Pray with Lesotho on Sunday, April 1, 2018

Pray with Lesotho on Sunday, April 1, 2018

Lesotho_Mark_Behle_IMG_6025.JPGLectionary Selection: John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8

Prayers for Lesotho:

Gracious and merciful God,

We praise your name and give you thanks this day as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ! We thank you for sending Jesus into the world to show us the fullness of your love for us. We thank you for the hope which we have in Jesus, the Risen One. Like those who discovered the empty tomb and encountered the resurrected Christ, let us share the Good News with others! May the joy and the excitement of that first Easter morning be ours as we rejoice with our brothers and sisters and proclaim, “He is risen!”

Lesotho_Mark_Behle_IMG_6003.JPGWe give thanks for our partnership in the Good News with the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa. May you guide and empower them with courage and wisdom as they continue working for justice and peace, particularly as they seek to reconcile the various political factions in the country. May their efforts bear fruit which will bring healing and encouragement to the people of Lesotho.

We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen!

Lesotho_Mark_Behle_IMG_4175.jpgMission Stewardship Moment from Lesotho:

The Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA) has parishes throughout the country. Some of the mountain parishes have ten or more outstations which are separated by long distances and rough terrain. To help pastors overcome the problems of transportation in such areas, Global Ministries and the LECSA have established the Motorcycles for Mountain Pastors project.

Rev. Bonang Mapitse is the pastor for the mountain parish of Tsoelike. He is one of the LECSA pastors who has been trained to use a motorcycle and has been using one of the project motorcycles since 2016. He reports that the project has been a great blessing to his ministry.

Lesotho_Mark_Behle_IMG_4166.JPGHis parish has 15 outstations. The furthest of these would take Rev. Mapitse 7 hours to reach on foot. Using a motorcycle he can be there in 2 hours. Some of the outstations were close to dying when he came into the parish. But now that he is able to visit them more frequently this is no longer the case. By using the motorcycle he can visit two outstations on a Sunday. Giving to the church has improved. And while his parish has to bear the running costs of the motorcycle, the church members do not complain because they can easily see the benefits. As he says, “They are very happy to have a motorcycle for me to use because I am able to visit them more often.”

Thank you for helping to share the Good News in Lesotho!

 (Prayer and Mission Moment by Mark Behle)

Mission Partners in Lesotho:

More information on Lesotho:  http://www.globalministries.org/lesotho

Global Ministries Missionary in Lesotho:
Mark Behle serves with the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Lesotho. His appointment is made possible by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund, Our Churches Wider Mission, and your special gifts.