Lesotho

So, I was in charge of keeping a daily log of our outreach in Lesotho, so i'm just going to copy and paste it here. i know some of it will be long and detailed and uninteresting, but it's all i have time for now! i miss you guys so much! not talking to anyone from home for 3 weeks was torture! anyway, hope you enjoy!


October 9, 18h00- Bus left Cape Town headed for Lesotho
October 10, 6h00- Bus arrived in Bloemfontien
7h00- Bus left for Maseru border
9h00- Bus arrived at the Maseru border

“Where are you going?”

The journey from Cape Town to Bloem was pretty uneventful. Most of us were able to sit together on the bus, but there wasn’t much talking…we slept as much as we could. We arrived safely in Bloemfontien where we boarded another bus with very friendly attendants! Male ones! That trip was only about 2 hours, but was a little more entertaining. There was a little boy on the bus called Turner who was celebrating his 3rd birthday, so we sang for him.

Before we knew it, we were at the border. The bus dropped us there, and we went with our bags to passport control. Every counter we stood at, we were asked “where are you going?”. We thought it was a little strange…since we were at the border of Lesotho, where else could we go besides Lesotho? We’re still wondering why we were asked that question so many times. The border procedure was pretty stress free…we only needed to fill out a form and hand it in. They then stamped our passports and gave us 30 days in the country.

Our first day was very relaxing. Auntie Estelle welcomed us with chocolates and baby Lesotho hats, and we were told to make ourselves at home. We will be staying here in her home for the entire 3 weeks. Eventually, some of us will move to a flat that’s just across her yard, but for now, we’re all in the house. It’s close quarters, but we all have our own beds and space to put our things. We’ll be sharing one bathroom.

After taking baths and putting on clean clothes, we just chatted and then most of us slept. After she welcomed us, Auntie Estelle was out most of the day, but she was home in time to cook for us. She made yummy sausages, potatoes, salad, and rolls. After supper, we relaxed some more and chatted. It was a very nice day.


Today, we woke and were ready to meet by 9:15. Wendy shared from Joel 2:13, and encouraged us to have grace with one another…that we’re now in the honeymoon period, but eventually, because we’re in such close quarters, we’re bound to annoy each other.

At 9:30 Kabelo came to do some orientation with us. He was born in Lesotho, and did his DTS here in 2001. He shared many things with us about the culture, the people, the importance of team relationships, etc… He even taught us a few greetings in Sesotho, and some important phrases to remember. He stressed the importance of being respectful of elders and greeting them a specific way. He also talked a lot about how the country was founded on peace and that the people here are very friendly…usually even greeting with the word “khotso” which means “peace”.

For most of the afternoon, we were busy with physical work. We feel that it is important, not only to bless the people of Lesotho, but also to bless Auntie Estelle…helping her with things around her new home. One of the things she’s mentioned she’d like to have is a small Lgarden outside her house. For a few hours, we worked outside getting the ground ready to plant some colorful flowers. We got a lot done, but we were exhausted by 4pm.

We decided to have KFC for supper, and we invited Kabelo to eat with us. He brought along the children he’s looking after, Maleteka and Lineo. They were fun girls…shy at first, but they warmed up and turned out to be very entertaining. We had a good time with them. When it was time for Kabelo to take them home, they didn’t want to leave. I’m sure we’ll be seeing them again.

We made coffee when they left, and had the most fun chat with Auntie Estelle about boys, husbands, and boys that want to be husbands. When it was time to sleep, our Auntie sat in the passage way where we could all hear her, and read a bed time story.



October 12, 2005

“M’e, M’e, M’e, M’e…”

Today was our first day at Beautiful Gate. We arrived at half past 8 to start our orientation with M’e Sue, the current manager of the care workers. She’s a really sweet lady, and she prepared us well, telling us the history of Beautiful Gate Lesotho, how to care for the children, and then gave us a tour of the facility. There are currently 23 children staying there…the maximum amount of children they will take is 25. The children range in ages…the youngest being 6 months and the oldest is 4.

We also met many of the care workers whom we’ve been told to address as “M’e”. It’s the respectful title to call an older woman, but there are so many of them! I’m sure that eventually, we’ll learn to tell them all apart. There are also several volunteers working there at the moment…some from Australia and America.

It would be safe to say that we were in heaven all day…holding one baby after another. We helped with feeding when it was lunch and tea time, and any time we heard a cry, we’d try to comfort as best we could. Some of the children though are very attached to the care workers though, and only want to be held by familiar faces.

Our time there was very enjoyable, but also tiring…by 3, we were ready to head home and get ready for the soup kitchen.

October 15, 2005

Goodbye Honeymoon!

Thursday was our second full day at Beautiful Gate. It was hectic of course, but a little easier since we were more familiar with the schedule and routine. We always start out in the baby room…each of us have picked a favorite or two…

Wendy’s little “Bokkie” (Tiisetso) has beautiful skin, and the sweetest little face. She’s spoiled rotten and a drama queen to say the least! She’s full of energy, and getting her to sleep is a chore…but when she cries, you better believe that Wendy’s there to comfort her.

Sarah struggles to choose just one child…they’re all so precious, but she’s taken to Lefa…a pudgy little boy with the chubbiest cheeks ever. He’s very sweet and loves to snuggle.

Kim’s little boy Leseli, is also pretty relaxed. He’s a small guy with a pudgy little face, and he’s content just sitting with Kim and watching what’s going on around him. When he’s excited, he chatters very loudly.

Sabie drifts back and forth between 2 of the babies(Lerato and Palesa), but she claims that her girls are the prettiest babies in the whole place. They both have lots of super soft black curls on their heads. They’re also pretty laid back, and are happy just to sit with Sabie and stare. One of them is in the process of being adopted by a Dutch couple who works with Beautiful Gate.

Mandy’s little Angela (the only baby with an English name) is a wiggle worm! If you didn’t know her, you’d think her happy face was a sad one…she has the funniest expressions, but she’s full of joy.

Learning the names of the children has been a challenge for most of us. Sabie doesn’t struggle as much because she’s heard Sosotho names before, but I’m sure we’ll get them all eventually. Their names all have special meanings…sometimes having to do with how or when they were found.

We’ve all learned the hard way, that many of the babies have very sensitive gag reflexes! Most days we come home with baby puke on our clothes. It would actually be quite helpful to wear some sort of plastic apron over our clothes. Sarah, though, wins the prize…Thursday, she’s was spit up on at least 6 times! She says “I have the magic puke touch!”.

At 10 in the morning, we help bring all the babies down to the lounge, a room with lots of toys and padded blankets where they can play and just get out of their room. It also gives the Bom M’e time to clean the bedrooms and let some fresh air in. The other kids who aren’t in preschool also join the babies in the lounge till lunch is over. It’s sometimes chaotic with so many kids, and often crying becomes contagious. We help out with feeding when the time comes, and usually after lunch, they’re all ready for a nap. Sometimes, though, it’s difficult to get them to sleep because of the noise…there’s always a radio turned up really loud, and the chatting between the Bom M’e can also be quite loud.

After lunch, we all scatter. Some of us go outside and hang with the older kids…some continue to help with the babies. There’s never a dull moment…always something to do.

In the midst of all the business at Beautiful Gate, we managed to get away to pray at lunch time…we’ve decided that Thursday’s will be our day of prayer and fasting while we’re here. It’s something we all felt God asking us to do. We prayed that morning for ourselves, at lunch time we prayed for our leaders.

Thursday night, we had another meaningful prayer time. After praying for the base, we went around and shared things that we were personally struggling with. Then we read, as a group, the first chapter of “The Atonement Child”.

On Friday, we were up early again preparing for another day at Beautiful Gate. We did a little more practical work…washing curtains and window sills while we were there...it’s things like that that don’t get done because there’s so many other things to do. Auntie Estelle picked us up early so we could do some cleaning at her house, get some things in town, and then head to supper with the Dutch couple.

We saw a very interesting thing on the way home. We stopped by the bread factory to get bread…it’s in an area where there are many factories owned by the Chinese who have settled here. We were sitting in the car, just watching the activity in the street. There were people everywhere, walking up and down, sitting on the edge of the street, but then, all of the sudden, a few started running towards one of the factory buildings, and then everyone started running that way! It was the craziest thing we’d ever seen…in less than 2 minutes, the street was almost completely clear of people, and they were all crowded in this one place. It was too far for us to see what was going on, but when Auntie Estelle got back in the car, we drove past, and Auntie told us that they probably announced that there were a few job openings. It was shocking to us that people are so desperate for jobs.

We did some cleaning when we got home, and then went to town. Our time there was short, but the town is nice and quaint. By the time we got home, we had about 15 minutes to prepare a fruit salad before we needed to leave for supper. That’s when we saw a little bit of a different side of our Auntie. When she’s in a hurry, sometimes things come from her mouth that she doesn’t mean. We worked through it though, and left for the Dutch couple’s house. They had prepared a nice, big spaghetti supper for us. It was so yummy! Their daughter Ana (a child they adopted from Beautiful Gate) is 2, and she was very entertaining. After supper, they made nice Starbucks coffee for us, and we watch “Remember the Titans”. It was a really fun night…relaxing after a busy week.


October 19, 2005

The Weekend

Saturday, Auntie Estelle and Wendy had some things to do in Bloemfontien, so we were home alone for the day. We got to sleep late, which was really nice. Then we did some cleaning, preparing, and more resting. Kabelo came to fetch us around 4 to go and watch a movie at his house. When we got there, he couldn’t figure out the DVD player, so we ended up watching the movie on someone’s lap top. We watched a movie called “Beyond Paradise”…it was directed by Loren Cunningham’s son, David. It was an okay film…told the story of 4 boys in Hawaii. After the movie, we cooked some supper there, and decided to watch “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” while we ate. It was a nice night. Kabelo was so good to us. We found something interesting though when he brought us home…the front yard was flooded, and water was gushing from a black box thing. Kabelo said there wasn’t much we could do since it was late, but he said it’s possible we wouldn’t have any water when we woke up on Sunday. Trying to think ahead, we filled every object in the house that would hold water!

We woke Sunday morning, and the water was fine. A man came to fix it early, and we all had hot baths. Wendy and Estelle came back around 10, and then we headed out for a rural church. Auntie Estelle tried to arrange some transport for us so that we wouldn’t have to make 2 trips, but it didn’t work out. We were very late leaving, and when we got to the area where the church was, Auntie couldn’t find it. We found a church, but it wasn’t the right one, so when we asked for directions, a M’e came to show us, but just to make sure we didn’t get lost, she said “let me send a child to help you”. As if the car wasn’t full enough, with every seat taken, a 12 year old boy climbed in with us! Some of us had to get out and walk because the car was dragging on the dirt road, but we eventually made it. When we walked in, they were ending the prayer meeting, and then church started.

It was a very nice church! We all enjoyed being there. They were so welcoming and so happy to have us there. We all introduced ourselves, Sabie danced, and then we helped with the children’s program. Everything had to be interpreted, but it wasn’t so bad. We told them the story of the wise man and the foolish man, and then taught them the song. They also taught us a few songs. The children seemed to have fun, and the adults were so pleased that we came so far to visit their church. That afternoon, we ate KFC and rested…it was a long morning.

Monday was our off day, so we slept in! We all ended up in town eventually. Sarah found herself dining with a homeless man alone…clearly not something she’d planned for, but thankfully, Wendy and Mandy showed up at the same pizza place. Sarah was relieved, and said to the homeless man “oh, here are my friends I was waiting for”. We also spent time looking for things to buy our secret pals. We put everyone’s name in a hat on Sunday night, and we each get to bless someone for the rest of our time here, but it has to be secretly. So far, people have received pretty cool gifts. Sarah got a harmonica (which is ironic since she was named the official announcement maker of outreach…now she calls us together with her harmonica!), Wendy got some nice candles, Sabie got a fun game and a fake snake, and of course, everyone’s gotten sweets!

Monday night, we went over to meet Tahbo and his wife. They are the leaders of YWAM Lesotho. He told us the story of how they ended up starting a ministry with the prostitutes of Maseru. Tahbo talks very softly and laughs really loud! I think we were all so tired, so his laugh kept us awake!

This week, we decided we’d like to meet the night shift at Beautiful Gate, so yesterday, we were home for the morning and part of the afternoon. We had breakfast together, then had some processing time alone, and then some planning time to prepare for the church programs we’re going to run this weekend. Then we ate lunch, and headed to Beautiful Gate around 2pm. We discovered when we got there that a new baby had arrived. Pontso was found Monday by a young girl who took her to the police, and then the police then brought her to Beautiful Gate…she was less than 24 hours old. She slept a great deal that day. We spent the whole of our time in the baby room…we rocked and fed and rocked some more. The night shift team came in at 5 or 6, and they were all very sweet ladies. We stayed till about 7:30pm and then headed home.

The weather has been very interesting here. The temperature isn’t bad at all, but there’s usually a rain shower in the late afternoon, and sometimes at night. Last night, there was a pretty bad storm, and we lost electricity…so we lit candles and just continued on with life. We have a gas stove, so cooking can still take place…the only thing that could be a problem is that the geyser is electrical…we may end up with cold baths in the morning!

October 28, 2005

Bittersweet-ness…

Our time here is almost finished…we’re excited to get back to Cape Town, but sad also to leave the people and kids we’ve spent the past 3 weeks with. This week has been good in many ways, but also a bit difficult…I’ll get to that just now, but I need to back track a little…

Continuing from last Wednesday…it was a busy day. We were at Beautiful Gate by 8:30 and stayed till lunch or a little after. We had “one on one’s” with Wendy in the afternoon where she challenged us in many ways…most of the issues being very personal. She asked us to be prepared to share with her the reason why we’re here in Lesotho…why we feel God has brought us here. Then she also asked us to share with her the things that make us stumble. She prayed with each of us and we all got “homework” assignments…mostly things we needed to sort out with God. After that was finished, we quickly prepared to go help out with the soup kitchen only to discover when we arrived, that they were finished serving the food, so we came back home. Jeroen and Agusta invited us that night to watch a movie at their house in exchange for sitting with Anna, their daughter, while they went to a Bible study. When we arrived, Anna was already in bed, so we made pop corn, baked some cookies, and watched “Final Solution”…an intense movie that portrayed the history of racism and apartheid in South Africa…it was quite brutal, but very informative. We prayed at the end of the movie…just that God would continue to work in the area of racism in South Africa. Things have improved, but there are clearly many issues that remain.

Thursday, again was a day of prayer and fasting, so we prayed that morning, and then prepared a little for the programs we were responsible for over the weekend. When that was finished, we planted seeds in the ground we had already prepared the first week we were here. We’re hoping that before we leave, we’ll be able to see a little evidence of the work we put into our Auntie’s garden. We went to Beautiful Gate that afternoon. One of the little boys was turning 1…there was cake and all the toddlers were a mess…cake all over their faces! The babies were quite fussy that day…at times we found ourselves trying to comfort three or even four babies all at one time! It was quite hectic! We were pretty worn out when we got home that night. We had our usual Thursday night prayer time, and then were ready for bed.

Friday was a busy day. We were at Beautiful Gate till noon, and were able to witness the adoption of little Palesa. All the legal stuff was worked out, so now, the Dutch couple, Jeroen and Agusta are the proud parents of another beautiful baby girl from Beautiful Gate! It was so exciting! We then came home for lunch and to make sure we were prepared for the program that night. We were asked to present something for college aged students at a university about an hour from Maseru called “Roma”. We borrowed a vehicle that we could all fit in and headed to Roma around 5. There was never a dull moment in that journey…there were several speed bumps along the way, and Estelle struggled to see them ahead of time…it made things quite interesting! We picked up a few ladies who work at Beautiful Gate along the way. The night went very well. I think we were all a little nervous…we’ve never really worked with college aged people before, but God was so faithful. We did an interactive program that we’ve used on several camps with younger kids, but just made it deeper. The goal we tried to reach with the students was to show them the importance of abstaining from things for the purpose of holiness rather than self-interest. For example…we’ve found that many young people (especially in South Africa) will abstain from sex because they’re afraid of AIDS or they’re afraid of getting pregnant, but not because God says “don’t have pre-marital sex”. We started with a drama, and then had several discussion sessions where we got feedback from the students. We each had a significant part, and the students were very responsive! God used us to speak to them about things that were really relevant. Sabie also did her dance to “My Redeemer Lives”, and it was obvious many people were touched. They were very thankful for our willingness to share with them something that God had put on our hearts. They greeted us at the when it was finished, and many of them wanted our email addresses so they could stay in contact. It was a successful night. Thank You Lord!

On Saturday, we were supposed to do another program, but it was canceled, so we ended up sleeping in which was nice! Some of us went to town that afternoon, and that night we had a braai at Thabo’s house. It was nice…Jeroen and Agusta also came with Anna and the new baby they’ve decided to call “Ester”. Anna and Thato (Thabo’s son) kept us laughing, and we passed baby Ester around. Before leaving, we prayed for Ester and the family. Some of us went home…we were tired, but Kim and Auntie Estelle went to “movie night”. There’s a house in the area, where many of the missionaries in Maseru go every Saturday night, to watch a movie and just fellowship. Kim and Estelle both seemed to really enjoy it.

Sunday, we were to attend Word of Life, the church where Kabelo goes. It was quite a fancy church…not what you think of when you picture an African church. Everyone was dressed very smart…there was a choir, two people making videos that were projected onto a big screen…it felt a little like being back in America…strange, but good I guess. It was a little intimidating going onto that stage, but we managed. We all introduced ourselves and told where we were from. Then Kim, Sarah, and I did a drama about hearing God’s voice and responding to it. Sabie did her dance to “I Get on My Knees”, and then Wendy spoke about finding God’s plan for your life…and then obeying. We went straight after that, to be with the children. We prepared a program that would last about 2 hours with them. They seemed to have a ball. The theme of the program was the parable of the lost sheep…we did a little interactive drama to start it off, and then did some crafts and games, all having to do with shepherds and sheep. The adult leaders were pretty impressed…when the program was finished, they asked if we could give them some tips! God was once again very faithful! They prayed for us, and we made balloon animals for every child…we even had some follow us to the car! The morning went well!

Soon after church, we all went to Maseru Sun for lunch…it’s a fancy hotel/restaurant with a view of the city. Auntie Estelle wanted to treat us, so she gave towards the total cost of our meal…our outreach money also paid for some, so the meal ended up costing us only 20 Rand each. We ate until we were stuffed…there was all kinds of meat, veggie dishes, and a dessert table too! The only thing we could do after all that food was sleep! The rest of the afternoon was very relaxing.

Monday was our last free day…most of us slept because we weren’t feeling well…Wendy, Sarah, and Mandy all came down with some kind of flu…coughing, runny noses, sore throat. We all prayed we’d be better soon…we didn’t wanna miss any of the last week with the babies. That night, John and Gillian, an Australian couple from Beautiful Gate, invited us to their house for supper. They have 3 children, but 2 who live in Lesotho with them…Holly and Andrew. They are also in the process of adopting a child from Beautiful Gate. We ate lasagne and garlic bread. They also invited some of the other volunteers from Beautiful Gate, and we played Uno and Rumikub. We enjoyed ourselves…it was good to get to know them a little better.

Tuesday was a very exciting day! Highly anticipated by some, and highly dreaded by others…we drove through the mountains to a place called “God Help Me Pass” to go pony trekking…something every visitor to Lesotho should consider. Sabie was very generous and paid for all of us! Kim was probably the most fearful…she, Wendy, and Sabie had never ridden horses before. When we arrived, the men there rounded up the ponies…they are a breed only found in Lesotho, and they’re known for their special ability to trek through mountainous terrain. We made the man in charge aware that Kim was really scared, so he decided to be her personal guide. He walked on foot and led her horse the whole way. Sarah was the leader on the trek down. Wendy, after getting over the initial fear of being on a horses back, was in heaven! She sang all the way down, and talked about how she’s been deprived for 27 years. Estelle agreed with her…she also enjoyed it…her horse was a little feisty, and at one point wanted to take a swim in a creek we crossed! Sabie also had a blast and asked if there was a way we could come and ride again. Mandy was reminded of how much she loves horse back riding. Kim was very brave…she only cried one tear, and relaxed enough to video most of the ride back for us. It was a 2 hour trek…we stopped at a pretty waterfall after about an hour so the ponies could rest and we could check out the scenery. We brought a picnic lunch to eat there, and then headed home. We spent the evening at Beautiful Gate…all of us but Wendy…she wasn’t feeling so well, and didn’t’ wanna risk passing any germs to the babies.

Wednesday was another Beautiful Gate day. Mandy and Wendy stayed home sick, and Sarah came home lunch time…she discovered she had an eye infection, so the nurse at Beautiful Gate gave her medicine and sent her away. The flu was getting the best of them. They were able to get some good rest though. Auntie Estelle had some commitments in Pretoria, so she left that afternoon, and we’ll only see her again on Sunday.

Thursday and Friday we were at Beautiful Gate till 4pm. Friday was our last day there…something we’d been dreading since the moment we realized they crept into our hearts. We’ve grown so attached to them all…so small but so precious and significant in God’s plan. We took many pictures, and asked the volunteers to keep us updated on the news of adoptions, etc…