Soundtrack for Nam2010

For me, music has always been a big part of short-term missions trips. On the plane ride or during a little quiet time I'll pop in the earbuds and sing along with the jams in my head. Whether it's new worship songs or the latest radio hits some melody is bound to stick out as kind of a theme song for my trip, and years later I'll hear it again and all the memories of that summer will come flooding back. So for the past few months I've been getting my Namibia 2010 Playlist ready, stocking up my Ipod with songs that have been meaningful on past trips or new tunes that I can't get out of my head. I thought I'd share a few recommendations for your list and a little insight into the soundtrack of my summer:

All I Can Say by The David Crowder*Band
Alleluia, Sing by The David Crowder*Band
Shadowfeet by Brooke Fraser
Closer To Love by Mat Kearney
The Call by Regina Spektor

Close Your Eyes by Future of Forestry

Desert Song by Hillsong United (from This Is Our God)
Give Me Jesus by Jeremy Camp
On Our Side by Bethany Dillon
Dirt and Dust by Shelly Moore Band
Without Words by Shelly Moore Band
Waiting On Your Love by Justin McRoberts (from Father Revisited)
Hallelujahs by Chris Rice (from Snapshots:Live and Fan Favorites)
Stars Are Singing by Mainstay
This Is Home by Switchfoot
We're So Far Away by Mae

What's on your Nam2010 playlist?

Conversational Evangelism

I was recently asked if in Namibia we would have opportunities to bring people to Christ. What seems to be a simple question actually relies on culturally conditioned language that makes it much more complicated than it seems. It was this very question many years ago that challenged my understanding of how I share Christ with people and led me to what I now call conversational evangelism.

The difficulty comes in how Christianity has come to define what it means to “bring or lead people to Christ.” Typically it involves sharing some form of multi-point gospel presentation then leading someone through a pre-fab “sinner’s prayer” and suddenly they’re “saved.” That seems to imply that salvation is contingent upon saying the prayer, which is no longer salvation by grace but by works. And more than that, that’s not how we see people coming to Christ in the Bible. Instead we see people having an experience with Jesus that causes them to put their faith in him. Philip told Nathanael, “We have found him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote…Come and see” (Jn 1:45-46). The Samaritan woman told the rest of her village, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (Jn 4:29). In the Gospels, “bringing people to Christ” literally meant introducing people to the person Jesus. Perhaps it shouldn’t be so different for us. Perhaps instead of, “Pray this after me,” our gospel presentation should be, “Come and see” (Ps 66:5). Now let’s place that understanding in the context of evangelism in Namibia.

In Namibia the "official" statistics will tell you that about 80-90% of the population is Christian, but all that really means is that they go to a Christian church. It doesn't necessarily mean they have a relationship with God through Jesus. If you ask someone if they are a Christian they will likely say 'yes,' but many of those people are trusting in their good works (like going to church or saying a prayer) to save them rather than trusting in Christ. They have a false understanding of what Christianity really is and believe in a works-based salvation that is no ‘good news’ at all (Gal 1:6-7). As a result there are many people who call themselves Christians who still need to hear the true good news about Jesus. (Side note: The situation is not so different in our own country!)

Most of our team’s ministry activities will involve supporting the local church and the orphan ministry. Whether we are interacting with non-Christians or working alongside other Christians, our mission is to bring Christ into whatever situation we find ourselves. We probably won't be doing any big revival meetings and inviting people to come forward and talk to a counselor, but rather most of our opportunities to share Christ will come in the context of conversations. Our evangelism will take place through relationships that YOU build and through conversations that YOU initiate. The everyday conversations and interactions we have with children and other people can help teach them what being a true Christian means and how it looks to live that out in life. That's why we go through exercises like sharing our testimonies, so that in a conversation you can share what Christ has done for you and through your experience you show them what the gospel really is. Your personal story beats a 3-point outline any day.

So the simple answer to our original question is an abundant YES! Everyday, in every interaction, we will have opportunities to bring people to Christ. We won’t necessarily be the ones leading them in a sinner’s prayer, but we will be introducing them to who Jesus is and the saving power he can have in their lives. And when all is said and done we will do well to remember Paul’s words to the church at Corinth: one plants the seed, another waters it, but only God makes it grow (1 Cor 3:6).

Meet the Children

In Arandis we'll be working together with Children of Promise, the foster care portion of His Promise Ministries in Namibia. Here's a video a friend took back in March of some of the children introducing themselves. I thought this would be a little more personal than me writing another short bio. For those who didn't catch the names, it's Smithley, Ismael, Hailey, Riaan, Janis, Irene, Memory, Mcshall, Queen, Elizabeth, Stephanus, and Sannetjie.

Site Tour

With the countdown clock ticking away to about two and a half weeks, we would like to welcome those who are joining this program already in progress. Since as early as Thanksgiving of last year a team of 13 missionaries began to form with the common goal of sharing God's love with the people of Namibia, Africa. For the next month many people from around the world will be finding their way to this blog to join in with our adventures. So allow me to give you a welcoming tour:

Link Toolbar - At the top of the page you'll find links that will point you to a little more info about Namibia, the website of our partner ministry His Promise Ministries Namibia, and our team photo album.

Rotating Header - Here you'll find more specific info regarding our team, the ministry we'll be working with, and the town where we'll be staying. You can click on the 'Back' arrow in the bottom right corner if it rotates before you finish reading.

Side Column - In the right hand column you can see some of the photos from our team photo album. We'll be updating the album throughout our trip, so be sure to keep checking in regularly. You can also find past blog posts organized by topic or date.

Main Column - On the main page you'll see a brief introduction to the most recent posts. You can click on the 'Keep Reading...' button to open a page with the whole post. If you've missed quite a few then you may need to click 'Older Posts' at the bottom of the column to catch the earlier posts.

At the end of each post you'll be able to leave comments in the comment box. This will be your primary way of communicating with those you know on the team so feel free to leave a shout out in the comments. But most of all, we wish a very warm welcome to all our new readers and a big thank you for keeping up with us! It's our joy to have you along for the adventure!

Cross Cultural Matters, Part 3

One evening a few friends were getting together for dinner and a movie and I was invited along. On the menu was a traditional Namibian meal of mahangu. Mahangu is a fine millet ground into flour and used to make a thick loaf of porridge. Guests share from a community loaf and with their hands pull off a hunk of mahangu, roll it into a ball, dip it in a flavoring sauce, and then eat. This is a typical Namibian meal because it is inexpensive and a crop easily grown in the dry environment. While, honestly, mahangu must be an acquired taste, this is definitely an experience you would never have in the States.

Cross-cultural experiences will provide countless opportunities for you to try new things. From eating new foods to befriending new people, the adventures are endless. When faced with these opportunities you can either engage them to the fullest, or shy away into your own little comfort zone. But remember what we’ve learned from the past few discussions: the greater the adjustment needed, the greater the tension, and thus the greater the learning opportunity. Based on that equation, I cannot encourage you enough to take full advantage of every new cultural experience you have the opportunity to pursue!

On one of my first trips to Namibia our team developed a catch phrase which still rings in my mind today: Sleep when you get home! Obviously that doesn’t mean spend your entire two week mission trip without a wink of sleep. On the contrary, you need to be rested enough to be alert and involved in all our daily activities. Rather it’s simply a way of saying, ‘Take full advantage of every opportunity afforded you.’ When you return from your trip will you be more satisfied for taking in the beautiful new scenery or for taking a nap on that 3 hour van ride? Will you more regret having that late-night conversation or passing it up to get a little more sleep? The opportunities for relationship and conversation, even with your own team members, could be among the most deep and impactful experiences you have on this trip. This simple phrase just means we’re only here for a few weeks. Don’t miss out on the opportunities right in front of you. You’ll have plenty of time to sleep when you get home.

But after returning from one such trip I came to a startling realization. Even though I was back in America, I still wasn’t home. Paul says “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:19). Peter calls us “aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Pet 2:11). For me, ‘sleep when you get home’ took on a further, eternal meaning because everyday I will be faced with opportunities to share God’s love and the Gospel of Christ with people around me, but will I be too caught up in my own comfort to take advantage of these opportunities?? When I get to heaven will I more regret the conversations I didn’t have and the missed opportunities to serve and love people, or losing a few extra zzz’s or vacation days? Our culture has come to love its sleep and rest. But we’re only here for a short time so by all means, take advantage of every opportunity! Sleep when you get home!