Namibia Trip - A visit with the Mbalantu!

In February, we (Don and Pam) joined a group from Texas on a trip to Namibia. The churches from the Bi-Fork Association in Texas have adopted the Mbalantu people group in Namibia. They have committed to send at least four volunteer groups each year to the heart of the Mbalantu people in Ovamboland in northern Namibia. We praise the Lord for their commitment to His calling! In preparation for their upcoming trips, we traveled with them to this area. What a blessing! We met so many people, learned so much about their lives, prayed and brainstormed about how to share the Gospel message with them. We even learned some phrases in Oshikwanyama and Oshimbalantu. For more information about our trip and more information about the Mbalantu and other unreached people groups in Namibia, visit our website, http://www.forgottenpeoples.info/

Pictures:

1. Boy with his donkey.

2. Mbalantu child in the market.

3. One night a jackal wandered in looking for food.

4. Don with baby boy. (He loved his bananas!)

5. Pam with the ladies.

6. We ended our trip in Etosha National Park (gemsbok).

A flash in time!

December came and went faster than we wanted! Drew came and was gone much too quickly. In the two short weeks that he was home, we had a team Christmas party, ate lots of food, had fun playing games, played football in the back yard and had some great fun at the beach!

It is always a sad time at the airport when we say, “Goodbye.” But, the good news is that we will see him again in May!

After Drew left, we departed for a meeting in Johannesburg. After our meeting, we visited a theme park called Gold Reef City. Some people have asked how we handle the stress of missionary work and issues such as crime; well here is a good look….


Matthew prefers to take out his stress in other ways…


Seriously, we had a great time of fun!

The Lynch Clan....

Well, Don and I officially have no more “school” children. Our boys are all grown up! Matthew officially matriced from school in October, and finished his matric exams in November. We are very proud of him.

At his valedictory service, he was awarded the “Leon Schauder Memorial Prize.” This is quite a prestigious award given for “character, scholastic ability, tolerance, leadership of a non-aggressive type – a boy likely to serve the community without thought of personal gain.”

Drew is almost “21!” He is halfway through his sophomore year at North Carolina State University and continues to make us proud. He will be arriving for Christmas on Tuesday after 3 days of travel. He will be tired and we will be worried until he lands, so please pray for his safe and uneventful flights! Then, only 2 short weeks later, he will be returning. Please, pray for those trips also.

The question that you may be asking is “What about Matthew?” Matthew has applied to several universities, has been accepted to one and is awaiting responses from the others. Pray with us as he chooses the university he will attend. Pray that the Lord will guide him in making this very important decision. We will keep you updated on this.

The three of us will be returning to the States in May of 2009. Don and I will remain until the end of December before returning. Please be in prayer for us, as we face this huge change. Not only is it an “empty nest,” but it’s an empty nest on the other side of the world!

A Refreshing Time!

Recently, we were fortunate to lead and participate in a Prayer Retreat. We held it in October at a camp near Hermanus in the Western Cape. As missionaries from the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, Namibia and even a few from Johannesburg gathered for a time of prayer, all were blessed. The power is all solar energy, so we “suffered” with no hairdryers, curling irons, etc.. The food was simple but filling… But most of all, we had a quiet, spirit-filled time with the Lord. One of our prayer times was held on the sand dunes facing the ocean. Yes, it was a little cool, and we had a good hike to get there, but on top of those dunes, we were able to focus on God’s power and what a wonderful creation He has made. (Picture #1: some of our missionaries, Picture #2: Missionary Kids at the beach)

We had times of individual, group, team and cluster prayer. As we prayed for our home country, the USA, and for our temporary countries, South Africa and Namibia; we were able to remember who we were and what a mighty God we serve. What a privilege it is to be here! The simple truth is that we couldn't be here without your gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Those gifts are the means by which we devote ourselves to full-time ministry, providing us with a place to call home, food, medical care - even schooling for our children. It is both a humbling and exhilarating experience to live life dependent on the faithfulness and generosity of Southern Baptists. Thank you! Please know that many people around the world are truly celebrating Christmas for the first time this year because of your sacrifice for God's Kingdom.

So, What’s Been Happening…

Much has been happening since we last had an update, and we will probably forget to tell some of it. Here are a few highlights,

3 Bible Studies started in Barcelona Township, 2 are still going strong and 1 is struggling. 1 is a Ladies Bible Study and 1 is a Youth Bible Study being led by a missionary on our team, Cathy Burleson. The one that meets with couples and families is struggling. As we have known before, men are the hardest to commit and to attend. We are not sure if the location or the time we hold it is a problem. Please continue to pray that the Lord will direct us on how He would like for the Bible Study to move forward.

Speaking of Barcelona Township, how about a fish story:

Do you remember when Jesus told Peter and the others to cast the net out and it was so full they could not pull it in? Pictures come to mind of fish jumping in the nets wanting to be caught (Luke 5). Praise the Lord for just such an experience recently. In Barcelona, many people have accepted the Lord as their Savior. Recently, Pam and Jerry (Don’s assistant) were looking for Phillip’s house (a new believer) to tell him of the Bible study that would be starting. As we walked down the rocky, dirt street a lady came and asked why we wanted to find Phillip. We explained that a Bible study was starting and we wanted to invite him. The lady, Chanelle, immediately said with fervency, "I need Jesus, tell me how I can have him." Chanelle turned out to be the half-sister of Phillip, who had shared with her. As she told us about "what a bad person she was," she kept insisting that she was serious and that we must tell her what to do. However, we wanted to be sure she understood. She continued to insist and it soon became very apparent that she did. She willingly prayed and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior in the middle of the street. Yes, the fish jumped in the net! Praise the Lord! Continue to pray for good fishing as He directs!

Finally, as this is the Christmas season, please remember the people in Port Elizabeth who are less fortunate. Remember them not only because of their misfortune and living conditions, but also because of their spiritual starvation. Please pray that this year will be the time when many will seek and find the light that has come into the world. Pray that they will hear the Gospel message and accept Jesus as their Lord, Savior and Counselor!

Whew! It's finally updated and online!

Rejoice with us! A heartfelt need has been realized! Since Don took over as SF (Strategy Facilitator) and Pam took over as Cluster Prayer Advocate, we have had a goal of completely renovating the "Forgotten Peoples" website to make it updateable and useable. We decided what information needed to be conveyed on the site and by the time our summer volunteer Wes arrived (see earlier blog), we allowed Wes to use his creative gifts and younger set of eyes & perception to help us bring it to final form. Please check out the site at www.forgottenpeoples.info (see column called "other interesting places to visit" on our blog)! Our prayer is that this site will inform and encourage people to pray for these forgotten peoples and for future workers among them.

Ramadan Begins

When you think of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa you may think of tribal people, with bright colored clothes or wraps, wearing beads, singing with drums and shakers. But in the CESA region the increasing number of mosques and the influence of the Muslim faith impact most people groups. On September 1, with the sighting of the new moon, a time of fasting begins called “Ramadan”. This month of fasting, one of the five Pillars of the Islamic faith, is a result of obedience and causes Muslims to remember the qualities of Allah. Because of the spiritual dimension to fasting, many Muslims study the Koran and visits increase to mosques during Ramadan. We would like to challenge you to pray for Muslims during this month by using this CESA specific prayer guide. Pray that many will hear and entrust their lives to Jesus. If you would like to see the "CESA Ramadan Prayer Calendar," please click on the following link:

http://cesa.imb.org/stories/ramadano8/ramadanhome.html

Thanks for being in prayer with us!