Month: 6 Country: Maseru, Lesotho (A small but absolutely beautiful African country that is landlocked by South Africa) Ministry: Unsung Heroes
This month my team and I had the special task of finding new ministry hosts for Adventures in Missions (World Race) to partner with in the future, this is called Unsung Heroes! In short, an Unsung Hero is an individual, organization, or church who is seeking after the Father and is furthering the Kingdom. When I found out that this was going to be my team’s ministry this month I got super excited!
I knew going into this month that my team and I were going to need to fully rely on the Lord because there are a lot of unknowns. We had no idea where we were going to stay once we arrived in Lesotho or even how we were going to find new ministry hosts. Typically when we arrive in a new country we have a ministry host that provides lodging, a schedule for the month, and a friendly face in a foreign place. However, this month differs because we do not have a ministry host and no predetermined place to stay. The first few nights we stayed in a hostel that far exceeded our $5 a night (per person) budget. After a few days of searching and praying we were able to find a place we could camp for only a little over budget! Thank you Lord!
Now that our housing need was provided for we could start focusing in on searching for Unsung Heroes. We were in a country where we knew no one and had no idea where to start. Therefore, my team and I started each day asking the Lord for guidance. Quickly we started seeing God answering our prayers!
A place that we frequented to be out in the community was the local mall. My team and I were grabbing a bite to eat and internet at Wimpy’s (an African chain restaurant). Half way through our time there a group of white people with four African children walked into the restaurant. You could say this grabbed my attention because in Lesotho the white man is very rare. As they sat down at a table in the back of the room my heart began to beat out of my chest. I knew the Lord was prompting me to act and to go introduce myself. My teammate Kris and I went over, introduced ourselves, and let me tell you that ended up being a BEAUTIFUL encounter and a divine meeting!
This group of people were also American Christian missionaries and they worked for an orphanage called Beautiful Gate! When I signed up for the Race the ministry I was looking forward to the most was ministering to orphans…so you could say I was excited about this! We were invited to the campus for chapel and a tour. At chapel, was when I got my first glimpse of the children! After the service a little boy grabbed my hand and led me outside, across the courtyard, and into one of the homes on campus. When I walked inside I saw four one year old babies playing on the floor in the living space and a house mother bottle feeding another. I sat down and picked up one of the baby boys. Joy is what I felt in that moment. Soon after I got pulled away to get a tour of the rest of the place.
As my team and I got a tour from two of our new friends Christiana (Turp) and Tyler I could sense the Holy Spirit filling this place. Beautiful Gate is not just an orphanage but they are a family. The children are loved and cared for so deeply because those who volunteer and work there are overflowing with Jesus! The feeling of peace in that place was God-breathed.
Throughout the tour I found myself being extremely emotional. From the stories of children being adopted to the explanation of their memorial for the children who went to see Jesus early to the Lord clarifying my desires and passions I was all over the place in my head. After the tour we got to go back into one of the houses to hang out with the children for a little bit. I picked up another baby boy and walked and danced with him around the room. In this moment I thought I could never let go. This little boy deserved a family, he deserves a loving mom and father, he deserved to be loved. Then I realized that he IS loved and he HAS a loving father! In this moment I had to trust the Lord’s plan for this sweet baby’s life.
My time at Beautiful Gate affirmed my passion for adoption. It is such a beautiful example of how we are adopted into God’s family! Working with an orphanage or an adoption agency is something I am continuing to ask God for direction on. I am excited about the possibility of that being a part of my future!
Beautiful Gate was a wonderful contact and I am excited for future World Race teams to experience the love, joy, and peace that I felt! Beautiful Gate also helped us get connected with several other ministries. By the end of the month we submitted eight solid new ministries for future teams!
Lesotho ended with being one of my favorite months of the Race. I left that month feeling refreshed, encouraged, and joyful! The Lord is doing great things and His glory, love, and character is being displayed all over the World through His children!
Here is a picture of my team with some of the wonderful Beautiful Gate missionaries:
