The Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho

During TIMO we all get the opportunity to do a month at another ministry location, it is a time to observe and learn from different people. I got to go to Lesotho and meet several of the wonderful missionaries in that beautiful little country. I had such an amazing time... I think everyone should go to visit Lesotho!

I had a very brief stop in Nairobi where Kevin and I got to meet up with Hanna and Chantel!!!
After a few flights and some driving I ended up at the Basson's beautiful house. Their ministry has to do with conservation agriculture.
I was helping them train their cute little Basotho ponies to pull a planter. Clever little ponies and tough to!
Anne (Basson's daughter) and I tried our best to go riding everyday!
Soil erosion is a huge problem in Lesotho, and that is the reason for the agricultural training center near Basson's place, they are working at training the local people how to farm in such a way as to keep the topsoil on the mountain sides. Easier said than done.

I then got to drive across the country (which doesn't take very long because they have nice roads and it's a small country!) to Mohotlong.
On the way we drove over the higher mountain ranges where no one lives, except the herd boys who are there to graze the animals. Beautiful country!

I then spent one week with a local lady in a small village that I forget the name of. This is my little herd boy friend who was taking care of her horse, so I got to spend some time with him. He didn't know any English and I didn't know any Sesotho, so we smiled and did charades a lot.
Here he is showing me how to play his musical instrument.
Mematankiso, the very wonderful lady that I stayed with, is helping the neighbor kids sing a song for me. She has one grown son, but you would think she was the mother of a dozen because of the number of kids that stay, visit, hang around, eat and sleep at her house!
My herd boy friend and my hosts' nephew, Paballo. Paballo is in school so he knows english, and he was a very helpful translator as well as friend for me!
In the mornings the three of us would take the horses up the mountain for grazing on the top... beautiful!
Mematankiso had a young horse that hadn't been ridden yet, so in the week I was there I did a little work to get her ready to be a gentle means of transport for Mematankiso. What a clever and sweet little horse!
While training the little horse I got to ride around the mountains and have some fun!

Peeling, or eating, peaches. I have never eaten peaches off the tree before! I got to have as many as I liked every day!

On our way to visit the Barrys (other AIM missionaries), who live only half hour down the mountain.


To start with, the herd boys were afraid of the young horse, but by the end of the week they were riding her! She looks much bigger with him on!
Enjoying the afternoon.


Fiona, who came to help the Barrys with homeschooling their boys, and I enjoyed our last ride before we had to fly out.
Mematankiso- a wonderful, godly, generous lady.
She runs the schools for the herd boys so that they can learn to read and write and do simple math. She also does many other things for many other people, she really is an amazing lady.
Women don't normally ride, but her father taught her when she was young and now she uses horses to get to all of the different schools that she has helped to set up.
These are some of the herd boys from her village. They are at variou stages as they work through the literacy books.
They either meet on weekends when the school kids can care for the animals, or in the evenings.

MOM, shiney rocks everywhere! Every walk or ride that I did, I came home with rocks in my pockets!
Some of my neighbors, weaving a hat while they watch the sheep.
Bean harvest time.

After the donkeys brought the beans up from the field I got to help take the donkeys back to their home. Riding donkeys is a very different experience, I think I want one when I get home!
Cow dung being dried so it can be saved to mud the walls of the huts.
One month went by like a flash, and now I am in Tanzania.