This past weekend, Nate and I traveled to the tiny landlocked country within South Africa called Lesotho (pronounced Le-soo-too). The trip was nothing less than a real African adventure!

Called “The Kingdom in the Sky,” Lesotho is a spectacularly rugged, mountainous country populated by a hardy people, the Basotho, who live in isolated communities too small to be called villages. Having never been colonized, Lesotho boasts a culture mostly free of Western influence. Even in the more urban areas, of which there are very few, the Basotho wear traditional heavy wool blankets tied at the neck, muck boots and funny-looking Basotho hats worn by tribesmen in the more remote regions of the country.

We stayed at Malealea Lodge, a unique model of guest accommodation in that it helps the locals in many social projects. Among the ways that it has had an impact on the community, the lodge helps raise money for the local school; hires and educates local guides for treks; runs an HIV/AIDS project, an irrigation project and a soil erosion project; offers skills development training and an adult education program; and more. There are numerous walks, drives, four-wheel-drive trails and horse treks from the lodge, which take guests to scenic waterfalls, lovely mountain expanses, ancient cave paintings and isolated villages.

We stayed overnight at the lodge one night before heading on a two-day adventure on horseback. Early Friday morning, we saddled up and, along with our guide Tsepho, rode six or seven hours deep into the mountains, crossing beautiful rivers, passing through tiny villages and stopping a few times to stretch our legs and take in the stunning scenery and expansive sky on what was a gloriously sunny day. It took us both a while to adjust to riding and to learn our horses—and to trust our horses, as some of the descents were hair-raising for sure. I wasn’t so sure about my horse, with a name like Judas…

Our journey ended at a remote village where we deposited our things in a traditional Basotho hut and were taken on foot by another local guide to the base of Ribeneng Falls. That night, we satisfied our trekker’s appetite over candlelight with a portion of the camping food we had packed and climbed into our sleeping bags at 7:30 p.m., as it was already pitch-black dark. Among the sounds interrupting our sleep during the night was a majestic thunderstorm rolling through the mountains, with thunder cracks lasting several solid minutes in length.

Staying in the village was definitely the real deal in terms of experiencing Africa! The villagers at Ribeneng share life with pigs, chickens, newborn puppies and a donkey roaming around, all of which have to be shooed out of the huts from time to time! There is only one outhouse for the whole village, we had to purify the water we collected from a nearby spring and, no joke, we smashed a couple of pretty big spiders in our hut that night! Proudly, the village rooster announced the morning at first break of dawn, right as we had finally managed deep sleep.

We awoke to a drizzly morning and saddled up, heading home on a different route requiring our horses to navigate treacherous trails and steep ascents and descents down to riverbeds. It rained on us for a few hours, and there were moments of true excitement (or rather fright!) when our horses encountered and had to calculate their steps though particularly muddy or slippery patches. The scenery became even more lush and beautiful with the rain, so the feeling of being chilled to the bone by the wetness was something that didn’t discourage us too much.

After stopping to see San Bushman cave paintings, we arrived back at the lodge where we enjoyed hot showers, the nightly performance by the choir and band formed by the locals to entertain lodge guests, a home-cooked dinner by the fireplace and hours of conversation with a couple we met from the Czech Republic.

Overall, our adventure in Lesotho was a great getaway of a trip. We highly recommend Malealea Lodge to anyone and the overnight horse trek and stay in the village to the adventurous among you! We promise you’ll have fun either way.

We hope you enjoy a taste of the sights and sounds we enjoyed in this beautiful, special place. 3D panos of the village, our hut and the local band performing at the lodge are forthcoming.

Filed under: Outside Mamelodi by Rebecca on April 28th, 2009. Tags: Basotho, Bushman Paintings, HIV/AIDS, horse trek, horseback riding, Hut, Lesotho, Malealea Lodge, real Africa experience, Ribeneng Falls, San Bushman | 7 Comments

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.—Psalm 40:2

Abandoned Babies for Christ Ministry was started by Robyn and Gerry Richter more than a decade ago and is located in the mountain village of Bulembu in the northwest corner of Swaziland. HIV/AIDS has decimated the population of the country to less than 1 million, leaving tens of thousands of orphans behind, vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Taking in abandoned and unwanted children from all over the country, Robyn and Gerry are living out their calling and supporting the Bulembu vision of restoring a dying race of Swazi people through education and God’s love, raising up the leaders of the next generation.

Click the image below for the audio slideshow on ABC Ministry.

Additional Audio Clips

The Power of Prayer

Robyn tells a story predating ABC, when she and others fed and clothed children in a squatter camp near their home.

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Gerry’s Story

Robyn shares her husband’s story and the cost of following Jesus.

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Thanks

Many thanks to Robyn and Gerry for allowing me into their extremely busy lives to take photos and record their stories. Thanks to the ABC staff for letting me get in their way. Thanks to my wife for her support and assistance in editing the audio and selecting the photos. Most of all, thanks be to God for supporting and sustaining the ABC Ministry.

Filed under: Outside Mamelodi and Stories by Nathan on December 31st, 2008. Tags: audio, bulembu, children, HIV/AIDS, orphans, poverty, swaziland | 5 Comments

Our teammate and friend Will Brown is auctioning some AIDS ribbons on his blog as a part of a business experiment he’s doing. Please check it out and place your bid before Wednesday Thursday!

Filed under: General by Nathan on October 26th, 2008. Tags: entrepreneurship, HIV/AIDS, small business | Post a comment

We have been blessed by the arrival of Africa Revolution Board Member Dave Clark and his dad, Dave Sr., who will be staying with us for the next two weeks.  Dave Jr., who does urban ministry in Chicago, will be leading us through some orientation training on how to walk with the poor, and both men will be leading our morning devotions while they are with us.

Vincent graciously led us on a tour of Mamelodi today.  While we learned a lot about the city, the Apartheid era and the almost unbelievable stigma here surrounding HIV/AIDS, we also encountered (as we are finding is the case everyday we are in the township) individuals who God is using in wonderful ways to bring encouragement to people facing tremendous circumstances.  Dave Jr. summarizes the day well on his blog post .

We are looking forward with connecting with a local community development organization based in Pretoria tomorrow, and visiting the Lion Park (!!) and Apartheid Museum on Thursday.  Both Daves are thrilled to be here.

Filed under: Summary by Rebecca on August 19th, 2008. Tags: Africa Revolution, HIV/AIDS | 4 Comments

Since our arrival, I’ve been intent on visiting the people whose lives I was privileged to document as part of my master’s thesis (HIV Stories) . During the worship service this morning, I got a tap on my shoulder—it was Selina from one of the stories, "Living Positively," smiling at me with a huge grin. If you’ve seen that story, you know she has been HIV positive for many years now and was on a downward spiral before she found Jesus at the Powerhouse and her life turned around. So it was just great to see her again, to hear her voice and to know that she and her family are well.

The church service was also really special today. Besides the joyful songs and a great sermon, seven babies were dedicated to the Lord. Vincent called the mothers up front along with any relatives of the children. He said, "I want these relatives to be here so that if in the future these babies are taken to a Sangoma (a witch doctor) you can say, ‘No! This child belongs to the Lord.’" There is a real danger here of babies being dedicated to Satan through ancestral worship practices as infants. Vincent’s dedication was powerful and it was beautiful to see all the little faces, held by their mothers. One little guy even clapped with the congregation as they cheered for him.

After church was over, I looked outside at two little girls standing on a wall together and recognized them from the "Facing the Future" story. One girl, Koketso, is the face featured on the fridge magnet we’ve given to our supporters and the other girl, her sister Maria, is sort of the "poster child" for the "Facing the Future" exhibit . It was wonderful to introduce them to Rebecca. For both of us it was as if frozen faces in a painting were coming to life before our eyes. When you see their faces, look into their eyes and hear their quiet voices, all the poverty statistics just fade away and you can see these kids are real. It just melts my heart with joy to see these kids again. The same tension still exists however—the tension between their innocent hope and their dismal situation in life. These kids are orphans, living with their fellow orphaned cousins in a house their uncle owns, yet he has little to give them. I really want to follow up and see how their situation has changed since I was here last in February 2006—yet I suspect their only source of support is the Powerhouse. I didn’t take my camera with me to church today (on purpose) but I’ve put up two photos from HIV Stories and I invite you to view their story, "Facing The Future," at www.hivstories.org .

Later, we had a chance to take the girls, along with Selina’s children, Thabo and Legato, and two others back home. With all of them piled into the backseat of the AR van, it was beautiful to hear their little whispers to each other, their excited giggles and then to turn around and just soak in the beautiful image of their shining little faces.

"Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." —Jesus (Mark 10:13-16 )

Filed under: Reflections by Nathan on August 17th, 2008. Tags: children, Facing The Future, HIV Stories, HIV/AIDS, Living Positively, orphans | 4 Comments

Today I went to the dentist. Of course an explanation was required to the hygienist and receptionist why I wouldn’t be able to schedule a next visit in six months, and the reason—"I’m moving to Africa for a year"—I found, was met with excitement, their wanting to know more, my sharing a Mamelodi Stories business card, questions, more explaining, their pledging to follow along on the blog, etc. Overall, fairly uplifting support.

When the time came for my dentist to appear on the scene and do her thing, poking and prodding and inspecting, the hygienist excitedly shared my news. My dentist was excited, too, and asked similar questions; but interestingly, the feedback that she offered, I began to discern, was almost immediately and entirely that of pity for the continent of Africa. The situation is so sad there, I was sure to see some horrific things… as if the continent was a God-forsaken place.

Later, when I was switched to a different chair for a preventive procedure my dentist graciously squeezed in knowing I was due to leave Durham the day after tomorrow, she offered more feedback, again, reflecting on how hard it will likely be for us, how sad it will be, etc: "So little food, so little medical care, so little education there…" Alluding to what we’ve heard before: it’s just a mess. I was frustrated I couldn’t respond (the novacaine having set in and four hands and all sorts of metal obstructing any attempt at a response). I would have wanted to respond, "But there’s another side of the story. Yes, the situation in Africa is tremendous. But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are some amazing things going on there, too, in spite of circumstances we in America are completely immune to and do not have to face." I would have wanted to tell her more about the Powerhouse Church. I would have wanted to tell her more about Mamelodi Stories, how Nate and I have set out to produce something different with than what some covering Africa do—to show not just the hardship, but to show the triumph of the human spirit over immense tragedy and the manifestation of God-given hope and love in the midst of this tremendous suffering.

Here’s food for thought:

The continent of Africa has more orphans than any other continent in the world. The United Nations and UNICEF estimate that by the year 2010 there will be approximately 42 million orphans in Africa (that number I cannot comprehend), half of those due to HIV/AIDS. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is having a tremendous impact on South Africa, in particular. The country has the highest number of HIV-positive people in the world (5.5 million), and the prevalence rate among adults is more than 18.8 percent. Over the past few years, life expectancy has declined by nearly 20 years, infant mortality has risen and the number of men and women in their 30s and 40s has decreased, yielding the highest number of children left without one or both parents in any African country.

So, in one sense, my dentist is right in thinking that these problems are not going away anytime soon, despite global efforts that have been made to curb this tragedy. The HIV/AIDS and poverty crises are massive, and it will take the attention of the world to respond.

BUT, in Africa, I would argue, no one else is better positioned to help the widow and the orphan than the local church! And as part of our work with Africa Revolution with various local churches uniquely poised to help as the centers of community, Nate and I will attempt to document the harsh situations facing the people with whom we will live and interact as they struggle with disease and poverty, yet as they find hope through faith. I don’t doubt that it will be very hard on a daily basis to witness the realities of suffering in a third-world place, but I’m convinced that we will return to the U.S. with great admiration—not pity—for the people of Africa.

My first response to my dentist’s pessimistic outlook on the situation in Africa was to think to myself "I should switch to Nate’s dentist. He totally gets it." But as I sat there in the chair, jaw beginning to hurt, I thought, "No, this is exactly the kind of person whose heart God has in store to change. This is exactly who Mamelodi Stories is for." Besides, I like my dentist.

It’s a powerful moment when one realizes that the global tragedy the world regards Africa as being and the inconceivable stats she boasts has a face, and a voice. Those are the faces and voices of human beings, made in the image of The Creator and not be felt sorry for, but to be loved as Jesus would love.

"But from above, in the eyes of God, sorrow and joy are never separated. Where there is pain, there is also healing. Where this is mourning, there is dancing. Where there is poverty, there is the Kingdom." —Henri Nouwen

Filed under: General by Rebecca on July 24th, 2008. Tags: HIV/AIDS, Powerhouse | 1 Comment