I gained 10 pounds between training camp and launch because every opportunity to eat my favorite food was the “last” opportunity. I can’t even tell you how many “last” cheeseburgers I ate, but I was determined to indulge in every last one before subsisting on an African diet. Yet after being in Lesotho for nearly one month, I can now tell you my favorite cheeseburger and milkshake spots – bonus points for those with Wi-Fi. I also buy chocolate every other trip to the market. Healthy, I know.
I soaked in every moment of my last shower in America as I mentally prepared myself for bucket showers. Turns out, the shower here gets scalding hot and feels better than my shower at home.
My expectations extended beyond superficial things like cheeseburgers and hot showers. Thanks to the headlines displayed all over the news, I feared that the people here would harbor hostility towards us as Americans in their town. Yet today I walked down the road and a group of three girls greeted us and asked to be friends, which happens more often than you’d believe.
I certainly didn’t expect to fall in love with Lesotho. I mean, have you ever even heard of it? I hadn’t. But that’s exactly what I did.
The culture is welcoming, warm, and peaceful. On our first weekend here, we went for a walk around the village with no idea where we would go. Before we could even reach the end of the road, we met a college student named Patience. She stood on her porch smiling as she struck up a conversation. She then sacrificed the next hour of her time to teach us some of the country’s language and history. Two hours later this complete stranger took us for a walking tour of the village, even taking us to her favorite spots. And this illustrates only one picture of the exceptional hospitality we continue to receive.
The landscape takes my breath away. They call Lesotho the “Kingdom in the Sky” for its incredible mountains. As we drove to Semonkong, I sat in awe of the beauty that surrounded me. We passed snow-covered mountains, sprawling fields, and watercolor landscapes.
And with that love comes heartbreak. We spend our off times at Leratong, the community center here. Sometimes that looks like playing soccer or keep away, and sometimes that means helping the younger children read and pronounce words. For us, Leratong is a place where joy and love abound as children cover us in hugs. But every time that I walk into the gates, the red ribbon painted on the front of the building reminds me that this country suffers from one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world. Many of these wonderful kids, through no fault of their own, carry the virus. My heart breaks as I meditate on that gruesome reality.
Lesotho failed to meet my expectations. Instead, the Lord gave me a month that was greater than I ever imagined, and I am thankful for every moment.
If you would like to see what our day-to-day life looked like, follow my VLOG!
