I will forever remember 2012 as our year of reluctant transition. It was inevitable. We had been preparing for it. Yet, January 1, 2012 arrived abruptly. We reluctantly left our desert home in Namibia and stepped into a foggy maze of transitions. Now, looking back on the year, we can truly see God’s hand leading us through the maze. The path was filled with twists and turns, yet never led to any dead ends. As we moved forward, groping in the mist, suddenly and unexpectedly the sun would shine, showing the way forward and warming and energizing us. We would skip down the path, truly enjoying ourselves. We can truly praise God for a year of blessings.

Three events this year stand out as extra-special blessings. First was our consulting time in Southeast Asia. What a joy it was to work with the dedicated AFM missionaries there! Their love and concern for their people inspired us. Their determination to find a relevant means to share God’s love made it a joy to work alongside them.

The second event was our midyear visit to Namibia. It was a bittersweet experience. Sweet, because God truly is blessing as Kapitango prayerfully continues to lead the project forward. Bitter, because our human nature longs to still be needed. Even this is sweet as we are assured that God’s people will continue to bring the message of His love to the Himba.

The third event is an exciting, ongoing project with AFM’s training department team. Over the years, many churches have requested AFM’s assistance with cross-cultural ministry. There is a growing desire among congregations to reach out to the refugees, immigrants and people of non-Christian faiths who live near them. This year, AFM’s training department was commissioned to put together a 10-hour DVD training series to address this need. John Kent, Dale Goodson, Gideon and I have wrestled with this—praying, brainstorming, reflecting and writing. Early next year, we hope to share more about this exciting project. We look forward to 2013 and believe it will be a year of great things.

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