Saying goodbye is never easy but when God sears the relationship in His love, goodbye is only temporary. 

We left the Kingdom in the Sky saying goodbye to Toni*, the bright  young man  from Botswana who shouted daily in his sing-song voice: “Hey guys! Let’s go!” We said goodbye to Alli, a beautiful Basotho woman who farmed for two solid weeks with a huge smile on her face and an adorable one year old baby tied to her back. We left Lucky, a teenager from South Africa, who had more working knowledge of wildlife and botany than any encyclopedia I’ve ever encountered. And he insisted on calling me “auntie,” which I loved. We said goodbye to an adorable family of three- mom, dad, and baby- who said yes to God’s call to missions in a Muslim nation far from their home. They will be moving there in October, just after their second child is born  

We said goodbye to countless others who spoke different languages, introduced us to new foods, worshipped with us, prayed over us, and shared their deepest desires on dark evenings on a porch as bats fluttered overhead and innumerable stars twinkled above. 

God moved us out of our comfort zone and into a new world so we could meet amazing people this side of heaven— people we will see again one day and  catch up with through laughter and hugs as we share stories on the shores of a crystal sea. 

There, you will meet them too. And you will love them like we do. You will lay back on the grass and count stars with them as we did. Only the Maker of stars will be with us, and we will never say goodbye again.

*All names have been changed. 

“Is life in America soft?”

 A pretty Lesotho student in her late teens asked me this poignant question as we sipped tea on the porch overlooking the wilting rows of corn and beans that stretched throughout the valley.

I paused before answering.

“I think physically, life in America is soft,” I said. “We don’t have to walk so far to buy bread. And the roads are paved, without the deep crevices and enormous potholes you find here. We keep electricity going, except on rare occasions; we have strong WIFI and cell service. Food is abundant. When we are hot, we turn on air- cold we turn on heat. So yes, I guess in a way, life in America is soft.” 

She smiled as if she had guessed correctly all along.

“However,” I added, “Mentally, it is hard. We struggle with finances, as inflation and interest rates are frightening. Our paychecks barely cover our bills, most people have too much debt. There is a lot of emotional tension as well. Women, for instance,  hate the way they look. They starve themselves, take pills, have surgery, or obsess over exercise in effort to change that.”

“What?”

“Yes.”

“But they are so beautiful!”

“Well, they don’t see it that way, “ I continued. “And mothering is hard. Moms love their children and want so badly to protect them. But they don’t want to be overprotective, so they let the kids go. Then they lie awake in fear that something horrible will happen and that it will be all their fault.”

“No one can guess tragedies.”

“Agreed,” I said. “But it doesn’t keep moms from stressing.”

“Friendships are hard too. Women want deeply to connect with other women, but they are so busy making sure their houses are in order, their kids are involved in all the things. They work, they cook, they clean. In the end, it’s hard to find time for true friendships.”

There was silence.

“That sounds awful,” the girl finally said. 

We both dipped a thin cookie in our tea before the ants made their way up the table.

The secret to happiness lies not in possessions, titles, rank, or bank accounts. The secret to happiness is living in harmony, taking moments to share tea with someone you just met, enjoying the warmth of a fire with family, the laughter around a table, regardless of what is being served, celebrating birthdays and milestones, the tenderness of grieving with someone you love. The secret to happiness is enjoying the very blessings around you at the present moment and choosing to spread joy instead of criticism, light instead fear. The secret to happiness is knowing there is no secret… every breath has been ordained by our Father who walks with us, through every rose-lined path or sun-scorched row. He has given us a mission, whether near or far, to live in His peace, to offer it to others. He offers not a soft life, but an abundant life. And that is the life I need.

The sun is cresting the ridge of Snake Mountain, a black monolith that stands formidably amidst the other broad rock faces just east of our new home. The ocean blue sky is smeared with waves of clouds that gently ride the breeze across the valley. The distant gurgle of the river and the chirps of morning birds bring a melody to the day that lightens the heart and replenishes the soul. 

Good morning from Africa.

We journeyed on, in a four-by-four land rover that tended to overheat and lose air in the tires. But after a short while we landed in the gorgeous wine country of Stellenbosch. Here we spoke to agriculture students at a University, and we were amazed at their interest, their eagerness, and their positive outlook. In many ways they were just like university students back home: motivated to change the world for the better, starting on their own farms.

We continued our long drive until we lost all sight of civilization. We could not possibly get lost, for there was only one highway, and it wound for miles and miles through the peaks and valleys of South Africa’s mountains. We went for hours seeing only one or two vehicles, but in the meantime, we spotted ostriches, springbok, zebras, baboons, warthogs, and vultures. We found a unique little town and had a satisfying lunch of giant cheeseburgers and milkshakes. And even though we wanted to stay, we carried on. 

The road turned to gravel, then it turned to just a path. We lost all cell service and all contact with civilization. Through a narrow valley dwarfed by looming rocky hills, we traversed, following written directions, until we popped up at August’s farm, where he was preparing chickens to slaughter. His family welcomed us and for two days, we got our bearings, spent time preparing, and enjoyed great fellowship with his family around the evening table. 

Finally, we continued our journey: two more days of driving through mostly desolate mountain roadways with occasional stops- to see an ostrich-skinned furniture store, to sit in the relaxing waters of a natural hot spring- and then we crossed a very narrow bridge over an almost dried out riverbed, and we landed in Lesotho, our home away from home.

And we are here. We are ready to pour into the lives of the Growing Nations staff. We are ready to help them with their farm, to read and study the Word with them, pray with them, and teach the new students who will be arriving soon.

Thank you for your prayers as we have traveled. We know God has brought us safely here, and he is teaching us more about his love every day, every sunrise, every sunset. 

We wish you were all here, but one day you will meet our friends, and they will feel like friends to you, too.

You are cordially invited to travel to Lesotho, a beautiful mountain kingdom in southern Africa. In Lesotho you will breathe clean air as you live and work at the highest “low point” of any country. You will witness the power of a surreal waterfall, nearly 4 times as long as Niagara Falls; you will walk in dinosaur footprints; and you will enjoy the sunniest days at a balmy degrees. (Bring a sweater, you may get cool at night.) You will take so many stunning pictures that you will have trouble deciding which one to set as your phone wallpaper. 

Jeff and I will be leaving tomorrow to enter this paradise that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien’s Shire landscape. (He visited Lesotho as a child.) We will work alongside Africans from several nations, training in both mission studies and agricultural practices simultaneously. (Click here to learn more about the Growing Nations program.)

Here’s how you can come with us: 

Follow our blogs and our stories. Read about the wonderful people we meet and the beautiful land we encounter. Laugh at our mishaps, pray for our mistakes, and rejoice over any victories God accomplishes through us.

Pray for the Lesotho people, that they would  see and know God. Pray for the ones who are sent out as missionaries into other African nations. Pray for the farmers, that their crops would yield fruit in its season. And pray for the unbelievers, that their hearts would be turned. 

Make plans to go on mission yourself! Check out your church’s mission opportunities, look into state programs, find a summer trip-whether it is near or far- and commit to go! Seek ways to meet practical needs by being the hands and feet of Christ, even if it is in your very own community. Pray that God would put you in contact with someone that needs to hear the good news. And pray for the courage to share that message.

There is a mission field all around you, maybe even in your own home. Let our trip inspire your next trip. God calls and equips us each differently, so be on the lookout for your mission assignment today!

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
― Helen Keller

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” -Jesus

There are many comforting things at home. I love my big leather couch with the well-worn throws draping over the arms. I enjoy perusing my bookshelf, not only for the wonderful treasures it holds, but also because some of my favorite photos are nestled between the volumes. I like the scents in my house: the warm vanilla kitchen, the greens and florals that waft in from outside, and lavender sachets that hang in my closet. Yes, home is colorful; it is often dusty; it is loud; but it is mine.

Leaving home always sounds exciting. I love the idea of boarding an airplane for a far away land. I want to try new foods, meet new people, and drink in the history, architect, and treasures of regions not like my own. While a travel adventure sure sounds like a great use of resources, I must admit, when it’s time to go, my feet, and my heart, stutter. It’s just hard to leave home.

Nonetheless, Jeff and I are off again! We are thrilled to be able to rejoin our friends in the southern African country of Lesotho to work for an extended time at their agriculture cooperative and farm, Growing Nations. We have purchased our plane tickets and are calculating our budget, ready to order ZA rands from our local bank. We are going to join in the pursuit of finding the best sustainable agricultural practices for the Basotho people. But our hearts are most excited for the opportunities to share the gospel and engage in discipleship. Growing Nations is a Christian organization dedicated to helping locals increase their harvest potential—for both now and eternity.

Once again, we ask you to join us. If you would like to support us through prayer, let us know! You can follow our blog for specific needs. We would love for you to pray for this organization and the leaders who live there, day in and day out. We will send back pictures of a mountain landscape that you have never seen before, and you can impact the lives of people you will not meet until heaven. This is your invitation to adventure with us to The Kingdom in the Sky: Lesotho. So, please, come with us!

There is nothing so beautiful as a blanket of crystalline snow and nothing quite so dreary as watching it melt. The pure sparkle that stretches forever seems to provide a covering, a sheer linen that hides the earth’s blemishes and promotes radiance. The sun’s rays grant a magical touch, a newness over a path that has been well-worn and trodden all year long. But, in the whiteness, the path is intriguing, beckoning me to brave the weather and leave my prints upon its crust.

Wintertime can be a time of loneliness and solitude, when friends are separated, and regular activities cease. But what a chance to search the soul! This time spent inside and isolated is the perfect time to evaluate who I am, where I am going, and where I hope to be. What path am I on? Did I purposely carve it and seek hard after it? Am I spending my days racing toward goals I know are good and healthy and whole? Or am I being washed in a current of some else’s design? Am I struggling to keep my footing? Have I lost sight of where I want to go?

I am a big believer in setting goals and imagining a much better version of myself somewhere down the road. This “me” is strong and healthy, she is organized, she is kind. She responds to others with grace, and she makes time for what is important. Once in a blue moon I see  a glimpse of that girl, but most of the time I am shade of what she could be. However, I never give up moving toward the better me. 

It is important, on the down days, to reset my mind and commit myself to the daily habits that nurture the goodness in me. I hope you, too, have had a chance to rest, to reflect, and to recharge your body and soul. I hope that as this snow melts and exposes the dirty slag beneath that you deal with your dirt… recognize and pull out your weeds, and let God work in you, bringing your beauty to surface to reflect His radiance as you face this week ahead.

• “The miracle isn’t that I finished.  The miracle is that I had the courage to start” –J.Bingham.  photo creds:Pexels.com

We often speak of God opening doors and closing doors as signs of how He gently can lead us through life. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this thought I have always been the kind of person who pushes harder on closed doors, and I avoid the ones that are wide open.  I appreciate a good challenge, and I feel the best accomplishments in life are the ones I have struggled through (finishing a marathon, completing a devotion book, attaining a Master’s degree). So to me, the better test of God’s guidance seems to be the passion He stirs in my heart.

I’ll be honest: I love to travel. And I’ll be even more honest: I like to lead Bible studies. And if I’m totally honest I’ll admit, I really enjoy running. These are three pretty random passions that I’ve dabbled with and enjoyed sporadically over my entire adult life. But now I see them all coming together, merging toward one beautiful goal: mission work.  Jeff and I want to go back to Africa and continue with Growing Nations, to help train missionaries in agricultural settings for a few months this winter.  I can lead Bible studies or help write curriculum and travel to other African nations to mobilize or encourage missionaries in their homes and villages.

AND I want to invite YOU to join us! Seriously, you have been in my family’s life for quite a while.  You have supported us, encouraged us, upheld us, and sustained us while we have joined the mission team in Lesotho.  Since we know we want to go back, we want to be more intentional about bringing you along.  How can you help? 

• Are you a true prayer warrior? The kind that wakes up in the middle of the night in anguish over another grieving soul and you can’t go back to sleep until you have fallen on your knees?  Well we certainly need you!
• Are you an encourager? Can you send text and emails: the kind that make us laugh because they are so real and help us feel we are back home when you catch us up on what’s happening in the States? You’d be a great asset to our family!
• Are you a practical shopper? Someone who can collect board games or candles or duct tape or fly swatters? We need a few folks that can help us pack a lot of practical items in a very small space! 
• Are you a financial supporter?  Does God lead you to give a little (or a lot) whether you have extra or not? We want to invite those of you with the gift of giving to be a part of our team too!

We want you to go with us, however you can— commit to help us get there, commit to sustain us while we are gone, and commit to be actively involved in the decisions we make concerning God’s work.

Now for the running part… We are going to host a VIRTUAL 5K run or walk.  Sign up to join us and simply complete 3.1 miles anytime in the month of June.  You will get a totally cool race shirt and you will make a donation to our trip (set to begin in January 2021). We want to encourage you to encourage us!  Please visit our new Facebook page: Lost in Africa for all the details.  Make plans to challenge yourself, invite friends to join you, and we will add you to our support team. 

Mission work is church work.  And church work is completed by us: the ordinary men and women and teens who face each day with determination and grit. What does God want to do with us today? I can’t wait to see!

 

I have fallen in love with the sweet, juicy pomegranate seeds that not only look lovely piled into a small bowl, but make my morning granola or oatmeal quite scrumptious.  Here at Growing Nations an entire line of pomegranate trees bloom beautifully, making a hedge around the south end of the fields.  The fruits are large and round and ruby red, perfectly ripe for the picking. So I pick at least one a day, and I peel it (a process that several South Africans had to coach me through), and we all enjoy the soft seeds throughout the day. 

The pomegranate (like all fruit) is a miracle.  It is a storehouse of nutrition, antioxidants, and purification.  Not only is it healthy, but its beautiful skin hangs tightly to the branches on one end while the bottom looks more an odd little open mouth with pointy lips slightly parted. And inside the fruit are wonderfully neat sections packed tightly with red fleshy seeds.  The seeds are sweet and very satisfying on a hot day.

In the Bible, pomegranates were used as decorations on the hem of the priestly garments.  And in 1 Samuel we also read that this same fruit adorned Solomon’s temple.  The 12 spies who went into the Promised Land came back giving testimony to the richness laying there: “It has pomegranates!” And later King Saul, too, rested under the shade of this same fruit tree.  

For centuries pomegranates have been sought after for healing properties as well as many uses for the skins (The Romans dried them out like leather.) And today, pom juice is considered one of the key drinks for a healthy detox or for coming out of a fasting period.  

Isn’t it amazing that God has hidden beautiful answers to worldly problems in nature, all around us?  Part of the great mystery of serving the God of the universe is wondering where we will find the next cure, or another source of energy, or a food that can fill our bellies and prolong our lives.  The daily inventions and discoveries that fill our news feeds and wow our minds are almost always rooted in some natural source, some fruit or plant or mineral that God created eons ago.  His provision is all around us, and I believe He takes great delight in our seeking Him. 

We have found Him here: in Lesotho, a small but beautiful country nestled in southern Africa.  We have found Him in the smiling faces of our African classmates; we have found Him in the morning praise songs we share in multiple languages.  We have uncovered mysteries of God around the dinner table as we taste foods from each others’ homeland, on long dusty roads, as we share our stories in cramped vehicles.  His love wakes us up every morning in the shrill song of the hadada bird, an ibis I have learned to appreciate. His love is in bloom- in the wildflowers and the rosehip bushes that guide our paths as we walk from place to place going about our work.  And His love was on full display one particularly colorful evening when a full double-arced rainbow stretched out before us as we sat on our back porch in the breeze.

God is all around you as well, and the scene is breath-taking.  He is creative and artistic; He is bold and He is lovely. I pray that you, like me, have put aside some of your man-made distractions and reached out for beauty of God that He has hidden in plain sight for you.

And if you ever get the chance, pick and peel and eat a pomegranate!

 

Field work– Using worn out hoes and pitchforks with missing tines, we have hacked our way through the this mountainside dirt to build a garden as well as an extremely tall compost pile. We have gathered hay, scooped barrels full of manure, and battled the mice to collect old corn cobs to create piles for future fertilizer.  Although the tools have been less-than-perfect, the temperatures very hot, and the work at times very stinky- we have thoroughly enjoyed sweating in the sun shoulder to shoulder with our fellow classmates.  Bafiti and Layla seem to take turns providing background music from their phones so when we’re not joking with one another or complaining about the flies, we can hear Botswana radio interspersed with pop-punk hits.  Field work can be fun in community. 

Field trips: We have taken several field trips away from the farm here to see the former students back at home in their fields.  There is a two-fold purpose in these trips: one is for us to see the neatly laid-out farms built on natural resources, beautifully producing much needed vegetables, beans, and grain.  Secondly, we are able to encourage the farms to keep up the hard work in their fields.  Those who use the sustainable practices taught here at Growing Nations often feel alone.  Most of their neighbors continue to over-plow and over-graze the land, so these conservative famers may be mocked in their own communities.  We go to pray with them, to meet  their families, and to encourage them that more Africans are taking on the training and are desiring to preserve the land as well. 

The field trips are fantastic- in a way. The journeys have been long and hard with those pesky, twisty-turny roads that start as pavement then turn to gravel, then to dirt, and finally we are completely off-road driving down narrow paths meant for walking- bouncing over river bottoms, up and down grassy hillsides and sometimes we even jet across broad landscapes of wildflowers where grazing cattle and and the occasional shepherd may greet us.  As we get out and start walking, we are met by school children who follow us to the farms, wishing to hold our hands or snap a selfie with us. They stand with us out of curiosity while we listen to the testimonies of the farmers who meet us in their fields.  I love seeing the Basotho people take great pride in their land as they recount how they are growing enough to feed not only their families, but the local orphanages or schools as well.  It is undeniable that the farming practices we are learning work in the real world too! 

Field Day! Last Friday was very important for this community where we live. The Growing Nations compound hosted a Field Day for all kind of folks to come witness all the projects, educational opportunities and farming techniques that are promoted here.  The grounds were immaculately mowed, tents were erected, and the fields stood tall as if they knew they, too, were on display. Many visitors came to see the farm and the demonstrations, including dignitaries like the minister of Agriculture, as well as former students and local farmers. Near the end of the day, just before we served a very late lunch- there was a time for speeches in which the dignitaries spoke to the people in the Sesotho language. And just before the crowd sang the Lesotho national anthem, it was announced that a special guest would a speak- a bearded man from America who farmed on a large scale. It was Jeff! He then took the stage while the national television camera focused in on him. Using an interpreter, Jeff encouraged the African farmers by saying that conservation agriculture is extremely important world-wide.  He stated that even in America on large-scale farms that practices such as no-till planting, crop rotation, the use of cover crops and integrated pest management were vital to help preserve soil health and minimize environmental impact.  He did a wonderful job encouraging and exhorting the famers for the steps they are taking to help increase Africa’s food production. 

It is a joy to farm beside brothers and sister here in Africa.  Please pray these farming practices will catch on so more producers can help heal Africa’s soils and make strides in restoring health across the land.  

Thank you for your enduring love and prayers as we go into our final week of training here.

 

A nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself. -Franklin Roosevelt

You and I have rarely thought of soil fertility.  We don’t concern ourselves with micro-bacterial content or fungal root grow that are essential for soil health.  We never worry if our dirt has the proper organic matter, if it’s porous enough for smooth nutrient transport, or safeguarded against wind and rain erosion.  We assume the soil, like the air and water, is in perfect harmony to produce what we need for survival.

One short walk around Lesotho tells a completely different story, even to the untrained eye.  The ground here is riddled with deep gullies and washed out ravines that cut furrows through almost all potential farmland.  And across the landscape cattle, sheep and goats are grazing freely, leaving almost no natural grasses to protect against future erosion.  The land has been stripped of nutrients leaving the exposure of bare rock where there should be farms and fields.  It is hard to feed a nations without fertile soil.  So much of our training is how to restore soil to its God-given health and how to pass this information on to the farmers who live in this land.

I have two teen-age daughters who are also students of FarmQuest 2020.  They have left the comforts of home- television, cell phones, social media, movies, pizza, shopping, hanging out, Netflix, and pop-tarts- all gone, for a solid month, while they sit in classes and work in fields, soaking in farming practices that can help save communities in Africa.  And guess what?  They are amazing! They are shoveling manure for rich compost, clearing rocks from patches of land to help create new gardens. They are putting in holes and raking up hay; they have measured perfect squares for garden sites and searched different soils looking for signs of healthy fungi and root space. They have endured evenings of no power, long church services in another language, crowded rides in vehicles for hours over mountainous roads that twist and turn forever. They help cook meals, clean the kitchen, play card games at night, take long walks by day, and participate and even lead the daily Bible studies. 

God’s call is evident in their lives as it is in ours.  The work here can be frustrating and often seem futile, but when we are moved with God’s compassion, there is no question of personal comfort.  Our time here is so short.  Continue to pray for these last two weeks: that we will fulfill all God has called us to in Lesotho.  And pray specifically for Layla and Charlotte: that this trip will be just the beginning of God’s call on their lives.

 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com