"Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand..." Joshua 6:1-2a
Mr. Lehlomela has been a lay pastor with HIM's churches in Lesotho for a number of years. He is also a heavy equipment operator with experience in blasting, finding work at mines, road construction, and other large projects. Currently a huge dam called the Polihali (pronounced "poo-dee-ha-dee") Dam is being built in the high mountains of Lesotho. It is paid by South Africa to supply water for the huge metropolis of Johannesburg/Pretoria. It includes the dam, a hydro-electric project, twenty-some miles of tunnel to carry water under the mountains, hundreds of miles of highway and dirt road, bridges, and the resettlement of many families whose homes will be inundated by the reservoir. Mr. Lehlomela is employed by the project running a drilling rig that drills holes for dynamite.
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| Mr. Lehlomela |
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| Polihali Dam Site |
Mr. Lehlomela lives in a work camp that has constant security. The entrance is controlled by automatic gates that use facial recognition to allow workers in and out, and there are also security guards everywhere. Within this particular camp are more than a thousand workers.
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| The Work Camp |
Mr. Lehlomela and our church have been deeply concerned about the spiritual welfare of the souls in this camp. He has been doing what he could to reach his co-workers with the Gospel but has often been discouraged. Rev. Kali (HIM's leader in Lesotho) asked him several times if there was any way for him to come to the camp to help out. But, no, the camp was securely shut up, reminding us a bit of Jericho in the Bible.
In God's providence "Uncle Albert," the father of one of our close friends "happens" to be in the top management of this huge project. Over the last year, God has laid a heavy burden on him for the souls of the thousands of people in the different work camps related to this project. Around Easter this year, he called us to see if there was any way we could work together to reach these people with the Good News. In spite of snow and icy roads, Pastor Kali and I visited him at the site in May this year.
We were AMAZED at the way God began opening doors. Because of his management position and company vehicle, Uncle Albert could go anywhere on the project. Suddenly the security gates, fences, and guards were no longer an obstacle. We were introduced to managers, local chiefs, and other key people. Mr. Lehlomela was able to join Uncle Albert, Pastor Kali and I for supper at Uncle Albert's house one evening. He connected us to a prayer group within the work camp that management knew nothing about. We told management about the prayer group, and the HR department and prayer group worked together until we were invited to preach in this previously "securely shut up" work camp last Sunday.
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| Pastor Kali preaching in the gym. Note the dumbbells made from rebar and cast concrete! |
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| Discussion groups: Preparing hearts to receive God's Word |
Pastor Kali preached from Isaiah 62:10 about preparing a highway for other people to seek the Lord by clearing the sin out of our own lives. The Holy Spirit worked in a powerful way, and it was touching to see this group of men seeking the Lord and begging Him to help them live holy lives.
We are making plans to go back in October for a weekend of meetings both in the work camp and a local village. Before we left to come home Monday morning, God connected us to a young lady in an important position who assured us of her department's support and continued access to the work camp.
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| Sunday afternoon Bible study with a local chief. He invited us to hold a tent meeting in his village next month. |
We are amazed at what God is doing to bring lost souls into his Kingdom, and we are humbled and honored to be a part of the work! Please pray for us! Without Him we can do nothing!
