Jesus take the wheel: Namibia Edition: Week 5 — Julita Kok

Jesus take the wheel SA series  Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

As I sit here on an absolutely beautiful farm 100km outside Otjiwarongo, my heart is overflowing with joy, thankfulness and just total amazement at who this God of ours is!

He said the rain will follow me and it has. Every place I have been to in Namibia has received rain and I am just overwhelmed by the reports coming in. The people in the south of Namibia truly needed it as they were not able to farm anymore. Without water, nothing was left. But God came, brought the rain and everything changed in a moment.

Where I am now, they also experienced drought, but after the rains, everything is beautiful and green and the grasses on the fields are quite spectacular to see. The dams are full but the rivers are still not flowing. But the people say it has been the highest rainfall in many years.

For me, of course, it is also about the people. I have met so many interesting people with such a lot of hurt and when God uses me in their lives, I am simply humbled by His wisdom and presence.

I will tell you a few of the stories here in brief. Two friends went hunting together. One of the two men went to a spot in their bakkie to wait for his friend who was hunting a kudu. When the hunter shot the kudu, the bullet went right through the animal and travelled 600m further where it killed his friend waiting in the bakkie.

Another man lost his wife when she fell into a bath full of very hot water. It was a fancy bath sunken into the ground and she somehow could not get out. When he found her, no skin was left on her body.

The scars of these traumatic incidents go so deep. I have met ordinary people who have experienced so much pain that I can only just thank God for my own circumstances. A couple who lost their 18 month old baby after she drowned in a small pool of water. Others hurt by relationships and others who made bad life decisions and have to live with the consequences.

I have been getting to spend time with these people and reassure them of God’s love for each and every one of them. It is an amazing journey.

I have had very little sleep during the past week — 3-4 hours a night. And yet I feel refreshed by the fact that God is on the move. I have had the privilege of visiting and ministering to Ovambo, Herero and Nama people. Their languages are beautiful. There are different ethnic groups here in Namibia and I have found the people very friendly and kind.

I am continuing my journey north and am leaving this morning for Kamanjab, 40km from the Etosha National Park. The salt pan at Etosha is one of the biggest in the world and can be seen from space! Imagine that!
I hope to be able to spend at least two days there getting to see the big five.

Where I am now, is lion country and I have already seen a lot of wildlife but no lions. I have also been eating a lot of game meat as this is what the farmers have on their farms. Quite amazing actually. Milk from the cows, eggs from the chickens and meat from the animals on the farm. An extraordinary lifestyle!!

I am also in an area where they make charcoal briquettes and this has been so interesting to see. The farmers burn bushes on their land and follow a process to make charcoal which they take to a nearby factory where it goes through a process to become briquettes. This was extremely interesting to me.

Many of the farmers stayed alive during the drought through being able to provide the factory with charcoal. Can you imagine!! God has been good to them with this opportunity. And the charcoal factory belongs to Christians. Amazing people.

They also plant onions and potatoes and have a totally different set up to any of the other farmers in the area. They have a lot of water on their farm called Roepersfontein (if you will remember the story of Samson) and they have a huge part to play in these areas. They also send lots and lots of grass and hay to farmers in other areas without food for their sheep.

And now I am moving forward once again, trusting God for appointments with people He has on His heart.

I am moving into very beautiful savannah country now and it is totally different to the desert country I have seen thus far.

God has been reminding the people of Namibia that He is God and this has been quite a journey. This is a country full of resources and a nation which is seeking God more and more. I am excited to see what God has in store for Namibia as He is opening up all the ancient wells here.

For now, I can only say that God is a good God and the people of Namibia are now experiencing His goodness.

I am at peace even though I have to travel dirt roads with lots of water this morning. It is scary, but somehow, I am truly at peace even about this scary part.

It is well with my soul.