An adventure with a few of my favorite things

A few of my favorite things about life in Lesotho, and the Beautiful Dream Team :o)


-God's Love Center- one of my favorite places. It is an orphanage that I volunteered at last year, and that we are now partnering with to do prevention work. I feel so incredibly blessed to be back there!!

-BDS babies- we now have THREE residents in our care with little ones! I love that part of my day is generally spent holding toddlers and babies and teaching their young mama's about child development :o)

-The fact that my wonderful residents teach me so many new things on a daily basis- so incredibly grateful for them!

-My beautiful Basotho friends. And the BDS team, of course.

-Late night chats with my roommate and roommates-next-door. Love them all to bits!

My awesome roommate

 and our awesome roommates-next-door

-My shelter coordinator- she makes my life soooooo much easier. 

-Top Chef marathons on rainy days off... and brunch at Living Life Cafe on the sunny ones :o)

-I walk out my front door, and see stunning mountains. We definitely don't have this in the midwest!

-That I get to wake up to this

and then go to the gym with it every morning ;o) 

Thank you all for your continued prayers- things are going well here and I love it more every day! I just wanted to give you all a little peek into what makes life here so special. I wish that I could show you more pictures of our amazing residents, but I cannot because of client confidentiality... Please be praying for our girls this week; two of our residents- teenage mothers with young children- are on break  from their off-site transition program so we have them at our transition home. Please pray for energy and human resources as we serve these girls and their children. We want to use this time to give them sustainable, tangible work skills and also help to build them up in their walk with the Lord. We also want to teach them about child development and parenting so that their kids can also continue to grow and learn in our Hope House :o) 


"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness."


~Psalm 89:14-16

A very collegiate adventure...

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

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!!

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

"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

the best adventures start with new beginnings

There are so many exciting things happening here in Lesotho that I haven't even had time to write about them! Three of the biggest highlights seem to relate to new beginnings and fresh starts. First off, I have been promoted... again. I will now be getting TRIPLE free pay ;oP and I am officially known as the Program Director for BDS. This means that I am now in charge of both the crisis care shelter and the transition program. Another missionary will be taking over my position as shelter coordinator very shortly, and I am trying to figure out how to be in multiple places at once in order to keep up with my responsibilities :o) I am learning a lot in this new beginning, and God is growing me personally, professionally, and spiritually. 


Another new experience that will hopefully lead to a fresh start is the ongoing trial that we are in the middle of with one of our residents. One of our sweet, precious Ethiopian residents will hopefully be liberated from her traffickers once and for all by next week. She has already testified, as have other witnesses. I will take the stand tomorrow as an 'expert witness' for the first time on her behalf. Please pray that the Lord grants me wisdom and the right words to speak so that this resident that we have all come to love so much will see justice done. There will definitely be more to come in updates on this trial, so please pray for justice!


Finally, as if we didn't have enough going on with fighting human trafficking, we are planting a church! I have never planted a church before- it is a lot of work, but incredibly rewarding. Victory Church Maseru (which will be a church plant of Victory Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) will open on 6 May 2012.  We could not be more excited for what the Lord is doing in the lives of the local pastors here that are going to be serving at Victory, and for what He is doing in our own lives as we help to support, encourage, and serve them as well as the people of Lesotho! 


Another big prayer request that I have is for one of our former residents, the Chinese woman who saw a conviction against her trafficker back in January. About two weeks ago, the Chinese Embassy contacted us saying that they had been in touch with her family and that they wanted to pay for her flight back to China. We put her on a plane with many tears on everyone's part- we were extremely happy that she was going back to her family as this is what she had been wanting, but also grieving the loss of a dear friend and sister. Less than a week after she left, her perpetrator was released from prison, even though he was supposed to serve a 15 year sentence. They cannot appeal the case without our client being in the country. The timing of all of this was very suspicious, and we cannot get ahold of our client or her family. We are all very worried about her safety, so please pray that we begin to find answers. Corruption runs rampant here, as it does in many parts of Africa. Please pray that she is safe at home and that we can put her perpetrator back behind bars somehow. 


"In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
   and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain..."


~Psalm 102:25-26

New residents, new adventures...

Last weekend we were privileged to open the shelter to 4 new residents. We only had them with us for about 3 days, but it was truly a blessing to have known them. During those few days, they taught us a lot about love, grace, and fellowship.

We thoroughly enjoyed getting to serve these amazing people throughout the weekend. There was art therapy, jewelry making, singing, dancing, eating and good talks. I learned about strength and courage and keeping your Faith in the face of adversity from them. Unfortunately, we cannot disclose any details of their case right now, but please pray for them; they are homesick and heartsick for their families, having been away from them for years at this point. Pray that they remain steadfast and patient, and that they find peace in this difficult time of waiting. 

After a fabulous weekend with our new friends, I took a little vacation over this past weekend. I headed to Semonkong, a village with a stunning waterfall about 3 hours from Maseru. Two other missionaries came with me, and we stayed at a great little lodge and had an incredibly relaxing weekend. We were meant to do the world's highest abseil (204 meters of repelling), but it got rained out :o( We completed the training, though, so I will definitely be back to conquer that adventure sometime in the near-ish future!

Pray hard this next week, another one of our precious residents will be in court as they prosecute her traffickers. I will be testifying in this case, so please pray that I will have wisdom and the right words to say, and for my physical safety aswell. 

Some photos from my trip:

 Kisses from a sweet Basotho pony

Beautiful scenery everywhere you look!

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

~Ephesians 4:2 (yes, I know that I have used this verse before- I just really, really like it :o) )

Another year older, another adventure...

Oh where to begin. I had a fabulous birthday in Africa this past Monday. I could spend this post reflecting on all of the things that I have learned in this past year, the ways that I have grown, or the goals that I may (or may not) have set for this next year of my life... But today I just can't seem to embrace my inner narcissist ;o) Instead of reflecting on myself, I'll give you all an update on how and what BDS is doing! 


It has been a great two weeks- the board came and went, and we all had a great time with them. We talked about what was going well (the residents, the teamwork, the shelter), what needs work (human resources being spread too thin, healthy balance needed between work and rest) and where Beautiful Dream is headed (transitional care, a men's crisis care shelter). All in all, great conversations were had and it is wonderful to know that the board is behind us, raising funds for us and encouraging us back in the US.


Also, while the board was here, we got another property here in Maseru!! We are very excited to be opening "The Hope House" this weekend... It will officially be known as the 'Hand of Hope Transformation Center' as Joyce Meyer Ministries is funding it- what a blessing it is to partner with them! It will be a home for our transition program; our residents who have graduated from crisis care will be moving in on Sunday. While in transition care, we will help them find jobs, receive additional training, and instruct them in basic life skills for 6 months to a year. Praise the Lord for His awesome provision! 


Please be in prayer today, as we are expecting 3 new residents at the crisis care shelter. Pray that the police are able to collect them and deliver them to us safe and sound. Pray for peace, that they will settle into the shelter quickly and gain a sense of safety here. We are ready and excited to welcome these survivors into the Love House!! Updates to come...



"You are my hiding place;
   you will protect me from trouble
   and surround me with songs of deliverance."
~Psalm 32: 7

An anxiety inducing adventure...

After meeting with a CGPU client's mom today and discussing anxiety, I have decided that the universal scale for anxiety in Lesotho ought to be the Pick-n-Pay parking lot at a given time on a certain day. (Pick-n-Pay is the big grocery store in the mall here). It is very likely the worst place to have to drive in all of Lesotho. Nay, Africa. Here is what I came up with:


Extreme Anxiety:


P&P on a Saturday morning at 10am. (Pretty sure I am giving myself an ulcer right about now)


High Anxiety: 


P&P on a Monday evening, say around 6pm (Can't find a parking spot, extreme annoyance at the big truck that just took my spot)


Moderate Anxiety:


P&P on a Tuesday afternoon, 3pm (It's half price movie day, so the parking lot is fairly full even though it shouldn't be in the middle of the afternoon)


Low Anxiety:


P&P on a Thursday morning at 7:30am (the stores don't open until 8, so there really isn't anyone around except employees)


No Anxiety:


No P&P parking lot after all (I decide to stay home and make someone else go get groceries. Best decision I've made all week, my blood pressure will thank me for it) 


So after seeing my client this morning and then having an extreme anxiety provoking experience at the P&P parking lot, I needed a little humor. Send up a few prayers for safety as I continue to figure out African driving and make my way around Maseru :o) 


"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 


~Philippians 4:6-7