A War Between Kingdoms

When we told people we were going to Lesotho, the common response was, “Where?”

Lesotho is a small, mountainous country in southern Africa, entirely surrounded by South Africa. Known as "The Mountain Kingdom" for its high plateaus and snowy winters—a rarity in Africa—Lesotho was founded under King Moshoeshoe I in 1822. Remarkably, one of his descendants still sits as king today.

But quietly, word of a different kind of Kingdom has been spreading—the Kingdom of God. People from all walks of life—government officials, educators, athletes, clergy, and even those once living on the streets—are coming together to discuss how this Kingdom can take root in their nation.

This movement is what brought us to Lesotho. We were humbled and inspired as we listened to stories of brothers and sisters in Christ, each passionate about sharing the love of Jesus by any means possible. Among them were government workers, teachers, journalists, Olympic federation officials, military personnel, coaches, and even a man who, after living on the streets, became a Christian and went on to represent Lesotho as an Olympic athlete.

They invited us because they believe soccer—or football—can be a powerful catalyst for spreading the Gospel across their nation.

On our first day, we learned that the Lesotho National Broadcasting Service wanted to interview us about our visit. We were encouraged to boldly proclaim the Gospel and invite people to join us. So we did. Through the broadcast, we invited viewers to join us in sharing the love of Jesus and the message of His Kingdom using football to gather communities together.

The following day, people from across the country came. We worshiped God together and prayed for guidance. Over the next week, we engaged in meaningful discussions about how football could serve as a tool to spread the Gospel throughout Lesotho.

We partnered with church leaders to develop sports programs that engage youth with the Gospel, collaborated with the leadership of the Lesotho Sport Commission—many of whom are believers—to explore how their influence could be used to advance God's Kingdom, and met with believers from diverse backgrounds to strategize how they could share the Gospel within their own spheres of influence.

I am continually humbled by how God is establishing His Kingdom through His people all over the world. Please join us in praying for the believers in Lesotho as they faithfully pursue the Great Commission, using every opportunity—including the game of football—to bring the hope of Jesus to their nation.