So I have been spending an inordinate amount of time at the National University of Lesotho this past week... but alas, I have not gotten a professorship... yet ;o) My first trip out to the University was last Sunday, where Melissa (one of my great BDS teammates here) and I spoke out against human trafficking to over 70 students at a campus ministry. Those of you who know me know that I am a terrible public speaker- but I survived! And, actually, it was not that bad :o) As a result of this talk, we ended up having 20+ students sign up to volunteer (and a few social work majors who want to intern!) for our advocacy and awareness events, not to mention that we got the word out on what trafficking is and how to avoid/prevent it. It was a successful day!
My subsequent trips out to the University this week are for another very exciting purpose- two of our residents want to go to college! With the help of two local social workers here, I managed to talk the college into granting us late application privileges (apparently the applications for the next term were due April 30th) and we got their applications filled out and turned in within 24 hours. If you have spent any time in Africa, you can recognize what a feat that was! The girls are incredibly excited that they may get the opportunity to go to college, and I could not be happier for them. The next step is to pray hard that we can find a grant or scholarship for them- it costs about $4,000 US dollars per year to attend college here, which by Lesotho standards is an obscene amount of money. Unfortunately at this point, Beautiful Dream Society does not have it within our budget to send them, so we will be working hard to find funding so they can realize their dream of a college education!
In church news, Victory Maseru has been off to a fantastic start- we had so many people at our very first service that we had to switch to a bigger venue by our second week! We are going on our fourth Sunday this weekend and our congregation is growing. The fellowship and teaching is wonderful, and I will now be helping to direct the children's ministry- many more 'somethings' on my to-do list, but exciting all the same!
A few of you have asked how my support is going- when I left for Lesotho I had raised about 60% of my $10,000 goal between one time donations and monthly commitments. Now that I am almost 5 months into my trip, my finances are beginning to dwindle. My funds go to living expenses, meetings with local BDS volunteers (it is the culture here that if you invite someone to coffee, you are paying ;o)) and program supplies for art therapy, etc. If you feel led to contribute anything, please click on my support tab above and you can find the link/address to do that :o) Any donations are appreciated, both by myself and the wonderful residents that we serve! Please be praying for our residents as four of them have their court cases this month and will be testifying, which is very stressful. Also, Lesotho's elections are on this weekend, and the US Embassy has advised us to 'lay low' as sometimes there are riots in the city center that may result in fatalities and destroyed property. Please pray for safety and wisdom for our team during this time of political change and possible unrest.
"Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
~Proverbs 9: 9-10
Friday, May 25, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
new opportunities, new adventures
It never ceases to amaze me how much can happen in a week here. It has been two weeks since my last post, and there are so many new updates! First of all, we have two new residents in crisis care. They are an absolute joy to have around, and they have been busy being a blessing to all of us for the past couple of weeks :o) I have come to appreciate all of my supporters, and the supporters of Beautiful Dream, even more than usual lately. Through all of you we are able to welcome these girls into the Love House and bless them in return.
Within the first few days of the girls' arrival, we were able to take them to get their hair done. This may seem trivial, but these girls had essentially been kidnapped and had been without food or any kind of luxury for months. To see their joy at something as simple as getting a new hairstyle warmed my heart. This past Friday, we got to take the girls to the cinema- another luxury that they had not enjoyed in a very long time. They were thrilled to not only go to the movie, but to get popcorn AND soda. It is very eye-opening to see how they appreciate things that I have always taken for granted. Also, these girls came to Lesotho with no warm clothes, as they had no idea what they were getting themselves into or what the weather is like up here in the mountains in the winter. Cristen, another missionary here, and I were able to use BDS funds to go out and purchase some warm sweaters and pants for these sweet girls. They literally jumped up and down when we brought them these things. All of this is not possible without you, and I am so very grateful for how you bless me and these residents with your support. Thank you for letting me be a part of all this!
My time here in Lesotho has been full of new experiences and new opportunities to learn, grow, and serve. On top of getting to work with our amazing residents, I have been given the task of helping to get our transition program off the ground and implement an outpatient counseling initiative. These are things that I would never have saw myself doing or being capable of, but with the help and support of the team here- and by the grace of God- I am able to take advantage of all of these opportunities and be stretched and challenged. I have also been building lots of new relationships and making new friends from around the world. I love the sense of community here in Lesotho, and I am beginning to feel like I am home.
Please continue to pray for our residents. We heard from our resident who went home- she is home safe with her family, which was a huge answer to prayer. Another resident's trial is being dragged out, and the perpetrators' defense attorney is playing dirty. Pray that justice is done and that she can feel truly freed of her traffickers, no matter the court's verdict. There have been interesting developments about a few of the trafficking investigations, and you can read up on some of them here. Finally, pray for strength and human resources for our team on the ground here. We are working hard, and could use some rest and relaxation!!
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
~Galatians 6:9-11
Within the first few days of the girls' arrival, we were able to take them to get their hair done. This may seem trivial, but these girls had essentially been kidnapped and had been without food or any kind of luxury for months. To see their joy at something as simple as getting a new hairstyle warmed my heart. This past Friday, we got to take the girls to the cinema- another luxury that they had not enjoyed in a very long time. They were thrilled to not only go to the movie, but to get popcorn AND soda. It is very eye-opening to see how they appreciate things that I have always taken for granted. Also, these girls came to Lesotho with no warm clothes, as they had no idea what they were getting themselves into or what the weather is like up here in the mountains in the winter. Cristen, another missionary here, and I were able to use BDS funds to go out and purchase some warm sweaters and pants for these sweet girls. They literally jumped up and down when we brought them these things. All of this is not possible without you, and I am so very grateful for how you bless me and these residents with your support. Thank you for letting me be a part of all this!
My time here in Lesotho has been full of new experiences and new opportunities to learn, grow, and serve. On top of getting to work with our amazing residents, I have been given the task of helping to get our transition program off the ground and implement an outpatient counseling initiative. These are things that I would never have saw myself doing or being capable of, but with the help and support of the team here- and by the grace of God- I am able to take advantage of all of these opportunities and be stretched and challenged. I have also been building lots of new relationships and making new friends from around the world. I love the sense of community here in Lesotho, and I am beginning to feel like I am home.
Please continue to pray for our residents. We heard from our resident who went home- she is home safe with her family, which was a huge answer to prayer. Another resident's trial is being dragged out, and the perpetrators' defense attorney is playing dirty. Pray that justice is done and that she can feel truly freed of her traffickers, no matter the court's verdict. There have been interesting developments about a few of the trafficking investigations, and you can read up on some of them here. Finally, pray for strength and human resources for our team on the ground here. We are working hard, and could use some rest and relaxation!!
One of our new residents getting a new weave!
An integral part of therapy here at the Love House involves helping these survivors reclaim their sense of worth and value; this includes working through Hillsong's SHINE program and doing manicures- gotta love this job :o)
Weekend Braai out at the farm with new friends
Weekend Braai out at the farm with new friends
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
~Galatians 6:9-11
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