Lon and Val Garber - Distributed in Namibia

About Us

Our MISSION in Namibia is to train African church leaders to effectively minister to the spiritual, emotional and physical (AIDS) crises threatening Namibia. To accomplish this mission, we work with churches throughout the nation to help their members become better leaders, disciplers and followers of Christ. We also work to unite churches throughout Namibia in ministry partnerships designed to demonstrate the love of Christ to Namibians.

Contact Information:

Lon's email address:
lon.garber@northlandchurch.net

Val's email address:
valgarber@iway.na

Photo Galleries

Various Photos from Namibia

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Work of Our Hands - People

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Work of Our Hands - Products

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Links

Time Zone Map - (please don't call us in the middle of the night!)

From November - March, Namibia is 7 hours ahead of Orlando.
From April - August, it is 5 hours ahead.
From September - October, it is 6 hours ahead of Orlando.

Africa Map - To see where Namibia is located in Africa

Weather in WINDHOEK - find out whether Lon and Val are currently hot or cold. In either case, no humidity (oh yes!)

Namibia Geography - quick geographical fact sheet

Food And Agriculture - more than you want to know about Namibian food production

Languages Of Namibia - Afrikaans, German and English are the predominant languages spoken in Namibia. But there are also dozens of tribal languages. Check them out.

Namibia Gateway - lots of info on culture, geography, history, economy and health concerns

Namibia Satellite View - current (zoomable) satellite shots

Namibia Resources - interesting sites on Namibian natural resources

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MORE NAMIBIA MAPS

Map1 - small map of Namibia with closeup of Walvis Bay

Map2 - small map of Namibia showing districts

Map3 - larger map of Namibia (more details and expandable)

Map4 - shows towns and roads (expandable)

Map5 - small topo map

Map6 - links to several other maps

Regional Maps - small regional maps showing roads

Partners

These are the churches we are currently serving in Namibia.

KHOMAS COMMUNITY CHURCH
Non-denominational
Pastor - Stephan Nell
P.O. Box 25172
Windhoek, Namibia
Email: stephannell@namibnet.com
Phone: 011 (264)(61) 222-635

RIVER OF LIFE COMMUNITY CHURCH
Apostolic Faith Mission
Pastor - Fred Joseph
Rolls Royce St
Khomasdal
Windhoek, Namibia
Email: afmfred@mweb.com.na
Phone: 011 (264)(61) 24-6758

SWAKOP RIVER COMMUNITY CHURCH
Non-denominational
Pastor - Manus Olivier
P.O. Box 332
Swakopomund, Namibia
Email: manus@iway.na
Phone: 011 (264)(64) 40-4040

WALVIS BAY NORTH CHURCH
Dutch Reformed
Pastor - Welly du Toit
Walvis Bay, Namibia
Email: welly@iway.na
Phone: 011 (264)(64) 20-2706

FIVE RAND CHURCH
Non-denominational
Pastor - Thomas Mbundu
Five Rand Squatter's Camp
P.O. Box 1188
Okahandja, Namibia

PRAISE REPORTS

July 2006

• PRAISE for our 3-month work visas being approved so quickly

June 2006

• PRAISE the bead ladies are making progress managing their own cash flow
• PRAISE sales continue to go well at the craft center
• PRAISE for my assistant Cecilia. we finally started our long-awaited the sewing classes

May 2006

• PRAISE for more administrative assistance. It takes a big load off our shoulders.
• PRAISE for good sales in our new retail space (sales N$5000, rent is only N$300)
• PRAISE wonderful assistants (Alex, Cecilia and Anita)
• PRAISE Hank, Joyce and Anita’s safe arrival

April 2006

• PRAISE for Val’s complete recovery from African Tick Bite Fever
• PRAISE an extremely successful Pastor’s Training Conference
• PRAISE God for providing the W.O.O.H. retail outlet we have been praying for
• PRAISE God for sending us Cecilia, Alex and Anita for assist us in ministry

March 2006

• PRAISE God for Val’s assistant Cecilia!!!
• PRAISE God for the wonderful rains we have been receiving.
• PRAISE God for financial funding for HFABF.

February 2006

• PRAISE for safe travel and a wonderfully restful time in Capetown
• PRAISE for new orders from new clients for WOOH. God answered prayer in a big way.
• PRAISE God’s continued financial blessing on the HFABF project.
• PRAISE for Isabella’s safe return from Angola.
• PRAISE that the injured YFC volunteers are recovering nicely.
• PRAISE that we have met some new acquaintances. Pray friendships will develop.

January 2006

• PRAISE for the successful completion of our home purchase. We are now proud owners of some nice Namibian soil and the house that sits upon it.
• PRAISE for the successful completion of the property purchase for Hope for a Better Future Trust.
• PRAISE that the currency exchange rate peaked just before we transferred the money to buy our home. Immediately after the transfer, the rate then settled back to its low point for the year. God was indeed at work favoring us in this transaction. We praise him for it.
• PRAISE for all the American and German friends who visited us. It was great to see and spend time with them. We greatly miss our friends in America and Europe.
• PRAISE for God’s abundant provision for our ministry here in Namibia. He has provided for us and our ministry projects way beyond our hopes or expectations.

October 2005

• PRAISE for a successful move. We are settled in our new place without breaking or losing anything of significance.
• PRAISE that the currency exchange rate continues to rise as we wait to close on our house purchase.
• PRAISE for all the American friends (both old and new) that are crossing our paths this month and next.
• PRAISE for God’s abundant provision for our ministry here in Namibia
• PRAISE for the ministry assistance we both receive from Namibians. Alex is a tremendous help to us as is Isabella and several others who assist Val.
• PRAISE for my new connection with the CLS school at Imkerhof. I am very excited about continuing to grow that ministry connection.
• PRAISE God’s protection as we travel around the country.

September 2005

• PRAISE for our new home. We are so excited to own our little patch of Namibian dirt. It is such a blessing to us at the end of a long journey of faith. Well, actually the journey of faith never ends, but we are happy for this little oasis along our way.
• PRAISE for God’s miraculous blessing concerning the land He has provided for the ministries of Vyf Rand Bible Baptist Church. We feel it is indeed Promised Land and it will give so much hope to this beleaguered community.
• PRAISE for the “Grand Opening” of the Pastor’s Bible Correspondence School and for our first students. I have been preparing and dreaming of this day for several years and it has become a dream come true.
• PRAISE that Val may have found her assistant. She is trying someone out now.
• PRAISE for the ways God is finding markets and distribution channels for the craft products our ladies are producing.
PRAISE for Engelhart’s recovery from his serious burns. He is out of the hospital and healing nicely. His mother, Hildegard, thanks you for your prayers.

August 2005

• PRAISE for our work permits. It is such a relief to know our future in Namibia is secure for another year. Praise God.
• PRAISE for God opening up new marketing opportunities for the crafts. It seems to be happening. Praise God for blessing the ladies in this way.

February 2005

· PRAISE - for the beautiful Namibian Craft Training Centre. It has water and a sink, lots of lockable storage, cool breezes in the heat of the day and lots of light. Praise God, what a blessing.
· PRAISE - wonderful summer rains. Rain is never taken from granted in this hot, desert climate.
· PRAISE - for American friends who came and blessed us so much with their love.
· PRAISE - that God has given me another godly young man to mentor in ministry.

OUR HOME: God sold our home on the day of our departure. Actually we received a verbal offer 1 hour after we left town. Praise God, the author of cliff-hanging, real-life stories. We would also like to Hazel Sun, our realtor, for her tireless efforts in making this happen. And also my brother, Gary, in Memphis for providing the FAX machine and support to help get the contract signed and accepted.

GOD'S AMAZING HAND: God continues to confirm our calling by answering prayers and removing obstacles sometimes even before we have a chance to ask Him. We were intending to rent a truck to transport our belongings to Colorado for storage. We were not looking forward to driving such a large rental truck for such a distance. On Saturday, a close friend provided a way to ship our belongings from Florida to Colorado without having to rent and drive a truck. Now we can drive to Colorado at a more leisurely pace and visit family and friends along the way. What a blessing.

Just this evening, we realized we did not have all of the boxes we needed to pack our computer for shipment to Namibia tomorrow. Before we could devise an alternative plan, the doorbell rang and a dear friend walked in with 5 computer boxes. Her explanation: "God told me to bring these to you." Each new day brings more examples of God's confirmation and blessing.

FRIENDS' AMAZING HANDS: We have been working since June to prepare to move to Africa. At times the work seemed endless. During those times, friends would magically appear to help us pack and clean and do yard work or whatever. It was such an encouragement. You know who you are. Your love and assistance mean much more to us than you can ever imagine.

PRAYER AND PRAISE POINTS

July 2006

• PRAY for the renewal of our 12-month work permits
• PRAY travel safety as we fly to Denver on 24-25 July (next Monday and Tuesday)
• PRAY that polio will be quickly contained and that no more people will die.
• PRAY that we will be able to find some rest and relaxation along the way.

June 2006

• PRAY for the quick renewal of our work permits
• PRAY for all the details that must be dealt with before leaving Namibia
• PRAY for the continuity of our projects for the time we will be gone
• PRAY for Zebra team’s preparation and travel safety (they arrive June 30)
• PRAY for Hank and Joyce’s Holiday Kids Clubs (first week in July)
• PRAY for strength for Lon and Val for busy schedules for the next 4 months
• PRAY the bead ladies will learn good business practice now that they have mastered their craft.
• PRAY for the sewing project (communication, relationship-building and practical product ideas)
• PRAY our ongoing efforts to connect Namibian churches with each other

May 2006

• PRAY for the quick renewal of our work permits.
• PRAY for quick renewal of Anita’s work permit
• PRAY for Zebra team’s preparation and travel safety (they arrive June 30)
• PRAY for Hank and Joyce’s Holiday Kids Clubs (first week in July)
• PRAY for strength for Lon and Val for busy schedules for the next 4 months

April 2006

• PRAY for safety for Hank, Joyce, Nan and Anita as they travel in the next few weeks
• PRAY for Zebra team preparations and strength, wisdom and blessing for Nan and Larry in organizing it
• PRAY for a nice, cozy flat for Anita to stay in when she arrives.
• PRAY for continued unity within the churches of Okahandja and throughout Namibia
• PRAY for Pastor Thomas and I as we listen to God’s plans for “The Red Plot”
• PRAY for our ongoing development of the L.I.O.N. training center
• PRAY for Hank and Joyce’s Holiday Kids’ Club preparations (thousands of details to arrange)

March 2006

• PRAY the restoration of strength to Val’s body with long-term affects to her health.
• PRAY for an affordable flat for Anita Lee.
• PRAY that the bore hole will be usable without needing major repairs.
• PRAY for wisdom for the opportunities opening for WOOH (booth at Namibian Craft Center) plus other decisions
• PRAY for wisdom in helping WOOH workers progress toward independent business women

February 2006

• PRAY for an ASSISTANT FOR VAL! THIS IS A CRITICAL NEED.
• PRAY that the WOOH ladies will be able to learn the designs and fill the orders quickly.
• PRAY that Namibia can safely contain God’s bounty of water with no further flooding.
• PRAY for Lon’s writing project (faithfulness and inspiration)
• PRAY that we will develop more close friendships.
• PRAY Pastor Thomas as he takes on much more responsibility in his new role.
• PRAY a pastor for Swakop River Community Church

January 2006

• PRAY for a business manager to oversee our Hope for a Better Future Trust projects. This person is critically important to the future growth of this ministry.
• PRAY for God’s protection as we travel to Capetown and back.
• PRAY for the expansion of Val’s ministry with new marketing outlets and the training that goes with it. She still needs much wisdom as she explores possibilities and begins to train the ladies in her various projects.
• PRAY for an assistant for Val, and other craft trainers, as she is maxed out at this point. The need is overwhelming so she is always tempted to take on one more student or project.
• PRAY that God will bless us with more close friends here. It can get pretty lonely for Americans in Africa. Differences in culture, ethnicity, language, education and economics makes it difficult to make close friends.
• PRAY that the copy machine we purchased at auction can be put in good running order for the copying of our Bible Correspondence School materials and for HFABF projects. We bought it at a bargain basement price, but so far it is making bargain basement copies to match. Please pray that it is fixable.
• PRAY for Isabella’s safe return. Over the holidays, she has been visiting family in northern Namibia and a close friend in Angola.
• PRAY for the injured YfC volunteers and their families as they recover physically and emotionally from this serious trauma.
• PRAY for Linkie’s family and friends as we grieve her passing.

October 2005

• PRAY for the expansion of Val’s ministry with new marketing outlets and the training that goes with it. She needs much wisdom as she explores possibilities and begins to train the ladies in her various projects.
• PRAY that the deed issues concerning our house will soon be cleared up so we can complete the purchase.
• PRAY that the copy machine we purchased at auction can be put in good running order for the copying of our Bible Correspondence School materials. We bought it at a bargain basement price, but so far it is making bargain basement copies to match. Please pray that it is fixable.
• PRAY that the purchase of the church property near Vyf Rand be completed without any problems surfacing. The deed transfer documents are being prepared now.
• PRAY that Isabella will be accepted into one of the teacher’s colleges to which she has applied or that God shows her a new direction. We are trusting God for her next step in her vocational preparation.

September 2005

• PRAY the children of Namibia. So many of them are orphaned by death or abandonment. We heard so many heartbreaking stories about these vulnerable children. We will spare you the details. Just pray for God’s protection. We have two partner ministries that are working the front lines of this need: Hope’s Promise Orphan Ministry and Christ’s Hope, International.
• PRAY that we can maintain our sense of balance amidst growing ministry opportunities and such huge needs that we see every day.
• PRAY that God would give us wisdom in developing this property for the glory of the Lord. He has been so gracious to us and we want to be good stewards of this opportunity. Yet this is a major undertaking and we have no experience in land development. So pray that the God who gave us the land will give us the knowledge and wisdom to maximize its use for the expansion of the Kingdom and to magnify His glorious name.

August 2005

• PRAY about shipping. It is always a challenge and now we have more marketing possibilities than our ability to get it all back to the States. Please pray now for affordable shipping.
• PRAY that the exchange rate would climb favorably for us between now and the time we transfer the money for the house purchase. A slight shift in the rate either way means thousands of dollars on the purchase price of our home.
• PRAY for peace that passes understanding as we try to rest in God’s arms as the purchase price moves daily with the exchange rate.
• PRAY for Engelhart, nine years old, who walked through a smoldering fire and then ran when his pants caught on fire. His legs are seriously burned. He is the son of Hildegard, one of the bead ladies Val is training and mentoring.

February 2005

• PRAYER - marketing help for Val. We now have more products than places to sell them !
• PRAYER - for God to send the right ladies for the new project Val has in mind.
• PRAYER - for the exchange rate to start going up. The buying power of the American dollar has been cut in half in the few years since we decided to move to Namiba
• PRAYER - for favor with the municipality of Okahandja concerning the purchase of the land on which to build a pre-school, church, parsonage and a more permanent craft training centre.
• PRAYER - traveling safety when we return to the States in April
• PRAYER - for bargain airfares.
• PRAYER - it's not too soon to begin praying for the renewal of our work permits in August 2005.

December 2003
• Our work permits are always at the top of the list. Please keep praying with us that God will lead us through this ongoing trial, that we will hear and obey Him at each step and that it all works for the praise of His glory.

• Pray that the leaders of Swakop River church (including Lon) will have wisdom in selecting the first elders. We hope to complete the process by the end of Feb.

• Pray for sales and marketing wisdom for the Vyf Rand products now that the Christmas season is over.

• Pray for wisdom in building relationships and ministry in the north (Oshakati and Rundu).

• Pray for wisdom for Val as she works (crafts) with another group of ladies in Nau Aib (another poor section of Okahandja). She is still searching for the right project that they can do well enough to create marketable products

• Pray for the successful completion of small group leader materials for the Panoramic Tour of the Bible training. This will open up further training opportunities throughout the country.

• Pray for a wholesale source of cotton fabric for new craft projects.

VISAS: We are still waiting to hear word about our visas and work permits. I re-applied as a management consultant (since they currently don't like pastors) and we should receive an answer sometime in February.

WISDOM: For Val to have much discernment in for finding the proper places for establishing her healing and art ministries.

MINISTRY RELATIONSHIPS: For Lon, that he would be able to build strong relationships with key pastors and ministry leaders that would lead to God-ordained ministry opportunities.

ATTITUDES: That both of us will have the same attitude as Christ toward our ministry -- servant hearts towards all whom and with whom we minister. Our desire is to be like rain for Namibians in a parched land. That we would be refreshing to them with our willingness to help where they feel they need help with humble hearts and able minds and willing hands.

VAL'S ART MINISTRY

I have been thinking more and more about art ministry in Africa and how it could work. I would so like to teach skills that could help women earn an income. Exactly how to get started is yet to be discovered. This has been a dream of mine for years, so perhaps Africa is the place God has been waiting to get me to begin? I will call the ministry WORK OF OUR HANDS from Psalm 90: "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us-yes establish the work of our hands." Please pray for wisdom, direction, and for God to prepare the people to be involved with this.

STAY IN CONTACT

You will be receiving regular email newsletters from us once we arrive in Namibia. We will send a single copy to our "Email Distribution Center" and our Email Distribution Director (Vicki Mattingly) will send them to all of you from our stateside email address (lonnval@cs.com). If you wish to write us (and we certainly hope you will), DO NOT reply to lonnval@cs.com. Instead write to our Namibia email addresses which will remain as they are now:

valsadoll@hotmail.com
lon.garber@northlandcc.net

FAREWELL RECEPTION

Our Farewell Reception was everything we hoped it would be and more. It was wonderful seeing so many "old" friends in the same room at the same time. Our only regret is that we could not spend more time with each of you. We feel loved and cared for by all of you. Thanks for a wonderful evening. Everywhere we looked, we saw friends and fond memories.

You have all impacted our lives over the years and we greatly appreciate your friendship. As we embark on this grand new adventure, we will take all of you with us. We feel your prayers and your support.

A special thanks to Deb Meyer and her thoughtful gift: a safari hat with built-in solar-powered fan. How appropriate is that?

NAMIBIA CONTAINER

Our household belongings are packed,inventoried, labeled and ready to go. Many trips deliver them to the church and the Namibia Collection Center.

At the Namibia Collection Center,they are combined with the clothes, books, toys and sports equipment donated by generous Northlanders. A last-minute surge of donations fills the load.

This tractor-trailer truck then transported the entire load to Harvest Time, International in Sanford. This ministry sends shipping containers of humanitarian aid to needy countries around the world.

At Harvest Time, they are off-loaded into the warehouse, stacked onto wooden pallets and shrink-wrapped. They will be stored there until the shipping container arrives from Jacksonville.

VISA TROUBLES

NOTHING IS EASY

On Tuesday, November 5 we received the news that our visa applications were denied. It seems that the Ministry of Home Affairs is not currently issuing visas to foreign pastors. It seems that a Nigerian pastor forged application documents this past summer and the Namibian authorities caught him. This has tarnished the reputation of all foreign pastors and they are routinely denying visas. Six other pastors had their visas denied on the same day as ours.

So what now?
Stephan Nell (our Namibian sponsor) is appealing the decision. We are confident that God wants us in Namibia and will therefore make a way for us. We are proceeding with our plans to ship belongings to Namibia and follow them in early December. If the appeal is unsuccessful, we may have to enter ministry activities we can engage in during this period and will necessitate our leaving the country for an undetermined length of time before long-term visas can be issued. If so, we would go to South Africa and work with Bruce and David Wilkinson in their new ministry venture God's Answer.

Stay Tuned
We will keep you posted as this adventure develops. In the meantime, please pray that God will make a way for our long-term stay in the country.

OUR CHURCH HOME

On 30 December, we visited the church that has become our Namibian church home on weekends when we aren’t ministering somewhere. His People Christian Church located in the southern side of Windhoek has lively, contemporary worship, a grace-filled atmosphere, and challenging teaching. The pastor is Andrew Gossman, a white South African. After several weeks of “this church speaks too much Afrikaans for us language-challenged Americans, this church’s worship is too tame, this church is too segregated”, etc., we finally found a church that is just right.

What we like most about the church is that it is thoroughly integrated, with equal mixes of whites, blacks and coloreds. What’s more, they are in the midst of moving to a larger facility, which was previously a Boy Scout center. We had a workday this past Saturday to clean-up the grounds. It reminded us of the olden days when Northland first took over Skate City, except I didn’t see any rats at the Boy Scout center.

We have also joined a home group that meets in our neighborhood. The leaders are Bonnie and Dawn Pereko. Bonnie is a music professor at the University of Namibia (UNAM) and an excellent worship leader. He also just released his first worship CD with songs he wrote in several languages (Oshivambo, OshiHerrero, Sotho, Afrikaans, Nama/Damara, and English). It’s a great CD

FYF RAND SQUATTER'S CAMP

My relationship with Pastor Thomas Mbundu began simply enough in April, 2002. I was asked to give him a ride to Five Rand. Five Rand is the squatter’s camp near Okahandja, Namibia where he lives and ministers. Unemployed workers from Ovamboland and refugees from war-torn Angola migrate south in search of work and safety. However, work is hard to find for the unskilled and unschooled who only speak Oshivambo. So they gather in these “informal settlements.” Pastor Thomas pastors a church at Five Rand.

Several months later I received a letter from him asking for clothes for his congregation. Upon returning to Namibia in December, I visited Pastor Thomas to tell him that the clothes would soon arrive. In the process, I invited him to tell me how God was blessing his church. Thomas blessed me with the following report.

He founded the church in September, 2001 in response to the obvious spiritual needs of the camp dwellers. 40 people attended his first service in which a crippled man received healing. 80 people attended the next week. They now have from 140 to 200 attendees meeting in a modest sanctuary that holds about 70 people comfortably. Pastor Thomas attributes the increase to concerted, faithful prayer. An educated man who speaks 7 languages, Thomas and his family have chosen to remain in the camp and minister to the needs of their fellow camp dwellers.

Eventually, people in his congregation return to their homes or migrate elsewhere. When they do, Pastor Thomas and his leaders go with them to help them plant a church in their new location. As a result, in the past 16 months Pastor Thomas has planted a church in Noordoewer on the southern border of Namibia, another in a migrant labor camp on a grape farm in the south, one at Gobabis in the east, one in Windhoek, one in Ongulumbashe, two more in an Angolan refugee camp near Otjiwarango with over 500 attendees, and 4 more in Rundu on the northern border. That’s 11 new churches in about a year. The Five Rand church has an apostolic ministry that is spreading churches all over Namibia and beyond.

Now that the war has ended in Angola, many of the church members in Otjiwarango refugee camp will be returning to their homes near Lubango, Angola. In March, Pastor Thomas and several of his leaders will be traveling with them to Angola to plant a church in Lubango.

Pastor Thomas wishes to send greetings and thanks to the many Northland attendees who donated clothes for his congregation at Five Rand. He will use them to bless his congregation and then give the remainder to the elderly, orphans and handicapped people in the camp. Thank you for partnering with the Five Rand church as they continue to minister to the needs of people throughout Namibia and Angola. Your care and concern is helping Thomas and his church leaders to shine the light of Christ’s love in very dark and needy places. He summed up God’s blessings on his church by stating, “In the beginning, we spread through the camp in search of people to help us build our church. Now the people seek us out.”

MOVING DAYS

We found a 3-bedroom townhouse in Hochlandpark before Christmas, but it did not become available until 16 January. Since we had to vacate our borrowed flat on 9 January, we spent the intervening week in Swakopmund, a beach resort town on the Atlantic coast. While there we visited with two pastors with whom we will be working. Welly du Toit is the pastor of Walvis Bay North Dutch Reformed Church and Manus Olivier is the pastor of the Swakopmund Dutch Reformed Church. He also preaches at Swakop River Community Church.

Finally, our much-awaited moving day arrived. Most of the boxes had already been stored in our landlord’s garage before leaving for Swakopmund, so moving day consisted mainly of unpacking the bins we had sent over with the outreach teams this summer. It did not take too long to find a place for everything and afterwards the house still looked empty. Nevertheless for the first time in two months, we had a place to call home.

For the next two weeks, we still slept on a borrowed twin mattress (very cozy) and ate on the patio furniture left by our landlords, Jan and Mika Erasmus.

The container arrived in port on Jan. 13 but was not delivered until Jan. 27. Late that Monday afternoon, we got a call that the container was on its way to Hodygos (YFC’s headquarters). We literally dropped everything and rushed to Hodygos only to find that the truck had gotten lost. It arrived right before the rain and darkness. It was an unloading zoo. Boxes were literally flying off the container, while we tried frantically to save our breakables and computers from certain destruction and separate them from the contents destined for the other places.

Then, while the sofas and cardboard boxes were arrayed on the dirt like an eviction proceeding, it began to rain. Wind, sand and rain mixed together make mud. We are learning to hold on lightly to our belongings. Darkness set in before the container was emptied. We then loaded our stuff onto a separate truck by the faint light of far off poles. With a couple of trips, we got it all under cover. This warehouse-type building was under construction with no way to secure it. So we had to sleep there to guard everything. At least we slept on our own mattress for the first time in over two months. Well, sleep is a bit of an exaggeration. We got to lay down and swat mosquitoes all night.

In the morning, most items had dried due to the dry climate. We packed an open-bed truck (that’s Dave Fortin on the truck) and our Isuzu bakkie (pickup) and headed for Windhoek (thanks be to God, everything fit). By noon we re-united our home and our belongings for the first time since leaving Orlando.

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES

We have been here for just two months and the ministry opportunities are beginning to fall like summer rain (Namibian summer that is). I have many preaching opportunities. I will be preaching on the fourth Sunday of each month at Khomas Community Church, On March 1, I will preach at Swakop River Community Church and on March 16 at the Oshakati Dutch Reformed Church.

I am conducting elder training at River of Life Community Church in Khomasdal every Monday evening. They have 15 elders and 9 potential elders attending the training (see separate article, Elder Training Opportunities). I will be conducting a Lay Minister Seminar on March 13-14 in Oshakati.

I am also working with Dieter and Joan Morsbach, missionaries to the Fyf Rand (Five Rand) Squatter’s Camp in Okahandja, in a consulting role. I am assisting them as they put together a 90-day, 1-year and 10-year ministry plan for holistic ministry to the 7,500 residents of the camp.

Since mentoring is in my blood, I am currently mentoring a pastor, a ministry leader and an emerging young adult leader named George Steinbach, who is also serving as my ministry assistant.

I continue to meet pastors and ministry leaders throughout Namibia by attending pastors conferences and gatherings, through personal appointments and introductions. Stephan Nell, pastor of Khomas Community Church, introduces me to a new pastor each week.

So rest assured, God is opening many doors for us and ensuring that our time here is not be wasted. Please continue to intercede for us concerning our pending, but unapproved, work permits.

ELDER TRAINING

This evening (10 Feb) I went to River of Life Community Church to address their elders. Pastor Fred Joseph and I agreed beforehand that it would be a trial evening to see if the elders would then want to invite me back for more extensive training. Our pre-arrangement was that after I finished my presentation, I would leave and Fred would caucus with them to see what they thought about me. No pressure there!

All of his 15 elders showed up for the meeting, plus 9 potential elders who were especially invited to join us. There was also one guest pastor in attendance from Sedgefield, South Africa, for a total of 25 men.

My purpose was not only to give them an overview of the elder training material, but also to “tease” them with what they would learn if they continued the training. We began clicking immediately. My interactive style encouraged them to participate and ask questions. They started asking significant questions that showed a high degree of interest. After about an hour, my presentation turned totally into a Question & Answer time. They were especially interested in mentoring. There was much lively conversation on that topic. After 90 minutes, I ended and started to leave as pre-arranged, but Fred invited me to stay. Actually, he insisted that I stay. He said, “It is obvious that something special has happened here this evening. From everyone’s reaction, I’m sure we want you to do more training with us, so please sit down while we discuss the best format and timing.”

So we agreed that I will come back every Monday evening for the foreseeable future and conduct additional training on topics of interest to them.

After the meeting, I spent time with Pastor Henry McCombi, the visiting pastor for South Africa. He invited me to come down to South Africa and participate in their annual leadership conference they conduct each year in September at the Integrated Agape Fellowship. He assured me that his congregation is true to their name and is thoroughly integrated in agape fellowship.

OVAMBOLAND

On Jan 29-30, I made my first trip to the north-central region (Ovamboland) where the outreach teams ministered last summer. It is another world up there. Windhoek is a modern city. Oshakati and Ondangwa are definitely not. Windhoek is dry and arid; Ovamboland is a delta region with the only standing water in the country. Windhoek is mountainous and looks like Colorado; Ovamboland is flat with palm trees and looks a lot like the inland areas of Florida. In Windhoek cars and especially taxis have the right of way on the roads. In Ovamboland, cattle, goats, donkeys and children wander the roads without concern for the cars who may be trying to share the road with them. Cars must yield to them at all times since they seemingly ignore the presence of vehicles.

But the biggest difference is the people. Oh, the people. They are so friendly and open to ministry. Life is slower in the north, partly because jobs are so scarce, and the people take time for you. They are very appreciative of any offers to assist them.

The purpose for my trip was just to meet people, but it quickly yielded opportunities for ministry. I will be going back the weekend of March 14-16 to conduct a leadership seminar for the Oshakati Dutch Reformed Church and to preach there on Sunday morning. I will also be exploring with Pastor Festus Negumbo how I can assist his Four Square Gospel Church with leadership training. He is already doing a wonderful job of identifying, developing and sending out young adult leaders (several YFC staff members came from his church), but he want to do even better.

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY
10 - Planning Session (Fyf Rand Squatter's Camp Ministry)
10 - Elder Training(River of Life Community Church)
11 - Meeting with Ron Gardiner (Pastor, Emmanuel Church)
12 - Planning Session (Fyf Rand Squatter's Camp Ministry)
13 - Judea Harvest Ministry Pastor's Meeting
15-16 - Leadership Retreat (Khomas Community Church)
18-20 - God's Answer Pastor's Conference (Rock Lodge)
23 - Preach at Khomas Community Church
25 - Meeting with Andrew & Carol Gossman (Pastors, His People)
26-27 - Disciple Namibia 2020 Conference
28 - Travel to Swakopmund to visit Manus Olivier (Pastor)

MARCH
01 - Preach at Swakop River Community Church
02 - Meeting w/ Welly DuToit (Pastor, Walvis Bay North Church)
06 - God's Answer Businessmen's Conference (Bruce Wilkinson)
07 - God's Answer Politicians Conference (Miles Monroe)
14-16 - Leadership Conference (Oshakati Dutch Reformed Church)
16 - Preach at Oshakati Dutch Reformed Church
23 - Preach at Khomas Community Church

WORK OF OUR HANDS MINISTRY

Related Photo Galleries: | Work of Our Hands - People | Work of Our Hands - Products |

NEED FOR OUR MINISTRY

Until 1990 (independence), employment opportunities for blacks were restricted to menial, unskilled labor. Today the seeds planted by apartheid have grown into a legacy of poverty, and worse, a poverty mentality. Above all else, there is a sense of hopelessness that life will ever improve.

For this reason, the concepts of entrepreneurism and self-employment are relatively foreign to the native population. Their lack of employable skills keeps them stuck within a highly dependent mindset. They feel their fate is predetermined, and there is little they can do to improve their lot in life. Work of our Hands seeks to change that mindset by developing the artistic and handcraft skills (primarily of women) and demonstrating how these skills can be used to make a better way of life for their families.

This need exists throughout the country. Unemployed families are everywhere. The need is so overwhelming; one could easily be discouraged from even beginning. Yet large projects always begin with small endeavors and people committed to making a difference.

OUR MISSION
The mission of Work of our Hands is to provide hope and dignity for the unemployed through the creation of cottage industries, which produce handcraft products for local and international markets.

We envision a holistic ministry that teaches handcraft, basic life skills, and business skills, as well as addresses the educational and spiritual needs of participants. Skills alone will not overcome the apartheid legacy. The greater challenge is to impart new life skills, and a new way of thinking.
Our further mission is for each project to become self supporting. That is, not dependent on W.O.O.H. to continue. Our goal is to develop interdependent entrepreneurs. Small businesses that can cooperate to buy supplies and market their products, but that operate as separate business entities.

Many here say our goals are too large, indeed un-doable! I, Val, hear constantly about how ”it’s been tried before, it can’t work; a project never out lives it’s founder” etc. I hear about how lazy the native population is, how unmotivated, and how crafts won’t sell in Namibia. We have already proven crafts do sell in Namibia, although granted the market is small. As to the lazy and unmotivated part, since we do not pay individuals to be trained, those without any self motivation are naturally weeded out of the program. Each individual either has their own business, as with the bead ladies, or they share supplies, as in Five Rand, and are paid when the items they have made are sold. At this point they receive all the money for the item except for the cost of the supplies they have used.

So, are our goals too large? Is the job indeed un-doable? Only time will tell. All I, Val, know, is that I believe in it enough to give myself, and my prayers fully to it! With God all things are possible, and I believe He has uniquely gifted me, and sent me to Namibia for such a time as this.