Getting to Know You!

Katima Mulilo, Namibia is a border town just across the Zambezi River from Zambia in what’s known as the Caprivi Strip. It’s a strip of land in the northeast corner of Namibia that allows Namibia to connect directly with Angola and Zambia to the north, and Botswana to the south. Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia meet at a single point at the eastern tip of the Strip which also comes within 490 feet of Zimbabwe. In some regards, it’s an artificial separation that divides the Barotse Kingdom so that there are a lot of daily crossings of the border at Katima Mulilo between Zambia and Namibia. The locals on both sides speak Lozi, and it’s not uncommon to find family members living on both sides of the border.

We were excited to return to Katima where we have taught for a number of years. We had three objectives for our three week stay: first, to do Phase 2 training with a class of local Namibians and several Khwe (popularly known as Bushmen) sponsored by our dear friends, Jack and Kalleny, second, to visit the Khwe settlements of Chetto and Peoples several times, and third, to participate in a worship retreat led by Percy Muleba’s Biblical Worship Training Center team. By God’s grace, we accomplished all three and it went wonderfully. We’ll share about the second and third of these in subsequent blogs, the first here.

We are slowly feeling our way when it comes to our relationship with the Khwe. Jack has been building a relationship with them for several years at Chetto and Peoples, about a two hour drive from Katima Mulilo into the bush, and we are grateful for his invitation to bring our training into their midst.

Last year, we brought two Khwe leaders, Pastor Wilson and Matthias, to our Phase 1 class in Katima. Their English was a bit limited, but it went surprisingly well. This year, we were excited to bring five Khwe leaders to Katima Mulilo, both men and women, named Regina, Maria, Jackson, Markus, and again Pastor Wilson. Regina’s English was quite good and the others did well, too. The local Namibians, Carlinah, Grace, Jack, Kalenny, Owen, Elias, and Sophia, welcomed them warmly and we had a strong class dynamic. Abby taught on “Family Systems” and Doug taught on “Servanthood vs. Servitude.” The two meshed well and we had strong breakout sessions and group discussions.

We were especially delighted that the Khwe felt at home and seemed to mix well with the locals, and that the locals were so open to the Khwe. As you know, we feel strongly about the power of relationships in a training environment, and our class size and students’ enthusiasm were ideal for this. The material lent itself to discussions, and pushed the envelope just enough to raise significant challenges to our attitudes, ambitions, and actions around the issue of the servant nature of Christian leadership.

If the last day was proof, our training was significant. Relationships were definitely formed, phone numbers were shared, and it was hugs all around. Everyone lingered for conversation and pictures, and seemed reluctant to go. We were thrilled!

Thank you for your love, financial support, and prayers. Your encouragement is essential to our work which we love so much. And, remember, where we go you go!

L to r: Markus, owen, pastor wilson, elias, jack,jackson, doug, and percy

L to R: Carlinah, abby, regina, sophia, maria, and kalleny

On the last day of class, Elias (L) got pastor wilson’s phone number!

jackson, markus and pastor wilson were poring over scripture.

Carlinah (l) and regina worked very well together.

Maria, elias and jack made a great team.

Percy and jack have been friends for twenty plus years.

Kalleny and sophia shared a bible.

Maria’s smile as she hugged carlinah on the last day says it all!