Putting us on the map!

by | Jan 31, 2017 | Health, South Africa

Putting us on the map! 
We will be working in seven countries…from upper left anticlockwise: Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Mozambique. St Helena is off-shore to the West. South Africa is divided up into several Provinces.

Please pray for us as we seek to build a larger support base. 
We are in the States for an indefinite period of time seeking opportunities to engage with individuals and churches. Let us know if you would like to hear from us!

As clear as mud…???

by | Jan 26, 2017 | Ethiopia, Health, South Africa

We have had a few replies to our last newsletter and thought it best to compile a list of the most frequently asked questions.
Are you returning to Ethiopia? No. We went to Gambela, Ethiopia to get an Anglican College up and running for the growing church in the area. We have completed that assignment and SAMS-USA has approved our calling to go elsewhere.
Will you still be with SAMS-USA? Yes. We have not changed our sending agency and you can still give tax-deductible donations for our ministry through the SAMS-USA website. (https://give.samsusa.org/missionaries)
We have asked SAMS-USA if we could open up a separate vehicle account, as we will be travelling to seven southern African countries. This is not a project account but solely for the purpose of raising funds for a vehicle.  In order to help SAMS-USA they would appreciate if donors would please send them checks and write the checks to SAMS-USA and in the memo write Vanderbijl Vehicle.  While this is still tax-deductible, they would prefer not to have this go through the online giving page, as this account will be 100% for our vehicle.
SEND CHECKS TO:
SAMS-USA
PO 399
Ambridge, PA 15003
Please feel free to call Denise Cox at (724) 266-0669 should you have any questions.
Are you going to South Africa? Yes and no. While we will be stationed in Kenilworth, a suburb of Cape Town, we will be working in seven southern African countries, namely, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, and the St Helena island group.
Will you have a salaried position in Southern Africa?No. We will be going as SAMS-USA Missionaries to work with “Growing the Church”, hereafter GtC. Only two team members of the GtC are given a small stipend. The Anglican Church in Southern Africa has been described as poor, black, and female, many of whom are not primary bread-winners. The following documentary is focussed on a township in the Cape area, but could be true of many other areas in South Africa and beyond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoMl_G6rL9k
Isn’t the Church in Southern Africa well established? Yes and no. While the Church in southern Africa has a rich history, it is a tainted history. Apartheid divided people and fostered mistrust and animosity. In many ways, the Anglican Church led the way in breaking down barriers, but there is still a lot of work to be done before brethren can dwell together in unity. War has torn communities apart as well, especially in Angola and Mozambique.
What will you do in Southern Africa? Louise and I will be teaching basic discipleship using the J-Life model (see here: https://www.facebook.com/jlifeafrica/), as well as prayer based on Mark Batterson’s book “The Circle Maker” (see here: http://www.thecirclemaker.com/watchand here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0WsmlYWnlE), and missions based on SAMS-USA Short-Term Missions Leader’s Training material.
What will your new budget look like? We have included a document at the end that SAMS-USA has put together based on their calculations for your perusal. The bottom line is, we need an additional US$ 1,000 to US$ 1,500 per month.
How can we help? You can help by continuing to support us financially and prayerfully…we cannot do this ministry without you, as you are an integral part of the mission. We need our senders!
If you are able to increase your support, we would be most grateful.
If you know anyone who might be interested in joining us all as part of our southern Africa team, please let us know or let them know!
Spread the word any way you can!
Let us know if you have any more questions! We do not want to be as clear as mud!!!
Thanks for your love and concern…we say it often, but perhaps not often enough. Y’all mean a lot to us and we simply cannot do what we do without you. You team members in our boat or the wind in our sails…and we appreciate every one of you.
Blessings.

Johann and Louise
 
SUMMARY BUDGET FOR MISSIONARY FIELD SERVICE WITH SAMS
Johann and Louise
Southern Africa
ANNUAL RECURRING EXPENSES (BASED ON SECOND YEAR):
  SALARIES
$35,682.44
  HOUSING (BASED ON ACTUAL RENT OR RENT VALUE)
$11,340.00
  FICA  (7.65% OF SALARY AND HOUSING)
$3,597.22
  PENSIONS
$5,173.95
  HEALTH & LIFE INSURANCE AND SUPPLEMENTAL HEALTH
$7,644.20
  MINISTRY & RELATED FIELD EXPENSES
$109.20
  GREAT COMMISSION FUND (15% OF EACH GIFT PROVIDES
$11,214.18
    ADMINISTRATIVE AND PASTORAL SUPPORT FOR THE
    MISSIONARY AND HELPS FUND THE WIDER MISSION
    OF THE SOCIETY.)
TOTAL FOR ANNUAL RECURRING EXPENSES:
$74,761.19
TOTAL FOR ONE-TIME EXPENSES:
$3,600.00
  (TRAINING, DOCUMENTATION, TRAVEL TO FIELD, TRANSPORT
  OF GOODS, LANGUAGE SCHOOL, FURNISHINGS AND/OR AUTO)
MONTHLY FINANCIAL NEED OVER  FULL LENGTH OF TERM:
$6,295.50
NAME: 2013 Two salary template
01/26/17

The challenge to evangelism in mission…

by | Jan 22, 2017 | Ethiopia, Health, South Africa

“More than one-half of the world’s people are still without the simplest knowledge of the good news of God’s saving love in Jesus Christ. There is no greater challenge to evangelism in mission than that. Christians are rightly concerned about the grievous imbalances of wealth and food and freedom in the world. [But] What about the most devastating imbalance of all: the unequal distribution of the light of the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ?” 


Samuel Hugh Moffett, The Leading Partner – Perspectives Reader, 2009, 599-600.

Sailing together in Jesus’ boat…

by | Jan 21, 2017 | Ethiopia, Health, South Africa

“Jesus commands us to get in the boat with Him to cross over to the other side…it is not the other way round.” While at first this seems to be a rather simple statement, the words of the speaker at chapel this past Thursday at Trinity School for Ministry struck a chord. When one seeks to follow Jesus, you follow, you do not lead, and when you follow where He leads, exciting things happen…storms are calmed and demoniacs are set free.
So we have climbed into the boat with Jesus…again…
This past week, our first week back in the US, has been both uplifting and encouraging. We had a debriefing meeting with the SAMS leadership, and a wonderful luncheon given in our honour. We attended many lunches and dinners with dear friends, and visited with Barb Costa in her lovely home where we have been staying. We heard wonderful sermons in the chapel and attended informative lectures on Discipleship with the Rev Dr Amy Schifrin. People we have never met before would come up and tell us they have been praying for us. Quite a few students told me that they had read my doctoral dissertation on Missions. Really? Apparently, they were told to do so by the faculty. And we also were told: “You two are so stinking cute!” Thank you Lord…you have spoiled us.
We will also be attending a “class” on Monday on how to prepare short-term missionaries taught by our very own Lynn Bouterse of SAMS-USA. Thanks Lynn!
God willing we will leave Ambridge on January 24, and sleep over in Charlotte with our youngest and his family. Amelia is over a year old now…we last saw her when she but a babe in arms. On January 25, we plan to leave for Greenville and will be with Larry and Tess Worley until the 27th. 
SOOO…Greenville friends, let’s hear from you…we have only one night this time round, so we could plan a general get together…but we shall return…so stay tuned…
On January 27 we plan to leave for Mobile to be with our oldest and his family…we haven’t seen them for an even longer period of time as last time they were all sick and could not join us at Camp St Christopher’s. We hope to attend Holy Spirit Anglican on January 29…they have been great prayer warriors and supporters and we long to see them again too. Our children have planned a family getaway for us all in the GA mountains so, God willing, we will all be together even though only for a brief period of time.
On February 20 we plan to leave for Charleston to see friends and supporters in both the Diocese of the Carolinas and the Diocese of South Carolina. We will be staying at Camp St Christopher’s so we hope to see many of you while we are there. On February 26 we will be speaking at the Historic Church of the Epiphany in Eutawville, SC…but the other days and nights are wide open!
On February 27 we plan to leave for Greenville and will stay there until early March…see, I told y’all Greenvillians to stay tuned!
That’s as far as we have planned for now…
While we are still in the same boat…with Jesus and with SAMS-USA…we will be crossing over to a different side.
God willing, we will join “Growing the Church”, a team of committed Anglicans who seek to teach discipleship, prayer, and missions to individuals and groups in parishes in seven southern African countries: Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, and the St Helena island group. We hope to be based in Kenilworth, South Africa, a suburb of Cape Town.
However, as the cost of living is higher in South Africa (especially the rent!) than in Ethiopia, we will have to raise US$1,500 per month more than what we currently receive. SAMS will also have a special project account for us for transportation, as we will be travelling quite a bit from Diocese to Diocese and country to country. Both of these can be accessed in the same giving page on the SAMS-USA website: https://give.samsusa.org/missionaries(Please note that while our current SAMS-USA page still has us down as missionaries to Ethiopia, Bonnie Walker is busy creating an amazing new page for us as missionaries to Southern Africa!)
Will you hop into this boat with us? We already have a number of faithful friends hoisting the sails with us, so to speak, and we are and always will be eternally grateful for y’all.
Do you perhaps know of others who might want to partner with us in this new adventure? Please let us know who they are or let them know who we are!
We can only promise exciting things happening ahead as the church in Southern Africa stands at a crossroads…political solutions have failed in so many ways and the people are disillusioned…South Africa, among others, is now listed as one of the most dangerous tourist destinations in the world! The folks here need Jesus and what better method than to come alongside and walk with them as Jesus walked with His disciples? Discipleship, prayer, and missions.

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Let’s go sailing together, shall we?

Holy Expectancy

by | Dec 17, 2016 | Ethiopia, Health, South Africa

In many ways, Advent has taken on a new meaning for us personally. It has always been a time for expectant reflection, but as we now find ourselves in a period of transition between two ministries, the sense of expectation is heightened as we look to the one who loved the world so much that He came and gave His life for us. His coming and giving compels us to come and give too so that others may know Him and His love.
In this season of holy expectancy, would you prayerfully consider joining in what God is doing through us in our new ministry context? There are so many ways you can be part of our ministry – through prayer, through various forms of communication, through being our ambassadors in your contexts, and, of course, through financial support. Also, if you know of anyone who might be interested in our new ministry, please put them in touch with us.
 
Our personal SAMS page still lists us as missionaries to Ethiopia, and this will change once we have greater clarity on our new situation, but the giving link remains the same. https://give.samsusa.org/missionaries
As always, we covet your prayers.
Thank you so much for all your love, support, and encouragement.
Advent blessings to you all.
May the reality of His birth and its blessed consequence in our rebirth touch you deeply this Christmastide and throughout the new year.