Introducing Teen Mission Namibia

After 3 years of teaching, training and guiding his disciples, Jesus sent them out on a mission to "make disciples of all nations." That mission has been passed down from generation to generation until, centuries later, European missionaries first brought the gospel to Namibia. By now the gospel has been in Namibia for over 150 years, and it's high time for us to be sending out missionaries to places that have yet to hear about the good news of Jesus.

But in Namibia, the term "missionary" still carries connotations of foreign Westerners coming here to serve, help, and give. The church needs a dramatic paradigm shift to consider every Christian as a missionary and "all nations" as our mission field.

Enter Teen Mission Namibia (TMN), a project designed to inspire and equip Namibian youth to get involved in God's mission in Namibia and the world. What better way to inspire and equip people for missions than by taking them on mission! So, for their summer break from school, we are organizing an 8-day mission trip to train young people for missions and then give them practical opportunities to serve.

The trip will start with 2 days of intense training, skill development, and team-building at Mission "Boot Camp." We then plan to travel to Osire Refugee Camp, which is home to over 6000 refugees from war-torn countries around Africa. There the team will have opportunities to put into practice all that they've learned. We will end with 1 day of debrief, helping them solidify their learning and prepare to take their new-found passion for missions back to their local churches. 

The team will consist of twenty-one teens age 14-18. They will be split up into groups of three, each led by one young adult small group leader age 19-24. Those young adults will come one day early for specific leadership, discipleship and small group training. We will also have 12 adult leaders managing the details of the trip. So our multi-tiered approach looks like this: 12 adult volunteers investing into 7 young adults who will be investing into 21 teens who will be investing into the whole community.

As you can imagine, such a God-sized vision requires God-sized provision. Each teen will be required to raise a certain amount of support (good practice for full-time missions!), but even that amount will only be a fraction of the actual cost to fund such an endeavor. Therefore, our planning team is seeking individual as well as corporate sponsors to help support this vision. Corporate in-kind donations will help lower our overall expenses, while financial donations will help pay the cost of those things that can't be donated.

If you would like to get involved with raising up a generation of Namibians passionate about missions and equipped to serve, you can give directly to our project through this link. We would also love for you to pray for us regarding the many details that need to fall into place, preparing the hearts of those who will be involved, and God's provision for the whole trip. Thanks for your consideration!

What is "Home Assignment"?

After about 2 years and 3 months in Namibia, next month I'll be returning for my first Home Assignment (HA). Historically, mission organizations used the word "furlough," but such terminology often caused confusion that this is just a long vacation, so now they use the term "home assignment" because it better communicates the purpose and goals of our time in our home country. So to help clarify what this is all about I thought I'd write a post addressing some frequently asked questions concerning Home Assignment.

What is Home Assignment?
This is missions lingo for when missionaries periodically come back to spend time in their home country. Missionaries will typically spend anywhere from 2-4 years on the field in their host country, then spend anywhere from a few months up to a full year on HA. My projected plan is to have a rotation of 2.5 years in Namibia and then a 6-month HA back in the States.

Why do missionaries take a Home Assignment?
There are many reasons why missionaries periodically return to their home countries. Sometimes, beyond initial culture shock, missionaries experience ongoing culture stress from living in a foreign culture with a foreign language, foreign worldview, different foods and cultural expectations. So on HA they can experience much needed emotional rest and recovery from such anxiety. Other purposes for HA can include recruiting new workers for the field, or new ministry partners for their support team, or even continuing education opportunities to be better equipped for their ministry.

But one of the primary purposes is reconnecting with their ministry partners and sending church. Writing blogposts and monthly newsletters only go so far in helping you stay connected with the ministry in Namibia. Plus, those can only communicate so much. Spending face-to-face time with people can help clarify questions, quell rumors, build mutual trust, renew interest, and it's just a whole lot more personal! But beyond that, there's nothing like the mutual encouragement of hearing what God's been doing in your lives! Paul told the Romans that one reason he wanted to visit was "that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith" (Rom. 1:12).

Aren't you just giving ministry reports?
Financially supporting a missionary is not simply a business transaction. It's not like you're investing in a business venture and now I'm reporting on the results of that investment. Ministry partnership is relational. So Home Assignment is about investing in relationships. It's about helping you stay personally connected with what God's doing in Namibia, answering your questions, and reinvigorating your passion for the vision of ministry here.

Why six months?
Last year I came home for 3 weeks, primarily for a special family occasion, but secondarily to reconnect with my ministry partners. I did that mostly through large group events where I would share about my ministry and then only get to talk to individual people for 5 minutes or so. But in such a short amount of time it was impossible for me to individually connect with my over 60 ministry partners who are spread throughout the country. So a solid 6 months will give me opportunity to spend quality time with people and to deeply reinvest in my sending church. After all, when Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch after their first missionary journey, "they stayed there a long time with the disciples" (Acts 14:28)!

Is this just a long vacation?
Absolutely not! SIM gives me a set number of vacation days each year, just like any of you might get from your employer. I will use some of those days while I'm back in the States to get some R&R, but primarily HA is an extension of my work in Namibia. That's why it's called "Home Assignment," because it's still a ministry assignment, just in my home country rather than my host country. So, as one author says, "returning from the field means a change of venue, not a vacation" (Hawley, Furlough or Home Assignment?).

Is this just a code name for a fund-raising trip?
Sometimes missionaries need to return home because their support levels have dropped below what's needed to fund the ministry, or their support needs have gone up over time, and therefore they do need additional support before returning to the field. But that is not always the case. Home Assignment can be just as much about maintaining existing relationships as well as building new ones.

Do you still need support while on Home Assignment?
Yes, because this is an extension of my work in Namibia, I will still be living on support while on Home Assignment. In other words, this is still part of my job as a missionary, so I will still be receiving my income as a missionary.

Who will teach your courses at NETS while you're gone?
NETS assigns courses to lecturers at the beginning of each semester. So knowing that I would be away, they haven't assigned me any courses for this semester. The course I specialize in, "Ministry to Children & Youth," is only scheduled to be taught again next year.

If you have any other questions, then feel free to drop me an email or leave them in the comments. And hopefully, I'll get to see many of you while I'm back!

Fall in SA

One of my favorite things about fall in New England is the extravagant colors of the changing leaves. I don't get much of that in Namibia. So it was nice to see some changing leaves at the conference center in Joburg while I'm here for this year's regional SIM Conference. This week I've joined SIM missionaries and church leaders from countries all over southern Africa at this lovely, quiet conference center in Johannesburg, South Africa to discuss issues like member care and discipleship in the southern African context. It's been great to meet lots of other people who have a similar passion for ministry in this part of the world. It's also been reinvigorating hearing stories of what God's doing in their countries and envisioning what He still has planned for Namibia!

Aside from the meetings and sessions, we also had some good downtime which was nice for me. The conference center has a nice garden with a little pond where I could sit on the grass (which we don't have much of in Namibia!) and soak up some vitamin D while typing away at my lessons for the upcoming CCC retreat. The cooler fall weather made it bearable and actually pleasant to sit in the sun. Not too shabby for an afternoon office space! One time I almost stepped on this big guy, which could have been painful since I was wearing sandals!

It's also been cool because many of the people are originally from all over the world, places like Korea, Australia, Switzerland, and the UK. I love the inter-cultural flavor of the Christian church! After one session we sang the simple chorus "God is so good" in all the different languages represented in the room. It was a nice foretaste of Revelation 7:9, "I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb."

Colorful sunset by the pond

Presentation Recording

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to present my ministry in Namibia to my home church, Christ's Church of Amherst. If you'd like to listen in and hear a good summary of the ministry challenges in Namibia and what I'll be doing with Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary (NETS) you can find the recording online here:
http://ccnh.podbean.com/2013/09/16/called-to-namibia/.

A God-sized Vision

I recently wrote in my journal, “May I never pursue a vision so small that it can be fully accomplished in my own power.” Little did I realize how quickly God would take me up on that offer. But let me back up...

I had been in Namibia with a team for two weeks, but after I dropped them at the airport I stayed a few extra days to meet the people I will be working with when I go long-term. I was seeking clarity about what exactly I will be doing and confirmation that this is the right ministry for me. So as the small, white VW Gulf pulled around the corner to pick me up, I felt excited and anxious at the same time. I was greeted by a small German woman with a friendly smile and a handshake. Dagmar, the team director for SIM in Namibia, has been serving in southern Africa for the last 28 years, so she knows a thing or two about young, newbie missionaries joining the team.

Our first meeting was with the Leadership Team at Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary (NETS). After getting our hot beverage of choice, Dagmar and I sat down around a coffee table in the principal's office with four men from four different countries who helped run the school. They immediately started firing questions at me about some of my theological positions and how I may respond in certain scenarios. None of their questions were terribly surprising and I feel confident I answered them graciously and well. Then I had my opportunity to ask about the school, their history, structure, student population, and what their ideas were for this youth ministry program we'd been talking about. They said that youth ministry has long been a part of the vision for the seminary, but there hasn’t been anyone to take charge of it. There is really no precedent for an under-graduate training program in youth ministry so I’ll have a bit of freedom to design and develop a curriculum, then we’ll work together on making it accreditation worthy. Setting the course for the future of youth ministry training for this institution seems like quite a daunting task. And with just 5 years of full-time youth ministry under my belt I will be the “resident expert!” Feeling a bit intimidated, I was reminded of that quote I had written in my journal about pursuing a God-sized vision. I’m also reminded of 2 Cor. 12:9, “His strength is made perfect in my weakness.” While it does seem intimidating and overwhelming at times, I’m excited to be pursuing a God-sized vision because then He will get all the glory!

Our next stop was to meet the rest of the SIM team who work in Windhoek. There is one British couple with two kids left at home who have been working in Namibia for about 20 years. The husband is a part-time lecturer at NETS. There is also an Australian woman who serves as the team treasurer and another Swiss/Gambian couple I didn't meet. It's an eclectic group from all over the world, but despite our different accents and cultural backgrounds we all share the common goal of communicating Christ in the Namibian context. I love what that says about both the unity and diversity in the body of Christ! Now that there's an American on the team they said they would have to tone down the American jokes, but I don't suspect that will last very long once this thick-skinned American starts telling jokes of his own. :)

So in the end I got both the clarity and confirmation I was looking for, though not exactly in the ways I expected. I had hoped for more details and specifics, but instead I learned that the details are what I'm there to figure out. I went in looking for red flags, but didn't feel any reservations about working with these people. More than anything I felt excited that this is a groundbreaking venture that has the potential for significant impact for youth ministry in Namibia. Having returned from this vision trip, I now know how to set my compass and start preparing myself for the journey ahead.

SIMGo

Saturday afternoon I joined 15 other missionary candidates at the SIM office in Charlotte for two weeks of training and preparation called SIMGo. It's fun to hang out with others who are at a similar place on their journey toward being missionaries. I love hearing the stories of how God has brought them to this point in their lives. There's one couple God has uniquely passioned to work with an unreached, unengaged people group in a restricted area in Asia. Another family going to do missionary aviation in West Africa. My roommate recently got his doctorate from Cambridge and plans to teach Biblical languages at a seminary in East Africa. It's fascinating seeing how God has so specifically gifted and prepared each of us for the work He has called us to do all over the world.

During the next two weeks we will be inundated with teaching from former missionaries to better prepare us for the journey that lies ahead. We will practice sharing our testimonies and giving support raising presentations. We'll get all shot up with vaccinations. They even have us prepare our will, a reminder of the sobering reality that some who leave for the mission field never return. That makes me think of the missionaries of old who used to ship their belongings to the field in their coffins. I would love your prayers over these next two weeks that God would humble my heart and use this time to help me soak up all the knowledge and wisdom from those around me that I can.

My Story Toward Namibia (part 2)

(Continued from "My Story Toward Namibia" part 1)

During my year in Namibia, I was taken-aback by the prevalence of the Prosperity Gospel which teaches that Jesus wants you to be healthy, rich and comfortable. I was shocked at how many sermons I heard which taught the preacher's opinions rather than Biblical truth. When anyone with an eloquent tongue can call himself a preacher and take up an offering is it any wonder that bad theology is often the norm?* This sparked my desire to work full-time training the next generations of Namibian pastors how to study and teach the Bible.

Teaching at a small Bible school in Ondangwa

The first step was obtaining a Master's degree in Bible which I have been pursuing for the last 4 years from Reformed Theological Seminary. This degree would qualify me to teach at the formal seminary in the capital city of Windhoek, Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary (NETS). However, I have a few reservations about a formal seminary style education. First, it's often too expensive for Namibians to afford. Between tuition, books, transportation and living expenses, it becomes a costly affair. Second, students have to leave their homes, families and potential ministries to come to a centralized campus. Such relocation is a further expense and removes them from the very community where they could minister most effectively. Oftentimes students who relocate for education never go back. So I would love to find an opportunity to teach the Bible in a program that is both decentralized and inexpensive.

My second step was finding a sending agency who had compatible goals and values. Back in January, I spent a long weekend with SIM based in Charlotte. They've been around for 120 years, with home offices in 13 countries and have 1600 missionaries worldwide. In other words, they know what they're doing. During the weekend I met so many godly people who are passionate about seeing God's glory made known among the nations. They seemed to have a great balance between emphasizing the Great Commission, but not neglecting social needs and community development. And importantly, they already have a team in Namibia so I wouldn't be starting from scratch. At the conclusion of the weekend I was officially accepted as a missionary appointee with SIM! Next came perhaps the greatest variable of all, would my vision be compatible with the team already on the field. . . .

(Continued in "My Story Toward Namibia" part 3)

* I would be remiss to mention that there are some Biblically based, theologically sound preachers and churches which are reason for great hope and optimism. However, they are often the exception and not the norm.