Ministry Underway

SUNDAY 10.14.07
Today was our first true day of ministry. We didn't really know what to expect, because the city of Windhoek (where we stayed last night) is very similar to an American city. However, all it took was a 45 minute drive for us to realize that we really are in Africa. We ministered in "Five Dollar" which is the a Location of Okahandja. Locations are found on the outskirts of cities and are similar to what we might call the ghetto- it's where the poorest of the poor reside in shacks made of scrap metal (most without running water or electricity). The "church" which is set up and torn down each week, consists of a tarp tied to trees to provide a ceiling for shade, and benches made of boards and cinder blocks. The McGaffee's started a "preaching point" there in February of 2006. We were told there are about a dozen children, but it seems the presence of Americans attracts a crowd - there were over 30 children! Sadly, we ran out of snacks for the children, which was heartbreaking to turn kids away empty-handed. Some animal crackers had been dropped on the ground, and other children went around picking them out of the sand and popping them right in their mouth. It just reminded me of the things we take for granted.

We held a 30-minute children's program before the adult church service. Puppets are alittle challenging with an interpreter, we learned! Everyone on our team was absolutely amazing in the way they were able to cross the language barrier and simply love the children. For the adult service, we did a skit, Chris Knarr shared his testimony, and Pastor Eran gave a message. They all worked very well with the interpeter (not an easy thing to do!). Some of the locals sang us traditional songs in their language, which was a very cool thing to hear. The church attendance was also high. There were several people there who would usually be at a bar, called a "Shibeen" on Sunday morning, so we were glad to have them join us. In the end, almost everyone came forward for prayer.

After the service, we drove with the McGaffee's into town where we had lunch at a cozy little bed and breakfast run by a French couple. The food was delicious, and it was so nice to spend time with the McGaffee's again. They really are an amazing family.

We set out for Swakopmund, a town on the coast, where we are spending the evening. It was incredible to watch the landscape change. The roads are remarkably flat, yet magnificent mountains rose on either side of us across the desert plains. We did not see many animals on this trip, but there is more to come!

Swakopmund is an adorable town, and if someone told me I was in a quaint area of the Caribbean, I might have believed them. We are staying in "bungalows," which sounded unpleasant, but are actually tiny colorful cottages about a half mile from the beach! I must say though, that when we returned from dinner, we had to kill a cockroach in one of the ladies' rooms (which caused quite a commotion, as you can imagine). We spent some time learning the motions to the songs we are going to add into the children's program tomorrow, had family time with "hero of the day" awards, and now we're heading to bed. Some of us are planning on running/walking the beach at 5:45AM! Melissa assures us that it is well worth it!

Oh, by the way, it's really cold on the coast! I'm layering up with 2 shirts and a hoodie! Who would have thought?

Loving Africa, missing you,

Pastor Courtney (on behalf of PE and the team)

MONDAY 10.15.07
The day started early with our walk on the beach. My phone died in the middle of the night, so I had no alarm clock. I woke to the sound of heavy pounding on the cottage door (not the best way to wake up, but it was well worth it to see the beach :)The girls graciously woke me so we could sieze the day together! The walk was beautiful. I was surprised to be in Africa, wearing hoodies with an overcast sky!

We had an early morning children's program at the pre-school of Freshwater Church in Swakopmund. There were about a dozen children there. We were able to spend a bit more time with them, so we broke out the parachute, balloon animals, and salvation bracelets in addition to the songs/puppets/lesson we will typically do. While there, we were invited to make an impromptu stop at another primary school to sing and do puppets for them. It was so great to see the team respond with so much enthusiasm, flexibility, and spontaneity to to the offer!

We went to breakfast at Pastor Rob's favorite restaurant - The Village Cafe. We could understand why he loves it! The atmosphere is wonderfully quaint and eccentric and the food is delicious. While there, Geralyn discovered that if she puts her fiber mix in hot tea, it congeals and forms this amoeba of sorts (which was consumed, in a dare, by Chris G, Chris K, Joey, and of course Geralyn). Disgusting!

We packed up and hit to the road for a day of adventure. We started off by quad biking on the sand dunes. I cannot begin to describe the experience. I will say that I was expecting a rather calm guided tour of the sand dunes, and it was far from that (though probably not wild enough for some of the boys... and Jeanette :) Pat was a trooper, and waited patiently for us in the car. She wasn't up for a crazy quad bike ride. When Melissa offered to let Pat ride with her, assuring Pat that she likes to drive slowly, Pat responded by saying, "That's not true. I've driven with you." Haha! Such a true statement regarding Mel, the speedracer! Our tour guide put the fear of God in us to be sure we wouldn't break any rules or get to crazy. He basically told us all the ways a person can die or lose a limb if they don't follow strict instructions. We all behaved and survived :) You will have to see the video footage for more about the quad bikes and sand dunes.

Tuesday 10.16.07
We had another early day, with our very first primary school program to 600 students (grades 1-4). Their reaction to our arrival was overwhelmingly welcoming. Anytime they saw a camera, they went absolutely crazy, screaming and gathering in close for a chance to be caught on film. It was even more exciting when we could show them the digital image on the screen! The program, led by Jeanette, consisted of four songs with motions and puppets, an object lesson and gospel message. The kids participated so enthusiastically, and were learning the motions in no time! Nearly all of the children raised their hand to be born-again. So different from America! As they were dismissed to their classes and said goodbye, there was a mad rush of kids to the front, swarming around us in an attempt to hug us or touch our hair or hands!

We stayed at the school for a second program with students in grades 5-7, and simply tweaked the program. This time we incorporated the Sin Chair skit and Chris Knarr’s testimony – both very well received! At the end of the message, the students chanted, “One more song! One more song!” And we would have stayed all day if possible!

BUT we had to move on… our next area of ministry was the Pandukeni Kindergarten in the location of Otjiwarongo. A friend of Melissa’s named Zipporah teaches the class. As we pulled up to the school in our vehicles, the children were excitedly chanting “white person” in their native language. They were absolutely beautiful! Once again, we were limited in our one-on-one communication because of the language barrier. George and I were painting faces, and when we asked the kids what we could paint on their face, they had absolutely no idea what we were talking about! They would just smile and nod and say “yes” to everything. Eventually they caught on, and walked around proudly displaying their painted cheeks. We also had a team doing balloon animals, taking Polaroid photos to give as gifts, and playing with the parachute. It broke my heart to see all the children who could not afford to attend the school gathering outside the fence, looking inside longingly – so heartbreaking that we finally brought them inside and gave them their photo and a balloon animal. I couldn’t help but thinking that Jesus had a way of going after the people “outside the fence.”

We went from the kindergarten to the 8th grade class, where Joey performed his guitar solo and shared a brief testimony and Pastor Eran presented a brief version of the Made sermon. The students were completely enthralled! At the end of the message, we quizzed the kids and gave out MADE CD’s. Shout-out to the Real Life worship team and youth choir - the Made CD has now gone around the world!

We had yet another children’s program in the afternoon at a primary school with “about 501 students.” While our program was the same, the dynamics were much different. The students were very disorderly, and would push and punch to get to the front of the crowd. Teachers and student leaders had to walk around with sticks ready to hit anyone who was out of line, but it didn’t seem to help much. Despite the rowdy crowd, our team did an amazing job trying to do the dance moves while doing crowd control at the same time. So impressive  Despite their rough behavior, the kids absolutely loved everything, and soon joined wholeheartedly in the motions and songs. Jeanette led a prayer for salvation, and a few hundred kids raised their hands to accept Christ.

In the afternoon, we did hospital visitation in the Children’s Ward. We are so blessed to have clean, state-of-the-art hospital facilities in the U.S.A. (how many times have we complained about the Reading hospital?). We broke into groups of 2-3 people and prayed individually for the young children. Fortunately it was during visiting hours, so we were able to pray with parents and siblings as well and share with them the gospel message and a general word of encouragement. It was a very touching experience, and we could have stayed so much longer and visited everyone!

Tonight we led the Bible study at Faith. Pat and Geralyn shared their testimony for the first time, and they did an amazing job! Pastor Eran brought a message on “Chasing the Lion,” which is just what the people needed to hear (which we were told when we talked/prayed with them one-on-one).

Loving Africa, missing you,

Pastor Courtney (on behalf of PE and the team)

WEDNESDAY 10.17.07
Our day started off early again - we were scheduled for a 7AM presentation at Orwetoveni (the disorderly school we visited yesterday). Jeanette and the team deserve credit for being flexible and quick on their toes this morning. We were under the impression that the children were all very young, but when we arrived they seemed so much larger than yesterday! As it turns out it was grades 1 and 5-7. We have a presentation for younger students and one for older students, and neither seemed to fit here, so under Jeanette's leadership, we improvised (successfully :)

Following the elementary school, we set out to do home visits for AIDS patients. First we met with about a dozen of the caregivers. My caregiver, Selma, was responsible for 9 different homes. Most of the caregivers did not speak much (or any) English, so again we had the help of an interpreter. Nancy (our resident prayer warrior) shared a powerful testimony to encourage the caregivers, and Melissa presented them with the opportunity to share Christ. Several accepted Christ. We then went and prayed one-on-one with them. When we returned to our seats, we realized we weren't done. One of the caregivers came to the center of the circle, weeping, and asking for prayer. One by one, they came to the center, shared their needs, and cried as we all lifted them up in prayer. We could have easily gone another hour, but our time was short.

We split up by vehicle, each taking a caregiver with us, and went to a home of an AIDS patient. All the patients were living in the Location (the poorest areas). My team (Geralyn, George, and Chris Gamber) went to visit a very emaciated, frail woman named Lucia. Lucia's boyfriend just died of AIDS two weeks ago, and she is struggling to get by AND care for her children. She is unable to work, so she has no money for food or water. After praying with her, the team gave her anything we had that could help (water bottle, crackers and granola bars, and some money), and yet we desperately wished we could do so much more.

From the home visits, we had to rush to Paresis Secondary School where we did a presentation for about 50 students in their Scripture Union (high school Bible Club). We did a few skits, Chris Knarr shared his testimony, and Pastor Eran and I each shared a brief word. I think my favorite part of the program was when the whole room broke out into "Awesome God" as we were preparing to leave. The sound just filled the room, and it was absolutely beautiful!

We had lunch at an adorable outdoor restaurant (a few team members tried Eland steak!), and then began our trek to Tsumeb (which is located in northern Namibia). The hotel we are staying at is absolutely beautiful - it has a tropical atmosphere to it. Best of all, we have internet access here so we can update you :)

We led the mid-week service at Praise A/G. It was awesome to hear George, Anne, and Chris Gamber share their testimonies for the first time in a service! Pastor Eran presented a powerful message on Elisha and Elijah, and the Holy Spirit moved powerfully during the altar time!

The evening concluded with a final surprise - a memorial service and mock trial (complete with evidence and diagrams) for the warthog Melissa killed on the drive to Otjiwarongo! It was definitely THE funny highlight of the trip so far. Hopefully you can see the video sometime!

Loving Africa, missing you,

Pastor Courtney (on behalf of PE and the team)

Thursday 10.18.07
It was SOOOO nice to sleep in today! After a restful morning, we returned to Praise A/G with Pastor Phillip to go into the Location where he is desiring to start a church. We spent a few hours simply walking through the town inviting kids back to the children’s program at 3PM. We also found out that we were expected to do an adult service as well at 5PM. Surprise! However, anyone who has ever done missions work knows that flexibility and spontaneity are absolutely essential! As we walked through the streets, children poured out of their homes and followed us by the dozens from home to home. Many of the children in this location speak up to 6 or 7 languages!

While we enjoy going from school to school doing half-hour assemblies, we absolutely LOVED the chance to simply BE with the children. We spent a few hours teaching them songs and playing football in the streets. I had one of the most humbling moments of my life with the children. One little five-year-old girl named Joleni had stayed close to my side all day. While we were singing, she suddenly noticed the dirt in my flip-flips. Little barefoot Joleni bent down and began to brush the dirt out of my sandals and clean off my feet. I was completely humbled and amazed. We went to lunch before the program, and when we returned, dozens of students of all ages awaited us. Even more flooded the streets and made their way to the school where we were meeting. We played with them some more, and then did an extended children’s program, with nearly 100 children (in a village with only 3 short streets!). After the children’s progam, we led an adult service with another 50 or so people. It was amazing, because at 5PM (when we were scheduled to start) there was no one there, and I personally questioned what kind of turnout we would get. People began trickling in, and 15 minutes later, we had over 50 adults (in a village without a church – what an opportunity!). The service was a bit more challenging, because we needed not one but TWO translators (one speaking Otjiwambo, one speaking Afrikaans). Everyone doing skits and testimonies did remarkable well (and it’s not an easy thing!). Pastor Eran gave a salvation message, and we also gave people the opportunity to come forward for prayer for healing, freedom from addictions, and other needs. It was another powerful time of prayer. Outside, we even had a prayer time with the children who refused to go home  The best thing about the adult program is that it set Pastor Phillip up to start a church in that village, and his announcement to the people of a new church was enthusiastically received.

At the end of the day, we had fallen in love with these people, and none of us wanted to leave.

Loving Africa, missing you,

Pastor Courtney (on behalf of PE and the team)

Friday 10.19.07
My day started out a bit ironic. After filming a silly documentary on the dangers of DEET in insect repellent, I woke up with 58 bug bites on ONE lower leg! I had over 100 mosquito bites in total! I was only outside for about an hour without insect repellent, but apparently that’s all it takes. Not only was it embarrassing; it was also very foolish. We were informed that northern Namibia is at risk for malaria, and it’s not something to take lightly. I spent a good part of the day worrying that I had contracted malaria, and would end up in a Namibian hospital! I’m praying that God forgives my foolishness and keeps me healthy! I think I need to film the DEET documentary part 2: “DEET IS DANGEROUS, BUT MALARIA IS DEADLY.” A bit morbid, don’t you think? Anyway, moving on to more important and exciting things…

Today we fulfilled every Discovery-Channel-addict’s dream as we embarked on a safari through Etosha National Park with Melissa as our knowledgeable tour guide. We saw an abundance of zebras, giraffe, springbucks, kudu, oryx, red hartebeets, warthogs, impalas, eland, dikdiks, and wildebeests. Elephants, jackals, and ostriches were a bit more scarce, so we were exceptionally excited when we spotted them. But most importantly, we had our hearts set on spotting a lion (especially Pastor Eran).

An hour or two into the trip, we had to pull one vehicle over because our air-conditioning (kind of essential on a 12 hour drive) was cranking out warm air and something smelled like it was burning. After a brief rest-stop and some car-repair prayer, everything was functioning well. All of our drivers (we rotated between Melissa, George, Chris K., Chris Knarr, and Jeanette) deserve a ton of credit for driving in rough conditions. The roads were extremely bumpy with random craters, and the cars kicked up so much dust that you literally could see NOTHING in front of you if you were the last vehicle in the caravan. At one point when we were blinded by the cloud of dust, a zebra bolted across the road in front of our vehicle (somehow with the good reflexes of Chris K. and the grace of God, a collision was averted :)

We had a picnic lunch at a camping/resort area in the middle of the park (we had all purchased groceries the day before) – so cute!

We hit the road again, determined to find a lion. We had already visited the 2 water holes where lions had been spotted the past few days, but we had no luck. Toward the very end of the trip, we were following a tour bus that had pulled over at a random spot along the road with an empty field to the left. Far off in the horizon, you could see the silhouette of trees. Everyone in the tour bus was standing with their binoculars pointed toward the tree line. There must be lions. We made out 3 bumps, which (if you tried hard enough) could appear to be the silhouette of a lion’s head. We thought to ourselves, how many lions have we missed if those 3 bumps on the horizon were truly lions, and how does a person even think to look there? Definitely a stretch. Our lion-spotting desires were not satisfied, but we were running out of time. As we arrived at one of the final waterholes, we were somewhat excited by the abundance of animals there and the photo-opportunities. What we did not realize is that a few hundred yards from the road, also observing the animals by the waterhole, were two lions resting under some trees! Someone tipped us off, and we broke out or zoom lenses and binoculars to see if it was true. Pastor Eran and I, along with some other believers, were convinced it was a lion but needed to prove it. Sure enough, the male lion raised it’s head, and we could clearly decipher the outline, even without binoculars! We were more excited than kids at Christmas! Rumor has it that Pastor Eran screamed like a girl :)

The day was made complete when we spotted a herd of elephants, protecting their babies, as we were leaving the park – it was absolutely amazing! What a day! Special thanks to our drivers and to our very own “safari guides,” Melissa, Chris G., and our other knowledgeable team members :)

Loving Africa, missing you,

Pastor Courtney (on behalf of PE and the team)

Saturday 10.20.07
Yesterday was a fun day, but not so much a refreshing one. Today was both :) We went shopping at the craft market in Okahandja. It’s an interesting challenge trying to barter with the vendors. I felt a bit torn though, because you want to get the cheapest price possible but you also recognize (having been to the shacks where they live) how desperately they need the money! I think we all tried to be balanced about it. Everyone was so proud of their purchases and negotiating skills! I think we all spent every penny we brought and more, but it was well worth it :) Pat bought so much that she opened up shop in her dorm room and offered to sell her extra souvenirs to anyone who forgot someone on their list! Such an entrepreneur!

Lunch was spent with the McGaffee’s at a place called Okapuka Ranch. We were greeted by a warning sign stating that there are crocodiles and lions on the premises, and we enter at our own risk. Crazy, right? Sadly, we saw neither, but we were excited by the possibility. And of course, lunch with the loveable McGaffee family was wonderful. One of the daughters, Krissy, was celebrating her 13th birthday! Dinner was spent at one of Pastor Rob’s favorite restaurants (Otjibamba) with missionaries from Texas (Gaylord and Fredna). We greatly enjoyed the meal, but our favorite part was probably the giraffe crossing through the parking lot! I have pictures to prove it :) After dinner we stopped at the gas station to purchase “Magnum” ice cream bars, which we were told is a “must” when visiting Namibia. We withheld the ice cream from Pat and filmed a “documentary” on her ice cream addiction – so funny :) Our team has so much fun and talent and passion and personality and servanthood – I just can’t get over it!

Loving Africa, missing you,

Pastor Courtney (on behalf of PE and the team)

Sunday 10.21.07

Today was an incredible day of church ministry. We were so ready and refreshed after the past two days that everyone on the team gave their all enthusiastically. We ministered in Melissa’s church this morning, to both adults and children. Pastor Eran’s message, from Hebrews 12, was just what the church needed, and the children absolutely LOVED the program we did for them. The worship time, led by Joey, was powerful. We taught them one of our favorite songs back home – “Healer.” For some reason, I was struck by the idea of singing that song in Namibia, and it took on a whole new depth of meaning. We sing, “Nothing is impossible for You; You hold my world in your hands,” and we apply it to our particular personal issues. But to think of it from a larger perspective, to think of the people of Namibia, singing that nothing is impossible for God despite all the poverty, desperation, addiction, and illness all around, was a powerful thought. The needs of Africa are not too big for God. We’re here for 2 weeks, and we’re completely overwhelmed by the needs here, but God is not. I don’t know why that was such a revelation for me, but it was such a life-giving thought with profound implications.

We spent the afternoon resting and preparing for tonight’s youth rally at Melissa’s church. The service was absolutely amazing. Joey had a breakthrough of anointing and freedom as he led worship. For the song, “I am Free,” everyone in the room was on their feet jumping and singing at the top of their lungs; from what we understand, this is far from the norm for them! As the service went on and we shared skits and testimonies, students CONTINUED to roll in. Over 100 students crowded into a church the size of the Red Room! Not only did our team share skits/testimonies, but some of Melissa’s students did some dances as well – so fun!

I found out about an hour before the service that I was going to bring the message and altar call – a first for me. I have shared some thoughts and explanations of skits here, but I haven’t preached a full message or led an altar call. Such a challenge for me with little time for preparation! I was grateful to Pastor Eran for the opportunity, and I embraced it. The students were SO receptive, and we had an awesome service. Students came forward for prayer at the end, and our team got to pray for them one-on-one for salvation, freedom from addictions, family needs, healing, provision, and more. We closed out the service jumping and singing to “I am Free.” Joey even broke out the “restricted free.” Remember that from the Made recording when Maurice had us all get down really low to the ground and sing softly, and then jump up and sing our hearts out? They LOVED it here! It was really cool to see some of the students we ministered to at the high schools return for the service. Hopefully this was a blessing to Melissa’s youth ministry and they experience growth through this outreach.

Family time was fun and encouraging as always but sadness is beginning to set in as we face our return home. Pastor Eran prepared us for the emotional journey we will experience and how we can best brace ourselves and stay emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy through it all. We are all missing our families and friends back home, but it is difficult to leave a place when we feel that there is so much more work to be done here, and we wonder who will continue the work. But God is faithful, and we need to trust that he loves these people even more than we do. He is the one who brings salvation, and he will raise up other people to continue the work.

Tomorrow is a jam-packed day, so we must get some rest tonight. We must be ready for our first school program at 6AM!

Loving Africa, missing you,

Pastor Courtney (on behalf of PE and the team)