“My life is to bring Christ”: Serving in Northern Namibia

Some pupils reach the end of primary school with limited opportunities ahead of them. Linda, who is sent by Wooddale Bible Brethren Church and Faith Bible Church in Pennsylvania, saw this and recognised another doorway. 

One of those doorways has become a sewing classroom at Omulunga Primary School, where children learn practical skills that could change the direction of their lives. They begin with hand stitching and small patchwork squares before moving on to clothing alterations and machine work. You can read more about this ministry here. The programme has grown to the point where it is no longer only for pupils who struggle academically. Children who are doing well in school have asked to join because they see the value of learning a practical skill. 

The classroom reflects the wider story of transformation. Two San Bushman women who were part of Linda’s original sewing project now help teach the next generation, passing on skills that can help families earn an income and build a more stable future. One boy in the class is already excelling on the sewing machines, which Linda sees as a sign that the programme is opening doors for everyone. 

“It brings value and dignity,” Linda says. “Suddenly there’s hope. If they leave school with a skill, they have the potential to change not only their own lives, but the lives of their whole household.” 

Linda is already thinking ahead. She hopes to teach boys construction skills such as bricklaying, welding and using power tools. That could lead to work as families in the settlement begin replacing corrugated‑iron shacks with brick walls. She also hopes to train a young man to service sewing machines, filling a gap left after the town’s only repair technician moved away. 

“As I build relationships with people, I can actually speak into their lives.”

For Linda, practical projects have never been the end goal. 

She often describes herself as “a delivery person”. Churches call when they have leftover bread. Businesses ring with surplus food. She collects what she can and delivers it to where it is most needed. 

“It’s not me,” she says. “I’m just the hand.” 

The words of Isaiah 58:7-8 have guided Linda throughout her years in Namibia: “Is it not to share your food with the hungry… Then your light will break forth like the dawn…” 

Rather than asking God for the next large initiative, she prays that He would help her notice the needs already around her. 

“I always say, ‘Lord, open my eyes to see,’” Linda says. “I can’t do everything, but I can do something.” 

“I can’t do everything, but I can do something.”

After more than two decades of serving the people of Grootfontein, those acts of obedience continue to become doorways through which many encounter the love of Christ.