A New Shepherd and a King’s Dream
The month of November had two special events in the life of the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA). The first of these was the ordination of Rev. ‘Mapiti Victoria Mokitimi.
“My sheep…were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.” (Ezekiel 34:6)
The month of November had two special events in the life of the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA). The first of these was the ordination of Rev. ‘Mapiti Victoria Mokitimi. The service, held outdoors in the parish of Mapotu where she has been serving since graduating from Morija Theological School (MTS), was attended by around sixty of the LECSA pastors who processed with Rev. Mokitimi at the beginning of the service (above) and also surrounded her with uplifted hands of blessing during the ordination (below). The text of the sermon, preached by MTS Director Rev. Bernard Mojaki Kometsi, came from Ezekiel 34:1-6. Overall the LECSA has about one hundred pastors and 
there is great need for more men and women to hear God’s call to serve as shepherds in pastoral ministry among the Basotho people.
The second event took place at Scott Hospital here in Morija. Scott is one of two hospitals that are administered by the LECSA and also happens to be where the king of Lesotho, His Majesty King Letsie III, was born in 1963.
There have been numerous events held throughout 2013 to mark the occasion of his 50th birthday. The most recent of these was a church service held at Scott to launch a special fund to do major renovation work and, possibly, initiate new construction. This endeavor has been on the king’s heart for some time and the business community has come on board to help bring to fruition his dream of improving the facilities at Scott. In his remarks, King Letsie III expressed his gratitude to the church and donors for their efforts and said that the day, for him, was truly a day of thanksgiving.
Speaking of thanksgiving, there is much to be thankful for regarding the project at Bolahla Primary School. For those of you who have been reading my newsletters, you know that progress has been difficult due to transportation problems and that it has taken one year just to get the two building slabs completed. We are hopeful that November has marked a change for the better as building materials are now moving up to the site and the walls are going up! The photo shows how things looked as of early December. Many thanks to those of you who have been steadfast in your prayers for this project! We praise 
God for you and for blessing us now with this good news.
For those of you who support the work of Global Ministries in Lesotho, your gifts do not come necessarily at Christmas but throughout the year. Earlier this year funds were received for purchasing textbooks and library books for MTS. Shown in a photo are some of the books and a few of the LECSA’s future pastors with the seminary director Rev. Kometsi.
The verse from Ezekiel at the top of the newsletter mentions how no one bothered to search for the lost sheep. In this season of Advent we rejoice in the coming birth of our Savior Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who came to seek and save the lost, as was prophesied in Matthew 2:6: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”
Yours in Christ,
Mark Behle serves with the Lesotho Evangelical Church. He is working to identify development projects, assist the church in preparing project proposals and coordinating project implementation.
Email: mark37438@yahoo.com