African Mobilization Consultation

A long time ago I wrote in my journal, "May I never pursue a vision so small that it can be fully accomplished in my own power." At the time, I didn't really know what that vision would be. It started with a vision for training Namibian youth workers. But over the past few years, I think I've been gradually shifting toward something a bit bigger.

Gathering of African mission leaders

There have been a few monumental shifts that have helped shape the history of missions. You could start right in the NT with the gospel going to the Gentiles, or more recently, the advent of mission agencies and the modern mission movement, and the focus toward unreached peoples. The latest shift happening within our generation is the mission force changing from "the West to the rest" to "from anywhere to everywhere." What that means is that places which have traditionally received missionaries are now sending missionaries.

Since 2018, there are more people who profess Christianity in Africa than on any other continent in the world. By 2050, they project there will be more Christians in Africa than on the next two most prevalent continents (Europe & Latin America) combined! So that means the future of the mission force in the next generations could be predominately African! But what we need now are Christian leaders and strategies that will help facilitate this shift.

Discussing challenges of mission

This past week I've been at a consultation of mission leaders from across the continent discussing how we can mobilize Africans and African churches for involvement in global missions. There is no shortage of challenges that need to be addressed, but we heard some encouraging stories of how it's already working (AfriGO magazine is trying to capture some of these stories). I don't think it's an understatement to say this moment in history that we're living can have a monumental impact on the future of missions for generations to come. And I'm excited to be in such a strategic place to be part of that by helping figure out how to send out Namibian missionaries to the least reached places of the world. That's definitely a God-sized vision! 😄

God told Habakkuk, "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe even if you were told" (Hab 1:5). Something similar could be said of our day. God's word is going out to the nations, and He's using Africans to take it!

Lüderitz Mission Trip

At Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary (NETS), we want to give our students practical opportunities to put into practice what they are learning in the classroom. So, each year we organize domestic mission trips where our student body breaks up into smaller teams, travels to different towns across the country, and partners with local churches to advance God's kingdom in those communities. This year I went with the group to the southern coastal town of Lüderitz. We did some street evangelism, ministered at an assisted living home, hosted a gospel worship night, and students preached at various local churches on the Sunday morning. We even had a few spontaneous opportunities like praying with a police group raising funds to search for a missing colleague, and giving a 'wedding blessing' for a couple who had just been married at court that morning. Then we also squeezed in some team fellowship time at the beach, and even found some of the famous desert 'wild' horses. Check out the video below to see what our trip was like!

Operation Christmas Child

Growing up in my church back in the States, every year around November-ish we would participate in Operation Christmas Child (a ministry of the organization Samaritan's Purse). We would pack up this little red & green shoe box with toys and goodies for kids around the world. Then we would drop it off back at church and usually never hear about it again. But now I've finally gotten to see what happens to those boxes on the other end!

One of our SIM team members is a local coordinator for distributing these boxes through schools and churches around her community. The first stage is gathering principals and pastors to explain the program. Then those key leaders will send their religious education teachers or Sunday school teachers to a training. For two Saturdays they spend about 5-6 hours learning how to use the OCC curriculum for a 12-week course teaching the children about the gospel. Then somewhere in Feb/Mar, eleven shipping containers of about 7,200 boxes each arrive in port in Namibia to go out to each different region. When the boxes arrive, a whole team of local volunteers come together to take the boxes out to the schools and churches.

It was my joy to participate in some of those distribution events this past week. We visited two schools and one rural San community out in the bush. We started with a little assembly to reinforce the message that the real gift is Jesus, and you receive salvation like a gift, you don't work for it, or earn it. Then kids took their closed boxes back to their classrooms to open them together. Their joy was uncontainable as they shrieked and shouted, danced and smiled. I got many little-kid hugs of gratitude around my knees. One teacher said, "Some of these kids never even get a toy." One student commented, "This is the best day of my life." After this kickoff event, they will now continue with their 12-week lessons to help them discover the true gift of the good news of Jesus.

Distributing the boxes at a school

Opening their Christmas boxes

I was intrigued by one person's question that came up while discussing this program, asking if this doesn't reinforce a 'white saviorism' mentality. But the mission worker replied, "Not at all, because it's not really about the box. From beginning to end, this program is about sharing the gospel with the kids. Whether they are rich or poor, everyone needs a relationship with Jesus." So next time you are packing one of these boxes, may it be a reminder to you that Jesus alone is the Savior, and His gift of salvation is the real message. This box is an opportunity for a child somewhere in the world to receive that most beautiful gift of all!

Living as Children of Light

This semester in our seminary chapel times the faculty has been preaching through the book of Ephesians. This week I had the opportunity to share from Eph 5:1-21. In that text we found a strong exhortation from Paul to live out our new identity as children of light, especially in the area of sexual purity. If you'd like to listen along, you can download the message here.

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.