God said to go into the world and preach the gospel. So, God called us, NewLife Church, to go to Daliwe in Lesotho where the Baphuti people know about Jesus but don't all have a real relationship with the Lord. Without the Word in their language, it is hard to grow. We all need the Word of God.

This is why Wycliffe SA has been working with the Baphuthi people to translate the Bible into their heart language. Sections of Scripture have been recorded and loaded onto audio Bible devices, ready for distribution. With this in place, a team from Wycliffe and NewLife was able to bring the Good News to the Baphuti in their mother tongue, Siphuthi.

Many Baphuthi are in the south of Lesotho and from what we could see they are a forgotten people, their roads are treacherous, tucked into the mountains and their livelihoods are made up of simple but effective farming. Traveling by car is not simple due to the roads and most of the locals travel by horse. They are proud of their heritage and friendly to all who visit. But the Baphuti are still on a quest to have their language recognized as an official language in Lesotho. For some, this has been their life mission. We praise the Lord that the Word of God being translated into Siphuthi the way has also been opened for these people to finally have their language recognised as an official language in Lesotho.

“The Lord gave me a word for the trip and it was, "I, the Lord, see the Baphuti". We know that God has them on His mind and He cares about them.”

– Pieter Pienaar

For the members of NewLife Church the mission trip was both rewarding and inspiring. We were encouraged by the hospitality of the Baphuthi people and sensed their hunger to know more about the Word of God. It was especially encouraging to see how enthusiastic the children were to receive the Word.

They are the generation to take the Gospel forward and be the change agents of the future for the Kingdom of God. There were some valuable lessons learnt on this trip with regards to submitting to God’s agenda and working with that which God has placed in our hands. We give glory to God, for His protection over the team, for His guidance and for knowing that His Word never returns void.

We praise the Lord and are so grateful to be part of this specific work. We met so many special people that we are praying for and trusting that the Lord God would use them for His great plans and purpose in this little town of Daliwe.

Jeremiah 29:11 is my (Pieter’s) prayer for the people of Daliwe:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

As they find their identity in Christ, we believe that they will become an influential people group within Lesotho and we are expecting great testimonies from the community.

By Gary Baxter and Pieter & Melanie Pienaar