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...