Faces Around Me

 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)

It is early in a new year and I’ve been thinking about God, the one who sat on that throne in Revelation and said, “Behold, I make all things new.”  There seem to be many new things going on around me and I think how much more interesting it is realizing that with God in your life, new things are exciting and filled with opportunity.  Even ordinary, everyday things take on a new perspective.  Many years ago I read a magazine story about clouds.  Like snowflakes, no two are alike.  Better than snowflakes, clouds give you time to let your imagination run wild.  The article never brought God into the clouds.  But ever since I read it I’ve tried to look up at the sky more often.  Usually my reaction involves a smile and words like, “God, these clouds are incredible.”

So what is new around me here at Masitise?  The church and school were recently blessed by some visitors and new friends from St. Andrew Christian Church in Olathe, Kansas.  They joined our community for a weekend and met with the youth of the church, members of the community and a group of women from an HIV/AIDS support group.  They also participated in worship on Sunday morning.  The group was led by my good friend and former colleague here in Lesotho, Rev. David Owen, along with Rev. Holly McKissick from St. Andrew’s and Rev. Solomon Pule of the Lesotho Evangelical Church.  David, Holly, me and Solomon are pictured outside the church.

Two students of mine during the years 1997-2001 surprised me the other evening with a visit.  The former classmates are now husband and wife and proud parents of a son!  Nteboheleng will soon finish her studies at the national university and join her husband Moeketsi who works for one of the gold mines in South Africa. They have found, as have many of my former students, the job opportunities are far more plentiful and lucrative across the border.  Nteboheleng told me that I am now a grandfather!

At school, Mr. Motsai Monareng (in blue shirt) has been hard at work since taking over as our school’s headmaster at the beginning of the year.  While some see a change in school administration as being fraught with uncertainty, I look forward to working together to improve the school. We will have well over 1000 students this year and we are pressed to capacity (or beyond it, really). 

We are thankful for the safe arrival of the family of our pastor, Rev. Khabeshe Zachariah Ramonotsi.  He arrived in early October but his wife and children only came in December after the completion of the school year.  His wife’s name is Mamakhale, meaning “mother of Makhale”.  Makhale is their first-born son who is 11 years old.  In front of Makhale is his brother Liteboho who is 6.  And then there are their twin sons Tlotlisang and Tlotliso who are just over a year old.  Also living with them is Keketso, a relative’s son, who is attending Masitise High School.        

Your prayers are needed for:

• Patience in dealing with overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of school furniture.
• A new spirit of cooperation between staff, students and school administration.
• New students participating in our Friends of God youth group.

May God open our eyes to see the new things around us, as well as to see the familiar in a new light.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Behle

Mark Behle is a missionary with the Lesotho Evangelical Church.  He is a Mathematics teacher at Masitise High School, Lesotho.