The sounds of Africa

Dear Friends,

Today, as we were sitting in our home in Maseru, Lesotho, we heard what seemed to be a very strange sound – a lawn mower. Of course on any given Saturday in American suburbia you can hear a choir of these machines being pushed along as they dutifully maintain yards, but today was the first time we’d heard that sound in 19 months. Here in Lesotho the climate is so dry during most of the year that there is very little grass to cut. During the brief rainy season, people generally opt for a long metal rod with a curved and sharp end to hack away at the small green patches, which manage to gain an unsightly height. We have often heard the swish, swish, swish of that tool being swung back and forth and have become accustomed to it, as we have to many other sounds since we’ve been here.

Dear Friends,

Today, as we were sitting in our home in Maseru, Lesotho, we heard what seemed to be a very strange sound – a lawn mower. Of course on any given Saturday in American suburbia you can hear a choir of these machines being pushed along as they dutifully maintain yards, but today was the first time we’d heard that sound in 19 months. Here in Lesotho the climate is so dry during most of the year that there is very little grass to cut. During the brief rainy season, people generally opt for a long metal rod with a curved and sharp end to hack away at the small green patches, which manage to gain an unsightly height. We have often heard the swish, swish, swish of that tool being swung back and forth and have become accustomed to it, as we have to many other sounds since we’ve been here.

For example, there’s the endless beeping of taxi horns as drivers try to attract fares in the downtown area of this capital city. For 2 maloti and 30 lisente, a large white van will transport passengers along any route in the metropolitan area. Outside the city, larger buses brave steep and winding mountain passes to take people to the various villages which have names like Teyateyaneng that are difficult for our American tongues to pronounce.

We’ve become used to the animals sounds, which are ever-present even in busy areas of the city. Roosters crow at all hours of the day and night. Sheep call to each other as they are herded by the young boys called ‘balisana’ who shout their commands to the obedient flocks. Cows are responsible for many now familiar sounds including the clanging of the bells, which hang from their necks and the deep mooing intended to communicate the need for milking. We have even come to the point where we don’t skip a beat in our lessons as a frustrated caretaker runs past the classroom windows chasing a wayward member of his small herd back into its pen. It’s all in his, and our, day’s work.

We have enjoyed hearing our students lift their voices in song during chapel services. They have a natural and seemingly effortless talent for complex harmonies without the aid of any musical instruments to guide them. The entire student body is always happy to share the joy of the spiritual songs of their culture with any visitors to the seminary. They especially enjoyed the brief but energetic and heartfelt performance they were able to give for the dedicated members of the work group who visited them in November from our home church in Mascoutah, Illinois.

One of our favorite sounds is the lilietsa, the rapid, shrill “yee-yee-yee” sound of approval offered by Basotho women in place of applause. We have had the pleasure of hearing this sound on many special occasions, including the weddings of several of our students and the seminary’s graduation ceremonies. It is the sound of pure joy coupled with pride in one’s culture and delight in one’s heritage.

We are grateful we have the opportunity to live and work in Lesotho. We both enjoy our teaching responsibilities at Morija Theological Seminary. We rejoice in our students’ faithfulness and desire to be effective leaders of the Lesotho Evangelical Church, and we hope we can be vessels for them through which God’s love and grace shine. Thank you all for the support you have shown us in this ministry. Your thoughts and prayers are an encouragement to us as we strive to do God’s work in this place.

Yours in Christ,

Jeff and Susan Moore

Jeff and Susan Moore are missionaries with Morija Seminary in Lesotho. Susan serves as a teacher of psychology and English. Jeff serves as a teacher of theology and Biblical studies.