Lesotho

After a fantastic visit to Zimbabwe we headed to Johannesburg for a brief two day stay.  We lodged at a backpacker hostel in Soweto and found ourselves in the midst of a neighborhood of history.  Soweto was formed around 1900 as a racially segregated township for the black working force and later became home to many blacks who were forced to leave their homes, as a part of the Apartheid’s forced removal law.  In 1976, police opened fire on students protesting against Afrikaanas as the official language for education.  Hundreds of students were killed.  However, several anti-Apartheid activists came from Soweto, including Nelson Mandela, is now home to Desmund Tutu and today its residents see their township as a beacon of hope for others who resist injustice.  An excellent way to see Soweto is via bicycle which is exactly what we did, along with others and a Soweto native who gave us a great history lesson.  We also squeezed in a visit to the Apartheid Museum and were blown away by the widespread injustice and violence of Apartheid, but also moved by the courage of the resistance movement captured in the story of Nelson Mandella.  

From Johannesburg we headed south to the mountainous country of Lesotho.  Lesotho is an island country in that it is surrounded, on all sides, by the country of South Africa.  The Basotho found refuge in the mountains during war and continued their herding way of life in the mountains.  Lesotho is a gorgeous country with majestic peaks, green valleys, and of course beautiful people.  We spent a few days hiking at Malealea Lodge, a day in Morija visiting the birthplace of the Evangelical Church of Lesotho, another day driving through the mountains to view Mohale Dam and a final two days with the Dimmock family in the capital city of Maseru.  The Dimmocks are PC(USA) mission co-workers who have lived in Southern Africa for over twenty years, some in Lesotho and some in Malawi.  Frank works throughout several countries as the Africa Health Liaison while Nancy works closely with orphans and adoption in Lesotho.  Lesotho has the highest percentage of orphans in the world and has the third highest HIV infection rate.  These statistics became real when Nancy took us to the MIS Orphanage.  We were taken aback at the number of orphans in just one orphanage, not to mention the other orphanages in Lesotho.  We are grateful for our time with the Dimmocks and the experience and wisdom they imparted to us, the delicious home cooked food we shared and their Christ-like hospitality.  We hope to back someday to visit again.

At Malealea with the Dimmocks

Panoramic view at Malealea

Hiking in Malealea

Herd boys in Lesotho

A typical mountain village in Lesotho

Evangelical Church of Lesotho in Morija

The guest house in Morija

MIS Orphanage in Maseru

MIS Orphanage (I didn't even plan on putting the cross in the background)

MIS Orphanage

Mohale Dam

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