Clouds, Witnesses, Friends, Family and Farewells

A week ago today, our last Saturday in Red Deer, we spent some time with a small group of friends,  catching up with them and sharing about this stage of our step-by-step journey, before heading back to Lesotho on Tuesday. As we gathered in a circle, held hands and prayed together, I got this image of being held and lifted up by these hands, and my mind instantly connected to a similar time spent with a gathering of friends just the week before, in Barrhead.

Interesting, it is, how images play in my mind, bringing together loosely linked concepts, because at that moment part of Hebrews 12:1 came to mind: the image of a 'cloud of witnesses', and somehow I just thought of these folks, and so many others we know, holding us up and sustaining us through their love and prayers.

New International Version

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and . . . let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us . . .

The 'therefore, since' refers to the previous verses in which are described all of those who form part of our rich Christian heritage of faith throughout history, but I am choosing to also include those who surround us in the here and now:

FRIENDS FROM OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO

Meeting with long-ago/ongoing friends in Barrhead it was pretty humbling to hear their continued interest in our lives after all these years, to hear Paul say, "Just keep writing those blogs..." Wow! And I wondered if anyone was even reading them ;-) It's been over twenty years since we lived in Barrhead, but Judy, Gary, Paul, Sally, Barb, Harold, Albert, Holdien, Jack, Gladys, Don and Carol, Merv, Trudy . . . others that we think of but weren't able to see, you continue to have such a special place in our hearts. How is it that a place can feel like HOME even when we've been away from it for over twenty years? Truly, HOME can be a heart place as much as it is a physical address. And over in Lesotho, I was feeling like we were becoming totally disconnected with 'life on the other side'. Thanks folks! Thanks for being part of our 'cloud of witnesses'. Thanks for this assurance that we ARE still connected in Canada!

FRIENDS FROM CROSSROADS

Thanks, too, CrossRoads, Red Deer and our faithful friends there. Thanks, especially to Esther and George, Alma, Dolores and Jim, Derek, Petra, Stephanie and Colton. Thanks for taking an interest in our lives. Thanks for being part of our 'cloud' formation.

OUR FAMILY MEMBERS

Thanks to all of our wonderful family who love us and support us unconditionally ;-)It's been so good to see most of you during this short almost two months in Canada.

Seeing so many and having this feeling of being uplifted by this cloud of witnesses is a very fitting culmination of this short visiting time we've had back in Canada. How wonderful and revitalizing this time has been, and thank you more than you can know to all the family and friends that have made time for us and shared their lives with us during our round of visiting in B.C., Alberta, and Saskatchewan. I do feel encouraged and energized for another stint back in Africa.

Wendy

Bloemfontein Field Trip

The Lonely Planet guide has this to say about Bloemfontein,"There’s no real reason to go out of your way to visit Bloem, although it has a few interesting sights if you are in the neighbourhood." 

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-africa/free-state/bloemfontein

Okay, not the greatest endorsement of a destination.  But our budget was limited, and I guess for us, Bloemfontein is "in the neighbourhood".  So while yet in Canada I had been pulling the pieces together of a field trip for four Mustard Seed girls who had done especially well in school the previous school year.

With the internet, the world truly is a smaller place, and the big pieces for the trip were mostly in place.  Unfortunately, one thing that had not gone well at the Mustard Seed was following the steps needed to apply for passports.  The best laid policies and procedures had not been enough for those entrusted with this task, and it appeared that all might be for naught.   With the whole trip seemingly imperilled our staff member asked for one more day to get things right, and with commitment and effort from the girls' caregivers they pulled it off.  We got the paperwork in, passport photos taken, the girls into the passport office and with a couple days to spare we had their passports.  I was again humbled as I witnesses the joy and delight of the girls to gain possession of this important document which opens doors and opportunities for them.

For me the trip began with with our stop at the National Museum, but for the girls it had started the moment we had crossed the border into South Africa.  Travel, something I take for granted, - a whole world of new experiene for them.  I worried that the girls might find the museum a bit boring but they pored over exhibits and were even taking notes regarding exhibits that related to topics they were studying in school.

Taking notes.

After the museum we made our way to our accommodation where the girls chaperone took charge.  They got unpacked and settled.  Then in very un-Basotho fashion they were into the pool of reasonably clear water, while I was off for a nap.  

Most Basotho fear water, not these girls.

The highlight of the trip for me, and for most of them I think, came late in the afternoon when we headed out to Boyden Observatory.  There we were shown around the site, were given information about the telescopes, and then, as the first stars came out, we took terms viewing the moon and then Jupiter though one of the telescopes.  Not only did we see Jupiter with its bands and great red spot, we could see actually see Jupitor's moons.  We topped off the night gazing into the darkened night, as our guide pointed out the constellations and stars of the southern sky.

One eye to the evening sky.

The next day observing and petting servals, cheetahs, and young leopards was okay, but it lacked the wonder of the previous evening's night sky.  

A meeting with the African serval.

The finale was a stop at the University of the Free State (UFS).  After a picnic lunch, one of Wendy's former students, now a medical student there, provided a tour of the campus.  It is my hope that maybe one or two of the girls might be inspired, and aspire to one day attending university also.  

The girls at UFS with their guide and chaperone.

~ Benno ~

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An "aside" that was part of my trip:  

I was out walking at one point during our time in Bloemfontien, and came across a beer container.  Beer from a cardboard carton?  I imagined it must be an inexpensive, low quality ale targeted to less then well healed customers.  The public service announcement on the side of the carton appears to confirm my thoughts.   

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 ~

Catching Up - September 2012 to February 2013

In late September 2013 Wendy and I returned to Canada from Lesotho.  It was great to be home.  Weddings, connecting with family and friends, and adapting to snow again.  Maybe it was the early snow, as another thing that happened was that I went into hibernation relative to our blog, Step by Step.  In an attempt to catch up a bit I will provide a brief overview of the past months; a summary of our journey and God's faithfulness to us and others during our time in Canada since September 2012.

First on our agenda upon returning to Canada was the wedding of our middle son, Dylan.  Wendy is especially delighted that there is another woman in the Fath family.  Me, I think I am finally over my slight disorientation at seeing the surname "Fath" appended to "Breanna", our daughter-in-law's name.  

The following weekend there was another wedding, one of Wendy's nieces.  This wedding included hosting Wendy's three sisters who were in Alberta for the wedding.  Ahh, God is so good.  About a week before our return to Canada a gracious woman from our church offered us her home to stay in while she was away for a few weeks.  I am not sure she anticipated her graciousness would extend to us hosting Wendy's sisters and husbands for about a week.  There was even one day when Wendy's brother and family visited, swelling the number of those present to over twenty for that day.  Thank-you to Shirley for her kindness and graciousness in providing her home, and thank-you to one of the sisters and her husband who were there to restore the house to the condition it was when we arrived. 

Our next stop was at my mother's, where we intended to stay briefly until we found a place of our own.  But, as Wendy so often quotes, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails," (Prov. 19:2).  My 81 year old mother promptly asked if we would stay and look after her house as she was thinking it was time to downsize her life and move into something smaller.  We looked into some options with her and she decided on an apartment, in a seniors complex.  There were vacancies in the complex, she had her choice of units, and within ten days she was getting settled in a new home.  

What worked so well for her in the transition was that she was able to wrap up her "old life" in a relaxed pace.  It was a early and cold winter, but seldom a day went by when we would hear her coming up the outside stairs, having walked the fifteen minutes from her new 'home'.  Each day is was this closet, that cupboard, or some corner that she worked through, setting aside what would join her in her new home, what would be offered to others, or what was  to go the thrift store or even to the rubbish pile.  There was also what to leave for the moment so that Wendy and I had what we needed to live in the house.  

Besides assisting my mother, Wendy and I (mostly Wendy) did what was needed to get the house prepared to sell.  Not all was clear sailing, but less than four months after moving into Mom's house, we moved out and new owners moved in.  The possession day was the very same day that Wendy and I left Canada for a return visit to Lesotho.  Could it have worked out any better?   

Wendy had felt we needed to reconnect with family in Canada, so we had left Lesotho.  Two weddings and my mother happily settled in a new home has confirmed that God had a purpose for us being back in Canada for that season.  The neighbor lady across the street from Mom's, for whom I shovelled snow, added her different perspective.  She told me that God knew she needed someone to help shovel the snow from her drive, and that God brought us back from Africa just for that purpose.  :-) 

Yes, we were still without a place of our own, but we had been in Canada for some things equally important.  In February we left on an eight week visit back to Lesotho.

~ Benno ~

Saying Goodbye, Letting Go

Within a week, Wendy and I will be back in Canada.  This time back it will be more than just a busy visit with family and friends and then a return to Lesotho.  This time we will be back in Canada for ... a while.  

Wendy has felt a need to reconnect with our lives in Canada.  We made this decision back in February 2012, when Wendy officially confirmed that she would not be returning to her teaching position at Machabeng College.  Since then another event has come up.  One of our sons is getting married in October, so Wendy's sense for reconnecting with our lives in Canada took on a greater urgency and we moved up our departure from Lesotho by a couple of months.  We are now in the final throes of packing up, wrapping up, and saying good-byes.  

Like when we left Canada, we are packing up things - some to send home, much to disperse amoungst our friends here, and a few things we are storing here.  While we are returning 'home' to Canada, I still have not let go of Lesotho, and we hope to visit a couple of times next year.  So we will be leaving a few things here for when we return.

Wrapping up for me has meant passing on history and contacts and experiences to our recently hired Mosotho staff member at the Mustard Seed.  Her learning curve has been steeper than planned as a result of moving up our departure date by two months.  Part of the training has included using Skype and g-mail chat so that I can continue to keep in touch and support her and the Mustard Seed from Canada.

Saying good-byes has been an ongoing process it seems, especially for Wendy.  Saying her goodbyes at school, and then to past students heading off to university in places as diverse as South Africa, Zimbabwe, and China.  On Saturday (09 Sept.) we were in Bloemfontein and had opportunity to say further goodbyes to two of her former students attending university there.  

With only days left we are now saying final goodbyes to our friends and acquaintances here in Lesotho.  It has been, and is, difficult saying goodbye to so many we have met, and for me especially, those I have met through the Mustard Seed.  I will miss being here to rejoice with the girls and the board in their successes and achievements and to encourage them in their disappointments.   

It was a privilege to be here for the Mustard Seed's Annual General Meeting last week end.  It was another opportunity to witness the growth in the organization and its leaders.  I am now looking forward to the coming weekend and being part of the launch of our Jewels of Hope program.  We will be welcoming another seventeen girls into the Mustard Seed, bringing the total number of girls served to thirty four.  I am already looking forward to returning in 2013 to see and witness how things will have developed both in our School Support program and the Jewels of Hope program.  The Jewels of Hope girls will be producing jewelry and we will be able to bring samples back to Canada, and for our school girls I will be hoping to see most, in not all, having progressed to their next grade level.   

For me, "letting go" is more than letting go of being a daily part of the Mustard Seed and the lives of so many here in Lesotho.  "Letting go" is also meaning, letting go of my/our future.  At this time Wendy and I have no clear idea of what and where our future will take us.  In the short term we know we are returning to Central Alberta and we already have some leads on places to rent and maybe even a vehicle to buy.  We are trusting God to continue to prepare the way, and wish to say thank-you to those of you who have been praying for us in these regards.  But, at the moment, all we are clear about is that we will be returning to central Alberta until a return trip to Lesotho that we have planned for early in 2013.  Beyond that our future will unfold step by step.  A step by step that may include being back in Lesotho at some future date. 

When I first came to Lesotho and Beautiful Gate in 2007, I was expecting to be involved in developing and supporting small income generating initiatives.  However, situations and circumstances were such that my contributions, at both Beautiful Gate and now at the Mustard Seed, have been in the area of organizational development and administration.  Now I am wondering if God may be leading me back in the direction of economic development, possibly on a scale that I feel totally unqualified for - a scale that would develop revenue streams that would ensure local, sustainable funding for the programs of the Mustard Seed.  If this is to be my future, or something else, I am trusting that God will step by step, affirm and confirm his plans and future direction for Wendy and me.  

Those of you wont to pray, I would covet your prayers for Wendy and I, that we might understand God's plans and directions.  Those of you who have financially supported the Mustard Seed, I again wish to say how grateful and humbled I am by your part in supporting the work of this small organization.  If you find it in your thoughts to continue supporting the Mustard Seed financially, you would continue to made a difference for the girls that we serve.  

We are looking forward to seeing many of you upon our arrival back in Canada, and hearing from others.  While saying good-byes and letting go of our involvements of the last five years, I look forward with anticipation to where God will lead us in the weeks and months and years ahead. 

Step by Step.

~ Benno ~

Cherish Connections

Our last Cherish gathering for the girls, was a wonderful success.  The Mustard Seed has a total of seventeen girls in it's school support program.  Fourteen were able to attend the latest Cherish Day, the largest get together of our girls for a Cherish event.  

The early arrivers.

The Cherish Days function as a support group gathering for the Mustard Seed girls.  A time when they receive information, talk about matters of concern for them, and hang out together.  A number of the board members lead the group.  In addition, this time one of our Big Sisters showed up, and she too made a significant contribution to the fun and learning of the day.  My role is to take a few pictures, do a bit of back ground organization and stay out of the way.  

Sharing and learning opportunities.

Lesotho has a culture with different time constraints, or lack thereof.  The first group of girls arrived a half hour late, the last girl arrived four hours later, but still it was a time to be together and for developing and deepening friendships with their Mustard Seed 'sisters'.

The smiles I see on faces is something I always delight in.  Maybe it is a visible demonstration in the lives of the girls that what the Mustard Seed provides is making a difference.  Many of them come from such hurting situations, situations where they feel a burden and often receive only the basics of a place to stay and a bit of food on their plate.  Even, at a Cherish event, some visibly carry a weight on there shoulders that shows on their faces.  I think Cherish offers an oasis, if but for a brief moment, where they can let go of some of their cares and amidst the activites, the learning, and the FOOD, they can smile.


(Food:  I thought the amount of food on hand would be way too much, but fourteen active, hungry girls showed otherwise as there was not a crust left over.)

One of the exercises the girls did was to provide some feedback to the recently hired program coordinator for the Mustard Seed.  In reviewing their comments, I was further reminded that I still do not fully grasp the lives our girls live.  A repeated comment was how much they appreciated someone contacting their schools and teachers on their behalf; someone visiting them at their schools;  someone for whom them succeeding in school mattered.

They wrote how much it meant to them that the Program Coordinator, 'M'e Matseliso, told them they were loved, that God loved them, and that she encouraged them to persevere.    

I understand from past experiences that not all of our girls will succeed in school.  Not all will make wise choices.  I reflect on two girls who have left the program, and whose lives, on their own, have known pain and struggle.  Yet both of them are persevering.  They have not given up.  My prayer for the fourteen at the last Cherish is that they too will continue to persevere despite the obstacles they face, and as they persevere that they will be encouraged to dream bigger dreams, and in God find the courage and strength to achieve greater heights than they had thought possible.

~ Benno ~

Reason to Celebrate

When our children pass milestones, it is a moment of joy and celebration.  The Mustard Seed as an organization has witnessed another milestone, our first Mustard Seed girl going off to university.  Another story that causes me to stand in awe of God's grace, though it again also causes me to ask, "How does God work?", or maybe this time "Why?  God, why do you put people through what you put them through?"

This young woman is living with an wonderful and caring aunt and uncle after the death of her own parents.  They did all they could for her, but hard financial times left them in a place where they would not be able to fund her through her final year of high school.  With minimal support from the Mustard Seed they put together the application for the government bursary, and she was one of our girls who qualified for and was funded to complete her last year.  

The school she attended was not a strong school, but she worked hard, and passed her final year in the top ten in her school, though that meant only a 2nd class pass.   But 2nd class opens tertiary education doors.  She carried her determination forward applying to two post secondary institutions.  A first choice and a second choice.  

In Lesotho, students often end up in their second choice because that is where the funding fits.  Her second choice, accepted her application, and the funding body set a final date by which applications for funding to attend that institution needed to be submitted.  Once she submitted her application for funding to that institution it would be a challenge to transfer it over to her first choice should she hear from them later.

A resume is required to apply for the funding and I had the joy of helping her with that.  I must credit the staff I worked with in Red Deer who, by just rubbing shoulders with me I guess, taught me much about writing a better resume, or CV as they are referred to here.  I gave this young woman some instructions on information to gather for her CV.  She was a quick study, returning with excellent information to put together a CV, included lots of action words to describe past roles and learnings, and we put together her CV.  

The final day came when she had to submit her application to funding for her second choice.  She still had not heard from her first choice.  But she had everything prepared and dare not miss the chance of post secondary funding.  She was at the National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS) offices first thing that final morning and that is where it seems God began to do his thing.  For some reason, the reviewing officer asked why, considering her involvement with the Mustard Seed, she had not included the Mustard Seed as a reference on her CV.  Could she also get a last minute letter of reference from the Mustard Seed the office suggested.

At 8:30 she called me explaining her need.  Could I help?  Ah, the joy of computers.  Adding the Mustard Seed as a reference to her CV was completed in short order.  Even putting the reference letter together was not all that difficult as I had provided her with one related to a past situation.  The bare bones were there, and it was just a matter of amending and adding some updated information.  Poverty.  She had not the taxi fare to come out to our offices to pick up the letter and updated CV, so I drove the 15 minutes in to the NMDS office.  When I arrived I sent a quick text message that I had arrived.  A few minutes later, she, with her aunt, walked over.  Our Mustard Seed young woman with a difficult to understand look on her face.  

She told me she had just received a text message.  My first thought was, "Yeah, I just sent one."  Then she clarified.  She had just received a text message from the National University of Lesotho, her first choice, informing her that she had been accepted!!  At the very last minute God intervened.  If the staff at NMDS had not asked for the additional information, she likely would have been on her way home by then, having applied for funding to her second choice.  Why does God sometimes test one's faith by leaving until the last moment the answer or desire we hope for.  Like Abraham who was on the mountain, his son on a alter, his knife raised, before God said "Stop!"

It was tears of relief and joy she shed, as we quietly talked about God and the mystery of how he works - testing, and challenging us to trust him.  It is an exciting time for her, and for us at the Mustard Seed.  Our first "baby" off to university.  She has since been out to the university, we are helping with transport costs and initial registration costs.  This week or early next, she will be back at the NMDS offices applying for funding, but this time to the Department of Education, at the National University.  What can I say, but that God is good, and we are celebrating his goodness with her. 

~ Benno ~