Girl's Adventure (plus two small children)

This shop where women make wall weavings was made of cans
A good road
A not so good road...yea this is a road
common way of carrying firewood home
Ha Kome Cave Homes
Children from the Ha Kome Village playing with Luke & Caleb

Luke rides a donkey from the village

precious little one

More pictures

Very nice orphanage in Maseru, Lesotho
My sweet Shaya girl

Caleb
Nicole & Nathan's Church in Maseru

Keisler Life

At the airport

Nathan and Nicole live in Maseru, Lesotho. They are Coordinators for the YWAM( Youth with a Mission http://www.ywamafrica.org/Southern/Lesotho/Maseru/index.html )base in Lesotho. They play many roles...some recognized - most are not :) Anyone who is interested in joining YWAM Lesotho would correspond with Nathan & Nicole. They would provide the prospective YWAM'er with all the essential information about missionary life, Lesotho culture & history, and any additional resources that may be helpful in successfully guiding the prospective person into missions. Once individuals or families have been choosen to come to Lesotho, Nathan and Nicole are responsible for hosting many of the teams in their home (you can imagine the roles played here). They play the role of a continuous "Tourist Guide," Navigator, Interpretor, and one who is able to understand and communicate the acceptable/not acceptable Basotho cultural practices. Nathan & Nicole participate in outreach missions as well.

During the time we were visiting, Nicole volunteered to watch the Base Leader's children in order to free her to minister to a local group of Basotho. This was so important because if it had not been for Nicole choosing to "give up" her day to look after her child and two others, this woman(who speaks Sesotho fluently and is VERY important when equipping the people who live in Lesotho) and Nathan would NOT have been able to teach these precious young people about the love of Jesus. But because of this opportunity, these young people who live in Maseru are now free to minister to their OWN people!! This is the most effective ministry! (Can you see now how imporant your role is, Nicole? ) Nicole is a crucial puzzle piece in reaching others with the love of Jesus in Lesotho.

A team of women, including Nicole, make up a ministry titled, "Ladies Unlimited." These women have dedicated themselves to going to the streets of Maseru every Monday and Friday nights to intercede on behalf of the Sex Workers and to try and build relationships with the women. Prostitution is extremely high, as is HIV/AIDS. You would not believe some of the stories I heard, and unfortunatley saw with my own eyes. A lot of these women have been forced to prostitution for many reasons....for example, it's possible both of their parents have passed away, and now they must provide for the rest of their siblings. Working in the clothing factories is not enough. They turn to the streets at night in hopes of making money. The end result is not pretty...some ladies are taken to unsafe places and left with no means of returning to their home, most are paid more if they do NOT use condoms, most have accepted the cultural "norm" that women are soley for men. It is a horrible deception that this lifestyle is "worth" it.

I have to add this: Nicole and Nathan also play the part of "Experienced Off-Road Driver." Well, Nicole is after I decided to take a trip into the mountains. God has helped them to navigate in places that would make your jaw drop. Roads are an understatement to some places in the rural community. And let me just say....no one relies on road signs!!! Just 200 meters, right? It was more like......turn right because that way has fresh tire tracks, that must be the way....Nicole was right!

T.I.A

This Is Africa

Semongkong / Maletsunyane Falls

Common home or roadside store

(sometimes both)
Doing laundry
Maletsunyane Falls

Shepherds - very common but usually seen with cattle or sheep

Adventure in Africa

There is no amount of words I could gather to express our trip to Lesotho. I sit here thinking, "Where do I begin?" I'll start with Luke...my biggest concern: him sleeping! Well....God seemed to come alongside us the moment our plane departed from US soil...he fell asleep....Luke was a trooper. He never had any problems sleeping. He slept 8 hours on the way there...and 11 hours on our return flight!

God seemed to take all the inhibitions away...we experienced many things. The Basotho culture is fascinating, and people even more delightful than you can fathom. In fact, the most pleasant people I have every come in contact with. Especially when you make the effort to speak their language. They are loving, considerate, and full of family life. They seem to thrive on relationships and build their entire world around it! People are their life.

For two weeks we stayed in the capital city, Maseru with Nathan, Nicole, and Caleb. They currently reside in a 4 bedroom, 3 bath home. Yes....it's for the ability to host mission teams. We experienced living in "community" as they call it. Living in tight quarters with another family. We were able to see their day-in and day-out "missionary" lifestyle. Nicole, all the while still looking more beautiful than ever! :) We were able to be with Shayla (our dear friend from Gville) for just 2 short days, but we were so blessed to hear all about her trials, challenges, and adventures from her past year of working with Mercy Ships in Liberia. Unbelievable!

God seemed to weave people in and out of our visit like it had been planned all along. The opportunity to talk with other missionaries from Ghana, Holland, US, Australia.........all over the world was priceless.

Patrick and I went into the mountains for two days. We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast in Ramabanta. It was truly paradise. We visited the villages, took a pony trek, and slept in the traditional home called a Rondaval. We went on the following day to Semongkong to see the Maletsunyane falls. Getting there was an adventure in itself...there were times I didn't think we were even on "roads".

The second week Patrick and Nathan went to South Africa for a Discipleship Training School conference. He was able to walk alongside Nathan to experience the life of a missionary, and becoming fully aware of Nathan's role as a coordinator for YWAM.

Meanwhile Jeanne, Nicole, Luke & Caleb did some "sightseeing," house work, and serving within the community. We visiting the famous Cave dwellings and more importantly had time to share our struggles of daily life. Nicole's life is a lot like mine in staying home, preparing meals, taking care of Caleb, while Nathan sometimes does "hands on" work for YWAM. Nicole and I were able to serve some of the children in the city of Maseru. These are children abandoned and left to parent themselves and possibly their siblings as well. We helped serve the children a small meal, and then played with them. We also visited two orphanages. Where images are now carved into my heart for life. Can't I take them all home?


Now I have questions like, "Why do I have granite countertops when people in Lesotho don't even have toilets?" Or, "I didn't choose to be born in the U.S. where I was freely able to get a college education and to have the best of "things," neither do children in Africa choose to be born in a country where AIDS is rampant, killing parents, and leaving millions of orphans. Many questions fill my mind and I am left to ask God, "Show me what puzzle peice I am, because I know I cannot fix all the problems...I just want to be a peice!"

Ramabanta

We took two days out of the city in Ramabanta.

This is village life.

No electricity, no running water, no phones, no cell phones....

ahhhhh maybe we could use more of this!!

Our very "plush" Rondaval where we spent one night

Pony Treking in Ramabanta

The road we took

Village life in Ramabanta

Rondaval Home

Children in Ramabanta Village

Happiest children I have met



Women are effective at carrying their children in their blankets while they work