In the middle of last year, Rosebank Union Church approached us to help them take a group of young people on a missions trip. We helped them with the planning, logistics, training and liaising with the missionary, this is what the youth pastor had to say:-

I don’t know why but it always seems as though God moves in unique ways on missions trips and December 2014 was no exception. On the 6^th of December our group of 40 people (about 25 of them teenagers) packed their bags and headed to Lesotho for 10 days to spend some time with a missionary from Sri Lanka who, along with her late husband, started a ministry organisation in Leribe. This organisation aims to bring hope to the people of Lesotho through practical and spiritual means and have sought to do this through the planting of a church and the running of a local school and hospital. Our primary focus over the course of the week was to run a Holiday Bible Club with the children in the Leribe community.

We had the privilege of sharing God’s love with about 180 kids and it was so incredible to witness the way they responded to love and kindness, something that is unfamiliar to many of them. In the afternoons, we got our hands dirty as we painted the church and fixed leaking roofs. Very few of the teens had ever painted before and so you can imagine where most of the paint ended up (and it wasn’t on the walls). Once the painting was complete, we spent our afternoons visiting homes in the area seeking to build relationships and share the message of Christ with people. This was a mind-blowing and humbling experience for many of the teens and it really forced them out of their comfort zones. One particular group shared how they had arrived at a home to find a lady doing housework. When she saw the group she had a shocked expression on her face and explained to the translator that she had had a dream that a group of young people would come and visit her and help her. The group agreed that they had come to help her and they shared Christ’s love with her. She surrendered her life to Jesus on the spot. This is just one example of the many ways that we saw God do a healing work in the lives of the local people. We also had the privilege of going to visit a missionary couple in Moteng and were moved by the way they had obeyed God’s call to invest their lives in the community with the hope of seeing God’s kingdom advance there. Many teenagers were challenged by the cost of following Jesus and I know it was an important reminder for us all. There is only so much a group can do in 10 days of ministry – it was incredible to be part of God’s work in Lesotho. Another highlight for me was what God did amongst our group. Many teenagers experienced God in fresh ways and I saw God healing broken hearts every day. It is such a privilege to come back with an army of young people who realise the seriousness of the Gospel going out to all nations. This Lesotho trip was a life-changing experience for us all and below are a few testimonies from the teens on their experience…

“This Lesotho Youth Mission was my first missions’ trip. I could really sense a bond and new friendships form after we had a 2 and a half hour prayer session on the Monday night.  Just being so close to nature and God’s creation was a privilege, and there is nothing that beats waking up every morning and just gazing in awe towards the many mountains around the village we stayed in. It was amazing to spend time with the local kids and to speak to villagers about their living conditions, as well as praying for them and repainting the church. It was amazing.” –  Boy, 16

“I struggle with addiction. Before missions I was addicted to a guy or rather the thought of having a relationship. All my attention was focused on this one person – and it wasn’t God. During this missions trip there was time for personal devotion each morning. In those times I fell in love with God! I saw all the beauty in his creation. I rested in Him and found joy. In scripture I saw over and over again how much he loves me – more than I can ever comprehend! All this time I’d been looking for love in all the wrong places when all along I’d been in the greatest love affair ever! I learnt that God loves me more than any guy or – anyone, for that matter – can ever love me.” – Girl, 16

“I gave my life to Jesus 5 months before the trip, but I was still so ashamed of who I was before I became a Christian. I was guilty about the things I had done in my past. This was because I thought God’s forgiveness was similar to how we as sinners ‘forgive’ people. Our forgiveness often means “I’m not angry with you now but I still remember what happened and I can use it against you when I want to”. But on missions God was like no no you’ve got it wrong, I am not like that. When I forgive you, I throw your sins into a sea of forgetfulness, no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it, I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Before missions I felt filthy, like the stains of my sins were too much to be a ‘proper’ Christian. But God showed me that he washed this filth away, and that when he looks at me, he sees his daughter, his success story who has been made pure and clean through his amazing forgiveness. So on missions God healed a lot of wounds that sin provided and I had an amazing experience of what it really means to be forgiven.”  – Girl, 16

“Before I went to Lesotho I was a Christian that was growing further and further away from God by getting involved with the wrong people and doing the wrong things, so when they invited me to go on this trip, God really laid it on my heart that I needed to go. I couldn’t say no. This trip made me hungry for the Lord and made me feel appreciated and loved, in a way I have never felt before. I now enjoy praying and reading the Bible where before I thought of it as a chore, and I now have a deep and meaningful relationship with God.” –  Boy, 15

If you are interested in doing a short term missions trip with a group from your Church or University, please get in contact with us: info@3d-outreach.com or 011 425 4129.

Filed Under: News and Stories
Associated Tags: Lesotho, Mission Trip, Rosebank Union Church, Youth