Here in Mokhotlong, Lesotho, the soil is soft and the fields are white.
In the Bible Jesus often refers to us, His people, as plants – kinda funny, right? He calls us branches attached to the vine, Him. He shares stories about seeds falling in different types of soil – soft, thorny, tough soil – and tells us that while the seeds represent His words, the soil and the plants which grow from it represent us and our hearts. And in one of my favourite passages in the Bible, He refers to us as a white field:
“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are white for harvest.”
??John? ?4:35? ?
To be ‘white for harvest’ means that the fields are overripe. They are more than ready to be picked. In the same way, the people of Mokhotlong are more than ready to have life offered to them and be picked, or harvested if you will, by Papa.
In our eleven days here we’ve seen so many come to know Christ, and in turn know joy, truth, and peace.
Most days we get to visit the hospital and pray for anybody willing to let us pray for them. So many times already we have gotten to pray healing over people’s bodies and all of a sudden realized that they’ve accepted healing in their spirits.
On days when we’re not at the hospital to visit patients, we still get to go there to help with a soup kitchen. We serve meals before getting to mingle with the locals, share names, and share laughs as we attempt to say each other’s names (Lesothon names are like six syllables of foreign of sounds). In these times we get to ask them if they’ve ever heard of Jesus. Many had, but many also hadn’t.
One man in particular had started off the conversation with my squadmate, quite cold and unresponsive. But my squadmate in all her joy and love eventually got out of him that he knew who Jesus was, but had never actually known Him for himself. Madison explained to him who Christ is and what that meant for him. Within a couple of minutes our stone-cold, 60+ year old friend was sitting with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face as he accepted Jesus into his heart. He said to Madison “I feel different now inside!” to which Madison excitedly replied “that’s Holy Spirit in you!!!”
This sweet 60 something year old man then head off to return home, but not before literally CLICKING HIS HEELS and JUMPING down the stairs with the BIGGEST smile on his face!
This man had known who Jesus was his whole life, but in a matter of minutes he had gone from knowing who Jesus was, to knowing Jesus. Imagine if someone had told him 40 years ago that Jesus wanted a relationship with him? How different would his life have been?
This is what Christ means when He says that the fields are white for harvest. People are ready to be picked by Papa. They’re more than ready to know Him and live their lives with Him, but if they’re not told, how can they?
It’s been a privilege to get to watch as the overripe fields of Lesotho get to be harvested. To see the people here go from being lost to found and inviting their friends and family to join in with them – it’s beautiful.
Keep praying for this country, friends. God’s got His hand all over it, the people just simply need someone to introduce them.
