Lesotho-the first destination for the World Race.The journey getting from America to Lesotho is a long one. My squad and I endured almost 60 hours of travel which included airplanes, lay overs, bus rides and a lot of waiting. However when we finally got to the border between South Arica and Lesotho, there was a huge arch that read “The kingdom in the sky welcomes you”. This was pretty fitting since Lesotho is situated 3,281 above sea level, and is completely surrounded by mountains. I knew this but did not fully know how accurate that nickname was for this small country.
The first night when my team and I arrived, it was completely dark. We had taken a 2 hour taxi (van) ride off roading to get to our ministry site. We quickly greeted our hosts, set up our beds in the concrete church building and went to sleep. The next morning when I awoke I was left completely in awe as I walked outside and saw that I was standing in the middle of the most breath taking valley I had ever seen. The views consisted of mountains upon mountains and miles of open land. From our base you can see all of the different villages off in the distance. It felt like a dream. I was greeted by the owner’s two dogs and sat on the steps in awe of God’s creation and in awe of how I ended up here in this place. I often get lost in my thoughts thinking of all the experiences and moments in my life that have led me up to this point. Completely giving up every comfort and normalcy to follow God around the world. (and I’m not kidding about the comfort thing- this month we have no beds, no heat, a leaky roof when it rains, no running water, no wifi, no way of doing laundry, and no electricity.) However, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Although we have only just finished our first month of ministry, I feel like the people here (called the Basotho people) have taught me so much. I thought I came here to help and impact them, but even in the 4 days of interacting with them- they have taught me so much more.
This month our ministry looks like walking an hour each day to get to a village and then building relationships with the people there. This can look different each day- I have fetched water, helped cook, clean floors, hang up laundry, or just have conversations. The people here know the gospel, they have heard it many times. The point is for us to come to them and live it out, with no agenda except to love them the way that Jesus would and show that we care about them as people.
Even though each day I go in with the intention of serving them, the people that I have encounter have always ended up serving me more than I could have imagined. So I think if I could pin point one thing that I have learned from the start of this race, it would be hospitality.
When we begin to walk up and greet them, they are already bringing out chairs and are gathering us around just to have us in there homes. They welcome us with beans and “pop” and teach us about their culture. This week I was spending time with a young mom helping her cook for her father and once the chores were done she went and pulled out this huge beautiful skirt and put it on me and taught me the traditional Basotho dance.
What I realized though is that they do this for everyone. No matter who you are they have an open door policy. If someone knocks, they not only answer but invite them into their homes and into their lives. What if we all did that? What if instead of keeping to our norms, we opened our doors and invited others into our lives? What if instead of worrying about how beautiful our tables were set, we worried about the beautiful conversations that could come from the people that came? What if instead of showing the world how great we are through social media, we invited others into the hard parts of life? This is something that I want to remember long after the race. To have an open door policy- and to make others feel as welcome as the Basotho have welcomed me.
Thanks for letting my story be a part of your day,
xo Katie
