Easter Camp

Easter weekend in Namibia is a long holiday weekend, with both Good Friday and Easter Monday as public holidays. That means it's a prime opportunity for family vacations or church conferences! Every year the Dutch Reformed Church invites members from their churches all across the Kunene region to come camp on a farm outside Opuwo for their Easter conference.

This is our most north western region, one of the most rural areas in the country, with many places only accessible with a 4x4. This is where the Himba and Zemba tribes call home. They still live in very traditional ways, including their religion of ancestor veneration. God is using local believers and mission workers to draw individuals to Himself, but this area still needs many more inroads for the gospel.

Camp kitchen

I drove with a car-full from Windhoek to Opuwo, and we arrived on Friday evening with just enough time before before the sun went down to set up our tents. It was very rustic camping, with no showers or toilets. You bathe with a bucket and a wash cloth, and do your business out in the bush wherever you can find some privacy. Fortunately, they had a kitchen team who made meals in big pots over the open fire for the whole camp.

Sessions started after dinner on Friday evening. The theme of the conference was "Jesus Prays For Us" with messages from John 17. Saturday and Sunday each included two morning sessions and one in the evening. The afternoons provided time for rest, fellowship, and some games. My favorite opportunities were connecting with pastors and ministry leaders to hear about how God is working in their communities, and also getting to know some of the youth and different issues they deal with.

Three recent graduates from our NETS
Distance course were celebrated at the camp.

The girls played this sort of dodgeball type game
while trying to fill a bottle with sand.

Meanwhile the guys played soccer.

The young adults hanging out under the shade of a tree.

Overall it was a nice weekend to escape the city life and fellowship together with believers in a different part of the country, celebrating the finished work of Christ.

Help Support Teen Mission Namibia

One of our strategic visions at SIM Namibia is to help raise up the youth generation to be equipped and impassioned to get involved in God's mission in Namibia and the world. To achieve this, we started Teen Mission Namibia, a one-week youth mission trip. In December 2021, we took 12 Namibian youth and staff to go serve in the informal settlements in the town of Okahandja. We held two days of 'Mission Boot Camp' to train them in topics like sharing the gospel, writing their testimony, etc. Then we spent the next four days serving in the community, leading kids Bible clubs, doing home visits, and sharing our faith. Then our last day was spent debriefing to help them take what they learned and apply it at home. Here's a short testimonial from one of our participants.

Planning for our next trip from July 1-9, 2023, is already underway! The total cost to send one teen on this trip is $300 (USD). We ask them to raise $60 to both make a personal investment and also learn how to raise support for missions. That means we are looking for sponsors to help subsidize $240 per teen. Would you like to help support this vision? You can give directly toward sending teens on this mission trip by clicking here, or using the QR Code below.

Thank you so much for your help supporting this vision through sponsorships and/or your prayers!

Costly Discipleship

I've had a few opportunities to preach at my church lately. The first was the conclusion to our series on the Sermon on the Mount. From Matthew 7:24-27, we considered what it means to build your life on the firm foundation of obedience to Christ. You can check out that message here.

Then a few weeks later,  I continued in our series on The Cost of Discipleship. From a few passages in Luke's gospel, we considered what it actually costs us to follow Jesus, and whether or not it's actually worth it. You can check out that message here.

NETS Mission Trip

In April 2022, the whole NETS community went out on a mission trip to Bushmanland and Rundu. We ministered in villages, churches, homes, schools, and on community streets. We partnered with local churches and shared God's good news with countless people. This video tells a bit of our story through photos and testimonies.

Sandhof Lilies

Ever wonder why I call my blogsite "Blossoming Deserts"? Well, here's one classic example. For most of the year the pan at Farm Sandhof is acres of nothing but dirt. It's basically an old dried up flood plain. But during years when we have a great rainy season, like this year, the pan floods with water and up spring these lilies. For 4-5 days it is transformed into a huge field of pink and white blossoms as far as the eye can see. All it takes is a bit of water and these desert flowers, sometimes hiding in their bulbs through years of drought, come bursting to life. It reminds me of the transformative work of Christ when He pours a bit of the water of life on a dried up soul!

TMN: Debrief

Read previous posts in the Teen Mission Namibia series here: Mission Boot Camp; Ministry Days (part 1); Ministry Days (part 2).

For the last three and a half days the team had been working hard pouring out their energy and their hearts in ministry to the communities of Okahandja. They had learned so much in Boot Camp and put that into practice during our ministry days, and now it was time to turn our attention toward returning home. So on Friday afternoon we packed up and drove to the lovely Eldorado campground just north of Outjo where we would spend our last two nights.

Debrief means time to relax

...and enjoy free quality coffee!

This time was set aside for resting, relaxing and restoring our souls, but mostly for turning our minds back home. We had a few different sessions to debrief our experiences and try to convert it into learning that will transform our lives when we go home. In our first session we looked back on the trip, reflecting on some of our highlights, some of the hard parts, and some of the things that God had been teaching us along the way. In our second session we looked ahead to the situations we would be facing when we return home, to the challenges that lie ahead there, and how we can put into practice the things that we've been learning. Then in our third session we discussed how we can be missional influencers within our Christian communities.

We also got to take a short game drive through Etosha National Park. For some it was their very first time ever seeing lions, rhinos and giraffes. But the highlight of debrief was definitely our final meal. The lodge put together an extravagant buffet with soup and salads and lots of side dishes, but most of all more meat than even a Namibian could eat! Delicious tsosaties, and ribs, and boerewors, and beef chops on the braai. They saw lots of cool animals for the first time that day, but what they couldn't stop talking about was the food! 😂

Spotting giraffes in Etosha

Rhino in the shade in Etosha
(they probably removed the horns to protect against poachers)

Pride of lions in Etosha

The amazing spread for our final buffet dinner

Enjoying the amazing food

We closed our time with a little "commissioning" service studying 2 Corinthians 4. We emphasized that we are servants for Christ's sake, sharing His gospel, not trying to boost up our own reputation. Each person was given a mug (it was the closest I could find to a "jar of clay") to remind us that we are simply clay vessels bearing the incredible treasure of the gospel. We may end up experiencing hardships and persecution as we spread the good news, but in the end it is worth it, because these hardships are temporary, but our reward is eternal.

TMN 2021 Team

As we officially closed off Teen Mission Namibia 2021, I left tired but joyful. I found myself reflecting particularly on Paul's statement to the Corinthians in 2 Cor 4:12, "So death is at work in us, but life in you." Our volunteer staff had poured out their energy, their time and their lives to disciple and encourage and equip these six participants. It was like "hardship at work in us," but bringing new life and purpose to them. Now as they go back to their homes and are more intentional about getting involved in God's mission, they are our joy and crown. It was hard work, in the middle of our Christmas vacation, but it couldn't be more worth it.

TMN: Ministry Days (part 2)

Read previous posts in the Teen Mission Namibia series here: Mission Boot Camp; Ministry Days (part 1).

After our first two days of ministry in Nau-Aib, we would now do the same program again with a church in a location called Vyf Rand. Having already been through it once before, this time the program was on point. The team was exciting and engaging, they were loud and jumping around with the kids, and everything went very smoothly. Once again, our themes were gospel on the first day, and mission on the second day. 

Starting off with some game time

Games with the smaller kids

Around 160 kids came to our holiday club

Teaching our memory verse

Now can you recite it?

Teaching the Bible story of Philip and the Ethiopian

Small group with the younger girls

Small group with the younger boys

Small group with the older boys

Trying to keep those littlest ones occupied!

The first afternoon we split up into groups of 3 and were walking through the streets, visiting whoever was home. We would chat with them, and try to share the gospel if they were open to it, or just ask how we could pray for them. At one house, I was sharing the gospel with two ladies in English and could tell they weren't understanding very well. Then one of our other teammates came over (who is also one of my students at NETS) and she began sharing with them in their local language. She connected with them immediately and was so dynamic and engaging. I had no idea what she was saying, but I thought this is exactly why I am here, to train up those people who are cultural insiders who will communicate the gospel far better than I ever could!

The other afternoon we went to visit the dump site. There are a number of children and others who hang out there. They live in the nearby informal settlements and spend the day at the dump scrounging through other people's trash to see if there is anything valuable or edible. When we first arrived they ran after our bus to see what we were going to throw away. So we piled out and tried to engage the young crowd. Some of our team struck up conversations, others joined in with those kicking around a soccer ball. Some of the people, when they realized we weren't giving anything away, lost interest and walked off. Others were a bit more willing to listen. Just before we left we gathered in a big circle to pray, with somebody praying in each of the local languages. More than anything, the experience was very impactful for our team members. Some commented how they realized how privileged they really are. Others were struck by one injured boy who's mom had gotten drunk and poked him in the eye. They were heartbroken when he said that kind of thing happens regularly.

At our devotional around the fire that evening one of our ministry partners reminded us of one of the chief characteristics of Christ's ministry, compassion. Matthew 9:36 says, "When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." She encouraged us to open our eyes and see what's happening around us and have a Christlike compassion. That passage goes on to say, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." This trip was a challenge to our team members to take up that call and be one of those laborers.

Read the final post in the Teen Mission Namibia series here.