HOPE, EMPOWERMENT, AND TRANSFORMATION

HOPE, EMPOWERMENT, AND TRANSFORMATION
AN INTERVIEW WITH BP. GRANT & DR. WENDY LEMARQUAND BY JOHN WICKER

As Area Bishop of the Horn of Africa and as a medical doctor, Bp. Grant and Dr. Wendy LeMarquand are training pastors for 83 churches, teaching basic health care, and reaching out to unreached people groups and to 350,000 refugees in Gambella, Ethiopia.

In their plenary presentation at New Wineskins 2016 “Hope Amid Poverty, Powerlessness, and Persecution,” Bp. Grant and Dr. Wendy will talk about the present day realities of Gambella, Ethiopia. “We live in a poor part of a very poor country,” said Bp. Grant. “Poverty is not just about money—it’s about fear, and it’s about knowledge.” Lack of educational opportunities and the stripping away of cultural identity are two of the many problems which affect both Gambella’s natives and the refugees who fled there from civil war in South Sudan.

Those from South Sudan come culturally impoverished, traumatised by violence, and are often naked, starving, and sick by the time they reach the outer border of Gambella. Since they can only bring what’s on their backs, most bring only their children, leaving behind their possessions and their community elders. Their ties to the wisdom of their tradition and culture are cut off. Bp. Grant and Dr. Wendy are asking, “How do we do ministry with people who are poor on every level—with people who have no power or voice to improve their situation?”

Nonetheless, Bp. Grant and Dr. Wendy will not only address poverty, but also the blessings and opportunities of both the Gambella natives and Sudanese refugees. “What surprises visitors is the depth of their faith and trust in Poverty is not just about money—it’s about fear and it’s about knowledge God, and the amount of joy in the midst of suffering,” said Bp. Grant. “Yes, people are traumatised, poor, and lack education—they need all kinds of things. But looking through our photos of people who are just living their lives, there is also abundant laughter and joy.

People in Gambella are open to learning about Jesus. They see how He fits into their culture. Each day more of them are discovering that God wants to be close with them.” Dr. Wendy added, “There are so many obvious needs, and there are also so many things that are good in this culture.” As opposed to the common western mantra of “I think because I am,” cultures in Ethiopia emphasise “I am because we are,” and view their identity through the lens of community. The culture is more interconnected and more like the Bible times, and Dr. Wendy strives to help those around her discover, “What does it mean to walk with Christ in this context?”

WORKSHOP: TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES THROUGH DISCIPLING LEADERS

Bp. Grant and the Rev. Johann van der Bijl’’s workshop at New Wineskins 2016 will focus on discipling leaders. “We have 83 churches in Gambella and only 16 clergy—none of whom have been to theological college. They have very little training,” Bp. Grant shared. They have told him that they know how to lead people to Christ and plant churches but not how to make disciples. Bp. Grant and Rev. Johann are establishing St. Frumentius Theological College in Gambella to make sure that the next generation of clergy are much better trained with a better experience of full-time study with books and teachers. Because they don’t want to leave the present clergy without training, they will have intensive courses so the pastors can come join in with the full-time students.

The students attending the college will be working with congregations that are mostly illiterate. The clergy themselves will be reading books and studying, but Bp. Grant will be helping them translate what they learn into teaching and disciple-making for an oral context—very different from a didactic “fact A-fact B” approach to education. Many assignments will require interacting with the congregation and learning about their local church history, with questions like, “Who brought the Gospel here the first time? What difference did it make?” Clergy will be able to put into practice what they learn right away as they preach and lead Bible studies in local congregations. Bp. Grant will supplement the curriculum with practical work, prayer, and worship as major components of college life. “Discipleship is not just a matter of the head, it’s also a matter of the hands and feet.”

WORKSHOP: EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH HEALTH

In an engaging and interactive workshop, Dr. Wendy and her colleague Louise van der Bijl, RN, will demonstrate teaching disease prevention and empowerment through educating women. “On average, women in our area have 9 to 11 pregnancies each, out of which only 2 to 4 children live up to age 5 years,” said Dr. Wendy. “Most of the children are dying from preventable problems such as malnutrition, dehydration, respiratory problems, malaria, and accidents—all of which can be helped by simple preventative measures.”
Through interactive drama, songs, and stories, Dr. Wendy and Louise are developing relationships and educating women to empower their own communities. The women are excited and are taking what they learn back to their villages—saving the lives of hundreds.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEW WINESKINS FOR GLOBAL MISSION 2016

Both Bp. Grant and Dr. Wendy mentioned how refreshing it was for them to reconnect at New Wineskins 2013 with other Anglicans closer to home after their first year in Ethiopia. As the LeMarquands said, the New Wineskins conferences bring together people who have a passion for mission, people who are working in various cross-cultural situations, and people who just want to learn more about missions. “It is a great opportunity to share what God is doing through Anglicans all over the world,” said Dr. Wendy. “We are grateful for the opportunity to connect with people who have a heart for blessing the world.”

When a poor one...

When a poor one who has nothing shares with strangers,
When the thirsty water give unto us all,
When the crippled in their weakness strengthen others,
Then we know that God still goes that road with us.
Then we know that God still goes that road with us.

When at last all those who suffer find their comfort,
When they hope though even hope seems hopelessness,
When we love though hate at times seems all around us,
Then we know that God still goes that road with with.
Then we know that God still goes that road with us.

When our joy fills up our cup to overflowing,
When our lips can speak no words other than true,
When we know that love for simple things is better,
Then we know that God still goes that road with us.
Then we know that God still goes that road with us.

When our homes are filled with goodness in abundance,
When we learn how to make peace instead of war,
When each stranger that we meet is called a neighbour,
Then we know that God still goes that road with us.
Then we know that God still goes that road with us.

A. Oliver and Miguel Manzano - translation by George Lockwood
A meditation on Matt. 25: 31-46

Christ, the Solid Rock

SAMS will have a 40 day countdown (40 representing our 40th anniversary) to the Summit of Kilimanjaro. Sign up for SAMS 40 day devotional, titled "Christ, the Solid Rock" which is a mountain themed source that will take you on a faithful journey as we celebrate SAMS upcoming 40th Anniversary and our Pathway to a Global Vision. 
http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001qpcI2uFx_R5py6pU3vM1CFsZFb5_TMq7BJSNqmyRV1j_cZi7vF0LMLqju4_pgcJwRCeRQ4jSI4FbNuQ8KHT4eA%3D%3D

All Saints, Pawley's Island

Check out our page on All Saint Anglican Church, Pawley's Island. Thanks y'all!

http://www.allsaintspawleys.org/vanderbijl

Topsy-Turvy

PLEASE NOTE: If we have not replied to an email or have failed to write personal emails to you it is not because we do not want to or are not interested or anything else. Internet access here is hard to explain to anyone who has not experienced it.

This has been what my mum would have called a topsy-turvy month. We have much for which to thank our benevolent and gracious Father in heaven. The birth of our precious granddaughter, Beatrix Rophe and the news that our youngest son and his dear wife are with child as well, are two items for praise. St Frumentius’ Anglican Theological College is also moving forward step by step as we are about to enter the fourth and final week of our English Grammar intensive classes. IVP-UK and IVP-USA have graciously donated valuable books to our theological library, for which we are so grateful. Anglican Aid Australia has generously donated funds for a number of scholarships and CMS-Ireland has agreed to fund one part time student for three years. This is all cause for rejoicing! We are also grateful for the cooler weather (80 - 90 F instead of 90 - 140 F!) and for the rains.

But we have also had the valleys and the pits this month. We recently heard that our dear little Beatrix may be permanently deaf. It was hard enough not being able to be present at her birth, but having to know that your children are hurting and you cannot even put an arm around them was tough. Our dear brethren here, even though they have never met our children and grandchildren, embraced them and enveloped them with prayer, often bringing us to tears as they cried out to God for mercy.

Death has been all around us for the past month as well. For example, in one case, as many as six members of one family have died within the space of two weeks. There are many more such stories; most deaths appear to be malaria related which makes it even more tragic as this is preventable. One very recent death that hit very close to home was the death of the wife of our dear colleague, brother, and friend, Ojullu. He has a son who is seven or eight years old who now has to grow up without a mother.

And then there is the situation in South Sudan. As one of our pastors said: “There is never any good news from South Sudan.”

Besides all these things, there are the “little foxes” – frequent power outages (we did not had any power for three days and had to cook and eat all our frozen food – we really need solar power on the compound!), no water coming onto the compound (but thanks be to God for the rain that has filled our rain barrels!), no network (Louise desperately wanted to talk to her mum and sister about our sad news, but has not been able to call), intermittent internet and so on and so forth.

But then there is God. How many times don’t we read that in the Scriptures? Things look grim and then there is that blessed consolation – BUT GOD! With Him all things are possible. His plans for us are for good only and never for evil. He knew every day of our lives even before there was one of them! He is ever kind, gracious, loving, merciful, forgiving, compassionate, patient, good, holy, and just…while we might only see through the glass dimly, He sees it all and watches over us and directs our steps as we wait on Him. With such a God, who can despair?

The English classes have been an experience…a difficult but blessed experience. While we had 54 applicants, only 42 actually started the class, simply because the 12 others could not read. I don’t know how to explain this to westerners, but our dear folk here have not had the privileges we seem to take for granted. One student was telling me about his life as a child soldier in South Sudan…he saw his father killed before his eyes, he had no fixed abode for many years, and there was no time for school. The hunger for learning is immense and it grips my heart every time I see it in the eyes of those who so desperately want to participate in our classes but cannot because they are not able to read English. We are praying about meeting their needs in the future by use of mother-tongue lecturers, Chronological-Bible-Story-Telling intensives, and perhaps simple English Classes.

But I digress. Of the 42 students, only 20 passed the first test and so our numbers dwindled once again…there were tears…however, the remaining 20 students scored significantly higher in the second test, one even as high as 95%! As Louise said, the whole atmosphere of the compound seems to have changed. Everyone is more positive and hopeful. Remember, this is the first Theological College in Gambella. The fact that something very positive is happening has given our folk hope!

Talking about Louise…she now has her hands full. She has a growing vegetable garden, the job of cataloguing our growing number of theological books in our library, and a growing “wound clinic” – local children who have little cuts, scrapes, and more serious wounds flock needing Mama Louise’s tender touch. Many just want attention and show her tiny scabs with the hope that she will give them one of those wonderful things called Band-Aids! She recently ran out of them and had to send the children away – only tending to those wounds that were serious. You should have seen their little faces! She is loved by these wee ones…who else coos and fusses over them like she does?

I can hardly believe that this time next week we will be in North America! We will see our children face to face and will be able to touch them and love on them. What a privilege! We also hope to see many of you as well. At the end of this letter is our itinerary as it stands right now. If you are close-by to any of these places, please try to get in touch with us.

PRAISE:

For our children and grandchildren.

For successful surgery on my “frozen” shoulder.

For our 20 students.

For rain and cooler weather.

PRAYER:

We still need a few more scholarships for our theological students. It will cost about US$ 3, 500 for one student for one year, which includes tuition, accommodation, food, travel costs, medical and other such things.

For baby Beatrix and for the wee one of Heyns and Hanna’s yet to be born.

For complete healing for my shoulder.

For our travels in Ethiopia, as well as to, from and in the US.

Many blessings and tons of love to you all

Johann and Louise

June 19 – English Intensive Class ends

June 22 – leave Gambella for Addis

June 24 – leave Addis for Portland, OR, via Washington DC (!)

                   (time with our children and mission partners in OR and WA)

June 28 – speaking at Iona church in WA

June 30 – return to Washington DC; meeting with Francis Metcalfe

July 1 – road trip to Ambridge; meeting with SAMS, Trinity, and friends at Barb

               Costa’s home.

July 2 – short visit with family in Charlotte, NC

July 3 – short visit with old friends in Columbia, SC

July 4 – stopping with Quentin and Sue Jackson in Charleston, SC

July 5 – preaching at All Saints Pawley’s Island, South Carolina

July 6 – meeting with the saints at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul

July 8 – meeting with the saints at Our Saviour, John’s Island, South Carolina

July 9 – meeting with the saints at Camp St Christopher, South Carolina

July 10 – meeting with the saints at Good Shepherd, Charleston, South Carolina

July 12 – speaking at Holy Trinity, Raleigh, North Carolina

July 13 – at Holy Trinity, North Augusta, South Carolina

July 15 – stopping with Larry and Tess Worley in Greenville, South Carolina

                  meeting with many friends!

                  Doctors, dentists etc.

July 19 – speaking at the Village Church, Greenville, South Carolina

                  on to Mobile, Alabama

July 26 – Baptism of Beatrix van der Bijl

                  meeting with the saints at Holy Spirit Anglican Church, Mobile, Alabama

July 27 – leave from Atlanta, GA, for Addis via Washington DC

Adhesive Capsulitis

A while back I experienced some pain in my left shoulder, but put it down to an attempt to straighten a twisted metal door and to my lifting a large (empty) rain water tank on my own - both not the most intelligent things to do, but there you have it.

However, the arm was not healing and as the pain grew progressively worse, so did the lack of mobility. Dr Wendy LeMarquand correctly diagnosed Adhesive Capsulitis (otherwise know in laymen's terms as Frozen Shoulder:  http://www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/section/16) and suggested I see an orthopaedic surgeon in Addis as soon as possible.

Dr Tim Nunn has confirmed the diagnosis, prescribed pain killers and anti-inflammatory meds, and booked me in for surgery on May 14. The surgery is basically manipulation of the shoulder under anaesthetic to the point where they can insert a needle into the "frozen" joint and inject some sort of steroid to deal with the inflammation. From then on it will be a regimen of physiotherapy and exercises.

At present, there is no movement in the shoulder joint at all. According to Dr Tim and the article on the website at the link above, this condition can last a few years if not treated properly. Please pray that a) the treatment will be effective and b) the healing will be speedy. There is so much to do in Gambella that is difficult with only one arm!

Pray also for Louise - for patience as she has to put up with Mr Grumpy Gills...

We leave for Cairo this Sunday and will return the day before surgery on May 13. Louise and I will be stopping with the principle of the Alexandrian School of Theology as well.

We do covet your prayers.

Annual Ministry Report

Ministry Report: August 2014 to April 2015

When compiling a report of our work here in Gambela, I am struck by how “unromantic” much of what we do may sound to the average Westerner. While many may view mission work as the pure joy of evangelism and church planting, the reality is much more down to earth and mundane. Often life consists of dealing with the needs of ministry as they arise and one does what has to be done as best as one can regardless of gifting or training!

However, for the sake of clarity, I have listed four major areas of responsibilities.

1. St Frumentius’ Anglican Theological College:

I am the Dean of St Frumentius’ Anglican Theological College, due to open its doors as the first Theological College in the Gambella People’s Region this August. Up until now, most of our work has been in preparation of this reality. The College aims to train new pastors and lay leaders to deal with the explosive growth of the church in this region and in the rest of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa and will offer a two year Certificate as well as a three year Diploma in Theology. At present, we have 87 churches in the Gambella People’s Region alone with only 16 active clergy…the need is staggering.

Language Studies – Living in an area where seven different languages are spoken can make life rather interesting. We have jokingly said that we communicate with signs and wonders – we make signs and people wonder what we are trying to communicate. This, of course, works both ways. However, Louise and I have been learning bits and pieces of three of these seven, namely Amharic, Nuer, and Anywaa.

Building Program – We live on a compound a few miles outside of the capital of the Gambella People’s Region, a town by the name of Gambella. There were a few existing buildings on this property when we got here. The Bishop’s home, a guesthouse, a canteen, a lavatory and shower block, one small classroom that also serves as the meeting space for the St Barnabas Anywaa congregation, a library, a small office building, and three smaller structures that serve as guard house, gate house, and workshop respectively.

The office building was renovated and has become our home. The library needed to undergo some rather extensive renovations as well. Both projects have now been completed. At present, the College Chapel, which will serve as the meeting space for St Barnabas as well as for the Annual Area Assembly, is being built. We are also raising funds for the renovation of the existing classroom, the building of two new classrooms, the changing of the workshop into a one bedroom flat, and the building of an additional new small faculty home.

Curriculum development – As we are starting this College from scratch, I have had to work on developing a curriculum. This has been a challenge as we are seeking to be culturally relevant, but also academically challenging with subjects and standards equal to other colleges. We visited other Colleges and Seminaries in the country and one in South Africa to see what was being done and how it was being done. Most of the larger accredited seminaries seem to be based on a Western model while the smaller country Bible Schools tend to be more flexible and contextual with an openness to an oral learning approach. As Gambella appears to be in-between two worlds, the literate world and the oral world, we think it best to attempt to accommodate both styles of learning. This will call for creative lesson planning and creative teaching, but I do believe it can be done.

Government permission – We also had to make appointments with various government officials to seek permission to open the College in Gambella. Thankfully the separation of Church and State is so strict that we do not need additional approval as long as our Diocese is licensed and recognised.

Recruitment of students – As our goal is to train new clergy and lay leaders for work in the existing and future parishes, we have sought the aid of our pastors and church councils in the selection of possible candidates. All students must have the approval of their pastors and their local church. The cut-off date for applications is the 28^th of April, as decisions have to be made so that we may apply to various sources for bursaries.

Fund raising – Gambella is the poorest region in Ethiopia and nearly all of our funding comes from external sources. This means that we have to raise money for student bursaries as well as all other costs for the operation of the College. Much of our time is spent writing to possible future partners as well as reporting to current partners to keep them up to date with the progress of the work they are funding. Trying to do this with an Internet as temperamental as ours is interesting.

Administration – I have never viewed myself as an administrator, but part of the reality of mission work is doing things you generally would not do anywhere else. We have been busy setting a budget for the College, working out an academic schedule, fixing dates around the many Ethiopian holidays as well as the excessive heat of February and March, and writing general rules and regulations for staff and students alike. Thankfully, we now have an amazing Church Administrator who has kindly assisted me in crunching numbers and generally organising myself to look and act more like a College Dean than a parish pastor.

Staff – I interviewed a possible future faculty member and am thrilled to say she will be joining us in August! I will be chatting with another future faculty member when I am in Cairo in May.

English Language Teaching – As the primary teaching and learning mode at the College is through contact lectures and small group interaction in the English language, we thought it necessary for prospective students to be proficient in English – including reading, writing, and comprehension. So, all students will be required to take intensive English language classes before registration as well as the English language classes offered each semester. I have written and will be teaching the first of two Intensive English Grammar courses set for June and am organising the teaching of the second in July by a visiting lecturer from the US.

Intensives – As many of our existing clergy need training themselves, we are including intensive training courses as part of our College curriculum. These classes will last for one to two weeks, which will allow pastors and other church leaders who may not be able to be full time students to take the courses for credit. Other than Bishop Grant, whose duties as Bishop for the Horn of Africa will cause him to be absent from the area from time to time, we will use various visiting lecturers, both local and from abroad.

Library – Bishop Grant donated his large personal collection of theological books to St Frumentius and the mammoth task of cataloguing over 4000 books has largely fallen on Louise. We have also written to various publishers asking for the donation of books for use in the library and I am happy to say that IVP-UK and IVP-USA have been most generous. We are also grateful for other donors, both churches and individuals.

2. Local Outreach:

We are part of an Anywaa community as the compound is situated in their area. Louise and I have been trying to make friends with our neighbours as best we can, again mostly using the signs and wonders method of communication, but learning the language as we stumble along.

We also offer film evenings on Fridays, which are very well attended, as there is no form of entertainment here other than watching the cattle being slaughtered every evening across the way from our gate. We have shown the Jesus Film in Anywaa several times, the Passion of the Christ once, as well as The Gods Must Be Crazy. The audience has ranged from 86 to 300. The demand for more has us scratching our heads. As there are no films in the Anywaa language other than the Jesus Film, what can we show them that will not need excessive translation? We have decided to show documentaries such as the various BBC Richard Attenborough series and perhaps some cartoons thrown in for good measure and are making appeals to our partners for DVD’s. Some of the children in the area do not go to school and this may serve as a form of education for our church folk.

3. The Jesus’ Film:

We have shown the Jesus Film to the Anywaa, Majenger (a sometimes unreached people group – otherwise considered unengaged), the Nuer (many of whom are refugees from South Sudan), and the Opo (who came to Christ 8 years ago). The Jesus Film has not yet been translated into Opo, so the film was shown in the Amharic and Nuer languages. We have asked the Jesus Film folk to consider coming to Gambella to record the film in Opo as another people group in South Sudan shares their language.

We only have one projector at present (we have another one waiting for us to bring over from the US) and we can barely keep up with the demand for showings. The average audience at these showings ranges from 200 to 1,500 (our record so far!).

At a recent showing, there were so many people that we placed the screen in the middle of a large field so that people could watch the film from both sides!

As we are dealing with many oral learners, the Jesus Film serves as both an evangelistic tool as well as a teaching tool. Few people can read, especially in the more rural areas, and so the film serves as a copy of the Gospel. We were amazed to hear a few teenagers reciting the words of the actors during the showing of the film. Apparently, a Nazarene church used to show the film in their area and they learned the dialogue off by heart!

4. Diocese:

We also serve the larger Diocese as well from time to time as needs arise.

Preaching – I have preached on several occasions at St Matthew’s, Addis Ababa, St Luke’s, Gambella, St Barnabas, Gambella, and at Bethlehem Anglican Church in Abobo.

Teaching – I have taught at a St Matthew’s Retreat, and at various Clergy Training events, and Louise has assisted Dr Wendy LeMarquand in teaching at Mother’s Union Health events.

Visitation – We have had the privilege of accompanying Bishop Grant on some of his Episcopal visit around the area.

Reports and articles – I have written a few articles for use in newsletters, annual reports, and websites of various partners around the globe, as well as an article for my alma mater, George Whitefield College in Muizenberg, South Africa.

Staff devotions – Whenever Bishop Grant is absent from the Anglican Centre or otherwise indisposed, I lead the staff devotions every morning.

Synod – We will be attending the Diocesan Synod in Cairo, Egypt this May as well as visiting with the Principle of the Alexandria School of Theology.

Conferences – I attended the Clergy Conference in Luxor, Egypt last September.

Guesthouse and visitors – We have many visitors, both local and from abroad, and Louise helps to keep the guesthouse in tip-top shape. This also involves a lot of cooking, cleaning, and general hospitality. We love our visitors and want them to be as happy as possible while they stop with us!

Compound – We also assist in general maintenance jobs around the Centre as well as doing odds jobs on “work days”.

Refugees – While we have been kept from entering many of the camps all around the Gambella People’s Region, Bishop Grant has been able to visit most of our people in the churches, and we have been able to distribute clothing to some. We have also managed to give some food to unregistered refugees.

I have tried to give a general overview of what our work at the Gambella Anglican Centre involves and I am very aware of the lack of detail in most of this report. It is hard to describe a “day in the life of” Johann and Louise as each day brings different challenges and demands. There are days when most of our time is spent trying to get water into the Centre as the local municipal pump has broken or the pipes have silted up - or in getting the “Power Company” to turn the power back on after having to give away our precious supply of frozen food only available in Addis or abroad – or in killing snakes, dealing with minor cuts and scrapes on the legs of our local children who play soccer at the Centre, getting rid of bats in the ceilings, recovering from malaria or other less glamorous illnesses, and many other such oddities.

We do pray that you will prayerfully consider supporting us again in the future, as we simply cannot do what we do without your partnership in this ministry.

Respectfully submitted

Johann and Louise van der Bijl