Lesotho Update!

Its seems to have been a while since I have written any updates - sorry for that. Life tends to get pretty busy out here sometimes. The kids are just back to school after a nice long week off for Easter. We only took friday off, but had a good Easter weekend with Wilma & Sylvia and Melvin & Kari Peters. While the kids have been home from school, things have been more off schedule - but its been fun. We've spent more time with the older kids just hanging out and building relationships. We have a cook now (PRAISE GOD) after a long period of other workers taking their turn in the kitchen - cooking for 100 children. We have a good amount of care workers at the moment which is going great. Hopefully they will stay. The washing ladies quit yesterday, so maybe pray for that situation. This means much more work for the other ladies, who already have a fair amount. We've been building relationships with a couple young mothers staying at the centre - its so wonderful just to talk with them (sometimes for hours) about anything and everything. There is a team from Austrailia working at the orphanage right now for a couple weeks. They are building a rain shelter which is coming along quite well! I even helped do some painting which i enjoyed. There are many issues going on within the orphanage right now and much prayer is needed! We are starting prayer meetings once a week now for all of the volunteers at MIS - we know that all of the problems we are having is one big spiritual battle and we need to fight against Satan in prayer. That is the only way. So please keep MIS in your prayers! I have ringworm again, in TWO places this time. Annie has it as well. It doesnt suprise me though considering the conditions we are in everyday - we are constantly exposed to it. Luckily we are only getting the fungai ringworm and not the actual worm. Its much easier to treat and way less ichy. I wish these things could just stop, its so frustrating. If its not one child, its the other. Someone always has something, and someone is always sick. Pray for the health of the children and workers. One more thing. My expenses are greater than anticipated, so i am requesting prayer that my financial needs will be met for the remainder of my stay here in Lesotho. Thank you for all your support and prayers. We serve a great God who loves us and cares for us.

Another week gone by..

Well, things didn't slow down at the orphanage for the rest of the week. We worked very full days without any breaks. It has been quite overwhelming, and I know that it is not our own strength we have been running on. Thank you for praying for us - I honestly think I can feel the power of prayer behind me. Yesterday I felt so worn out, I wanted to just collapse and sleep, but God kept me going! We had a good bible study tuesday night which I found very encouraging in this situation. We talked about how it is important to bring everything to God in prayer as well as to rejoice and praise God in EVERY circumstance. Small little example for you:) Yesterday when the day was coming to an end at the orphanage, one of the babies (and im not kidding) had a poop explosion! hahaha. I know it sounds funny, but at the time I was not impressed. It was so nasty and happened to be everywhere, including on me! It was hard enough to keep myself from vommitting. Being human, my first reaction was me not being very impressed at all, it made me want to be grumpy. But for some odd reason, the bible study came to my mind and I thought "Praise God you are healthy and not constipated"! ha ha ha, gotta look for the joy in everything right? Just thought I would share that short little story with you, hehe. Anyways, 'Me' Ma Danke (the lady in living in the baby room) is back today, so we are really excited about that. She is absolutely great with the children and she works so hard. What a wondeful lady she is! This coming week, since she is back, I will need to get back into the storage rooom as there is still much to do and things are piling up.

Last night, Wendy (the teacher we live with) had some of her IB students over for a movie/fun night. Annie and I really enjoyed this because the ages were 18-22 so we got along really well and got to meet som Basotho people our age. It was a lot of fun! I really enjoy getting in with people of the culture, they are so great.

Blessings,
Michelle

Lesotho Mountain Climb!

Yesterday I got to climb a mountain in the middle of Maseru, it was incredibe! I went with a few friends and I really enjoyed it. Once to the top, you could see pretty much all of the city, except for areas which were hidden by other mountains. It was so beautiful to stand so high and look down at everything! Although, it was a super hot day (+36 in the sun), drank a lot of water. We had a neat little experience as well as we travelled up - wonder if God had any part in it:) We met this young boy who was shepherding his sheep near the mountain, and he ended up showing us the way up. It turned out there were areas in which us girls could not have made it up the rocks without his hand. Personally I think that was God, just being there when we needed him, through a young shepherd. Neat hey? I'll throw up some pictures here for you forsure, including one of the boy. On our way down we met some boys at a small well where they offered water. From here the women carry water in about 20L buckets on their heads through the mountains to their homes. These women are incredible, i could NEVER do that!

I can definitely feel that things are busier at the orphanage this week already, as expected! With 'Me' Madanke (the lady living in the baby room) being gone for a week, and 'Me' Ma Ktlokleso (the young women also helping in the baby room) helping in the kitchen, it feels a little busy in the baby room. I will add that a few of the babies still are not feeling well - vomitting and diareah, which of course busies things up a little more! Poor little Petrie still has scabies and often just cries and cries because her legs are so itchy. I finally figured out a way to sooth her today, it was pretty cute. She was supposed to be having a nap and kept crying because of the itch. I just started to massage and rub her legs up and down, and she was instantly quiet and in 3 minutes time she was asleep:) Great to discover these simple medicines! We still don't have a cook - continue to keep that in your prayers. And also this past weekend, the lady staying with the junior girls quit. So we are kind of short staffed right now. Please pray for the staffing issue!

And thats my story for now!