Meet the team

Rosemary Lethbridge – Pastor and leader of the Watering Hole

Pastor Rosemary Lethbridge

I am someone who passionately believes that God can make a positive difference in our lives now as well as offering hope for the future. This drives me to constantly look for new ways to connect people with God.

I am married to Gordon whose work as travel writer and photographer is fitted into his spare time as he assists me in my work. I have two grown up children, both of whom are married. One lives in London and the other in Darwin, Australia. I also have a lovely foster daughter and three “foster grandkids” who live in Gosport.

In my spare time, I love designing and spending time in my garden as well as visiting gardens and National Trust properties. I also enjoy crafting, particularly card making and run the Card Club. I am also part of The Watering Hole REACH puppet team.

I love travelling, especially to somewhere warm, so it’s handy having a travel writer husband.

Click here for the ministerial services that I can offer or feel free to contact me by email or by calling 07503 190775

Deborah and Fillipe Lessa from Brazil

Deborah and Fillipe – Volunteers

We are from Brazil and were both born in the same state: Minas Gerais. In 2009 we met each other at Unasp, a Seventh-Day Adventist University in Sao Paulo where Fillipe studied Law and Deborah, Journalism. In 2010 we began courting.

In 2012 I (Deborah) served as a volunteer for one year in South Africa, at Helderberg College. In 2013 we graduated.

The following year we started to work in Brasilia for the Adventist Organisation responsible for the Midwest of Brazil; Fillipe as a Legal Adviser and Deborah as a Journalist. In May of 2014 we were married. We felt that God was calling us to serve others in a different way and left our jobs to volunteer with the Watering Hole.

I (Fillipe) am 26 years old. I love playing football, swimming and reading. I am naturally very sociable and like to be around people. This is the first time I have left Brazil and I am currently working hard at improving my English skills. I love work with children and youth and a great deal of my work at the Watering Hole is focussed in this area.

I (Deborah) am 25 years old and love to travel and experience new cultures. In my free time I like to enjoy good music, read, play the piano/keyboard and participate in sports. As a child I did gymnastics and am helping out at Calmore Acro Zone and the after school gymnastics clubs. I will also be working with the children and youth during our two years with the Watering Hole

We have both experienced how God has guided our lives and how He “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

We look forward to spending precious moments together with you and may they be unforgettable!

Matheus Lessa – Volunteer

My name is Matheus Lessa and I’m also from Brazil. I was born in Juiz de Fora city, which is in the state of Minas Gerais. I’m Fillipe’s brother and Deborah is my sister in law. Both of them are volunteering with me. December of 2016 was my first time out of Brazil. I came over here in England to spend my Brazilian summer holiday with my family. It was very warm in Brazil, but when I arrived here I experience the opposite, it was freezing. I left the summer in Brazil to meet the winter here in England. But I had a lovely time in here. It was so nice that I decided to stay for a while.

I’ve received the opportunity to be a volunteer here in 2017. Guess what I did? I accepted the challenge of course. Why was it a challenge for me? I was going to start my third year of Theology’s course at UNASP – Adventist University in São Paulo. But not just that. My whole life was in Brazil and my English wasn’t very good. I could easily say Kitchen meaning Chicken. I know, that’s funny, but I think now I’ve improved a lot.

It’s a great pleasure being here at this wonderful country volunteering. We have some challenges, but I believe God is before us showing what to do. Once He said:

“Have I not given you your orders? Take heart and be strong; have no fear and do not be troubled; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9). So why should I fear?