Lesotho
Kingdom of Lesotho
Africa
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 30,355 sq km
A mountainous country completely surrounded by South Africa. Only 10% is arable.
Population: 2,084,182 Annual Growth: 0.88%
Capital: Maseru
Urbanites: 26.9%
HDI Rank: 156 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Official language: Sesotho, English Languages: 6 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian
| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 1,861,383 | 89.31 | 0.9 |
| Evangelicals | 253,040 | 12.1 | 2.7 |
Challenges for Prayer
The mountain population of 600,000 are among the poorest and most vulnerable. Nominally Christian, they have little contact with the life-giving gospel. Lesotho’s churches are beginning to wake up to this challenge. Operation UP, an indigenous agency, is committed to reaching every family in the mountains and planting 50 evangelical churches in the next five years. Other agencies include AIM, Joy to the World,YWAM, Fill the Gap Ministries, the Full Gospel Church and Global Evangelism Ministries. Many villages are accessible only on horseback, others by MAF plane. Pray for fruitful and sustainable ministry that yields thriving churches.
Christian support ministries:
a) MAF has a unique and vital role in this land of high mountains and few roads. MAF planes operate on 26 landing strips with 17 full-time workers and 6 aircraft. They provide support for Christian workers and a fly-in doctor service. Pray for these pilots, their families/support teams and for their safety.
b) Youth work. Scripture Union is active in sharing God’s Word with young people, especially through school groups.
c) Christian literature in Sesotho (the mother tongue for most) is in short supply. Operation UP and others are working on addressing this shortage by translating materials from English.
d) Christian radio has had a strong and positive impact in the lowlands. Harvest FM, Catholic Radio, Jesu ke Karabo FM, Mo-African FM and KEL Radio. These stations are instrumental in reaching even non-churchgoers. Pray that they will be used for spiritual rather than political purposes. TWR broadcasts daily in English.
For an additional 4 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Lesotho.
http://www.operationworld.org/leso