Leaving Masitise
“…and go to the region of Moriah.” (Genesis 22:2)
I left Masitise on November 25th and headed off to Morija, named after the biblical Moriah by the French Protestant missionaries who settled there in 1833.
“…and go to the region of Moriah.” (Genesis 22:2)
I left Masitise on November 25th and headed off to Morija, named after the biblical Moriah by the French Protestant missionaries who settled there in 1833. The Lesotho Evangelical Church kindly provided a truck to take my belongings. A number of staff members were on hand to muscle the furniture and heavy trunks aboard, carry out boxes and sweep out my old place. With so many hands available, it took only an hour to load everything up and be on our way.
The previous evening there was a farewell party at which most of the staff was present. During this function I was presented with a beautiful new Basotho blanket. It happened that it was one of the chilliest November days I can remember, with snow falling up in the mountains, so the blanket was immediately useful! The photo of me with my colleague Mr. Mothibeli gives a better view of the blanket design.
The previous Sunday was our last Scripture Union meeting for the year. There was a small party at the end of the meeting and we had a group photo taken. In mid-December the yearly high school camp will be held at Masitise. At least a dozen of our students will be attending, thanks to funding provided through Global Ministries by generous churches and individuals. Mrs. Salemane, who will now be leading the Masitise group, will be one of the camp leaders.
The end of the school year in November saw the completion of the Global Ministries’ “Computers for Masitise” project which was also mentioned in the September newsletter. At that time the renovation of the classroom was nearing completion and we were awaiting the delivery and installation of fifty computers. As you can see in the photos, this is now a reality. Mr. Motsai Monareng, the headmaster of Masitise, is shown in the photo at left. This new facility will help provide additional space to accommodate the growing demand for computer education. Thanks again to all of you who contributed to this project!
In October our Form E and C students began writing their national exams which continued until late November for some. Pictured at right are the top six math students I was teaching in Form E. They have been with me for four or five years and have been a pleasure to teach. I am sure they have done well on their exams. Like the SU campers, several of them have been blessed during their time at Masitise with financial assistance from Global Ministries.
The beginning of October brought us a very heavy hailstorm which shredded much of the vegetation. Especially hard hit were the peach trees which lost many of their thumb-sized immature fruits. Hail is not uncommon in Lesotho and is a constant threat to gardens and fields. At Masitise it was accompanied by heavy rain. However, it was the last rain of any significant amount prior to my departure at the end of November. The weather service had predicted a dry first half for this summer and that is what has happened. Please pray for good rains for the remainder of the summer.
God had told Abraham to go to Moriah and sacrifice his son Isaac. Upon arriving there, Isaac asked his father where they would get a lamb for the sacrifice. The appropriateness of Abraham’s answer, “God will provide”, has become more apparent to me as the years pass. Not that we should sit and do nothing, but that after we do what we can, we should not worry and fret, but rest in the assurance of God’s love and that in God’s own way, in God’s own time, in God’s own unquestionable wisdom, “God will provide.”
In the midst of a broken, fear-filled, sin-filled world, God still provides for us. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, let us remember to thank God for the gracious provision of a Savior, Jesus, who is Christ the Lord!
Yours in Christ,
Mark Behle
Email: mark37438@yahoo.com
Mark Behle is a missionary with the Lesotho Evangelical Church. He works to identify development projects, assists the church in preparing project proposals and coordinates project implementation.