-15 on identity, desert and power.  I also took time to speak on the word for time in this passage and spoke on ‘kairos’ moments and shared about our story.  We then had prayer ministry for healing and then for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  It was moving as children, young adults and adults all came forward.   Well the service was shorter today, only 3hrs long.   We then made our way to Pastor James’ home which will become our home as well for the next two weeks.  We visited and had a late lunch  prepared by ladies from AFM.  We had lamb, beef, papa,rice and bean salad.  We laughed, shared and just relaxed.  We then watched the sunset from the office/ sun room upstairs.  We settled in and then had a late evening soup full of vegetables, potatoes and ground beef.

Monday March 17^th

Today we got off to a late start as PJ had to go into BB to pick up construction materials. As the rest of us waited we met a young man Jeremiah, who had euros but no way to exchange his funds. So, we did it there on the spot for him and blessed him.  He showed me his work as he worked in a warehouse that sold used clothing from all over the world.  We also had a surprise meeting from Pastor David, the dancing pastor from our last visit.  He came to our van and just preached his convictions about the Lord and it was great.  He then took time to pray for us.  So, at around 11:30am we arrived at the Lerobane foster home where we unloaded the roofing supplies for the piggery.  The girls and I went down to the river with some of the workers and dug out the gravel and loaded it on the shore.  It would be used to mix with the cement for the floor of the piggery.   We worked until later that afternoon and came back to PJ’s home.  I travelled with PJ to the Khapung village where he led a Bible study in the home of a family there.  We then arrived home around 7:30pm and were greeted by a great feast as Sharon had splurged on a bucket of KFC!  M’e and Sharon had also made beet, potato and bean salad along with rice.   We then introduced Tsepo and Clonie to ‘screaming dice’ in the evening and then presented the fund that Sharon had raised to bless PJ and M’e Matsepo for their home.  It had come to $8000R.  They were humbled and so thankful.

Tuesday March 18^th

This morning Jordan and Rylan joined me in the river as we went back to the Lerobane foster home.  We continued to dig out gravel from the riverbed and loaded up the ‘bakkie’ for more mix for the cement.  We also joined some of the men back at the site who were breaking away a large rock in front of the entrance.  So, Jordan and I joined in with the pick axe and sledge and burned some testerone with them.  At around 12:30pm we made our way back into town where we caught up with Sharon and the girls who were doing a grocery run with M’e.  We got home to eat tuna sandwiches, cheese and crackers and then it was off with LXP to St. Phillips school to join in with their after-school program.  They did ice-breakers with the kids, ‘go bananas’ along with a teaching focus on values.  The students were broken into groups as Carla and our kids led the groups.  The focus was on Matthew 12 and a tree being known for it’s fruit.  We talked about the roots of the tree that led to what is displayed on the tree.

After we returned, Rylan was quite keen on playing soccer in the field by PJ’s house and so I went with him.   We played soccer and then soon were joined by the Maoeng village team.  I took shots and eventually got the nod to play with them.  Rylan pretty much led his own tribe of followers with the GoPro video. I played with the team right till dusk.  We returned home where Sharon and M’e had made a cabbage lasagna and their efforts were slowed down by a loss of power so supper was later but still amazing as always.

Wednesday March 19^th

This day began by doing laundry together.  We also took time to do family devos as we were challenged by reading from the book, ‘Beyond Four Walls’ and the call of the church to be missional from Matthew 28:19,20.  We talked about the people of the AFM church and how they were such a great example of living this out.  We were then off to do work with LXP but that didn’t happen as we were stopped by the police on a road check.  It turned out that license, ‘disc sticker’ expired on Feb 28^th.  I started to scramble and they allowed me to get my phone to make a phone call as they were ready to fine me $1100R and take the van to the police station.  We were able to walk back to the house and I called Pastor James who took time to speak with the officers.  Thankfully he bailed me out and there was no fine, just return the van back home and get a new vehicle sticker for the van. Well, easier said than done, but PJ had friends just over the border in Clarence, SA.  

Sharon and I along with M’e and PJ made the trip to visit Matt and Sheila Silcock.  We had a great visit with them as they have an amazing ranch and ministry there with the Cave Church, right in a cave.  They were a real godsend as Sheila was able to share with Sharon about the Zoe Zoe ministry they have which will be an excellent resource for what we are stepping into at the Manor when we return to Canada.  The showed us the cave, how the acoustics work in there along with the etching of images from the 1600s in the wall from cavemen of course!  Matt hooked us up with his Toyota 7 seater and we were back on track.  However, it was too late for us to work with LXP so our kids had an off day to work on homework.  

Heading back to Lesotho from Clarence, SA - photo by Sharon!

I was able to give PJ all of the solar audio players generously donated by Grace Community Church that will be used to load the Bible and messages to take to villages where there is low literacy and for use in outreach.

Thursday March 20^th

Today we started out by rehearsing our drimes and then made our way out to minister with LXP in the Nkoeng village.  On the way, guess what, another random police check and this time we were busted again.  We needed to have ‘triangle’ reflectors in the vehicle in case of emergency!  Again, I am scrambling to find them and in the course of the conversation they ask us what we are doing.  We share that we are off to do a Bible study and that peaked their curiosity.  The officer asked for a Bible because he said that he was a bachelor and needed to read it every night to keep his life on track.  So, Brynley offered her Bible and we were off the hook.  At the village, Godfrey split us into two groups and we ministered to seniors there.  In our group we looked at Matthew 5:1-12 and talked about hunger and appetite for spiritual things.  We then walked to Godfrey and Elizabeth’s home where we had sandwiches with them.  Godfrey shared how he and Elizabeth met and we looked at their wedding pictures.  Afterwards we made our way back to one of the senior’s home where we took part in the rebuilding of one of the walls of his home that had washed away in a recent storm.  We had to find the right shaped rocks from the hill around his place and took part in mixing the mud with donkey dung for the perfect ‘cement’!  Addi and Rylan played with the children who returned from school….just another day in Lesotho!

The wall is almost complete!

Friday March 21^st

The piggery is completed at the Lerobane Foster Home!

I dropped off the team today in the Nkoeng Village as they participated in a preschool program with LXP and then PJ and I crossed the border to return Matt’s Toyota and get my updated ‘disc’ license.  Following that, PJ and I visited a gov’t High School about the opportunity to perform our ‘drimes’ (drama to music)

there next week and were given the green light for that next week which was really exciting.  We then visited the Lerobane foster home to see the completed work on the piggery and it looks superb.  After a quiet afternoon, I became the taxi service for the youth and children attending the High Power Soccer Camp at the AFM church.  I ended up taking two loads of children and it was a blast.  They just pile in as much as possible.  I pumped up a ball for them at the church and they were set . They watched a soccer movie in the evening on the Ultimate Goal as it used testimonies of athletes along  with the presentation of the gospel.  After some ice breakers, we performed drimes and then Selena gave a message to the kids.  At 11pm, I took our crew home before the soccer tournament starts tomorrow!

on the trail in Nkoeng Village!

House visits and Bible studies in the village!

Adventures In Lesotho - Week 1 with Bracelet of Hope in Hlotse

Triple Flight!

Tuesday was our first full day in Lesotho after an eventful series of flights that had us on three continents in three days.  Bryn battled nausea, Jord dealt with sleeplessness and Rylan was battling a fever but they all persevered!  On Sunday, we spent a fun afternoon checking out historic Frankfurt, Germany and took in the great architecture.  We crossed the ‘lock’ bridge where thousands of pad locks are attached to the bridge professing love forever by couples for all to see.  It then was time to take care of our appetite with bratwursts at Hanz and Franz!

We arrived in Jo’Burg mid-morning on Monday, travelled out of the airport in our 9 passenger van rental and a late lane change by myself within the first 5 minutes led us to being pulled over the police.  I had panicked on choosing between two major highways.  After that fiasco, I finally was able to lock in Butha Buthe on the GPS and we had our directions to get us on our way.

Normal Christianity!

We began our first morning together watching a torrential downpour of rain hit our area in Hlotse.  We took time being challenged by John 14:12, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  We talked about the difference between ‘average’ Christians and ‘normal’ Christians as described in the book, Normal Christianity by J Welton.  Average are like a thermometer, ones who can describe the spiritual climate.  Normal are themostats, they change the atmosphere!  It is only because of the very living presence of God in us that we can say, ‘we are revival’!  Our world needs to see a Christianity that is living and active.  We are called to pray for healing for example and believe that it will happen.  So, following that , we took time to all pray over Rylan for his full healing as he was still quite fevered and sick at that point.

Breaking Bread!

In the afternoon, Andy took us to Sweet Dreams bakery to scope out the work that was ahead of us. Gladys wanted it painted pink in the front and cream in the back.  We followed that by doing our first grocery run at ShopRite where our biggest adventure was choosing a laundry hamper in the right colour!  There were all on top of the shelves so many came down and were inspected.  We landed on a red one.  Back at Anne Marie’s bungalow, we made lunch along with our own café mochas.  We then took a walk back around the town in the late afternoon.  Brynley wanted to capture some mountain shots from a field which led to being surrounded by children wanting their picture.  Before long a group of 40 youth and children gathered around us and we laughed, played, danced and sang together.  It was a moment that began in pure spontaneity and Bryn led the way as she was very entertaining with the kids.  As dusk hit, some of them were getting hungry and so I ran to the nearest store and picked up 4 loaves of bread and we broke bread together.  We then finished off our time with them by handing out sweets for the night.  We said our goodbyes well after dusk and headed to the Leribe Hotel for pizza and pop.  We closed our night by praying and giving thanks for the amazing night.

Sweet Dreams Makeover!

We were off to an early start on Wednesday as we woke up at 6:30am to head to the bakery first thing.  At the bakery at 7:45am, Jordan was teamed up with Deka, Bryn and Carla with M’e Mekutco and Rylan with Ellen.  They walked all over the town selling scones and muffins to people on the street, at the post office, gov’t offices and Rylan went to a local prison.  Sharon had the opportunity to do the same later in the morning and they all came back having a real appreciation for the hard work these ladies put in every weekday!  Addi and Sharon painted the store front of the bakery in bubble gum pink.  Around 2pm we finished the 2^nd coat and took a late lunch.  At  3:30pm we were back at it, except this time Jordan joined me to paint the back work area with oil based paint.  Gladys was quick to ask me if I was ‘born again’ and we talked about faith and church.  I learned that the church she attends is called, ‘Fill The Gap!”.

The rest of the team rejoined the children who we became friends with from the night before and brought out a soccer ball to play with. The group grew to 50 children and so 6 loaves of bread were needed.  Sharon also gave a group of young men a soccer ball as they were so eager to receive one as well and they played soccer well into the night.

We arrived back to our place at 6pm and we were treated to an authentic African meal prepared by M’e Joyce.  She served us fried chicken, rice with a spicy sauce, beet salad, squash and a fruit jello pudding!  We were loving every part of it.  After supper we just sat around, laughed about our experiences and realized how much joy we were filled with to experience these amazing moments.

Listen to the Holy Spirit!

Thursday morning began as we took time to reacquaint ourselves with the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15.  We talked about the difference of our relationship with the Lord being built on confidence and not shame.  Sharon challenged everyone to listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice and both Addi and Brynley heard ‘guide’ and understanding that we are to guide people to the love of Jesus.  Carla sensed that we were not to forget the men who need God’s love.  Rylan had a verse that the HS led him to and opened the Bible to John 10:4 and read that ‘sheep follow him because they know His voice’! God led me to 2 Corinthians 5:7 where we are called to live by faith and not by sight which really sums up a spiritual exercise like this.

We then made our way back to the bakery to continue painting the ceiling, touch ups and those who weren’t working were playing with the children out front.  Rylan was attacked by the ‘ninja wannabes’!

In the afternoon we made our way towards Butha Buthe and met up with the LXP Lesotho leaders, Elizabeth, Godfrey and Piet. LXP teaches youth to be leaders in their faith and purity.  It was so cool for me to see Lackey who I met in the fall and give him a ride for part of the way.  The LXP leaders showed us their future home and ministry site and then we took off down the trail to do house visits with the parents of youth that attend LXP. 

It was on the way to the house visits that Elizabeth shared with us what a typical day looks like for a HS student.  They get up at 3am, get ready for school by doing chores etc.  They are on the road walking by 5am and in class for 6:30am.  After school is done mid-afternoon, they take a long trip home and don’t arrive until 6:30pm.  They eat, do laundry, homework and are off to bed by 9pm!!

We were split into two groups and one group visited a grandmother and her granddaughter, a family devastated by death. 

My group visited two older men, one a father to one of the youth and his brother.  We walked into a very rustic home,  music was played through a makeshift speaker made out of a milk jug, flies were swarming and we sat around a table that was burnt out in the middle.   They spoke to Godfrey and asked questions in Sesotho for us.  The one man shared how his ancestors told him in a dream to sacrifice a cow, take the skin off and cover himself in it for empowerment.  They had mixed beliefs from their animistic worship and Christianity and so we were able to talk about why they shouldn’t listen to those voices even if they think it is their very family members.  We talked about how Satan comes as an angel of light and his biggest tactic is deception.  We also shared about Jesus’ final sacrifice.  After 90min we were back on the trail.  We arrived back where we left the van only to see children playing soccer.  It led to an impromptu visit where by the end, Jordan took the shirt he was wearing and gave it to one of the kids who had a very worn out one. We arrived home to another amazing home cooked meal by M’e’ Joyce with curry chicken, carrot raisin salad, potatoes and more rice of course!  We then finished off our night by hitting the Leribe Hotel only to see that we unfortunately missed another snow storm back home.  The weather here is 22C during the day and about 17C at night…we have adjusted well! J

King’s Kids!

We were off to an early start Friday morning as we made our way back to the bakery to finish decorating and painting in time to show it off for a big reveal.  It was really satisfying to see it come together.  We made our way to ‘Golden Monster’ for pizza and had Deka join us.  We were hoping to catch up with the owner who was part of Sharon’s business network last fall when we were here in Lesotho.  However, he was away so we connected with the workers there and one of them performed his rap for us as he is hoping to be an artist.  We danced with some of the locals and had lots of laughs there. 

Afterwards we made our way to the Makhoaroana foster home also known as King’s Kids.  It was over an hour to get there with roads that were full of potholes.  We followed Andy out there as he was making a delivery of laying hens and feed.  Our kids had the opportunity to carry the hens and it was quite the experience for them.  Carla was a pro at it.  Jordan and I carried the 50kg bags of feed into the home.  We then heard the stories of all the children and blessed them with soccer jerseys and shorts from Guelph youth soccer along with some High Power soccer balls.  We then played with the children for the rest of our visit.  Jordan asked about praying for one of the girls who had issues with her leg and so our visit concluded as we laid hands on her as well as the other children and prayed for healing, provision and blessing for this home.  Anna, the house mom, is an amazing lady, full of joy and Sharon had a great opportunity to connect with her.  We then drove back at dusk and made our way back to Hlotse.  Tomorrow we are excited about the opportunity to climb a local mountain and connect with the LXP youth outreach in the afternoon.  Another full day awaits!!