Hi friends/family!
I am writing to you from Durban, South Africa. We are currently here for a debrief and will be heading to our base in Swaziland tomorrow morning! I truly apologize for the delay on posting a blog…I’ve been wanting to write but we had very little access to wifi in Lesotho and a packed schedule. So…..month 1 is officially over! It’s hard to grasp how quickly time is flying on the race. In this post I’d like to give you a synopsis of the month:
Each week, we had ministry Monday-Thursday, off days Friday and Saturday, and church on Sunday (which could last about 3-4 hours). On ministry days we woke up around 6:30am and went on a morning walk at 7am with our ministry host and his sons. Following our walk we had breakfast and an hour of quiet time, then walked 35 mins to our village (ha-quepe). Our goal for the month was to build relationships with the people in our village, to serve them in any way they needed, and to be available to answer questions they had about God. Serving the people in ha-quepe meant helping out with the local people’s chores such as hand washing laundry, washing windows, helping to cook meals, fetching water from the village spigot, etc. They loved inviting us into their homes and often taught us about different aspects of their culture (traditional dances, dishes, customs, etc.) It was a blast learning about their way of life, and getting a taste of what it looked like to live in the Malealea Valley. During ministry we also prayed over many people. The people in the village were hungry for prayer and encouragement. Some of the common struggles in Lesotho were sickness, drinking too much, and problems with hostility, tension, or anger amongst family members.
After morning ministry in the village, we’d go back to “Africa 4 Jesus” (our ministry host’s base) to do projects around the property in the afternoon – some of the projects we completed were leveling the ground around the basketball hoop with rocks, sand, and cement so kids could play basketball, painting the preschool, painting a world map inside the church, and other beautifying projects around the base.
In our first couple weeks it was pretty cold at night – usually around 30 degrees. We slept on the floor of the church, but the cold still crept into the building. Thank goodness our awesome hosts provided extra blankets and we were able to bundle up to stay warm. Praise God that it warmed up a bit near the end of the month, and it was warmer during the daytime (60-70 degrees). Overall our living conditions were similar to Training Camp in Georgia. There was no running water on the base when we arrived because the water pump broke two days before we arrived. In order to shower or wash up we fetched water from the spigot down the road and then heated it up over a fire (hello again bucket showers!). The pump was fixed a couple of weeks before we left – so again…praise the Lord! Haha Our bathroom was called a “long drop”, otherwise known as a porta-potty.
Food wise – breakfast was maize porridge or oats. Lunch was PB&Js (Yummm) or tomato and cheese sandwiches. Dinner was typically the traditional African “pop” (a maize corn meal), stew, rice, bread, or pasta. As I mentioned previously, wifi was scarce. The closest working wifi was at a mall 2.5 hours away from where we stayed. On our last night in the Malealea Valley, our ministry host organized a “love feast”. His wife and our team cooked up a bunch of food/dessert, setup tables in their pre-school, and feasted together (everyone on the base and on our World Race teams). We also exchanged notes with each other (earlier in the week we had picked a name out of a hat and then prayed for that person throughout the week/wrote them a letter for the feast).
Looking back at the month, I can say that although our living conditions were much more rural than we were used to and many of our usual comforts were removed, I am certain that I could not have asked for a better first ministry than “Africa 4 Jesus”. We learned to live simply, and to be content without our usual comforts. Month 1 in Lesotho has far exceeded my expectations. I did not expect to learn as much as I have from the Lord in such a short period of time, or to develop such incredible relationships with our host family and the people on the base. There have been joys and frustrations, but overall I’m so happy with the month as a whole. Our ministry hosts were incredibly kind, loving, and hospitable…making us feel like we were at home. The family had a genuine heart for God, a clear vision for their ministry, and deep love for the people in the Malealea Valley.
When I reflect on this past month, I can see that God is teaching me true reliance on Him in moments where I literally have no clue what to do… The Lord is giving me newfound boldness in stepping out to tell people about Him. I’ve always felt self conscious or afraid when speaking to people about the Gospel; however, there have been several instances this month where I felt prompted by the Lord to speak to people about Jesus and He gave me all of the right words to say, as well as peace within my spirit where I used to be fearful. These encounters were exhilarating and I can’t wait to experience more just like them in upcoming months. I am learning to step out in faith with expectancy that God will carry me along in intimidating conversations (i.e. when on the spot, someone asks you to tell them about Jesus or to spontaneously “encourage them” with scripture and you have to go for it!). Aside from this I’m learning to walk with Jesus moment by moment instead of just in quiet time. I’m finding that my quiet time doesn’t always have to be reading my Bible or praying. I can get creative with it, and sometimes it can just be sitting with God in silence. Currently I’m reading through the book of John and I’m loving it. It’s been so good for my soul! And for the first time in a long time I actually feeeel fullness of joy and love for the Lord in my heart. I know there will be times where it’s going to get harder in the future, and that my walk on the World Race isn’t always going to be so “seemingly easy”, but I’m eager and excited to experience all that the Lord has in store for me and my team in the coming months. I feel in my bones that some big things are going to happen.
Thank you for your patience (with it taking me so long to post a blog…) and also for your constant support!
Love always,
Em
