Lon and Val Garber - Distributed in Namibia

December, 2003

Merry Christmas
Yes, it is the Christmas season in Namibia even though it doesn’t feel like it. It is the middle of summer and many of the things that remind us of past Christmas seasons are missing: friends and family, Christmas Eve worship, family traditions. But the most important Christmas memory is ever present in our hearts and minds: Emmanuel – God with us.

Lon just finished an Advent sermon series at Swakop River Community Church. Normally, we use Advent as a means of preparing ourselves for Christ’s coming. Instead he preached on the ways Christ prepared Himself for His own coming to Earth. Here is a synopsis.

First, He emptied Himself of His power and position as God to remind us that we are nothing in and of ourselves. Then He filled Himself with the Father. He placed Himself under the Father’s authority, did His Father’s work according to His Father’s will and in accordance with His Father’s wisdom. This reminds us that we are totally dependent on our Creator and Heavenly Father. Finally, Christ subjected Himself to the sufferings of a fallen world. That meant being misunderstood, doubted, and deserted by his friends; disrespected, challenged and attacked by His peers; and relentlessly pursued by His enemies. He suffered all that to prepare Himself to redeem us from our own suffering.

People often ask, “What kind of God could allow so much pain and suffering in the world? The answer is: the kind of God who climbed down from His throne, and came to earth to suffer WITH us and to provide a way to thereby lift us above our pain and distress. God is not in the business of removing suffering; He is in the business of redeeming it. Christ suffered the worst thing that ever happened in the history of the world and turned it into the best thing that has ever happened. Merry Christmas to all of you.

Blessed are the poor in spirit …
More and more we are being called to the poor people of Namibia. We are now working in three squatter’s camps (Windhoek, Okahandja and Swakopmund).

Val’s work in Okahandja is going very well. Finally, most of the skill training is past, and they are actually selling bowls. Both Val and the ladies were smiling from ear-to-ear when the bowls were finally ready to sell. During the training process, many naysayers tried to convince Val that the bowls would never sell to Namibians (too expensive), so Val was especially pleased when the bowls started selling almost as fast as the ladies could make them. Christmas is a wonderful selling time even in Namibia.

Now that the craftswomen are making money, lots of ladies want to make bowls; even the one’s who dropped out in the beginning. They will slowly add staff as the first ladies learn to supervise their work. The next challenge is teaching them how to handle their newly earned finances. Saving for the future is not a traditional squatter’s camp value and those who earn money are often envied and persecuted by those who have none.

Lon is teaching a weekly Bible class in another squatter’s camp just outside of Windhoek. It is exciting to watch the Bible come alive for them for the first time in their lives. One student told Lon that they had been praying for years to have someone come and explain the Bible to them in ways they could understand it. Comments like that are very motivating.

Teaching and ministering to the poor adds a whole new dimension to walking out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each week after the teaching, there is an opportunity to personally minister to some family in the church. One week, we visited a family whose “home” had just burned down that morning. It was just a shack built with scrap metal tacked onto wooden poles, but it was their home, their clothes and all their earthly possessions. GONE. It was a sobering sight to visit and pray for them. It really puts life into perspective and humbles you.

They didn’t have much before, but now they have nothing. But there is something unquench-able about the human spirit. When we arrived, friends were already helping rebuild a temporary shelter for the night. When our homes burn down, we move into a hotel until our insurance company provides money to rebuild a new home. In the squatter’s camp, there is no such thing as insurance. You live outside without a home until you can build another shack. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

We are also beginning to build relationships with families who live in the DRC, a squatter’s camp in Swakopmund. In Africa, you build relationship first and then you begin ministry. We are doing that now with Augustinus, a pastor of a small church in the DRC. He is also a staff member of the non-profit foundation we are joining. (See work permit article.) We hope to begin ministry in the DRC next year. DRC is an acronym for Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nobody seems to know why it’s the name of an informal settlement in Namibia.

Swakop River Community Church
We are continuing our work with Swakop River Community Church, whose slogan is “Where the river flows there is Life.” A dry riverbed “flows” beside the church; an underground river flows below it which greens the nearby foliage. It is a wonderful metaphor of life. The real life is the invisible life that flows below the surface. Lon is guiding them through their first ever Elder selection process and is preaching there on a regular basis as we build close relationships with many church members. Val is facilitating a Healing Past Emotional Hurts class with the ladies.

Khomas Community Church
Lon and Stephan are working on a project to teach Panoramic Tour of the Bible to their entire congregation. Stephan will preach on one lesson each week and during the following week, the cell groups will follow a study and discussion guide developed by Lon. Lon is busy developing the small group leader materials now.

Work Permit Status
We are mounting a new campaign that hopefully will finally produce the desired outcome. We are becoming board members of a newly forming non-profit foundation, which will provide leadership training and humanitarian services to the poor and disadvantaged population of Namibia. This organization will then apply for work permits for both Lon and Val to work for the organization. Lon will focus on training and Val on economic empowerment. The application will not reference churches or the fact that Lon is a pastor, so hopefully Home Affairs will see our activities as nation building in nature.

Daily Life
So besides teaching, and planning for the next teaching, how do we spend our days? Of course there are housework and errands wherever you live, but they are a bit more complicated in Namibia. They use clotheslines instead of dryers here. There is dust everywhere. As soon as you sweep it out the back door, it circles the house and sneaks back in the front.

Then there is shopping. Stores are open from Monday to Friday 9 to 5 and Saturday 9 to 1pm (no evening trips to Home Depot for that next-day project, or running out for the milk you forgot!) The grocery shopping has settled down to a routine now since we’ve learned about kilograms and litres, and new terms and brand names for normal grocery items. And we can find most things in one store (now that we know where to look and that we must stock up when we see something, because next time it may not be there).

Shopping for other things is still a bit of a challenge. One day the hardware store will have something, and next time they have never heard of it! We can’t buy the whole store out just in case we need something later.

And nothing is in the Yellow Pages, so when I’m looking for something, I just ask everyone I know if they have seen it and then go searching for it. Unfortunately, that takes a lot of time; however we usually also find places and things we never knew about, so all is not lost.

Windhoek seems small when you first get here, but there are so many hidden places to shop, it is quite a progressive adventure (Namibian businesses have yet to discover the power of advertising).

And just an aside on shopping - people think everything here is cheap. Not so. Food is less, and labor intensive things are less, but any electronics or imported items are out of sight, a lot more than in the U.S. and years old as far as technology goes. We can’t bring ourselves to buy a TV for instance because they are ridiculous in price. And arts and crafts supplies, IF you can find them, are about twice what they cost in the U.S.

Paying bills is quite another challenge. It is not safe to send money through the mail (either cash or checks). So you must hand deliver your bill payments.

Security is also a challenge. Theft is a significant problem. Everything must be locked all the time. Everyone lives behind electrified walls, but that does little to discourage the thieves. They are excellent climbers and electricians. You must have a security alarm (which you must show you have tested every few weeks) connected to a private armed-response service or the insurance company will deny your claim. One night Lon was up late and “surprised” a burglar trying to break into the back door. Val claims Lon’s late night studies are our best protection against theft.

If you call the police, they will commiserate with you, but they will not respond to your emergency. They will tell you, “Sorry we don’t have a car.” It can take months for them to even complete a police report for the robbery. That is why you must have a contract with a private armed response firm. They are well trained and quite responsive.

So you see, daily life is a bit different here, but we have adjusted to it nicely. We feel totally at home in Namibia and have a wonderful peace about our calling and our ministry here. We are exactly where God wants us to be doing what He has called us to do.

Language School
Val is very busy learning Oshindonga, an Oshiwambo dialect. Sixty to seventy percent of the Namibian population can speak some form of Oshiwambo. During the Spring (Fall for you) term, she took classes two nights a week at UNAM, the only university in Namibia. Val says, “It’s VERY slow going. The pronunciation is not too hard, but the grammar is almost impossible!” There are 11 classes of nouns alone, and all the pronouns change depending on the noun class. On the bright side, not many African whites here can speak it, so her feeble attempts are quite appreciated by the blacks, and sure to get a smile out of even the most dour looking.

Lon is busy learning German. Since Namibia was a German colony and still maintains close ties to Germany, much of the white population speaks German. Swakopmund is a German retirement community and favorite German tourist location. He now does his daily devotions entirely in Deutsch and has started reading German books and novels.

Most of the white population still speaks Afrikaans although the government stresses English over Afrikaans in order to better connect Namibia with the outside world and to separate it from unpleasant apartheid memories. Many blacks are therefore less inclined to speak Afrikaans even though they understand it.
Val has been thinking for some months now that if Christ had been born in 2003, He might have chosen a squatter’s camp for his birthplace. So a few weeks ago she did a photo shoot to depict what that might look like. The result is our Christmas card to you:

When the time came, He set aside the privileges of deity, and took on the status of a slave ...
Philippians 2 (The Message)

September, 2003

Work Permit Status
After being told our work permit was approved, they lost the file and we had to resubmit everything, which required another approval which was denied again.
The bottom line is that we still don’t know what our official status is. African bureaucracy is much more frustrating than American bureaucracy. It seems you could just contact the person handling your file and get answers. It doesn’t work that way. It is almost impossible to get in contact with that person (they are locked away behind tight security and they do not answer their phone). If you are successful in contacting them, they cannot find your file. They are not computerized and seemingly have no central filing system. Over a month ago, we hired an immigration attorney to try and find out our status and he cannot find out anything either.
In spite of the uncertainty, we are at peace with the whole situation. God keeps confirming that he wants us here, He is using this situation to deepen our faith, and we are meeting many people we with which we would otherwise not come into contact. We know that God will clarify our situation in His own time and so we continue with our ministry.
Please continue to pray that God will move the hearts of those within the government to look favorably upon us.

Khomas Elder Training
Lon and Richard Hanna are nearing the end of the 12-week elder training process at Khomas Community Church. Upon its completion, several of the 15 trainees will be given the opportunity to join the existing 2 elders in providing spiritual leadership for this young congregation. Several wives have commented that they have never seen their husbands so willing and so excited about their leadership involvement in the church. Please pray that God will give the existing pastors and elders much wisdom in the selection of new elders.
This is a big step in the development of this distributed church congregation. Northland helped launch this church over three years ago and continues to provide connection and spiritual direction to this congregation. Khomas is a wonderful example of the distributed church model. Northland is helping them behind the scenes in many practical ways while still allowing this local church to develop its own character and sense of mission within its local community.
Under the leadership of Pastor Stephan Nell and, Hank and Joyce Schauer, the church recently completed a community outreach for over 1,000 children within Khomasdal, a suburb of Windhoek.

Vyf Rand Squatters Camp
Val is continuing her work with ladies in the Vyf Rand (Five Dollar) settlement. She has been busy building a relationship with these ladies. Building trust is the biggest thing, because almost every white person in their past has exploited them. So little by little, through consistency of showing up, and just being interested in them, and helping them, she is gaining their trust. A few weeks ago when she arrived in the camp, Emka (the pastor's mother-in-law, and Val’s main contact) jumped out from behind the tent door and said “Boo!” She loved it that Val jumped and screamed bloody murder! It was a relational break-through. Her playfulness was a sign of friendship and trust.
It has been a challenge to find a suitable project for the ladies. It must use raw materials that are inexpensive and readily available. Since the ladies are not used to handwork, the skill requirements must be very basic. Val has decided that papier-mache provides the best combination of suitable factors. It uses old newspapers and requires little skill in its basic construction. The ladies are doing pretty well. The decoration requires more skill and it has been a challenge as Val keeps altering designs to better fit the ladies’ skill levels. She has moved away from decorative painting to using polymer clay embellishments that can be constructed from molds.
The working conditions are another major challenge. The wind blows continually across a dusty landscape. Working inside the church tent helps a little but not completely, and it is very hot. It will get worse as our Spring moves into Summer.
Please pray for a more suitable indoor facility with electricity and for a source for polymer clay and for clear communication with the women that transcends language and culture.

Where the River Flows
Swakop River Community Church was formed about a year ago as a non-denominational church. It’s slogan is “Where the river flows, there is Life.”It is named after the Swakop River, which passes by the church. Ironically, the Swakop River is a dry riverbed. They assure us a river does flow underneath. The church has grown to the point of being ready to appoint its first elders. Lon has been preaching there about once a month since January. He also consults with the church leadership as they transition from their initial “organizing” leadership team to their first board of Elders.
From inception, this church has patterned itself after Northland. A few months ago one of the leaders showed Lon a document on baptism. “We’ve been working on this statement of how we intend to handle baptisms and would like to know what you think.” Lon read the statement and smiled. It was Northland’s statement on baptism that Lon had written several years ago. He, of course, thought the statement was brilliant.
The church also wants to formalize the relationship with Northland, which has always been there informally. They desire to become another Namibian expression of the distributed church model, with Northland officially serving as their oversight organization for training, counsel and accountability connection.
Please pray for this church as they are in the process of selecting their first set of elders and wrestling with theological and practical issues of church policy, such as the proper role of women in the life of the church.

Panoramic Tour of the Bible
Richard Hanna and Lon have taught the Panoramic Tour of the Bible seminar twice in Windhoek in the past two weeks. The first workshop was for the youth groups from several churches. The second workshop was for the adults of Khomas Community Church. Both workshops were well received by participants and Richard and Lon had a great time teaching together again.
The primary message of this teaching is that God loves us deeply and is calling us into an intimate love relationship with Him whereby we depend upon Him to meet all of our physical, emotional and spiritual needs. This is a message that is so needed in this country where poverty, disease and abuse are so prevalent. Lon is planning to repeat the seminar several times in other locations between now and the end of the year. He will also begin training pastors and other church leaders to conduct the seminar.

By the Rivers of Babilon
Okay, there are no flowing rivers in the interior of Namibia and no we didn’t misspell Babylon. Babilon is a very, very poor and crime-ridden section of northern Windhoek. Val and Lon have begun to form relationships with a pastor and evangelist of a small tin church in this neighborhood. Eventually this will lead to training opportunities, but first we must establish a healthy relationship with Petrus, Mateas and their wives. Healthy means that they must see us as a training resource rather than a conduit for receiving funds from America.
Please pray that these poor, black churches come to see us as a spiritual resource instead of a source of financial backing. That mindset is a real problem and roadblock to our effective ministry in Namibia.

Bank of America
Soon after we arrived in the country, Lon attended a pastor’s conference at Rock Lodge in Okahandja. During a mealtime, one of the ministry leaders communicated that he had been praying for access to a small airplane and pilot since his ministry occurs all over the country. He ended by saying, “but God has not answered my prayer yet.”
One of the pastors responded, “I know why God has not answered your prayer. You must do more than pray. Prayer is important, of course, but so is praying in the presence of an American.” It seemed funny at the time, but I soon discovered that it is not funny to Namibians. They are serious. They see America rather than God as their provider.
Wherever we go, when Christians hear that we are from America, they think, “Ah ha, Bank of America.” The first thing they see is a way to get money from us for their favorite ministry project. We are constantly being asked for money.
We constantly battle this mindset that just creates a higher degree of dependency on foreign influence rather than God. God is not rich in America and poor in Namibia. He is rich everywhere.
Please pray for us that we would meet this mindset with grace, but would also use it as an opportunity to teach about God’s provision.

Val Speaks Oshivambo
Well, that may be a little of an overstatement. She is taking Oshindonga (one of 11 Oshivambo dialects) at the University of Namibia. Most of the ladies at the squatters camp speak some Oshivambo. So Val is learning the basics of their language to further her ministry and relational connection to them. Very few white women in this country speak any Oshivambo, so Val gets a lot of attention when she speaks to Oshivambo people in Windhoek in their own language.
She is also building a solid relationship with her Oshivambo instructor, whose name is Ottilia. She wants to learn to how to sew and Val is going to teach her. Please pray for Ottilia’s salvation as Val builds a relationship with her.

God’s Love Spread on Bread
Pastor Thomas' wife Crystalline is running a great preschool in the Five Rand Squatter's camp for about 60 kids. It's great fun to hear them chanting "One two Buckle my shoe....." with their little African accents! I had mentioned to someone, that at lunch time, the kids all bring out their plain white bread to eat, and that's lunch. The person I had mentioned this to, has offered to pay for peanut butter to go on the bread! Cool huh!

February, 2003

2 – There is much work to be done here, work that I am able to do well. People respond so well and quickly to a servant’s heart her, especially in the north (Ovamboland). People in Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund are a bit more skeptical. Today I built a computer center for Val by installing a desk in the hanging clothes portion of the built in closet in my Study. Now we can both be working on our computers at the same time.

5 – I met Fred Joseph today. He is anxious to have me address his elders about elder training. Nice man, very passionate. I like him. Stephan and I also made plans for conducting our Panoramic Tour of the Bible seminar at three or four locations around the country when Richard and Kaye come in June – August. Also met with Dieter today and offered to help him with his ministry plan. He was greatly relieved. He is so grateful for my help because Emmanuel is forcing him to document his plan and that freezes him. He must do it and yet he feels like he can’t do it. It must be a horrible feeling. So I am helping him and he is way beyond grateful. This is so fulfilling. I love Dieter like a brother and to help him in this way fills my heart with joy.

7 – The men on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus when He met them on the road or even when He taught them. They only recognized Him when He broke bread with them. There is something magical about close fellowship around a meal that is revealing. The intimacy causes us to reveal ourselves in ways we don’t in other meetings. Even teaching doesn’t necessarily reveal your heart. God knew this when He instituted communion.

8 – Today we had a workday at His People’s (our church) new location. We are moving to the Boy Scout Center, which has been vacant for quite some time. It is in much need of clean-up, fix-up. We are moving there from a school. So there are many parallels to Northland when we moved to Skate City in 1984. Val and I were glad to help. We met Frankquit who seems to be a capable, emerging young leader. He spent a lot of time going around encouraging us worker bees, yet he still made time to work hard himself. He appears to be a natural leader.

9 – Frankquit preached today and did a wonderful job.

10 – I had a wonderful time this morning leading Dieter through a planning session for his Fyf Rand (Five Rand) ministry. Knowing how much he dislikes planning, I tried to connect it with something he loves to do: boating at Von Bach dam. So while he paddled us around the lake in a canoe, I asked him some introductory planning questions. Mostly though, he gave me a nature talk about the animals that live in the area. There were many “Florida” birds there: herons, coots, cormorants (snake birds), and of all things pelicans, dozens of them, even though we are 200 miles inland. We also saw yellow-billed kites who love to eat termites this time of year. But today they were fishing.

The most unusual animal he pointed out was the Dassie Hyrax (Rock Dassie). This creature looks a lot like a guinea pig, kinda short, stocky and tailless; grayish-brown in color with a yellow tinge to its fur and a black patch on its back. They live in colonies and are very social. They love to sun themselves on the rocks by the shore, but that makes them vulnerable to their natural enemy, the black eagle. These birds love to attack with the sun to their back to blind their prey. However, God has graciously provided the rock dassie with a defense by giving it two pair of eyelids. The second pair acts as a sunshade so it can see while looking directly into the sun.

On the opposite side of the lake, Dieter beached the canoe and we hiked to the crest of a steep hill, which offered a breath-taking view of the lake, dam, and surrounding hills and mountains. That’s where we spent most of the morning doing our serious planning. I asked strategic questions and documented his excellent answers. He knows what God is calling him to do, he just cannot describe it in a logical, orderly way either orally or in writing. That’s where I come in. I will provide a format and document his plan. His gratitude is so encouraging. When we came back down the hill, he was beaming, a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

This evening, I went to River of Life Community Church to address the elders. I was fully aware that I “on trial” with them. Therefore, I was thrilled when the evening went far better than I had expected. I not only passed my test, I connected with them in a wonderful way. I am really looking forward to spending the next several weeks with them. They are so ready and anxious for training.

After the meeting, I met a visiting pastor from South Africa who has invited me to participate in his church’s annual leadership conference in September. It is called Integrated Agape Fellowship and he assures me that his church is true to its name.

Today was my most productive ministry day so far in Namibia. If it is a foretaste of what ministry life will be like here, I will be a very happy man indeed.

11 – This afternoon, I finally met Ron Gardiner. I have heard many good things about his passion for missions in Namibia and was delighted to confirm every good thing I’ve heard about him. I’m sure we will be doing ministry together for a long time.

12 – Today I continued refining the ministry plan with Dieter. It is so thrilling to combine his vision and passion for the squatter’s settlement at Fyf Rand with my planning and writing talents; and then to see a written plan emerge that will provide clarity, focus and direction to he and Joan’s ministry. Even more thrilling is the look on Dieter’s face as he discovers he has actually accomplished what he thought to be impossible. I feel great about how our ministry is shaping up in Namibia. The only dark cloud on the horizon is Home Affairs. Will they turn us down again? Even if they approve our work permits, will we have to leave the country before the permits take effect? God, by faith, we ask you to remove these clouds.

13 – Today had my weekly mentoring session with Stephan. We are quickly developing an effective ministry partnership. I also attended the Judea Harvest quarterly meeting. It is a gathering of pastors whose churches are meeting in large tents provided by the Judea Harvest ministry. My purpose was to network and make ministry contacts. After the meeting, six pastors were interested in meeting with me further. But the best meeting of the day was with Dawie Fourie. He is the Managing Director of Price-Waterhouse-Coopers in Namibia and probably the most influential Christian businessman in the country. What a caring, humble man of God he is. He is also the founder of Rock Lodge. My purpose was just to enable us to get to know each other better. He let me know that they are still considering me as the point man for the Namibian Dream Centers.

14 – Manus Olivier, the pastor of the Swakopmund Dutch Reformed Church and the preacher at Swakop River Community Church is staying with us for two nights while attending a conference just around the corner from our home. It has been a great time to get to know him better and feel his passion for ministry in Namibia. I will be preaching at Swakop River CC in a few weeks on their first anniversary as a church.

16 – Yesterday and today I attended the Khomas Community Church Men’s Leadership Retreat. Stephan calls the top 12 male leaders of his church the G12 and has been mentoring them for a year. They are in training to become elders. It was a great time to get to know them as we studied the WTB series, Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation. Saturday evening was an informal time around the fire and Sunday we studied and fasted and prayed. This morning was another beautiful Namibian morning: majestic sky, cool air, birds praising God in concert – all in the midst of a rugged mountainous setting. Glory be to God!

We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works within me. (COL 1:28-29)

This was what motivated Paul to rise out of bed each morning. 2000 years later, it is the same for me. Nothing has changed.

July, 2003

12 – It has been awhile since I have written. Acclimating to Africa and settling into Windhoek as our new home has been an exhilarating experience for me. Each day is a new adventure. We have bought a new pickup truck (they call them bakkies here) - a 2001 Isuzu double cab bakkie, white with canopy over the loading space. We have now moved out of our borrowed flat and are at the beach for several days. We decided that if you must stay in a hotel, it might as well be at the beach. It’s cool here and a refreshing change from the mid-day heat of summer in Windhoek. Val and I are very much at peace with ourselves and with each other now that she is beginning to actually like it here.

20 – For me Namibia represents Freshness. Where I had become stale, it is a fresh start for me. Where Americans have become complacent in their comfort and convenience, Africans are alive in their spirits and ripe for revival. Where life was ordinary in America, it has become extraordinary here. Same life, new perspective. It is not really Africa, it is me. Good things come alive in me here. God things come alive in me here. I like myself here. In June, 2001, I wrote that I wanted to be “naked and unashamed” before God – honest and comfortable with my weaknesses as well as my strengths, celebrating with God that he put within me the perfect combination of characteristics and abilities. I am rapidly approaching that goal here in Africa. I know who I am, I am comfortable being me and I want more of God in my life. More dependence upon Him, more awareness of His Spirit within me, more of His love flowing through me to a needy world around me.

22 – 3 WAYS TO BE UNCHRISTLIKE - 1) Elevate yourself above others, either by pushing yourself up or by putting them down. Both separate you from other people. 2) Distance yourself from their pain. 3) Focus on their imperfections. This reminds them of how unacceptable they are to you. Ridicule and pedantic teaching will accomplish this for you “quite effectively.” Christ was touchable, approachable and reachable. Anything that encourages others to separate themselves from you is potentially un-Christlike. Only separation that eventually leads to greater intimacy is Christlike. Christ separated Himself on the Cross that we might be reconciled with God and united with Him forever.

27 – The shipping container arrived late today. It was supposed to arrive last week but they couldn’t find a truck. It was supposed to arrive this morning but they couldn’t find the driver. It was supposed to arrive this afternoon but the driver and truck got lost. TIA – This is Africa. So we unloaded the container in the dark and rain at Hodygos. By then it was too late to load our stuff back onto a smaller truck and drive it back to Windhoek. So we spent a sleepless night outside swatting mosquitoes and waiting for morning.

28 – We loaded the Toyota Dyna with Dave and Jen Fortin’s help and headed for Windhoek. We unloaded, ate lunch and returned the truck to Hodygos. So we now have our African belongings all in one place (except for about 15 boxes which we must have missed in the unloading). Jos set the pace for speed rather than accuracy or safety. It feels so nice to have our things available again.

29 - Val is busy unpacking and beautifying as I travel north with Dieter, George and Jape. Warthogs, baboons, ostriches, cattle, goats and donkeys abound. The trip is long and tiring but uneventful. It was a valuable time to get to know Jape Van Vuuren better. He is the Director of Operation Mobilization in Namibia. He is a pleasant, easy-to-get-along-with gentle man. Along the way, we stopped in Otjiwarongo and met with Theo Borstlop, a Christian businessman, and two local pastors, Nico Kruger (AFM) and Etienne Binneman (Agape). Once we arrived in Oshakati, we met with Pastor Festus Negumbo (Four Square Gospel Church) and Pastor Johnny Heita (FSGC in Ohangwena). Festus is anxious to have us do leadership training at FSGC.

30 – This morning began with a beautiful sky, cool air, and birds singing marvelously – just like every other “mora” in Namibia. God is good. I read Phil. 2 this morning in my quiet time. It reminds me of how I must act and feel to be effective in ministry in this country. Humility is required. They have no use for haughty, know-it-all Americans who come with force and energy and then try to cram ready-made, American solutions down their throats. They need servants who will humble themselves to help and slowly build relationships, people who will be open and honest and vulnerable. We met this morning with Adriaan Grobler, a Christian businessman and elder at the Oshakati DRC, which is between pastors now. He is a committed lay minister who does a lot of his own ministry on the side. We also met with Markus and Fulla, YFC ministers who just moved back to Oshakati to do ministry there. They are old friends from my first trip to Namibia. They were students in our leadership training who have since married.

31 – The people of the north (Ovamboland) seem so open and accepting and ready for ministry assistance. Pastor Festus is very anxious to have me help him with leadership training.

December, 2002

3 – This is our last day as American residents. We leave for Namibia just after midnight. Our day was filled with last-minute bill paying, countless calls and goodbyes, errands and such. Filled with activity, the day flew by. Jamie drove us to the airport after a tearful goodbye to Jenny and Ken. Jamie’s goodbye was very difficult. We hugged for the longest time, neither wanting to let go. But after a final kiss and wave, I had to turn and face the future, and begin looking forward to May of next year when we return for Jamie’s graduation.

4 – Carol Hafer met us at the airport in Atlanta. We spent a delightful two hours together. In a card, she wrote, “I believe you were made for this. You have been a friend, a mentor, an example, a person I love to create with, an inspiration and family to me. You are living out your purpose to perhaps a greater extent than you ever imagined, as you become more and more the person God created you to be. Thank you for all the ways you make a difference in my life.” Later, on the plane I wrote, “I feel like my training is completed and in many ways my real ministry is just beginning. God is affirming that we are in the center of His will and His plan. I have a growing sense that He is going to do amazing things through us and in us in Africa. I eagerly anticipate how He will unfold His plan.

5 – During our lay-over in Johannesburg, I talked with David Wilkinson on the phone. We tried to meet, but with heightened security, a in-transit passenger cannot get to someone on the ground. We discussed the possibilities of doing ministry together. I can’t wait to see what God does with this relationship. George was waiting for us at Hosea Kutako airport when we arrived in Windhoek. We were very tired and he drove us to our borrowed flat for some long-overdue rest.

8 – Today we received the storage bins we sent over this past summer. We worked for many hours opening and re-packing things not needed now, finding places for useful things, using every possible cranny in our 1-bedroom flat, and then re-storing 10 bins until we have our own place. We also had a braai (BBQ) at the Porter’s house. Stephan and Beverly Nell were also there.

11 – We spend much of every day visiting shops. Shopping over here is very different than American shopping. It is like being on safari, looking for items that are hiding in the bush. Eventually you find what you need, but you have to shop in 4 groceries to find them all. Yesterday I traveled to Hodygos to witness Summer Camp in action for the first time. It was a great day renewing friendships with many people.

18 – We have been in Namibia for 2 weeks and the unusual is now becoming normal. The left-side driving is now comfortable. We know where to shop. We have been to the movies. There are only 2 theaters in the whole country and we are staying within a kilometer of one of them. We know the best Internet cafes. We know where to find elusive items. Namibia is now becoming our home. When we finally locate decent tasting ice cream, Val says she will commit to staying (smile). On Sunday, we found the house we want to rent and on Monday we signed a lease. Our landlords are the Erasmus’. He is retiring as Deputy Minister of Education and she is a salesperson at a jewelry store. They are moving to Capetown. They are very nice and accommodating. The house is in Hochlandpark, high on a hill overlooking Windhoek City Centre, Windhoek North and Katatura. A wonderful breeze blows in the afternoon and evening. It will be our A/C. It fits our needs the best and was the cheapest of all the homes we considered.

23 – Today we discovered another delightful outdoor café – Café Zoo in Zoo Park. The park is a beautiful little section of downtown Windhoek. It has everything – café, shade, green grass, lily pond, pretty trees, playground – everything that is except a zoo. Nobody knows how it got its name.

25 – Today was the loneliest Christmas I can ever imagine. Christmas without kids and other family just doesn’t feel like Christmas at all.