Under open skies

Across the horizon to my left, lighting from three different storms flashed across the sky. To the right, I watched the red sky sink behind the lights of the city. After fruitlessly trying to capture lighting on film for quite some time I eventually just sat back and enjoyed the light show spread across the vast sky before me. Yet another reason why I’ve come to love Africa so much!

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As I arrived at Bible Study tonight, Crystalfine was just walking up. She’s a middle aged woman, probably Ovambo or Herero, who goes to one of the tribal churches in the area. She and I were both first-timers at Bible Study last week. This week she was the only other one, besides Buddy, Julia, and I. We were talking about Abram and how God called him out from his family and led him to Canaan, promising to give this land to his descendants.

Toward the end of the conversation as we were talking about how Abram believed in God’s promises, Buddy told a story about when someone asked him recently, ‘how do you really know for sure that you’re going to heaven when you die.’ So he posed the question to Crystalfine. Her response was similar to what you’d hear from many, even those who call themselves born again. ‘Well, it depends on what you do while you’re here. If you do many bad things then you will not, but if you do many good things then you will go to heaven.’ Unfortunately that’s a prevailing opinion throughout much of the world today, not just Namibia.

We explained to her about grace and took her to Ephesians 2:8-9. I told her why I knew I was going to heaven when I die, because I’m trusting in what Christ has done on the cross and not on my own actions. By the end of the long explanation you could tell she only assented to understand because it would be impolite not to. And that’s exactly why we’re going through this Bible Study, because she doesn’t have the foundational knowledge about God to understand that even our good works are “as filthy rags.” There’s nothing that we can do to improve our situation as sinners. All we can do to pay our debt is to die…forever. That’s why the gospel is such good news, because He sent a Deliverer, promised to Adam and to Abram and to Israel, and that’s Jesus Christ! That’s why I’m here, to help people like Crystalfine know and understand that truth.

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My visa application is out of my hands…again. Like I mentioned, just before Christmas Home Affairs called and said I shouldn’t apply for a volunteer visa but for a work permit. So now that everyone’s back from the holidays we dropped off my application again, but this time to an agency that Immanuel Church (Dieter & Joan’s supporting church in Windhoek) works with frequently. They’ll deal with all the hassle and I’ll just sit back, pray, and trust God.