Dear prayer partners, greetings in Jesus’ name.
Year 2012 has passed, God has granted us another year, 2013.
REMINDER IN RELATION TO LIFE AND DEATH
Year 2012 had 365 days, which were only worthwhile if we have used them wisely and productively. But if we have not reproduced and invested in the kingdom of God, we have wasted God’s given time, talents and tithe. You and I have only 20 years x 3—sixty years. Next to these is our retirement (1Timothy 5:9-10). Our first twenty years [1-20] is to grow, to study and to be trained for our second twenty years. Our second twenty years [20-40] is to get a job and work to earn income, to get married—if it is needed, to build houses, to give birth, if it is necessary and bringing up children, etc. Our third 20 years [40-60] is to prepare for retirement and next to that is the grave where we will lay to rest. All what I have mentioned above, is physical, emotional, financial related.
On the other-side of the coin, we have spiritual responsibility. Every Christian born again, is reborn to live for the glory of God—to face life by faith, and to prepare to face death, God, and judgment. No one of us can be born or reborn and not accountable to God. We are all accountable in one way or another, and due to that, we pray every day, we pause time and again to think, and finally plan to succeed. We come up with goals and objectives to meet our visions for missions. Many of our prayer partners have known our ninefold goals, born out of our local evangelical vision for national and global Reformed mission. For those who have not known them, let me list them for your interest.
- The glory of God—glorifying God and make him glorified.
- The salvation of many souls.
- The reformation of local churches.
- The purity of Christian church members.
- The praying and planning for revival of Christian religion worldwide.
- The making men and women disciples of Jesus Christ regardless of nationality, tribe or language.
- The bringing of joy in the lives of many people by strengthening the hands of the weak, assisting the poor and empowering the young pastors and missionaries, etc.
- The preparation of the return of the soon coming King Jesus Christ.
- And the vivacious expectation and eagerly waiting to be gathered around his throne.
OUR CURRENT POSITION—VISION AND MISSION IN NAMIBIA
Family
My wife and I, as well as our children, are coping by God’s grace alone. Our children are growing. Our last born is around sixteen years old. Like everyone else, we wake up, pray, eat our breakfast, face the day, return home to review the day’s journeys, to rebuke or encourage each other where possible, to correct and appreciate each other when necessary. Parents who have teenagers know what I am talking about here. I am talking about children growing and start to develop their own identities. It is a blessing to have children on one hand, but it is not easy or free from tears and disappointment on the other hand. Nevertheless, pray for me and my family in this regard. I need God’s wisdom to side with me at this time and in this postmodern world.
Ministry
Most of you have heard that I am no longer acting as a national missionary. We have appointed Lukas Joseph to take over that responsibility. After much prayer, we have reviewed our mission strategies and found out that, our sister churches countrywide, cannot grow without a model (please read 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10). For that reason, I am settled at Monte Christo Baptist Church (MCBC) as local pastor, to properly reform this local church, and by God’s grace alone uplift her wings high, till she become a model to other sister churches. Our national church leaders must see a health local church, and health local pastor and health local ministries to be able to copy health styles from a health fellow national, whom they know and see everyday grieved for lost souls, and spiritually groaning, longing to see God being glorified/enthroned in all things, and men being humbled/dethroned.
Local Church Ministries
We at MCBC are emerging into a healthy local church. Our membership has been growing. As you know, that we do not keep more than fifty members anymore. When we reach more than fifty members, we transfer others to our straggling mission stations to go and strengthen the weak hands there. We have just learned that faithful fifty members can bring 1/5 audiences to church every Sunday. As a result, MCBC is full every Sunday, we have more than 250 chairs, but still, we are about to do something to expand the church building in next year or year after the next.
National Mission Ministry
Seventy-five percent of our attendees are tertiary students. They come from our sister churches and MCBC’s mission stations around the country. In their arrival in Windhoek for study, they landed at MCBC, and learn also how to do ministries in many aspect of church life, from Sunday school, youth work, family Bible hour, weekly Bible studies, prayer meetings, fellowship with other believers, etc. When they return for holidays or at the end of their studies, they turn to be more blessings by being more involved in their local work where they settle. Our mission stations countrywide are empowered in this and many other biblical ways. Pray that MCBC will use this opportunity to remain faithful to God and mission in this faithless world.
Missionaries
I have mentioned in my previous prayer letter that we have to thank God for our missionaries countrywide, who are hard at work, although we cannot provide enough income to pay our local pastor and fully support our national missionaries. We have just learned to divide the little we receive, and to support each missionary with N$500.00 monthly, equivalent to R500.00. We have thus far, 12-24 missionaries in the battle field. And by God’s grace, we have been coping. Your prayer has caused God to act amazingly. In the midst of loneliness, many tears and frustrations, souls have been saved, missionaries have been sacrificially serving their God and their fellow men, while God’s grace has been maturing many of us. I am humbled when I think and see this wave of mission mindedness among our national men and women.
Radio
MCBC is involved in four radio ministries. I am involved in NBC, every Sunday evening at 19:00 to 20:00, in a live program called “Ombibeli otai ti ngiini” (“What the Bible says”). I am also privileged to preach evangelistic sermons at Omulunga commercial radio every Sunday morning at 7:00 to 8:00 and occasionally present controversial subjects like “What is Hell?” “Is There a Life After Death?” “What is Sabbath?” etc. at Channel 7 Christian Radio on Saturday evenings at 18:45 to 21:45. One-and-a-half hours is teaching, and one-and-a-half hours is answering calls (life questions) and SMS being sent in by our listeners. The fourth radio program, is an occasional weeks at UNAM (University of Namibia) Radio, my probational elder Buddy Bahun of American origin is doing great work there some Sunday afternoons. He does nearly what I am doing at Channel 7. We thank God for open doors. Although, we fear to be more active and not really effective, or to produce quantity but not quality, pray for us in this matter also.
Prayers Requests
Please pray for wisdom in all these ministries. You can visit our website and see more about what God is doing in our midst. Yes pray for more financial partners in the gospel. We need a strong national mission fund. We do not go around asking money, for we do not enjoy doing that—and that is pride we know, on one hand, on the other hand, while we keep quiet, it does not mean that mission is no longer demanding at all cost. We have been praying and planning to break from overseas dependence, and find more men and women locally who can survey the mission field themselves, and see where they can involve themselves, maybe physically, or emotionally by phoning and encouraging missionaries in the country, or maybe giving financial support to them via our office to avoid looseness and unaccountable.
Please pray for the following national missionaries under Evangelical Baptist Mission in Namibia.
- Lukas Joseph—Leader of missionaries;resident of Oshakati—supported.
- Buddy Bahun—missionary at Monte Christo—supported.
- Heaven Nghikwetiwe—missionary at Oshipala—supported.
- Melksedeck Hamukwaya—missionary at Omakango—supported.
- Alexander Theophelus—missionary at Ondangwa—supported.
- Sakaria Mwatelai—missionary at Ohakaonde—supported.
- Thomas Kupindi—missionary at Akuniihole—supported.
- Andrias Ngikie—missionary at Etoto—supported.
- Ndamononghenda Kalilo—missionary at Oilyateko—supported.
- Ndahafa Haingudi—missionary at Onanduli—supported.
- Helena Haitale—missionary at Onanghulo/Omatunda—supported.
- Tony Mapew Mbundu—missionary at Ludertiz—supported.
- Erastus Namhila—missionary Walvis Bay—supported.
- Joshua Nghinyangelwa—missionary at Rooshpina—self-supporting.
- Nicodemus Phelimon—missionary at Havana—self-supporting.
- Philipus Nunda Domingo—missionary at Okahandja—self-supporting .
- Vitalis Namupolo—missionary at Okashanakelao—self-supporting.
- Peter Ndeutapo—missionary at Ongha—self-supporting.
- Salomo Shimbudu—missionary at Ruacan—self-supporting.
- Jose Susu Shapi—missionary at Osire Refuge Camp—self-supporting.
- Rusia Kalume—missionary at Oshitudha—self-supporting.
- Saraphia Olavi—missioanry at Oneleiwa—self-supporting.
Yours truly
Laban Mwashekele