The Economic State of Lesotho
Lesotho, officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a small country landlocked by South Africa. This country of only 11,583 square miles is home to about 2 million people called Basotho. The economy of Lesotho is based on agriculture, livestock, manufacturing, and mining. The largest corporate employers are the garment factories. A typical factory worker, working long hours, brings home about $150 US dollars per month. This is considered a good job for many Basotho. They come from mountain villages to work and support their children and multiple family members back home. The poor economic conditions bring many challenges.
Big Challenge
One of the biggest challenges for missionaries in developing countries is the lack of local money. The high poverty rate makes growing a long-term ministry very difficult. These economic conditions become huge mountains through which the ministry must navigate.
Many times the local village church tithes are less than $10 per month. Most pastors do not get any financial support from the church and must find work elsewhere to provide for their families.
The lack of local funding puts much of the financial burden on the missionaries, and the ministry tends to be built on funds from outside the country. You ask, “Is this the way it should be?” No, but this is the reality in most developing countries.
The Solution
On August 6, 2019, we broke ground on the first rental home for the Eternal Foundations Building Project. It has been said the journey of a thousand miles begins with the very first step. Today, as we see the project’s progression, we are grateful to have taken that first step.
The plan of Phase I was to build a church tabernacle and two rental homes to provide funding for the mission work in Lesotho. God has provided in so many ways on this project!
We have now built two of the three buildings, and the Lord willing, we plan on finishing the final home in 2024. The foundation is laid for this second rental, and we look forward to its completion this year. Will you join us in building a solid, financial foundation in Lesotho? This is an investment in God’s kingdom that will last for eternity.