FBC Friona Lesotho Mission Trip Journal, December 7-21, 2022.
Click here to download the pdf version of the Lesotho Mission Trip Journal
Lesotho Mission Team, what would you like to share with others about God’s work in Lesotho and what impacted you on this trip?
Brett Hoyle: It was such a joy to see the Lord put our team together and to see the tremendous support from our church in sending this team to Lesotho. While there, training the Pastors was something that was new for me, but a humbling privilege to be a part of. As we did the training the Lord worked to build up the pastors and He grew me as well. Being able to be a part of leading two men to the Lord was so exciting, and added to that it was at the same village our last team in 2019 had a tremendous outreach to the men (which is very rare to reach the men). Stan and Angie amaze me with their humble service, and I am reminded of how we must be faithful in prayer and support of them as they minister there. Finally, there is a special blessing in worshipping with and serving the Lord with brothers and sisters from another culture. I look forward to the day when we worship our Lord around His throne one glorious day.
Matt Hoyle: When we were in Lesotho what stood out to me about the believers was how full of life and joy church services are. It was really good to see people who don't find all their joy in life through their job or circumstances but in Jesus. It was also very encouraging to see how hungry the pastors were to learn more about the gospel and be better equipped to share Jesus and interpret the Bible. But it's still a very lost country and you can definitely see the fruit of the Burleson's work but also the need to keep ministering. At the very least though just going gives you a lot of perspective to see just how good our circumstances are and how blessed we are to live in the U.S. , and how much we need to reach the nations.
Danny Campbell: There is a reason they call Africa the Dark Continent. The darkness is so evident but God’s light is beginning to spread in Lesotho. It seems that every person has a tragic past, either murdered family, rape, suicide, or just severe poverty. Stan told me the back story of the some of the believers. You would never know that because they have so much joy in the Lord.
Here are a few things I observed.
The beauty of Lesotho
The poverty of Lesotho
The warmness of the Basotho people
How devoted Stan and Angie are and how hard they work
How God has blessed the believers in Lesotho
How God reassured Stan and Angie that they are where He wants them
How willing and hardworking the pastors are. One pastor walks over two hours to get to his church every Sunday.
The most amazing thing is how God orchestrated the entire trip and caused everything to work so smoothly. The is too much to talk about in this regard in this small write up.
Simon Salinas: What stood out the most to me on our mission trip to Lesotho was the lack of men. The lack of men participating in worship service. There are more women and children at service. I know this because I used to be one of these men I would do my own thing while my wife and children went off to church by themselves. I am glad times have changed for us. Now I have been able to truly worship God side by side with my family. I'm glad our church family is full of good and outstanding men wanting to lead and guide their families.
Raquel Salinas: The few believers that I saw in Lesotho taught me so much! What I saw in them is the joy of the Lord, they might have so little or maybe nothing, but they have God and that means to have everything we need. I saw how God is in control of everything. The days that pastor Brett had the pastor's training we had beautiful rainy days. The days that we went out to the villages to deliver the bags for the orphans we had beautiful sunny days! God provided the perfect weather for us for every day that we were there. Stan and Angie love the Basotho people and you can clear it see it. I can't imagine what it feels to be so far away from your loved ones but I know that they love and obey the Lord.
I had a good time getting to know our group from church. I learned so much from everyone. God can use anyone to serve Him anywhere he wants! To God be the glory for allowing us to be there to share the gospel!
Becky Stanberry: We are so blessed and don't even realize it! The Basotho people have so little but they are so rich!! There is darkness everywhere in Lesotho but the light is definitely coming!! We were blessed to witness two men accept Christ one day and it was pure joy! To see the people walk an hour or two to get to church told me they really wanted to worship the Lord with other believers. Watching the children's eyes light up when we got to each village warmed my heart. There is no way to describe how beautiful Lesotho is. Stan and Angie truly have a servants heart and it was a blessing to see what they are doing and get to be a part of it. While on the plane going home from Denver, I was blessed to be able to visit with and help a woman who had just lost and buried her dad!! God blessed our team in every aspect of the trip and I'm so grateful to have gotten to be a part of this whole experience!
Lesotho Mission Trip, Daily Mission Journal by kept by Pastor Brett
Wed, Dec 7, 2022: . This morning started out bright and early as me and Matt went and picked up Danny, Becky, Jason, Simon and Raquel so we could head to Amarillo for our flight leaving Amarillo to Denver at 8am. Jason was our driver and we had the church van packed with 12 big suitcases to be checked, 6 carryon suitcases and 6 backpacks. Check in at Amarillo went smoothly, but while we were waiting in the terminal about an hour before our flight, the terminal was evacuated because of a bomb threat. Someone had written “bomb” in the dirt residue on a Southwest plane that morning, so everyone was cleared out until everything could be checked thoroughly. This caused a one hour delay of our flight, which worked out well since we had a 5 hour layover in Denver. The flight from Denver to Newark, New Jersey left about 1pm and was a smooth flight. Danny was able to have some great conversation with the people he was seated with.
One of the concerns that we have in regards to our flights, was that in Newark we only had about an hour and a half to deplane and
find the correct terminal and gate for the international flight. On top of this, international flights often require another round of going through security. God worked this out, because the plane we were on from Denver to Newark, was also the plane we flew on from Newark to Johannesburg. We didn’t even have to change terminals or gates! We deplaned, waited in the terminal about an hour, then got back on the plane in our assigned seats. God was so gracious in working this out!
Thurs, Dec 8, 2022: We arrived in Johannesburg in the evening and were warmly greeted by Stan and Angie Burleson. We didn’t have any issues with customs, passports or any of the 12 checked suitcases. From the airport we headed to BIMS to spend the night. BIMS is an IMB property that is used for missionaries and groups to stay as they pass through, as well as taking care of many other logistical things for missionaries in the southern half of Africa. After a supper of sandwiches and time with Stan and Angie talking about the trip it was time for bed, and we were all ready to hit the hay.
Fri, Dec 9, 2022: This morning we had a clear mission, to purchase the clothes needed for the Christmas Clothes Orphan Outreach that will be a huge focus of our ministry in the mountains. To do this we went to a mall not to far away and had breakfast and then spent a couple hours shopping to purchase dresses, pants and shirts for the 190 orphans who were on the list for the outreach. The store we went to was a huge blessing in letting us keep one register going as we took about 2 hours for the purchases and they even bagged them without charging for the plastic bags. Those at the registers we huge helps in this process going! The labels the ladies from FBC Friona filled out with the info of each kid on the orphan list was perfect, as members on the mission team would grab a few labels, go find the cloths for that kid and come back to the register where Angie would make sure it was checked out, bagged individually and she would pay for it in big chunks. The team did an excellent job shopping. Me and Simon even had an opportunity to share with a couple of the store workers what we were doing and also to
ask them their spiritual beliefs. The said they were Christian, which was great to hear. After the shopping we headed back to BIMS to pack things up and wait for Stan and Angies other truck to be finished in the repair shop. During the few hours we waited at BIMS for the truck to be finished up we had ample time to arrange, pack what we could take to Lesotho in Stan and Angie’s two pickups. Also, some in the group went to the grocery store to get food for the week, and when they were done it was time to get the other pickup and head toward the border to Clarens, where we stayed for the night. This was a 3 and a half hour drive, that wasn’t too bad, except some in the group were not feeling very well.
Sat, Dec 10, 2022: The day started off early for 3 in our group going with Stan to a funeral up in the mountains. Brett, Matt and Simon left with Stan after making breakfast burritos and left the guesthouse in Clarens about 6am for the 3 hour drive to the mountains. Crossing the border into Lesotho didn’t have any problems, and the drive up into the mountains is a very windy road that takes you way up into the mountains. It is a beautiful drive, but one that can easily make you car sick. After arriving at Haleohle, Pastor Neo’s village, we parked the truck and hiked about one mile to the village of Halafetefete, where we attended the funeral of Chief Kokobela. He and his wife have been great friends of Stan and Angie for over ten years and have hosted many groups in their home for overnight stays. His wife is a believer but it is uncertain if he ever believed. Stan got to speak as a part of the funeral that went on for at least two and a half hours. The gospel was proclaimed many times, through the service and it was a unique taste of Lesotho culture, even on a sad occasion. From there we hiked back and were reminded of how out of shape we all were. From there we drove to Khokhoba which is close to Katse dam. We are staying at the Bruvita guest house, which is where Stan and Angie are staying
during their time waiting on their container house to be built. We got to Bruvita about 4pm and unloaded the truck and spent some time going through supplies for the orphans.
Stan, Brett, Matt and Simon left early from Clarens, but Angie, Becky, Raquel and Danny stayed at Clarens because not everyone was feeling well. They left about 10 from the guest house and headed to Bethlehem to get the printed materials for the pastor training to be held next week. This was suppose to take about 30 minutes. That 30 minutes turned into about an hour and a half to get done. After doing a little bit of shopping and the two that were feeling well ate lunch, they were able to pick up the books and finally able to leave and get on the road to Lesotho. This was definitely not a quick stop for them, but eventually they got on the road to Lesotho. One of them had never crossed a border before, so it was definitely a new experience. After crossing the border, they were back on their way, making it to Khokhoba around 5:30pm. After they arrived we got everything unloaded and everyone settled in their rooms at the Bruvita guest house.
It is good to be in Lesotho, and the beauty of the mountains is very awe inspiring, especially since they have been getting rain and it is so green. Although we are all together,
our group still continues to struggle with feeling 100%, but usually it is only 2-3 people at a time. As always, Stan and Angie are gracious hosts, who are so kind, caring and patient with our group, especially with the sickness we are having.
Sun, Dec 11, 2022: Sunday started out slow as we had a later breakfast so everyone could sleep in and rest since some weren’t feeling that well. Angie cooked a breakfast of toast and eggs and after breakfast we had some group time together to talk about the day, pray and be in the Word. After this, we walked to church about 100 yards and worshipped at Kohoboha Baptist Church. The service was lively and about two and a half hours. The church family there was so gracious to welcome us and even interpreted in English so we could understand the service. After the worship service we went back to the guesthouse and had sandwiches for lunch and spent most of the afternoon resting, while Stan and
Angie went and picked up some pastors who would be attending the pastors training on Monday-Wednesday. After they got back we enjoyed supper together for us and the pastors who were already there for the pastors training Monday-Wednesday. Supper was a sweet time of fellowshipping with the pastors who are looking forward to a great training. I was able to spend time in the afternoon preparing for the training and I hope that it will go really well.
Mon, Dec 12, 2022: Today began with an oatmeal breakfast with fruit and bread in the conference center with the pastors who are
here for the pastors training. For the meals with all the pastors and our group we are having to carry everything from Stan and Angie’s room at Bruvita guesthouse to the conference room. This isn’t very far, its just a slight inconvenience that is well worth it as we minister to the pastors as they are gathered for he pastors conference. Angie is an amazing hostess with all the food for the 6 in our group, her and Stan and the 15-20 pastors being fed as well. Raquel and Becky have been working right alongside of Angie and this truly is a team effort.
The pastors training on hermeneutics kicked off about 9am and finished up about 5:30pm. We broke for tea in the morning, lunch and a short stretch break in the afternoon. There were a little over 15 pastors and church leaders attending and they were very attentive to the teaching. Their questions, insights and additions are a blessing and there is truly a sweet fellowship among the group. This was my (Brett’s) first time to teach a training like this and it went much better than I expected. The curriculum is with World Hope Bible Institute and it does a great job covering the subject matter. Simon and Danny also stayed in the training for the pastors and participated.
Raquel, Becky and Matt began the gargantuan task of preparing the orphan bags for the orphan outreaches later in the week. This consisted of arranging shoes, clothing, toys, flashlights, toiletries and other items so they can be placed into the bags for the orphans. It really is incredible how much stuff we brought for this, and joined with everything we purchased and what Stan And Angie already had, there are piles and piles of things to put in the bags. This task is a task that will take a couple of days to put together and then a few days to complete the outreaches.
In the late afternoon and evening, the ladies prepared an amazing meal of Mexican pile on, and Raquel even made salsa for this meal. It was delicious and the group loved it. After cleaning up and carrying things back to the room, everyone is worn out and ready for bed and ready for the next day of ministry.
Tues, Dec 13, 2022: The morning started off getting things carried over to the conference room for breakfast and serving a breakfast
to the pastors there for the training. After that, Brett continued to do the pastors training on the subject of hermeneutics, which focuses on interpreting and studying the Bible. The pastors are all so engaged and thankful for the training that we are having. They are also very mindful and wise in their questions, and it truly is an honor to get to train them in the Word.
Today we looked mostly at genres of scripture, and how to notice and interpret various passages I each genre. We had great discussion and the pastors are truly learning. During the training we gave each pastor a multi tool as a gift from the church and they were very grateful and humbly received this gift. The other part of our group that didn’t stay for the training continued the massive task of packing the clothes bags. This is much easier said than done, bc sorting clothes, lunchboxes, socks, shoes, underwear’s, toys, toothpaste, soap, toothbrushes, stickers and such in a very small space for 190 orphan 
bags to be filled was a challenge with the limited space. That being said, Raquel and Becky have done an excellent job leading this effort and getting everything prepared for the bags which will be given for the orphan outreaches later in the week.
Wed, Dec 14, 2022: Today is the final day of the pastors training and the day to get the rest of the orphan bags put together. We started off with a breakfast of cereal and fruit cocktail with the pastors about 8am and afterwards Brett began the training with the pastors, and others on our team helped clean up breakfast and began making the orphan bags for the orphan outreaches later in the week. The pastor’s training went really well as we finished up the course on hermeneutics. The final session after lunch was very special because Stan led this session and used a teaching on studying the Bible that Jim Flora began to use the last few years with the Basotho. The general outline of this teaching is a picture of a crawl (corral) with 8 gates that need to be checked, which are factors of good Bible study. Stan began the teaching, but many of the Basotho teachers were familiar with it and Stan led into them and they finished the teaching on this. It was a great time to see them teaching one another and the layout of this teaching is especially applicable to the Basotho.
After the pastors training I rode with Stan to drop off 6 pastors who lived in the villages in the mountains. The two hour plus excursion covered lots of beautiful country, and also was a reminder of why four wheel drive is a must for missionaries in the mountains of Lesotho. When we returned to the guesthouse it was time for supper and once again, Angie spoiled the group and outdid herself with a supper of hamburgers and all the fixings. After cleaning up from supper the group cleaned up, fixed sandwiches for the orphans for the next day and for the group going to do the outreaches. After this we had a team meeting to look at the outreaches the next days and to set our sights on the orphan outreaches.
Thurs, Dec 15, 2022: Today is
the first day for our group to go out and do the orphan outreaches. The bags are all ready and the team is excited to share the gospel and love on the children of the Lesotho mountains. Today we had two stops to give the bags away. This outreach is in conjunction with the churches that Stan and Angie work with and especially with a ministry of the Mobile Moms that has been going for many years. The mobile mom’s are ladies in the churches who have a list of orphans in their area and they check in on them and help them
as they are able. The outreach we are doing will help 190 kids whose names were turned in by the mobile moms, and in the bags the kids will get a great blessing. These kids are orphans because they have either lost one or both parents, and if they have lost both parents they are living with another family member most likely, but they probably aren’t provided for really well because of the poverty of most of the people in the mountains.
We left a little after 8am to head to Ha Suoane about an hour away from where we are staying. This group came from different villages and we met inside pastor Simon’s church building to share the gospel though the 2 kingdoms gospel presentation, Danny did the first aid training, Stan taught them “Go tell it on the Mountain,” and Angie also went through some biblical truth with them. The group had around 20 kids at this location and these all listened attentively to all we did and excitedly received their bags. At the end we fed everyone with peanut butter sandwiches and apples and a drink we brought with us.
After this we traveled about 30 minutes back to where we came from to Ha Khunong and had a group at Pastor Ronnie’s church that drew from 6 villages. This was a bigger group in a more populated area, which led to more kids coming to the meeting. There were probably 40 or more kids at this location although only 25 or so were on the list for the bags. All the kids listened attentively to the gospel presentation, those receiving bags were very thankful and everyone there received the peanut butter sandwich, apple and drink. The team did an excellent job at these locations in so many ways. In the villages where we are going there is much more poverty in the things the kids don’t have, but they are very happy and sweet that we are there.
On these outreaches it is also so good that they are done in conjunction with the churches in the villages. One could easily come in and give some free things, have a gospel presentation, ask if anyone wants to say a prayer of salvation and leave with great numbers to record. The reality is that here, as everywhere, following Jesus is a lifelong
commitment that begins when you receive him as your
Lord and Savior. We are not pushing a ticket to heaven, but a call to
follow Christ, who is able to take away sins and is able to give hope
in the midst of the difficult family circumstances of these orphans.
After the outreach some of us went back to the guesthouse we are staying at and some went with Stan and Angie and Mema Thabitso to visit some kids in a nearby village. The kids’ mom was murdered by their father just a couple days before and he is in jail. Their lives have been devastated and wrecked by this. Those who went said the situation is so tragic and sadness so great. The pastor of the village was also there as they met with them. The pastor who was already in the house with the kids when our team drove up in the truck. When one of the kids saw the truck drive up, she exclaimed that they were bringing her mother back to them, and the pastor said it made him so sad and want to cry when the child said this. This tragic case is horrible, but Stan mentioned that it is not extremely uncommon because in this culture the men will often beat the wives and children, and in this case it went terribly wrong.
We ended the day with another one of Angie’s amazing meals. Her hospitality is such a ministry and her love for Jesus and others shines through in this way
Fri, Dec 16, 2022: Today looked to be the day with the most stops for the orphan outreach. We left Bruvita Guesthouse and had about an hour drive along the paved mountain road to the village of Mphorosane. Here we used the village soccer field right by the main road to meet for the gospel presentation and give the bags to the orphans. This stop drew orphans from 7 villages, some who walked a couple of hours to get there.
This is our biggest group so far as it had around 30-40
children and around 10 ladies who were also there. When we arrive at a location we spend some time playing games with the children and spending time with
them until it seemed like the orphans who are on the list to get bags are all there. The Mobile Moms do an excellent job getting their orphans there and also working with Stan and Angie to be there. At this location we tried something new, by splitting up the ladies for Danny and Becky to teach the first aid to, and the rest of us were with the kids about 40 yards away sharing the 2 kingdoms gospel presentation, singing songs, teaching
bible truths and at the end giving their gift bags and some food. At this location there were many more kids who were there, than simply those who were receiving gift bags, so it was a little sad that not all the kids got a bag, but the list for the kids who get a bag is created by the Mobile Moms who know more about the kids in their village and the kids who get the bags are those with the greatest need, who are a single orphan or double orphan (either one or both parents are dead). An amazing thing happened while we were at this village. When we arrived, it looked for sure that it would rain soon. The clouds were building and you could see rain across on other mountains, so we began the teaching and first aid training as soon as it seemed all the kids were there. Amazingly, though, for the entire 2-3 hours we were there it never rained on us. This was a great blessing because there was not a nearby church to enter into. The kids were so attentive to the gospel, and Danny had much more time with the ladies to teach first aid, and connect the things he was teaching to how God made our bodies to hurt and also to heal.
From there we headed over to Ha Theko, which was about 30 minutes back the way
we came. This location drew orphans from 2 villages, and was a medium size group. When we arrived here it was starting to sprinkle and rain was on the way. Even in this, the village Chief allowed us to meet in the village hall. This was a building that was a blessing to meet in and was less than 100 yards front the road where everyone was standing. Once again we split the kids and the ladies up, with the kids being out on the porch in front of the building and the ladies being inside the building. The teaching time went excellent to both groups with Matt sharing his testimony again to a group and Simon is also a blessing as he speaks to the kids. These kids were very attentive and many of them seemed more familiar with the gospel, which speaks very highly of the ministry of the mobile moms of these orphans. When we gave the gifts to these kids it was a great blessing because they were so excited when they opened them. There was one little boy about 4-5 years old and his excitement overflowed as he was so expressive in his joy and thanks for what he received . He was fun to watch and also stole Becky’s heart with his sweet excitement.
After about 2 hours at this stop we headed back down the road we came on to Makhoabeng that had only 5 kids who were meeting in a school room and this meeting only served this village. It was a blessing to have the room to meet in because it was raining when we arrived at this stop. We continued to split up the group in the teaching of the first aid and gospel presentations and spent about an hour at this location. The Mobile Mom who had gathered the children was an amazing woman as she was a teacher and seemed to be doing a great work of ministering to the children who are orphans and who have the greatest needs. In many ways, Stan and Angie do an excellent job of continuing this ministry that was started by the missionaries, Jim and Teresa Flora, who were before them, and it is a ministry of equipping, encouraging and enabling the Basotho believers, especially the mobile moms, to minister to the vulnerable in the villages in and around where the moms live.
This location was about 5-10 minutes from where we are staying, which was good because Angie had a trauma and healing training with ladies from FBC Brazoria for a couple of hours. This church recently adopted a valley in Lesotho and is seeking to take the gospel to the villages. This two hour training Angie did with them is another reminder of the full schedule that Stan and Angie keep as them minister to the Basotho, and equip those who are coming to minister to them.
As Stan was taking the second group of the team back from the orphan giveaway location we were at there had been a roll over car
wreck by the trout farm at Katse Dam. People were already there and had gotten the passengers out of the car and there were no major injuries. Stan offered to give rides to the clinic in Katse to any who need a ride, but the man he talked to said someone was
coming to help with this.
Once again the team enjoyed a great meal and time together as a team to speak of what the Lord is doing. After this, it was time to wash dishes, and make peanut butter sandwiches for the next day and get ready for bed.
Sat, Dec 17, 2022: Today’s mission consisted of only one outreach and orphan clothes giveaway in the village of Ha Kostabole which is a one and a half hour drive on mountain roads. This location drew from 3 villages and was out on an open spot below the village. It was another beautiful location and this one was unique because it was below the village and when the kids in the village saw us out playing with the kids who were already there, there were quick to come join in. While we played with the kids, Danny was able to do the first aid training with a group of about 10
women. After they were done we gathered everyone there and did our two kingdoms gospel presentation,
review questions, teach bible truths with hand motions and give peanut butter sandwiches and apples to
everyone. We saved the orphan gift
bags for the very, very end because
there were so many kids who just
came from the village who were not
on the list to get a bag, but came and
heard the gospel message. This
worked well, and made for a long
day as we were there about 3-4
hours. While everyone was eating
their food, it was a great time to visit
and reach out to adults who were
there. The other places didn’t have
as many adults as this place listening
to the gospel presentation, so
afterwards we made sure to share the gospel with some of the men who were there. Simon talked with a man who recently became a believer after the Lord helped him overcome a very bad sickness where the doctors sent him home to die. Obviously the Lord had other plans and Simon was able to encourage him to continue following the Lord. Brett and Ronnie, our translator for the day, went and visited with two men who were there. These men understood the gospel presentation and asked Jesus to save them right there on the field. They were so excited and the Lord worked in a great way for them to be there and receive Christ. Their names were Ts’epo and Ntoahae, and we pray they will continue following Jesus Christ.
After this outreach we headed back to the Bruvita Guesthouse. Half of the group stayed there to prepare all the bags for tomorrow, and Stan, Angie, Brett, Danny, and Ronnie went to Seabata’s house nearby so Danny could give the first aid training. There were a few younger people there when we arrived so Brett did a Bible study focusing on them and after this Danny did his first aid training. The Bible study and the training were received very well. To finish off the day we had supper cooked by Raquel, a shorter team meeting, and some planing for the schedule for the next few days. Today was a very blessed day and we praise God for how he moved and worked today among the Basotho.
Sun, Dec 18, 2022: The day started off great with a pancake breakfast in Stan and Angie’s room and a time for the group to be together, and get ready for another day. After breakfast we headed over to the land where Stan and Angie’s house will be placed. The land was just a couple minutes away and is in such a beautiful spot. This was a special time to prayer walk over the property and to pray with Stan and Angie for the Lord’s blessings and peace on their home that is being built. 
The reason they are currently staying in Bruvita Guesthouse in a room that is about the size of a smaller hotel room with a queen size bed, is because the house they were renting in Katse Village was no longer available for them to live in because of public works projects in the mountains going on. Last year they received notice they would have to leave their home in Katse village and the Bruvita guesthouse has been the best available option. It is a great spot for groups to stay, and Angie has been an incredible hostess feeding 8 people each night in a very small space and with no kitchen. She cooks with an electric skillet, microwave, instapot, and a big toaster oven with a burner on top. The sink is the tiny bathroom sink and dishes are washed in big plastic tubs and water is heated in a 5 gallon bucket hat has a heating element in it. Needless to say, she is excited about being in a home again. In the time since Stan and Angie have had to move they have been praying and researching what a more permanent housing option would be for them. They have looked at land in various villages, but just down the road the Lord has provided them land to build a house. This came about a couple months ago as they were really looking and praying about land they should pursue to be at.
That day, they drove past and area and Stan pointed out a flat piece of land not too far from the road that had a view of Katse Lake, and he said to Angie that it was a very nice piece of land that would be great to build a house on. The next day, their friend who is also a Chief and Pastor, Morena Moruti Moea (Chief Pastor Moea) called Stan and said that he had heard about their predicament and he had a piece of land he wanted to show them. Stan and Angie met with him, and the piece of land he took them to was the same one that Stan had pointed out to Angie the day before. This piece of land is about 1 acre and is an awesome spot for them to continue ministry and have a home that can be a peaceful and amazing place for them and all who are there. They are proceeding with the legalities to use this land, there is currently a well being drilled there, and they are using a company out of Durban, South Africa to build a container home that will consist of two 40’ and one 20’ containers. In fact, a South African TV show about homes is going to do a story on their home being placed in the mountains of Lesotho. In this process of getting ready for their home to be there, there are many prayers that still need to be answered and also the reality is that in Africa things just don’t move very fast, especially in something like this.
After our time at Stan and Angie’s land, we headed to Church at Matsoku Baptist Church at Ha Leohla where Neo is the pastor. The Matsoku Valley is a valley that FBC Perryton adopted many years ago and it is neat to see how they have been able help the gospel go forth in this big valley with many, many villages. In fact, our first team that came to Lesotho in January 2017 worshipped with the Matsoku church near the river under the trees and on the grass, and now the church has built a building and worships in it. It truly as a joy to worship with the believers and Brett was able to preach from Luke 2:1-20 on the Christmas story. Their service lasted about 2 hours, but it did not seem that long.
After the Church Service we
shifted gears to feed the orphans who had
come for the outreach and the church.
Lunch was a peanut butter sandwiches,
apples and a small flavored drink. After
lunch Danny and Raquel went back into
the church building with many adults and
Danny taught the first aid training and the
rest of the group taught the children the 2
kingdoms story, reviewed the truth in it,
sang songs and spent time with the kids.
There were around 75 kids at this location
that drew from 11 different villages in the
Matsoku valley. After the teaching we
gave out the gift bags and they were
received with great joy by the children and
spent time visiting with he children and adults.
When it was time to go, Brett, Matt and Me Methabitso went with Angie to take a physically handicapped woman back to her village. 
Although she is not able to walk to church any longer, she has faithfully shared the word with her friend who is bed bound and in great pain. Her friend needed help with some electricity (which you prepay in Lesotho) so we helped her with this, encouraged her in the Lord and prayed with her before leaving. After this we headed back to the guest house after a quick stop in Ha Seshote. The evening was spent packing suitcases and eat the weeks leftovers for supper.
Mon, Dec 19, 2022: We left bright and early, leaving Bruvita at 6am for a breakfast at Clarens, and then on to Springbok Lodge at the Nambiti game preserve. It is bittersweet leaving Lesotho because we left the beautiful green mountains, but even more, we left our brothers and sisters in the Lord, and the work we were able to be a part of. God has been so good through this time and we are so thankful to be able to be a part of his work in the mountains of Lesotho.
When we arrived at the game lodge we had a meal, an evening game drive followed by supper and then off to bed in the safari tents, which are nothing like a tent, but way better.
Tues, Dec 20, 2022: Bright and early seems to be the theme for the past two days, and today we started out on the morning game
drive at 5am. By this point the sun was coming up and we had an enjoyable game drive followed by a nice breakfast. After filing our tummies it was off to Johannesburg where we would fly out at 7:40 that evening. We got checked in with plenty of time and flew Lufstansa from Johannesburg to Frankfurt, and then we would fly United Airlines from Frankfurt to Denver and then from Denver to Amarillo.
No doubt, our team is ready to be home, but in looking ahead to going home, there is also a great deal of looking back with thankfulness for being able to be a part of what God did in Lesotho and in us while we served. Also, enough cannot be said on behalf of Stan and Angie. They were Christlike servants in every way, from driving us everywhere, making sure we were fed, well and ready for ministry each day. They are truly serving Christ in a remote place with a Christlike heart, and being effective in the work the Lord has called them to.
Wed, Dec 21, 2022: This was a day full of travel, that was hopefully to be a smooth travel day, but on the last flight we got our exercise while barely making the flight from Denver to Amarillo. We had a 2 hour layover in Denver, and by the time we unloaded, went through customs, got our checked bags, rechecked our bags, went through the excessively long security lines and ran to the gate, we made it. Also, did I mention that the airport was crazy busy due to Christmas travel, but even in this difficulty the Lord was gracious to us. First, there were a couple of helpful TSA agents who moved us up and through the line quicker. After security we had to get on the train to our terminal and as soon as the doors of the train opened Brett and Matt ran ahead of the group to our gate, while the rest of the group was not too far behind. It was such a long, long ways away, and when me and Matt made it to the gate, nobody was at the desk, and the door to the walkway was already closed. So we started banging loudly on the door to the walkway and Matt and another person got the attention of the pilot and they opened it back up. They had taken us off the flight and had to add us back on it. The rest of the group was not far behind and we made it on the plane! Praise God we made it on the plane!!! (And that no one had a heart attack as we raced a few hundred yards through the airport).
When we returned to the Amarillo airport, it was a wonderful reunion with our families at the airport, and we praise God for being able to go and be a part of His work in Lesotho.
