The Long Journey Home

My two weeks of training at SIM turned out to be a great time of connecting with people involved in the agency. I was one of 16 appointees, all of whom were passionate about seeing God's glory proclaimed among the nations. Over meals we would sit around the tables and glean from the wisdom and experience of long time missionaries. In the dorms and on weekends we would hang out together playing games, working on presentations, and lighting things on fire (don't worry, we didn't burn anything down!). At the end of two weeks it was time to say goodbye yet again as I set Charlotte in the rearview mirror and started making my way north.

My first stop was Indianapolis where I visited two college buddies who are youth pastors at two very different churches. I love how God has uniquely gifted each of them to thrive in His particular calling on their lives. Next up, I stopped in Chicago, then on to Milwaukee where I stayed with my former college roommate and his wife who came to Namibia on a summer team a few years back. Then I turned back east and stopped to see a friend in Indiana and finally landed in west Michigan to see some extended family and more college friends. I went to a small Bible college where we were specifically training for ministry. Now while not all of my friends have pursued careers in full-time ministry, I love how God has spread us out to be shining lights in the different communities where He has placed us. College was a great environment when you have all your friends close by and you could encourage each other toward godliness. But Jesus didn't tell his disciples to stay in Jerusalem and form a little Christian clique. He sent them out into the world. That's exactly what my college friends are doing, going into many different communities taking the light of the gospel and the love of Christ wherever they go.

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.

Endings and Beginnings

After four long years, I heard the Academic Dean call my name inviting me to walk across the platform, shake a few hands, and receive my diploma of graduation. They call it commencement not because it is the ending of our time in seminary, but because it is the beginning of our journey after seminary. Having officially received my Masters in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte, the chapter in my life called "Seminary" is now closed, but the chapter entitled "Missionary to Namibia" is just a page turn away.

I find myself standing in a doorway. I look back and see four enjoyable years in Charlotte spent making great memories with great friends, learning theology by the book but also experiencing it worked out in real life, and learning how to both give and receive true community. Charlotte will always have a special place in my heart. But as I pack up my life, say my goodbyes and do many things for the last time, I'm reminded that life comes in seasons. As I walk through the doorway into a new season, I'm excited to see what new lessons God has to teach me, what new experiences he has planned for me, and what new friends he will give me. As much as we love the past, we can never live there again. We can only allow ourselves to be molded by it as we blaze a new trail into the future.

No sacrifice

"For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. . . . Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice." ~David Livingstone, missionary to Africa from 1851-1873

The Lost Boys

Since the early 1900s, authors and playwrights have toyed with the idea of what life might be like for children if there were no adults. From Peter Pan to Lord of the Flies to Jimmy Neutron, generations of children have salivated at the idea of having no one to tell them what to do. However, as expected, each of those situations turns foul. As children, we only see the negative side of discipline and dependence, but looking back as mature adults we recognize the positive influence many adults have had in shaping our lives.

Sadly, this very scenario is playing itself out in Namibia where almost half the population are children. Based on the latest national census, approximately 43% of the population is under the age of 18 (UNICEF 2010). For comparison, in the United States only about 24% of the population is under the age of 18.

One could look for causes in the AIDS epidemic, sexual promiscuity, or unemployment forcing adults to relocate, however the devastating results remain. The nation is left with thousands of children being raised by other children with few positive adult role models to influence their lives! As they grow up, vices abound among the young adult population: alcoholism, sexual immorality, abuse, laziness, theft, selfishness, greed. This vicious cycle only repeats itself as the younger generations learn from the ways of their predecessors.

This tragic situation is one reason NETS (Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary) has determined to develop a youth ministry program for their school. Our goal is to raise up youth workers who will be positive, godly role models and influencers of the younger generations. These children are the future leaders, businessmen, pastors, teachers, and politicians of Namibia. What kind of leaders they become depends largely on the example and training they receive from older generations. May God use this program to train up godly youth workers and transform future generations of Namibian young people!

My Story Toward Namibia (part 3)

(Continued from "My Story Toward Namibia" part 1, and part 2)

Having been accepted as a missionary appointee with SIM, I began communicating with the team they already have working in Namibia. It's a diverse team with members from Germany, Switzerland, and South Africa, but I would be the only American at present. It turns out the team is already working in two areas dear to my heart and vision: theological education and youth ministry. I asked if there were opportunities that fit my vision of training future leaders and was quickly put in contact with the Acting Principal at Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary (NETS). His response to my inquiry was about to blow me away and show God's confirmation and direction for my future journey. I'll let you read his reply for yourself. He wrote:

"Almost half the country is under 17 years of age, and while there are very few paid youth ministry positions, there is an enormous need. We are aware that a very different model of ministry training is required to meet this need. We want someone to come and help us develop a sustainable pathway for the training of youth leaders."

Youth ministry and theological education all wrapped up into one opportunity! Could it be any more perfect for what God has uniquely gifted and prepared me for! This is not just a youth ministry project; it's a youth ministry multiplication project. By training Namibian youth workers the gospel can advance faster and farther than I could ever take it myself. He continued:

"This [curriculum] will necessarily involve low cost and short-term programs that are accessible to people who are holding down other jobs. . . . There is a need for us to also decentralize in order to make things accessible for those who live in the [outlying] regions."

As I mentioned previously, I had reservations about working in a formal seminary environment because it seemed too expensive and largely centralized. These issues cause problems getting the training to those who need it most. But the very characteristics they want in a program are the very things I'm excited about as well: something inexpensive and decentralized!

So with great excitement and expectation, I will embark on this journey with a vision of advancing the gospel in Namibia through training indigenous youth workers. There will certainly be many challenges and roadblocks ahead, but for now I'm rejoicing in God's confirmation by providing this unique opportunity.

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.