march was mayhem but in a good way
shelly's march '25 newsletter
yo yo !
once again, it’s shelly making her monthly reoccurrence in your inbox.
This month’s update is packed.
In March, the earth remembers it’s own name.
- Mary Oliver, ‘Worm Moon’
tl/dr;
life on mission in Lesotho - the beautiful Basotho people
some thoughts about my future plans - let’s normalise delusion ✨
running in my garden like a psycho - sticking to your goals even when it’s not cute 🏃
highlight of the month 🥇
life on mission in Lesotho 🇱🇸
Every place I have ever travelled to has made me see the place I come from with new eyes and extra colors. 🌈
It’s not the change of scenery that enlightens me, it’s always the people.
Lesotho was no different.
Damnit, those mountains were beautiful. 😍
But I’d like to tell you about the people there - because that’s what stirred my soul.
Pastor Simphiwe’s story - the shepherd of shepherds under the Great Shepherd 🐑
Nestled beneath the shadow of the Drakensberg Mountains 🏔️, back in 2010, Simphiwe was a barman at the highest pub in Africa 🍺.
Until he felt the calling of God.
When Simphiwe announced he was leaving to become a pastor, his colleagues couldn't understand - he was trading a steady income for theological studies.
But the call of God was greater than the expectations of others.
8 kms from the pass, he planted a church. ✝️
His vision was to build a sanctuary that would sustain the local Basotho community.
However, week after week, the plastic chairs filled not with local families but instead with shepherds.
Boys young and old who spend their time in the curve of the valley, surrounded by their sheep and serene mountains.
The call of God looked so different to what he had envisaged.
As months passed, the reality of Simphiwes's choice bore down on him.
His daughter's school required each child to bring a daily snack to share. But with no steady income, the R1.50 ($0.08) snacks were too expensive.
Night after night went by, and the shepherd boys would fill the church, but God’s financial provision was nowhere to be seen.
There are only so many nights you can go without feeding your children before you break.
One evening, Simphiwe went to his wife and told her -
"A man from the pub called," he said, voice rough. "They need a barman in Cape Town. Good money, enough to send home, enough for the school snacks..."
Without a quiver in her voice, she replied:
“ha Modimo a sa o lekana, o ka ya lelekisa tjhelete.”
if God is not enough for you, you can go chase money.
God’s calling was greater than their struggle.
Most of the shepherds are illiterate, so Pastor Simphiwe started to teach them to read so that he can give them bibles. 2 of the Shepherds have gone back to their towns and started pre-schools. 📚
God’s calling does more than what we can ever begin to imagine.
It starts with obedience.
For many are called but few are chosen.
Matthew 22:14
When on mission, we go to serve. But in serving, we learn the most about ourselves.
I cannot understate how beneficial mission trips are, not just for the community we go to serve but also for the team going.
In 2 days, I learnt more about the world from Basotho shepherds than what I learnt in 5 years of Life Orientation class.
mission trips force you to ask:
who are you when comfortability is stripped away?
who are you when you are confronted with a reality so far removed from your own?
what is this all for?
We visited a local high school, shared our testimonies, picked up trash and worshipped the Lord together.
We offered to pray for the students.
They all eagerly lined up.
A girl came up to me.
I asked her what her name was, she whispered, ‘Katleho’.
I asked her what I could pray for - in broken English, she replied
‘My brother and sister died in motor accident last week’
My heart shattered.
Her eyes held more sorrow and suffering than those of 70-year-olds.
But she wasn’t 70, she was 17.
She then continued; ‘Please pray for me to pass school’.
Education - a luxury I had always taken for granted, being blessed with caring teachers, supportive parents and any resources needed for my academic pursuit.
This was a reality so far removed from my own.
The students continued to come up for prayer, each story stabbed me in the heart. ❤️🔥
I felt powerless in comparison to their pain.
I could offer no relief other than prayer.
But when we acknowledge the power in prayer, it becomes a weapon.
The trip definitely wasn’t all roses and sunshine☀️
I felt especially sorry for myself when we got the 4x4 stuck in the mud, and I had to help push it out, wearing crocs and fluffy socks.
That was definitely my pit of the trip lol.
My peak was when we drove up Sani Pass and hung out the windows blasting music.
On my trip to Antarctica, I was blessed with a Canon video camera that has become my closest companion.
Of course, I took it with me to the majestic Kingdom in the sky and strung the footage together into this short video.
some thoughts abt the future 🚀
the power of finance 🤑
I had a call with Robyn Oates, the head of sustainable finance for UN Women.
Let me just say that she is insanely cool.
Shoutout to Robyn for taking the time to connect with a teenager like me.
In a nutshell, she studied Chartered Accounting, worked for Deloitte, and is now based in New York.
She develops financial policy recommendations for nations worldwide—spanning everything from sovereign debt restructuring to ensuring private financial institutions achieve their capital investment returns on social projects.
🔑 Our conversation unlocked the power of finance for me.
I’ve got a natural talent for accounting but have always “disliked” the subject because my mom teaches it.
But now my horizons have been broadened, and I’m heavily considering studying a degree to do with finance (number 1 choice at the moment: bAccLLB)
I like the flexibility of being able to work in any industry. But we’ll see because engineering is still a strong contender.
gap year? 🤷♀️
No one has ever regretted an intentional gap year. Or at least that’s what I have been told.
I found out about Baret Scholars- the most insane gap year program. But I graduate in December 2025, the gap year program runs from September to June. Not ideal.
Did I mention the program is also $100 000. Yeah not ideal. 🤑
But no fret, I have an idea, a plan that is going to take literal years of implementation. Take a break mid-studies by taking 2 semesters off between 3rd and 4th years of university. (I don’t know if that’s possible, but if I’ve learnt one this past year it’s that just because it hasn’t been done doesn’t mean it can’t). In the meantime, I just go to piece together that $ 100 000.
I’m aware I am being severely optimistic - delusional in Damian’s terms - but this is how dreams start- with feverish excitement.
The reason I share this is not just to yap about my current uni plans (although I do kinda treat this newsletter like a brain dump 🧠), but as an invitation.
If you have connections, resources, article recommendations, or fellowship opportunities that might benefit my academic journey, I'd be incredibly grateful. Sometimes, the most valuable insights come from unexpected places.
running in my garden like a psycho🏃
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I’m running a minimum of a mile a day for 42 days. Today marks day 30.
Have I managed to run everyday?
nervous laughter 😅
No.
FAILURE.
I know, I know.
buttt I have run 89% of the days so far.
so you know what.
NOT FAILURE.
cause that’s a hell of a lot more running than what I would’ve done out of free will.
I want you to picture this: it’s raining, it’s 11 pm, and Shelly’s running around in circles in her garden.
That even gave me the ick.
The point is, it’s all about showing up.
every single day.
even when things aren’t cute.
That’s the hack. Just do it. And do it. And do it.
Especially when it sucks.
highlight of the month 🥇
I just had to flex this… our hockey team won our first tournament!!
Yes, you can clap. 👏👏
Other than the fact that in the finals, I bulldozed into my own player and went off crying with a nosebleed, it was literally the best day ever.
so much love for these girls, and I can’t wait to see what the season ahead of us holds.
that’s all for now :)
keep standing on business gang.
x shelly
🔗let’s connect
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/l-chelle-bester-683463294/
Email: lchelle.best@gmail.com
I’d love to hear your thoughts - leave a comment :)
now that you’ve posted on here - you have no other option but to go raise that $100k and travel the world (or risk disappointing your loyal fan base…)
We’re supporting the dream every step of the way with you!! 💸💸💸
🔥🔥🔥