A Walking Partner

One thing that I have always loved to do is take a nice walk either by myself or even better, with a friend. It seems to be the perfect way to work out any stress I have, give me a chance to enjoy God's amazing creation, and listen to or talk with a special friend. I have been really missing the companionship that I once shared with my walking partners in Zeeland (Rachael, Chris, Jaclyn, and Dianna). Today, Donna, a volunteer from Australia, and I went for our first walk and it was just what I needed.

She took me along her walking path which is about 50 min to an hours walk at a fairly quick pace. We walked through a lot of the back roads to the northeast of Beautiful Gate. I had no idea there were so many people living in that area of Maseru as the paved road ends and we have never gone that way. We walked along a dirt road and passed many children and adults who were sitting or standing outside. Most of the houses were made of cinder blocks with tin roofs held in place by large rocks.

One thing that struck me today was the friendliness of all the people we walked past. They were eager to say hello and smile. We would greet many of them in Sesotho and they would answer us in English (it seemed as though they were as eager to practice their English as we were to practice our Sesotho.) Before coming here, I had been told of the dangers of being alone in Lesotho and while it is true that there is crime in any big city and we are in the capital of Lesotho, I am surprised at how friendly and close this community is. When we were walking through their neighborhoods, they smiled and made us feel welcome. I love the Basotho people and am blessed by their joyfulness.

I am looking forward to many many more walks through my neighborhood and hope that over time, we can make some new acquaintances. Donna and I both seem to love a good walk and a good talk and I am thankful that God has provided her as my new walking partner. So it is with a thankful heart that I say goodnight to you all :)
Anita