Coming Full Circle: The Story of Pulane Children’s Centre

There are moments in leadership when you realise you are standing inside a story that began long before you understood it. Our connection with Pulane Children’s Centre is one of those stories.

Long before One Day existed in Ha Lebesa, Liberty Church’s very first mission trip to Lesotho brought us to Pulane. We had initially planned to go somewhere else. The Lord redirected us. Looking back now, that redirection feels deeply significant. Pulane became the place where many of us first fell in love with Lesotho. It was there that Chris and Sheila first sensed the stirring that would eventually lead them north to Ha Lebesa.

Years later, we have been approached with the possibility of taking on oversight of Pulane Children’s Centre. I travelled to Lesotho in September 2023 to spend time on the ground, to listen, to pray, and to discern whether this was something we should step into.

I arrived with one question: Should we take responsibility for this? I left confident that we should.

Pulane Children’s Centre sits in a stunning setting in the Maluti mountains.

A Work That Began in Unity

Pulane itself began through the unity of five pastors from different churches and denominations in the district of Quthing. They gathered with a shared concern for orphans in their community and asked Grant Strugnell and Jill Kinsey, who were running a children’s centre at Semonkong, to help establish something sustainable.

That part of the story matters. It tells us that Pulane was born out of prayer and cooperation. It was not an imported idea. It was a local cry for help that found faithful hands willing to respond.

Grant, Jill, and later after Jill retired, Grant and his wife Emily carried the work forward. Structures were developed. Systems were strengthened. Leadership capacity was built within the local team. What may once have felt ad hoc matured into something stable and thoughtful. When I walked the site, I found a place that was peaceful, ordered, and full of life.

A Beautiful and Remote Place

Pulane sits in the rural south of Lesotho, deep in the Maluti mountains. It is surrounded by small villages, many of which the children originate from. The site itself is extraordinary. A former Canadian agricultural project from the 1980s named Plenty, it resembles a Basotho village in layout but with stronger structures and facilities.

Forty-three children live there full-time. Beyond that, families in surrounding villages are supported through food distribution. Each week, shepherd boys, some as young as eleven, gather for evening classes and a hot meal. These young shepherds live out in the fields caring for cattle and sheep, often without education or consistent food. The Shepherd School is a powerful expression of care.

While beautiful, Pulane is not flashy. It is steady. It works.

A Spiritual Responsibility

As I prayed and walked the ground, I sensed that our involvement was not simply practical. Liberty has been connected to Pulane since the beginning. Our early teams served there. Our leaders were shaped there. Our journey in Lesotho was nurtured there.

We did not want to step into oversight simply because it seemed like a good opportunity. Nor did we want to overpromise and underdeliver. At the same time, we did not want to miss something the Lord was entrusting to us.

The elders of Liberty prayed consistently over a period of time. There are five of us on the eldership team, and we took the decision seriously. We asked the Lord to make His will clear.

During that season of prayer, one of our elders, Ken Kerrigan, travelled to Portugal to visit his son. While there, he searched for an English-speaking church and attended a service in the Algarve. To his surprise, during that service the speaker began talking about Lesotho. His ears immediately picked up. Then they began speaking specifically about Pulane Children’s Centre.

As it turned out, the church he had randomly attended was Jill Kinsey’s sending church. Ken had no idea. He was simply a visitor in a different country, in a church he had never been to before, at a time when we were actively praying about whether to take responsibility for Pulane. And in that setting, the very centre we were discerning about was spoken about.

Moments like that are difficult to ignore.

We do not believe in coincidence in the same way the world does. We believe the Lord speaks, and often He speaks as we pray. For us, that moment carried weight. It did not remove the need for structure, planning, and accountability, but it strengthened our conviction that this was something the Lord was in.

Oversight, in this case, is both spiritual and practical.

Leadership on the Ground

A strong local team is already in place at Pulane. Ntate Hlompo, Mme Esther, and Ntate Lebone carry day-to-day leadership with faithfulness. Systems are well established. Financial controls are solid. Reporting structures are clear. Donor relationships are steady.

Lineo Lekhotsa has stepped into the role of Project Manager. After spending time with her, I felt confident in her capability and character. She brings leadership experience, theological depth, and a heart for mission. She will carry much of the operational responsibility, with Liberty providing oversight and support.

This structure allows Pulane to continue operating effectively while remaining accountable and connected.

Not Separate, But Family

One of my convictions throughout this process has been that Pulane must not become a secondary project. It is not a side initiative. It is part of us.

Just as a family does not love its first child less when another is welcomed, our capacity grows. That growth requires intentionality. Pulane and One Day at Ha Lebesa have different histories and models of care. They also share the same heart. Both are expressions of the same calling to protect, nurture, and disciple vulnerable children in Lesotho. There is much both teams can learn from one another.

A Full Circle Moment

Looking back, it feels fitting that the place where our Lesotho journey began would now become part of our responsibility. We did not plan this. It unfolded. Pulane helped shape who we are. Now we have the privilege of helping steward its future.

Grant and Emily have served faithfully and are handing over responsibly. Jill Kinsey poured years into this place. In our tenure, we will honour their work. We will build on it. We will protect it. And we move forward trusting that the same God who led us there on our very first mission trip is still leading us now.