Reaching out in the Namibian Desert

First of all, let me please thank Blessed Earth for the incredible work that you are allowing our precious Creator to do through you!!

Ever since I was a child, God has called me to see Him in his Creation and to make a difference in the world. I have been living permanently outside the USA since 2005, with the last 4 years being in Namibia.

In Namibia, much of God’s Creation is still wild and natural as He designed it. His invisible hand is at work in nature every day. It is deeply touching and inspiring to walk in the oldest desert in the world, to see flowers survive the harshest conditions, and to observe wildlife living in peace with each other and humans. It is what He intended for us in the spectacular gift of Creation.

Yet, people fail to honor Him. Unfortunately, destructive mass industrialization is finally hitting Namibia, and we have a massive problem with uranium mining. A wasteful, materialistic agenda is being pushed, and some even use misinterpretations of the Bible to feed lies. This is especially dangerous as approximately 85% of Namibians are Christian and many people do not read the Bible for themselves. Most do not understand how the Bible relates to environmental concerns.

I have often struggled to ‘fit-in’ with the Christian community as environmental issues are frequently ignored. I finally reached the breaking point in Namibia where I decided to re-evaluate myself. Perhaps it was my understanding of God that was wrong. I prayed about it and God asked me to read the Bible again with a fresh perspective. In turning back to the great book, I saw just how many important truths in the Bible are being disregarded in today’s society.

In my own life, God has used my struggles as a means to reach out to people on the topic of creation care. He has called on me to defend those that don’t have a voice. He continuously uses Biblical passages to remind me that I am fighting for His cause. There is nothing that will stop me from standing up for my best friend- my Father- my Creator and for all of His Creation that He loves.

While I often feel like a lone voice in the wilderness, God has made it clear to me that I am not alone and that I share this mission with many other good people. THANK YOU for being some of those people and for allowing Him to do incredible work through you! The fact is that our Father is the Great Conservationist. Together and united we are His hands and feet and His voice is being heard! I thank you once again for all of Blessed Earth’s work on behalf of our amazing Creator!

Marcia Stanton serves as the Legal Assistant to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, and several NGOs in Namibia and is in the process of founding the Earth Organization: Namibia where she will start a project on Creation Care education. Marcia has fourteen years of domestic and international experience dealing with an array of social and environmental issues and holds degrees in Environmental Studies, Desert Studies, and Law (with Environmental and International Law Certificates).