June, 2006
MINISTRY NEWS
This is the busiest time of year for us in our respective ministries. Lon is preaching almost every Sunday somewhere in the country. We are beginning to implement the plans we have for the Hope for a Better Future trust. Lon is also teaching at various places during the week and we are preparing for the arrival of three missions teams who arrive at the end of the month. Val has launched a third job skills training project through Work of our Hands. This time it is a sewing project in the Vyf Rand (Five Rand) Camp. Some of the ladies who have been sewing for several years were completely surprised to learn that they are supposed to oil the machines regularly. We are using both electrical and pedal sewing machines.
At the same time, we are preparing for our annual return to the States (and this time to Germany as well). So we must schedule extra time to gather photos, movies and reports to show our ministry partners in the U.S. and Germany. We keep dreaming of taking a day off, but that is difficult to do in Africa. As with Jesus, a lot of our ministry happens “along the way.” People come searching for us 7 days a week from early in the morning until late in the evening. Appointment times are not a highly regarded tradition in Africa. Thus, we have developed a deeper understanding of Jesus’ constant challenge in finding time to be with Himself and His Father.
Even in Africa, much of ministry is being faithful to the mundane, tasks, teachings and counsel that fill every ministry day. But occasionally you fall into an adventure that really makes you feel like a missionary and I am in the midst of one of those now. I am learning how to build a traditional African village. We selected a suitable location under a fine stand of trees. We are busy clearing the land. Yesterday, we began harvesting reeds from the riverbed and in a few days we will go out into the bush and begin cutting poles. Once the teams arrive, we will start assembling the rondavals (round grass huts with thatched roofs) and build several small ”villages” (three huts per village) according to the traditional designs of several Namibian tribes (Owambo, Kavango, Bushman, Herero, etc). It is a real treat to be involved in re-creating centuries-old construction methods. Our goal is to construct a cultural center for schools, residents of Five Rand and tourists.
The other day Val was looking through “House and Leisure” (a South African magazine) and she saw a set of earrings that looked a lot like an earring design she had created for Work of our Hands. At first she thought, “someone has copied our work.” Then she realized that it WAS our work. One of the shops in Capetown that sells our products arranged for the earrings to be included in the magazine. Imagine the excitement of our bead ladies to see the work of their hands included in a glossy magazine among things they will never be able to afford. And yet their craft work was included along with all the other elegant merchandise. They couldn’t believe it had actually happened to them. Please pray for these ladies that God will continue to prosper them. And also pray for Val and Cecilia as they train them. It is a constant struggle to communicate the simplest business concepts to the ladies in ways they can understand and begin to practice.
in the namibian NEWS
Several cities throughout the nation are trying to crack down on illegal shebeens. Police are finally enforcing a liquor law enacted in 1998. Shebeens are tiny taverns people open in their homes to serve alcohol to neighbors. They rarely do it legally since that requires completing complicated forms, installing separate toilet facilities for men and women, including running water and high license fees. These are stiff requirements in rural areas. So they open illegally by dedicating a room in their home to the shop; they stock it with booze and put up a homemade sign in their yard. There are about 400 of these home bars in Walvis Bay alone. Only 14 are legal. The city initiated a crackdown recently and closed the illegal ones. 300 of them immediately reopened. So the city confiscated their inventories and equipment, including cell phones. The shebeen owners are furious. The closures have now started happening nationwide. The fact that they are illegal doesn’t matter to the shebeen operators. They are initiating public protests at town halls and now at the “Tintenpalast” (our Parliament Building) and have even appealed to the President to intervene on their behalf. Their neighbors are very happy about the closures since loud music blares on late into the night when the shebeens are operating. And shebeen shootings are quite common.
In the north, they call shebeens – cuca shops. They claim they have been given permission by tribal leaders to operate and thus don’t need permission from the municipal authorities. Since they are otherwise unemployed, they claim that selling alcohol is the only way for them to earn money. One was quoted as saying, “Many families depend on this money. We are supporting our families and churches with our earnings from our cuca shops and shebeens.” Thankfully President Pohamba came out quite strongly against the illegal shebeen owners. He urged them to follow the law and then added, “Alcohol is keeping our country enslaved to poverty. We did not struggle for decades to win independence only to lose it again to alcohol. I don’t want to preside over a nation of drunkards.” And yet, the founding father and prior president, Sam Nujoma spoke in favor of the shebeen owners and urged them to gain permission from their churches and tribal authorities … Hmmmm. I wonder which churches will give their people permission to operate illegal taverns in residential neighborhoods that are often frequented by young children until the late hours on school nights.
For the past week, illegal shebeen owners have camped out in front of the Parliament building in protest of the law. They are turning the Parliament grounds into a squatter’s area and yesterday they even skinned, butchered and “braaied” (grilled) an entire cow on Parliament grounds. Government officials are reluctant to deal harshly with the protesters for fear that they come off looking like bullies; but, on the other hand, they are now risking the impression that the law and those tasked with enforcing it are weak and ineffective. This issue is turning into a major showdown between the forces of law and order and the people’s right to do whatever they want to support their families.
The World Health Organization recently reported that, in spite of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the Namibian life expectancy is on the rise. It now stands at 54. That is wonderful news since it is dropping dramatically in most southern African nations. Recently a FOX/NEWS reporter, Roger Friedman (evidently on a tight deadline) stated that 25% of the Namibian population died of AIDS in 2003. I am happy to report that he was quite mistaken. Otherwise we would still be busy burying those 450,000 people.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Namibian Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the unemployment rate in Namibia has reached 36.7%. If you include people who are underemployed (employed but at a level below a living wage), the rate climbs to about 60%. The report challenged the government to do more to create jobs by funding more capital projects. As you can see, employment is a major challenge for Namibia. Training Namibians to earn a living for themselves as entrepreneurs is an effective strategy for solving this problem.
PERSONAL NOTES
I’m sure you’ve seen in your own news that an outbreak of polio in Namibia has become a major health risk to the whole country. The count of reported cases has reached 96 with 14 deaths. Ironically, it happened just before the government was about to receive a certificate from the World Health Organization for eradicating polio. In response to the threat, government health officials have launched a campaign to immunize everyone in the country, citizens and visitors alike. I’m sure many of you are wondering if it is a risk to us. While the risk is low, we will still be immunized again. Val and I were immunized as children, but some of the reported cases are a “wild” strain of polio that is resistant to the vaccine we received. For that reason, we will take the new vaccine today as part of a three-day campaign taking place throughout the country.
Our house population (including guests) has been reduced from 8 to only 6 and next week will be further reduced to 5. We will welcome a little more peace and quiet. Missionary life is sometimes a challenge for us introverts.
CHURCH DISTRIBUTED UPDATE
This morning Pastor Thomas communicated that he wants to incorporate more English songs in the worship service at the Vyf Rand Bible Baptist Church. He sees it as a way to begin to expose adults to learning English. I see it as an opportunity to continue to connect English-speaking churches with tribal churches. Please pray that God will use this opportunity to build connections between churches in Namibia.
THE HOMEFRONT
Here are some more “missing persons” who have changed email addresses. If you know (or can find out) the current email address of any of the following, we would love to update our files:
Daryl & Tammy Rusch
Donna Duckhorn
Renee Law
Ralph Foulds
Connie & Keith Ellington
Tom & Paula Geier
Sheryl Odom
Lynne Pink
Paul & Jaon Johnson
Georgeann Herget
Andrew Beattie
We are looking forward to being back in the States in late July. We will be in Colorado from 25 July until 10 August and in Central Florida from August 10-24. We return briefly to Colorado and then fly to Germany on the 27th of August. Central Floridians, don’t forget to book your reservations for joining us at the beach on August 18-20. It will be our primary time for reporting all that God is doing through us in Africa. It is just not possible for us to meet with all of you individually and so we hope you can join us at the beach. The reservation number is as follows:
Reservation Phone: 1-800-206-2747
Address: Holiday Inn Cocoa Beach
1300 N. Atlantic Avenue
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
slice of african life
One of my students whose first name is “Living” told me an interesting story about himself. He once had a job as a nighttime security guard. One day his boss told him that he was going out of town the next day and leaving Living in charge of the security detail. Living was very excited and honored to have this responsibility. But the next morning Living reported to his boss that he had dreamed the night before that his boss would be killed if went on the trip. Africans take dreams very seriously and he wanted to warn his boss. His boss went on the trip anyway, but he didn’t leave Living in charge. Instead, he fired him. Can your figure out why? Living was a nighttime security guard and unwittingly confessed to sleeping on the job. Oops.
In Ghana, they do funerals in style. They are important social occasions and often the deceased is put to rest in an elaborate, brightly colored “fantasy” coffin. Fantasy coffins in the shape of Coca-Cola bottles, Ghana Airways airplanes, cars, chickens, cameras, birds, Bibles etc. can be seen in coffin shops. These coffins cost between U.S.$300 and U.S.$800. To many it seems an extreme expense when it may represent more than a year’s salary for the deceased. But it is also reminiscent of the story of the lady who poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. To the families it represents a final way to pay their respects. The coffin is often chosen because of its meaning to the person being buried. For example, a farmer may be buried in a coffin that memorializes the crop that he harvested. One family member reported, “This is an illiterate community. The coffin serves as an obituary. Everyone who sees it will be reminded of his life.” For others, it is a way to appease the angry spirit of the deceased who may otherwise wreak havoc from the next world. It is a traditional belief among many Africans that the dead are far more powerful than the living. So … when Lon dies, he wants to be buried in a coffin that looks like the front entrance to a bookstore.
This month’s animal fable is a Sesotho story about the OSTRICH. The ostrich is famous for his long neck, but it hasn’t always been this way. Long ago his neck was a more normal size, but then he made friends with the crocodile. All the other animals warned against this relationship, but the ostrich wouldn’t listen. You can’t fit much of a brain inside an ostrich’s head and that leaves him oftentimes at a disadvantage. One day the crocodile was hungry when along came ostrich. Crocodile said, “My dear friend, can you help me? I have a toothache but I can’t figure out which tooth it is. Will you please stick your head in my mouth and see if you can tell which one hurts.” Foolish ostrich obliged and the deceitful crocodile snapped his mouth shut and proceeded to try and pull ostrich into the water. Ostrich isn’t bright, but he is stubborn. The more crocodile pulled, the more ostrich’s neck stretched. Finally, crocodile let go and poor ostrich ran for his life. So now ostrich stays far away from the river and he still has his long neck. This story is summarized from When Hippo Was Hairy: And Other Tales from Africa.” If you would like to read the full 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 for 2006:
$ 16,219 2006 YTD Giving (through May)
18,280 2006 YTD Budgeted Need
-----------
$ -2061 2006 Ministry Account Balance
========
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.
Comments