The guests at Malealea Lodge in the tiny country of Lesotho enjoy watching the local band play their homemade instruments and dance just after sunset.
This pano is of the inside of a traditional Basotho hut where Rebecca and I slept a night. We shared the hut with a couple of birds all night, who took shelter from the rain and cold. Located deep within the mountains, the village of Ribeneng is only accessible by horse or on foot.
This pano was taken in a remote village accessible only by horse or on foot, deep in the heart of Lesotho. The hut with the two white chairs just outside the front door is the one we stayed in overnight.
April is a month for visitors, starting with Annie’s parents Stephen and Marilyn Herwaldt from Lansing, Michigan, for two weeks. Allan’s sister Allison, her husband Steve and their seven-month-old daughter Amelia are also visiting this month from England. And later in the month two of Will’s buddies will be coming for a week. It’s been a great experience having visitors here and remembering the first impressions that the township and the Powerhouse made on us: the vibrant singing and worship, the beautiful shining faces and the wonderfully welcoming hospitality have taken on fresh color and meaning as we observe first-time visitors taking it all in. It also makes us excited to welcome the teams from our churches back home (Grace Community Church and Atlanta Westside) at the end of May.
Annie’s dad was invited to lead a two-session seminar on biblical leadership for the elders and leaders at the Powerhouse, and everyone was really blessed by his presentation a few evenings ago. Mr. Herwaldt is clearly someone who knows Jesus. He is humble and thoughtful as he speaks, but when he’s presenting the truth he doesn’t waiver one bit. I was particularly interested in this session because our church back home, our pastor Ru and Rebecca and I are prayerfully considering the possibility of my serving as an elder when we return home. After the sessions I am still considering serving our church in this office, but I have to say that if there was any shred of thought that I could do it in my own strength, that’s gone now. Mr. Herwaldt went through all the biblical requirements of being an elder in the first session, and then fleshed out the different duties that elders perform in the church. Throughout both presentations it became clear that while the standards are high, they are qualities that are like Christ, and in that sense should be learned by all believers. We’ve posted the two sessions online for anyone interested. Click on the buttons below to listen.
Part I of “Biblical Leadership in The Church”: The Qualifications of an Elder
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Part II of “Biblical Leadership in The Church”: The Job of An Elder, The Tools of An Elder
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This past Sunday we enjoyed a relaxing family lunch with Annie’s parents and much of Allan’s extended family. We have felt warmly welcomed into Allan’s family since being in South Africa and always enjoy the feeling of having a family away from home when we see them from time to time. See the 3D Panoramic image shot of the group below.
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This pano was taken in one of the boys dormitories at the Zimpeto Ministry Center run by Iris Ministries in Mozambique. Thanks to Sharon Lee (the dorm mother) and the boys for welcoming us into their living quarters.
This pano was taken in a school room at the Machava Ministry Center run by Iris Ministries outside of Maputo, Mozambique.
This 3D virtual image was taken on the playground at the Machava Ministry Center run by Iris Ministries outside of Maputo, Mozambique.
Maria and Koketso (and their siblings/cousins) were among some of the children featured in my master’s thesis project HIV Stories in the story titled “Facing the Future”. They immediately captured my heart, and Rebecca’s as well. It’s been so much fun to see them growing up while we’re here, though I admit also a bit scary as they leave the age of innocence and start discovering the world of adolescence and adulthood.
When I first met them, Pastor Vincent took me to their house to see the living conditions there. Like a lot of houses in the township, there is a main house with lots of one-room shacks behind it that tenants rent from the owner. In this case, it’s pretty hard to tell there is an owner at all. There’s trash all over, kids running around and a general stench of poverty. We visit there occasionally during our Tuesday feeding scheme, and at other times just to visit the children, but it’s not enough. Part of the issue with reaching out to them is that it’s really hard to even figure out which kids have parents, which are orphans and if we give them food, who will even be the ones to consume it. But that’s how it goes here a lot of the time—messy and complicated. Maria and Koketso come to the Powerhouse almost every Sunday with their brother Thabang. I pray that God will lead them in their lives to avoid the pitfalls of poverty, and may use us to help in any way we can while we’re here.
The panoramic image below is shot from the back of their house where all the shacks are. Maria is in the photo along with a few others who live there and the rest are members of the outreach team. Koketso was not around when I shot this.
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