Veritable globetrotters

Escort on horseback

When District Apostle John L. Kriel from South Africa visited the congregation of Kolonyama, he was welcomed by the rector, the local chief, and herdsmen on horseback, who escorted him to the village. The area is very remote and the members are spread over a wide area so that the rector travels to them on horseback. The District Apostle was presented with a Basotho hat as part of a traditional welcome. The design of this straw hat is said to have been inspired by the conical Mount Qiloane. It is a national symbol of the Basotho and Lesotho peoples, and is found on the national flag of Lesotho. The divine service, to which the members from Masaru and Ladybrand had also been invited, was attended by 180 people. The District Apostle served in English. His sermon was interpreted into Sesotho, the second official language of the independent kingdom of Lesotho.

Political tensions

With the continuing crisis in Venezuela, it has not been possible for Apostles from the USA to visit the members there—particularly when they are in urgent need of comfort and encouragement. The economic hardship and political unrest is making life more and more difficult for them. In addition to all this, their beloved Apostle Félix Manuel Díaz Salazar passed away suddenly last year. But District Apostle Raúl Eduardo Montes de Oca from Brazil, who is able to travel to Venezuela, agreed to visit some of the congregations and provide pastoral care. He conducted seven divine services and ministered to more than three thousand members. District Apostle Montes de Oca reports that despite all the hardship, the people are joyful and are managing to endure with God’s help.

Power outage before divine service

This was the situation District Apostle Rainer Storck (Germany) encountered on his first trip to Senegal to visit one of his new working areas. Nearly 1,400 people were waiting in Kolda for the service to begin. Many of the members were sitting outside the church building. Twenty minutes before the service there was a power failure, which would have affected the public address system. Those in charge organised a generator, which they hauled to the church over a distance of 400 metres. They managed to get it running just a few minutes before the service started. No wonder that the District Apostle advised the members during the divine service to always remain optimistic and never give up.