The Good, the Great, and the Ugly

What a diversity of experiences that last seven days have offered. It has been a week where God has reminded me anew to rest in him and trust that he is able.

The ‘good’. We have a place to live, sort of. YWAM had graciously ‘sub-let’ a unit to us when they had no staff in need of it. Now they need the unit and we have been asked to move. Finding accommodation here in Maseru is not easy, and the rents for accommodation with basic amenities like water, sewer and electricity continue to increase. In each of the two previous places we have lived, Wendy and I have seen God use where we were living to do things for his kingdom. Things we would not have had the joy of being part of, had we not been where we were. So God must have something else planned, something that requires us to be somewhere else. But there are downsides to this next move, from my human perspective.

We have a place for seven months. That is the ‘sort of’ part. We will be house sitting, which really means looking for a place again in seven months. Yet, in the circumstances God seems to be clearly saying, “Trust me.” The house sitting opportunity almost fell from the sky, and if he provided this place for us without us even looking, I think he is asking me to trust him to take care of us seven months done the road. I need to let go of the downsides and accept what Jesus said about the lilies and sparrows, and about not worrying*. So we have a place to stay for seven months and an admonition not to worry about beyond that.

The ‘great’. Ah, Oct. 31/Nov.01 was a great weekend. On the Saturday we had the Founding General Meeting for the Mustard Seed (Lesotho) Society. The Basotho women on the board wanted to celebrate so we had a traditional Lesotho dinner with moroho and papa. The leaders did the preparation and clean up for the members, a wonderful example of servant leadership.

The leaders, aka cooks.

Dinner.

Ntate Kuena masquerading as a cook.

I was so impressed with them, and how the general meeting went with active participation from the members. Now I need to trust that I can get through all the work that comes to me as the secretary. We are anticipating that the number of girl orphans we will serve next year may double or even triple.

The other ‘great’ from the weekend was the Basotho wedding that we attended. It started with the gift from my Basotho ‘daughter’ that Wendy wrote about. How humbling to receive such a gift from one with so little materially to give. Her sacrifice to show her love, like the widow’s mite**, cost her more than the things I have done for her from my abundance. Then there was the wedding itself, the following day.

Here in Lesotho, when a wedding starts truly is the bride’s prerogative, irrespective of what the invitation says. The invitation said 9:30 a.m. Verbally we were told not to worry about arriving before 10:00. The groom showed up at about 11:30, and the bride finally arrived a bit after 1:00.

The bride and her entourage arrive.

And the guests, they arrived anytime between 9:30 and 1:00. So what do folks do while waiting? The men hang around outside visiting. The women were singing and dancing in the little church that was able to accommodate only about a third of the guests. And the ceremony/reception, which finally got under way at about 1:30, lasted for two hours. What I found so delightful was that the wedding was a true celebration. In contrast, our western weddings seem to be so much more an ‘event’ with those attending mere spectators. This wedding was a celebration, of marriage and of God’s goodness. Everyone was part of the celebration whether singing and dancing before, or cheering and clapping during, the ceremony. It was a living, breathing, refreshing, joyous celebration.

They both seemed uncertain when offered opportunity to kiss.

The ‘ugly’. All thing work out for good for those that love God***, but sometimes, in the moment, it is a challenge to hold onto this promise. I have twice this week taken individuals for medical care for injuries sustained due to domestic violence. Both individuals were connected to the Mustard Seed. In addition to supporting the victims, I have sat with the abusers, both men (inevitabily). I have witnessed the tender compassion of a doctor (a woman), as well as the sensitive and resolute committment of a police officer (a man, somewhat surprisingly) to see justice pursued. The violence was ugly, but I also saw goodness. In addition, individuals from past experiences here in Lesotho have reappeared as players in this current scene. So despite the ugliness of what has occurred, it is impossible for me to think that all is random circumstance. God must be weaving something; something that he promises will turn out for good. I am again reminded of Shane Claiborne’s comments that serving and trusting God can mean having “no idea what is going to happen next.”

The last week of our journey has seen it all - the good, the great, and the ugly. Where and how all the pieces of the last week will fit together, only God knows. He only asks of me that I trust that he is in control, and that I follow, step by step, where he leads.

~ Benno ~

* Matt. 6:25-

** Mark 12:41-44

***Romans 8:28