Training Up Leaders in Africa
November 2018
“‘You yourselves know how I lived among you… I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable… I know that not many of you will see my face again… Now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up.’ He prayed with them and there was much weeping on the part of all.”
- Our farewell address to Lesotho, 8/26/18
Adapted from Acts 20:18-36
Greetings from America!
Hello from the St.Clairs! Our work in Lesotho is complete and our family’s transition is underway. We are currently in Aiken, South Carolina, enjoying time with family and being back at Abby’s home church of Millbrook. In this letter, we want to update you on our life and ministry plans.
Saying Goodbye
The month of August was a difficult one for us. We had to say goodbye to the people who have been our family and the place which has been our home for the past five years. It’s a funny thing to have to pack up everything you own into suitcases and sell everything else that doesn’t fit. Abby did a fantastic job organizing our transition and finding people to buy all that we had to leave behind. But it’s only so difficult to leave material things; the real difficulty is leaving our people. We recognize that the tremendous distance and cost of travel between our home country and Lesotho means that we will not be returning here again very often in our lifetime. This made our goodbyes very bittersweet. On our last Saturday in Mokhotlong, the church arranged a lovely farewell service for us. They thanked us for our ministry amongst them and we thanked them for welcoming us into their lives the way they did. The most special thing to me was seeing between 20 and 40 representatives of the TEE program - those pastors I taught, the leaders I worked with, and the students that my students are teaching now. Altogether, six generations of TEE students were represented that day. It was further evidence to us that our role in TEE Lesotho is finished and the local leaders are capable of carrying the work forward. As we expected, the goodbyes were very difficult for the kids, but they made it through and are handling the transition very well. One thing that gave them some hope as we left was that we will be welcoming our Basotho family to America this Christmas! Our pastor, Ntsimane, will be coming to visit us for a month with his wife and two kids. We are so thrilled that their visas were approved and can’t wait to show them around our homes and introduce them to our sending churches in December/January. We have loved our life in Lesotho and we know that this land will always have a special place in our hearts.
When we arrived…
…we started our time at home by going on a cruise with my parents. For most of our time in Lesotho, my parents were occupied caring for my grandmother, so we didn’t have many opportunities for family time with them. Our trip through the islands was a very relaxing time to share together. These first months have been very busy as we traveled to see our families spread around South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama, but now we have time to sit still and catch up on life at home. I’m also excited for the chance to preach at Millbrook! I’ll be sharing a 3-week series on “Finding Your Place in God’s Plan” starting November 18, and I’ll also be singing in the Christmas program December 1 & 2.
Our preparation for Spain...
…is also underway. Pastor Pedro has told me that our visas are pre-approved and we should have those finalized within a month or so. I’ve started working through some French and Arabic language lessons; Abby’s getting the kids familiar with some basic Spanish. Even little Sadie has a few phrases tucked away already! We have been working with our AIM administrators to finalize our budget for living in Spain. Obviously, it will cost us more to live in Europe than it did in Africa, but we trust that the Lord will bring in the finances we need, as he has so clearly led us to accept this assignment. Those final numbers are still coming in, but we are expecting to need to raise around $1,000 per month more. Some of that has already been committed from our current partners. We would especially like to get in touch with some new contacts. If you know of anyone interested in partnering with us or any organizations interested in contributing to the refugee resettlement efforts in Europe, please give them our contact details so we can provide information on the needs. We will also be hosting an open reception for our support team on November 18 in the Atrium at Millbrook Baptist Church from 2:30-4:00 PM. Anyone is welcome to come and join us as we share about our work in Lesotho and in Spain. Please get in touch with us if you need directions to this event.
Thank you to all of you…
… who have been praying for us. Abby is doing well with the baby and this pregnancy has not been as hard on her health as the last ones. We are also very relieved to be able to deliver little Rose here in the States with our families nearby, good medical care, and no visa issues to deal with! She is due January 22 and then we plan to move to Spain after her passport and paperwork are settled. We hope to be able to catch up with as many of you as possible during these next five months or so. Many thanks for your involvement and your faithful support of our ministry.
- Jonathan, Abby, Kyle, Ellee, & Sadie Kate St.Clair
