Olivia, Rock Star

Klint Ostermann • August 28, 2014

I have to admit that the adults in the family are doing our level best to be the best missionaries we can be, but Olivia is without a doubt the best missionary in our family.

In fact, she is a rock star with the Ugandan children wherever we go. Almost daily, she find a new “best, best, best, best, beeeesssssttttest friend” along the fence to our home. We ask her what her new friend’s name is and she seems to have forgot. She may not be great with remembering names (neither am I), but she is great with making relationships.

Olivia with her new friends, Faith and Joy, that live near the demonstration plot

She is so popular that kids are constantly at our fence asking for Olivia. When I drive up the road to our house, the kids call me Daddy Olivia! I would be willing to bet that no one in our neighborhood knows my name, but it seems everyone knows Olivia’s name. Vicki and I asked her one day why everyone likes her and she relied, “because I’m cute.” No humbleness about this child!

I’ve been working on our little demonstration plot in a neighboring village and while I’ve been working, Olivia has been making relationships. Now, when we pull up at the plot, the kids start screaming “Olivia”.

I have a lot to learn from Olivia in regards to mission work in Uganda. She is a relationship person and I’m a person that likes to get things done. I’m busy working and she is busy making relationships. This reminds me of the story in the Bible about Mary and Martha. I’m like Martha that is trying to accomplish great things for Jesus, and Olivia is like Mary that is choosing fellowship. Amazing what we can learn from a 5 year old!

 

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By Klint Ostermann April 16, 2025
Last week, during our West Africa In-Field Mentoring in Senegal, we witnessed God’s transformative power in remarkable ways. I’m excited to share this story with you. In-Field Mentoring involves coaching mentees as they deliver sessions for community training. As mentors, we guide them beforehand, evaluate their presentations, determine if they earn credit for the session, and provide constructive feedback for improvement. Occasionally, a mentee struggles, requiring us to step in to ensure the audience receives accurate information. This happened on the second day during a session titled “Consider Your Ways, for You Are the Temple of God.” This powerful session often leads to repentance and salvation, but the mentee struggled to convey its message. I stepped in to lead the session, and as I spoke, I felt the Holy Spirit moving in the room. In Senegal, where 97% of the population is Muslim, sharing the Gospel openly can be met with resistance, and attendees have left trainings after such presentations. Yet, I felt led to share the Gospel boldly. Praise God, six men raised their hands to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior! We guided them through a prayer of repentance and connected them with a local pastor for discipleship. During the break, a Muslim woman from a closed Northwest African country approached me. She had traveled to Senegal specifically for this training and shared that the Gospel message I presented needed to reach her homeland, where such teachings are unheard. She revealed that for years, she had suffered from a debilitating nerve condition in her leg, impairing her ability to walk. She had been praying for healing for years, yet she found no relief—until the first day of our training, when God miraculously healed her! Overwhelmed, she felt something stir in her heart during the Gospel presentation but didn’t fully understand what was happening in her. She even said she wanted to become a Farming God’s Way trainer. Her country is deeply hostile to Christianity. Apostasy can carry a death sentence, though no known cases of this has occurred in recent years. Converts face severe risks, including family rejection, loss of livelihood, or exile. Extremist groups further endanger those who leave Islam. We provided her with a Bible and connected her with missionaries working in her country. Through Farming God’s Way, someone from a closed nation, who might never have heard the Gospel, encountered God’s love. Additionally, two Peace Corps workers from Hawaii and California attended the training. Afterward, they approached our team with questions about Jesus. Missionaries shared the Gospel with them and gave them Bibles.  God is moving mightily through Farming God’s Way, drawing people to Him in unexpected and beautiful ways. Thank you for supporting this work that is transforming lives!
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