Namibia Strategy Training Trip: 2019

I realise that I tend to say “This was the best training so far” every time we return from a trip, but in many ways this trip was exceptional. Besides the fact that the initial planning could have been a bit better and the fact that our training in Angola was cancelled at the last moment due to their “systems” being down (let the reader read between the lines), all went well. The folks in Namibia are so hungry for biblical training that in spite of their hectic schedules they came to receive what they could. The sad thing was that spiritual hunger was not all that we witnessed. The drought has taken its toll on the area and those who ploughed and sowed did not reap. Many of the domestic and wild animals are alarmingly thin and some have died of starvation. This would ordinarily be enough to dampen the spirits of even the most optimistic, but the joy of our trainees touched us deeply.

We had taken a slow ride up to Namibia via the Richtersveldt. The days of driving twenty odd hours without stopping are history for us.

  
Besides helping us arrive fresh and ready for the training schedule, the drive also serves as a bit of a retreat for us where we can collect out thoughts and prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually. Nature has a way of reminding us of the greatness of the one we serve and the need to bring our fellow humans to see that greatness as well.

We stopped briefly in the capital, Windhoek and stayed with Johann’s cousin. Then we met up with Father Lazarus Ngube and drove up with him to his home in the north. After a wonderful brief stay with his family we moved on to train clergy in a place called Efidi over a period of three days with translation into Oshiwambo. Father Lazarus went to train the folks in Angola. Johann preached at the Eucharist service on Sunday.

At Eenhana we visited a shrine dedicated to the memory of those murdered and unceremoniously dumped in a mass grave at an army base stationed in the town during the war. The eerie stillness reminded us of a similar shrine in Holland where Anne Frank and others had been kept before being transferred to the Nazi death camps. Our host, The Rev Selma Kawiiwa, was a survivor of the Cassinga Massacre having escaped by hiding under corpses. Yet, in spite of this horror the love of Jesus shone through…she is such an inspiration to us.

We left Eenhana and drove to Outjo through the Etosha Pan National Park to meet up with a dear missionary friend from our Kaokoland days. Her husband works in Angola and may be able to help us get into the country in the future in spite of dysfunctional systems. It was a wonderful time walking down memory lane with her and catching up on family news, especially grandchildren!

In Windhoek we met up with Father Lazarus again as he had managed to get to the Angolan folks to train them in evangelism. We had two groups to train in two weeks back to back. The first was made up of clergy from the southern and central parts of Namibia. The second was a group from St Michael’s…leaders of cell groups who were hand picked to start new church plants in the future. Strategy will certainly help them in that endeavour! Johann again preached at the Eucharist service, this time accompanied by a young gentleman who heads up the Special Olympics in Namibia and who teaches sign language as well!

We also met up with Joe Nkhoma, the J-Life country leader in Zambia, who was training another group from a different denomination along with Immanuel one of his co-workers.

They attended a few of our sessions. Joe also addressed our last group explaining that we were looking for a country leader. So far no one has come forward, but we are still working on it.

The first group was trained the usual way…Thursday and Friday evenings and the whole of Saturday. But the second group presented us with a challenge. These folks were all employed, so we had to work around their schedules…mostly evenings. It was harder to get to know the group at first, but that changed after the second evening together. By this time everyone knew everyone else and the small groups were working well.

Most folks in Namibia do not have email accounts, but all of them have WhatsApp. So we started three WhatsApp groups instead for follow-up purposes. This seems to be working better than email and folks are chatting with each other as well as us. 

While we were there we were given an amazing gift. Most of the time, Louise and I prefer camping to staying in B&B’s or guest houses not only because it is far less dear, but also because we love nature. My dear cousin, who is not a fan of camping, decided that we could put their camping trailer to better use than they could – they had only used it twice in twelve years! – so they donated it to us! The Associate Director at our sending agency, SAMS-USA, wrote: “So now you have The Godmobile and The Holy Tabernacle.” And so the name has stuck.

Louise also celebrated her 60^th birthday in Windhoek and in style. Johann’s cousin pulled out all the stops and made the day more than special for her.

We had lunch with Father Lazarus, Joe, Immanuel, and a young man from Switzerland who had recently come to faith while working on his doctoral studies in Namibia. He told us that none of his family had ever gone to church and he had never considered Christianity until working with the Anglicans in Namibia. How interesting!

We said a sad goodbye to Johann’s dear cousin and started the long trip home via Oranjemund. The Holy Tabernacle came in very handy in the desert!

We are home now and working on starting Strategy Training with a group of young Xhosa men in Villiersdorp. Johann will be preaching in our local church again and our Bible Study on the Life of Christ resumes tonight.

Thanks for your prayers and support!