Covid-19 Update

Covid has officially made itself at home in Windhoek. Up to now, our epicenter in Namibia had been Walvis Bay, our major port city on the coast. The government set a quarantine zone around the coastal cities. But apparently it was not very strict and people were traveling from the coast around the country and taking the virus with them. It has now spread to every region in the country with our capital city Windhoek being our new epicenter. To date we have nearly 7,000 cases with 65 deaths (check here for up to date numbers). But more importantly, we currently have the highest rate of increase per capita of any country in Africa.

As a result, the government has fixed another quarantine zone around the cities of Windhoek, Okahandja and Rehoboth. Travel is freely allowed within that zone, but no one is allowed to travel into or out of that zone. Additionally, there is a nation-wide curfew from 8:00pm-5:00am.

Despite the steep increase, schools and universities, including NETS (Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary), are allowed to continue face-to-face instruction with health protocols in place. Class sizes at the seminary are already small. Everyone registers, sanitizes, wears facemasks, and sits at least 1.5 meters apart. The biggest adjustment we have had to make is to move evening classes earlier so everyone can be home before curfew. We are incredibly thankful that we can continue with face-to-face classes as it is clearly the better option over distance mode.

A Stingy Father-in-Law, a Loyal Prostitute, and the Gospel of Grace

This semester at NETS Chapel we are preaching through a series called "Stories Your Momma Never Told You". It will take us through a bunch of passages in the Old Testament that pastors rarely preach on. I kicked off the series preaching on the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38. At first read, it seems like an odd interruption in the ongoing story of Joseph. It also includes some strange cultural practices, and often leaves the reader wondering what is this even doing here?! But it actually fits perfectly well in the overall story of God fulfilling His promises, and teaches us a valuable lesson in the exceeding riches of God’s grace. Check out the message here.