INTRODUCTION
We are very grateful to the Lord for His sustaining power and allowing us to keep doing our work. After some health scares for both Sylvia and I, we are thankful that it is behind us and we are very blessed to be given clean bills of health. We continue to stand in awe as the Lord opens doors for more effective ministry.
ONGOING INDIVIDUAL TRAINING
Sylvia is currently conducting weekly virtual training and coaching with 3 individuals and 1 person face to face. These sessions are deeply appreciated by those involved and we pray that the end result will be them being able to teach and lead small groups within their own churches and community.
PUBLICATIONS
Since the Global Council were together, in March 2023 the next publication has been printed – The 4&5-year-old BOOK 2 and Teacher Guide. We also produced 3 different stickers to upgrade the Choose to Wait booklet to a Genesis Design publication. There are still about 40,000 of these booklets in the store and of the 120,000 stickers printed only about
1000 were used so far. These we hope will be used next year when ministry teams from around the world will come and be involved in an evangelistic outreach in Namibian schools.
The Knowing God pamphlet, used with permission from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, was edited and 10,000 were printed for use by our staff in their ministry. They often make invitations to people to accept Jesus and this is a perfect tool for that.
What is most fantastic is that the Lord provided the funding for it all.
The 3 InDepth Bible study booklets, containing 12 follow up studies, are being edited at the moment and as soon as the funding is available, we will print some more. A few years ago, we printed 15,000 (5000 per booklet) and all these booklets are being used somewhere, by an individual or groups. CHI are using many of these, but we were also able to give these to other groups as an encouragement to those accepting Jesus to grow spiritually and become mature followers of Christ
MONTHLY PRAYER AND FASTING DAYS
The staff continue to observe this very important aspect of the ministry. We do it virtually and we all find it spiritually beneficial. We have seen many answers to prayer and continue to believe it is one of the most important spiritual disciplines we can exercise.
COMPLETED LESSONS
The lesson writing team was very surprised when a MATRIX was made of the lessons that have been completed and are in use by some of our field test partners. Some are completed and others are being used as is. The message will not change but the publication layout will.
The 2 issues holding back the fully published versions of these lessons are:
1. A professional layout artist
2. Funding
We have invested in software to do the lesson layout ourselves, but it is taking much time to learn how to use it professionally. Caesar and Jos are getting there – SLOWLY.
If you visit our website: www.genesisdesign.org you will discover under RESOURCES the completed lessons available to anyone to be used free of charge. Register and download the full colour versions.
IMPACT OF LESSONS IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY
Tracking those who have downloaded the lessons from the website, we realised that the contact we made with ACSI in South Africa, is paying off. Some school principals want us to train their teachers in how to effectively use the materials. If we had fulltime trainers thousands could have been trained to share the message. We really do need to pray that the Lord of the harvest will call and raise up faithful workers.
Invitations from as far as Liberia, in West Africa, were received while church denominations are asking more and more for their congregants to be trained and equipped. We do stand in utter amazement what the Lord is doing. His name be praised.
HQTF
Ongoing maintenance is taking place and the new system of using outside contractors to do this, is paying off. I just can’t do it anymore. We’ve had three large groups making use of the HQTF facilities which has funded most of the printing costs of the materials printed.
Outsourcing the catering for these groups changed our lives forever. What a blessing to have someone to do it so well. Praise the Lord that the groups accepted the quotes we submitted without hesitation. A number of smaller groups have requested reservations and we now wait for them to confirm.
Security has become a very serious challenge and extra caution will have to be taken. A razor fence on top of the border walls must be installed as a matter of urgency.
SUCCESSION PLAN
During Jos and Sylvia’s recent health scare, it dawned upon us that no one else knows what is happening in the ministry day-by-day. This made us realise that, as a matter of urgency, we need to find and appoint an Administrator/Chief Operating Officer without delay. This person should be willing to live at the HQTF and take over all admin duties. If possible, it should be a Namibian, but not necessarily. Obviously, the person should have ministry experience and help raise their own support.
EAST AFRICAN STAFF
After Caesar and Sharon spent 6 months with us at the HQTF and Global Office, we realised the benefit of it, especially as far as lesson development is concerned. After some discussions with them, we agreed to submit 2-year work permit applications to the Namibian Government.
By God’s providence, we made contact with a lady at the Ministry of Home Affairs, who we believe may be willing and able to assist us in getting the needed visas for them. They are currently working on getting all the needed documentation together and we will hopefully submit the applications this week. She told us that if we submit a letter confirming that they are “seconded” to the Global Office, the possibility of getting the correct visas will not be too much of a problem. This is a matter for concerted prayer. We would like them to return with Sylvia from their Tanzanian teaching and training trip in October.
IN CLOSING
We continue to give thanks to the Lord for His faithful provision in all areas of the ministry. May He find us faithful when He comes on the clouds to fetch us.