From our street to yours ...

Glyn, Susan, Maeyken, Adriaena

July 2007 #4.5

Churches, Prayer, Healing and Power

The African Independent Churches (AICs) take spiritual healing and powers very seriously. It is rare that an AIC worship time does not include a substantial time of prayer sometimes taking over half the total time. These are specific prayers for individuals naming specific needs. Sunday worship usually begins with a time of sharing, prayer, singing and preaching. Then the service changes into a time of prayer with the community surrounding the person or people being prayed for with song and often a group - especially men - dancing in a circle. In the centre of the circle a candle often burns symbolizing the light of Jesus. People enter the circle and kneel. Many seek healing. Sometimes the majority of the congregation will come forward as individuals or in groups of two or three. The people, singing and dancing, surround the ones seeking healing. This is a powerful symbol of the importance of community in what is happening. One common song sung during this time is one that says “we are here waiting Lord.” A leader, usually an older person, will enter the circle lay hands on them and pray for them. These prayers have an intensity and fervour for life about them. Sometimes there is a long time of dancing and singing before a leader enters the circle to pray. Prophetic words may also be spoken at this time. Truly people are waiting to see how God will lead them.

Some Christians in Botswana recognize that God’s spirit cannot be controlled but rather that they must listen and respond to God’s Sprit’s call. They know that seeking God’s healing and protection in their lives may happen in different ways. They do not have a defined way the Spirit can act nor do they limit the spirit to a certain time frame. So there is a real sense of waiting on God.

This is not true for all people. Traditional Setswana religion involved offering sacrifices so that conditions would change. Perhaps that someone would be healed, or rain would come. The sacrifice was offered so that an action would follow. This makes prayer and sacrifice a formula. “If I do or say such and such then God will be compelled to do what I desire.” This is not the Biblical view of the interaction between people and God. In the Bible sacrifices were almost always offered after a healing or action of God as a thanksgiving.

People seeking prayer and healing start with the assumption that the spirit world is intricately involved in all aspects of this life. Studying for exams is as much something that we do as something that affects and is affected by the spirit world. So too is driving a car or seeking a job, finding a boy/girl friend or dealing with marriage

problems. In the same way are issues of bad health, or maintaining good health. In the Setswana world view all of life is affected by the spirit world, and so every aspect of life is something that can be brought before the spirit world. For Christians this means praying to God in the context of church. It means taking to God all aspects of ones life, and asking for strength, health and power to overcome the evil that is always surrounding people.

In the Setswana world view there are many evil things that can reduce our life-power. A lowered life-power results in sickness or ultimately in death. As a result, seeking God’s protection against those evils is an important part of the healing ministry of a church. These evils are what causes problems in life. Healing is being better connected to the power of powers or in Biblical language Lord of Lords.

One difficulty is that people often hedge their bets. They seek prayers of healing and protection from God in the church, and also visit traditional doctors or sorcerers. This may include church leaders thus making it difficult to speak authoritatively of God as the ultimate power.

There are sometimes unrealistic expectations of what sort of help and protection one should look to God for with the result of dashed hopes. If you pray to God for help during exams while not studying well and then get low marks who do you place the blame on?

One of the strengths I see here is an awareness of the battle between good and evil, and our regular need to reaffirm that we stand with God. Life cannot be separated into spiritual and secular spheres, but all of life is lived out in the presence of God.

Glyn

North American Assignment

We will be in North America from Nov 16 to Jan 16. During that time we will be visiting our supporting congregations and connecting with friends and family.

If you have an event you would like us to be part of or you want us to connect with your church you can contact us directly or you can contact either:

Hinke Loewen-Rudgers hloewen-rudgers@mennonitechurch.ca

Rebecca Yoder Neufeld ryoderneufeld@mennonitechurch.ca

Confirmed dates:

Nov 23 - Missions Event, Baden

Nov 25 a.m. - Living Water

Nov 25 p.m. - Soulspace, Stratford

Dec 2 - Wilmot

Dec 9 - Wadsworth, Ohio

Dec 16 - Wellesley

Dec 23 - Shantz

Jan 6 - The Gathering, Kitchener

Family

On a rock on an island that is surrounded by the pans. There’s no water at this time of year so we camped there one night.

We had an amazing long weekend trip to northern Botswana. We joined our friends from Francistown, Mike and Cindy Rodewald (seated in the picture to the left), their boys and several of their friends on a camping trip in the bush! There were six families altogether from five countries. (America, Argentina, Norway, South Africa and Canada) It was our first time to do 4X4 camping and driving thanks to being able to borrow a vehicle from Cindy and Mike.

The highlights of the weekend included seeing a pride of lions quite close to the dirt road we were travelling on in the game park. In the picture above Susan and Maeyken are looking at the lions as they are running AWAY from us!! (We were safely in the cars when they were close and eyeing us!) Other highlights included seeing a zebra carcass and lots and lots of animals roaming around the park, sitting around the campfire enjoying the company of old and new friends, marvelling at the huge baobab trees in that area, and enjoying the drive across the salt pans as the vehicles kicked up white dust making it resemble a snow storm!

The whole group minus Glyn who is taking the picture.

July has two national holidays in it so this past weekend was also a 4 day weekend. This time we stayed at home and enjoyed a long weekend in our own backyard!

Mail us at:

Susan Allison-Jones & Glyn Jones

Box 33, Gaborone, Botswana

Phone us at:

267-390-5554 (Just remember that we are 6 hours earlier than Ontario!)

Skype at:

susanglyn

Email us at:

We welcome your financial contributions for our support and invite you to send these to:

Mennonite Church Canada WITNESS

600 Shaftesbury Blvd

Winnipeg MB

Canada R3P 0M4

Please Pray for...

... Monica Shank. Monica is an intern with Mennonite Church Canada. She continues to work here until August 15. Pray for her as she begins a three week assignment on July 23^rd at Old Naledi Education Centre.

... Mission Worker for Francistown. Please keep praying!!!

... Emerging classes. Please keep praying for those interested in starting classes. Saturday, July 28 Susan will meet with a group in Kanye who are interested in beginning a class. Pray for existing classes who desire to be strengthened. More and more our work is taking us out of Gaborone. Please pray for us for safety as we travel great distances and for patience and wisdom as we encourage these Bible leaders and students.

...Our North American assignment. We will be in North America from mid November to mid January. Pray for those who are putting the church visitation schedule together in the next couple of months.

... Maeyken’s knees. A visit to an Orthopaedic doctor confirmed the opinion of the physiotherapist that there is nothing wrong that needs surgery. So she will continue taping both knees every day to keep the knee cap in place and visit the physiotherapist weekly. She experiences a lot of pain and cannot do sports until things improve. Please pray for healing!

... Partnership Council Meetings and Conference for all Mennonite workers in Southern Africa from July 23-27. Our North American supervisors will be present for both sets of meetings. Hippolyto Tshimanga - MC Canada Witness, Steve Wiebe Johnson - MC USA Network, Rod Hollinger-Janzen - Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission). Bryan Born, former Mennonite Ministries Botswana worker, will lead a conference on AIC’s and the Pentecostal Movement. Bryan is currently working on his doctoral dissertation on this topic so we are looking forward to his input and some lively discussion!

Give Thanks for...

“we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”, Peter’s question to Jesus in Matthew 19:27 was the focus of Sunday’s worship. It caused us to reflect on our reality and that question for our lives. Thank God for his call to us to come to Botswana and for the many ways in which this has been a good place for us as a family, as individuals and as we fulfill our calls to Christian ministry.

Vanessa, the young woman who received financial support from MM Botswana for private tutoring to improve her grades. She has been accepted into a business computer programme in Malaysia and will be totally sponsored by the Botswana government. Her older sister is going to Jamaica, also sponsored by the government to continue her medical studies. These women are the daughters of a long time friend of the Mennonites who died in October of 2005.