Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Preparing for Goodbye - Lesotho


Hi all,
My time here is so quickly coming to a close. How fast three weeks can pass by. Miss everybody back home, but already starting to miss new friends here as well. I thank God that He allowed me this visit. I pray that I am able to come back for a longer stay. Wanted to start this post with a few corrections to prior posts. Had Jo look it over this morning, I have made a few mistakes in my reporting. First of all in talking about the work that Merrill and Bekah have been doing with the shepherds, I misunderstood. They did not translate the Bible, that was done when the first missionaries came. What they have been doing is working with shepherds, getting them to understand the Biblical text so that they could put it into story form that other shepherds will understand and be able to learn, and then recording it on the solar powered 3mp players. And Merrill was over an x-ray lab, not radiology lab. I think that is right.She is not a doc. And I think that the way I have it written it sounds like I led the men's group as well as the women's this last week, and I did not mean that. Sorry. Jo oversees the men's, but they lead it themselves. Both are incredible groups. I have been so impressed with both. Wonderful hearts for God in each. Yesterday I had my last session with the women's group. Only two were able to be there. Two precious women. They are two I will really miss. We looked at the cost of discipleship for early Christians and for Christians today. Not an easy lesson, but they have the maturity to look at this and take it in. Then the Sunday Bible study group had a braai - my first! (It means bar-b-q). Really great. We had chicken, sausage,and pork in a great spice rub. And with that we had green salad and then Jo's potato salad. I provided Mexican hot cocoa and pecan pralines. Quite a delicious feast! Then we watched and discussed the movie The End of The Spear. Quite sad, but so inspiring and thought provoking. It was a wonderful afternoon and evening.  One sweet note....at the women's group they honored me with singing a worship song in Sesotho. They harmonized and it was so beautiful. I love hearing their language. How I hope to one day learn a smidgen at least. It is very melodic or something. I love the sound of it. But I'm finding that my mouth does not make the sounds all that easily. Pray that God loosens my ear and my tongue. I was not able to go to church yesterday. Too many stairs to conquer. But I missed the worship so. So  I was so glad for the worship song at the study. Oh, for another correction, Maseru is the lowest point in Lesotho. I knew it was at least close! Today, we are waiting for Merrill and Bekah to come down from the mountains. Please pray for Bekah, as she is having health problems that the doctors have not been able to diagnose yet. Can't wait to meet them in person. Will say farewell to theMonday night Bible study tonight. So sorry that I missed that chance for the Fri and Sat groups. I am learning to use my crutches, and adjusting to not putting much weight on my right leg. Having to get a bit creative. But I think that my upper body strength is already starting to improve. So grateful to God that it was not worse. Sure didn't need my head breaking the fall! Another correction: The man that we spoke with in Morija is curator of the Museum there. We're not sure what his position with the craft shop is or will be. So enjoyed meeting him.  Now, I wrote about a 3 1/2 hour bible study. Some of us were there that long, however it started an hour late, and the last 30 minutes were discussion. So it went 31/2 hours for those of us who were there on time, but there was only 2 hours of instruction. Jo tries very hard to keep the study to two hours. And the last correction is that it doesn't really freeze in Jo's house. It feels like it some nights and mornings, but no, it stays around 40 degrees. So during the sunny part of the day it is warmer outside than in, but it reverses at night and in the mornings. I tried to take a picture of the steam coming out of my mouth and off my laundry one morning when I was hanging laundry on the line. It didn't come out well. Several nights Jo has lit a fire in a fireplace in her living room. That is heaven. Love those nights. I never use my fireplace at home, but there is something, apart from the warmth, that is so soothing about it. Hot tea by a fireplace - now that is luxury. Jo is out hanging up my laundry as I write. She has been so helpful, so kind to me since my fall. She is a strong, faithful, remarkable person. I have met several of those since I have been here. Know some of those back home.
What a journey this has been. Well, some exercises for my leg are calling my name. God be with you, Millie.

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