Let us not weary ... (+ 2 SMSs from national paper)

Well, it is Tuesday lunch-time and we are all exhausted!

Last Saturday Katie went into Oshakati to speak with the Youth at an orphans’ feeding programme where we go quite often to sing songs with the children and teach them the Bible. ‘Youth’ in the North generally means a group of young people (even into their 20s) to get together with no formal supervision and sing songs which they then perform in Church or travel to various churches to sing. There is no idea of a Youth meeting involving Bible study etc. Katie had a great opportunity to speak to them and spent about 6 hours there.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family trekked off northwards to a border town called Oshikango, to a squatter camp where David has one of his NETS groups. They wanted someone to teach them about how to start a Youth group that included the Bible, so David took me along so share some ideas and suggestions. Katie and I have been invited back to address the young people at one of the churches. (see pix below – the roofed area is the church and the little one-roomed house in the background is the vestry!)

On Sunday, David headed off for church and a workshop quite far away and was gone all day. The rest of us walked to the Four Square church where the (long) services are bi-lingual. Katie and I have been getting to know some of the teenagers from the Deaf/Blind school and, with what little sign language we have, Katie does a creditable job translating the gist of the sermon for them. I have offered my services at the Sunday school there to help train teachers and will probably run a workshop there next month. We brought two of the deaf teenagers home with us for lunch and held limited conversations with them. However, it is wonderful to even begin to speak their language.

Last Tuesday, Katie, the children and I went to the orphans’ feeding programme and had a mini ‘Bible club’ with them before they get their meal. Yesterday (Monday - see pix below), we were invited to run a workshop to train them to teach the children. We have Aune staying with us for her week’s holiday and took her with us. Between the three of us, we taught many aspects of how to teach the Bible to children. We had a good time and so did our ‘pupils’, often in hysterics as they learnt an action Bible parable dramatization and memory verse (from Katie), did a Bible quiz and game (Aune), were introduced to musical chairs, and were shown how to make cheap and easy crafts and resources (Alisan) as well as why we need to teach children in a different way (Aune, who is training to be a teacher), the importance of knowing the Bible for yourself (Alisan) and why singing should mean more than just a fun time (Katie).

Today, Aune and Katie have gone to the Orphans again and will assist the people on the course yesterday in presenting the Bible drama, memory verse and song they learnt yesterday!

Also today (and yesterday), we have been assisting neighbours. She is 9 months pregnant (and is probably in labour as I write this). They were told yesterday that the house they are renting has been sold and the new owner demands them to be out today!!! Unfortunately, our neighbours had not signed a contract and have no legal leg to stand on.

Also today, David did all the big preparations necessary before setting off, just before lunch, on ‘safari’ for a week to the east of the country, where he will run workshops in various venues. Please pray for him as he travels and teaches as is so far from home.

Also today (!!), we had a meeting with another chap who is running a feeding programme for orphans nearby and who wanted advice and help in training people to teach children and youth the Bible in order to provide spiritual guidance and biblical principles for this young people.

Aune, Katie and I, running a children's ministry workshop

Say it like it is

A grand day out

My Cat

My contented cat came and sat a while,
And gave the world a superior smile.
Oh that I could live in such feline bliss;
I aim at life - but seem to miss.

Whilst I worry what to wear today,
My cat sleeps her cares away!
As I run to keep up with the news,
My cat decides which chair to choose!

When it comes to difficulties I wade out deep,
Amazed that my cat can sleep.
As complications assault from either side -
Bringing frustrated tears and bruising pride -
I attempt to sweep them under the mat ...
Much to the amusement of my cat,
Who looks and laughs and turns around ...
But finds no troubles to be found!

Spin-offs of language learning

There are many unexpected benefits of being able to speak the language of the people with whom you are working. Or so we were told at St Andrews Hall, the peerless training institution of CMS missionaries! The testimony of its truth is affirmed, again and again, by many missionaries.

And it was reinforced again to David recently at the Namibian Department of Home Affairs, an institution with a below average (let the reader understand) reputation amongst foreigners applying for visas. He had just been given the endorsed passports of his family and happily trotted back down the street. Glancing at the passports before climbing into the car, he discovered to his dismay that he had only been granted 2 months, not the 18 months promised in the letter from the department.

Back again, and after more pleading, remonstrating and persuading, and hours of waiting, he was granted permission to go “upstairs” to see the official. Sitting in the office of some of the clerks, they discovered he could understand what they were saying.

David was then asked when he was going ‘home’. After answering, they told him ‘You should go home now. Don’t stay here.’ However, as he was able to converse with them in their language, interest grew; foreigners (especially ‘whites’) do not (as a rule) learn the local ‘black’ languages. They started asking him how he knew Oshiwambo, where he lived, whether he was a pastor, and other similar questions, and he was able to answer their questions in Oshiwambo.

There was no gospel presentation (David was not ready in and out of season, especially with Gospel tracts) - but the conversation did end with a lot of laughter and good feeling, David being now told (by the clerks at least) he could stay there ‘for ever’. And they went away knowing that someone cared enough about them to learn to speak to them in their heart language.

Unfortunately, no change on the visa status, though. David has to submit a progress report within 2 months about how he is transferring skills to a Namibian, otherwise the visa will be cancelled!!! Providentially, that’s what his job is all about!

Still on a language note, when David travels around the country, he often picks up hitch hikers. They are not hikers as you would imagine them to be. As there is a lack of public transport in Namibia, except ‘taxi’ services in and between major centres, if a person wants to get from A to B, they simply stand by the side of the road and hope that someone stops and picks them up. David is able to help them in this, and they ‘help’ him, too, as they often don’t have any English and, if they share a mutually-intelligible language, it is good language practice for David. Armed with tracts in 3 languages (all of which found ‘homes’), David gave many people lifts as he traveled to and from Windhoek, and made the most of many opportunities to share the Gospel with them.

On the way home he went to visit someone in hospital, In Ondangwa, and was explaining ‘Two ways to Live’ with her when a nurse came over and asked to be included in the discussion. David later gave her a tract. Now we have received an SMS from the lady in hospital saying that the other nurses are asking for a tract for themselves, too!

Thanks be to God for Kingdom opportunities. May we never be too lazy to seize them. We are reading Acts as a family at the moment and I commend to you chapter 20, especially verses 27 and 32.

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