November 2018 Newsletter

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

jastclair@aimint.org

June 2018 Newsletter

“Our first meeting with Butha-Buthe Lesotho Theological Education by Extension was soulsoothing yesterday and we were more than happy to welcome new people who enrolled and who wanted to study God's Word as they serve HIM at their local churches.”

- Joseph Mpakanyane, TEE Chairman

 A Busy Season 

Greetings once more from Mokhotlong! Winter is nearly here and our coal stove has been lit to keep us warm. The past few months have been incredibly busy for us and the coming months will certainly be just as busy as we finish up our ministry in Lesotho and pack up to move again. Please be in prayer for us during this difficult and emotional time.

New TEE Group Started!

Last month, one of our biggest prayer requests was answered. On Saturday May 5th, we launched a new TEE study group in Butha-Buthe. This has been a goal of mine since we returned for this second assignment in 2016. B-B is the largest town located halfway along the road from Mokhotlong to Maseru. I have always considered it a strategic location for spreading the TEE program and making it more accessible to Basotho pastors in the lowlands. The group has already enrolled somewhere between 12 and 16 students and I will be leading their first conference on July 21st. Please pray that they will be diligent in their book studies and that their lives and ministries will be transformed as they dig into God’s Word for the first time using resources in their own language. I am also making progress through my Sesotho commentary. 1 Timothy is the book I am currently writing on. It will take a lot of work to get through the last 12 books before we leave, but the completed portion (158 pages with appendices) already covers 73% of the content of the New Testament. Although I could complete this task after we leave and email the files to the translator and publisher,  I am praying that the Lord will multiply my time and allow us to finish in spite of our hectic schedule. As always, we offer our best efforts to the Lord and submit them to his sovereign plan and timing.

In two weeks, I will be flying to Spain to help lead a short-term trip of volunteers to Tharsis Betel, the ministry in Jerez that we will be joining next year. We are expecting nearly 50  people to come and serve refugees, lead sports camps, do outreach in nearby cities, work construction on the facilities, and interact with the Spanish church members. Please pray for open doors and effective ministry!

Our Family... 

…is actually on two different continents right now! Abby and the two girls have traveled to the US to attend her sister’s wedding next weekend. Kyle and I are here in Mokhotlong trying to survive the cold and finish up my book before we come to the busy season of packing up, selling, and preparing to move. One highlight of the past months was being able to have my parents here with us for about five weeks. They had been waiting over five years for the chance to come visit us in Lesotho, but were occupied caring for my grandmother until she passed away last August. We had a wonderful time with them here! Dad had the chance to teach multiple times at the church here - some planned, some impromptu. The church happened to be working through a sermon series on the family, so it was perfect to have my dad here to teach on a topic he has preached for nearly 40 years! The people loved his sessions and were very grateful for his ministry. The kids, of course, loved having Grammy and Papa here for over a month. Time with family is really the biggest thing that we miss by living overseas.

When I return from Spain...

…we will begin closing up our life here. Please pray for the kids during this time. This is the only home they have really known in their lifetimes and they are grieving to leave it. And keep Kyle in your prayers as he tries to recover from a badly broken arm.  I will also be preaching one more sermon series at Harvester’s Bible Church in August. I have asked Pastor Ntsimane if I can preach on “A Biblical Theology of Work, Finances, Stewardship, and Giving.” He is very excited about this series and says it touches on a real need for African Christians. I pray that God will use it to powerfully reshape the Basotho believers’ understanding of this topic.

As we leave Lesotho…

…we are making preparations for our next assignment in Spain. I am about 75% finished with my TEFL certification and am working through Rosetta Stone Arabic and French. I have also earned another coaching license through US Soccer and plan to get licensed as a referee in the States. We are working with AIM on a budget for living in Europe and we expect our monthly support needs to increase by maybe $1,000. Those of you who have supported us faithfully over the years continue to keep our current support near 100%. If you know of anyone else who may be interested in partnering with us, please send them or us contact details. We also really need to finalize a buyer for our Land Rover. That needs to be sold before we leave, so that we will be able to buy a car in Spain.

We can’t wait to see you again...

…and hope to catch up with all of you when we return in September. Please keep in touch  and may the Lord bless you richly!

Jonathan, Abby, Kyle, Ellee, & Sadie

jastclair@aimint.org