The football tournaments in Lesotho were a massive success and sample of the Love of Jesus! Everyone worked hard and happily to prepare the fields for use – marking out lines, hanging nets, and leveling ground as best they could. Then the medals, trophies, awards, sports clothing, and snacks all came together to make such professional and special events, and we could clearly see how valued the children and communities felt to be part of such an official tournament. They could hardly take their eyes off the table of prizes, or wait to have their turn on the field!
Each team was so sportsmanlike and friendly to the others, and everyone played with all their hearts!
(The fact that David as an official ref was in charge was especially loved and mentioned by community members, as not only did it show the care of coming all the way to be part of the tournament, but also helped there not be bias as there would be if someone from one or the other villages was ref. And David put in long hours, reffing FOUR games back-to-back in one of the tournaments. God bless him)
Amazing happy energy and success!!! (And perfect weather too!!) Each team – win or lose – got a brand new football to take home to their village! There was even enough sports clothing to give to the local netball team of one village – which thrilled them!)

Going to Lesotho again was such a joy and privilege, and so full of miracles! Even though the weather report predicted snow and weather that would be too bad for the outreach and football tournaments, we prayed and went by faith, and just as He always does, the Lord came through in big ways! (it was sometimes very cold, but nothing that stopped His plans!)
Each village we were in, it was beautiful to speak with and love the dear teachers and children at the schools – being able to offer encouragement for the amazing dedication they put in, and of course to give lots of Gospel material! It was encouraging to see how well many of the schools are doing in teaching standards – as well as training the children to be men and women of principles and faith. What a blessing to be able to help the school leaders with educational materials and prayer for continued strength. (as a bonus, we visited and gave material to creches in the Eastern Cape the day before heading into Lesotho!) We were able to share the Gospel message over and over to different age groups in different villages, and the Holy Spirit brought great receptive hearts!

Chris and David are on the bus, heading first to P.E. and then up with some others to Lesotho for outreach! David (who has both coaching and referee certification) will be helping to lead a football tournament between rural villages, and between him and Chris, they will be playing and interacting with many children! They will also be ministering to groups and individuals, giving out a lot of Gospel material, and praying with and for as many as are willing! Coming back 8th September God willing. Please keep them in prayer, as well as the rest of us the mission team, who will be continuing daily outreach and projects during this time.

We had a very special time celebrating Anthony’s 80th birthday with family and friends! This milestone is a very special marking of the Lord’s faithfulness and anointing through all the many (over 55 years) of full time non-salaried missionary service! And how wonderful to be surrounded by such a large family of so many different loved ones! Praise the Lord!

Some ladies from a crisis center-where we teach devotions weekly- were treated to a special “tea and treasures” time together.

The circumstances and background story of each one are as different as the ladies themselves. This event also gave them a way to open up a bit about their lives and the heart-breaking challenges they face. We were so touched to hear about all they have bravely faced and felt privileged to bring a bit of love and light into their difficult lives. We sat, ate, and fellowshipped – it was wonderful!

Each lady was presented with chocolates, lotion, facemask, nailpolish, a handbag mirror, lipgloss, jewelry, and a “From Jesus With Love” book. They were so sweet, appreciative, and thankful for this gesture and we all thoroughly enjoyed celebrating and encouraging these special women.

We prepared appreciation packs of chocolates and cool drink, together with a Gospel poster, for 206 hard working ladies who help to run a orphanage, creche, soup kitchen, frail care, skills training centre, and library! These wonderful community pillars deserve every bit of thanks they get plus much more, and we were very pleased to see how happy these gifts made them!

For this Sunday School class, we divided the children into two groups of about 25 kids each, and had a friendly competition back and forth to see which group could name the most things they were thankful for, without naming the same things as the other group. We laughed and praised and were amazed to see how many beautiful unique praises the children came up with! We were also able to sing songs together, play some football, and send each one home with a cup of delicious warm oats!

“She was beautiful, for the way she thought. She was beautiful, for the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. She was beautiful, for her ability to make other people smile, even if she was sad. No, she wasn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks.” -Scott Fitzgerald

How wonderful it is to have ladies in the world who are beautiful in their souls – who love Jesus and thus love others. Such women who hold on to their faith and are sure to share it whenever possible are absolutely stunning. God sees and knows, and His beautiful Light shines through such ones. Happy Women’s Day!