Hope & Love

This week has started off very interesting at Beautiful Gate. Nothing has gone the way that I have planned, but my plans are small and insignificant compared to God's plans!

Yesterday, Beautiful Gate was called to receive two new children from Queen II Hospital. This is not uncommon, but 2 on the same day is a little strange. The first child was found abandoned outside just South of Maseru. It is one week old. The second child was found near a dam that supplies Maseru with power. This area has a lot of people walk by it. This child was found wrapped in clothes but still had not been cleaned up from delivery. I cannot imagine that someone gave birth to a child and immediately wrapped it up and abandoned it! The police came to retrieve the child and Queen II Hospital cleaned the child up and called the Department of Social Welfare. DSW then reviewed the children's cases and decided that Beautiful Gate was the appointed place for their future to begin. Seeing them wrapped in warm clothes and little baby clothes when they arrived, you would never know that they were abandoned less than 24 hours before. They are now a new blessing to one of our houses, where they will receive food, clothing, shelter and most importantly.....

HOPE, LOVE, AND THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST!

God has a plan for their lives and it will be interesting to see where they go and what they do! Sometimes I even envy that God gets to know it all and see how it all unfolds. The Lord has a wonderful plan laid out for them!

Today, God also brought together another divine intervention. An eleven year old girl found Beautiful Gate and asked for our help. Her mother had disappeared in South Africa and after the death of another "family" member, that "family" could not support her any more. So, they did the most unthinkable thing I could even contemplate... They dropped her off in the middle of the industrial area in town and told her to ask around about orphanages nearby. She spent the night outside and slept in the rain and cold weather. She didn't even have a warm pair of pants. In the morning (today) she asked many people going to work where an orphanage is. Someone must have pointed her to Beautiful Gate. Unfortunately, she is too old for us to take care of, so after some warm food and finding some warm clothes for her, Beautiful Gate took her to the Department of Social Welfare to find a "home" for her. My greatest fear is that she will go to one of the other orphanages in town and just barely have her needs taken care of. Sometimes I wish that Beautiful Gate would accept children 5 or older. It is heartbreaking to see children just tossed aside like that. Think back to when you were 11. Now imagine that your parents have left you and dropped you off in a strange part of town. You finally find a place of "safety" and they transport you to another "facility". I hope and pray that God will look after this young lady and find her a loving, caring, Christian "home".

But, in the midst of all this pain and sorrow, "these three remain: Faith, Hope & Love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corintians 13:13. I must have faith that God will provide for ALL of His children. I hope that there will be an end to stories like these. And I love seeing these children confidently embracing their future knowing that God has a plan for their lives.

God also has a plan for your life! Don't ever forget that God is always right beside you. All you need to do is ask for Him to fill your life and He will guide you through whatever comes your way.

Bryan

Encouraging Moments

This week Bryan and I had a few encouraging moments and I want to share them with you.

The first is that I got to meet the little boy I posted about 2 days ago. My friend brought him over to my house and when he saw me, he made a little grunting noise and help his arms out to me so I could take him from her. It melted my heart that he wanted me to hold him and it also squeezed my heart with pain to see his swollen stomach and tiny arms and legs. He is so tiny, but he seems to have such a fighting spirit. He is a beautiful boy and holding him and seeing him brought me peace and encouragement that nothing is impossible for God!

Bryan had a major breakthrough in his relationship with one of the BG children this week too. For 5 months, he has been driving her to school and picking her up almost everyday. He always says hi and smiles at her and tries to talk to her and she NEVER talks back to him. It has always bothered him that she keeps her distance and does not seem to want to trust him so each day he has continued to greet her. Tuesday, when he picked her up from school he greeted her in Sesotho and she actually greeted him back! It may not seem like much but for Bryan this is a big step for her to begin to trust him.

My final encouraging moment that I am so happy to share is about a little girl I met 6 months ago here at Beautiful Gate. She was around a year old, and every time I saw her she looked depressed. She would not make eye contact and if I picked her up, she would go limp in my arms. I have not let this discourage me though because I was very concerned that she has detachment symptoms. Each week, I'd pick her up and she would continue to look away and go limp. I'd sit by her at playgroup, push her on the swing and on the merry go round, but she continued to look sad and never smiled or looked like she was having any fun. Last week, I saw her really smile for the first time and wow, what a reward to see that smile. Then this week on Wednesday, she put her arms up to initiate me picking her up. When I picked her up she smiled at me and did not go limp in my arms. Then I played with her and she laughed, real belly laughs and I just about cried with joy. I played with her again yesterday and she was the same way laughing when I chased her and smiling at me. I feel like God has given me the best gift ever with that smile and laugh. I am so encouraged that she is going to bond well with her new parents whomever they might be! They are very lucky because she is precious.
Anita

Neglected Boy

My new friend is a nurse who volunteers at a different child care center in Lesotho, not Beautiful Gate. Sometimes she gets new kids in who are extremely malnourished and she and her husband will take them home and care for them until they are out of danger. They have also done this with very sick children. I admire their strength in taking these children to their home and nursing them back to health. After they have helped them, they have to give them back to the child care center where they have to hope the kids will get the food and care they need to thrive. Sometimes, the kids are too far gone and they don’t make it, so my friend always sends her husband in first thing in the morning to check if the child has made it through the night (I understand why she does this, but poor guy). They have beautiful hearts and are doing such a great job caring for the least of these.

A couple days ago, she and I were on a walk around Ha Thetsane (Our neighborhood). She began to tell me about a brand new boy who was brought to her child care center (and who is now staying at their house). This little boy is 2 years and 8 months old and he weighs 5.5 kg (around 11 pounds). I think that is about what my kids weighed within the first 3 months of their lives. HE IS OVER 2 YEARS OLD!!!! How sad that he has suffered so greatly at such a young and innocent age. His head is normal size and he has lots of teeth which is good, but his stomach is swollen from starvation and his legs and arms are so skinny with absolutely no muscle tone. When she held him and fed him a little milk, she was worried that he might be too far gone, but then she kissed him and he actually kissed her back and tried to give her a little smile.

Praise God that he has the will to live and to fight despite the neglect he has suffered for years. He was staying with the tribal chief in his village and why it took them so long to respond to his needs, we will never understand. Please pray that God can restore his health and protect him from the possible side effects of poor nutrition in the early stages of life. We already know how much God loves him because he has provided this couple to care for him and nurse him back to health. Pray for the Basotho people to look after and care for not only their own children but also those in their community. Please pray that God will convict them that if they cannot care for these children, that they will find someone who can and will. The neglect is heart breaking and shocking and I pray their eyes will be open to what they are doing to these precious blessings from God. Thank you for your prayers for him and all the other orphans and neglected children in Lesotho and around the world!
Anita

Brrrr and it isn't even the coldest month yet!!!!

We are sending you a cold greeting from Lesotho today. It is suppose to snow tonight, but no accumulation at this point. I can tell you that we have never been this cold in May and I think we are going to have the worse June and July of our lives(weather related only) because we are spoiled and used to it being summer ;)I am wearing a long underwear shirt, a vest, a fleece jacket, a fleece blanket and my nose and feet are freezing cold (yes, I am wearing my shoes). Our house is at 50 degrees Fahrenheit and it is 10pm. I must humbly confess that I thought people were kind of wimpy when they talked about how cold it is in Lesotho because I thought I am from Michigan where it snows for at least 3 months each year. What I did not take into account was my lovely furnace (Oh, I will NEVER take it for granted again), heated cars, and insulation. Not only is our house cold, but when you go to any other building it is cold too, such as school or church. We are learning what it means to wear layers and we are especially thankful for the person who invented electric blankets so our nights can be more tolerable :) I have to confess also that if we are all this cold today which is the day before June, what will we be like in the end of June and in July their coldest time of year! The schools actually shut down for one month between June 23 and July 23 because of the cold and the inability to heat the school buildings. My how different things are here from in Michigan where a class would not be without heat. Air conditioning is optional, but I always knew my kids would be warm at school.
I am beginning to look around me at the kids who live near Beautiful gate and feel a lot of compassion for them. If I am this cold with all my layers, what must their feet feel like with those worn out and holey shoes and no socks. Or worse yet, barefoot! I have all these layers on and a blanket and some of them do not even have a coat on. And not just to be cool like some kids do in America where they wait at the bus stop and freeze, just to look cool to their friends, but these kids don't have one or have outgrown their only one. My kids have begun to go outside the fence and play soccer with the neighbor kids and I think I'll begin to pray about what it is I can do to help the kids. Maybe I'll have to start a warm sock and shoe ministry :) As for me, Bryan and the kids, I guess we will all have to start sharing the same couch when we relax in the evening so we can share body heat. If we can't beat the cold then some warm family cuddle time is in order!

My Bi-Polar Day :)

Today was what I have come to think of as a bi-polar kind of day. It started with an adoption ceremony which was, to be honest a little bitter sweet. I feel bad saying that, but I have fallen in love with the little boy who was adopted today and I am going to miss his sweet smile and happy voice when he would say ‘Me’ Anita booooook. I am so happy for him that he has found parents who are going to love him and cherish him and who will provide him with a hope and a future. I don’t for one second want the kids to stay here, but I sure am going to miss them when they leave 

As I was getting ready to make dinner tonight, a young boy of 18 years came up to the fence by our house and began asking me questions. He had noticed me and the kids outside a lot and wondered who we were and why we were here (good questions). I explained all about Beautiful Gate, about homeschooling my children, about us being missionaries, and many other things. Then he looked at me and said that he too was an orphan and asked what I could do to help him, such as offer him a job. I told him that I live on grounds and do not have any jobs to offer him. He could apply for a job at BG but I cannot guarantee that they would have work for him either. We talked a little more and then he thanked me and went home. It felt awful to send him away without a job or even hope of a job.

After he had gone, a large crowd of kids gathered at our back fence. It is normal for about 3 kids to gather there as Faith and Elijah have made a few friends, but today there were about 10. While I was cooking dinner, Elijah asked Laury to watch them if they went out of the fence and played with the kids. She agreed and then there were about 15 kids who gathered and we threw a soccer ball over the fence and they all cheered and started kicking it all around. There are twins who live behind us and we see them everyday, but they are very shy and have never talked with my kids before. Today they talked with Faith and then they came and talked with me at the fence with a few of their friends. It was a special time of feeling like our kids belonged in the neighborhood and it felt good. They played for about an hour before I had to call them in as it was getting pretty dark outside.

Each day is so different here, with so many ups and downs. There are happy moments, sad moments, proud moments, and moments I can’t even begin to describe. That is why I say that my days are a bit bi-polar.
God Bless You All,
Anita

Good-bye Azusa Pacific University Staff and Students

Our 16 house guests have just left to head back into South Africa for a safari and then to all sorts of places including back home for some and European travels for others. It was a blessing to serve them and to spend 2 ½ weeks with them. Their joy for the Lord and compassion and love for the children here and for the Basotho people was encouraging to see and be a part of. It was tiring at times because I have never cooked for 22 people 3 times a day (Laury helped a ton or I never could have done it). We decided to do their cooking for them to allow them to have as much time in the community , in class, and with the Beautiful Gate kids as they could get. I think it worked out well for them as today they gave a presentation about what they had learned in the 2 ½ weeks they were here. They had been to the Chinese factories, police/fire station, churches, schools, hospitals, and talked with the neighbors around Beautiful gate to gather their information. I did not get to hear the whole presentation, but what I heard was very informative and well done. Not only did they gather information about the community, they showed that they really cared about those they met through their stories and through their tears as they left.
It is inspiring to see young people who are ready to take on the challenges of the world and make a difference. They have the kind of faith that Jesus wants us all to have. Faith that they can move a mountain, help a community ravaged with HIV, make Beautiful Gate an even better place for the staff and children, faith that is real and is not discouraged by statistics or odds that are not in their favor. We could all learn from them and should do our best to encourage them. I did not bless them as much as they blessed me this week by allowing my family to see their enthusiasm and hopefulness. 3 of the girls even took the time to write me and Bryan notes of encouragement and thanks. They were very interested in our story and what brought us to Beautiful Gate. One of the girls also did not allow a single meal to pass without expressing her thankfulness to myself and Laury. They played and talked with my children for endless hours with patience and real interest so my kids felt loved and important. These students have beautiful, thankful and encouraging hearts and it was a blessing to be a part of their lives for a few weeks. I am thankful that they came here to bless Lesotho, Beautiful Gate, and also my family.

Container update

Here is an update on our/Beautiful Gate's container shipment. It sounds much better than the first email we received. More delays but at least no threats of destroying the boxes this time.

It appears the container has left Djibouti - whoo hoo!!! It is scheduled to arrive in Durban, S Africa on the 30th of May and Cape Town on the 8th of June. However, that route has plenty of delays on it and it appears it will arrive later than the 8th. I tried to change the final destination to Durban but no luck. So, that is what I know so far. Also, we have not cleared customs as of yet so I'm praying that some good news will come soon on that.


Still praying for a miracle to happen regarding customs and delivery.

Your prayers are still appreciated in this matter and hopefully in a few weeks we will celebrate answered prayer :)

Also, Faith Mercy and I are pretty sick, might be strep, and may be making our first visit to a medical clinic today. Mercy's ear is pretty painful as are Faith and my throats so prayers for healing would be appreciated as well.
Thanks,
Anita