Lesotho, South Africa: A country that I had never heard of nor knew where it was on the map when I signed up for the World Race. Yet only being one week in, Lesotho has left its mark on my heart for the better.
We were told at training camp and even at launch that ministry would look different every month. They told us we would see smiles, frowns, tears, and if we were lucky, some lion cubs.
26 children with 26 heart wrenching stories.
There is the baby girl who was found in a bag at a bus stop. The boy that was told to get the knife for his aunt, only to see his mother killed right in front of him seconds later. The boy that turned into a man at the age of 5 because he was abandoned and left with his little sister… He killed birds and dug up frogs to provide and ultimately… survive. The HIV positive toddler, who was found on the floor as a newborn breastfeeding from his dead mother.
Reading the stories of just a few of the blessings that live here at Lesotho Save the Children, you may think it’s a sad place. You’d see 1 fútbol being chased by 26 children. Tattered and frayed clothes hanging off of shoulders and hips. Toes and heels peeping through holes of old, worn-out shoes. But when you look past all of that, you see so much more. It’s the sparkly eyes, the giggly voices, the endless games of fútbol, the crazy dancing to contagious songs… the willingness to serve each other despite circumstances. Ultimately, you see hope.
Being here for just one week has lifted my spirit in ways that I couldn’t have imagined by myself. My heart has been touched and I have been filled with joy. Just how my story seemed broken and shattered at times, I am a living product of how God has turned it around. He transformed what I thought was my mess, into my message.
So I ask you, what’s your story?
