Monthly reports like this one help the Missionary Department understand the needs that are unique to each office location. No two offices are the same and no two offices face the same challenges in managing the work locally. These reports can detail everything from material requests, the need for new office space, or even local updates of the believers in the area.

The following is an overseas report from Brother Arthur Vass, VGR office manager in Windhoek, Namibia. Namibia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. Wondhoek, with 325,000 people, is the population center and only large city in that country. Outside Windhoek, there are many different tribal people, who speak a number of different languages. The main language of the country is English, but we are working on getting the Message translated into some of the native dialects like Oshikwanyama and Herero to appeal to the rural population.

Visitors

210 people visited both libraries.

Soweto Market outreach report

Brother Marius continues to reach out to people from the streets of Katutura every day as he works in our Missionary library at Soweto Market. Here is a report from him as to some of the things that happened during the month.

Some Okavango girls visited the library and were very interested in the books. One of them bought the booklet “As the eagle stirreth her nest.” A Woman visited the library and took some Afrikaans material. A brother from Congo, DRC visited the library and bought the Seventy Weeks of Daniel.

A tourist, possibly from Germany passed by, took a few pictures and also took a English witnessing card.

Ovitoto outreach

We are extremely glad to tell you about the brothers who are having outreach meetings in Otji-herero areas such as Ovitoto. Brothers Future, Elias, and Uoakatora are going to Ovitoto regularly and has in fact established a small congregation in Ovitoto that listens to the Message. I gave the address details of Brother Ruben’s family to these brothers and they promised to make contact.

Brother Uoakatora also has outreach efforts ongoing in places like Okakarara.

Recently, he went there and prayed for the son of the Herero chief there. This particular son had an illness which baffled the doctors and they couldn’t find a physician who could help the boy. After prayer, the Lord healed the boy, and the chief wanted to shower Brother Uoakatora with many gifts, which he refused. The chief then heard we had meetings there in 2014 and told the brother that he has an open door to any place if he would be coming with the gospel there again. Hereros believe in forefather worship and witchcraft a lot, so getting an open door like that doesn’t come easy.

With the VGR agreement to have the Message translated into the Otji-herero language, outreach efforts like these will receive a great boost if the Message material would be coming out in that language. These Herero people are a very proud traditional people, and prefer their language above any other, and if you really want to get to them, you must speak their language. We are looking forward to having the Message in that language.

New street outreach

We have decided to have street outreach events on Saturdays. Brother Heinrich Sam is a self trained sound man by profession who has built and sold sound equipment. He felt he wanted to do something for the Lord, so he came to me and we discussed playing the sermons of the prophet on the street. We however had a small hindrance as we didn’t have a generator to give the equipment power, and so we decided to talk to believers in targeted areas to connect to their power supply.

During the last Saturday of May, I got up very early the morning because I could not sleep, and decided to do some of the preparations I knew we would need. After finishing I began to pray somewhere between 3 and 4 AM that morning.

While in prayer I heard a soft noise at the door, but thought it was just the wind and kept on praying. While praying I had this Scripture of Genesis come to my mind where God spoke to Cain. I remembered it as “the enemy is at your door, but you must rule over it.” That is really how I remembered it at the time.

I thought: That is right, and so I prayed. The enemy is at my door, but how can I rule over it unless you are with me Lord?

While praying like this I kept on hearing something at the door, so I said, "Pardon me a minute, Lord" and got up to see what it is. Just as I touched the door handle, I heard a man running towards the gate as hard as he could. I never heard a man run that loud. "Clap, clap! clap!" he went past the gate, leaving me baffled as to what he actually wanted to achieve. The noises I heard were him fiddling with the lock.

I thought, wow! And that was just what I prayed right now? That must have been the Lord telling me that.

Just a week ago, four guys broke into the neighbour's house across the street while there was a young girl inside who were supposed to look after it. Despite her being heavily fortified behind iron bars and screaming for help, they forced the lattice door open, threatened her with a knife, took the large flat screen TV and cell phone they could find, and left just before the police man arrived who lives right across the street from that neighbour. This is how bold these enemies have become. But the one at my door certainly got the scare of his life for one or other reason. The car was standing there, the light was on, so I was baffled that he still tried, knowing the possibility was great that someone was home.

Brother Heinrich and I went to Katutura the next day and had a wonderful time. We set up the equipment just outside Sister Gawases’s house. He brought one little sound box with a mixer and a laptop and told me the sound would be enough to go out far. I had my doubts until I heard, and he was right. We asked the Lord what we can do in this area, as she lived near a shopping mall and people were actually in such a hurry up and down there.

They would hardly be around and then be gone. We realized they would never stand still to listen to a full sermon, so we felt the inspiration to play a group of “Quotes of the day,” one after the other. Immediately, there came such a wonderful presence down, that gave us a boldness only the Holy Spirit can give.

With these very loud “quotes” traveling a large distance, we began to share witness cards with the passersby who could hear the quotes. Brother Branham’s voice is like that of a lion. He just roars out truth after truth that will stop you in your tracks. While people were wondering “Who is that man that can say such things,” we would hand them a card with the web address on it.

We truly had a great time doing that for 3-4 hours, playing quotes that can attract the attention of passerby and then playing music in between sections of quotes.

While playing these quotes, a believer from Zimbabwe that has lost the way a little bit heard the voice and came to ask us where the Message churches were. He had been around in Namibia for a while, but didn’t attend any church, but heard that voice again and felt like getting back to church again.

Just as he arrived, pastor Cleopas also arrived as he heard the voice also, and we introduced them to each other, and he gave the brother directions. Even if we had only been there for him that day, it was surely all worth it! We had such a great time that we decided to continue this type of thing till the Lord gives us different directions for the areas we hope to get to. We covet your prayers for our little venture. It isn’t a great big thing, but we felt good about that first day.

Thank you so much for everything you do for us. Thank you for the translated sermons. We are eager to play them in the areas as the Lord leads.

May the Lord richly bless you.

Brother Arthur

VGR - Namibia