HEY PLEASE GO SUBSCRIBE TO MY PODCAST ON ITUNES AND/OR SOUNDCLOUD. IT’S CALLED “CREATED FOR MORE” AND IT’S NOT HALF BAD AND ALSO A FUN WAY TO EXPERIENCE WHAT WE DO ON THE RACE. Then you’ll know when another one is posted — because I can’t really get on social media much this month to alert you.. but I want you to hear!!
Month 4 has begun.
We flew to Singapore,
then crossed the ocean (can’t remember which one)
and landed in Ethiopia.
A plane ride to South Africa (where we stayed for New Years),
6 hours in a bus to the border of Lesotho,
and 5 hours in a van to Mokhotlong,
we eventually stumbled out of the vehicle with stiff legs and sleepy eyes, right into our modest home situated on the side of a mountain.
It was dark when we arrived, so we couldn’t see what our surroundings looked like until we woke up the next morning. I crawled out of my bottom bunk and walked out the front door, blinded by the intensity of the sunlight but equally as taken aback by the view in front of me.
It suddenly made sense why we had driven so long the night before and why every 30 seconds in the van was a sharp turn down a sloping road.
Our house is not only on the side of a mountain, but faces a deep valley surrounded by mountains on every side. The small town of Mokhotlong is nestled at the bottom, with people walking from place to place or leading a donkey by the reigns.
The town is straight up beautiful. The scenery of the Drakensburg mountains is what I almost imagine Iceland looking like. And yet here we are, in the Southern region of Africa. Everyone smiles and waves and accepts our conversation. I drink a lot of black tea throughout the day and continue reading through Leviticus. A woman named Sonny cooks 3 meals a day for us, and the spices taste so good.
Our ministry for the month is constructing a school, hospital visits, prison ministry, speaking at the church, and street evangelism. So far it has only been 2 days, but we visited the hospital and cleaned the church.
Life is very simple, which is what I have been craving since being in westernized Malaysia and Thailand. Sometimes the water stops working and we fill up buckets at the nearby water tank. Chickens squawk outside of the sanctuary of the church and sheep hustle by on the side of the road. We have electricity and beds and there are some cars that drive through the town, but the entire atmosphere of the area is very quaint and rural.
Lesotho has the second highest rate of HIV aids and most of the country identifies as Christian. It’s a small kingdom landlocked by South Africa and is mostly made up of rural communities.
I have caught myself several times thinking things like, “Wow I’m glad to be here.” It’s like 60 – 70 degrees during the day with cool breezes and afternoon rain showers. I’ve been able to sit outside by myself with my hood up, a cup of tea in my hand, staring at mountains and just relish in the fact that God put me where I am.
Can you imagine — when I was 6 years old, He knew I would be in Lesotho one day. When I was a 13 year old middle schooler, He thought it would be nice and good for me to witness this exact valley when I turned 23. As an anxious, confused freshman in college who couldn’t decide what to do about the future, God already handpicked my steps down the dirt roads of Mokhotlong.
The reality of how much He loves me and wants to provide a life of grandeur and fulfillment and joy — just because He can — makes me excited for not only the rest of the Race, but for when I return to the States as well. Because if, as a worried teenager who was wanting something bigger than myself, was just a few years away from a trip like this, what is the rest of my life going to look like, you know?
Anywho, we don’t have wifi but our storyteller leader is posting this from an Internet cafe somewhere in town. So if anyone has reached out to me recently and hasn’t received an answer, that’s why. But please know that this month is already so beautiful and I am surrounded by great people who love me well. And God is really, really good. I am excited to see what happens with ministry.
Also I am still needing donations to continue the trip and finish the next 8 months. Please consider becoming a part of what we are doing in these countries. If you have enjoyed following along through the blogs or all my updates on Instagram and are interested in contributing to the Kingdom in a really tangible way, the donations are tax deductible 🙂 We have a deadline at the end of January to be fully funded, and I think I am lacking around $4,000. Your consideration means the WORLD.
