Pray for Lesotho on Sunday, November 11, 2012

Pray for Lesotho on Sunday, November 11, 2012

Lectionary Selection: Ruth 3: 1- 5; 4:13 – 17

Prayers for Lesotho:

Dear God,

No matter where we find ourselves in this world, may we always remember we can be “at home” with you!  We give thanks for the many ways you provide for us through family, friends and strangers.  Help us, O God, to make others feel “at home” with us as we share and show your love, mercy and kindness.   As we meditate on your wondrous redeeming love shown through the life, death and resurrection of your son, Jesus the Christ, may our faith increase so that we may share not only what we can spare, but what we can sacrifice.

We give thanks for the work of the Lesotho Evangelical Church.  We pray for:

  • the Growing Nations project which trains people to be better stewards of your earth
  • the members of the Executive Committee who guide and direct the church  
  • the lay members who share their skills as volunteers on commissions and committees

We join the Lesotho Evangelical Church in praying for:

  • upcoming church leadership elections in April 2013
  • a strengthened spirit of unity in purpose and service throughout all levels of the church    

We pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Mission Stewardship Moment from Lesotho:

Changing mindsets is not easy.  Tradition and culture are bulwarks against change.  The words “We’ve always done it this way” are not easily defeated.  The Growing Nations agriculture project of the Lesotho Evangelical Church (LEC) is seeking to transform the way agriculture is practiced in Lesotho.  When plows were first introduced in the country in the 19th century, it was said no woman would marry a man without one.  The plow allowed more land to be cultivated.  It also precipitated the tremendous erosion problems faced by the country today.

At the old Maphutseng mission of the LEC, Growing Nations teaches something new:  “Farming God’s Way”.  This includes conservation agriculture practices such as no plowing and keeping the soil covered.  The curriculum is biblically-based and allows Growing Nations not only to transform agriculture but also the lives of its practitioners.   LEC pastors and others come for extensive training and return home to introduce the concepts in their villages.  Resistance is strong, but impressive yields and “Seeing is believing” eventually defeat “We’ve always done it this way.”

(Prayer and Mission Moment by Mark Behle)

Video Resources about Lesotho:
http://globalministries.org/resources/multimedia-resources/videos/video-mission-moments/lesotho-behle.html

Global Ministries International Partners in Lesotho:

More information on Lesotho:
http://globalministries.org/africa/countries/lesotho/

Global Ministries Missionary in Lesotho:
Mark Behle, a member of The Church of the Palms, United Church of Christ, Sun City, Arizona, serves the Lesotho Evangelical Church. He has been in Lesotho since 1996 and taught mathematics and religion at Masitise High School through 2011.  He now serves as the denomination’s planning officer.  Before coming to Lesotho he taught for eleven years in Zambia at a school of the United Church of Zambia.