Pray for Lesotho on Sunday, October 26, 2008

Lectionary Text and Prayer for Lesotho: Matthew 22:34-46

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” Matthew 22:37-39

Our worship of God is expressed in our love for God and neighbor. Part of that worship is praising God with all our hearts, with praise that comes from the depth of our souls, praise that wants to shout out to the Lord! In our worship we also bring before God our prayers and petitions, many of these on behalf of our neighbors in need at home and around the world. Let us praise God and pray to God for the following:

for our Friends of God group as we prepare to visit a Scripture Union group next month at Mopeli High School up in the mountains! The Mopeli group feels rather isolated being so far away from other schools and is excited to know about our upcoming visit. May both groups be mutually encouraged as they share the Word of God and enjoy Christian fellowship.
for the healing of Palesa, a primary school teacher who is involved with Scripture Union in our local district. Back in May, when we visited her, Palesa was bedridden with heart problems, unable to walk and diagnosed with a tumor in her womb. Now, thanks to God’s mercy and healing power, she is fully recovered. All her doctor could say was, “Your god must be very powerful.”
for Mrs. Lechaka, a high school teacher who is in need of stronger faith. At our last SU leaders meeting, as Palesa and others gave testimonies of God’s power and goodness, she felt a bit lost as her faith seemed so small in comparison. May she grow in her faith and understanding of God and his Son and our Savior Jesus.
for the many recent graduates from the National University of Lesotho and other institutions of higher learning who are former students of Masitise High School. Some of them received special honors and awards. Some are now teaching here at Masitise.
for good rains as we are now in spring and farmers are busy preparing their fields. The Lesotho Meteorological Service has forecast below normal rainfall and above normal temperatures for much of the country during the upcoming growing season. Already the temperatures are high and hot, dry winds are a regular feature nearly every day. Very little rain has fallen in recent months. Join together with the churches in Lesotho in praying to God to send forth showers of blessing.
for the wonderful group of youth attending the Sunday afternoon Friends of God meetings. There is a strong core group that attends regularly and is growing in faith and maturity.
for our Form C and E students who are writing their national exams during the months of October and November. How well they perform will determine if they are admitted to Form D next year or to a post-high school institution of learning.
for the upcoming 175th anniversary celebrations of the Lesotho Evangelical Church which will be held on the 25-26th of October. Pray for safe travels for Rev. Dr. Howard Goodrich and his daughter, Rev. Darla Glynn, who are coming for this event to represent Global Ministries. Howard and his wife Darlene served as missionaries in Lesotho during 1991-92.

(During 2008 the Lesotho Evangelical Church is celebrating the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the first missionaries from the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society. In June 1833 Thomas Arbousset, Eugene Casalis and Constant Gossellin arrived at Thaba-Bosiu, home of the founder of the Basotho nation King Moshoeshoe I. King Moshoeshoe had invited the missionaries to settle among his people.)

The Lesotho Evangelical Church asks you to pray for:

Peace and stability in Lesotho and in Africa.
Churches, Pastors and Evangelists to be the able to continue preaching the Word of God.
Reducing poverty in the country amid the worsening economical hardships brought about by increasing petrol prices.
The church to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the arrival of the first missionaries in Lesotho in 1833 and the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin.

Global Ministries International Partners in Lesotho:

Lesotho Evangelical Church – The Lesotho Evangelical Church is one of Africa’s oldest Protestant churches, founded in 1833 by missionaries from the Paris Evangelical Mission society. It is Lesotho’s oldest denomination and today it has 261,350 members in 112 congregations. It also maintains 563 schools. The LEC-sponsored schools have contributed to the 83 percent literacy rate nationwide. Global Ministries’ relationship to LEC began in 1983.
Christian Council of Lesotho – The Christian Council of Lesotho is a fellowship of Christian churches and Christian organizations. It has two main objectives: (1) to foster closer cooperation and unity amongst churches and organizations of different Christian traditions; (2) to enable member churches and organization to more fully share in the spiritual, social and economic endeavors. It has been involved over the years in social development, formal and informal education, health and sanitation, environmental protection and agriculture, civic education, conflict management.
Christian Health Association of Lesotho – The mission of the Christian Health Association of Lesotho is to facilitate the participation of the Christian churches in ensuring that the right of all members of society to the highest quality health services is upheld. In pursuit of this mission, the Christian churches are committed to see to it that quality health services reach those who have least access, the families and communities, through appropriate technologies, in spirit of mutual trust and cooperation as a tangible expression of Christ’s vision to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Global Ministries Missionary in Lesotho:

Mark Behle serves with the Lesotho Evangelical Church as a teacher at Masitise High School. He teaches math, a course on Luke & Acts, coaches basketball and leads a youth group called Friends of God. He has been in Lesotho since 1996 and prior to that served with Global Ministries in Zambia for eleven years as a teacher at Kafue Secondary School.