Lon and Val Garber - Distributed in Namibia

October, 2002

21 - We are so excited and relieved. George Steinbach emailed us with the news that our visas have been approved. That news frees us to actually plan a departure date. Today we decided to store our furniture in Colorado (in Val's brother's barn) instead of paying for a storage unit in Orlando. This will save storage costs in the long-run since after 6-8 months we will have recouped the cost of moving our belongings to Colorado. But even more significant to us emotionally is that it allows us to see Jenny and Jamie one more time before we leave. We will leave Orlando in mid-November and arrive in Colorado in time to spend Thanksgiving with the girls. We will leave for Namibia from Denver in early December.

22 - The good news was premature. Stephan Nell emailed today to correct George's misinformation. Our visas have not been approved but he expects to hear something next week. Today was a tough day for me (Lon) emotionally. The impact of leaving Jenny and Jamie has sunk in deeply and the pain is almost too much to bear. I wrote them both a love letter and that helped a lot.

24 - Today the website came into being. Dave Welch has done a excellent job in designing and developing this site. It is full of useful information, yet has the feel of being simple and uncluttered. This is so exciting. I can see how the website will become an invaluable tool for helping our supporters stay connected with us and the ministry in which they are investing prayer,finances and relationship.

27 - Our Farewell Reception this evening was a wonderful time of saying good-bye to hundreds of old friends. It was heart-warming to see so many friends which reminded us of so many memories, all in the same room at the same time. It was a fitting capstone for our ministry over the past 24 years at Northland. It was impossible to say good-bye to everyone at the same time. I kept seeing people across the room that I wanted to greet, but there were always several others waiting to talk to me. Hopefully, I was able to share a few moments with everyone. Deb Meyer gave me a wonderful gift to commemorate all the fun times we have spent together in ministry over the last several years. It is a safari hat with a built-in fan. No joke. Get this. It is solar powered with a backup battery pack for cloudy days. That's Deb. Always preparing for every contingency.

April, 2002

I returned a third time to Namibia in April. This time Val went with me to see if she could live there. And then came a big surprise.

4 - We arrived in Namibia again today. It is so good to be here with Val. I am trusting that she will fall in love with Namibia as I have.

5 - After a slow day of acclimation and rest, we went out to dinner this evening with George and Jojo, my two best friends in Namibia. We ran into Luke and Dave at Burgerstuebchen and we all ate together. It was wonderful to include Val in a dining experience I was enjoyed with others on each of my previous trips.

9 - Val has had a bad case of the flu for 3 days and it won't go away. She has been in bed since Saturday morning. This is definitely not how I envisioned the trip. So far, she has not fallen in love with Namibia and hasn't really even met anyone.

12 - Val is feeling a little bit better, but not well enough to venture too far from our room.

13 - We admitted Val to the Catholic Hospital in windhoek tonight and Val's "flu" has actually been food poisoning. It must have been the chicken she ate at Burgerstuebchen. I feel so desperate tonight. Val hasn't seen anything I wanted her to see, hasn't met the people I wanted her to meet, and probably will not by the time we leave. It feels like a wasted trip.

15 - They released Val from the hospital today. She is weak but feeling alive again. Hopefully we can still see a little bit of the beauty of Namibia before we return home.

16 - Today Val had a chance to meet Sylvia Buekes and Stephan Nell, two people I really hoped she would have a chance to meet. Finally, Val is experiencing what I had hoped she would experience. In spite of her sickness, she has decided that Namibia is where God wants us to be and she is willing to call it home. We are actively making plans to return.

20 - After two days at Swakopmund and a day at Ondekaremba Gaestefarm, we are on our way home. The trip certainly did not unfold in the manner I had hoped, but God still gave us the desired result: Val has peace and a willing heart to follow my calling and move to Namibia.

February, 2002

I returned to Namibia in February. I have included a few journal entries here that demonstrate my growing love for Namibia and my calling to minister there.

2 - The setting sun tonight was spectacular. We crawled up on a rock overhang to watch its growing splendor. It soon became a silent worship service. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky turned a yellow gold. The colors deepened slowly into an incredibly beautiful red sunset. God painted upward on this evening until the color reached high in the heavens. At some point, I remember wishing Isabel would sing. I asked God to make her sing and He did. Isabel's sweet voice sang song after song that poetically spoke all of our praises to God. Usually sunsets come and go in a few minutes. This one stretched on timelessly. Only when Jojo became chilled did we reluctantly leave the altar.

4 - So ends the first day of curriculum and STMT leadership development. As with the last trip, the parts of my day that stand out are the personal conversations I had with Ilona, Sandra, Dieter and Jojo. I can honestly say that I made a difference in all of their lives today by listening to them, encouraging them and giving them counsel on issues and concerns they are currently facing. My counseling office remains busy.

11 - It is time to go home but I do not want to leave Namibia. This land, these people, this ministry ... I am so in love with it all. The American Lon is happy to be going home but the Namibian Lon is very sad.

13 - Last trip, Val kept asking me if I was going to wake up some morning and announce that we were moving to Namibia. It disturbed her that I was so captivated by the place and the people. I told her no I would not. After this trip, I just might do it, if the right opportunity presents itself.

20 - The contrast between ministry at Northland and ministry in Namibia is striking. And more and more I am drawn to ministry as it is done in Namibia. Everything is so fast-paced here that it is difficult to slow down and minister to and encourage people. I long for the slower pace of Namibian minstry and the emphasis on the importance of people.

December, 2001

I find myself profoundly changed in ways I know will define my ministry for the rest of my life. What is is that is happening to me? Peggy Riley tells me that even my countenance has changed. Person after person asks, "What in the world happened to you over there?" I wanted to know the answer to that same question myself. So I began to ponder what happened.

For 18 incredible days, all day long, I was able to immerse myself in preaching, teaching, giving relational counsel and encouragement to people, and developing leaders through mentoring. All these activities centered on my two most passionate topics: relationships and leadership. I felt totally fulfilled and it transformed the lives of many of our students.

As I step back and ponder this, I see my true calling into sharper focus. I communicate well through preaching, teaching and writing. I design training programs well. I care for people well and I develop leaders well.

November, 2001

1 - We ended our teaching time by singing Agneus Dei together. Richard and I then attempted to say good-bye since many of them are returning home this afternoon. We found that we simply could not do it. In just two weeks, these people had burrowed their way deeply into our souls. Richard couldn't speak at all and I stumbled over my words. After two full weeks where the words flowed out of us as never before, we were tongue-tied in the end. Such is the nature of love.

7 - Today I received an email from Jojo thanking me for coming to the hospital and praying for her and encouraging her. She once again thanked me for my teaching and the impact it had on her life.

9 - Mone wrote today and informed me that she is definitely ready to come to Orlando in mid-January to serve an internship.

11 - Brenda wrote today. She is coming to Orlando in mid-January to visit her mother in Deltona

12 - Irene writes, Dave Halter writes and also George, Sandra and Soeren. I responded to each email. Every day I receive an email from one of my Namibian, German or American friends is a happy day.

21 - Joan wrote today thanking me for my obedience, sensitivity and encouragement. She reported how she and several others were applying the advice I gave her on several occasions during the training.

27 - Dieter wrote an incredible email today where he too communicated the impact Richard and I have had on his life.

29 - Luke wrote today thanking me for the time I spent with him at Hodygos. He too reported how he was applying my advice. He also thanked me for my encouraging email and voiced his desire that we keep in touch via email because he still has a lot to learn about leadership.

October, 2001

Our incredible journey towards Namibia began here when Richard Hanna and I traveled to Okahandja, Namibia to conduct leadership training for the Youth for Christ Namibia national staff.

19 - I am expecting so much to happen in the next 18 days. I am so ready for God to reveal something more to me about me during this time away from my normal routine. I have been feeling for months that I am on the verge of a big change in my life and ministry. Will God reveal it to me in Namibia? I certainly hope so.

We are descending into Johannesburg now. The name reminds me of my great, great, great, great grandfather Johannes H. Garber. He too had a grand trans-atlantic adventure. At the age of 33, he emigrated to America on the ship "Phoenix," arriving in the port of Philadelphia on August 28, 1750. Escaping Lutheran persecution in Germany, his journey was part of a spiritual quest that changed the lives of his ancestors. How will my trip change the lives of my ancestors?

21 - I have a growing excitement about the next two weeks. I have been looking forward to this for so long. It's all coming together nicely. I am at complete peace in my spirit. We have listened closely to God and He is indeed Emmanuel (here with us).

23 - As I reflect at the end of this second day of training, I have a growing sense that something wonderful is happening here between the students and us. We have made a special connection with them that goes way beyond just our teaching. We seem to have touched them very personally and they seem to be having the same affect on us.

31 - After lunch, I checked email. Peggy sent me the entire curriculum to review for Exploring My Faith. When will I have time to do that? Before arriving, it seemed like we would have much free time. We have had none. I was so naive to think I'd have the time or inclination to work on such mundane Northland activities. I wouldn't even want my mind to go there if I did have the time.