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Majors Rowe currently serve in the South Africa Territory. Major Lyndsay Rowe writes: The Division is rather unique in that it takes includes three countries, The Western Cape Province of South Africa, Namibia, and the South Atlantic Island of St. Helena. There are over four million people in the Division. St. Helena can only be accessed by boat and it is a one week trip one way. The boat then moves on to the Ascension Islands and returns to St. Helena one week later. So it is three week stint to visit this part of our Division. Lynette and I came to South Africa from Bermuda where we served as Divisional leaders for five years. We are now under farewell orders and will be leaving Zimbabwe on May 1st where I will become the Chief Secretary and Lynette the Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries.

God’s moving in our ministry Without a doubt the most obvious sign of God’s blessing in our ministry has been the way in which we have been received and accepted by the officers and Salvationists of the Territory. Lynette and I have been privileged to travel around the territory conducting leadership development seminars, Brengle Seminars for Officers, Marriage enrichment Retreats and so on. It is quite a privilege to come into another country with its customs and traditions and to be accepted as leaders and teachers. We have been amazed at what we have been able to do for God as a team. March 30 will see the launch of the Army’s work in Namibia. This country is fifteen hundred kilometers from Cape Town but I have made the trek by car seven times now in two years. We have been working closely with NGOs, Government and church leaders and have now appointed a full time officer to restart the work there after a 60 year absence. This has been very rewarding and fulfilling work. We have also started a new corps plan which is doing very well. Just a few weeks after arriving we were told by city council that we were running a business in a residential area and after a 30 year presence in that neighborhood DHQ would have to relocate. The Lord really undertook for us and we are now much better situated but with a significant difference. DHQ is not just an office space it is located in an area populated by street people and they have become our people. We have gotten to know them, 100 or more, by name. We feed them, pastor them, and the church that is part of our complex is their church home. It is a unique but highly effective ministry setting. There is a great team spirit in the Division which has resulted in significant growth in both corps and social programs. It will be difficult to say good-bye after such a short stay.

Certainly one of the greatest challenges is being so far away from our family. We have two married children, Shannon (Jessie) and Cheryl (Terry) and two grandchildren Abigail and Cameron. Thanks to MSN Messenger we can keep in touch regularly. That may change when we relocate to Zim however. Getting use to doing more with less has been quite a challenge. The demands of ministry here are incredible. There is a 24% HIV/AIDS infection rate, child rape is alarming, violent crime is a serious problem, and fraud is also a serious issue throughout the country. As you can imagine, security in Bermuda is rather relaxed. We have had to re-learn security consciousness. We lived in Kingston, Jamaica in the 80s so we know security, but we had forgotten a lot. Lynette and I were car-jacked at gun point on September 20th of this year, at 11:15 AM. The fact that I remember the exact time indicates that this was a life changing experience for us. The trauma was not what we expected, the peace of God and the amazing support of our staff and friends mitigated that, but we suddenly came to grips with so many others have experienced and have realigned our values to some extent since then. Looking down the barrel of a gun can do that to you. We made a conscious decision to trust and to remain where we are.

The greatest blessing has been the many opportunities to minister in so many places and in such a variety of ways, preaching, teaching, workshops, integrated mission. One of the highlights of my officership will be last Easter Sunday morning at the Sun Rise Service. We hold this ecumenical event on the side of a mountain (Rhodes Memorial) overlooking the city of Cape Town with the mountains in the background. When I finished preaching to the crowd of 1300 the bandmaster gave the cue just as the sun broke over the mountains and the band played “Up from the grave he arose.” What an amazing experience! 5. Lynette and I really need prayer for the new challenge that lies before us. These new appointments will represent quite a learning curve for us. We have heard much about the spirit of Salvationism in Zimbabwe and are really looking forward to the experience. Just a cursory glance at the internet will introduce your readers to the realities of everyday life in Zimbabwe with its 24,000% inflation rate. Lynette and I are not overly concerned about the personal implications of living in a country facing such challenges, we have long since learned to be content with our appointments and to work with what is available in those settings. We have much to learn from the officers and Salvationists who have been so faithful in keeping the faith and serving the people around them in the face of challenging circumstances. We are humbled to have been chosen to provide leadership to them at such a time as this. We would also ask for prayer for the western Cape Division. New leaders have been selected. Prayer for them and for the vision that has been received by the team. Pray for South Africa and for Zimbabwe. They are both facing leadership changes in the coming days. Pray that God will bless them with spirit-filled and visionary leadership.