Monthly Archive: March 2018

Dear friends,

In our post from 13 February we have shared about fundraising projects for our missionary work. Among other things, we collect financial support for the homeschool education of our sons, Samuel and Silas.
My brother Thorsten and his colleague Jennifer, both professional musicians, have taken this opportunity to auction off one of their legendary performances and to donate the money for this purpose.
(Link to the Fundraising Project page)

We are extremely grateful for their commitment! Especially since we know about their busy schedule. Because we know Thorsten and Jennie and their music very well, we know what amazing performances you will purchase with the auction.
Therefore.... Bid on ebay and have an unforgettable evening and provide two boys with a German school education in Lesotho (South Africa).

Here is the link to the ebay auction:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/123014716111?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

A big thank you to Jennie and Thorsten for their great commitment!! Thank you!!

Greeting
Stephan

Right from the start, we were aware of the need to completely readjust our life to the different living conditions in Lesotho. One aspect is self-sufficiency. Shopping is more or less 2 hours away from the village of HaMolapo and we only want to go there to get the essentials once a month.

Otherwise, like all the Basotho around us, we want to live on the harvest from the land around us. And then process it in a variety of ways.

Spinach, cabbage, beetroot, tomatoes, potatoes, corn... all that, and more we can grow in Lesotho ourselves.

Here's a quick look at some of the things we're trying and testing.

Our experimental garden when we had just prepared it.

We have won many seeds from fruits.

The first seeds and seedlings are planted.

It is growing...

And the tomatoes are also big.

The first crop of beetroot.

Red beds are inserted or processed into lettuce.

The chief's wife shows us how to process and dry fruits to make them durable for the winter.

My favorite animal... Steak.

Quinces from the garden...

... are processed...

and bottled as jam.

A Papilio demoleus. The larva of a lemon moth eats the leaves of our little lemon tree. This is where manual work is needed in pest control.

In the last 3 weeks we had many different visitors here.
The Mini Africa Trek came in mid-February. A long-term outreach * of 6 weeks travels through southern Africa and visits various ministries * of OM and assists there. Nine young people from all over the world have lived in Lesotho in the village of HaMolapo for a week with the villagers and have gone from hut to hut to talk to the people, pray for them and also practically by wooden hooks, fetch water from the spring or for very old men Wash their clothes, to live out charity.
Children's programmes and practical work on soil erosion-prevention work were also on the agenda.
Then only a few days later came the "normal" Africa trek, which travels for 3 months through Africa. This team has also completed a very similar program in the villages around HaMolapo. After a week after we dropped off this team in Johannesburg, we took the next team on our way back to Lesotho. Some participants of OMS international head meetings have come for two days to take a closer look at the ministry in Lesotho. This time the chairman of the Executive Board of Om Deutschland and the director of fundraising in Om Deutschland were also present. (We hope for a long-term meanwhile.)

In addition to the normal work, we have travelled a lot with all these teams and travelled four times to Johannesburg/Pretoria and back. That was about 3000km in just 3 weeks.

Group photo of the Africa trek on leaving Johannesburg

Farewell to the translator who was with the group all the time.

The two Germans visiting chief Bennet

... and seeing the preschool in which we work.

Greetings
Stephan

*) What is an outreach?
A short-term assignment, from one week to 6 months, often in another country, where you want to reach the local population with the Good News of Jesus Christ and then usually also show the love of Jesus in a very practical way with practical help/work to the local people and also missionaries.

*) What is Ministry?
English for a work or branch of work of a missionary organisation, church or other aid organisation.