Operation World Country Facts: Lesotho

Lesotho

Kingdom of Lesotho

Africa

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 30,355 sq km

A mountainous country completely surrounded by South Africa. Only 10% is arable.

Population: 2,084,182    Annual Growth: 0.88%

Capital: Maseru

Urbanites: 26.9%

HDI Rank: 156 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 13 (8% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Sesotho, English    Languages: 6 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Christian

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	1,861,383	89.31	0.9
Evangelicals	253,040	12.1	2.7

Prayercast

Challenges for Prayer

The mountain population of 600,000 are among the poorest and most vulnerable. Nominally Christian, they have little contact with the life-giving gospel. Lesotho’s churches are beginning to wake up to this challenge. Operation UP, an indigenous agency, is committed to reaching every family in the mountains and planting 50 evangelical churches in the next five years. Other agencies include AIM, Joy to the World,YWAM, Fill the Gap Ministries, the Full Gospel Church and Global Evangelism Ministries. Many villages are accessible only on horseback, others by MAF plane. Pray for fruitful and sustainable ministry that yields thriving churches.

Christian support ministries:

a) MAF has a unique and vital role in this land of high mountains and few roads. MAF planes operate on 26 landing strips with 17 full-time workers and 6 aircraft. They provide support for Christian workers and a fly-in doctor service. Pray for these pilots, their families/support teams and for their safety.

b) Youth work. Scripture Union is active in sharing God’s Word with young people, especially through school groups.

c) Christian literature in Sesotho (the mother tongue for most) is in short supply. Operation UP and others are working on addressing this shortage by translating materials from English.

d) Christian radio has had a strong and positive impact in the lowlands. Harvest FM, Catholic Radio, Jesu ke Karabo FM, Mo-African FM and KEL Radio. These stations are instrumental in reaching even non-churchgoers. Pray that they will be used for spiritual rather than political purposes. TWR broadcasts daily in English.

     For an additional 4 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Lesotho.

http://www.operationworld.org/leso

Operation World Country Facts: South Africa

South Africa

Republic of South Africa

Africa

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 1,218,363 sq km

A republic with nine provinces at the southernmost point of Africa. Relatively well watered in the east; arid with increasing desertification toward the west coast.

Population: 50,492,408    Annual Growth: 0.99%

Capital: Cape Town (legislative). Pretoria (administrative). Bloemfontein (judicial)

Urbanites: 61.7%

HDI Rank: 129 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 62 (10% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: – all the major ethnic languages. English and Afrikaans are the main languages in higher education    Languages: 11 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Christian

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	37,990,488	75.24	0.9
Evangelicals	10,649,521	21.1	2.2

Prayercast

Answer to Prayer

Prayer initiatives started in South Africa have gone on to impact the entire world. The Global Day of Prayer started in Cape Town and is now observed in every country in the world by hundreds of millions of Christians. Groups such as Transformation Africa and Jericho Walls also have profound spiritual influences far beyond South Africa. The Mighty Men weekend conferences impacted the hundreds of thousands who attended with a muscular and uncompromised gospel message.

Challenge for Prayer

The legacy of apartheid continues to impact the nation. Despite progress in some areas, inequalities and injustices of the past continue to shape the future. Pray especially for:

a) Reconciliation among all races. This applies not just to black-white dynamics, but also to coloured and Indian peoples as well as to relationships among various black ethnicities. The “rainbow nation” must still deal with contempt, mistrust and deep-seated hurts and fears among peoples of this diverse but troubled land. Pray that the Church might lead the way by living out the truth of oneness in Christ Jesus.

b) Poverty and economic inequality. Land redistribution and affirmative action in employment are contentious intiatives that seek to assist the previously disadvantaged, but they come at a cost to the efficient running of the economy. Extremes of wealth and poverty persist. The black majority itself includes a wealthy elite and a poor majority, but the middle class is growing. Pray for economic measures that might uplift those most needing assistance without crippling the effective running of the economy.

c) Rape and violent crime rates are alarmingly high. The proliferation of illegal firearms, poverty, desperation and lack of justice fuels hopelessness and anarchy. Pray for those working for justice and for people’s safety – especially pray for the beleaguered police force. Pray for Christian ministries working with children at risk, jobless young people, prisoners and the police force. Pray that the spirit of violence – both physical and sexual – might be bound under the authority of Christ.

     For an additional 10 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of South Africa.

http://www.operationworld.org/sout

Operation World Country Facts: Namibia

Namibia

Republic of Namibia

Africa

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 823,144 sq km

Predominantly arid, semi-desert; the driest African land south of the equator.

Population: 2,212,037    Annual Growth: 1.94%

Capital: Windhoek

Urbanites: 38%

HDI Rank: 128 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 35 (6% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: English, though few speak it; most speak Afrikaans    Languages: 37 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Christian

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	2,022,687	91.44	1.7
Evangelicals	270,326	12.2	2.2

Prayercast

Challenges for Prayer

Missions are experiencing a time of growth as the need to re-reach many peoples in Namibia becomes apparent. Pray that they would minister in the power of the gospel, but also with sensitivity. Major missions are: AIM, YWAM, AoG, SIM.

     For an additional 6 Challenges for Prayer see Operation Worldbook, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Namibia.

http://www.operationworld.org/nami

Operation World Country Facts: Angola

Angola

Republic of Angola

Africa

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 1,246,700 sq km

Large coastal state on the South Atlantic coast. Cabinda is an oil-rich coastal enclave to the north of the Congo River.

Population: 18,992,707    Annual Growth: 2.71%

Capital: Luanda

Urbanites: 58.5%

HDI Rank: 143 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 60 (3% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Portuguese    Languages: 41 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Christian

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	17,870,238	94.09	3.0
Evangelicals	4,277,143	22.5	4.4

Prayercast

Challenges for Prayer

Forty years of almost constant war (1962-2002) have devastated Angola. Innocent civilians suffered the most – 90% of the casualties were civilians, millions were uprooted, their homes and churches destroyed and hunger was used as a bargaining chip in the power play for aid. One in 350 Angolans is a victim of landmines, 70-90% of the population live in poverty, and the length of roads destroyed or damaged amounts to nearly twice the circumference of the planet. Greater than the physical damage are the psychological, social and spiritual wounds, which will require years to overcome. Pray for:

a) Those seeking to alleviate physical suffering by clearing landmines and rebuilding infrastructure, homes, hospitals, schools and churches. The six million landmines are being cleared – but over 80,000 people have already been crippled by them. Early signs of progress are promising. Many agencies are involved, including WVI, Tearfund and several consortiums of churches and agencies such as Church Action in Angola.

b) Healing of the invisible wounds. Reconciliation is a painstaking process, and the sheer number of those hurting means that more counselling and training are long-term needs.

Luanda and other major cities attracted the displaced but had no capacity to shelter them properly, so squalid squatter camps rapidly sprung up. A large proportion of the rural population fled to urban areas due to food shortages and lack of security. The government is accused of failing to care for these unwilling refugees. There are large numbers of orphaned and abandoned children; many are falsely accused of witchcraft by relatives as a pretext for getting rid of them. Others are forced or sold into prostitution to feed themselves. Pray for those working with the urban poor and the children at risk.

     For an additional 6 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Angola.

http://www.operationworld.org/ango

Putting us on the map!

Putting us on the map! 

We will be working in seven countries...from upper left anticlockwise: Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Mozambique. St Helena is off-shore to the West. South Africa is divided up into several Provinces.

Please pray for us as we seek to build a larger support base. 

We are in the States for an indefinite period of time seeking opportunities to engage with individuals and churches. Let us know if you would like to hear from us!

As clear as mud...???

We have had a few replies to our last newsletter and thought it best to compile a list of the most frequently asked questions.

Are you returning to Ethiopia? No. We went to Gambela, Ethiopia to get an Anglican College up and running for the growing church in the area. We have completed that assignment and SAMS-USA has approved our calling to go elsewhere.

Will you still be with SAMS-USA? Yes. We have not changed our sending agency and you can still give tax-deductible donations for our ministry through the SAMS-USA website. (https://secure-q.net/Donations/SAMS/3723)

We have asked SAMS-USA if we could open up a separate vehicle account, as we will be travelling to seven southern African countries. This is not a project account but solely for the purpose of raising funds for a vehicle.  In order to help SAMS-USA they would appreciate if donors would please send them checks and write the checks to SAMS-USA and in the memo write Vanderbijl Vehicle.  While this is still tax-deductible, they would prefer not to have this go through the online giving page, as this account will be 100% for our vehicle.

SEND CHECKS TO:

SAMS-USA

PO 399

Ambridge, PA 15003

Please feel free to call Denise Cox at (724) 266-0669 should you have any questions.

Are you going to South Africa? Yes and no. While we will be stationed in Kenilworth, a suburb of Cape Town, we will be working in seven southern African countries, namely, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, and the St Helena island group.

Will you have a salaried position in Southern Africa? No. We will be going as SAMS-USA Missionaries to work with “Growing the Church”, hereafter GtC. Only two team members of the GtC are given a small stipend. The Anglican Church in Southern Africa has been described as poor, black, and female, many of whom are not primary bread-winners. The following documentary is focussed on a township in the Cape area, but could be true of many other areas in South Africa and beyond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoMl_G6rL9k

Isn’t the Church in Southern Africa well established? Yes and no. While the Church in southern Africa has a rich history, it is a tainted history. Apartheid divided people and fostered mistrust and animosity. In many ways, the Anglican Church led the way in breaking down barriers, but there is still a lot of work to be done before brethren can dwell together in unity. War has torn communities apart as well, especially in Angola and Mozambique.

What will you do in Southern Africa? Louise and I will be teaching basic discipleship using the J-Life model (see here: https://www.facebook.com/jlifeafrica/), as well as prayer based on Mark Batterson’s book “The Circle Maker” (see here: http://www.thecirclemaker.com/watch and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0WsmlYWnlE), and missions based on SAMS-USA Short-Term Missions Leader’s Training material.

What will your new budget look like? We have included a document at the end that SAMS-USA has put together based on their calculations for your perusal. The bottom line is, we need an additional US$ 1,000 to US$ 1,500 per month.

How can we help? You can help by continuing to support us financially and prayerfully…we cannot do this ministry without you, as you are an integral part of the mission. We need our senders!

If you are able to increase your support, we would be most grateful.

If you know anyone who might be interested in joining us all as part of our southern Africa team, please let us know or let them know!

Spread the word any way you can!

Let us know if you have any more questions! We do not want to be as clear as mud!!!

Thanks for your love and concern…we say it often, but perhaps not often enough. Y’all mean a lot to us and we simply cannot do what we do without you. You team members in our boat or the wind in our sails…and we appreciate every one of you.

Blessings.

Johann and Louise

SUMMARY BUDGET FOR MISSIONARY FIELD SERVICE WITH SAMS
Johann and Louise
Southern Africa
ANNUAL RECURRING EXPENSES (BASED ON SECOND YEAR):
SALARIES	$35,682.44
HOUSING (BASED ON ACTUAL RENT OR RENT VALUE)	$11,340.00
FICA  (7.65% OF SALARY AND HOUSING)	$3,597.22
PENSIONS	$5,173.95
HEALTH & LIFE INSURANCE AND SUPPLEMENTAL HEALTH	$7,644.20
MINISTRY & RELATED FIELD EXPENSES	$109.20
GREAT COMMISSION FUND (15% OF EACH GIFT PROVIDES	$11,214.18
ADMINISTRATIVE AND PASTORAL SUPPORT FOR THE
MISSIONARY AND HELPS FUND THE WIDER MISSION
OF THE SOCIETY.)
TOTAL FOR ANNUAL RECURRING EXPENSES:	$74,761.19
TOTAL FOR ONE-TIME EXPENSES:	$3,600.00
(TRAINING, DOCUMENTATION, TRAVEL TO FIELD, TRANSPORT
OF GOODS, LANGUAGE SCHOOL, FURNISHINGS AND/OR AUTO)
MONTHLY FINANCIAL NEED OVER  FULL LENGTH OF TERM:	$6,295.50
NAME: 2013 Two salary template	01/26/17

The challenge to evangelism in mission...

"More than one-half of the world's people are still without the simplest knowledge of the good news of God's saving love in Jesus Christ. There is no greater challenge to evangelism in mission than that. Christians are rightly concerned about the grievous imbalances of wealth and food and freedom in the world. [But] What about the most devastating imbalance of all: the unequal distribution of the light of the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ?" 

Samuel Hugh Moffett, The Leading Partner - Perspectives Reader, 2009, 599-600.