He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. (Isa 40:11)

  January 29, 2008

Dear Faithful Prayers,

If we don’t improve our promptness in getting out our updates, we may have to drop the “weekly” in our subject line to just “prayer partner update.”  Seriously, we are trying to be more on time with our updates but it is difficult with being on the road and our schedule.  Thank you for your patience.  Please know it is not out of want to communicate.

 We have some pretty heavy stuff to report this week.  We just heard from Sefiri, our seminary student from the mountains, about an accident that took place near to where we live in the mountains.  On Dec. 26^th about 50 youth from the villages of Khotlo-Ntso and Ha Nkokana loaded into a flatbed truck and headed to Ha Seshote for a soccer game.  On their return home, the truck over turned killing 26.  Most of the other youth are in the hospital and not expected to live.  These villages are places where many of you have walked the ground and witnessed to these very youth.  For sure, you have heard us speak of them in our prayer updates and requests.  We have worked in these villages since our arrival in the mountains.  I can close my eyes and see them that day just as we have seen them so many times before going from village to village to participate in soccer games…all piled onto a truck, laughing and singing, having a good time; always too many kids for the vehicle but never seeming concerned about it.  We are very saddened by this tragedy but we know that somehow God will be glorified through it.  Sefiri says we knew all these youth but he didn’t give us their names.  I dread learning who they might be.  I know that these young people had heard the gospel but we cannot say if they ever experienced a personal relationship with Christ.  We are longing to be there for the families but we know that this may also be a time of strengthening and boldness for the national pastors and Christian community as they minister to these villages.  Please pray for the youth in the hospital still struggling to survive and for the families of those who have lost loved ones in this accident.  Pray that God will be glorified and that families will come to know Christ out of this tragedy.

 We got word that our horse (Bonnie) has just had a fold and it is a boy!  Both mom and colt are doing well and are beautiful.  Many of you who have worked with us on mission here have seen Bonnie.  You may remember that she was too wild and fast to ride but in the past 6 months, she has become much calmer and has mellowed out a little.  Our other horse is Clyde (his is not as sure footed as some but very likeable.  He is also doing well.  (Bonnie and Clyde…does that ring a bell?  You have to love our humor!)  Pastor Phoka’s horse (we call her the Grey) has also just has had a new fold, a baby (a girlJ).  So there’s a couple of colts leaping around the around the old kraal these days.  Can’t wait to love on them and get reacquainted with Bonnie and Clyde again.  Our donkey, Tokwa, should be old enough by the time we return to be ridden so the boys can now go with me as I visit in Khotlo-Ntso and some of the nearby villages.

 Last week we visited and spoke in churches in OK and MS and got to even meet up again with Chad and meet his wonderful family.  Chad served twice in Lesotho with us.  Once he came as part of the OK mission team and once he came with Chris and ??? as winter missionaries and spent two months living out their faith before the villagers.  One of the great things about doing all this road traveling is being able to catch back up with short term volunteers who have become dear friends.  These volunteers have given up their summers and taken time off from their jobs to come and be on mission with us in the mountains ministering and witnessing to the Basotho.  They have come from all over the nation to put their faith in action before a dying people in the little nation of Lesotho called the Kingdom in the Sky.  Thanks to all of you who have come, who have given and who have prayed.

 We arrived back in Tallahassee late yesterday afternoon.  It was good to be home for a couple of days but we are off again tomorrow.  We have been keeping records of our trip and to date we have logged over 10,000 miles on the road taking our story of the Basotho from state to state across our nation and we are only half way through our stateside assignment.  While it has been a tight schedule (not conducive to homeschooling I might add), it has been loads of fun and quite the education for the boys.  We saw the Gardens of the Gods in CO along with a musical at the theatre of The Christmas Carol, met and hugged Mickey Mouse and many of his comrades, stood face to face with Mt. Rushmore, slid down snowy roads, watched deer feed right outside the camper, reunited with many prayer partners and volunteers,  and made many new friends.  It has been a great stateside so far.  Pray for as we continue to take our story to people.  Pray for safe travel and safe roads.

 Today was Sunday, January 21.  This morning Alan spoke at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church.  Alan pastured this church for 2 years before our commitment to go as missionaries to Africa.  It was a joy to be with our old church family.  As always, they had prepared a feast for after the service and as always we ate too much.   It was still the same warm loving crowd and we have missed them these past years.

 Tomorrow we head out again.  We will be attending a missions conference at Johnson Ferry, Marietta, GA, speaking in Alphretta, GA and in several churches in the Atlanta area.   Please pray that God will give us many new prayer partners for our team, our family and the Basotho through these speaking and sharing efforts. 

 Here are just some photos of our journey so far…

  

 

           Mount Rushmore, SD                              Puppet Theater at Focus on the Family, CO                   Buffalo outside Hinton, OK         

 

 

   Sunday Morning at FBC Rockledge, FL                                              GA’s at FBC Inverness, MS

     Sunday School class at FBC Rolla, MO

 

Thanks everyone for your kindness and generosity along the way.  We are always in awe of your graciousness and hospitality.  May God bless you richly as you serve and follow Him.  Thanks for loving us and for allowing us to love you.

In His Name,

Alan, Babs, Mohau and Daniel

The Dials from Lesotho in Southern Africa