Back to Africa

The morning of 20 February 2013 we packed up the very last of my mother's house, completed the final inspection with the new owners, and closed a chapter in my mother's life and our own.  That afternoon we were on the highway to Calgary and a flight back to Africa.  It was time to see how the Mustard Seed, the organization in Lesotho I had been volunteering with, had managed during the previous five months.

Leaving winter in Canada to arrive to late summer in Lesotho was pleasant.  No snow to shovel, hot days, warm balmy evening, morning coffee sitting outside with the sounds of birds to welcome each new day.  

We were blessed to be able to rent a room at Beautiful Gate.  The space reserved for Beautiful Gate volunteers was not being fully utilized.  We had one room to ourselves as well as a kitchen and living area we shared with a delightful mother and daughter volunteering from the Netherlands.  It was a three minute walk to the Mustard Seed offices in another building on the Beautiful Gate property.  What a delight it was to also to reconnect with friends and contacts in Lesotho.  Many an evening there was someone visiting.  Wendy always had enough food for an extra plate at the table, and we enjoyed many hours catching up with our Basotho friends.

Catching up with the Mustard Seed was also a positive experience.  Not everything was perfect, but overall the board and our staff member were keeping things running well.  Before leaving back in September, I had not had the time I had wanted for training regarding the financial recording.  On this return trip we had ample opportunity to work in this area.  Receipts had to be found and errors corrected.  When all was tracked and recorded however, only about $50Cdn could not be accounted for from the five months I was away.  Not bad, I thought.  Time was spent with staff and board members in further training.  Additionally, I did what I could to come up with better tools to assist them in tracking and handling the Mustard Seed finances.

Another task I had set for this time was finalizing the trip to South Africa for the Mustard Seed girls who did well in school the previous school year.  This trip was again a success for the girls.  I will add a separate blog entry with pictures about our trip.

In late March, as we began preparation for returning home to Canada, Wendy's verse again became a point of reference, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails," (Prov. 19:2).  The current director at Beautiful Gate and his family were leaving on an extended awareness and fundraising trip/rest break.  They would be visiting supporters in Europe for a few weeks, and then returning home to America.  In total it would be six months before they would return to Lesotho.  Would Wendy and I, they asked, consider stepping in and supporting the staff at Beautiful Gate during their absence.  That had not been the plans of our heart ....  

~ Benno ~