The cost of flying...

Hello my friends,

Life has been... well life. I have recently moved which necessitated a new home study with Social Welfare. The home study was last Monday and went really well. So many of you were praying - thanks so much! The next matching meeting was scheduled for yesterday (Friday August 28) but it looks like it will be held today. God's will be done and may lots of precious children receive forever families!

I wanted to share with you a wonderful yet heart-breaking experience that happened just a couple of days ago. I've had to take time to really process the experience and look for God in it and how He desires to use MAF - and even me to His glory...

Last Thursday while we were having lunch there was a code one call (emergency medical flight) for a woman who had given birth to triplets just that morning. The call was coming from the other side of the country, about 45 minutes by plane 8 hours or so driving on curvy, often bumpy, mountain roads. Just the thought of a bumpy ride for a few minutes let alone 8 hours... after having just given birth to triplets *ouch* Can you even imagine it?

Justin was taking the call and asked if I would go with him - it had been a long time since I had the chance to fly along so I jumped at the opportunity. He had a small ulterior motive, as there were 3 babies and we weren't sure whether or not a nurse would be accompanying the new mom, he was hoping I'd get to hold one of the brand new babies on our return flight. He knows how my heart longs to be a mom and how much I love children of all ages.

We arrived in Mokhotlong and then I saw the new mother, she was a small woman, with wide, dark and questioning eyes. Our eyes met, I offered a smile and she shyly returned it. I greeted her in Sotho and that brightened her face just a little, but the fear was still there in her eyes.

I started to think about what the day must have been like for her. A woman who had likely not been educated as she wasn't able to speak any English, which likely means she was from a village and not from Mokhotlong at all. Students here all speak English as most of their education and textbooks are in English. So she had to travel to the hospital to have her babies, and discovers while giving birth she has 3 and not just one. I doubt she had an ultrasound or any pre-natal care for that matter. Then she hears that one of the three is very, very small 1.2 kg which is just over 2 1/2 pounds. This child, and truthfully all of her children as the other two were both just under 4 pounds each, needed medical care as they were all so very small. The two bigger babies were strapped to her held on by a blanket as is the custom here and they were able to nurse from her. I saw an IV but I'm not certain if it was attached to the mother or one of the babies as she was well covered in blankets. The nurse who did join us, was holding the third smallest baby. This baby wasn't moving, it was making no noise whatsoever, it was so very small and so very pale... it could have easily passed for Caucasian. Justin carefully got them in and fastened and I kept turning around to offer a smile and hope to catch a glimpse of these brand new Basotho children.

It was her first flight - and the first for the nurse as well. Both women looked pale at the thought that they would soon be in the air in a very loud plane. We did our best to communicate the time it would take and that I was there to offer help if it was needed. We got smiles and nods, but who knows how much they understood? We offered ear plugs for the noise... they'd never experienced them before. So many things that are so common place for me were full of wonder to them and likely fear inducing.

I found myself very worried for the smallest child on our flight home. Every so often the nurse would pat the baby on the back as if trying to wake it, she had also been using a small mask over the baby's nose and mouth attached to a bottle she would squeeze to force air in. She had been squeezing it for the first 20 or so minutes - and then she stopped.

All I could think was, "Dear God please help that little one make it, why isn't she squeezing it anymore, shouldn't she be squeezing it still???"

When we landed I tried to ask the nurse the baby's condition but she didn't want to answer with it's mother nearby... but there was a knowing look we shared. Justin had seen the baby when helping her exit and had the same look too. You know that look of sadness and resignation. He kindly offered, "I was really hoping you would get to hold one of the babies, but maybe it is better you didn't... I'm really not sure that one made it."

Our guys deal with death all the time - sometimes before they can get there with the plane, sometimes in the hospital after we've flown a patient that was just beyond saving, in spite of the time saved getting them to the help they need. And sometimes like this day, the patient dies while in the plane. It is an amazing burden these pilots carry. Flying with excellence knowing lives depend on it, and sometimes witnessing those lives passing into eternity. I so appreciate the hard work these guys do everyday - to the glory of God.

I very much look forward to the day when there will be no more language barriers, no more death and no more tears. 

Exceedingly abundantly beyond what I could have dreamed...

Hi Family & Friends,

It's been nearly a month since I last posted... forgive me for my silence. Life's been... well, life. Unpredictable, full of ups and downs, several good-byes... including a good-bye to my home for the past 5 years. 

One thing you learn quickly when you live over-seas is the transient nature of community that exists. Case in fact, when I first arrived in Lesotho, in April 2010, the number one question I received when meeting someone, aside from them asking my name was,

"How long will you be here?"

Seems innocent enough, right? But what people were really trying to gage was whether or not they would invest in a relationship with me. Whether because of transfers, end of contracts, furloughs or some other reason; Expats (people who reside in one country but are citizens of another country) come and go rather quickly here. MAF missionaries make up many of the "long-timers" in our Expat missionary community. In the past couple of weeks two families left our program not to return; the Peters and the Clarks. The Peters, originally from Canada, have moved north to a position in Kenya. They heard help was needed and though they will be very isolated, they stepped out in faith to move after raising their 5 children in Lesotho over the last 15 years. The Clarks, were only slightly behind them having been here 10 years with their three kids and serving in Mali before that. They are heading stateside for awhile, primarily due to educational needs for their boys. There is not a High School here in Lesotho that will prepare children for university admittance in the US, so many families find themselves forced to leave. I'm not a fan of good-byes and I already miss them all.

One of the strangest realizations of the past several weeks is that I'm now one of the "old-timers" in Lesotho. How strange is that? I've only been here 5 years and I feel as if I'm just starting to figure some things out, but the reality is... with most folks staying somewhere between 2-3 years or less, I'm a seasoned veteran of the Expat community. Since I'm an extrovert, love kiddos, love animals, love new things, new foods and exploring... I'm a bit of a Cruise Director. Barb (who I'll talk about below) even referred to me lovingly as Julie McCoy... I wonder how many of you will get that reference? One of the gifts I get to bring to the community is connectivity. I like connecting people, sharing vision, praying over this beautiful, albeit relatively unknown place we all call home. I fervently pray for those of us who are here to expand Jesus' kingdom in this little corner of southern Africa. It's a gift to know God has me here, in this season and for this reason - it's my spiritual gifting and purpose!

Because the Clarks were going, it opened up an opportunity for me to move into their home. It's beautiful! Barb Clark, who is a dear friend to me and the same age, is so artsy and she never sat still so there are cool mosaics on many of the outside walls, the kitchen cabinets are covered with coffee bags of the coffee they have enjoyed from all over the world, the garden has a path with cool stones she collected that "caught her eye" over the past decade - it's gorgeous. While I love art, creating it isn't my forte, so inheriting this place is very meaningful. There are memories of them everywhere! I share their love of coffee and on the cupboards are a few coffee bags from California, since they call Atascadero home. Don't you love how God goes over the top to say, "This is especially for you, just to remind you how much I love you." God has truly given me exceedingly, abundantly more than I could have asked for or even dreamed! This home will allow me to host gatherings, to exercise my connectivity gifting, to create a place for community - I'm so very excited!

Perhaps the most stunning part of the home, aside from having space to host people and a large garden where children can run and play, is the view... What a view! The sun sets just over my garden wall and the view is into South Africa, a horizon for miles dotted with an occasional butte here and there... it's like something out of a John Ford western. I hope to begin taking pictures and posting them for you, so that you'll be able to enjoy my home too. It's probably worth mentioning that I now have several bedrooms which can host friends, so you could come and see it for yourselves... hint hint!

More soon...Love from Lesotho!
Kimberly

Choosing love in the face of apathy

Since my last blog post I have been in a heart-sore place. While there are many wonderful things about Lesotho, my least favorite thing here is the crippling apathy that is manifest in every level of society from the way people drive, to the running of government offices, to late payments or worse non-payment of bills... there is this pervasive sense of resignation and nonchalance. It reminds me of the final words from Bohemian Rhapsody:

"Nothing really matters, anyone can see... nothing really matters... nothing really matters to me."

OK for a song I suppose, but for the mindset of a country... not so much.

Fighting against apathy is an exercise in futility - as Solomon wisely observed, it is like beating the wind. A tremendous amount of energy expended and very little to anything accomplished. It's tiring me in every way; mentally, physically and emotionally. 

Yet with this exhaustion, there has been peace and there has been joy too. I know God is with me in this battle and I'm discovering there is still so much in me that needs refining. It is when I am up against apathy that the ugliness in me leaps to the surface. I find that while I'm normally patient, in the face of apathy I easily lose patience. While I'm not using inappropriate language, and I'm not screaming, my delivery could certainly use more gentleness and humility. I keep asking myself, even though I'm upset by their actions, and what I perceive as a lack of care...

Is it my first priority in my interactions with Basotho, that they know I love them, can they see Jesus in me? 

I have a long way to go on the road to Christ-likeness, but I'm grateful that God continues to chip away at my character flaws. I've got to tell you friends, having the ugly in me brought out to the surface - it's not my favorite thing. Who likes having to stare face to face into their character flaws?

The Bible has something to say on this score too...

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." James 1:22-24

Do what it says... what it says more than any other thing is to love. 

Broken

***Warning*** This is about as raw and honest as I know how to be, I've prayed and wondered if I should even share this, but as I was writing to my MAF teammates I realized that many of you who read these words are also my teammates. You care for me, pray for me, financially support me - and you should know how to direct your prayers. I covet your prayers more than ever before and I deeply love you and thank you for carrying me to Jesus, especially in this matter. This was written to my MAF teammates - hopefully it will make sense to you. Please feel free to ask questions or for clarification if you would like to know more.

Yesterday afternoon I received a call from a number I didn't recognize - usually I tend to not answer, but I did. It was one of the Social workers. She called to inform me that another home visit is needed - this is because when she came in August last year, my water meter was broken. I'm sure some of you remember that event and prayed it would all work out for me in spite of not being able to wash clothes or do dishes, clean my home, etc. I had just returned from being away 10 days to discovering the water issue. It was during that holiday that they decided they MUST IMMEDIATELY see my home. It might be worth mentioning they said they were going to come in March... they finally got around to me in August. Are you seeing the pattern here?

All this to say, I shared with 'Me that I was home with a cold and that it wouldn't be possible for me to go to get her, bring her to my home to conduct an inspection and then drive her back to her workplace. I further asked why, when I have called them every month and in fact had done so just last Thursday to confirm the next matching meeting was to be held the following day. (That meeting as you know has been postponed and not yet rescheduled) But I asked why is it that she hadn't ever mentioned the need for another home inspection? I reminded her that I work and were I not home ill, I would have been out at the international airport without my car as I carpool, and wouldn't have been able to drop everything just so they could verify that I have water. And by the way, I told her the water meter was repaired the day after her visit 10 months ago - why is it only now that this has become an issue? I had shared with her when she was in my home that as soon as I dropped her off I was going to WASCO to get the meter fixed - and I did. Does this mean that the past 10 months I really wasn't eligible to adopt? 

I have to be honest, I'm in a bad place. I was tired, I was sick, I was caught off guard and I wasn't as calm as I would have liked to have been. I'm now wondering if I have done irreparable damage to my case. If because Social Welfare cannot or will not plan ahead, I'm now being punished because I was frustrated in my response. When I asked her does this affect my case? Am I not able to be matched until you see my home? When will the next meeting be? She answered by saying, 

"I can see you are upset, we'll talk another time." 

I told her NO, I want to understand since this is the first I am hearing from you in 10 months and what I thought was sorted - seems to now be a problem. A problem you want to resolve immediately but have never mentioned to me until this moment. And unfortunately a problem I'm not in a position to resolve with so little warning.

Friends, I'm as broken as I have ever been... short of the day my Father died (I was 14) and the day I was in the accident involving a child in Mokhotlong (5 years ago) - this has been the most excruciating experience in my life. And the truth is - it isn't about me, not really; it is about the children. Orphans who are institutionalized, and they are the lucky ones as many aren't even in orphanages. Children who are stuck in a system that is run by apathy and nonchalance. Children who don't realize how many people are in line just waiting to welcome them into a loving family. Children who are the innocent victims and who with every passing day will have a harder time adjusting and bonding to loving parents/families. It makes me sick! Truthfully if I could fix the system and it meant I gave up my right to mother one of the aforementioned children, I would do so in a heart beat. I know of several families who wanted to specifically adopt Basotho children but gave up because it was taking so long - they ended up getting children from Ethiopia, Kenya, etc. There are children here that would have had a home, but it was forfeited for them by Social Welfare and their inaction - infuriating!


I'm tired and I'm desperately sad. I want to continue to fight, but it's hard - so hard. These aren't just orphans - these are children, some of whom I know, who know me. They aren't nameless and faceless. I've fed them and held them and smeared vaseline on them after bath time. I've sung and played - I've ached when they cried when I had to put them down and walk away. I know some of their stories and I've cried out to God for them that He would give them a loving home, and a family of their own. That He would redeem the ugly they've already endured in their short lives and restore what the locusts have eaten... You know me, you know my heart and you know how much I have longed for a child of my own. 

I'm honestly not sure where things stand now. I'm nervous that in my exhaustion and aggravation I've shot myself in the foot, so to speak. I covet your prayers as next week I'll have to try and straighten this out and see if I'm even still able to adopt a child. Just typing that and considering it shatters my heart all over again. I need to be able to remain calm, but it is a topic that boils my blood. Children, innocent children made in the image of God, hoping that one day it will be their turn to get a family; are at the mercy of a system which seemingly cares very little about them. God is passionate about families, about caring for orphans - He's placed that passion in my heart and I ache witnessing the injustice of it all... and a lot of it is avoidable. How can I remain calm in the face of such injustice?

Pray God will give me words and peace - He's my only hope.

Vanished

Hi friends,

This is a far more somber post than I usually make... I'm going to tell you about a recent experience I shared with my friends who run a local orphanage, Beautiful Gate, in Lesotho. Actually I'm going to use her words as I feel she beautifully captured in her blog exactly what I was feeling...

A mother showed up at Beautiful Gate (BG) with her new born child. She had gone to the government and explained she could not care for the child. Instead of the government just taking the child, they talked with her and then gave her some advice (of which I will not share on this blog). The mother left upset. She came to BG knowing that we care for children and tried to give us the child. (This was not the advice of the government). She told our staff member that if we didn't take the child she would abandon it. Because of the laws and regulations that we have to adhere to, we cannot just take a child from someone without the proper forms and documentation. Our hands were tied. To say we were stuck between rock and a hard place would be an understatement. If we take a child without proper paperwork and the mother vanishes, that child will be forever stuck in the system. If we sent the child with her, we feared she may follow through on the threats she was making. Our staff members talked the mother and asked her to make right choices for this child. We knew we couldn't take the child in without getting in trouble with the government. Instead of just sending her on her way we gave her some diapers and formula and then drove her and the child to her house. When our staff left her, they realized she had nothing and even though we went above what we were suppose to by giving her diapers, formula and a ride, she had no bottle to make the formula in. Our staff then decided to get a bottle from BG and bring it back to the mother. When they got there, she was gone. The following morning our staff went back again and the mother and child were not there.

She vanished...

My only hope in situations like this is that God knows right where they are. He knows the mother. He knows the child. He knows their pain and He will work to bring about good in this situation. He has to! My hope is that even though people vanish, God will never vanish from them. He has them in the grip of His hand and won't let go. - C. Terpstra

It's an impossible choice... having to turn away a mother and baby at risk knowing that if you don't obey their rules, the government could come and close down all operations at BG, sending more than 60 children out on the street. 

I spend each Wednesday night at Beautiful Gate with my closest friends. I was there the night this mother came, I watched my friends and several staff members agonize over this impossible choice. I found myself saying, "I'll take the baby... could I take the baby?" knowing it wasn't legal but unable to stomach the possibility of this child being abandoned. Would you join me in praying for the following:

• At-risk children in Lesotho

• Women who feel they have no choice other than to abandon their child

• The staff at Beautiful Gate Orphanage who care for the needs of children aged 5 and under. They truly are the hands and feet of Jesus!

• My heart as I hear stories of abandoned or orphaned children and want nothing more than to give one of them a forever family and home.

How to encourage a missionary...

Yesterday I wrote a letter to Mrs. Steiger's third-grade class at Friends Christian School. It was in response to their letter, specifically to their questions about me, my life and ministry here. What I didn't include were the comments and encouraging words they included with their questions... here's some of what they said:

• The land (Lesotho) seems really pretty.
• We like the way you preach God.
• We really like what you are doing.
• We encourage you to tell more people about God.
• We pray you will be safe on your journey.
• May God be with you and bless you.

These students are studying Paul and how he was a tent maker and missionary. Knowing that their study of Paul is what was motivating their questions to me, it's honoring and very humbling. They know I'm a missionary who does accounting so they were comparing how my life might be like Paul's - woah!

I believe God placed a call to missions on my heart when I was 8... the same age as many of these children. It happened when I heard a missionary kid speak about her life in The Philippines. It is my prayer that perhaps knowing about my life would resonate and ignite a calling in the lives of these children - who knows but maybe one of them will also become a missionary!

If you are a teacher - I'd love to be a pen pal with your students! Whether it is about culture, social studies, and history to a public school or about missions with a Christian school, I'd love to share a glimpse of Africa with your class. Shoot me an email kimberlybaker@maf.org anytime - I usually can respond within a week, though you can ask Karen Steiger, I usually respond much faster ;)

Another letter to a third grade class

Hello friends in Mrs. Steiger’s Class!

Thanks for taking the time to read my letter and to write again, what a blessing it was to receive your email. Today in Lesotho it is very chilly but we have crystal clear skies – I can see all the way to the mountains. Maybe someday you’ll get to come visit me here, it is a beautiful country. All of the grass that was green is now turning brown and all the leaves are changing colors and dropping to the ground. One of the craziest things about living in Lesotho is the seasons. We are in the southern hemisphere which means that while you are having warm weather in the spring, we are getting colder each day because it is autumn. Usually it’s no big deal, but I still have a hard time having a really hot Christmas and a freezing 4^th of July – even after 5 years it still feels weird J Can you imagine having snow on the 4^th of July?

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and answers to your questions… looks like you have some more questions, so why don’t we get to them now? I’m going to answer the table groups as they wrote to me:

Table 1:

When was the last time you had pizza? I had pizza about a week ago, we have a chain here called Roman’s Pizza and it is pretty yummy… one of the flavors here is called Fiji, it is bacon and banana. At first I thought, “Who would put banana on a pizza??!!” but you know what, now I really like it!

How old were you when you started preaching about God? I think I have been sharing my faith since I was about your age, but preaching? I guess I preached officially when I was 41 years old. Here’s a picture from that day, I was preaching at Maseru United Church:

When was the last time you went to a fast food restaurant? We have a KFC here and I got chicken for lunch while I was running errands last Thursday, April 30^th.

Table 2:

What type of house do you live in? I live in a town home, here they call it a flat. It has 3 small bedrooms, one bathroom, and a toilet room upstairs and a small kitchen and family room downstairs with a one car garage. Here you don’t often put the toilet in the same room with your shower/bathtub. The toilet is in a very small room like a closet. I also have a small garden in the back. I live there with Em & Henry my cats.

Are you enjoying Africa? I really am, I love living here but by far the hardest part is being so far away from family and friends.

Table 3:

Are there crickets in Africa? Yes, though they are quiet now because it is cold outside. We also have grasshoppers – and they are HUGE!

Do they play football/soccer? Soccer is by far the most popular sport followed by rugby and cricket. No American football here but at the gym they have basketball courts and tennis courts and squash court too.

What kind of clothes do they wear? Most Basotho dress just like we do with one very large exception. Here, especially in winter, most people wear a Basotho blanket or even a regular blanket like we would wear a coat or jacket. The Basotho blanket is made of wool, it is very heavy and keeps you very warm. I have a Basotho blanket and I’ll wear it in winter over my clothes since we do not have a heater in the hangar and sometimes the temperature in my office is in the low 40’s – brrrrrr!

Table 4:

Do you eat modern food we eat here? Yes, almost everything there can be made here. The biggest difference is you have to make it, you can’t just go and by something already made. I really miss good Mexican food though. We have to make our own tortillas and then we can make tacos, or chips or enchiladas or whatever from them. Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving, I made pumpkin pie:

Did you bring any food from the U.S.? I did. I brought tarragon which is one of my favorite spices but one I haven’t found here. I brought chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and toffee chips for baking, ranch dressing packets, canned pumpkin, Reece’s peanut butter cups and candy canes as these are all things you cannot find here. Reece’s are my favorite candy and many of my missionary friends like them too, so I shared them.

Table 5:

Do you have kids? I don’t… yet. I am in the process of adopting an orphan here, I’ve asked for a girl between the ages of 3-4. So hopefully one day soon I will have a daughter.

Do you play any sports there? I love to swim, but for enjoyment not competitively. Sometimes we’ll play soccer or volleyball or Frisbee for fun, volleyball is my favorite.

What is the weather like there? Right now it is getting chilly here. The autumn and winter are our dry seasons usually. There will be snow in the mountains and sometimes we’ll even get snow in Maseru but it will only last a day or two. Houses here do not have central heat or air conditioning, nor do they have insulation as most homes are made of sandstone or bricks with tin roofs. This means it can get as hot and cold inside as it is outside. Right now the temperature in the morning is in the 40s and it will reach the 70s during the day. My bedroom was 50* this morning when I jumped out of bed. I have never enjoyed hot running water as much as I do here in Lesotho. If it is too cold the pipes will freeze and I’ll not have water until they thaw. Sometimes the water or power will be off which will also keep me from a warm shower in the morning.

Thank you all again for taking the time to write, if you have any more questions I’d be only too happy to answer them! Maybe if we can arrange it, I could make a skype call to your classroom and we could talk face to face, well sort of.

I pray God is blessing you and that you finish your school year well!

Blessings,

Kimberly ‘Mamosa Baker

Tea with the Queen

Over the weekend was the, "DO NOT MISS EVENT" to quote Queen 'Me 'MaSenate...

The 4th Annual Queen's Garden Party. This event is held to raise funds for a Charity Trust the Queen established 30 years ago to assist at risk children, specifically to fund their education. I have attended the tea before, but this year I stepped in to host a table for a friend who was away on holiday. What a hoot! As hostess I was able to invite some ladies from my Bible study and some MAF friends and their daughters.

For my women friends who attend Rose Drive Friends, this is like the Christmas Desserts... only with royalty.

The highlight for me was having a brief moment with the Queen before the guests arrived. We were getting the tables organized and 'Me 'MaSenate had walked up behind me.  When I turned around I recognized her and was able to greet her in Sesotho and thank her for the opportunity to share the day with her... she replied in English,

"Your Sesotho is very, very good, 'Me... I'm glad you are here as a friend to Lesotho."

I certainly don't speak as much Sesotho as I would like, but (according to the Queen) I do speak it well. I'm told I have hardly any American accent at all.

It's always worth celebrating the little victories! Here are some pictures from the event... enjoy!

Barb & V

I'd love to know what Barb said to elicit the Queen's reaction!

Proteas & Peacock Feathers - exercising my flower arranging skills

Elizabeth, Sara's daughter.

Emma, Joselyn's daughter

Evelyn, a dear friend - isn't she stunning at 92?

The flower arrangement

Annie was a finalist in the running for the best hat

Joselyn, Emma, Annie & Melisa - MAF teammates

Mmmmmmmmmmm Makoenya - so yummy!

Mamie, another friend in her 80's... love her smile

Melisa won a prize in the drawing

Our moment with the Queen... such a gracious hostess!

Sara

The Queen and her Aunt, who has become a good friend of mine.

The Belles of the Ball... all of them in their 70's or older

The Queen's Speech

Our Table

Blessed to be a Blessing...

Hi Family & Friends!

The last posts I wrote were as a result of a conversation I had with Merrill ('Me Palesa) a missionary friend living in the remote village of Manamaneng. She shared that she had been sharing Christ with her neighbor, who also happens to be the son of her landlord, Ntate Lehlohonolo. I encourage you if you haven't already read them to go and do so before continuing with this post.

You can read part one here and the second part here.

All caught up??? Great! Let's continue the story...

This afternoon I had a chance to speak with Ntate Sefiri, our MAF Chaplain, about his visit to Manamaneng over the weekend. I'm going to give you a recap of what he shared with me, settle in because it's about to get good:

Sefiri flew up in one of our MAF Cessna 206 planes to Manamaneng on Friday morning and immediately began the 45 minute walk to the village. He spent many hours with Lehlohonolo sharing about the demands of the Christian life, being truthful about the difficulties he may face with his family and friends should he decide to be baptized as a believer. Sefiri wanted to make certain that Lehlohonolo knew the weight of the decision he was making. He made sure Lehlohonolo understood about Lordship, obedience, persecution and living life as a new creation. Sefiri said Lehlohonolo had many, many questions but was resolved that he would be baptized. In Lehlohonolo's words,

"I know it will be difficult with my family, and with the village, but I am ready for it."

On Saturday morning, Ntate Sefiri and Ntate Khotalo were able to baptize TWO men: Ntate Lehlohonolo and another man from Manamaneng who Khotalo has been sharing with since 2012. (Unfortunately Sefiri couldn't remember the other man's name)

Didja catch that?? 

Not one but TWO men were immersed as Believers on Saturday. Not only did God answer our prayer for Lehlohonolo's faith, but now he has a believing companion in his village - PTL! God has done exceedingly, abundantly more than what we were praying for less than a week ago!

I've shared in an earlier post the word Lehlohonolo means blessing, could he have a more appropriate name? I believe that God will use him to be a blessing to his entire village; as they witness his changed life, they will want to know the ONE who was able to make the changes possible.

Ntate Lehlohonolo sharing his horse - what a great smile! Picture by Honaker

While there is incredible joy, there is sure to be hardship ahead for these two new brothers in the Lord. Can I ask you, right now, to please stop for a moment and to pray for these men?

Thank you in advance for your prayers, if you would like to share your prayers or encouragement for Ntate Lehlohonolo you can email them to me at kimberlybaker@maf.org and I'll make sure he knows there are brothers and sisters all over the world who are praying for him.

A Moment with Merrill - Part 2

Hi Family and Friends,

This is the second part to a post I began yesterday...

The Basotho have had the Bible in their language and have known the name Jesus for over 100 years and claim to worship Him. They will leave church and then pray to the ancestors and they see no problem with both of these things being true. To be Basotho is to worship ancestors, it is defining for them. Jesus made it clear, He is the ONLY one worthy of our worship. One God in three persons - a tough concept to get across without a language and cultural barrier.

The fact that the Zionists have begun meeting in the village of Manamaneng will make it confusing for the Basotho who are hearing about following Jesus in two very different and conflicting ways. If you can become a Christian and continue worshiping the ancestors, why wouldn't you do so? It muddies the water for Merrill, Khotalo and Sefiri who are trying to give a Biblical world view to the Basotho in the village. More concerning still, the Chief's sister has espoused the teachings of the Zionists and has been attending their fellowship. She, aside from being the Chief's sister, is also training to become a Sangoma. A witch-doctor.

Truly, Satan has pulled out every stop in this village... he has no desire to see Lehlohonolo baptised this week and through illness, syncretism and occultism he is waging war for the souls in this village.

PTL the war was won on the cross for the souls of all people who would receive Christ as savior, but daily there are battles being fought for individuals who must decide personally who will be their Lord. The space between the physical and spiritual here is like a sheer curtain... it cannot be dismissed. You don't meet atheists in Lesotho because it is so very clear that the spiritual world exists.

Will you please stop right now and pray with me:

1. Sefiri's son Tsepo (Hope) will be just fine and that Sefiri can travel to the mountains as planned.
2. Lehlohonolo will have the courage and conviction to publicly claim Christ as Lord and be baptized.
3. Pray for Merrill as she feels she must speak with the leader of the Zionists, with the Chief and also with his sister about the false doctrine they are promoting... she is taking a HUGE risk doing this and she will need as many prayers on her behalf for boldness, the right words and spiritual protection. 
4. Pray the Chief, his sister and the Zionist leader will hear Merrill, will understand and will be moved by God to reconsider their beliefs and will allow her to continue her ministry in their village.
5. Pray that God will redeem the entire village of Manamaneng and send Believers from their village into neighboring villages - continuing to spread the Gospel.

Thank you in advance for your prayers, This is why we go, to make disciples where there are none, to give the light, the truth and the hope of the Gospel - to know God and to make Him known!

A moment with Merrill

Hi Family & Friends,

This morning I had a chance to speak with one of the missionaries we fly who is also a friend, Merrill. She serves with African Inland Mission (AIM) in the village of Manamaneng, deep in the mountains of Lesotho. She moved there 4 years ago after learning there were no Christians in the village. She has been in Lesotho more than 20 years and left her previous village after establishing a Bible study group that continues to this day.

Merrill, like me, is a single woman... but unlike me she lives just like the mountain Basotho, no electricity other than a solar charger for her computer and HF radio. No water either, she has to walk to the nearest river to draw water daily. She speaks Sesotho so well and has been accepted into her new community though she is the only lekhoa (white skinned person) for miles and miles. She's a friend and in many ways a hero and inspiration to me too.

She has a neighbor, Lehlohonolo (Blessing) who she believes has accepted Jesus and wants to follow Him, but to make that public, to be baptized, to cease worshiping ancestors... these things could make his life very challenging. However, as a respected man in the community, it would then allow other men and women to also consider becoming Christians. This is HUGE! While many women are often drawn to Christ real change in communities and villages can't happen until a man steps forward and publicly demonstrates his changed life. This is the breakthrough in Manamaneng we have been praying for, the first Mosotho Believer in the village.

This is also a stronghold that Satan fights against. There are plans for Sefiri, our MAF Chaplain and Khotalo, another Christian man from Molumong to go and baptize Lehlohonolo this weekend. Both these men are Basotho themselves, both came to Christ because of missionaries, and both have been building a relationship and sharing Christ with Lehlohonolo. But this morning, Sefiri who was going to fly with Merrill, had to rush his 10 month old son to the hospital.

Merrill shared another concern, namely that there is a growing number of Zionists in the area. Zionists claim to follow Jesus, they sing traditional Basotho songs rather than "white man's songs" that have been translated. The danger is, they believe that the Holy Spirit is made manifest in the ancestors. In other words, the cultural practice that the Basotho have of worshiping their ancestors is just fine and even encouraged as a part of the Christian lifestyle they promote. YIKES! This is the single biggest issue and impediment to the Gospel in Lesotho.

More of this story tomorrow...

An answer to a letter from a third-grade class @ FCS

Dear Mrs. Steiger’s Class,

Hello from sunny Lesotho, Africa. As I’m writing this letter to you I’m sitting in my office at the International Airport in Maseru, which is the capital city of Lesotho. It is also the city in which I live. I can see the mountains out my window and there isn’t a single cloud in the sky – it’s a gorgeous day here! I travel to the airport in a carpool with my teammates, it takes about 45 minutes for us to pick-up everyone and get to work. Here is a picture of the MAF Lesotho team:

In California you are preparing for spring, but here we are ending our summer and moving into fall. Some of the trees are just beginning to change colors, yellows so far but the leaves will turn oranges and reds after we have had a frost, likely sometime in early April around Easter. I even went swimming in a friend’s pool on Sunday, there won’t be too many swim days left here. I love to swim so I’m going to swim as much as I can in the next few weeks before it is too cold!

I’m honored that you took the time to write to me and I’m delighted to answer your questions. Here we go:

How many days will you be in Africa? I am a career missionary with Mission Aviation Fellowship so really, Lesotho is my home and I go and visit my family and friends in the United States. On April 21, 2015 I will have lived here for 5 years! I expect I’ll be home for another visit in early 2016 but I do not have a date set, so honestly, I’m not really sure exactly how many days it will be. I don’t have any plans to leave Lesotho, so for the foreseeable future, Lesotho will be my home until God again says “go.”

Do you like Africa? I do! I love it here and I believe God has given me gifts that are helpful here. I firmly believe that I am living in Lesotho because God planned for me to serve Him here, at this time. While I do miss my family, my friends, In-N-Out, living by the ocean and being able to worship in English, I wouldn’t trade my life here for anything. It is a marvelous thing to know you are living in the center of God’s will for your life, I have that assurance. While life here can be challenging, I am so excited that this is the life God chose with me in mind! No matter what is happening here I have peace knowing I am exactly where God has called me to be.

What foods do you eat in Lesotho? This is a tricky question… I’ll answer it in two ways. What I eat is not generally what most Basotho eat. Lesotho is surrounded by the country of South Africa and because of this; we get many wonderful choices of foods at our grocery store. So really, I eat many of the same things you eat, but I have to make most everything from scratch. Some of my favorites are: Peanut butter and honey sandwiches, macaroni & cheese, roast chicken, pancakes (sometimes with blueberries, or even chocolate chips but they are from America), taco salad – though it is really hard to find tortilla chips! We usually have chicken, beef, pork and mutton available to us and several fruits and veggies, but not nearly as many as you have in the USA. Usually once a week for lunch I’ll eat what Basotho generally eat. The Basotho like papa, which is a corn meal “porridge” that they make very thick. They use the papa to eat with, picking up a piece and forming it into a scoop using their thumb and fingers. Then they will use the “papa scoop” to pick up some moroho (moh-ROH-ho) which translates as vegetables though generally they are green leafy veggies like spinach, cabbage, kale, and chard with some onion added in for flavor. Most Basotho will eat this as their lunchtime meal once a day, and that is the only thing they will eat for the day. If they are lucky they might also have a piece of meat too, usually chicken or very thin steak, which looks a little like carne asada. When the Basotho eat meat, they eat everything! They sometimes even eat the chicken bones. Nothing goes to waste because for many of them, they will only eat meat one time a month. A common snack at our hangar is called a “smiley” – it is half a sheep’s head that has been boiled and they eat the meat of the cheek, the tongue, the brain and even the eye. I tried it once, it wasn’t my favorite, but I didn’t eat the eye. Instead I shared it with my friend who said that was his favorite part. *whew*

How many planes have you ridden in? I have had the opportunity to take 4 flights, and I hope to make more. I love being able to hop on a flight when there is space. Lesotho is a beautiful country but it is especially beautiful from the air.

Is it easy to speak the language? Well, the Basotho find it easy. Learning a new language when you are an adult is a challenge! I am doing my best and I have learned many words and phrases but I only speak Sesotho as well as a pre-school aged child. So, no it isn’t easy, but I believe that it is usually true that the things that are most important to do are often hard, difficult and sometimes even painful. Most Basotho I meet living in the city speak English, in fact they speak English much better than I speak Sesotho! However, when you begin to speak to them about Jesus, about what they believe and why, those things are very important. I would call them “heart topics”. I believe that you cannot speak about heart topics to someone until you can speak their heart language, and here that is Sesotho, not English. To ask someone to change what they believe and to follow Jesus, I must be able to speak Sesotho and so I’m learning “butle-butle” which means little by little. You can pray God will help me to learn it better!

Do you miss America? Sometimes. I miss people more than anything else. Since I am a single missionary, I miss some of the things we have to do like; going to movies, coffee places, frozen yogurt, parks, etc. We don’t really have those sorts of places here and usually it isn’t safe for me to go out alone after dark. Most homes in the city, including mine, have bars on the doors and windows for security, so some days it gets a little lonely and I feel trapped inside, but not all the time.

Have you been to South Africa? I have, many times. As I said above, Lesotho is surrounded by South Africa and Maseru is a border town. In fact, tomorrow is a national holiday in Lesotho, Moshoeshoe (moh-SHWAY-shway) Day, it’s similar to our celebration of Washington’s Birthday. Moshoeshoe was Lesotho’s very first King. I’m hoping to go visit a friend’s home in Ficksburg, RSA which is an hour’s drive away, they raise lions and they’ve just had new cubs born. I never got to play with lions until I moved to Lesotho!

Do you like ostrich? Again a tricky question… do you mean as a pet or as a meal? Ostriches can be really mean! In South Africa, there are places where they race ostriches and you can go and ride one. Pretty cool, huh? I do like ostrich meat and have eaten it several times since living here, I especially enjoy ostrich steaks. As long as we’re speaking about game meat, I have also eaten: kudu, zebra, crocodile, giraffe, wildebeest, impala, warthog… my favorite game meats so far are impala and kudu. I have a few friends who hunt and they often share their meat with me.

Have you ever been to any other country? God has blessed me and I have had the opportunity to travel to several countries both before and since I became a missionary. The countries I have visited are: Mexico, Haiti, The Philippines, Israel, Jordan, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, England, Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa and Lesotho.

Is it hard to find where things are in Africa? It can be. I am pretty good at doing research and finding fun new places to go, I enjoy it a lot! In fact most of my missionary friends call me the “Cruise Director” because I’m always on the hunt for new adventures for us to experience in southern Africa. I own a GPS and I have used it many, many times. Road signage isn’t always good here, and most streets in Lesotho don’t have any signs whatsoever. You just have to “know” what they are called. The longer I have lived here, the easier it has been but when I was new, it was very confusing and even frustrating trying to find places when there weren’t any signs to let you know the names of the streets. This is true for Lesotho but may not be true for all of Africa. In South Africa after the end of Apartheid, they changed the names of many streets in the major cities. When I first arrived you would see one name with a line through it and then below another name – very confusing and many times street names are not in English but in Afrikaans. I learned this the hard way. I got lost one time looking for a car repair shop on Church Street. I found Church St. and was driving along until I noticed the signs were reading Kerkstraat and not Church Street. So I turned around until I found Church Street signs and began driving again. I drove in circles for 30 minutes feeling very lost. Kerkstraat in Afrikaans is Church Street, I was on the right road and just didn’t realize it.

Have you saved any lives by telling them about God? Great question, have I saved lives? Well no, only Jesus can save a life and change a heart, but I have had the opportunity to share Jesus with several people. Some of them were hearing about Him for the first time. I have even had a few opportunities to preach in churches here in Lesotho, both in Maseru and even in the mountain villages. I do not know if what I said during those times changed anyone’s heart but I can tell you that I have personally led three people to the Lord since arriving here and I have ongoing relationships with them where I am discipling them. Most places in the world relationships are more important than time, this is very true of Lesotho. I have several friendships where the other friends aren’t yet Christians… this is why language learning is so important to me. While they know I serve Jesus they are not yet ready to let go of their culture, their beliefs and their comfort. It will take time and the more I time I spend with them, the more I hope they see Jesus in me and eventually desire a relationship with Him. This is by far the best part of my job and the reason I came to Lesotho in the first place, to know God and to make Him known.

Well, I wrote a lot! Hope you now understand a little bit more about what I do and more importantly why I do it. I’d love to be a “pen pal” for your class if you come up with more questions, please ask! Thanks again for taking the time to write me!

Love from Lesotho,
Kimberly ‘Mamosa

When I'm not at the hangar... Part one: Cooking

Hi Family & Friends, With the beginning of Lent I was inspired rather than "give something up" to "do something better" namely communicate. After being Stateside for 10 weeks and having the chance to sit down with many of you, it became clear that you'd like to know more about what I'm doing and more importantly, what God is doing through me and often in spite of me, amen? One of the questions I heard the most was, "What do you do in your spare time?" In Lesotho we don't have a movie theater (anymore) the closest one is 100 miles from us - imagine driving to San Diego from Orange County just to see a movie! There isn't a Starbucks, it isn't advisable to be outside after dark, no public parks or cool outdoor malls to go to, most stores close at 6:00 PM and at the latest 8:00 PM. So the question remains... what do I do? I COOK. I cook all but one night a week and usually 3-4 mornings too; making nearly everything from scratch. There are very few pre-packaged meals (I never buy them), no Bisquick or other mixes - you know those items that fill the store shelves in the USA that are supposed to save you time? Yeah, we don't really have those. Preparing food takes time, sometimes it takes a lot of time. Fortunately I like cooking so it is a task I enjoy. I have become a fan of Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals and also of using my crock-pot/slow cooker. The internet is an endless source of culinary creativity for me, you know, so long as both the electricity and internet are working. If you have a recipe you love, especially if it is quick - please share it! You can email it to me @ kimberlybaker@maf.org - thanks! Also worth mentioning: Most of the food we buy, if not all, is imported which can make it expensive. There are foods here that are very comparable to things we eat, and this is true of most food. However occasionally there is something that is not even close. For example, mayonnaise. Best Foods/Hellman's mayo is what I was raised on - I believe you either are a mayo family or a Miracle Whip family. Imagine my sadness and shock when I discovered ALL mayo in Lesotho tastes like Miracle Whip, all that is except for imported Hellman's which costs close to $6.00 for a normal sized jar - not the economy size. That's some expensive mayo, but there are some things (at least for me) that are worth the splurge. The other conundrum: Sometimes things simply aren't available. Can you imagine walking into your local grocery store and mot being able to find fresh chicken of any kind? Not a whole chicken, no breasts, skinless or otherwise? It boggles the mind! There might be frozen chicken but if you were hoping to take it home for dinner that night - think again. Remember I have to do my shopping after work usually around 5-6 PM. Many things, staples like chicken, butter, cream, fresh milk, fresh fruits and veggies are often sold out or unavailable. It can make shopping and menu planning a bit of a challenge. It's a good thing I like a challenge ;)

In like a lamb...

Hi Friends & Family, Hard to believe I've already been back in Lesotho a month and we find ourselves in March! This last week was busy with lots of peaceful albeit spirited rallies and demonstrations culminating with Election Day on the 28th. Thus far it would appear that one party has a significant lead, but no winner has been declared yet. Things remain peaceful in Maseru - in fact it was like a ghost town on Saturday unless you went to a Polling Place. We continue to pray for a peaceful outcome once a winner has been declared - that could happen even later today. Thanks for praying with me for Peace in Lesotho. I'll keep you posted, it's a promise. Friday was a holiday and due to that, the matching meeting (where adoptable children get "matched" to parents) that I have been anticipating was postponed. I was able to speak to 'Me 'Marumo, the Social Worker handling my case, and she shared with me she hopes the meeting will be held in early March rather than waiting until the next scheduled meeting at the and of May. Once I know of the date, I'll be sure to share it with you. Admittedly, God and I had a heart to heart all day Friday as my expectations were "way up" and I was disappointed to hear of the delay. My prayer is that with a possibility of changing government leadership, the new regime may not be as favorable to adoptions as this current one... Once again, I find myself in a place where all I can do is trust and believe that God has a plan and that His plan is far better than my own. Learning to trust and having to wait have been so much a part of my missionary experience. Oh for grace... to trust Him more!

Raised from the dead... My Blog's Back!

Hi Friends! In an effort to stay in better communication with you, I'm reviving my blog. Perhaps you recently received an email from me about my desire to stay in touch and to provide you with better communication. If not, and you would like to receive it, please send me an email at kimberlybaker@maf.org and I'll be sure to include you. I asked for feedback and several of you responded - thanks for taking the time! While several were happy to get a quarterly newsletter and monthly email, there were some of you who responded, "Whatever you take the time to write I'll read" or "The more information and stories the better" I'm humbled that you care so deeply about what happens in the day-to-day and for those who want "all the details" this blog is for you! In my monthly newsletter I'll likely be referencing some of what I write here, so you'll likely see some duplicate information - hope that's OK. The monthly email will be a bullet point type of format where this blog will give more of the nitty gritty/nuts and bolts type of information as well as anecdotes, stories, random thoughts, ramblings, pictures, etc. Here's an example of a picture from yesterday:

The Sesotho word for curse/witchcraft is Muti... this headline refers to a couple who took the lives of 4 children in order to buy a curse from a local sangoma/witchdoctor. Hard to believe in this day and age of technology, social media, etc. that there are places where human sacrifice is practiced... but it is. Please join me in praying for Lesotho, that light would shine and dispell the darkness that holds the Basotho in chains of hopelessness and deception. Thanks once again for your feedback, your prayers and your support... tell me what you want to know and I'll do my best to write about it! Until ALL have heard, Kimberly 'Mamosa