Boxing It All Up

I finished loading our container today. It is amazing how much stuff we had to get rid of in order to come to Africa. In 25 years of marriage and family, one can certainly accumulate a lot of "things". But we did it. We condensed our possessions to the point that all we had would fit in a 20' container.

Now what is really amazing is the fact that we have been in Africa for 3 years, and it still all fits - well, almost all of it. We did have to get rid of a few things.

We leave Namibia next week. Hopefully, our container will leave Namibia soon and begin the journey to Malawi, arriving just before we do. I suppose I should be concerned that, as of yet, I have not been able to find a shipper that will take the job of shipping our container. It seems the problem is that Malawi is landlocked, and overland shipments do not bring a lot of money. Oh well, we leave Namibia next week!

Temperatures here are hovering around the century mark (Fahrenheit). It will be a bit colder when we arrive in Dallas. I wonder if there will be a place on the plane that I can change out of my shorts and put on something warmer?

The End And The Beginning

The Sunday service at Ombili Assembly of God church this morning marked the end and the beginning. The service was the end of our tenure and the beginning of the new pastor's service.

It was a wonderful day! There were around 200 people present including missionaries Melissa McSurdy, Mark and Kim Gardner and their daughter Breanna, and Ken and Tammy Pryor.

It was a happy and sad time. We were happy to see so many people that have made this church their home and yet sad to realize that we may never see any of these people this side of heaven again. In my message I admonished them to live a godly life and trust Jesus so they could go to heaven.

There were many tears shed today. Two ladies read letters and cards that were given to Fredna and me. This was a very touching time. I had to change interpreters in the middle of my message because she started crying and couldn't stop.

The new pastor and his wife, Felix and Simone Mulamatu, were introduced to the congregation. Melissa McSurdy will be working with the Mulamatu's at Ombili as well.

So, we say good bye to Ombili and close this chapter of our lives. In two weeks we leave for Texas, where the next chapter of our lives will begin to take shape. Malawi, here we come!

Nice congregation to be just two months old!

Our Last Teaching Assignment

NAMTI - Namibia Ministry Training Institute is in session this month, and this will be our last teaching assignment. Gaylord was scheduled to teach a class on leadership, and Fredna is teaching a class on counseling. Dan McGaffee has stepped in to take Gaylord's assignment in order to free him to be able to pack the container and get ready for the move.

Fredna spoke in chapel, and Gaylord spoke at a special night service during Campus Days. There were about thirteen prospective students in attendance for Campus Days, and they all seemed to have a great time.

We look forward to NAMTI classes because it gives us a chance to build relationships and get closer to the students. It is a privilege being able to speak into their lives. It also gives us a chance to learn more about the culture of the national students.

This Bible school is critical to the growth of this national church as pastors, leaders, and church workers emerge from the student body. Fredna and I have been blessed to have been a part of NAMTI for the past three years! May God bless their continued efforts is our prayer!

NAMTI in 2005

NAMTI in 2007

Fredna and Gaylord preaching

Student life

Homeward Bound

Change is in the air, and the excitement of it is beginning to become real! There are only 52 days until we leave Namibia to begin our one year of furlough. At the end of each term of service, AGWM missionaries are required to return to the USA for one year of furlough and itineration.

What is itineration? The word itineration is the noun form of the verb itinerate which means: to travel from place to place or on a circuit. You see, AGWM missionaries are funded by individuals and local churches. Each missionary has a set budget dependent upon where they will be stationed, the needs of the family, and the work in which they will be involved. It really is fairly simple. Your budget is set, and then all you have to do is itinerate (travel from place to place). We share our needs with people and churches and pray that they will partner with us in two ways. The first, and by far the most important, is prayer. Each missionary needs an army of prayer warriors backing them up in all their endeavors. The second is money. Missionaries are “sent” by others. Individuals and churches make faith promises (pledges) of X number of dollars per month in support of the missionary. When enough pledges are promised and the predetermined budget is reached, the missionary is allowed to go to the field and begin the harvest of souls. It really is quite simple.

The furlough is also a time to reconnect with family and loved ones. A regular missionary term is 4 years (the regular term for first-term missionaries is 3 years). It is also a time of rest and relaxation. I really haven’t figured this one out yet. How one can rest and relax when one is traveling from place to place.

In only 52 days Fredna and I will begin our journey back to Texas, family and friends! One of the first things I will do upon arrival will be to find a really good Mexican restaurant and do my best to founder on Mexican cuisine. If I fail at this, I have a back-up plan. I will seek out the nearest What-A-Burger and order a #2 cheeseburger combo, cut the onions and include a diet Dr Pepper.

It will be difficult to leave the people here in Namibia. God has really given us a love and burden for the people of every tribe here. We also love the country; it seconds only to Texas! Only time and eternity will reveal the accomplishments of our work here for the past 3 years. We trust that we have been successful, but then you must define success. I believe that being faithful to God and remaining faithful in the work to which He has called you is success. If that is true, we have been successful this term! Our area director once told us that he considered a missionary’s first term successful IF the missionary returned to the field for the second term. If that is true, we have been successful!

We truly are humbled and grateful for the opportunity to touch thousands of lives here in Namibia with the love of God. Some heard the Gospel for the very first time, others were called back into a life of holiness, and yet others were able to embark upon a journey – the journey of a life walking with God. Some will never forget the shirumbus (white man) who came from America and touched their lives for a season. I know that these shirumbus will never forget them!

Battlefield of the Mind

A few nights ago I preached at one of the local churches at the invitation of the pastor. This pastor has been a good friend and brother since our arrival in Otjiwarongo, and this was not the first time that I had been invited to speak.

I was asked to address the topic, "The Battlefield of the Mind." This was an incredible opportunity to speak into the lives of about 30-40 young people (20-35 years old). Superstition abounds in this part of Africa as well as animism. Not long ago a young man came to me for prayer because there was a squirrel or a cat on his roof at night. As strange as this may sound, the young man was not sleeping, and he was not able to eat. He was actually physically sick over the situation. He believed that someone had put a spell on him and his family.

At the beginning of the service I asked everyone present to write on paper three things that were bothering them or troubling them in their mind. At the end of the service, after I had addressed issues and answers from a Biblical perspective, we took those papers and began to give thanks to God for deliverance in each issue. You could tell that a heaviness was being lifted from most of them. God was really doing a work in their hearts.

After praising God for His goodness, we took those papers and burned them as a symbol of God's deliverance in each life. It was a great time!