Gift and Nessy turned 3 today. They are the adorable daughters of Elizabeth, one of the teachers at FHS. I've only recently bonded with these precious little ones. Tuesday morning we have prayer time with the FHS staff. Before we ended, Elizabeth asked for prayer for her two girls. She had left them at home--alone. Elizabeth is a faithful staff member at FHS. Dedication has meant sacrifice for her family. It is common in this culture for parents to leave young children at home, even with no one to look after them. This is something most of us could never even imagine! After her prayer request, even the other Namibian teachers told her she must go and bring them to the center. Elizabeth's main concern is that they are a burden on the center where our focus is on the older learners, but it was encouraging to see the other teachers and staff tell her that she must not leave them at home alone... that their safety is priority. I offered to go with her to pick up the girls. She gratefully accepted.

I had been to her neighborhood but not any further than Kaita's house. We passed his house and headed up a very bumpy hill. She told me that taxis don't like driving up to her house--I could see why. I can't imagine a regular car fairing up a hill of potholes. We found the girls playing outside with other children their age and older. No direct adult supervision. Someone may peep out a door from time to time, or maybe that was just to see who was driving up the hill.

Driving back to the center Elizabeth told me of their upcoming birthday. I told her I'd love to get a cake for them and we made plans for me to pick her up when she got off at the center so I could drive her and the birthday goodies to her house. I played with them for a while at the center. Nessy fell asleep in my arms two different times. Just months before, she would cry at the sight of a white person. She's come along way and she is the cutest thing ever! She learned my name and would run back and forth over to me, giving me a big hug while shouting, "Teacher Hannah!"

Falconer and I went out that afternoon to look for some new clothes for the girls. We bought two adorable outfits and two matching stuffed animals. We even got a toy car for their big brother Benedictus. I picked up a pink birthday cake today and headed back to the center. We drove Elizabeth and her family to her house and were greeted by some of the other kids in the area. Within a few minutes of our arrival, Elizabeth had sent for the other children in the neighborhood and by the time she served the cake there were about 15-20 kids and two other moms hanging out with us. They gobbled up the cake, icing all over their mouths. The girls loved their new outfits. Elizabeth put their skirts on immediately and Gift said something in Oshiwambo. Elizabeth looked up at me, "She said she will wear this tomorrow." :)

We had such a great time hanging out with them, admiring all the other kids, and laughing with all of them wanting to pose for pictures. Before we left the kids wanted to dance and sing for us. They were ridiculously cute! I hope we can hang out at their house again soon. I love being out in the community of Katutura, and you can tell that our friends really love having us in their homes as well. Days like this remind me of why I am here... and how blessed I am to be here.