The Out Reach...

Half of the team!

Max,Rave, Ladiwa,Josephine,Indepensia, and Chanteline.

When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him...(Luke 10:17)
This is the verse that came to mind when I saw the faces of my children glowing in excitement and just the deep joy they were experiencing that moment when they returned from their homes after the outreach!
Many of them came back inspired with so much courage, and a deep desire to do it again.

Saturday was an amazing day for us and thanks be to God who made it possible and paved the way before us. With a few friends from church and my gr.5 students we met up at school, divided up in to teams and  send those teams out in to the community; every child back to his/her own house in order to share the good news, encourage, and pray with their family members.
In this first out reach we aim for the students’ families. So we did home visits. We praying for them, encourage them, and just got to know them and sharing the Good News. 
The reason why we aimed for the students’ families first is that they are the one we are most familiar with and keys to the rest of the community just as these students have been the key to the families. If we share The Gospel with them, disciple them and send them out, then they can start sharing the Good News with their neighbors and everyone they know within this community, people that I myself or my students will never be able to reach. And I thought it will also be easier for us to do some follow up and start with the training because we have a connection with them through their children. So the idea is to start cell groups with the families and continue disciple them to the point where by they can grow and through them we can reach the rest of the community. And I am also praying that for our second outreach these families will be able to join us.
 I am deeply thankful for the different people both here and outside that decided  to stand with us in prayers for God really did go before us and prepared the way. I had so much peace when I went out yesterday and for boldness; my children were bold and greatly inspired. 
I can't fully express the love and deep joy that I am feeling deep down, I am so thankful for every one who showed up and who was praying.

Going out and just talking to all these families also gave me an idea of what most of them believe in and where they stand. Many of them claim to be Christians simply based on the fact that they were baptized when they were babies, that they do go to church on Sunday and they know who to call upon in days of trouble. And some are simply relying on their good work or the type of church they are in. Trying to explain the truth to them is quite a challenge because it only ends up in arguments that leads to this phrase: "it depends from what church you are from and what you believe!".
Some do totally believe that whatever the bible says it's true and it should be put in to practice, so I realized that the only way we might settle most of this matters is if we all sit down and truly study what the bible say and ask those questions: what does the bible say?  and how can we apply that to our life today?
My hope and prayers, and what I am looking into right now is to start a Bible study right away. Two of my students' families are really open to that which I am truly thankful for. But this is just the beginning and I am really excited to see what God is planning to do in both the families of my children and the rest of community.

This part of Africa!

Where do I even start, there is so much to tell, so much to digest and so much to wrap my head around. Honestly, I am tired I have never felt so tired in my life before, but it was worth it in every way.

The past few weeks had been really life changing and mostly encouraging for me.  I met so many amazing people and I fell in love with each an every one of them…I wish I could take them all home with me! An amazing body of Christ, that’s what it has been for me. Great teachings and mind blowing testimonies of what God is doing around the world through ordinary men and women. Young and old. Husbands, wives, students, missionaries…you can name it!

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They understand the call and no matter who they are or what they do, they became intentional about sharing the Gospel and they apply it to their everyday life. They understand the father’s heart for the Lost around them. They see the value of the Kingdom in a way that fully elevates the king himself and because of that they found it worth everything with deep Joy. They still have their daily schedule but sharing the Gospel and finding the lost at any cost is part of their lives. It has been such a great inspiration, encouragement, but also a challenge. Beside all of these amazing fellowships, we also got to meet more new people in town and enjoyed God’s creation all around us. Beautiful sun rise and sun sets, full moon. Adventurous hikes with friends, games, and good food.

Zeka, Steve Smith, Laura Smith, Peter.

The Namibian Team

Training

Hanging out

Selfies!

Rejoice and celebrate...God is able!

Rejoice and celebrate with us....!

For the Lord God is good. I am sure many people have heard me talking about her. She is the one who was always sleeping in class as a way to escape her problems. She was joyless and always moody. But after a week of prayer with the staff, I started praying specifically for joy over her life. It was not long before God answered that prayer. One morning out of the blue she burst out laughing. I couldn’t believe it! It left my mouth hanging wide open. I wasn’t sure whether she was laughing as in laughing or something was wrong with her. But she was laughing. She made my day that day and I couldn’t stop talking about it. I always refer back to it some times when she is sad.

Now I realize that that was only the beginning of what God was about to do in her life. It was a starting point. It is funny because as the other students started to come to Christ, she just held back and observed from a distance. I invited her to some of the disciple classes I was having with my other students but she didn’t come. After school she would just walk out. It was interesting because in her prayers she would ask God to open up the other students’ heart and eyes to receive and know God, but hardly had she prayed saying we or us; only they and them. Slowly though but surely she then started to open up and moved from help them to help us...then me!

A few time she approached me asking me if I had time because she wanted to speak to me. Every time I would say yes, but she would never show up or come to me. To make the long story short I have observed Ladiwa reading the bible by herself which motivated me to pray for a greater hunger and thirst to know God and that God would help her know him better. And so finally after many days and weeks of praying and waiting, She finally approached me today!
 My last day with them before leaving for SA, she didn’t want me leave without making that decision.  She called me a side not honestly sure what she wanted to talk to me about. Then she said it;

“ I want to be a Christian. I want God to use me in order to change my family.”

I was speechless!

I took the time to ask her why and explain to her what it truly means to be a Christian and the costs we have to count when embarking on that journey, but her mind was made up. She wanted it, not for what she can get from him, but she wanted to know him more in a deep and personal way. And she wanted him to use her to bring change her families’ lives!

Yes! God is able! I wish I could shout it clearly through this pages. God is at work when all seem still. What we cannot do on our own, He is able. I love it! I love the fact that we can never walk away with any of it. We can never say we did it. Because it is all Him. We sow  and go to sleep like the farmer. ( Matt 4:27) and he takes care of the rest.

A New creation. I honestly love the sound of that. He removes the stubborn hearts of stones and replaces it with tender and receptive hearts . ( Ezekiel 11:19-20 I find this to be a prayer of hope)
He will give the new heart. He will place in the new Spirit. It is him not us. It is surely a great relieve to know that it is not up to me to change a man's heat but that it is God's doing, all I have to do is to faithfully share the Good News, pray, and God will work on the hearts. He is busy redeeming souls one by one! And I am excited because my children will get to be a part of the workers when they go out and declare what God has done in their own lives!

I find nothing more worth to live for than this!
A vessel of honor: that's what I pray and hope for each an everyone of them.
It's all God and it is all by Grace nothing and no one else.

Girls' Day out!

The gr 5 girls had an awesome opportunity to visit the YWAM base this past Saturday all thanks to Mrs. Hunter. It was really special. It was fun and unforgettable! We all loved the great adventure and awesome experience.

Wherever you are be all there

Jim. puts it this way:

“Wherever you are be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

Be all there, body, heart, and Spirit and make every moment count for the glory of God. I have decided long time ago to take every day at the time. Not to worry about tomorrow for that would rob me of today’s joy and I would miss out whatever God present before me today.

A friend once said to me: “Nothing else matters that much when you know that God wants you to be wherever you are at that moment.”John Zellmer

I have carried that truth with me ever since. I have felt like that 3 years ago when I walked into community hope school. I have felt like that a year ago when I was sitting at the back of our grade 2 classroom and just quietly observed the kids. I have felt like that a few months ago with my new grade 5s, and I have strongly became aware of that just an hour ago during our parents’ meeting.      

     

Sometimes I really wondered whether these kids really understood what I said. Sometimes I just look up at the end of the day and be like: “Lord, is this really worth it at all?”

And so finally the parents stood up this evening and answered that question. It was amazing that they had a lot to say and just shared how thankful they were. They spoke about; the great change, the amazing impact, the growth, the motivations, the new hope, and how God was evident in their children’s lives. They stood up and they all had something to say, one after another. All the effort, all the sowing, and all the encouragement, it wasn’t just changing the kids; God has been using it to change their parents and family members’ lives too. Surely God has a plan for these children. I count it great joy to be apart of his story. I count it to be a great privilege that I can be apart of he's plan of redemption and bringing hope to he's people here. Whatever we whispered to them behind those classroom doors, they make it known to all back home!

And so the good news is spreading through education and at the same time God is busy changing and touching lives.

“A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected.”

I found this statement to be true. I found this to be real myself. As I sat there, biting my nails off my thumb finger, the parents surely captured my attention. I wasn’t just listening with my ears; my hearts was listening and receiving too. And I embraced it all, every word!  

They truly appreciate us. They appreciate what we are doing in their children’s lives. They can truly see the change in their lives. They can see them grow. They can see God moving. Now, they want to be a part of this great change; they want to be a part of what God is doing here. Many were motivated to do their parts as parents and I was motivated to do even more and go beyond!

It is worth it. It is worth it!

If you trash all that the world has to offer and approve and then choose to live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God, then all that you will be left with;  Is God, Joy, and contentment!