LXP Lesotho

In mid-July we were blessed to host the multi-national Elijah Experience (EXP) team from Zambia. These nineteen young men and women came to Lesotho with refreshing energy, served tirelessly with great compassion, and loved deeply through word and deed for the eight days they were with us. They wove a wonderful story through the lives of all they encountered, and like all good stories, this one is best shared as it unfolded, bit by bit.

In 2014, Poetice International and Elijah Mission International Zambia (EMIZ) partnered to run the Elijah Experience (EXP) in Livingstone, Zambia. This cross-cultural internship brings together young people from the West and Africa for three months to discover God’s heart for missions.

EXP states, “We believe that our Mission is to be Just like Jesus. Throughout the internship, you will seek to embody his perspective of the world, his posture, his expression, his approach and his purpose in coming to make all things new. You will learn in the classroom, with minds from Africa and the West, about topics that guide your thinking about Mission. You will grow in your relationship with God as you explore spiritual disciplines…You will serve in Livingstone, and take 1-2 week outreaches to experience village ministry and get another picture of the joys and challenges within Africa, and how the Church is serving her people… Mission isn’t a single action or something that can be confined to a trip–Mission is a lifestyle. Being a part of this internship will empower you to confront injustice and become an agent of change in communities around the globe.” (Visit poetice.org/go/internships for more details and to read the personal blogs of current and former interns.)

The LXP Lesotho team and the village we serve experienced first hand the Christ-like approach to living and loving this team seeks to emulate. As a family, we lived in joy and unity despite the busy schedule and experiences that forced many to operate outside their comfort zones. In every aspect of the outreach, each one showed willingness, perseverance, and compassion that clearly flowed from hearts in love with Jesus. As a staff, we were refreshed by their passion; it was incredibly revitalizing to serve alongside such devoted individuals. We were encouraged by the meaningful conversations shared and were reminded of our roots as individuals and an organization as we testified to how God has brought us to where we are today. This team also blessed our community; they left tangible and intangible gifts of love, engraved in our hearts and home.

Each day the team was with us they took time to visit families and individuals in their homes. In four teams they went door to door in Nkoeng Village to meet people, hear their stories and share encouragement from the Lord.

As they returned to the LXP Base after each visit, they shared their stories of God-encounters with excitement and awe. It is amazing how the Lord rewards our faithfulness to go and serve others in love! One of these stories began long before the EXP team came to Lesotho. God had been doing a deep healing work in the heart of one of the interns as she processed an area of suffering in her own life. Much to her amazement, a lady she and her team visited was going through the same hardship and she was able to encourage her out of the wealth of comfort she had received from the Lord.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

This is her story:

“One of the themes used for the Elijah Experience is to always expect the unexpected. The month of July only confirmed the importance of this phrase for my life. I’m excited to share with you how God moved within my heart while doing outreach in Butha Buthe, Lesotho. Lesotho stretched my relationship with the Lord in uniqueness I did not expect.

Three days before departing for Lesotho, I was still in bed sick with a bacterial infection that had inhibited me from leaving the horizontal position for a week. My focus was to go to Lesotho and I was not about to let anything inhibit that. However, my slow recovery negatively impacted my ability to interact with my wonderful EXP family, engage in the ministry of Lesotho, and enjoy the beautiful aspects of their country. When I did try to engage, I experienced frustration and agitation. I began asking God, why is this happening? On Saturday, we were doing a worship set with the children in the program and Elizabeth randomly came up to me and asked if she could pray over me. Since my heart was discouraged, I gladly accepted not knowing what to expect. As she began to pray over my family, I realized my heart was unsettled. There wasn’t a specific reason, but something in my soul was disheartened when my family was mentioned.

I began to urgently ask God to reveal to me what was disturbing my heart and mind. Sure enough, He showed me how I was missing wholeness in my family. My family has had many unique pains where we lost our wholeness and love. When I realized this, my heart sank even lower as I remembered the times of hurt. I took a significant amount of time on Sunday to journal my thoughts and process these things with God. When I honestly came before God to talk about all my thoughts, He spoke to me through an analogy of running. I have been a part of a running team for over 10 years and it was so incredible how God used my situation to relate it towards my passion of running. He taught me the importance of keeping my focus on the goal. Life is not always about finding the happy moments, but how we persevere to the place God has set before us. He also gave me an interceding prayer to pray over my family daily. God is refining me by fire, which is allowing me to find a greater sense of faith, joy, and healing. This is the goal I must continue to remember during this season.

The very next day was a beautiful depiction of God’s faithfulness. We began doing outreach to the community in groups of four. Our mission was to connect with people in their homes and build relationships. We chose to go directly across the street and speak with a woman and her five children. The discussion stayed fairly general about culture and daily living, until the last question. We asked her what advice would she give us, as young Christians that she has learned in her life experiences? Her answer astounded me. She opened up to us about what has hurt her, but also her family. She had a deep concern for the children she is raising and how they were going to be affected by some of the hurts in their life. It was so evident that she was broken and wanted to advise our life choices against the things she had experienced. After she shared this, God prompted my heart, which scared the living daylights out of me. I knew what he wanted me to say. So, in a very clumsy and disoriented way, I stated the words, “I understand your pain.” This opened the door for the Lord to speak through my experiences as a child in a broken family. How through my brokenness, God has had a greater opportunity in my life to restore my soul and bring healing. God is able to do His best work through our brokenness. As I shared this, I also encouraged her to continue praying for her children. As she keeps her reliance, faith, and trust in the Lord I believe that God will bless her home and children.

Our time ended with prayer and my spirit broke for her. Through empathy and understanding, we shared some tears as I interceded for this woman’s home. The Holy Spirit guided my speech over these lives and it was a beautiful moment. God fully prepared my heart and soul for this time in the days leading up to meeting her. I would not have had the boldness or courage to be so vulnerable to this woman if I had not processed what God stirred on my heart the days before!

The days following this encounter with God only brought more encouragement and restoration to my soul. I absolutely loved my time in Lesotho and all of the things I learned. I think we often forget how powerful words are. A small phrase recognizing someone’s pain can bring some of the greatest comfort. We must not ignore God’s promptings in our life. As much as we might miss an opportunity with God, it could be inhibiting others to see Him as well. I am so so so thankful that I was able to listen to the Lord and persevere to see this great opportunity!”