DerekTGreen.com

Day 5. Action.

Morning started really early. Matt and I got breakfast at 7:30 and were out the hotel doors at 8. Jennifer and Teresa had a meeting at the UN Building at 8:30. I was about to get in the car when I guy walking by got my attention and said, "Hey, you've got a flat tire." I walked around and sure enough...flat tire. I announced the situation and we changed cars. Matt and I dropped the ladies off at the UN and headed back to the hotel to figure out the tire situation. After pondering for a minute we checked on the spare and it was a full spare. We had a short amount of time before we needed to get everyone to our next meeting...so we passed on calling Avis (Chances of them having a tire for a Chevy would be rare, multiple people were really surprised that Lesotho had even one Chevy) and just put the full spare on the car...Hoping that we would only need the one spare.

Headed back into the hotel, the rest of the team was up and ready. We loaded up into the cars, picked up Jennifer and Teresa, and drove back to Beautiful Gate. For Matt and I this would be our last chance to get what pictures or video we would need for the week. We spent time getting pictures of the preschool, campus, and skills training operation. We also were able to enjoy a little tea time mid day. I love tea time. The last thing we got were interviews of the ladies that were doing the skills training.

Matt and I wrapped up pretty quick after the interviews because we had a meeting to get Jennifer and Sonya to. LCCU - Lesotho Child Counseling Unit. They do some good stuff. They aren't big, but they are on the cutting edge of caring for sexually abused children. It was a 20 minute drive. While the ladies were in their meeting Matt and I were walking around getting footage of the building, kids, and landscape. While taking pictures we noticed a procession in the middle of a town just below where we were. Later learning that it was for a young girl that had died of HIV. As the procession walked through the middle of their town they were singing hymns. It was...idk...it was real.

The ladies had a great meeting with the leaders of LCCU. A valuable relationship was made. We then headed back to Beautiful Gate to get the rest of the ladies...then it was a rush to get to the hotel for two more meetings.

The rest of the day was dinner meetings with influential locals, backing up files in "Command Central", video diaries, and the nightly team meeting.

Anther crazy day that the Lord had made.

Day 5.

Surprise & Learning.

Today was a whole lot of fun. Started with breakfast at the hotel resuraunt. Coffee, bottled water, and some pastries.

After breakfast the team loaded up into the cars and we hit the left side of the road for Beautiful Gate. When we arrived we were told that the kids and teachers wanted to put on a little welcoming show for us. Being the photographer I got pretty excited about this. All the kids coming to once place?! Perfect! And it really was. The kids were lined up and walked into the room. I got some great shots. What a good way to start the trip. Yes...it took four days to get my camera rolling...but if we could keep this pace up I would be happy.

After the show...which was a whole lot of fun...we were given a tour of the facilities. I took some basic landscape shots and saw the operation. They have a really good thing going on at Beautiful Gate. I was very impressed. It professional and it reminded me a lot of Danita's Children. Its a smaller operation...but just as nice. The potential is great. As we were walking around we got to see a birthday party! It was a perfect little photo opp. It was a long table outside and it had 15 or so little chairs around. Sue was telling us that they try to make birthdays special for the kids. Watching these little kids stuff chunks of birthday cake in their faces was priceless.

After the birthday party we saw where the babies slept. My heart broke a little. I met a little boy that was only 3 months old. My daughter, Mary-Kate, is 4 months old. I could have held that little guy all day. I got a good picture of him and Sue. These kids were really being care for.

After seeing the whole campus, which has 8+ buildings on it, I was blown away. What a great place this was.

Next was meeting time. Matt and I met with Ray on what media goals we had for the week. Our first priority would be to get the brochure finished and we were also hoping to get a video produced and edited before leaving on Monday. We had our goals in place.

Let me back track a little. While we were on the tour the construction director, Allen (Volunteer from Australia), came up and said that we might have a chance to get some aerial shots of the Beautiful Gate campus. He asked if we would be interested. We of course said yes! Now, during our media meeting Allen comes in and says that the plane is ready to go.

Let me give you a few more details. Ray had been trying to get an aerial shot of the campus for more than two years now. TWO YEARS! He said that every time they had the right equipment the plane wasn't available. The plane and piolet is from a ministry that flies supplies to missionaries in the mountains. The reason the plane was available today was because the mountains were covered in clouds. So. A miricle happened. Matt and I were there with good camera gear, the plane was ready, and the mountians were covered in clouds...miricle. And. Had the oporutinity come up any other time during the week Matt and I probably wouldn't have been available. Miricle people. God had this thing planned out and I was super excited to be right in the middle of it.

So Allen comes in and says that the plane is ready to go. Me, Matt, and Allen jump in his truck and head for the little airstrip down the road. We met the piolet (Christian) and told him what we were trying to do. He was nice enough to unscrew the passenger window so I would be able to stick my camera out. We loaded up and off we went. I was airborn over Maseru, Lesotho. NEVER would have thought I would get to do that. NEVER. What a beautiful country. The view was stunning. And I got some great shots of the BG Campus. It was some on site training. I've never shot aerial shots...so I was a bit nervous. I didn't have a chance to look up pointers or anything. The pictures turned out great though. It was a whole lot of fun sticking my head out the side of the plane with my camera around my neck. Shoot. That was fun. It might turn out to be the highlight of the trip. The flight was only 20 minutes long, so I was really busy the whole 20 minutes.

After touching down and chatting with the piolet a little more we headed back to Beautiful Gate. Ray was really excited to get my pictures.

The team got together and we hit the road. Next up. Bana Project.

A connection had been made with a guy from Oklahoma City that had a feeding project in Lesotho. Crazy eh? So we pursued the connection and He led us out to see what they were doing. What they were doing was pretty cool. He had built a building and planted crops around it. This little operation was feeding houndreds every day. The team was able to see the operation and meet the ladies that were running it. This place was a little ways out from town and man...talk about a beautiful country. Over an hour or so kids began to show up for dinner. The team helped serve dinner.

As dinner was being served I was walking around taking pictures of the kids and their food. No forks or spoons btw. Just your fingers. Which was normal. So I was walking around when I noticed pastor Sonya sit with a older woman and begin to weep. I couldn't understand what was going on, but I knew this was something I should take pictures of. Even though I didn't know what was going on...it was touching. It wasn't until I was driving away with Sonya and Barb in my car that I was told the whole story.

I don't remember all the details, but I remember the main points. Sonya had a dream. She had been struggling with traveling without her family and leaving her support at home. In this dream God showed Sonya a lady that was praying for her. He not only showed her the lady, but gave her name. When she woke up she thought that the name was just something she had made up...well...it wasn't. This older lady sitting on the ground outside the mission building was that lady. When Sonya asked her what her name was...it was the name in her dream. Sonya broke down a little and the lady told her that she had been praying for her. She also told Sonya not to cry as she was hugging her.

Amazing? This was day one! And it set the tone. Crazy amazing would be the tone of this trip.

We headed back to the hotel where we had dinner and then a team meeting.

After the meeting Matt and I began running "Command Central". Thats was we were calling our little network of computers and cameras. I was running a 24inch wide screen on a Mac Mini and Matt was running his MacPro. We were using every outlet in the room. It was crazy. All the lamps were unplugged. We backed up our photos and videos not once...but twice...and called it a night. Tomorrow would be an early morning...and we were still fighting jet lag. Maseru is eight hours ahead from our normal Central Time Zone.

Day 4. Complete.

Rest & More Travel.

Woke up, packed up, and headed back to the airport. Well. Before heading to the airport Matt and I got some room service for breakfast. This would be the nicest place we would see for a little while. Ate a quick breakfast and out we went. It was really convenient that the hotel was across the street from the airport. 

Tickets in hand and the team was off for Maseru, Lesotho Africa.

What was supposed to be a simple day of travel ended up being a little more complicated than that. Jennifer and Gaye didn't make the first flight...

When I arrived in Maseru International Airport...I was surprised by how small it was. One airstrip. The little plane that we were on was probably the largest that could land there. After getting through customs and having my bags sniffed by a yellow lab...we had officially arrived. Walking out of the baggage claim area I met Ray and Sue for the first time. Ray and Sue started Beautiful Gate. Beautiful Gate is a multi purpose facility. They provide a preschool for local children, a home for orphans, care for abused children, and skills training for locals. After meeting Ray and Sue the team loaded up in the two rental cars and hit the road for the hotel which was about 30 min into town.

Driving. Matt and I were the designated drivers for the trip. Driving was quite an adventure. Its British style. You drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car.

The rest of the day was settling into the hotel and picking up Jennifer and Sue on the next flight. On the ride home from the second airport trip we stopped at Beautiful Gate. What a place. It really was...beautiful.

Day 3. Over.

At the end of the day I was starting to worry that my camera was getting lonely...but that would change very soon.

Leaving Again.

Lesotho Africa - Day 1-2

Today began with an unpacked suitcase. Thanks to Erica's help...Two hours later all my clothes and snacks had been packed for a final weight of 47lbs. At 10 this morning I said bye to my ladies...this trip was harder to leave. I only had two weeks with them between trips. God made these trips happen though. I'm excited to be in His will.

This is the first post for this trip. I could tell you all the details of the airport...but it wouldn't be much new. We went from one plane to another. The longest being the 15 hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg, South Africa. I could also tell you about the kids that cried forever. But you've heard that story too.

The Team: Matthew (Creative Director), Jennifer (Team Leader and Victory Pastor), Sonya (Victory Pastor), Barb (Victory Pastor and Business Director), Teresa (Entrepreneur), Gaye (Researcher), Me (Photographer)

Day 1 & 2 = Travel