Several of the AIM missionaries, some friends, and some medical interns from Australia gathered on Christmas Day for a wonderful meal.

Christmas is referred to by many as the most wonderful time of the year... but where I live there will be no marshmallows for toasting or caroling out in the snow. I must say it's quite interesting celebrating the Christmas Season in such hot weather! In a way, I think it helps ward off a bit of homesickness. I miss my family tremendously--during this season probably more than any other--but since it doesn't actually feel like Christmas, it makes the day seem to just come and go.

My Christmas Day will be similar to Thanksgiving. Several of us are getting together for what should be a delightful meal. Turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and of course lots of desserts! :) In the morning we'll have a yummy breakfast (which will remind me most of home). It should be a day filled with blessings, good food, and good company. It will also be a day of rest for me as I have been working quite a lot trying to get through my giant to-do list of things I must accomplish here at the office.

Here in Africa, Christmas is not quite as commercialized as it is in America. But there have definitely been signs of Christmas' coming since November. Stores are decorated with red and green, downtown has beautiful lights on display, holiday music is playing nearly everywhere you go. I was talking to my African friend yesterday about how strange it is that they play our traditional Christmas songs speaking of snow and snuggling up by the fire. She said, "Most people probably don't even realize what the songs are saying. Jingle bells? I don't even know what that is." :)

There are many different tribes here in Namibia. Each have their own Christmas traditions, and within each family and community the traditions vary even more. Oshivambos sometimes decorate trees and exchange gifts. For some Oshivambo households in the villages it's a rare time where rice is eaten with a special treat--tomato sauce (what we call ketchup). In these rural places where fake trees and lights aren't available, a big branch is placed in the house and sometimes gets decorated with colorful bottle caps. This seems very African to me, and that's kind of the idea Falconer and I mimicked with our own tree. (See the photo below.) For many tribes, Christmas is centered around family. The Basters often have a braai (what we would call having a barbecue) and simply relax and sit around visiting with one another. Some people of the Ovaherero tribe send the children out on Christmas Eve to find Christmas trees which are used to decorate the main table where food is served. On Christmas morning, you may find some of them watching the sunrise. They say the sun dances on the morning of the birth of baby Jesus.

However you and your family and friends celebrate Christmas, I pray that you will be filled with God's love and love for one another as we remember the reason for this special day. God sent his only Son to earth as a baby, to live and breathe just like us, and to sacrifice His own life so that we may live eternally with Him. There has never been nor will ever be a greater gift than that.

Many blessings this Christmas Season and always!


These first two photos are of our tree. Some might call it pathetic, but we love it. Falconer and I had a blast making the snowflakes. My friend's little sister made the other decorations for us. This will be our holiday tree and we'll keep it all year, decorating it for each new holiday. :)

Here I am with my two roommates (Carolyn on the left and Falconer on the right). We took a two-day mini-vacation last week to Swakopmund, a beautiful coastal town that's a popular destination for us missionaries when we need a little R&R. We had a blast!

Another photo from Swakopmund. I've been to these dunes before and I'm forever fascinated by their incredible beauty! What an awesome God we have who has designed such a mosaic of landscapes across this earth!

I just heard this song on the radio for the first time (thanks LifeSongs!). I think it's my new favorite song. And the video coupled with it makes it even more powerful. I pray that more and more people will commit to following Jesus to wherever it is He wants to take them. "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers ar...e few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Luke 10:2) I'm praying for more workers to be sent out, whether it's across the street or across the ocean. God has chosen us to bring His love to all people. Who are you loving today??

TIA is an acronym used often by missionaries (and others) all throughout Africa. At times we make observations that really leave us with no other response but "TIA!" ("This is Africa!") Our cross-cultural orientation stressed that we should to be sensitive with our vocabulary and response when we encounter things that are the opposite of what we might expect. Instead of labeling those things as "wrong", we should think more in terms of them simply being different. Thus, a phrase we are taught to adopt is, "It's not wrong, it's just different." Or a common one here in Namibia is, "Wow, that's different." I can attest to the fact that if you enter into a culture with an attitude that the local way of doing things is wrong, then you are setting yourself up for constant frustration and disappointment. It also puts yourself in a position where you may feel that you are better than others, believing you have the answers, thinking that if they only did things the way you would do things their "problems" (which they may not even see as problems) would all disappear. With God's help I have faith that we can make a transforming difference in this world, but I have realized that those changes may not come in the ways we often expect.

So back to my TIA moments... Let me just make a list of some things I have observed that I can simply say are a bit different from the good ole U-S-of-A.

1. If someone tells you, "I am coming now," you can probably expect them anytime within one to four hours. If someone tells you, "I am coming now now," you can typically translate that to mean that they are actually coming at that moment or up to a half hour from now.

2. Many of the highways have only two lanes, one lane in either direction. It is common courtesy to move over to the side of the road, across the yellow line, to allow faster moving traffic to pass you by. If you pass someone in this manner, you can thank them by flashing your hazard lights a couple times.

3. My friend was telling a story of how he was in another town and the exhaust on the van got a crack in it. No worries! He found a hair salon/welder. All was mended.

4. The entire city of Windhoek is a giant men's restroom. You can hardly take a drive around the city without seeing men relieving themselves on the side of the road, in parking lots, just wherever they feel so obliged.

5. Stop signs are treated more like yield signs. Slowing down and rolling through is most common. If you actually stop at a stop sign and there is a car behind you, you might get bumped from behind.

6. Big Brother Africa is similar to the show we have back home. The main difference... the show airs here 24 hours a day. Seems like it would be incredibly boring to watch that for any extended length of time.

7. The cheapest and most common form of cell phone communication is texting. To send a text is referred to as "sending an SMS". When I first arrived I heard even the American missionaries using the term SMS. Although I told myself I would continue to call it texting, slowly but surely I conformed to the vocabulary of everyone around me.

8. Stoplights here are called robots. Running red lights here is as common as running stop signs. The robots change from yellow to red faster than in the States. If you need to make a right turn, you may never make it unless you are already in the middle and turn quickly after the robot changes to red.
9. If you are driving down the highway and a guy steps into the middle of the road and starts waving a bright flag, do not just drive past and wave. Cops sit on the side of the road and set up a radar on a tripod. If they catch you speeding, they will step out and flag you down. I don't actually know what would happen if you did just drive past and wave, but it's generally best to avoid all chances of ending up in an African jail. (Although I've learned the hard way that stopping to talk to them doesn't really better your chances either!)

10. I haven't pumped my own gas in six months. Gas stations here are called service stations. (In South Africa they are called garages.) They truly are full-service. While pumping your gas they will also check your oil and water, clean your windshields, and check your tire pressure. It is courteous to tip according to how many services they provide.

11. ATVs are apparently an acceptable mode of transportation throughout the city. Thankfully I have seen all riders wear helmets. The other day I saw a guy riding a 4-wheeler on the highway and then all of a sudden veer off onto an off-roading trail. I guess that's the point.

12. When you go to the store, the mall, or to town, you will notice car guards in the parking lots or along the streets downtown. These guys (and sometimes gals) work off tips to watch your car. Car theft and break-ins are common realities here, so paying these men a couple Namibian bucks is one added measure of security. N$1 is equivalent to about 13 cents. I tip an average of N$2 depending on how long my car is in the lot. It adds up if you have several errands to run in one day.

I'm learning more and more each day that I cannot even imagine what it would be like to grow up as an African child. The differences I've observed between my childhood and that of many of the children I know here are more even than night and day. Those differences range from how I was parented, how I was educated, how I lived and functioned within a community, my religious background, how I viewed the world, and so much more.

In the past week I've gotten to know a young lady named Mallory*. I've known Mallory for a few months, but it was only last Friday that I first heard her story. Mallory had a typical African childhood. She even grew up knowing both her mother and father, a blessing that many children here don't know. At eight years old, however, her life changed forever. Her mother had been dating an abusive man. One night, after cooking dinner, the boyfriend called her mother into the room where he was eating. He then began to berate her for the food being below his standards. Mallory and her brother were in another room, listening and watching from the door. Her mom's boyfriend began to beat her mother. First, he took a bottle and broke it on her head. He followed that up with a hammer. After swinging the hammer against her head, he left the house. Mallory screamed at her brother to go for help, while she rushed to her mother's side. She held her bleeding, lifeless body close to her chest, but before help could arrive, her mother was dead. That was the first of many painful events in Mallory's life.

She went to live with her father, and has great memories of her dad from her childhood. But at thirteen years old, Mallory started attending church and became a believer in Jesus Christ. Her father was adamantly against that church. Mallory tells me her father would have approved of a Luteran or a Catholic Church, but despised the charismatic Christian church she was attending. He began to beat her when he found her in her room praying or reading the Bible. He would try to do everything he could to keep her from going to church. He found out she was leading a Bible study at school and began to try to control her Christian activities. When she was in the middle of writing her Grade 12 exams, she came home to her father completely outraged. She returned from her exams one night and he accused her of being at church, even though the exam schedule was posted throughout the community and it was obvious that is where she would have been. He met her before she entered the house and refused to let her inside. He told her to leave and never come back. He didn't even allow her to go back inside for her books that she would need for her final exams. She left with the clothes on her back and was able to call someone who helped find her a place to stay. From there, Mallory came a few hours south to Windhoek, where she has been ever since. She has tried to visit her father, but he refuses to let her back in the house. At 19 years old, Mallory is on her own here, completely without a family. She was unable to complete her Grade 12 exams, which leaves her with limited options for her future. Her time in Windhoek has been filled with darkness, only now is she beginning to see hope and light. Shortly after arriving, she found that drugs helped to take her mind off of her depressing life and quickly became heavily addicted. This landed her in rehab and though it was a painful process, she came out of rehab and stayed clean for 18 months. Last month she tried to visit her family again. Once again her father refused her company. Mallory returned to Windhoek, met up with her old friends, and used drugs in an attempt to forget the pain. Realizing she needed help, she came to me. She shared her story, I was able to pray with her, and now we're meeting on a weekly basis. She asked me to be her accountability partner as she fights the addiction, and I told her I would also like to disciple her towards a closer walk with the Lord. We've started to read "The Purpose Driven Life" together and we're already seeing great improvements as she focuses on God and His power to save her from herself.

Mallory wants to be a missionary. She has a huge heart and passion for children. She has applied to work with a missions organization in South Africa, and I am encouraging her towards that goal. I realize she still has a ways to go before she regains complete control over her life, but during those 18 months of sobriety, she had been serving the Lord as a staff member at her church and volunteering with local Christian organizations. She admits her relapse last month was a mistake and knows that God can forgive her and give her strength to avoid the same mistake in the future. Like I said, I can already see a huge change in her. Her spark is back and she is filled with so much encouragement towards her future. I think what she needed was someone who believes in her, who can encourage her and be ready to pick her up when she needs the extra strength. I am praying that God gives me the strength to be her big sister and her mentor during a time when she desperately needs someone to walk alongside her in this painful journey.

I share Mallory's story not so that you can feel sorry for her, unless that pity turns to action. I have written in a journal, "Knowledge demands action." I'm sharing Mallory's story because she desperately needs prayer. She needs a family of believers behind her, willing to take her needs to the throne of God. Hebrews 4 tells us that we can approach the throne of God boldly, confident that He will provide mercy and grace in our time of need. As we intercede for others, they can receive that promise as well. Here are some specific things you can pray for Mallory...

She needs a job. She is working at the church, but it doesn't pay anything. They have been helping pay for her living expenses, but after the end of the month she has to find a new place to live. At 19, without a proper education, she is struggling to find a job and without a family, she has no one to help her financially aside from what little the church has been able to provide. Her dream is to get to South Africa next year to work with a missions organization, but even working with them she must provide her own accommodation. She has no money for that. You can pray that God would provide the necessary funds for her, or perhaps you even feel called to give towards her need.

I know without a doubt that God has huge plans for Mallory. Please keep her in your prayers. And please pray for me as my relationship with her continues to grow in these coming weeks and months.

What a great feeling to know that you're truly loved.

There are some special people in my life who seem to make it their mission for me to know I am loved. Since I've been in Africa, my family and friends have really blessed my socks off with emails and letters of encouragement, care packages, and prayers lifted up on my behalf.

This week was no exception. I went to the post office and collected four packages in one day! One from my mom, one from Tiffany, and two boxes from a group of sweet ladies in my church who meet together as Quilters and Crafters. I expected those boxes to be filled with hygiene packs for the children at the hospital--because I was told they had packed some to send. What I found instead were two boxes filled to the brim with nearly everything on my wish list!

2 tubs of icing
Reese's Cups and Snickers galore
3 boxes of peanut butter crackers
Four bags of "chips"--chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, & PB chips
Bisquick
Splenda
Yogurt raisins
Crystal light drink packets
Muffin mixes
5 Christmas CDs! (which really made my day and month!)
...and I'm sure I'm forgetting some things

Those precious Quilters and Crafters truly outdid themselves! I totally was not expecting such a blessing. My roommates and I are super excited for a great couple of months filled with lots of yummy treats! It's funny too, because when I'm in America, I don't really eat a lot of candy and sweets. But there's something about being 7,000 miles away from the comforts of home that really makes these treats extra special.

(And they are still sending some boxes for the hospital, so the children there will be blessed as well!)

Thanks to all of you out there who are journeying alongside of me through prayer, encouragement, and everything in between. You know who you are, and I thank God for you and pray that He blesses you as you've been such a blessing to me. And thanks especially to Carolyn, Faye, Jackie, Joyce, Mary Sue, Linda, Inna, Vi, Christy, Judy, Eva, Fran, Frances, Jean, Marcella, Becky, Kathleen, Lula, Virginia, Martha, Margaret, Freda, and Dene! Your kindness means the world to me. I look forward to giving you each a big hug when I finally get home! Love you!