Glorifying Steps

While visiting Lesotho last week, we kept a journal with the hopes of sharing about all of the exciting things we were seeing, learning, and experiencing. Here is Tuesday’s journal entry from our first day working with the kids at the Khohlo-Ntso Care Center.

These posts are a part of a series, if this is your first time reading you may want to start here.

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Tuesday, January 5th, 2016

The Khohlo-Ntso Care Center, which was started only nine months ago, meets in a village about fifteen minutes from our home in Katse.

Tyler and I continue to be amazed every time we look outside, it is so beautiful here! The drive to Khohlo-Ntso is gorgeous, every bend of the road presents us with another amazing reminder of God’s majesty.

When we arrived at the Care Center the women (who lead the Center) were not there yet but several of the kids were waiting outside. They all seemed really excited for us to be here, but they also looked hesitant as well.

This Center is a bit harder to get to, so these kids haven’t had as many visitors. Even still, being our first time meeting these kids we were probably more hesitant than they were.

We were traveling with a group of adults from New Orleans, and they had planned a camp for the kids. It was so much fun to assist this team with their crafts, games, and Bible lessons. It was also great experience to see how a team works with the Care Centers because it will be a part of our job to host teams starting in August.

Once the women arrived and the Center was opened, we began playing games with the kids. Some of them wanted to play keep-away with the soccer ball, kids versus adults,  while others wanted to play with bubbles or color. It was really awesome to watch Tyler run around and joke with the children playing outside, just like he does at Cool Spring Child Care.

I was reminded of one thing Tyler always says about kids, the fastest way to their hearts is by having fun. It was amazing to see the barriers break down over the several hours we were there.

One of the most challenging barriers that we faced was the language. So many times we wanted to say something to a kid, ask them something or even praise them when they had done something well, but we simply couldn’t.

Most of these kids know a little English, but some don’t know any. When the translator wasn’t around things got a little tricky. We have gathered some materials to start getting familiar with the language, Sesotho, during our last months in the US.  I feel that just a very basic foundation will do us wonders in communicating with the Basotho.

It was a great first day with the kids at Khohlo-Ntso, we learned so much and had such a great time getting to know them. They are all so precious. One of the adults from New Orleans made the comment, “the way they laugh and play, you kinda forget that these kids are orphaned after a while”, and Tyler and I found that to be very true.

Their hearts were filled with joy and excitement. They wanted to learn more about Jesus, and we could tell that, even after only few months of coming to the Center, they had begun to form strong relationships with the other kids and the leaders.

They were beginning to feel like a family.

They weren’t just coming to a Care Center,
They were coming home.

With Love,
Tyler & Rachel