Shalom My Friends

Greetings from Israel.  Chad and I are sleeping 200 feet away from the shore of The Sea of Galilee. Earlier this evening a group of us were swimming in it’s warm waters, a gentle breeze was blowing and occasional two foot waves rolled past. We were playing around in the water, diving and splashing as the male students tried to pull me under the waves.

During a lull in the action one of the girls on our “The Heart of God” trip came out to me and said: “I can’t believe I am swimming in the water that Jesus walked on.”

I didn’t think of it at the time, maybe because of the ensuing attack from guys on the trip, but this was also the place where Peter took his first step out of the boat.

As I lay here, reflecting on the days spent in Egypt, Jordan and now here in Israel, that moment in the Sea of Galilee is one of many where God has been showing me his mighty power. If I am willing to take action and give Him something to bless, he shows up.

I have been reminded of this so much in the past few days, on the banks of the Nile with the mother of Moses, in the heat of the desert with the Israelites, as I looked over the depth of the Jordan River and envisioned it at flood stage with the Levites, and as I let go of Chad as he went down the slippery ladder into the Arnan.

Each of these events throughout the History of the Story of God’s people required a person who was willing to trust in God enough to step out or to let go. Once they did God responded by saving a leader, providing manna, separating waters, breaking down walls and even giving Chad the highlight of his day floating down a river.

What an amazing time I have spent with Chad and our group of special needs participants. It’s a blessing to be on this tour and see the heart of God each day through our participants, buddies and staff. Spending time with them is amazing enough, but then to experience them in the context of this trip is a rare and beautiful gift.

Thank you for your continued prayers on our behalf! We are so appreciative of them and ask that you keep them coming.

Sunday: God’s Beautiful Church

Today was our last full day at Beautiful Gate, and it was a full beautiful day.  The team continued to show their loving compassionate hearts as they got up early to spend more time with the house mother’s and the children.  It has been such a blessing to see their hearts overwhelmed with the contagious love and joy that is shown each day here at Beautiful Gate.

After serving together in the houses we got ready to go to the CRC (no not Christian Reformed, but Christian Revival) church of Maseru.  They have two services and we went to the 11:00 service, where worship is done in the Sosotho language and culture.  It was the first time I had gone to that service and we were blessed.  The songs were not familiar, or recognizable, but the people left know doubt what was happening.  Amidst the dancing, blowing of whistles and raising of hands there was a clear sense that we serve an almighty, holy, praise worthy God that is a God for all people, all tongues and all nations.  Pastor Dave and his wife Lizzie were so welcoming of our group and encouraged us to participate with them in worship.  Pastor Tim spoke to the congregation about our Abba Father, whose loves us and cares for us, and reminded our group of how we have seen the Father’s love at Beautiful Gate through the house mother’s.  At the end of the service Pastor Dave asked for 3 of us to come up and share about our experience in Lesotho.  The Holy Spirit came and spoke through them eloquently and sincerely to uplift the congregation about what they see in them, even bringing one to tears of joy!  I am indebted to my Abba for choosing me to bring these teams here and experience His kingdom with them and through them.  May He receive all glory and praise for how He is orchestrating His kingdom coming to earth through the HC-Lesotho relationship.

We came to church with 17 Audio Bibles to pass out to whomever the Spirit laid on our hearts.  The Word of God is powerful, and we saw that as the smiles an eyes got larger as we played the Word of God for them in their language.  They couldn’t get enough and we did not have enough as many people surrounded paster Tim’s van as he left asking if there were more.

After a quick lunch the girls were back to the houses to relieve the house mother’s so they could worship together for the first time as a whole group.  After purchasing jewelry from “Jewels of Hope” who meet on campus right next to the Maroon House, Ntate Edwaard, one of the maintenance men showed up to show us his family.  He and his son performed a Besotho dance for us, before it was back to houses to feed and play with the kids.

Our day ended with  a pizza dinner for all the volunteer staff at Beautiful Gate and our last Family Time together here on Campus.  It was a beautiful day

Mike Verkaik

Saturday: A Beautiful Day Away

Lumela (hello) from Africa! We can’t believe our trip is on the home stretch. We’re definitely cherishing every moment that we have left here. Today was our day away from the orphanage. We endured an hour long car ride, terribly bumpy roads, and steep cliffs as we cautiously drove to Malealea. Upon reaching our destination we split up into two groups. One group headed to horseback ride through the mountains and the other went to tour the surrounding village. After taking a quick lunch break, both groups switched.

The horseback riding was definitely something to remember as we trotted through towering mountains and spacious fields that were scattered with clusters of cows and sheep. Most of the horses that we rode were very well behaved; however, there were a few that didn’t get along with each other which became evident as Kennedy got kicked by a horse for the third time. As this group continued horseback riding, the remaining girls went to tour the village. We were amazed by the beauty of these people and this place despite the poverty that was all too clear. We got to see a small shop that barely fit 6 girls, the crafts that these people made to support themselves, the circular huts, and the spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. We also got to experience the people – especially the little neighborhood children. These kids broke our hearts. Some were missing shoes or even pants. Others kicked around a makeshift, paper soccer ball, and there was even a boy whose eye was swollen shut because of a boil. It was so eyeopening to see these kids as they openly welcomed us in with what little they had.

Our family time, which is normally at Beautiful Gate, was held at ‘The Gate of Paradise’ which is a mountain along the bumpy road we traveled on to get to Malealea. We hiked up the mountain (all very short of breath) and were awestruck by the view. We literally felt on top of the world. Mountains dotted the horizon as God’s presence and power was so evident. Villages, tucked away in mountain valleys, were spread out among the infinite fields. Since the adults were not able to make this adventurous hike with us, we hiked (but really slid, slipped, and fell) down the mountain to join them in family time as Terp talked to us about being still in God’s presence. Some kids from the area joined us to listen to Terp’s words. We then went on our own to reflect on how great our God is and to admire his handiwork that was stretched out before us. After, we headed back to our stick-shift vans and headed back into the city to eat at Spurs which is a restaurant in the mall at Maseru. The food was delicious; it was good to have a burger and fries again!

God’s presence was felt today in such a real and powerful way. As our trip draws closer to an end, we are so thankful for the experiences we’ve had so far, the views that leave us speechless, and the people of Malealea.

(written by Abbi and Kelsey)

Friday: A Day To Rejoice

Praise God; We are all vertical and feeling much better. Thank you for your prayers. We are thoroughly thankful for Mrs. Verkaik, Bre and Mrs. Spykstra who were up with everyone through the night and continually cleaning everything. What would we do without moms?! Also very thankful for Abuti Tyler (a volunteer staying in our same house) who did grocery store runs, provided the movies, and went out and bought heaters for our sick bodies.

We spent the morning with the sweet babies that we now know by name. They have captured our hearts in every way possible. We have all talked about how badly we want to take one home.

As teenagers, we like our sleep. However, here, we go to bed late and wake up early, but every waking moment is worth it. The kids’ smiles make the early mornings worth it, and the deep talks with our team late into the night makes sleep secondary.

We got to visit Pastor Tim’s friend Solomon and his coffee shop that he owns: Ouh La La. We had delicious milk shakes and “Chicken Salad” which is not as we know it in America. It was awesome to hear Solomon’s story of how God has worked in his life. Tim’s father took a chance on Solomon and now he is successful and continually helps out people who desperately need it.

Everybody here is so friendly. Everyone we see in the street waves and talks to us as if we were lifelong friends. Hopefully, some of our friendships will turn out to be lifelong.

We covet your prayers and miss you dearly. Thanks for supporting us while we are across the world!

(written by Noel and Kennedy)

Thursday: God is Still Good

Today didn’t go exactly as planned. Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, eight girls got sick to their stomachs and spent most of the night throwing up. We have a hunch that it could be food poisoning, but, either way, there were four girls plus the adults who were fortunate enough to not get sick–and for that we are so grateful.

Status of chapel: same as Tuesday afternoon. Painters were confined to the couches.

The four girls well enough to leave the Maroon House spent the day with the kids in their houses since it was raining, while the rest stayed back bonded over pain and movies. Most are starting to feel a lot better but none of them are back to their normal selves yet. Prayers for their recoveries and for the rest of the team’s health are greatly appreciated. We are hoping no one else gets sick so that we can finish our time here as planned!

Despite the circumstances of the day, God is still present here in Lesotho and, once again, we saw him in the faces of the beautiful orphans and their loving house mothers.

(Written by Lindsey and Sarah K)

The Adventures Of Wednesday

Today was another amazing day down in Lesotho, Africa! We are continuing to see God working in miraculous ways!

Our day started off in the usual way with half of us painting, and half of us heading to the houses to help with the kids. The painters are making a lot of progress on the chapel, and they worked really hard today because clouds and rain are in the forecast. The girls in the houses had tons of fun loving on the kids and helping them with daily tasks. These tasks may include feeding, playing, bathing, and helping put them to bed.

We ate a quick lunch and then headed to the mall to buy some blankets and souvenirs. It was a fun but quick afternoon because we had to get back in time to lead chapel.

Chapel was an amazing experience for everyone involved. Our group decided to lead chapel for the housemothers, maintenance men, and other volunteers. Our focus for the chapel was based on John 13:1-5, where Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. We also talked about serving. We expressed how grateful we are for the care and love they give to the children at Beautiful Gate. We then went on to wash their feet, and paint the housemothers’ nails. They loved it so much and had the biggest smiles on their faces! We took turns singing to each other, and it was beautiful to hear them harmonize!

While this was all happening, Ntate Bryan walked in with a new little baby in his arms. It was such a blessing to be able to welcome the newest member of Beautiful Gate during chapel! This precious little girl is 4 pounds, 30 days old, and is so special in the eyes of God. Please keep her in your prayers as she adjusts to this new place!

Another exciting moment of our day was the surprise visit of Ray Haakonsen. This is the man that started Beautiful Gate Orphanage. During family time, he shared his amazing journey of how this orphanage came to be. His words tonight encouraged us as daughters of Christ, and we were reminded that God can work through anyone that he chooses. We are lucky to have him stay at the maroon house with us until Sunday!

Today was another wonderful day and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for us tomorrow and throughout the rest of the trip!

(The Slenk Twins)

Tuesday Recap

Once again God took the scales off our eyes and reminded us of the poverty that is so prevalent in Lesotho. As we drove to the Good Shepherd Center that houses and educates teen moms and their babies, the reality of shoeless children, tin houses, and garbage infested waters–things that aren’t daily worries back in Michigan–hit us hard.

Then we arrived at Good Shepherd.

Sitting face to face with a group of gorgeous, dedicated mothers, we quickly realized that they themselves are just like us. Despite geographical, racial, and circumstantial differences, we share the same core and, more importantly, the same Lord. The girls shared stories of how God led them to this place along with their initial feelings of shame and embarrassment that came with becoming pregnant while in high school. We saw how God has knit people into their lives to make Himself known to them. His love for them is the same exact love He has for us; He plans our lives with the same intentionality as He does theirs. As we swapped stories, we were reminded of these great truths that are the same no matter what continent you find yourself on.

After the sharing of stories and breaking of hearts, they led us over to the school room where we got to meet their beautiful children. It was a blessing to see how immensely proud they were of their little sons and daughters, and how loved and cared for these children truly are. We brought them outside and for the next half hour or so, the only sound in the air was laughter. Because of the Good Shepherd Center, the lives of these children and their mothers look so different than what they would without that miraculous community.

The kids returned to the classrooms, and we went on a tour of the center, in awe of what God has done to bring all the pieces together and make it a place of safety and belonging for so many. We walked out to the land that will one day, God willing, host many more students from 15 different villages; land that has been prayed over for years. We thanked God for the ways He always works things together for good. Returning to the campus, we laughed and danced with the mothers as though they were one of us–because they were. They sang in their language for us and attempted to teach us how to dance the way they do (we weren’t too successful–they learned our dances with the natural ability we lacked). What followed was a hard goodbye with girls we had come to love.

There is injustice, inequality, HIV, homelessness, poverty.
But there is hope. There is joy, contagious joy that emanates from the faces of the children and their loving mothers. God is here: in both the beauty of the mountains and the faces of the impoverished.

(written by Sarah Kemink)

pictures

Work Day #1

Hello family, friends, and fellow lovers of Beautiful Gate!

Last night, we had our first Family Time in Maroon House. To begin, we sang a few songs led by Terp and Tyler (aka The Gray Hat Band due to the fact that they both actively sport matching gray hats). Then, we each gave our highlight of our first day, and Terp shared with us our devotional from John 1:1-5. She talked about each of us being image bearers of Christ in everything that we do, and she encouraged us to remember that the people around us are image bearers themselves.

Now as I write this, we have officially made it to day two! This morning, we woke up to frost on the ground as we began our first work day. Half us started re-painting the chapel, and the other half spent the morning helping out in the different babies’ houses.

Those of us who painted have made a lot of progress. There is paint on all of the trim and awning sections of the chapel, and there may or may not be some paint on clothes and in hair as well. We’ll continue to progress into the afternoon. Terp has established a competition between the two groups: whichever group finishes their half first gets a prize. With this kind of incentive, there’s no doubt the chapel will be finished by the end of the week!

The other half of our team started the day with the kids. We’re kept busy singing with the kids, teaching English and Sesotho, feeding, and cleaning alongside of the wonderful house mothers and volunteers. We also get a lot of time outside playing with the kids on the playground. Tomorrow, our painters will switch with the girls in the Baby Houses, so we each get some time on both activities.

It has been such a blessing to see the various ways that God has clearly worked in and through Beautiful Gate. Even though it started with a young couple inviting seven orphans into their home, it has grown into an orphanage with the potential to serve seventy five kids. Clearly, God continues to equip this organization for bigger and better things. His presence is so evident here, from the joy in the kids to the love from the staff. He is using Beautiful Gate for great things in Lesotho; I know we are all growing from that each and every day.

Once again, thank you so much for your love, support, and most importantly, your prayers. We love you!

-HCHS Beautiful Gate Team 2015

P.S. – New announcement! While I’ve been writing, two siblings have arrived at Beautiful Gate, a girl and a boy. We look forward to getting to know them, but we appreciate any prayers for a good adjustment from a difficult situation. Thank you!

(Written by Sarah V)

Hello Africa!

Greetings to family, friends, and fellow lovers of Beautiful Gate!

As some of you might have heard, traveling did not go completely as planned…but then again how can you expect to make it all the way to Africa without a few bumps in the road?

Despite passports almost not being accepted, luggage being lost, carry-ons not being allowed on the plane, and vans not showing up until hours later than we expected, we made it here safe and sound thanks to God’s guidance.

In all reality, though, travel went quite smoothly and we had a great time hanging out together, forming the basis of some inside jokes for the rest of the trip, trying new Swiss food during our dinners in the middle of the night, talking about how much we love the movie This Means War, and trying to sleep on a freezing plane. We were tired but so excited to see Zurich, and especially beautiful Africa!

During our 12-hour layover in Zurich, we were able to go on an amazing tour of the city which included a coach bus ride around the city (with several stops along the way to take loads of photos), a ferry ride across Lake Zurich (in which we drove the bus right onto the ferry), and a cable car ride up a small mountain…or large hill?….in which they packed all 19 of us, plus 3 other people, into a tiny cable car the size of a small bathroom. The view at the top was spectacular, and I’m sure you’ll see plenty of photos soon!

Thankfully, we were able to get 19 people through a shower in one hotel room to wash away the affects of the Swiss heat. Then it was back on the plane for another 11-hour overnight ride to Johannesburg!

We got all of our luggage — which probably made up about 95% of all the luggage on the plane (minus Verkaik’s carry-on) — and piled into a very large van. We showed up at the car rental place after 4ish hours of driving only to find that ti had closed and they had no vans! Next came 2 hours of a snack-potluck-circle in the middle of the local airport parking lot while we waited for the vans to come…which they thankfully did!

Finally we were on the way to Beautiful Gate! After getting our passports stamped and driving on the wrong side of the road with the driver on the wrong side of the car, we finally arrived! All of the volunteers at Beautiful Gate came out to greet us and we were surprised with an amazing steak dinner. We all just wanted to see the kids, but that would have to wait until the next day.

This morning we went to church all bundled up and praised the Lord with Besotho people. Grace Boersma helped lead singing (all songs we were familiar with, except for one: Jabulani, Jabulani, Africa!, our new favorite). The people are all so very kind and welcoming! The drive to church also gave us a chance to see Lesotho in the light, as did the tour of the neighborhood that Terp took us on after church. It’s amazing and it really gives you a lot of perspective of how good we have it in America and how blessed we really are. The area surrounding Beautiful Gate is considered middle class, and yet it was mainly tiny brick houses or shacks made of sheet metal. It was an amazing reminder of how much we take for granted back home in the US.

Next came a tour of Beautiful Gate, and finally, the moment we were all waiting for….time to play with the kids!!!! It was by FAR our favorite memory so far, and we are so excited that we get an entire week of playing and loving on these beautiful children.

They came running towards us with open arms and smiling faces, and with hearts wide open.

That’s how we want to embrace this trip: welcoming arms, smiling faces, and open hearts. We are so blessed to be on this trip and we can’t wait to see what God does and how He uses us in the days to come. Thank you for your prayers and support! We love you!

-HCHS Beautiful Gate Team 2015

(written by Hannah)