Queen Sofia Mission Trip

With funding from Spain, the Namibian government bought five farms totaling about 81.5 square miles. They parceled the land and distributed it among 50 black families. Along with the land the government gave them 10 cows and 1 bull. Named after the queen of Spain, this community was called Queen Sofia Resettlement Project.

The goal of resettlement is to increase the number of black farmers by giving them the start up resources they could never afford on their own, but all across Africa these types of projects have consistently failed. For example, 70% of the cattle donated to Queen Sofia farmers was exhausted within the first 3 years, either for meat or selling for the money, meaning only 30% was reproduced to make a sustainable herd. Recognizing the failure potential, the Namibian government has recently partnered with a Christian organization called Kunene for Christ to help make this project successful. This is the community where I've spent the last week on an outreach with a group of 10 NETS students.

In the mornings we visited the 5th-7th grade classes. For three days we talked about how sin only comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but how Christ came that we might have full life, and then spoke about sexual purity as an example of that. We played games, performed dramas, gave out prizes, discussed questions, and memorized John 10:10. It was great fun getting to know the kids in those classes and sharing the gospel with them in practical ways.

In the afternoon we hosted a Kid's Club where they were led through the Wordless book, memorized other verses, made crafts, and played more games. A few of us were given time to speak encouragement to the teachers. I shared from Galatians 6:7-9 about how in due season we will reap what we sow, so do not grow weary of doing good works. We also went in pairs to do house visits. We would pray with families and share a short devotion with them if they were interested. The whole community was incredibly welcoming making us feel right at home.

Over the weekend we led a Sports Day with the kids doing different relay games and having netball and soccer tournaments. We had brought a bunch of water balloons and squirt guns so at the end of our activities we had great fun getting everybody wet. We would say, "Whoever catches this water balloon will win a prize," then throw it high up in the air. A crowd of kids would try to catch it, but inevitably it would break and everyone would get soaked.

That evening we hosted a talent show, not to share our talents, but for the community to share theirs. We wanted to show them that they could have fun even without having a lot of resources or technology. Some kids sang, others did modern dances or cultural dances, one family did a funny skit. Even some of the older ladies in the community came up and danced. It was a fabulous time that helped everyone, if just for a moment, forget their desperate circumstances and share in an evening of joy and laugher.

When we first arrived I had switched my phone to airplane mode and I purposefully didn't bring my laptop. Being "unplugged" helped me truly engage in the community that was right in front of me, the NETS students and the Queen Sofia families. I was reminded of the joy of simplicity. We don't really need all this stuff that we surround ourselves with, and often times it's just distracting. While there certainly are immense problems with poverty, perhaps this is one area where the rest of us could learn from it.

Photo of the Day

Privileged to capture some amazing shots of last night's lightning storm

Ministry to Children and Youth

It was in about January 2013 that I first started talking with NETS (Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary) about the possibility of teaching Youth Ministry courses at the seminary. On August 18th, nearly 20 months later, that vision was finally realized. I arrived at school early, around 7am, to make sure I had everything printed and could get my computer connected to the projector. I had 11 students signed up for the course, all 2nd and 3rd year residential students at NETS. Most of them had been or will be involved in some form of church or para-church youth ministry, so I hoped the material would be applicable.

After some brief introductions we started off going through the course syllabus. That was an easy start, getting the feet wet. Then we jumped right in. The general outline for the course was that your purpose plus your target group within a given context equals your program. So we spent the first day discussing the purpose of the church and a Biblical and theological basis for youth ministry. The next day we spent talking about youth and childhood development, looking at physical, emotional, psychosocial and spiritual development. This was to get a good handle on understanding our target group.

The minefield of issues that youth in Namibia are facing.

The next two days we spent looking at youth culture and the context in which today’s students are growing up. We talked about many different issues including postmodernity, family structure, media discernment, social networking, sexuality, substance abuse, depression, suicide, and more. Those were perhaps the two most depressing, but exciting days of the course. Depressing because our youth are walking through a minefield of issues and they aren’t making it through unscathed. But exciting because the church is uniquely positioned to speak the hope of Christ into those situations.

Then once we understood where we’re headed, who we’re dealing with, and the context in which we’re working, we finally talked about developing the program. We looked at challenges to programming, some characteristics of good programs and then tried it out with a few scenarios.

Overall it was a great group of students who were very interactive and taught me a bit about youth ministry in the Namibian context. This was only the first 5 days of an 8 day course. Our remaining 3 days of class are spread out once a month throughout the rest of the semester. That course format allows them to get a bulk of information, then go practice it and come back with more questions. I’m looking forward to seeing how they use what they’ve learned and what new questions they will come back with next time.

Visitors

There's nothing to help procrastination like getting visitors! My parents came to visit for a week with Dan, one of the pastors from their church back home. My parents have been here quite a few times over the years, but it was Dan's first time in Africa. Most of our time together was spent visiting different ministries to show Dan some of the different things God's doing in Namibia and to introduce him to some of the ministry leaders.

We spent the first weekend visiting Children of Promise Ministries and Eagle Christian Center in Arandis. We enjoyed spending time with the church youth group on Friday night. They ended the night sharing jokes using different accents, so Dad chimed in with a Swedish accent telling a Jan and Sven joke. On Saturday we hung out with some ministry families and visited the church plot where they've begun construction on a perimeter fence. The church is currently meeting at the outdoor amphitheater because the Town Hall, where they usually meet, is undergoing renovations. So Sunday morning Dad, Dan and I joined some of the church guys to set up a shade covering over some of the benches, however that morning was quite windy. After much effort and engineering we managed a makeshift tent that wouldn't blow away in the wind. Monday morning we helped lead the assembly at Talitha Kumi Christian Academy with a puppet rendition of the Noah's ark story. My job was the special effects including lightning, sound effects and real rain! :)

After Arandis, we spent some time visiting friends and ministries in Okahandja. We went to a community center located in a squatter's camp area where a missionary couple is helping train women in making beads and jewelry. From there we walked a few streets over until the joyful sound of children singing could be heard emerging from a large building made of wooden pallet slats. This was one of almost 30 preschools throughout the whole city started by local teachers who our friend Joan has helped train. Six of her teachers have since gone on to receive official certification and are now teaching in public schools.

We also spent a day in Windhoek visiting NETS. We sat in on morning chapel and a freshman class on Understanding the Bible. In class we played a few games, students-vs-visitors, in which we prevailed, but probably our collective over-100 yrs of church background gave us a bit of an edge. We also got to visit with my SIM leader and the director at Campus Crusade for Christ.

In addition to ministry visits, we made sure Dan got to experience a bit of Africa since it was his first time. He got to try the world-famous Walvis Bay oysters, see the dunes of the Namib desert, watch the sun set over the Atlantic, barter at the wood carvers markets, and even see some wildlife on a safari game drive. Overall it was a great time having them around. It's always nice to have visitors with whom you can share the new things and experiences you've grown to love. So who's coming next??

Photo of the Day

A cute baby Sable that we saw on our game drive at Okapuka.

Photo of the Day

Sunset over Windhoek

Ondangwa Bible Training School

To get to Ondangwa from Windhoek you head north on the B1 and go straight for about 7-8 hours. Once you get up past Etosha the road curves to the left and starts heading northwest. By this time the temperature has noticeably increased, the land is flat as far as you can see, and palm trees have replaced acacia trees along the landscape. Just as you come into the outskirts of Ondangwa, if you look off to the left you see a large A-frame building, the home of Ondangwa Bible Training School and my friends Boniface & Saara.

During Christ's Church's first trip to Namibia in 2002, Boniface & Saara joined one of our teams as part of an outreach with YFC. Shortly thereafter, they left YFC to start a Bible Training School in Ondangwa. Over the years Christ's Church has sent various teams to help minister alongside and be an encouragement to them. I first visited the school in 2008. My friends, Nate, Germaine and I were promptly drafted to teach that morning's classes. We also got a tour of their facility and got to know some of the students.

This past Monday I was up in Ondangwa again and got to spend the day with my old friends. It was so encouraging to see the growth of this ministry over the past 6 years. Boniface said he'd never heard of another Bible school started by a black Namibian man who was still in operation after more than a few years. I know this is a tribute to how God is using them in that community and blessing their faithful perseverance. Here's a few photos of some of the growth and improvements:

This is the new boy's dormitory building, much bigger and brighter
with beds and mattresses so they're not sleeping on the floor.

A new bigger house for Boniface & Saara.

An expanded garden growing spinach, eggplant and tomatoes which they
use some for eating and some for selling to help support the ministry.

Bathroom facility from 2008 (left)
New toilets with doors that close in 2014 (right)

They've started a preschool since I last visited. Once these two classrooms are
completed they will be used to expand the school to include 1st and 2nd grade.

Inside their current preschool building

Once they finish building the 1st and 2nd grade classrooms there are plans to build an extension on the A-frame school building and to expand the preschool classrooms. The Pre-Primary school not only provides an affordable kindergarten and Christian education, but also jobs for those in the ministry being trained as teachers.

The Bible Training School has 16 students this year. They come for a two-year program where they have classes in English, Bible, Theology, and practical skills. They are also involved in helping minister with local churches. Then after two years they go back to their home communities where they minister in their own churches or go plant new churches. It's so exciting to see ministries like this thriving and growing. God is moving and sending out new workers into the fields. If you'd like more information on how to help support this ministry please contact me.