February, 2006

EXTENDED EDITION – LOTS TO REPORT

SPECIAL NOTE:

Our ministry is beginning to get complicated. We have several projects underway and they each have long names. Therefore, starting with this newsletter we will refer to them by the following acronyms:

WOOH – Work of Our Hands – Val’s project to provide unemployed women with handcraft and business skills which enables them to become independent entrepreneurs and thus provide for their families.

HFABF – Hope for a Better Future – community development project designed to improve the living conditions within the Vyf Rand informal settlement (squatter’s camp). Its higher purpose is to demonstrate the love of Christ in practical ways and to provide hope to residents that they can build a better future for themselves and their children.

LON – Leadership Outreach Namibia – blanket name for all the work that Lon and Val are doing in Africa. Yes, indeed, the fact that the acronym spells LON is intentional.

MINISTRY NEWS

This is an exciting time for HFABF. We are busy organizing ourselves to be good stewards of the property that God has miraculously supplied. We are establishing an American foundation to work in conjunction with our Namibian trust so Americans who wish to invest in this project can receive an appropriate IRS tax deduction for their donations. If any of you would like to become HFABF partners, do not send donations to Northland (they handle our personal support). Instead, you can send your tax-deductible donations to our newly created foundation:

Hope for a Better Future
c/o Hazel Sun
659 Dunblane Dr
Winter Park, FL 32792-4620

This Sunday we will conduct our first community meeting where we present to the Vyf Rand residents our plans for the “Red Plot” (the name by which the community refers to our property – the buildings are painted red). We officially designate the property at that time as their community centre. Our first community centre event will occur soon thereafter. In a partnership effort with Campus Crusade for Christ, we will be showing the Jesus Film several times as an evangelistic outreach. That will be the first of many evening events we provide for the community to give the residents a healthy, safe social gathering place. At present, the only other possibility is the many small shabeens that dot the camp. Shabeens are taverns run as small family businesses. We are committed to providing an alternative. We are also beginning a gardening project on the property. We need to evaluate the existing bore hole (well), test the water and install a suitable commercial pump for irrigation. Then we will plant our first commercial vegetable plot. In conjunction with Christ Hope International’s Care and Compassion ministry, we will distribute vegetables to AIDS patients to help them slow the progress of the disease through good nutrition. We will also provide vegetables for the elderly and training for those who wish to establish their own family garden plots. A major portion of Lon’s time this year will be invested in mentoring Pastor Thomas into these new leadership roles.

Standard Bank of Namibia recently announced that they will be providing $N50,000 grants to three organizations doing humanitarian work in Namibia. We applied and were selected as one of the finalists. As a result the largest newspaper in the country, “The Namibian” published a nice article last week about our work and future plans. If you would like to read the article, write us (email:lon.garber@northlandchurch.net) and we will email it to you.

We had a wonderful time in Capetown. It was relaxing and also productive. Our prayer request of last month was answered BIG TIME! WOOH received a huge order from a company (Heart Works) that has 2 gift shops in the Capetown area which specialize in selling indigenous crafts. Even more important, the owner is known and respected by the gift shop industry all over southern Africa. After she placed her order, she called a colleague in Namibia (who also owns multiple gift shops) and told her, “You need to meet Val and see what wonderful crafts are being produced right in your own backyard.”) As a result WOOH received another large order as soon as we returned home. So for WOOH it is “Feast” time. Val is now teaching the WOOH ladies how to reproduce her new designs so they can fill the orders. There is a large giftware trade show in Germany in just a few weeks and the new Namibian client wants to take WOOH merchandise there to sell. In addition, an opportunity has opened up for WOOH to establish its own retail marketing outlet in the Namibian Craft Center in Windhoek. God has opened up the floodgates and all of those involved with WOOH are desperately trying to swim in the stream without being drowned. It is a wonderful blessing that comes with much hard work and long hours. Val is grateful and struggling with panic all at the same time. The office assistant that we have all been praying for has now become a requirement, even an emergency. Please continue to pray passionately for God to fill this need with the right person.

During our resting time in Capetown, Val challenged me to begin writing my first book. Her killing blow: “If you are a writer, you must write. It is your responsibility as a creative artist. It is God’s responsibility to see that others have an opportunity to read it. Don’t worry about whether it ever gets published. Van Gogh never sold a single painting except for those his brother secretly purchased out of pity for poor Vincent. What if he had used that as an excuse not to paint?” Ouch. So I have begun writing. I have set aside Monday mornings as writing time and Val will help guard that time from interruptions. The first book that God has laid on my heart to write is a book on walking by faith. It will primarily be told in story form. It will be the story of our move to Africa and what God has taught us about faith along the way. My working title for the book is: Life’s Greatest Gamble: Learning to Walk by Faith. I have completed the first chapter and have outlined the remaining chapters. Please pray that I will continue to be faithful to the task and that God will give me the words He wants me to write. I hope to complete the writing part of the project by December.

Lon continues to preach at Swakop River Community Church every other weekend. He has helped them form and train a gifted group of elders and is now assisting them in developing a pastor selection process. He has been preaching his way through the Bible and just started the New Testament last two weeks ago. At each stop (sermon) along the way, he has been showing them how “without faith it is impossible to please God.”

PERSONAL NOTES

Weddings continue to be a predominant theme for 2006. Jamie is getting married in August to her fiancé Bobby DiCroce while we are in Colorado and now we learn that Jenny is getting remarried as well. Then we travel to Germany in September where Lon has been asked to officiate two more weddings. Söeren Dörr (German), one of Lon’s students during his first leadership training in Namibia in 2001, and his fiancée Lize (South African) have asked Lon to perform their ceremony. Söeren was also Lon’s assistant for a brief time last year. Jojo Knobloch (German), another of Lon’s students from 2001, and Markus Liebold (also German) had already arranged for Lon to perform their wedding. And now Lon’s current assistant, Alex Chongo (Zambian) and his fiancée Bianca Gowases (Namibian) are getting married in October. He will also perform their ceremony. Val and Lon will be providing pre-marital counseling for another couple this weekend (April wedding). And so he has begun offering his pre-marital counseling in written form via email. So far, these sessions are only available in English. The German, Afrikaans, Bemba and Damara versions (languages also spoken by the wedding couples) will have to be added later. J

We thought you might also be interested in something we saw on our way back from Capetown. Just after we crossed the South African/Namibian border, we stopped for petrol. In front of the BP station was a taxi rank with a shade cloth canopy to protect the waiting passengers from the hot sun. These are long distance taxi services that carry passengers to points throughout the country. There were ten potential passengers waiting on this day. But it was the eleventh passenger that interested us the most. It was a dairy cow. We couldn’t be sure if she was waiting for the taxi herself or if she was a companion of one of the other passengers. Maybe she was just smart enough to graze in the shade. We can’t be sure. We were dangerous Auslander (foreign) strangers so she wouldn’t talk to us. I wonder what the taxi fare is for a cow? Surely they must charge her for at least one additional seat.

It is the rainy season and God has opened the floodgates of heaven over Namibia. We received record rains in January followed by record rains in February. It is raining almost every day in Okahandja. The reservoirs are full to overflowing. This weekend, the authorities were afraid the Hardap Dam would burst from the water pressure and so they opened the sluices and subsequently flooded the nearby town of Mariental. Oops. We are so grateful for rain in this desert-filled country, but now we are in danger of serious flooding. With the rains come flies, mosquitoes and moths. Our new friend Green Guy is grateful for the new groceries. He is much more environmentally friendly than bug spray.

CHURCH DISTRIBUTED UPDATE

Now that we have the “Red Plot” in operation, we are looking to host short-term mission teams from partner ministries around the world. We have the capacity to house medium to large teams on the property. There are three residential flats (each with sleeping/toilet/bath facilities for 4-6 individuals) available on the property and additional overflow space if needed for larger teams.

While we were in Capetown, we began discussions with Northland partner church, Vredelust Gemeente concerning the feasibility of them sending teams to help us with our many projects. Hopefully we will host our first South African team later in this year.

We also will continue to host day teams from Northland partner, Khomas Community Church, in the Khomasdal neighbourhood of Windhoek. We will be recruiting teams from other Namibian churches as well, especially our neighbouring churches in Okahandja.

ON THE HOMEFRONT

It is time to begin planning our next visit to the States. Our time in Florida will be in mid-August between our transcontinental weddings. Every year our time in Florida is very hectic, tiring and frustrating in that we can never seem to find enough time for everyone who wants to visit with us personally. We know there is a better way and so we would like to try something new this year. We would like to invite our friends to a weekend at the beach. That will give us plenty of time to give you a detailed report of our ministry here (as a large group time) and still have plenty of informal time to meet with smaller groups where we can just chat and catch up. The advantage for us is the opportunity to tell our larger tales once rather than dozens of times and the advantage to you is a weekend at the beach which will get you away from your busy schedule. It would also give Lon some time to demonstrate some of his teachings, African style. He may even give you a sneak preview of his book.

So that’s our plan, but we need your help. 1) If you are interested in possibly joining us at the beach on Aug 18-20, 2006, please let us know by replying to this email. Your response will help us see if your idea is feasible and how much space we will need. 2) we need someone who will be willing to help us with the logistical details of finding a meeting place. We will keep the administrative details to a minimum by having everyone make their own reservations and meal plans, but we still need some energetic soul willing to scout out potential sites and reserve a block of rooms and a meeting space. If you are willing to help us in this way, please raise your hand now. I see that hand above the crowd … but to whom is it attached?

slice of african life

Alex’s experience in the engagement process has taught us a lot about African wedding customs. Each tribe has its own highly structured protocol, which can be a problem when the bride and groom are from different tribes. Alex is from the Bemba tribe in Zambia and Bianca is a Damara from Namibia. In the Damara tradition, the man brings his family (parents, uncles, etc) with him when he proposes marriage to the bride’s parents. They arrive at the bride’s home and call from the front gate. The bride’s family sees them waiting there but they leave them standing at the gate for quite some time (up to 2 hours) before acknowledging them and granting them entrance into the yard. The groom’s family is expected to bring practical gifts (milk, sugar, bread, salt, candles, cigarettes, etc.) wrapped in 1 meter of white cloth which they present to the bride’s parents. If they accept the gift, the groom’s family is invited in and the discussion/negotiation begins. After introductions and announcement of the stated purpose of the visit, the groom is expected to answer the family’s questions including such things as: “Will you beat our daughter? How will you live? Where will you live? What language will you expect her to speak?” This question and answer time can go on for an extended period of time and even be continued in subsequent meetings. If so, the extended family (aunts, uncles etc.) may also be in attendance. This process can take up to 2 months to complete. It is the Damara tradition to make life quite difficult for the potential groom even if they are quite pleased with their daughter’s choice. This is designed to test the seriousness and determination of the young man. Eventually an engagement date is agreed upon and an announcement party is planned. The groom is expected to bring a number of gifts to that party, including the ring, other jewelry such as a necklace, earrings and watch as well as all the food for the celebration. Extended family and friends are invited to join in the engagement celebration.

Bemba tradition is somewhat different. The groom and his uncle and aunt arrive with a small plate of money as a conversation present to the bride’s family. The money opens the floor to further negotiations. If the bride’s family accepts the gift, the visiting party proceeds to ask directly of the bride’s family: “Do you accept our family?” The bride’s family must answer either “yes” or “no.” If the answer is yes, the groom’s uncle asks for a second meeting for further inquiries. During that second meeting, a bride price (lebola) is agreed upon. And a third meeting is appointed where the bride price is paid and an engagement celebration is planned. After the engagement celebration, a “Kitchen Party” is organized by the ladies from both sides of the family where friends bring all the things the bride will need to set up her kitchen. Alex’s family followed Bemba tradition somewhat to the dismay of Bianca’s family. For example, they failed to wait at the gate and they brought money instead of practical gifts. Bianca’s family insisted that they return another time and wait at the gate as Damara custom prescribes. As you can see, African weddings can be a complicated affair.

AND NOW FOR OUR MONTHLY AFRICAN ANIMAL TALE: One day the elephant came down the path to his favorite water hole. There was a small ground squirrel in the middle of the path who refused to let the elephant pass. The elephant was highly insulted because all the animals know not to get in the way of an elephant on his way to water. Even lions yield ground to the elephant. So the elephant swished his trunk like a golf club and propelled the squirrel far down the bush “fairway.” Luckily for the squirrel, he landed high in an acacia tree. Now the squirrel was insulted and decided it was time to teach the elephant some manners. Just because the elephant was huge did not give him the right to be a bully. So the squirrel scampered down from the tree and spent a strenuous hour catching up to the elephant. He then said to his sizable neighbor: “I may be small, but I can still eat more eat more palm nuts than you. I challenge you to an eating contest.” The elephant almost burst at his sides from laughter. But he agreed. Squirrels from miles around collected two huge piles of palm nuts. Soon after beginning, the squirrel was so full he couldn’t eat anymore, but the elephant had his back turned concentrating on his own pile of nuts. Since all squirrels look alike to elephants, another squirrel secretly took his place. This switching maneuver continued all day until the elephant finally could eat no more. He finally gave up and raised his trunk and trumpeted his musical salute to the small but mighty squirrel. And ever since the elephant has showed respect to the squirrel.

This story is a highly modified version of a Shona tale documented in When Hippo Was Hairy: And Other Tales from Africa.” If you would like to read the original version and lots of other African folk tales, we highly recommend this book. ISBN: 1-86872-456-5

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

Here is our financial summary of our funding through January 2006:

$ 3770     2006 YTD Giving
$ 3656     2006 YTD Budgeted Need
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$   114      2006 Ministry Account Balance

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Thank you all very much for helping us pursue and sustain God’s calling for us in Africa.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When giving through Northland, make sure you designate “Lon and Val Garber” on your envelope or attached note. Otherwise, your donation may not be credited properly to our account. Send donations for Hope for a Better Future to the address listed above.

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