Nigeria, Part 3

(If you missed it, click here to start with part 1 and part 2.)

I’ve never been invited to speak at a conference before, so needless to say the whole thing was a bit intimidating. And on top of that, I’ve only been teaching youth ministry in Africa for a year and a half. Most of my experience comes from a Western context in the United States. What could I possibly offer these guys? I was suppose to be learning from them!

The conference organizers were very hospitable and friendly. They picked me up on Thursday afternoon and we drove about an hour out to the conference facility. The weather was nice and cool, it being their winter time, though it warmed up nicely during the day. Everyone was all bundled up in coats, hats and gloves and kept asking me how I liked the weather. They were shocked when I told them that my last winter at home it got down to -17C.

People arriving for the conference

All afternoon people kept trickling through the gate to the registration table. I sat outside with Silas, one of the first youth ministry graduates from the seminary who was assigned the task of keeping me company while they prepared my room. He’s from the northern Muslim areas and was planning to go back to his region to do ministry. He may also have the opportunity to work with Samaritan’s Purse and travel all over the country. Either way, he’s a sharp guy and I’m excited for how God’s going to use his ministry.

The first night after a few opening songs and an introduction, I was the first speaker. Apparently the TV show “Knight Rider” was quite popular in Nigeria, so I could make a few jokes about my name to break the ice, then we jumped right in. The theme of the conference was “The Dynamics of Youth Ministry in a Globalized Youth Culture,” so during our first session we talked a little bit about culture and how it influences us. We played a little game called “Do You Know Me?” to get an idea of their youth culture IQ. Everyone stood up, then I would make a cultural reference, then if they didn’t know what it was they would sit down. The very first thing I said was “selfie” and almost the whole auditorium sat down! So from that vantage point I think I certainly did have a few things of value I could share with them.

Showing the conference what a selfie is

During the next mornings session I decided to show them what a selfie was. This session we talked about media and how it influences us. We talked about biblical discernment and how we can be mindful critics rather than mindless consumers. Then for the rest of the day other people were sharing messages about discipleship, breaking addiction, and other youth ministry topics. They also broke everyone up into small groups to get their opinions on specific challenges and issues. I thought that was cool that they recognized the value of the experience of the nearly 500 youth workers in the room and wanted to hear their insights.

By Saturday morning some people had already started leaving. For our last session together we discussed youth sexuality and our sexualized culture. For some shock value I had titled my message “Why I Stopped Teaching Abstinence.” To get an idea of the present situation I had looked around online and found some astounding, yet not surprising statistics concerning youth sexuality in Nigeria. Then we looked at both how the church typically responds, and how it should respond. Most often the message we hear is abstinence, suppress your desires, don’t have sex. But we looked at how a negative prohibition will never be the strongest motivation against temptation. The strongest motivation against temptation will always be positive. It’s not about suppressing your sinful desires, but replacing them with holy desires! So rather than teaching abstinence, I suggested promoting purity. Purity is a positive holy desire and it involves so much more than just no having sex. So I think once I explained my position it helped set some minds at ease about the title of my message. :)

Some conference attendees (Silas is in front center)

Overall it was really a good conference. I loved meandering around and talking to guys who’ve been doing youth ministry for years. I loved the feedback of their questions and comments about my talks. One guy was a bit put off when he heard that they had invited a Westerner to come speak, but once I started talking he said I spoke like a Nigerian who knew exactly what they were dealing with. I think everyone who attended certainly benefited and gained something to take back to their ministries, including me.

The day before I left the conference organizers had me to their office for lunch of pounded yams and soup. They kept expressing their appreciation for me coming and what I shared. It was a nice send-off and it helped me realize a didn’t just meet some new people, I had made some new friends.

Me with the conference organizers

Nigeria, Part 2

(If you missed it, click here to start with part 1.)

I had arrived in country a few days early so I could visit a few other ministries, one of those being the seminary in Jos. They had recently begun a youth ministry major so I was interested in how they put the program together and how it was working out. So I met with Cephas Bahago, a local youth pastor who is also the head of the youth ministry program. He told me about how their denomination had just begun realizing the importance of youth ministry in a nation with over 50% youth and children. He is pioneering as one of the first full-time youth pastors in the denomination. They have their challenges, especially considering they are changing the thinking and denominational practices set in place for over 100 years, but they are certainly taking steps in a good direction.

Later I was invited to an evening youth program. Fortunately I got a little heads up that I would be the one sharing! There were about 65-70ish young people and after a few songs we spent some time talking about spiritual formation. They got into groups to discuss what is spiritual maturity. Then altogether we considered a biblical goal for spiritual maturity and how we often look at only external things, but instead we need to work on our internal spiritual lives so that we are becoming the kind of people who live naturally out a spiritual life on the outside. Everyone was pretty engaged and seemed to enjoy it. Then afterward we tried to fit everyone into a big group pic!

Another ministry I visited was called City Ministries who works with street kids, orphans, and women among others. I visited their private school with 100 or so kids. It was the last day of school so each class shared a special Christmas song or memory verse, then they all got special treats and a soda. Here’s some clips of their songs for you to enjoy.

Then lastly I visited a Muslim-Christian reconciliation ministry called "Building Relationships in City Center" (BRiCC). They say they’re not just reconciling, because building relationships is a step beyond just reconciliation. They have different programs designed to bring Christian and Muslim children and youth together to help build relationships and alleviate fear and suspicion. While I was there they were hosting a soccer clinic during the holiday break. They mixed up the Muslim and Christian kids and put them on teams of 10 to do different skill stations and then play some games.

The green team at the soccer clinic

One of the team building activities at the clinic

After splitting up for skill stations, the teams got to play games.

Click here to continue with part 3.

Nigeria, Part 1

A year and a half ago, when I first arrived in Namibia, I looked around online for an African youth workers conference to attend to learn a bit more about contextualizing youth ministry in Africa. Through my SIM connections I heard about one in Jos, Nigeria. I inquired of the organizers who said they hadn’t set a date for this year’s conference, but said I was welcome to come and I could be a “resource person” (whatever that meant). When this year’s dates came out it was to be the same week as my NETS intensive so I wouldn’t be able to go. But they later came back and said it had been postponed, and this time I was invited to come as the main speaker. From attendee, to resource person, to main speaker. Yikes!

Many people (including a U.S. Embassy public service announcement) warned me against going to Nigeria because of terrorism and hostilities. But I remained confident that if it was terribly unsafe then SIM wouldn’t allow me to come, and besides, a little hostility never stopped Paul. He said, "For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die...for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13).

Nigeria from the air.

So after summer camp I packed up my suitcase and flew off to Nigeria. I arrived none the worse for wear, however my suitcase did not. But fortunately I’m an experienced traveller so I packed enough in my carry-on to get by. So everyday I was hand-washing the one set of clothes I wasn’t wearing so that I could have something to wear tomorrow. People were kind and offered to lend me clothes, and I managed to pick up another pair of jeans at a street-side shop. This could be a major frustration to people, but it helped me realize that more than 2 pairs of clothes is really a luxury. I had what I needed, and that’s a lot more than some people have. Fortunately, five days later my suitcase was finally delivered, just before I had to speak at the conference.

Traffic is not quite like what I'm used to in Namibia.

One of the less busy street-side markets

Nigeria's having a fuel crisis, so this was the craziness
of people lining up to fill their gas tanks.

Click here to continue with part 2 and part 3.

Summer Camp 2015

For the first full week of December I joined over 400 youth at Summer Camp hosted by Youth For Christ Namibia. As usual, much fun was had by all, the speakers did a great job, and of course the Bible Quiz was epic! Check out the video to see what it was like.

New Place for a New Century of Blog Posts

After 19 months and 99 posts I'm excited to share a grand unveiling in my 100th blog post. I get to show you pics of my new pad! That's right, I've spent much of this past month (as I've had time) transitioning over to a new place. SIM sold their guesthouse, where I had been staying in one of the flats, and downsized to a house with an office space and a rental flat. So some of our team members live in the main house and I rent out the flat. Since this all happened in the middle of the very hectic end-of-semester time, I'm still in the process of getting settled so there's still a few boxes here and there. Also, part of the settling in process involves some very manly home improvement projects. You know, there's just something about using power tools! As with anything new it will take some getting used to, but overall it's a nice little place with enough space to squeeze in our young adult small group. Please pray with me that God would use this place for His glory and many ministry opportunities. Here's a few pics of the new place.

Namibian Thanksgiving

This year the holiday of Thanksgiving coincided with the last week of our semester at NETS, which is quite a hectic time for lecturers trying to get all the final assignments marked and getting grades turned in. Thus I decided against trying to host a Thanksgiving meal this year. Instead some friends of mine who had lived in the States invited me to join them and some Australian friends to celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday night.

One of their daughters had trolled pinterest for some festive decoration ideas. They found both brined and normal turkeys (fresh from North Carolina!) and made up some salad, stuffing, gravy, some delicious crumbed squash kind of dish, and confetti cream corn dip. Then, as if that wasn't enough, pecan pie and chocolate ice cream pie for dessert! Truly a case where self-discipline and taste buds were battling.

After some nice talks about football and Australian rugby and all manner of other topics, we each shared some things that we're thankful for, then wrapped up the evening playing board games. It's great having a good Christian community here that shares things like home, family and holidays. That's one thing I'm very thankful for. :)

684 Days Without Incident

Nobody likes being sick, but it happens to everybody. So despite the fever and upset stomach today, I find myself quite thankful for a year and a half without a sick day. It's been a good run for which I'm quite thankful to God and my immune system (and my parents for letting me eat dirt as a kid). This is no small accomplishment when moving halfway across the world to a different land with different foods and different sanitary expectations. So today I'm thanking God for a streak of good health and praying for many more healthy days to come (as soon as I get this day behind me). Plus lying in bed all day affords me the time to do other things I've stopped getting around to, like writing blog posts (No pictures today which I know you're quite thankful for).

Lights in a Dark World

Our church has been doing a study through the book of Philippians. I was asked to preach the passage of Philippians 2:12-30, Paul's exhortation that the church at Philippi shine like lights in the world. You can download it here or listen below if you'd like. (Note: It cuts off a little at the beginning and the end, but most of it's here.)

Farewell Braai

As the school year is winding down the Student Council at NETS decided to host a year-end function to go out with a bang. They found us a nice lodge just outside of town that had a pool and big braai area. As with any Namibian celebration they made sure there was plenty of meat! It was a good time of celebrating their completion of another year, saying thank you to many people who have served well, and saying goodbye to our soon-to-be graduates and one staff member who is leaving.

It was also the time for our super intense annual NETS Dart Competition. Participants were ranked by throwing 12 darts. The top 4 scores went through to the semi-finals. I managed a solid 3rd place finish in the seeding round. After winning my semi-final match and the top ranked guy leaving early, it was me and the 2nd ranked player in the finals. She took a commanding lead, but with a little inconsistency she allowed my slow-and-steady pace to catch back up. It came down to the wire, but I managed an 8 point lead when all was said and done to capture my first ever Golden Dart Trophy and bragging rights for the whole next year!

Enjoying the food and the scenery

Being awarded the "Golden Dart" trophy at our final NETS Chapel.

Photo of the Day

Hanging with some friends on the sand dunes in Swakop,

dune boarding and capturing some epic dune jumping pics.

Photo of the Day

Springtime in the city

Queen Sophia Mission Trip 2015

Here's a video from last week's mission trip to Queen Sophia Resettlement Project. This is a community of about 50 families who are learning how to do cattle farming. I went with a group of 8 NETS students for 5 days to share God's love with this small, poor community.

We worked primarily with the school kids, but also had some community-wide outreach opportunities. We were given class periods during the school day to speak to the 5th, 6th, and 7th graders. We discussed abuse and what they could do if it's happening to them and also talked about living in purity and holiness. We led an after-school program with games and lessons on sexual purity. On Saturday we led a sports day for the kids in the morning and a talent show in the evening. We also showed the Jesus Film, led the Sunday service in church, visited people's homes, led group devotions, etc.

Overall it was a great time seeing the students put in to practice the things that they're learning in class, and watching them grow in their role as the Christian leaders of this nation.

Word Alive

Each year NETS hosts a conference to equip local pastors and laypeople to address a relevant topic from a Biblical perspective. This year our topic was confronting Gender-Based Violence. This is a huge issue here in Namibia. One speaker noted, is it any wonder that the only world champion sports figures we have are boxers. Each evening we had big sessions with a main speaker, then broke up for more discussion-based workshops. I co-lead a workshop on the effects of abuse on children and youth, how we can identify it, and ultimately how we can help. Once again, rather than using more words, I'll use pictures to describe the event.

One of our main speakers addresses the church's response to GBV

Our MC helps lighten the mood

Enjoying a cup of tea during break time

My co-leader in our workshop addressing effects on children and youth

Small group discussions in our workshop

Legalism, Lawlessness & the Gospel of Grace

This past weekend over a hundred young adults representing at least 6 different churches attended this first annual Young Adult conference. It was a good turnout for the first time and we hope it only gets bigger as we go. Personally, I loved seeing the expression of unity among the churches since that's such a rare thing around here.

Pastor Conrad Mbewe from Zambia came as our speaker to address the topic of Legalism, Lawlessness & the Gospel of Grace. He went through the Parable of the Prodigal Son and used the three main characters to speak to each area of that theme: the older brother was the legalist, the younger son was the lawless one, and the father taught us about the gospel of grace. After the talks we split up into small groups to discuss what we learned and how to apply it to our lives.

My role was helping lead worship which I thoroughly enjoyed. I recruited my friend Riko from my church to play guitar and sing along with me. Initially it was a challenge to come up with songs that people from multiple churches would be familiar with, but it ended up going well as there was at least something that everyone could connect with. We got lots of good feedback and look forward to putting together a full band for next year!

But as they say a picture speaks a thousand words, and you don't want to read a thousand words, so here's a few more photos for you to enjoy!

Our conference theme t-shirts

Hanging out at the conference

One of the church choirs leading us in worship

Discussion groups after the main sessions

Q&A panel with Pastor Mbewe and Pastor Spencer

With Pastor Mbewe and some of my NETS students

Staff Training Week

"First and second are tight halfway through our 10 laps followed closely by Knight in third. The car in first tries to take a tight corner and...Oh No! He spins out and the car in second broadsides him! Knight opportunely avoids the wreck and jumps into first place!"

That's how the commentary might have gone if we'd had an announcer during our staff outing to the go carting track as part of our staff training week. No it wasn't extreme driving training, but a chance to get out of the office for a little team bonding. We had 3 seeding heats where everyone participated, even those who had never even driven a car before. Then the top 8 drivers advanced to the 10 lap Grand Prix for the ultimate prize and bragging rights. It was a fun outing, and yes I did come in first, but only thanks to a little help from someone in front of me!

Standings for our go-cart Grand Prix

The victors on the podium

Staff training week did also include some work. We met together for sessions about our vision and mission as a school and had some profitable discussions about how we can do what we do better. We also had plenty of planning meetings for the upcoming semester. So after all that hard work you need some time to blow off a little steam on the race track! :)

There and Back Again

Up to now, going to Namibia had always been the visit. Whether for 2 weeks or 12 months, I knew I was coming home afterward. But this was the first time for me that going to the States was the visit.

This summer my mom was throwing my dad a big birthday party and invited a bunch of out-of-town friends and relatives, so she asked if I might be able to come back for it. It happened to land during our winter break in between semesters at NETS. So as soon as we wrapped up our semester I jumped on a plane to head home for 3 weeks.

I spent the first week in beautiful New Hampshire. It's been a looong time since I've experienced a good NH summer. People asked me if it was weird being back, any reverse culture shock, but what surprised me was how normal everything was. I walked into my church and it felt like I could've just been there last week. I visited with many friends and picked up right where we left off. I had no restaurants I needed to rush out to eat at. I wasn't overwhelmed at the incessant overabundance or wealth of America. It was all just . . . normal. Not that nothing's changed over the last year, but I wonder if I've just been back and forth so many times now that I've learned what to expect and to accept each culture for what it is.

In NH, I had opportunities to share with groups from a few churches about what I've been doing this past year. I got to visit my church small group and hit up the youth group pool party (they all grew up so much in the last year!). It was nice to be back helping lead worship and catching up with this community that has been my extended Christian family for so many years.

After a short week in NH, I flew down to North Carolina to spend time with the fam and visit with friends from my seminary days. I stopped in at the B&G Club where I used to work to see how much those kids have grown. I got to share with a few other churches and small groups. I know it's only been a year away, but it was so great to be able to reconnect with so many people who've helped make it possible for me to serve over here in Namibia.

Just like old times, except I didn't win	Visiting with friends in NC, who made many Cheerwine desserts!

By my last weekend, lots of extended fam had come into town to celebrate my dad. It was the first time in a long time that my whole immediate fam was together so naturally we had to take family photos. The rain held off all afternoon and we had a nice party out at the park, complete with pirate minstrels. That evening we took a little too long to make plans, so after rushing to get there we only caught the end of the fireworks show through some trees. But to make up for it we went for Cook Out milkshakes and saw some fireworks over the Family Dollar parking lot (classy!).

Helping my youngest nephew learn how to walk	Fun family photos

I wasn't joking about the pirate minstrels!	Family Dollar Fireworks

It was a whirlwind tour, but it was still great to see people again, even for such a short time. Hopefully next time when I come back it will be for a bit longer so I can spend more quality time and see more people than 3 weeks would allow.