Beautiful Gate Mission Trip
Who are we going to serve?
We are going to serve those at Beautiful Gate Orphanage. This includes orphan children between the ages of 0-5, dedicated house mothers, and committed staff. We serve by assisting the house mothers with daily chores and the care of children, playing with the children, serving and loving the committed staff, and doing a physical service project like building, painting, or gardening around the orphanage and grounds.
Where is Beautiful Gate?
Beautiful Gate is located in the city of Maseru in the country of Lesotho, which is completely surrounded by South Africa. This is basically a third-world country with a population of approximately 2,305,825. The language spoken in Lesotho is Sesotho.
When are we going?
The dates of our trip are approximately July 20 - Aug. 2, 2023. These may shift slightly one way or the other by a day or two depending on the reservations and travel times we can get on airlines.
Why are we going?
Our team of 14 is going to continue our personal discipleship story by answering a calling to the mission field. We desire to love Jesus and be the hands and feet throughout this world. Jesus loved the orphans and the widows, and we long to follow in His footsteps. 1 Peter 2:21
What is Beautiful Gate all about?
In June of 2001, Beautiful Gate Lesotho was founded by Ray & Sue Haakonsen in response to a critical problem in Lesotho. Initially Beautiful Gate Lesotho opened its doors to 7 children, providing safety and care for abandoned, HIV/AIDS affected, and other vulnerable children. For just over 6 years Beautiful Gate operated within the family of ministries of Youth With a Mission and under the umbrella of Beautiful Gate International. During that time, Beautiful Gate Lesotho developed its own unique identity as an Interdenominational Christian organization. In January of 2008, our board followed the lead of Beautiful Gate Ministries International to fully embrace our new identity separate from Youth With a Mission, and moved into the next season as an independent organization.
In October of 2011, Ray and Sue stepped down as the directors of Beautiful Gate Lesotho and Bryan and Anita Geurink from Michigan, USA, took up the role. They served as co-directors for six years.
In January of 2017, Bryan and Anita handed over the directorship to Peter and Lindiwe Kirstein.
Peter and Lindiwe Kirstein
Since Beautiful Gate Lesotho’s establishment in June 2001, we have...
Cared for over 580 children, primarily aged 0-5 years, who have been abandoned, neglected and/or orphaned.
Seen over 400 children adopted locally or internationally, or reunited with a biological family member.
Sadly had 44 children pass away while under our care, mainly due to AIDS related illnesses.
Before June 2007, we were only able to accommodate 25 children at any given time due to limited space. After the completion of our current campus in 2007, we can now accommodate up to 75 children, and typically have over 65 children at any given time.
The care centre is comprised of...
5 Children's Homes
A Play Therapy Centre
A Medical Clinic
A Chapel
A Preschool
Administration Buildings
Maintenance Buildings
Volunteer Housing, both short-term and long-term
A Memorial Wall to honor the lives of the children that have passed away
Our operational costs and practical needs are mainly met by interested individuals, churches, some funding organizations, and small businesses. We currently have around 45 local care, maintenance, and administration staff, as well as a handful long-term volunteers.