Project Coordinator Appointed for Radio Wimbi

One of our strategic radio projects in southern Africa is the development of a community FM radio station in the port city of Pemba in northern Mozambique. Radio Wimbi was conceived back in 2008 and yet progress so far has been slow. Pemba is a strategic city in the region, a gateway to development,with three different people groups living and working together.

Narciso Zandamela accepts Project Coordinator role for Radio Wimbi

One of the struggles slowing progress was finding the right person to lead this project in Pemba. It is critical to the success of the project that the project coordinator live in the community and is regarded as a local person. After much searching and struggles within Radio Feba Mozambique (Feba’s local partner in the country), a project coordinator has now been appointed. Narciso Zandamela, formerly the program director for Feba in Maputo, has agreed to relocate to Pemba and take on this important role.

Please pray for Narciso as he has a number of immediate challenges to assume this new role. He and his wife, Olga, are now in the process of moving to Pemba. They are now finalizing their affairs in Maputo. Narciso will move to Pemba on August 8 with Olga to follow about 3 months later. Narciso’s first task will be to get settled in Pemba, get acquainted with members of the local association, and start to interact and engage with the local community. I am planning to travel to Pemba later in October to work with Narciso on the detailed planning for developing the station.

In September, both Narciso and I will be visiting Indonesia to participate in a community radio workshop organized in part by Feba Radio. The purpose of the workshop is to introduce project managers like Narciso to the fundamental elements and issues in a community radio environment that are critical to a station’s success and acceptance in the community. Please pray this will be a valuable experience for both Narciso and me so we are better able to work together to shape Radio Wimbi into the station that will meet the needs of the people in Pemba.

Reflections from IMT 2011

Reflecting and connecting with God is a primary focus every morning at the Feba Radio IMT gathering

One of the many challenges of international radio is the sense of isolation I sometimes experience in the day-to-day life of ministry. While a part of Feba Radio’s International Ministry Team (IMT), I don’t have much interaction with the rest of the team. Most team members are based out of the Feba office in the UK, but I’m based in South Africa, the furthest point away. We are called to work together, although it’s not always easy to do. Practical teamwork requires a foundation of mutual encouragement and trust that can only develop when we relate to and engage with one another.

Once a year, we assemble together to build relationships and lay that foundation to help us work better together. In a quiet, refreshing setting of St. Cuthman’s in the UK, we met in May this year to listen together to God and work on Feba’s ministry strategy for its three regions (Africa, Asia, and the Middle East). The 7 – day conference consisted of regular times with God. We also worked on understanding how each of us can contribute our strengths to the team . We reviewed the overall strategy of Feba Radio and then met in break-out groups by region to draft ministry strategies unique to each, yet still aligned with the overall ministry direction of the organization. There was quite a bit of variety (see Feba UK update on IMT2011) which made for an engaging and helpful week together.

After I returned home, I started the process of budget preparation for the next fiscal year. I am now working with our national associations and project leaders in my region of southern Africa to prepare their requests for funding of ministry in the coming financial year that begins in October. This work is more than just numbers tallied in a spreadsheet. I need to gain clarity on the nature and fruitfulness of ministry, illustrating how the requested funding will help each project reach its goals and objectives. For several associations who have experienced extensive cutbacks last year, it won’t be an easy process. Please pray for:

• Feba Zimbabwe: With only the national director on staff, the board faces a challenging year of developing strategies and projects to reach out in Zimbabwe.
• Feba Mozambique: Ministry efforts are focusing on the northern part of the country. This is resulting in a major shift in resources, making the budgeting process more intense since so much has changed.
• Feba Malawi (Yao Project): With the ministry on the verge of applying for a community FM station license amidst increasing responses to its short-wave and FM programs, there are new requirements in each of these areas that need specific funding.

I’ll be working closely with each association over the next few days to submit the fund requests to Feba UK by the end of June. I’m travelling to Zimbabwe later this week to meet with the director and board to better understand their funding requirements.

Feba Zimbabwe Begins Recovery

Feba’s ministry in Zimbabwe has been experiencing years of difficult times. Under significant hardship and limited opportunities in media, the ministry struggles to provide a relevant and engaging content that impacts people living in the country. The economic conditions have led to a significant exodus of people from the country, leaving behind the disadvantaged to struggle and the committed who seek to make a difference.

In recent months, Feba Zimbabwe has had to face some difficult financial challenges. With 25% of the population considered Christian and 50% practising a mixture of Christianity and indigenous beliefs, the ministry was focused primarily on broadcasts to those who would call themselves Christian. The only avenue available was through the national broadcaster, who insisted on raising air-time rates so high that continuing to use their service was no longer viable. Cutbacks in funding in 2010 resulted in laying off all staff except the national director. Feba Zimbabwe found itself on the verge of closing its doors, but the leadership remains committed to re-focusing its ministry.

Kurai Mazonga, Feba Zimbabwe's national director, is seeking creative ways to share Christ with the people of Zimbabwe

Since the beginning of 2011, amid a variety of administrative challenges, Kurai Madzonga, the national director and only remaining employee, took some initial steps to continue ministry to the people inside and outside of Zimbabwe. With the help of another funding partner and Harare area pastors, Feba Zimbabwe launched a 5 minute devotional program on the national network at a reduced cost. The programs are prepared at Feba House, the studio facility in Harare. There are also other interested parties using the recording facility for special projects, providing some additional income. With the help of a local web developer, Feba Zimbabwe is also posting content on a new website  and its own Facebook page. A number of people, both in Zimbabwe and in other countries, have found this site and are accessing content locally produced at Feba Zimbabwe.

There is still much work to be done. The ministry is still trying to identify its primary audiences in the country, searching for those people groups who have not yet heard or been impacted by the gospel. Together with the local board, Kurai is also drafting a more comprehensive and focused strategy for renewing Feba Zimbabwe’s ministry in partnership with other churches and ministries active in the country.

There is even greater pressure on the ministry in the coming weeks as it is once again time to prepare budgets for the next fiscal year of operation. Not only must Feba Zimbabwe provide information regarding their expected expenses, but also a backdrop and context illustrating how these funds will help shape and equip the ministry to more effectively reach the more isolated and disadvantaged who have not yet responded to Jesus. Please pray for Kurai and the board as they work through this process in the coming weeks. The deadline for submission of these budget requests is June 30. Also pray that God will give me wisdom and discernment as I work with them through this process.

The Coffee Connection

Having visited a variety of churches in the US, Asia, Europe and Africa over the years, one experience many of them have in common is serving coffee, usually at fellowship times and meals. While there may be a variety of other drinks (cold and hot) available in various forms, it seems that everyone serves coffee. I’ve often wondered how this tradition has become part of the Christian experience in so many different parts of the world. It has succeeded in making caffeine the most commonly accepted drug among all the various denominations. While there may be many distinctive approaches to Christianity, it seems that coffee is one of those threads found almost everywhere.

An Ethiopian brewed cup of coffee is just moments away as the Coffee Ceremony reaches its conclusion

Recently during a visit to Ethiopia, I was introduced to the early history of coffee. I learned that coffee was initially discovered over a thousand years ago among the Oromo people on the plateaus of Ethiopia in the district of Kaffa. It is this district from which coffee derives its name. The Ethiopian people have developed an extended process for grinding and brewing the beans called the coffee ceremony. With small cups neatly positioned on a tray (this stuff is pretty strong), the water is boiled in a clay pot to which the ground coffee beans are added. Heated over a coal fire, the brewing process can take several hours. The aroma of roasted coffee fills the air and raises the anticipation of a truly original cup of coffee. Jan-Erik Nyman of Ibra Media and I had a conversation about the coffee ceremony while we were waiting for our first cup. Listen in on our conversation: A Coffee Ceremony Description

One will find a number of connections to Ethiopia in the Bible. It goes all the way back to the time of Solomon and a visit from the Queen of Sheba. There is also the story of the Ethiopian eunuch hearing the gospel on his way back from Jerusalem. There are other stories in Ethiopia concerning the “lost tribe of Judah”, apparently Ethiopian descendants with Hebrew heritage. There is also a monument set up in a square in Addis Ababa called the “Lion of Judah”. The Greek Orthodox and Coptic churches both exist in the area around Addis, indicating a long-standing traditional connection to Christianity.

But not all people in Ethiopia have heard about Jesus, particularly in their own language. That’s why several of us from the Africa by Radio Steering committee were in Addis Ababa, to meet with church leaders and media practitioners to explore the progress of Christian radio broadcasts to the peoples of the horn of Africa. There are a number of broadcasts in the Amharic and Oromo languages, but several remain untouched. Africa by Radio seeks to encourage the churches to work together to use the tool of radio to reach into these more remote tribes effectively. The local representatives who met with us agreed to further coordinate the broadcasts coming via shortwave (local broadcasts not permitted) and develop programs in other languages. Please pray for their discussions that it will help make the broadcasts more effective.

I’m leaving next week for Mozambique to meet with the Feba Mozambique board. Please pray for this important visit as I work with the board to set the direction for ministry in Mozambique and determine what the next steps for ministry in the northern part of the country will be.

The Return to "Normal"

Our three month home assignment in the US is now completed. Barb and I have returned to South Africa for another two years of ministry across the continent. Our departures from home assignment tend to be hectic and filled with all sorts of surprises. This particular return was no exception.

Our departure from Fergus Falls, MN was preceded by one final winter blast. A blizzard came roaring through a couple days before we left. Emily had come to Fergus Falls to see us one final time while we were in the midst of moving our personal possessions into storage and the remainder into suitcases for the trip to South Africa. Emily ended up spending the night with us and had to negotiate a few snow banks in the driveway before she returned to work in Fargo. It was great to see her before we left.

We then departed for a final church visit early on our last Sunday morning with our bags packed. After a wonderful time of fellowship (every visit was like that), we then headed to North Dakota to return the vehicle we rented during our home assignment. We were so blessed with a vehicle that met our needs from Grace Corporation of Max ND. They provide missionaries with vehicles at a very low rate per day which also includes insurance. This made our travels around the region much more manageable. Our son, Nathan, came down from Minot to pick us up to take us to the train station. We spent the afternoon and evening with him before taking the train to Minneapolis to catch our flight. It didn’t quite turn out as expected. When we arrived at the station, one of the tires on his car had gone flat. This provided a teachable moment for Nathan to learn how to change a flat tire. But it didn’t end there. On the way to get the tire repaired (actually replaced) his spare also went flat. So we were stranded for a time together waiting for a tow truck and then sorting out the tire problems. God is indeed gracious to have us in a place to support our family at just the right moment.

Now we’re  back in South Africa and getting adjusted. One thing I’ve noticed recently is how we’re struggling to re-learn all the habits we need here. I’m having to re-learn how to lock up the house, take the trash out so it can be collected, and to turn on our water heater in the morning! At least the shower’s not that cold! We’re getting used to the old routines again. At least the habits come back fairly quickly.

Our most immediate concerns are as follows:

• The Africa by Radio Steering Committee will be meeting this week to prepare for an upcoming convention in September. Please pray for us as the organizers, as we seek to meet the needs of the delegates who come. This will be an important planning meeting for this event.

• Graham Kimber and his family have just relocated to Pretoria South Africa so that we can work more closely together. We are grateful they have found an initial place to live near us in East Pretoria. They will be finalizing the lease agreement in the next couple of days. Then they will have a number of other issues to tackle to help them get settled in. Barb is helping them with some of the details.  Please pray for them during this process.

Thanks so much for your partnership. I’m looking forward to seeing what God will do.

Relax & Reflect

One thing included with a missionary’s home assignment (or furlough, as some call it) is time to reflect on one’s ministry. It’s to include times of engaging with friends and family, especially those who have been involved in our ministry. Once in a while, these various elements happen at the same time, which is often very special.

One such unique opportunity is coming up on Friday, March 4 at the Somethin’s Brewin’ coffee shop in Fergus Falls, MN. This event will be an evening of acoustic music (guitar & vocal) I’m calling “Relax & Reflect” which will start at 8:00 pm. I’ll be sharing some songs which encourage us to pursue a deeper relationship with God. I’ll also be sharing some testimonies of my experiences as a missionary in southern Africa, helping reach people who have not heard about Jesus using the medium of radio. If you are in the Fergus Falls area, bring your friends and reflect on your own walk with God, listen to His voice, and respond to what He is doing around the world. The concert is free and open to the public.

Those of you who can make it, I look forward to seeing you:

Friday, March 4, 2011
8:00 pm

Somethin’s Brewin’
401 S. Cascade St.
Fergus Falls, MN
(218) 998-3102

The White of Winter in Minnesota

A Winter Wonderland - Our Car after a ND Blizzard

Being back in Minnesota and North Dakota in the US has brought with it a myriad of joys and challenges. It’s been great to be together with family and friends over the Christmas holidays. However, in the midst of all of that, we found ourselves caught in four different blizzards. One of them in Fargo, ND buried the car we are using while in the US. I went out to try to dig us out and within 10 minutes, I had broken a small snow shovel I’d purchased for emergencies! That’s life in the frozen tundra of MinneSNOWta, as it’s being called this winter.

One of the consequences of home assignment during the winter months is the effect the winter weather can have on our schedule. On one planned visit to a church in North Dakota earlier this month, I received a call a couple of days before indicating that our hosts and the church we planned to visit were snow-bound. Their roads were blocked with snow so no one could get in or out. If the roads couldnt get plowed, there wouldn’t be church on Sunday, let alone getting to our hosts for Saturday evening. So we had to wait to see if the snowplows could clear the road. About a half hour before we needed to travel there on Saturday, our host called to inform us the roads were open! This was great news, especially given that shortly after their road was opened, the snowplow broke down. The weekend went according to plan.

As always when we are home, there are family issues to address. My mom had surgery just a few days ago to have a knee replaced. The recovery time is not pleasant, but requires a great deal of work and exercise to restore the movement and use of the new knee. Barb and I would appreciate your prayer for her as she recovers from this procedure. Fortunately, she has good care available in the city where she lives.

We are grateful for the opportunity to be home to meet with our partners who help make it possible to minister in Africa. We covet your prayers over the coming weeks as we travel the upper Midwest to visit churches and supporters. Pray, too, that the weather will cooperate when we travel and that our schedule will not be disrupted.

Radio Nuru – On Air for Christmas

Radio Nuru's light shines afresh this Christmas

What better present to give this year than the good news about Jesus! After waiting for three months to sort out license difficulties, Radio Nuru in northern Mozambique resumed its broadcasts to the Mwani people. Thanks to the renewal of their temporary broadcast license, Radio Nuru went back on the air on Sunday, December 5. The government has granted a temporary license that is valid for three months and must be renewed prior to it’s expiration set for the end of February 2011. Please pray for our staff who will need to follow up on all the requirements  every three months.

There have been many comments from listeners over the past several weeks wondering what happened to Radio Nuru.  It shouldn’t take long for the listeners to re-discover their station. Please pray that the presenters as they resume their programs. It’s been a while since they have been on the air but in the meantime, they have still been recording content. Restoring the station’s broadcasts will be a welcome present.

I’d also like to express my appreciation to Delta Airlines and Google Chrome for the ability to post this from 30,000 feet somewhere over the US. It’s great to be able to get caught up after the rush of preparing for our visit to the US.

Have a great Christmas.

Pruning for Sharper Focus

The realities of the worldwide financial slowdown are now being felt among the radio ministries Feba supports in southern Africa. As a result of a lack of financial capacity, Feba in the UK has made some difficult decisions to reduce funding for ministry projects in this region. The primary motivation for this reduction has been to sharpen the focus of ministry on those people groups that have not responded to the gospel. Southern Africa has a heritage of a strong Christian influence, but there are still pockets where the gospel has not taken root. These are the areas where Feba is focusing its limited resources.

Two established Feba associations in Zimbabwe and Mozambique have been seriously affected. Earlier this month, I was in Harare, Zimbabwe meeting with the local board and leadership. As a result of their drastically reduced ministry allocation, the staff have been reduced from 7 to 2 people. The two remaining staff include the director and a receptionist. Program production has temporarily stopped until new projects have been initiated and reviewed. This has been a particularly difficult time for the staff. There has been hope over the past several years that local radio stations would be permitted in the country. However, this has not happened. In the meantime, Feba’s Zimbabwe ministry is considering new alternatives for reaching segments of the population who are not responsive to the gospel. Please pray for the director, Kurai, as he seeks to follow God’s leading in this difficult time.

Feba Mozambique has also been experiencing a significant reduction in ministry and personnel. With many of its broadcasts focused in the Christian south, Feba Mozambique has decided to reduce its staff from 21 to 8 in an effort to exist within its limited allocation from Feba UK. However, after meeting the labor code requirements for releasing staff, the remaining allocation will not be enough to sustain the organization through the rest of the fiscal year. There are still further decisions to make regarding staff. I’ll be heading to Mozambique this week to further evaluate projects in the north where people are isolated and resistant to the gospel. I’ll also be meeting with leadership in Maputo to discuss further plans to focus their ministry efforts in the northern part of Mozambique. Please pray for our discussions during this difficult time.

Once I return from this visit to Mozambique, Barb and I will be making final preparations for our home assignment that starts in December. Please pray for the last minute details, both for our plans in the US as well as taking care of our home here in South Africa. We plan to return to South Africa in March 2011 to continue developing and nurturing the new shoots of ministry that will spring up from this season of pruning for Feba in southern Africa.

CMT Awareness Week

In recent weeks, Barb has been confronted with another disease. She wanted to share the following with you:

Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with CMT (Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder-named after the 3 doctors who first discovered it in the late 1800′s).  Since September 19-25 has been proclaimed as CMT Awareness Week, I thought I would send a brief note to all of you about this disorder.  I had never heard of the disorder until 2 weeks ago, and I think it is important that people are made aware of it.  The following excerpt is taken from the website of the CMT Association.

One in Every 2,500 Americans Has CMT

One in Every 2,500 Americans Has CMT.
But it Does Not Define Them.

“Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder (CMT) is one of the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathies in the world.  An estimated one in every 2,500 people – 2.6 million worldwide – have CMT. It is a progressive disorder that causes the nerve cells leading to the body´s extremities to slowly degenerate resulting in the loss of normal use of the hands/arms and legs/feet. It may also lead to a loss of sensory functions and deformities. CMT strikes all ages, genders, races and ethnicities yet sometimes is overlooked and not routinely diagnosed in patients.

“An untold number of children and adults are diagnosed with CMT every day,” said David Hall the CEO of the CMTA, which sponsors the national awareness day. “The medical advancements that have been made
in recent years through the CMTA´s Strategy to Accelerate Research TM (STAR) are astounding, and better treatments and a cure are within reach.” The CMTA was launched in 1983 as a national non-profit organization that provides reliable information, support services and resources to families of children with CMT, adults with CMT, and the professionals who work with them. Scientific and technological advances have enabled the CMTA to implement the STAR initiative which is designed to lead to new treatments for CMT within three to five years and possibly a cure within ten years.”

Right now my symptoms are mild- numbness in both feet and some weakness and tingling in my right hand. There is currently no treatment or cure for this disorder, and it is usually slowly progressing.  If you would like more information about CMT, you can go to www.charcot-marie-tooth.org.

Blessings,

Barb Bartz