Shop Shop! 11 Things I Never Knew About Lesotho
You got me; I didn’t know anything about Lesotho! Until I got on a plane to South Africa, I wasn’t even pronouncing Lesotho correctly (hold onto your seats, that lesson is quickly approaching).
Yes, it’s a hidden, landlocked country that flies under the radar. It’s not the number one tourist destination. But after two weeks of immersing myself in this culture, of getting to know these people and learning about this hidden South African gem, I’ve come to love Lesotho. The people, the land, the mountains, the language; this place has an incomparable beauty that everyone should know just a bit about:
1. Lesotho is pronounced li-SOO-too, not li-SO-tho.
2. The language spoken is Sesotho. I’d be lying if I said it was easy to understand – without a translator, conversations rarely go beyond “Hi!” It’s not like Spanish where I’m able to brush up on my high school lessons – it’s difficult. They use sounds that our mouths aren’t used to making; but learning it is FUN! Here’s a few words I’ve picked up (and will for sure be adding to my every day vernacular):
**Preface: approximately 0% of these spellings are correct
Doo Mayla: Hi or Hello
Shop Shop (my favorite): What’s Up! Said emphatically with two thumbs up – if you don’t say it with passion, you aren’t saying it right
Ayyy: Yes or Okay
3. The main professions are farming and shepherding. There are hills and hills laden with corns fields and dozens of sheep scaling the mountain side. That being said, the presence and significance of Psalm 23 and the idea of the Lord as our Shepherd is brought to a whole new level.
4. God has painted the most beautiful landscape in the mountains, clouds, rolling hills and rainbows. I wake up every morning blown away by His creation.
5. A short church service is three hours. We can’t understand a word of what is being said yet am constantly sitting at the edge of my seat. The worship is constant and unpredictable, it’s common for someone to lock knees and hey, you may even find yourself singing “This Little Light of Mine” to the congregation! But it’s a shame to hear us sing; these people have the voices of angels. I feel like I’m in Heaven on Earth every time they sing (which thankfully, is a lot).
6. Iced Coffee isn’t served with ice… IT’S SERVED WITH ICE CREAM.
7. In the airport to our first country, I learned a new card game that changed my life: Fat Cakes. Lesotho showed me that Fat Cakes is much more than a card game: it’s a fried-dough like pastry that only cost .50 Rand (about 6 cents) and will change your life.
8. They are currently in the middle of a drought, meaning bucket showers! God works in mighty ways, however, because it has rained a majority of the days that we’ve been here!
9. A “quick” trip to the mall for WiFi and an ATM is approximately 2 hours. Needless to say, we’ve been learning to enjoy the simplicity of card games, hikes, cups of hot coffee (that’s been a tough one for me) and conversations with one another.
10. Family is a top priority. My team visits the same village every day, which is about a 30 minute walk from the base, nestled in the side of the mountain. With each house we visit, we find that the family’s been living there for generations – and they’re brothers with the family we visited in the house before! Loyalty to and intimacy with family is a staple of the way these people live.
11. God sees Lesotho! It may be one of the smallest countries in the world, known by a minority of the world but He sees every person, every peak, every valley, every drop of water – He sees it all. His Spirit is so present in this place and all of us are experiencing Him in a new, exciting and overwhelming way this month. I won’t lie; I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Lesotho. It wasn’t the country I was most excited to come to but God pulled a fast one and blew my mind. In the midst of a season filled with grief, perseverance, doubt and uncertainty, God brought me to Lesotho at just the right moment. This place has restored my soul. It has given me a clarity into who God is and the perfect plan He has for my life. Lesotho is where I fell in love with my Father again.
I hope this blog gives just a little insight into how this month has been for me thus far! With 9 days left in Lesotho, I’m once again flabbergasted by how quickly this journey is flying by. Thank you for the love and prayers my squad and I have been receiving – we haven’t encountered the journey we expected but one so much richer.
