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Waiting…waiting…waiting….waiting…. is counter culture here in the U.S. where there is fast food, instant downloads, and Prime delivery. Even Anastasia has a hard time waiting a minute for her hot food to cool. We really don’t have to wait for much. Africa is an event-oriented culture which means the amount of time needed to get something done is not in consideration. For Americans who are task-oriented and multitask constantly, this can be very frustrating. We have learned and continuing to learn how to relax, to breathe, and to let the days happen. We are also learning how to trust God in new ways.
In 2015, we had many delays and a period of 11 months of waiting to enter Namibia originally. In 2017, we waited 4 months for our work visas to enter Kenya. Currently, we have only been waiting 3.5 months for work visas to re-enter Namibia.
We are committed to staying the course. We believe God has led us to return to the Bushmen of Namibia and He has provided for our needs to return. We continue to have people join our support team especially in prayer each week. Thank you for being patience and God is working. As you read below you will see how God's timing is perfect.
We would like to share two things with you all:
- A message from our Unit Leader in Namibia which shares what is happening on his end.
- An opportunity for us here in the States while we continue to wait.
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Dearest support team of Jeremy and Claudia!
Greetings from always sunny Namibia! As my wife, Cami and I represent the Hazels and AIM here in Namibia we have prayerfully wrestled with the dilemma we find ourselves. I would like to be clear it is absolutely no fault of the Hazels that this delay is happening. Namibia has a history of difficulty in obtaining Work Permits (WP) yet last year I was able to secure two renewals for missionaries in the country so I assumed other WPs would be just as straightforward. I was wrong. The initial WP application for the Hazels was rejected because the Namibian Immigration board confused it with another company. I then made an appeal to correct this error which was rejected, with a new reason being ‘Namibians can do the job and there are people available to do it’. In truth Namibians can do the job but there is no one able or willing to volunteer in a remote community, learn a difficult language and live simply for years in order to uplift, train and equip local leaders in and outside the church. The San, or Bushman people have been neglected and marginalized for decades upon decades, from the earliest tribes which migrated south into their area. It remains true no one wants to work in the area where they live because the conditions are difficult at best and majority of the communities lack even the basic necessities like running water or electricity.
Next week I will be traveling eight hours north to Tsumkwe to gather letters from community leaders and a petition from community members asking for a reversal of their decision. Back here in Windhoek I am awaiting a call to speak with someone in the Ministry of Employment about volunteer status’ within the country. I also have been put in contact with an agent who may be able to help us…I will meet with him on my return.
Please pray for the following:
- I can meet with all community leaders in Tsumkwe in two days---this is huge challenge as Tsumkwe is a crossroads town of people coming or going to their villages and often those you are looking for have just left!
- Pray I can present the next appeal the right way to the right people!
- Lastly, that through all this we can begin a new era of Christian volunteers coming into the country…with the Hazels being the first!
Stay the course, dear supporters of the Hazels. We don’t see any roadblocks….but need to figure out how to avoid these giant speed bumps!
His,
Kevin Zwart
Unit Leader of Namibia
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From our last update in March, a fellow missionary informed us about a Missionary In Residence Program at ECHO in North Fort Myers, FL. In 2014, Claudia attended ECHO’s Tropical Agriculture Training 1 & 2 courses before we went to the mission field.
ECHO’s purpose is to help those who are teaching farmers around the world know how to be more effective in producing enough to meet the needs of their families and their communities. ECHO has been assisting development workers around the world for over 35 years and has become the “go-to” organization for challenges faced by individuals and organizations. ECHO provides solutions to end world hunger!
ECHO’s Missionary In Residence Program equips current missionaries and development workers with their work in agriculture! They offer a flexible-term, on-campus program that pairs hands-on work on the Global Farm with an active environment that fosters learning.
We applied two weeks ago and have just been approved for the Missionary In Residence Program. We will be at ECHO May 1 thru June 30. This gives our Unit Leader in Namibia time to get over the speed bumps of getting our work visas for Namibia approved. We are very excited for this opportunity. We again want to THANK each of you for your love, support, encouragement, prayers, and patience!
In Christ ALONE, Jeremy, Claudia, and Anastasia
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P.S. Please don't respost this to facebook or social media as it does contain some sensitive information. Thank You.
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