Mbalantu
There are several peoples in Namibia that have a small percentage of Born-again Christians and few evangelical churches or missionaries working to build the Church of Jesus Christ. One of these peoples is the Mbalantu. The Mbalantu People (population of approximately 40,000) of the extreme north-central part of Namibia in Africa – one of the seven tribes of the Owanbo (Ovambo) nation – are a cattle breeding and farming society living mostly in isolation. Unfortunately they are not isolated from extreme alcohol abuse, HIV/AIDS and hopelessness. Traditional ancestor worship, divination and mystical ceremonies are still practiced. Empty, dogmatic Christian religion is only a sign of past missionary work. There is a lot of confusion and a strong resistance to the Gospel.
Why do we say they are "forgotten peoples"? Does nobody know who they are? No. Does nobody know they exist? No. Has the world forgotten these people? No. Do they have nothing to offer to the world? No. It is simply because at one time many years ago there was a larger presence of missionaries and people sharing the gospel in this region, however this number has dwindled. Has God or even man forgotten these peoples? No. We pray that the Lord will raise up Christians in Namibia to share His word.
Technically we call them “Unengaged People Groups.” They are a group of people with a common self-identity, language and worldview – which has a small percentage of Evangelical Christians in its population and has no Baptist missionary presence. This includes those who have never heard the Gospel as well as those who have had some exposure but have been "forgotten".
We are Southern Baptist missionaries with the International Mission Board. We live in South Africa and Namibia. We are working on behalf of the Mbalantu people to build a prayer network, to seek volunteers for mission trips and to invite God-called people to live among them.
The vision is for Advocates (God’s People) to submit to God’s power to “engage” the Mbalantu. We will do this primarily through prayer. However, as the Lord leads, you may desire to take a mission trip to Owanboland for prayer-walking, vision, evangelism and discipleship. We define “engaged” as reaching a point where God’s people are actively praying for the Mbalantu and God has placed a Baptist missionary (or Great Commission Partner) presence among them.
Encourage others to visit this site to learn more about the Mbalantu and to pray for this unengaged or "forgotten" people.
