Both Namibia and Botswana are more developed than many countries we serve in. They have great roads and strong economies. However, Covid has dealt them a blow. The people have much fear and anxiety for the future, but thankfully are turning to the Lord as the only answer. There have been few, if any, programs since Covid, and our coming was a blessing. You could see hope and excitement on the people’s faces that weren’t there initially. This was a time of restoration, and we were blessed to be a part of it!

Namibia

We flew from Texas to New Jersey and then made a fourteen-hour trip to Johannesburg, South Africa. The next morning, we flew to Windhoek, Namibia. While there, we had a program with Charismatic Renewal leaders, including their national coordinator. We met with them the last time we were there in 2019, and they were excited and hungry for more.

We reviewed Unbound’s Five Keys—repentance and faith, forgiveness, renunciation, taking authority, and the Father’s blessing—and attended Mass together. During our sessions, everyone wrote notes and asked questions at the end.

The next morning early, we flew to Ondangwa on a small airplane and then drove forty-five minutes to the small town of Oshikuku. The Benedictine Sisters of Oshikuku welcomed us to their convent like we were family, with joyful singing and clapping. It was beautiful. They also run a school and hospital.

After breakfast, we taught a group of thirty sisters who came in and out as their duties permitted. They were hungry to learn how to evangelize in power. We started teaching the Five Keys, which is exactly what they wanted. On both days, we taught all day, and each evening ended with a Life in the Spirit session. On the final evening, we prayed for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Lord showed up powerfully! Most of the sisters received the gift of tongues and faith was built up!

The next day, we started with sessions for lay leaders. About one-hundred charismatic and ordinary Catholics came with expectant faith. The word had gotten around, and sisters from other religious houses came as well. They had been looking forward to this for a long time. We held two day-long and evening sessions with them. Afterward, people shared testimonies about being healed by the Word that was preached. The room in which one testimony was shared erupted in joyous song! The woman said the Word healed her from needing a walking stick, and she walked around the room with no help, skipping like a young person!

Several leaders also scheduled one-on-one sessions with us. I went through the Five Keys with one man who has stage four cancer, and he forgave people from the past. When we finished, he shared that several of his other friends had urged him to come to their church for prayer, but he was glad he didn’t go, because God is healing in the Catholic Church!

Botswana

About 300 happy, clapping Charismatics greeted us at Corpus Christi Parish. They love praising the Lord! We taught the Five Keys and then Lloyd did a healing service. He had all the participants raise their hands, and he and Fr. Mantu asked God to bless their hands and release the gift of healing they received at baptism. Lloyd then told them to place their hands where they hurt and cry out to God for healing.  As they shouted to the Lord, many in tongues, Lloyd walked through the crowd speaking words of knowledge and exhortation, asking for healing of high blood pressure, infections, headaches, back and shoulder pain, and more. At the end, there were many testimonies of God’s mercy and healing.

The next afternoon, sixty participants joined us for a retreat. They worshipped with so much joy and enthusiasm that you couldn’t stay sitting. For the next three days, we held sessions on the Five Keys and ministry programs each evening. In an unusual addition, several of the women took lengthy notes and, on a rotating basis, gave a complete recount of my talks. It was time-consuming, but very effective in helping the participants to own the material. We invited questions after each session, and the quality and depth of their questions showed a great understanding of the material and their faith.

We also came together each evening to ask for new gifts for these troubling times and for help with evangelization. There was power in that room! Lloyd led a session on healing, and I prayed one-on-one for several of the participants. The whole time with these powerful women was a total blessing to us as well as to them. It was one of the times you really feel you have done the will of God!