Urgent Prayer for Lesotho

This post is a prayer request from Beautiful Gate and from our family personally.

Elections in Lesotho are being held on May 26. The last election in 2007 was mostly calm and peaceful, but we are worried about this election. The major difference is that there is more choices/opposition this year than in the previous two elections. The last two elections were won in a landslide by the current Prime Minister, with very little opposition. This election is shaping up very differently.

The current Prime Minister as started a new party, so that he can be re-elected again, which was not viewed favorably by his former party. The former party was and is ready for a new leader and have proposed their candidates as well. Some of those candidates, when found that they did not support the current Prime Minister, were immediately fired by the current Prime Minister from their positions. This has caused a lot of strife between the two parties. And, many of the current Ministers (key government people in each area) are taking sides. Most of the time, they are following the party they think will have the best chance of winning. But, this has only split the two sides even more. That has resulted in threats made by both parties, if the other party gets into power (i.e. even to the point of assassinations).

Please read the following links that were posted a couple weeks ago, showing that another political leader in Southern Africa is worried as well.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2012/0430/Bishop-Tutu-urges-peace-in-upcoming-Lesotho-elections

http://sundayexpress.co.ls/?p=6460

http://sundayexpress.co.ls/?p=6463

While Beautiful Gate is a little outside of town and slightly isolated within our community, we are taking appropriate precautions as well. We are in the Ha Thetsane area, which is mentioned in one of those articles above. We can confirm that the radio announcer was killed. And, we can confirm that tensions are rising around the country. While Beautiful Gate is not a political organization, we do follow very closely to what is happening just across the mountain. This also has ramifications for our partnership with the Department of Social Welfare.

For now, Beautiful Gate is planning ahead, to limit the number of trips into the city, as we believe that is where most of the violence, if any, will happen. We will be stocking up on food, supplies, water, fuel, etc. We will also be paying our staff earlier than normal this month, so that they can go shopping and stock up personally at home as well, before the elections. It is better to be over-prepared and not have anything happen, than to be under-prepared for the worst.

Anita and I will also be personally stocking up on supplies and planning not to leave campus for at least a week after the elections. And, we are in contact with the US Embassy in Maseru and will follow their directions, if any evacuation is called for by them. (Unlikely)

Please join with the staff at Beautiful Gate in prayer every day for peaceful elections in Lesotho. We are not afraid, as God will take care of us, but we are also feeling the tension and anxiety around the country.
“Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men; protect me from men of violence, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.” Psalm 140:1-2

“Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.” Proverbs 2:11

“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one.” John 17:11b

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” John 17:15

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”” Romans 8:15

Bryan