A Breath of Fresh Air

Last Friday, on one of our weekly trips into town with a few of the BG kids we met a group of missionaries who had just gotten to Lesotho. Let me begin by saying they are awesome! A couple of them came up to us and introduced their group. They are 7 young men and women working through Adventures in Missions doing the World Race program. For those who don't know, this is a program that launches missionaries into 11 countries over the course of 11 months. We learned that these missionaries pretty much do a little bit of anything and everything. Sometimes they stay with hosts and sometimes they camp in tents. Sometimes they teach English, sometimes they put a new roof on a church, and sometimes their goals are a little less defined. This month, while in Lesotho, they are meeting up with several already established missions organizations in order to build rapport and lay a foundation for future teams to come to these organizations in order to minister to and provide emotional support and encouragement to the missionaries already serving there. These are folks who actively know what it's like to be a missionary, so they know that, while financial support is incredibly important, emotional and psychological health is too.
After chatting with them for a bit at Wimpy (a restaurant here in Lesotho) we exchanged information and talked about having them over to visit Beautiful Gate. I can't explain why exactly, but I was so excited for them to come and to spend more time with them. So, instead of waiting for them to come over on Wednesday we invited them to church on Sunday. After the service we were able to talk more and get to know each other a little better. It was such a gift to be able to share experiences with other missionaries in my age bracket.
On Wednesday our new friends were able to visit us on campus. They came to our weekly chapel and, if they're anything like me, were more caught up in what the kids were doing than what was actually going on in chapel (oops...). Afterwards, Terp and I gave them a tour of campus and shared BG's history and stories with them. As we visited the baby houses it was a testament to the call God gives us to care for orphans and widows as I watched these 7 individuals fall in love with our kids mere moments after having met them. In fact it was difficult to pull them away! Can't blame them for that, though. After the tour several of the BG volunteers helped prepare a meal of traditional food that we shared together. As we ate with our hands we shared more stories with one another. There was a lot of laughter and sharing each other's burdens as we talked about many of the ups and downs we've experienced in our different journeys. Finally, we ended the evening praising God. We sang a handful of worship songs, we prayed, and we simply enjoyed being in fellowship together as we rested at the feet of Jesus. It was a night for the books to say the least.
I'm not writing this post just to share a cool experience with everyone (even though it was a really cool experience). I wanted to share this because there are no coincidences. I believe with all my heart that God orchestrated us meeting our new friends for specific reasons. Some are evident to us now. We clearly were able to further each other's missions. We are able to be an organization with whom they can potentially partner with in the future. They were able to fulfill their goal to encourage us in ways we didn't even know we needed. I believe there are other reasons God brought us together, though. We can't begin to imagine what they might be yet, but God is consistently placing them on my heart. So I continue to pray for them. I continue to pray with them. Though we just met, the love for my brothers and sisters continues to grow each day. Perhaps when they leave Lesotho I'll never see any of them again this side of Heaven (praise God for social media so we can at least keep in contact!), but I don't know what God's plan for any of us is. Maybe some of them will come back to BG. Maybe our paths will cross again in our travels. Regardless of what happens in the future, God reminded me on Wednesday how incredible His family is. As we entered our time together as strangers and left as family I can't help but think we experienced a small taste of what heaven will be like. It doesn't matter who we are, where we're from, what we're doing, or where we're going. As long as we together share a faith in Jesus Christ we will always be a family and we will always have the hope of seeing each other again when we together physically bow at the feet of the Almighty.

Abba,
Thank you for being Dad. Thank you for adopting us into your family, thereby making us brothers and sisters through your Son. Thank you too for our new friends. I ask that you continue to bless and protect them in their travels. Continue to equip them to fulfill the call you've placed on their lives. Even after they complete their World Race experience, grant them them wisdom, discernment, and hearts that are actively listening for your voice. May they have the assurance and the confidence that you will never let them go, no matter where they end up, no matter what they end up doing. Thank you, Father, for allowing our paths to cross, if even only for a short time. To you alone be all the glory, honor, and praise.
In Jesus' precious name,
Amen