May 30 Dial

May 30, 2007

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. 1 Corinthians 4:5

Dear Prayer Partners,

We are almost settled in our new home. There has been work to do in cleaning up the grounds and doing maintenance inside the house that has long been neglected, but finally, it has become home to us, and we are loving it. We praise God and it came just in time. Don't you ever wonder about the timing of God? Sometimes, I stand in awe of His timing. He gave us our new home just in time to get settled with just enough time to get it cleaned, repaired and secured before our leaving in September, and... 15 minutes after we had possession of the new keys in our hands, God sent us a group of strong and able volunteer missionaries from Georgia to help us get moved. Now that is timing! God is like that in every area of our lives too. It sure makes living a whole lot easier when we have that knowledge and assurance that no mater what....God's timing is perfect and it's good!

And do you ever wonder about how God always uses that perfect timing of His and our life situations to share Him with others? Again, I stand in awe of His presentation of events in our lives that bring Him glory and further His kingdom. For example, just the other day, we had some workmen at the house doing some maintenance and clean up. We were all sitting around the table enjoying our lunch and we begin sharing our faith with one of the men who was not a believer. We had been planting seeds all week around him. Today the seed took hold in the soil and this man named Musi opened up and said those words we all love to hear: "I am ready to receive Jesus." Musi is a welder who supports his family by doing piece work....a little work here and a little work there. He is a kindly man and the father of five children. Now we did not know this man prior to his coming to work for us but God's timing is perfect and He gave us a God-situation in that perfect timing. Please pray for Musi that he will continue to seek God and grow spiritually. Pray that through his step of faith his whole household will come to know the Savior. Pray that others will see the change in his life and desire to know Christ.

Our new front yard

Someone recently asked us how many souls have we won for Jesus...our reply was: "one at a time." Of course we have times in the villages where the gospel is given and many pray to receive Christ but few seem to remain faithful in that commitment. Not long ago we were witnessing to a group of about 15 men all gathered at the local well. Every one of those men prayed to receive Christ but only one has followed through with his commitment to Christ. Two weeks ago, he testified about how he came to know Jesus. He spoke of that day at the well and thanked us and encouraged us to keep on sharing. We were strengthened by his words. Please pray for Ntate that he will be strong in his faith and that God will be revealed to those in his realm of influence.

Our team has gone through some personnel changes in the last few months. We have gained a new team family...the Melvins; and we are saying good-bye to another. The Melvins joined the Basotho Team back in January. They have been studying the language of the Basotho and sharing Christ in the lowlands. Right now they are in a program called 40/40. It is an intense indoctrination of the African way of life and culture. They are living in the bush in Zambia and learning many things that will help them adjust to the African culture and life here in Africa. Please pray for the Melvin Family (Tom, Cindi, Zachary, and Eli). Pray that they will be strengthened and enlightened by the 40/40 experience and that this time will ease their adjustment to Africa, its people and its way of life.

As we say hello to the Melvins, we also will soon be saying good-bye to the Gestrings. The Gestrings (Wes, Beth, Jordan, Bethany, and Michelle) departs for stateside assignment in July for one year. God has led them into a new area of ministry and upon their return to Africa they will join a new team in Southern Africa where Wes will be teaching in a university. We will miss them but praise God for the work they have done for the Basotho here in Lesotho. Please pray for the Gestrings as they prepare for their return to America and as they enter into a new area of work in South Africa.

Please also continue to pray for the Monday afternoon pastors' meeting. Pray for these pastors and lay leader (Phoka, Calvin, Mosiuoa, Sefiri) who attend these trainings that they will be vigilant in their efforts to reach the lost with the gospel, that they will be continually strengthened and made bold in the Word, and that they will remain faithful in their testimony before others in their villages.

Also pray for Pastor Roma from Ha Mphorosane. It is a small church of believers. The pastor, Moruti Roma, works in South Africa and is only home one weekend every month. In his absence, his wife ('M'emaRoma) continues to hold services outside their little home. Cold weather is upon us and many will not be able to attend because of weather and illness. Please pray that God will bless this small congregation, that God will provide a man of strong faith to work beside Pastor Roma and his wife, and that God will grow this church to be a light that shines in darkness before the villagers.

To those of you who have ministered with us here in Lesotho, we have good news! Moruti Molapo and his wife have a new daughter! You knew they were expecting and now you know the rest of the story....it's a girl:) Both mother and daughter are fine. Please continue to pray for good health for them both.

Please also pray for us as we make ready our home and lives for stateside assignment. Thank you for loving us and for allowing us to love you. We look forward to visiting with many of you while stateside and reuniting with those of you who have worked beside us on mission trips to Lesotho. May the name of the Lord be honored and praised. As the Basotho say: "Lebitso la letle la Jesu Kriste a le bokoe." (Let the name of Jesus Christ be praised). And all God's people said: "AMEN!"

A few additional prayer requests:

* Continue to pray for "Hlabeli" (the three year old that has been dedicated to the ancestors as a witch doctor, their protector and their voice.

* Pray for Stephanie who went through surgery yesterday. Pray that God will give her a speedy and thorough recovery and that her surgery will resolve her medical problems.

* Pray Alan's Monday morning "Training For Trainers" time with LHDA. Pray that seeds planted will begin to grow and bear fruit.

* Pray for the T4T group we will be starting in our home soon.

* Pray for Babs and the boys as they try to finish up the school year before stateside assignment.

* For 'M'emaTanki whom we are witnessing. Yesterday we were able to share a Bible in Sesotho with her. Pray that the God speaks to her through His Word and Holy Spirit.

* Continuing efforts with our "Honey Bee Project"

Praises:

* For Musi who received Christ this week

* Our new home

* For the Bibles purchased with your donations that we are able to share with the Basotho

* For family and good friends

* For faithful prayer partners that support us not only in giving of their resources through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program but through your prayers that tear down strongholds and opens doors for the Gospel in Lesotho

In His Name,

Alan, Babs, Mohau and Daniel

The Dials

Katse, Lesotho, Southern Africa