LXP Lesotho

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

PART 1: America

The past two months have been a whirlwind of fun, family, friends and fundraising! We had an incredible time visiting so many wonderful people and places in America. We were so blessed by the times we spent sharing about our lives and hearing others’ stories. It was such an encouragement to be reminded of how many people support us and pray for us. Thank you!

At the beginning of July we enjoyed time with family in the south. We visited Elizabeth’s sister, Christina, in Oklahoma where she’s attending OSU’s grad school. On the 4th, we saw a fantastic firework show in the park near our grandparent’s home in Arkansas. After a short but sweet visit from aunts and uncles, we loaded up the car and drove west (for three days!) to Oregon with Elizabeth’s parents. When we got to Elizabeth’s hometown, Eugene, Oregon, we were welcomed by dear friends and enjoyed two weeks in various parts of the northwest. We had the opportunity to share about the ministry at Riviera Baptist Church, where Elizabeth’s family were members for many years. It was a joy for Godfrey to meet so many people who faithfully support our work. Thanks RBC!!!

From Oregon we drove south, stopping for a quick visit in San Francisco en route to Los Angeles. We spent amazing time with two of Elizabeth’s brothers and families, and had a blast at Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland. While in LA, we even got to squeeze in an awesome visit to friends in San Diego. We wound up the road trip with a stop at the Grand Canyon (glorious!) and then spent a few more days with family in Arkansas and shared again at First Christian Church in Rogers. Thanks for the support!

Lincoln Memorial with the Newcomers

The last leg of our journey was enjoyed on the east coast with friends of Elizabeth’s. We loved our time in Maryland with the Newcomer family, and were so blessed by a visit to Washington D.C. (left). Our last stop was to see the Poole’s in Boston, and we loved every second of touring around such a gorgeous, historical city in their wonderful company. Thank you so much, everyone; you made our trip wonderful!

Peach trees in bloom in Nkoeng Village

PART 2: Lesotho

While we were driving all over America’s historic Route 66 and beyond, God was at work in Lesotho. When we arrived home at the end of August, we were greeted by the beautiful blooming peach trees and faith building reports from our amazing youth leaders about how well things had continued in our absence. We are so thankful for them and the transformative work God is doing in and through them!

When we left Lesotho in mid-June, we met with our twelve youth leaders (ages 14-19) to divide them into teams and distribute responsibilities for while we were gone. They were nervous at the prospect of such responsibilities, and we were excited and expectant. We knew they were ready for such a task, they just needed the opportunity to prove it to themselves. Well, prove they did! They greatly exceeded our expectations in all areas, and realized for themselves just how capable they truly are.

While we were gone, they continued meeting every Saturday to play games and study the bible. The leaders reported that each one completed the tasks for which he/she was responsible, and learned how important it is to be faithful when others are depending on you. The team was also thrilled by their success in planning and executing an event, a talent show. We were so proud of their diligence in this area, and only wish we had pictures of the day because boys dressed like girls and girls like boys! They said they had a lot of fun and saw new talent emerging.

Happy family fun

We were proud almost to the point of tears when we got home and met with our thriving and growing youth group. The littleones were excited to see us but we had the strange experience of not knowing our role in the program with the older ones. It was exciting, realizing our goal has been realized; to develop Christ-like leaders who can develop others! We still have a huge role to play in the group, but now we have a lot of help. It is such a privilege to be part of such a big, joyful family. They even did a work day at the land while we were gone and completed some fantastic yard work. It appears we should go on trips more often 🙂 Praise God!