Oh, the people you’ll meet!
Over the month I was able to spend in Lesotho, we were given the opportunity to work within multiple areas of the ministry. We assisted in building an orphanage, worked on the church plumbing system, spoke each morning at the hospitals, visited hospital patients throughout the weeks, spoke in the prison, conducted services within the local churches, fed the hungry through their soup kitchen, visited and spoke in the primary schools as well as the high schools, and conducted youth nights each Friday. We saw multiple hundreds of people choose to begin a relationship with Jesus, and through it all we saw the Power of God move in unimaginable ways. A lady who previously couldn’t see, through prayer, was able to see. A man who couldn’t hear, through prayer, was able to hear. Inexplicable experiences. Undeniable miracles… and we did nothing but offer our ordinary hands to an extraordinary creator. It wasn’t us.
Often times I believe people can get caught up in viewing their own triumphs as personal accomplishments, while completely missing what they have taken themselves from the experiences. I have found it all too true that the act of service is more effective to those offering their hands than it is to those receiving. We can give and give and give, but never will our out-pour be greater than what we can take away from our actions.
I learned so much from the people of Lesotho.
Oliver was one of our ministry contacts. He and his wife owned a local sewing store where they made more traditional African clothing. Each and every day Oliver would not only ensure that we had what we needed, but that we had what we wanted. He served us, always prioritizing our needs, occasionally cooking for us, and he would never turn down exalting himself for the betterment of those around him. Many days I would look at Oliver and ask if he had gotten any rest; I had to stay on him. Oliver was a local pastor, but he didn’t attempt to pretty up his life for those on the outside looking in, rather, he was transparent and vulnerable with me concerning his struggles in life. Oliver did and did and did, but not because he felt obligation to do so. He gave because of what God has given him. He cared because of how God cared for him. He was because God is. Oliver gave me perspective on what love looks like. Unfortunately, our culture has altered humanities perspective of love. We say love is glorious, but in reality love is quite difficult. Love is thought to be an overflow of emotion, but truly love is often an action correlated to sacrifice. Majority of the time we believe love to be destined, but love, at its root, is much more a choice. And it is not always easy. Love isn’t always the answer to all of our problems, but it should always be our response. Because love wins, even when we don’t.
Pastor Tsepo was Oliver’s best friend. We worked with him every day as well. Tsepo was a joy-filled man with a deep voice. The first meeting the team leaders had with Tsepo an Oliver consisted of going over schedules for our three teams through the week. Once we got to talking about the prison ministry, he reminded us to not allow our teammates to step fearfully into the prison because they too were simply people. One line I will never forget him saying was, “the only difference between them and us is they were caught and convicted”. I wish the rest of the world understood Grace like Tsepo did. Every morning we went to the hospital, Tsepo was there. Each time we went to the soup kitchen, Tsepo was there. Every time we entered the prison, Tsepo was there. It didn’t matter where or who… Tsepo was there to share his heart. I loved spending time with him, for he understood Grace like few I have ever met. You see, God will never love us more. God will never love any of us less. God doesn’t love us because of anything we do, but simply because we are. Grace Changes Everything.
I made many more relationships I will cherish forever, such as the friendship I built with Genu, a man from India who ran a local Fish & Chips restaurant. Every day I walked in there he would attempt to give me something for free. We prayed together, talked, laughed and more than anything I enjoyed his smile. He reminded me of a very essential truth: we must never underestimate the power behind a smile. A smile could change someone’s day. You never know how someone’s day could change their life. And a changed life changes lives.
I made friends with a 3-year old who lived next to the church. Some days we played hide and seek, other days we filled up a hammer that had a hole in it with small pebbles for hours. We would practice hammering a rock for no reason; we talked about his women struggles, well more like I spoke to him as he could not understand a word I was saying. We even learned how to swing a bat.. but more than anything I was reminded of childlike affection. We couldn’t understand each other in the slightest, but we became friends. Our inability to communicate didn’t keep us from hugging and laughing and dancing together. Sometimes I think God just wants us to enjoy each other the way he enjoys us.
Little Tsepo was a young boy who had lost his father to AIDS and his Mother worked hours away to provide. For the most part, this twelve year old lived alone until his mother would make it home on the weekends. It took him a while to open up to us, but once he did we all fell in love with him. Me and two other girls on our squad took little Tsepo to get pizza on his birthday because his mother was not home. That same night we threw him a party with presents and his joy was radiant. Little Tsepo learned a little bit about how to throw an American football, and he taught us how to climb. One night before our departure, we washed little Tsepos feet as he wept. Little Tsepo wanted to be a minister, and we felt that we could display humility and service in a special way through washing his feet. Afterwards we worshiped and danced and laughed. Little Tsepo may not have a father on earth anymore, but he has a father in heaven. To watch him step closer to his papa was an inexplicable experience. Nothing can take that moment away from me.
We also became close with a 17 year old named Tanki. Tanki was brilliant! He was in the process of presenting a microwave he made from scrap metal which turned itself off when it was too hot. All that was needed was water, as his invention was created to keep the unhealthy micro-waves absent, which are normally used to heat the food. He desired to change the world with his gifts. I was reminded of what he had, and what he had done with it. He taught me what happens when we offer our gifts in order to light up our surrounding world.
Far too often we confine ourselves to what we are capable of due to the fear embedded within us. It is quite obvious that our deepest struggle comes not from our inadequacies, but from the power we each have instilled within us. Some of us hold back because of perspective; others refuse to allow themselves to shine based on what type of change empowerment could propel. We can undoubtedly change the world. Jesus entrusted us with the greatest gift for relational stability: unconditional love. But within choosing to shine lies a lot of persecution and doubt. We must step over obstacles and speak into the lies we have so commonly collected. It takes looking deeper than the surface. It takes transformation. It takes refinement through suffering. It takes failure! But it is worth every minute of it, for we were all meant to flourish. Don’t hide what may brighten up your surrounding world. As true as it may be that your light may dim those around you, even truer it is to know your light will give others perspective on what shining looks like. We are the liberators. Rather than voicing the change, we must choose to become the change.
Often we fixate on the places we may go…
But oh, the people you’ll meet.
