On Wednesday morning the Lord took me on an unexcepted journey to Lesotho. I had just finished wtih a five day youth camp here in Jbay that was so powerful, life changing, but also emotionally and spiritually draining. But now I found myself volunteering to be one of the three students to serve at a four day kids camp hidden in the beauiful African mountains of Lesotho.
On Tuesday night as I frantically handwashed my wardrobe of dirty clothes I questioned if God really was calling me to go, or if it was just my adventurous spirit agreeing, but deep down in my spirit I knew the Lord had something in store for me in Butha-Buthe, Lesotho.
Friday morning as I woke up in Butha-Buthe I had no idea what to except, but praying, "Jesus use me, may my heart be pure to serve these children." The kids started to arrive at the campsite in buses, the screams and singing voices filled the once quiet campsite(school was used for the camp). The children were beyond excited, the first kids to come were my kids for the week, the 8-10 year olds.
During camp I prayed for the kids to have an encounter with Jesus, but little did I know that I would encounter Jesus through those kids. As they started to jump off the buses and play games, tears filled my eyes. "Lord you are so faithful,' I prayed, 'this is what I've dreamed about for years and now it's my reality." Words seem to fall short to describe what happened those 4 days at camp, but I pray you will catch a glimpse.
Here is my journal entry from my time in Lesotho:
Yesterday I held an orphan in my arms. Yesterday I looked into the eyes of a little boy that knows not the love of a Mom or Dad. Yesterday I listened to Ntimane share the pain of hunger, poverty and the lie she's believed, that God doesn't like poor people. I heard the lies and fears they have believed in all these years. I saw the despair and sadness in the eyes of a little boy Neo who lost almost every person to care for him and doesn't know where he will live now. I prayed over a 12 year old orphan girl that lives with her older abusive brother.
I have seen Jesus. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
One sunday morning during worship I knelt before the Lord with my hands raised, I opened my eyes to find my little ones surrounding me on their knees with their hands raised praying. They KNOW Jesus.
Pure.
Undefiled.
I watched their faces as they earnestly prayed with tightly closed eyes, their lips moving quickly, and though I couldn't understand their language I could hear the plea in their voice. Jesus is their only hope. Orphaned. Hungry. Poor.
They know Jesus. He is their sustainer.
The children went on a outreach to the nearbye village and went door to door speaking and praying with people. Their faith astounded me. They laid hands on a small boy that had been sick for 3 months and asked for healing, when they arrived back at camp they testified to everyone that he had been healed. They didnt even doubt. Though there was no evidence of healing in the littl boy they asked Jesus to heal him, and believed He did.
"Jesus said, 'Let the little chilren come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14
"Jesus said,'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, becasue you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."
Matthew 11:25
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8
I am not worthy and have done nothing to deserve the unexplainable blessing of knowing these little ones. I have seen Jesus. My heart has been broken for what breaks His.
I will never forget the faces of my children. The eyes of Ntimane when she told me she would go a week without food and has no clothes.
Matthew 25: 31-46
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
This passage of scripture was not written so it would sound nice when we talk about the poor and orphaned. It was not written to be a feel good story for missionaries. It was written talking about final judgment.
Jesus says that when I look past the hungry man on the street, I ignore Jesus Himself. He says that when I choose to do my own things instead of visitng the sick lady across the street, I am choosing myself instead of Jesus. When I walk past the stranger on the street and refuse to stop and listen, but quickly condemn his begging, I am actually slapping Jesus in the face. He says the way I treat the people I encounter every day, is the way I treat Jesus Himelf.
Its easy to rationalize everything. The man isn't really homeless we tell ourselves, that man in prison is dangerous and it's not really my gifting to minister to "those kind of people."
But Jesus' words echo, 'I was in prison you did not look after me...'
I cant give away my hard earned money we tell ourselves, I am poor myself and only make minimum wage.
But Jesus' words echo, 'I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.'
"Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
In the words of Brooke Fraser:
Now that I have seen, I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
Now that I have held you in my own arms, I cannot let go till you are
