The Baptist work in Lesotho is truly a team effort.

On the front-lines are the IMB missionaries who work with the national pastors. Their work together is further strengthened by short-term volunteers from the USA and from South Africa. But behind all of this is the foundation of the prayer support of prayer warriors developed through the hard work of the Basotho Stateside Prayer Advocate.

Please meet our Team ...

David and Carla Bickers joined the Basotho Team on July 1, 2003. They served with the IMB in Malawi and in the Johannesburg area of South Africa. They live in Bethlehem, South Africa where they lead the Eastern Free State Sub-Team of the Basotho Team. They have three children .... John, Sarah and Michael.

Alan and Babs Dial arrived in Lesotho on May 12, 2004. They are presently living in Katse Village in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho. They lead the Maluti Mountain Sub-Team of the Basotho Team. They have grown children back in the USA and two 4 year old boys here in Lesotho .... Mohau and Karabo. They serve as the Team Leaders/Strategists for the Basotho Team.

Tom and Cindi Melvin are from Chester, Virginia, and arrived in Lesotho in January, 2007 to serve as Lowlands Sub-team leaders. They have 2 boys, Zachary 17 and Eli 13.

Larry and Sally Pepper have joined the Maluti Mountain Sub-team of the Basotho People Group. The Peppers have served with the IMB in Uganda for 12-1/2 years in Medical and University Student work. They will be on stateside assignment July through February when they will move to Maseru.

They will be serving to evangelize, disciple, and plant churches in the mountains of Lesotho and will work hand in hand with Missionary Aviation Fellowship and Lesotho Flying Doctors Services as they serve in the mountain medical clinics.

The Peppers have three grown children. Adam recently graduated from Hope College and begins working with AmeriCorp in Washington DC with National AIDS Fund. Megan has completed two years of university (Hope College) working towards a double major in International Studies and French with an Art minor. Kelly will begin university at Taylor University in Uplands Indiana.

Jim and Teresa Flora will join the Basotho team and will serve in the northern range of the Maluti Mountains as church planters. God has blessed Jim and Teresa with 6 amazing children and 3 grandchildren. Their sons are grown and married and living in Missouri. Serving with them in Mokhotlong will be Elizabeth Grace, age 10, is adopted from India, Anna Mikail, age 9, is adopted from Haiti, and their baby girl Rebekah Joy, age 4, also adopted from Haiti.

The Flora’s will be on the field in April.

Pastors

The national pastors are the building blocks of the team. Presently 5 of the Basotho Baptist churches have pastors. One congregation has a lay pastor while one congregation is presently without a pastor.

The life of a pastor is very difficult in Lesotho. Every Basotho Baptist congregation is very small and consist mainly of women and children, thus they are not able to fully support their pastor.

However, in the midst of these struggles each pastor and his family are devoted to the call of God on their lives.

Volunteers

Volunteers from the United States and South Africa work alongside Basotho Baptists in evangelism and discipleship. This joint effort serves as a catalyst in starting new Baptist churches as well as strengthening existing Baptist congregations. A variety of opportunities offer people the chance to use their natural and spiritual gifts as a volunteer.

Stateside Prayer Advocate

Mrs. Jayne Worstell is the Stateside Prayer Advocate for the Basotho and the Basotho Team.

Jayne was raised in Jefferson City, Missouri. Her love of missions was born as an active member of GA's (Girl's in Action) at her church. Jayne says, "GA's definitely put missions, home and foreign, in my heart." As a volunteer, she has been to Belarus twice and to Lesotho twice.

From Jayne: "I am our Association WMU Director and now the WMU Prayer Advocate for Lesotho. I am humbled to be serving the missionaries and the Basotho in this. Our missionaries in Lesotho are truly amazing as they serve and sacrifice. The country and people of Lesotho truly captured my heart. I looked into their faces and saw such a great need for Jesus there and I see a great need for more people to go to minister there as well as the need for great prayer warriors here to Lift Up Lesotho."

Newburg, Missouri, USA, is now home for Jayne and her husband. She also has four grown sons and six grandchildren.

Look at the picture closely. Which one is Jayne?

Prayer Warriors

A team of about 200 people from throughout the world have committed to PRAY for the work among the Basotho people. As well, the Missouri Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) of the Southern Baptist Convention has devotedly PRAYED for Lesotho since 1987 and continues in this vital ministry. The goal of the Basotho Team is to have over 3000 prayer warriors for the Basotho.