A while back I had mentioned that the sights and sounds of Lesotho have been less in the forefront of my experience. But earlier this week I was again reminded that I am not in Canada.
I had been dropped off and was walking the last few minutes home. The path led through a small field of tall ripening grass. Across the field, in the grass next to the paved street, were six cows, contentedly munching. They were fat and sleek. Summer has been good.
Then, just beyond and a bit above them, flowing down a side street, came a flock of sheep. Following, with little alternative, a car moved slowly and patiently. I stopped and savored the moment - a quiet, unhurried interlude. "Something I will miss in Canada," I mused, before continuing on with a more relaxed, less hurried step.
~ Benno ~
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Quiet
It has been a quiet week.
The biggest thing for me is that I keep thinking it is August. We have been enjoying fresh vegetables from the garden. The beans and zucchini are now finished, as is the maize (corn). We have been enjoying pumpkins and squash, but the vines are now dying back. Soon it will be time to pick the last tomatoes and dig the carrots. The days are still hot but they are also noticeably shorter. Yep, it feels like August.
At Beautiful Gate we continue to struggle with a couple of issues, the electricity is still not connected and efforts to resolve our wastewater challenges seem to be yielding no results. It is now some 4-5 months since we approached WASA (the Water And Sewage Authority) with a plan. They advised they would provide a quote in terms of cost. Our staff have seen a draft copy of the quote however, the official quote promised us back in November still has not arrived despite our repeated and ongoing follow-up requests. It is frustrating that things seem to move so slowly. Sometimes we think that they don’t move at all. Meanwhile, on the electricity front we are making progress, and that is encouraging.
The adoption moratorium is another issue seemingly no closer to resolution. Nine months later there is still no end in sight. Meanwhile our children are all nine months older and no closer to being placed in permanent homes. On the positive side though, the children are doing very well - growing and developing, and the odd one is being placed into foster care with families who will then adopt when the adoption process is again opened up.
The big news from Beautiful Gate is that the little pre-school we began in August has mushroomed. We started with 26 children the first term, and sought to work out any bugs. Well the staff obviously did a great job with any bugs as in the current term we have 58 students and the place is just buzzing with activity, and humming along.
Wendy has just asked if I will check out the apples on the apple tree. They were pretty sparse this year as the tree needs a very thorough pruning. But I am again reminded that it seems like August, as one shouldn’t be checking for apples in February. ☺ ☺
~ Benno ~
The biggest thing for me is that I keep thinking it is August. We have been enjoying fresh vegetables from the garden. The beans and zucchini are now finished, as is the maize (corn). We have been enjoying pumpkins and squash, but the vines are now dying back. Soon it will be time to pick the last tomatoes and dig the carrots. The days are still hot but they are also noticeably shorter. Yep, it feels like August.
At Beautiful Gate we continue to struggle with a couple of issues, the electricity is still not connected and efforts to resolve our wastewater challenges seem to be yielding no results. It is now some 4-5 months since we approached WASA (the Water And Sewage Authority) with a plan. They advised they would provide a quote in terms of cost. Our staff have seen a draft copy of the quote however, the official quote promised us back in November still has not arrived despite our repeated and ongoing follow-up requests. It is frustrating that things seem to move so slowly. Sometimes we think that they don’t move at all. Meanwhile, on the electricity front we are making progress, and that is encouraging.
The adoption moratorium is another issue seemingly no closer to resolution. Nine months later there is still no end in sight. Meanwhile our children are all nine months older and no closer to being placed in permanent homes. On the positive side though, the children are doing very well - growing and developing, and the odd one is being placed into foster care with families who will then adopt when the adoption process is again opened up.
The big news from Beautiful Gate is that the little pre-school we began in August has mushroomed. We started with 26 children the first term, and sought to work out any bugs. Well the staff obviously did a great job with any bugs as in the current term we have 58 students and the place is just buzzing with activity, and humming along.
Wendy has just asked if I will check out the apples on the apple tree. They were pretty sparse this year as the tree needs a very thorough pruning. But I am again reminded that it seems like August, as one shouldn’t be checking for apples in February. ☺ ☺
~ Benno ~
Sunday, 17 February 2008
God is Good
In my last note I mentioned how we just can’t seem to out give God. I mentioned I would share some of the opportunities we have had to be a blessing to others here, blessings made possible through the generosity of family and friends. Let me start with Thabiso and his family.
Wendy has mentioned Thabiso before. He is the young man trying to complete school while ensuring his family is cared for. His family, as you may recall, consists of an elderly grandmother, two sisters, and a niece.
The Khasapane Family (Thabiso's family)We checked out Thabiso’s story as best we could, and Wendy asked, “Is this our ‘starfish’ family, the one God is asking us to make a difference for.” (If you are not familiar with Joel Barker’s starfish story, here is a link.) We were warned. If you start a relationship you will be perceived as a parent and anytime a need comes up you will be asked to help out.
Thabiso has a dream. He wanted a photo of himself at my computer (taken by his sister).
But we have made a commitment and a relationship has started to form. What started with a few hours of piece work for Thabiso around our yard, led to us helping them with their monthly shelter and water needs, then a bunk bed, some spending money for Christmas, first quarter school fees for the sisters, school uniforms, a calculator for Thabiso, and even a new lock for their door. (The older sister, now 18, was unable to attend school last year for lack of funds, less than $350Can.)
The Khasopane home.It starts between the doors and ends where the roof line changes.
Home for five is a ten by ten room.
On another front, Wendy has kept you updated on her activities with her students. This weekend she is off with a group of them to South Africa where she is meeting Dylan for a couple of days of hiking, camping and maybe even some swimming. Yes, there is a cost to these activities too since her students don’t have resources. But I am sulking a bit about this latest trip. Wendy spent the last couple of days baking up a storm. She was even up at 3:00 a.m. the day she left, baking fresh muffins and cinnamon buns. I was up too, packing the van with her baking and all of the groceries she had purchased so she could be off by 4:30 a.m. At about 7:30 when I stumbled down for breakfast I was just a bit shocked to find a basically empty fridge. I guess she figured I would get by. I do look forward to hearing her stories when she gets back.
Another thing we are learning is that it takes so little to bring joy to someone. A digital camera, and a printer that prints photos allows us to bring so much excitement to people’s lives. For Christmas we gave some friends some pictures we had taken of them. They were delighted. It was the first pictures they had of their children and of themselves as a couple. For others it is laughter and shrieks of joy that mark the receipt of a picture as they run off to show their photo to others.
Last week it was something different. It was a family facing violence in the village where they lived. They needed to move, but they had no means. But I work with some such wonderful folks, and one of them helped locate a place near Beautiful Gate, and together we arranged to rent a small truck, then moved the woman (a staff member) and her family. Imagine all of your worldly possessions fitting into the box of a small pick up truck. For $30Can we were able to rent her a new place and move her. She was so appreciative. She insisted that the three of us who helped her move accept some hand made mugs, gifts from the few possessions she had. But it was fun to take her a small house-warming gift a couple of days later. Sometimes the smile on another’s face is all the reward one needs.
God is good.
~ Benno ~
Saturday, 9 February 2008
With Friends
The generosity of friends has made a difference for the bom’e at Beautiful Gate. Each year my colleagues (former) at Alberta Industry, Immigration and Employment (AEII) in Red Deer raise money at Christmas for a charity. This year they chose Beautiful Gate Lesotho at the organization they would support. Their gift allowed us to purchase three recliner chairs that have made a difference and brought joy to the bom’e who work at Beautiful Gate.
At Beautiful Gate, the bom’e who look after the littlest babies are asked to remain
in the baby rooms during the night, even when the babies are asleep. And the bom’e do so, but all they had to rest on during the night was a plastic chair. One wonderful older m’e asked me one day if they could have even a little mattress, for the floor, to lie on. So that is the best they have had, a plastic chair or a thin mattress on the floor. When it came to deciding what to purchase with the funds from AEII, I thought of a rocking chair for these bom’e. Unfortunately, rocking chairs can’t be found in this part of Africa, so we settled for recliners.
So, in late January I left for the South African city of Bloemfontein. M’e Masamuele,
the m’e who had asked for the mattress, came along. I wanted her to come to help select the chairs. (M’e Masamuele is a widow, looking after two granddaughters who have been orphaned. She would like to be retired, but as a grandparent headed family she needs to keep working. It was her first trip to the city of Bloemfontein.) She was great in helping picking out the chairs, choosing the colours and model. Then with some time to spare we took her to a mall. She lives a simple life and I think it was culture shock for her, walking around a modern mall that compares positively to anything we have in Red Deer. I gave her some rand so she could buy something, but I think she was just too overwhelmed with everything. In the end she purchased only a bag of potatoes when we went through a small town on the return trip to Maseru.
Upon our return the new chairs created quite a stir. The bom’e
were delighted. M’e Lerato was all smiles. 
All smiles until she had to return to her plastic chair because others were taking a turn in her new recliner.
And then when I was looking for a couple of
pictures of bom’e in the recliner, they were quick to make sure Neo was in the picture. You may recall from a former entry that Neo is a little lady in my life. (When sharing with M’e Masamuele that I had three sons she was quick to add that I also had a daughter, Ausi Neo.)
With the interest and help of friends, Wendy and I we have been able to some extra things. Wendy has shared some of the things she has been doing with her students. In a future entry I will add a few more comments about some of the other things we have been able to do with or for others, things we are able to do, in large part, because of the generosity of friends and family who have supported our efforts. 'With friends' we are been able to do so much more.
And the last word/photo goes to M’e Masamuele, feet up and relaxed.
~ Benno ~
Oops, now how did that picture get in there??
At Beautiful Gate, the bom’e who look after the littlest babies are asked to remain
in the baby rooms during the night, even when the babies are asleep. And the bom’e do so, but all they had to rest on during the night was a plastic chair. One wonderful older m’e asked me one day if they could have even a little mattress, for the floor, to lie on. So that is the best they have had, a plastic chair or a thin mattress on the floor. When it came to deciding what to purchase with the funds from AEII, I thought of a rocking chair for these bom’e. Unfortunately, rocking chairs can’t be found in this part of Africa, so we settled for recliners. So, in late January I left for the South African city of Bloemfontein. M’e Masamuele,
the m’e who had asked for the mattress, came along. I wanted her to come to help select the chairs. (M’e Masamuele is a widow, looking after two granddaughters who have been orphaned. She would like to be retired, but as a grandparent headed family she needs to keep working. It was her first trip to the city of Bloemfontein.) She was great in helping picking out the chairs, choosing the colours and model. Then with some time to spare we took her to a mall. She lives a simple life and I think it was culture shock for her, walking around a modern mall that compares positively to anything we have in Red Deer. I gave her some rand so she could buy something, but I think she was just too overwhelmed with everything. In the end she purchased only a bag of potatoes when we went through a small town on the return trip to Maseru. Upon our return the new chairs created quite a stir. The bom’e
were delighted. M’e Lerato was all smiles. 
All smiles until she had to return to her plastic chair because others were taking a turn in her new recliner.And then when I was looking for a couple of
pictures of bom’e in the recliner, they were quick to make sure Neo was in the picture. You may recall from a former entry that Neo is a little lady in my life. (When sharing with M’e Masamuele that I had three sons she was quick to add that I also had a daughter, Ausi Neo.)With the interest and help of friends, Wendy and I we have been able to some extra things. Wendy has shared some of the things she has been doing with her students. In a future entry I will add a few more comments about some of the other things we have been able to do with or for others, things we are able to do, in large part, because of the generosity of friends and family who have supported our efforts. 'With friends' we are been able to do so much more.
And the last word/photo goes to M’e Masamuele, feet up and relaxed.
~ Benno ~
Oops, now how did that picture get in there??Friday, 8 February 2008
Reflections at Six Months
The months pass by. I have gotten busy, maybe too busy. So, where am I after six months.
I don’t notice things as much anymore. Things that initially I would say, “Wow, I need to take a picture of that, or write about that for the folks back home.” So many things are just now part of my daily experience, part of the routine. H’mm, is that good or bad. Maybe I am just tired. The last three months have been very busy months for me. Other senior staff had been away for much of that time and I was carrying extra responsibilities. It was important to be available to staff for them to bounce ideas off, but for me who needs my time alone to re-energize it has been tiring. Maybe that is part of not noticing things, or having the energy to write things.
After six months I have also realized that God can and does use us just as we are. I look about, at myself and others, and you know we are a rather motley crew. I often idealized individuals who went to far countries to work or serve. But really, we are not so ideal. We come as we are, a combination of strengths and weaknesses. Shining so brightly one moment, and the next mucking up, but through it all God is moving his kingdom forward. As I look around my context, God is using the motley expatriate crew I am part of here in Lesotho to see that babies are being cared for, widows are being helped, doctors are flown into remote villages, street kids are finding connection, and hungry people fed. So while I often feel inadequate and annoyed, witnessing some of the insensitive things I and others do and say, God continues to be bigger than us all, and he is doing his work.
I have found too, that life here is not a lot different than back in Canada. My lifestyle is actually very similar to back home. We have been blessed with a very comfortable home. We keep busy have our routines. Work is almost exactly what I was doing back in Alberta. The stores provide the basics so we have most everything we need. Yes, service is sometimes lacking, and to find "out of the ordinary things" that one needs, may mean visiting many stores. On the whole though, people are a bit more friendly here. And yes, we hear of crime and the dark side of society, but nothing a whole lot different than what I read in the news from home. And then, technology keeps us well connected with family and friends. Maybe because Wendy and I moved about from place to place in northwestern Alberta so often, Lesotho often feels like just one more move. Oh, one difference are the warmer temperatures, that I find more tiring. For most of the past month it has been in the mid to high 20Cs every day.
I am also realizing more and more that life is about people and relationships, not things and accomplishments. Sometimes I wish I had less admin work to do at Beautiful Gate and just had more time to invest in relationships and in people. One of the constant cautions I hear is that I need to be careful - people will just expect more; what I do for one, another will expect; there is need everywhere and it will overwhelm me. While there is certainly an element of truth in those cautions, for me to not invest in people is to miss the essence of what God is asking of me, to live in relationship – with him and those around me, and mostly around me here, are Basotho, complete with all their needs.
So, where am I after six months. As our recent Australian house mate noted, the work we do is only a means, an avenue, to build relationships, and to serve others. More and more that is where I want to be. No, I can never meet the overwhelming need of this impoverished country and its people, but I can enter into relationship with those that God specifically brings across my path. Yes, that will mean an investment in both time and money but we are also learning that we cannot out give God. The more we seem to share materially with our Basotho friends, the more God has raised up friends and family who are sharing in and supporting our work. I look forward to the next six months. I think they are going to be pretty exciting and pretty rewarding as we throw caution a bit to the wind, and look for ways to engage with and invest in relationships.
~ Benno ~
(P.S. Did I also mention that I have learned that -30C, or even -25C, is not even on the radar here. ☺ )
I don’t notice things as much anymore. Things that initially I would say, “Wow, I need to take a picture of that, or write about that for the folks back home.” So many things are just now part of my daily experience, part of the routine. H’mm, is that good or bad. Maybe I am just tired. The last three months have been very busy months for me. Other senior staff had been away for much of that time and I was carrying extra responsibilities. It was important to be available to staff for them to bounce ideas off, but for me who needs my time alone to re-energize it has been tiring. Maybe that is part of not noticing things, or having the energy to write things.
After six months I have also realized that God can and does use us just as we are. I look about, at myself and others, and you know we are a rather motley crew. I often idealized individuals who went to far countries to work or serve. But really, we are not so ideal. We come as we are, a combination of strengths and weaknesses. Shining so brightly one moment, and the next mucking up, but through it all God is moving his kingdom forward. As I look around my context, God is using the motley expatriate crew I am part of here in Lesotho to see that babies are being cared for, widows are being helped, doctors are flown into remote villages, street kids are finding connection, and hungry people fed. So while I often feel inadequate and annoyed, witnessing some of the insensitive things I and others do and say, God continues to be bigger than us all, and he is doing his work.
I have found too, that life here is not a lot different than back in Canada. My lifestyle is actually very similar to back home. We have been blessed with a very comfortable home. We keep busy have our routines. Work is almost exactly what I was doing back in Alberta. The stores provide the basics so we have most everything we need. Yes, service is sometimes lacking, and to find "out of the ordinary things" that one needs, may mean visiting many stores. On the whole though, people are a bit more friendly here. And yes, we hear of crime and the dark side of society, but nothing a whole lot different than what I read in the news from home. And then, technology keeps us well connected with family and friends. Maybe because Wendy and I moved about from place to place in northwestern Alberta so often, Lesotho often feels like just one more move. Oh, one difference are the warmer temperatures, that I find more tiring. For most of the past month it has been in the mid to high 20Cs every day.
I am also realizing more and more that life is about people and relationships, not things and accomplishments. Sometimes I wish I had less admin work to do at Beautiful Gate and just had more time to invest in relationships and in people. One of the constant cautions I hear is that I need to be careful - people will just expect more; what I do for one, another will expect; there is need everywhere and it will overwhelm me. While there is certainly an element of truth in those cautions, for me to not invest in people is to miss the essence of what God is asking of me, to live in relationship – with him and those around me, and mostly around me here, are Basotho, complete with all their needs.
So, where am I after six months. As our recent Australian house mate noted, the work we do is only a means, an avenue, to build relationships, and to serve others. More and more that is where I want to be. No, I can never meet the overwhelming need of this impoverished country and its people, but I can enter into relationship with those that God specifically brings across my path. Yes, that will mean an investment in both time and money but we are also learning that we cannot out give God. The more we seem to share materially with our Basotho friends, the more God has raised up friends and family who are sharing in and supporting our work. I look forward to the next six months. I think they are going to be pretty exciting and pretty rewarding as we throw caution a bit to the wind, and look for ways to engage with and invest in relationships.
~ Benno ~
(P.S. Did I also mention that I have learned that -30C, or even -25C, is not even on the radar here. ☺ )
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