November 2005

 

CHANGED LIVES

 

Julie and I have just one month to go before we return to Australia.  We have moved out of our house in Selebi Phikwe, and will stay at the Talbots place until our departure in December.

 

Our concentration at this time is to:

 

  • Successfully ‘hand over’ our home cell group to capable leaders
  • Teach at the ‘School of the Bible’
  • Deposit eternal principles into the lives of our Youth Group - Powerhouse
  • Go on an exposure trip to the country of Lesotho to see future potential for teams from Australia

 

In our newsletter this month we thought it would be good to focus on some of the young people Julie and I have ministered to throughout the year.  We have seen our young people grow incredibly and thought we could ‘introduce’ you to some of them.  Our lives have changed, and so have theirs.  It is has been such a privilege to get to know them.

 

Lettie – Lettie completed the Ministry Development Course in June and came to Mozambique with us on a short-term mission trip.  God broke her heart for the lost and poor and she has just returned from her second short-term trip to Iris Ministries in Mozambique working with Hannah DeKleijn (which she initiated herself).  She is now applying for Africa School of Mission in South Africa and has a desire to return to Mozambique as a full-time missionary.

 

Stacey – The word we got for Stacey was that God was shaping her into a precious diamond through pressure, heat and time.  She is a young woman who struggles with her self-confidence, but we are seeing God reshaping her thinking and increasing her confidence.  She used to refuse to pray out loud, but now leads others in prayer and steps out when others won’t.

 

Randy – He came out of a ‘christian’ cult called the Zionist Church which mixes witchcraft with traditional religious beliefs. He has since had a life-changing encounter with Jesus. He needs correction in his doctrine but shows a real hunger for teaching and a developing Pulpit ministry.

 

Scanti – An accomplished Dance tutor, Scanti has huge giftings in creative arts.  He has stepped out to worship lead this year, and shown real talent and anointing in this area.  He is also developing real leadership potential in the area of youth ministry.  Scanti has brought many of his friends from the gym to youth and church where they have accepted Jesus as Savior and are not growing in their Christian walk.

 

Shatani – Originally a quiet person, we have seen his faith develop tremendously.  Shatani represented Botswana in Sprinting a few years ago.  Even competing against Tim Montgomery of the USA in a heat in Manchester.  He concentrates mainly on Weight training at the moment, but his walk with God has strengthened more than anything else!  When we first met him he said ‘I don’t know how to pray’.  Now he prays regularly and helps with the ministry pioneering a youth work 5 minutes out of town in Botshabelo

 

Caspa – Caspa was our first convert upon arriving in Phikwe.  We are seeing real character developing in his life as he has faced many hardships this year such as his sister passing away (he had already lost his parents 3 years ago) and more recently being laid-off his job because of over-staffing.  Through this time he has hung on to God and is integral to the developing youth ministry in Botshabelo and Powerhouse youth.

 

 

There have been many others who we have drawn close to including ‘Patra’ who passed away with AIDS in June this year and students who have moved out of town to study. 

 

We must continue to pray for all these young people, so they will find their purposes in Christ realized.

 

We have also inserted some background information on Lesotho which we will be visiting later in the month (below).

 

Blessings to you all.

 

Love,

 

 

Stephen & Julie J

 

 

 

Source:     http://www.teamlesotho.com/content/view/19/64/

The AIDS Crisis

 

Key Statistics

"With a full one third of the Lesotho population infected with HIV, some Basotho have started to talk of their own extinction unless urgent and drastic action is taken. While the government of Lesotho demonstrates a strong willingness to tackle the problem... it is clear that systems are not yet fully in place to address the impact of AIDS on their society." (UN Mission report, Jan 03)

§                                 Infection rates are around 33% with urban areas over 40%

§                                 In 2002 44% of pregnant women attending ante-natal clinic were HIV+

§                                 80% of patients admitted to hospital were HIV+

§                                 Currently ranked 4th in the world for AIDS infection per head of population and tipped to be the highest in just a few years time

§                                 17% of children under fifteen are orphans.

§                                 There are reports of villages where all households are child headed and there is no-one left over the age of 18


Social impact
The sickness and death of such a large proportion of the adult population is extremely destructive to many cultural systems and natural community safeguards. For example, the cultural response to death is difficult to maintain when every weekend brings multiple ceremonies and family members spend so much time attending funerals. More and more mothers, suspicious they may be positive and unable to care for an infected child, are abandoning their babies at birth, a previously unheard of problem. Infected children that survive the first few months often live for another 2-5 years needing constant care and medical attention that families simply cannot provide. Overall, Lesotho is becoming a nation of children and this will continue to have dire impact on an already struggling economy.

What can the Church offer?
Unfortunately, the global Church has been slow to respond and frequently missed opportunities for ministry. Some say it has often only increased the cultural stigma surrounding AIDS and further alienated victims. However, many African Christian leaders are now calling for a strong, positive response, recognising that the Church is in a unique position to have maximum impact in the fight against AIDS.

"We acknowledge that we have the belief systems, moral authority and local presence necessary for effectiveness in HIV/AIDS prevention and care" (statement by Rwandan church leaders 2002).

The Church in Lesotho, including all denominations, is an enormous, largely untapped resource awaiting mobilisation in the fight against AIDS. Once this sleeping giant is fully awakened, it has the capacity to combat the onslaught of AIDS with widespread Christian influence.