I have been anticipating the arrival of my mom and aunt Judy for months. On Saturday that day finally came! I met them at the airport with teary eyes after not having seen a familiar face from home in over ten months. “I can’t believe we’re in Africa” was the most common phrase heard for the next little while. On the drive into town, we saw some baboons playing on a sign by the side of the road. That was definitely a great “Welcome to Namibia” moment!

One of my friends was having a pottery exhibit at the craft center so that was our first stop after dropping off their luggage at the house. We had a Mexican brunch for N$100 that included one of his beautiful handcrafted bowls. Sunday morning we had a wonderful service at church that included a baptism and a baby dedication. The baby had been adopted by a sweet couple who had been unable to have their own children. She had been found by a dog on the day she was born. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room as we all heard the testimony of God’s faithfulness to this family. After lunch we headed to Avis Dam for a hike with Cindy and Linda. It was the most beautiful day!

On Monday Mom and Judy were introduced to FHS. They bonded with the children instantly. We helped out with Falconer’s class, playing a game involving balloons, math problems and Namibian coins. Meanwhile, I was making balloon animals for each of the kids—a skill I learned in middle school and didn’t realize I still had! Afterwards, Mom told the story of Abraham trusting God and then gave them each an American penny, pointing out the words “In God We Trust”. I wonder how many of the kids will try to buy a sweetie with it at the shop! Hopefully most of them understood Mom’s message and will keep it as a reminder to trust in God. That night we stopped by Monica’s house to visit with her and her family. They recently rescued a puppy named Black and I believe he stole the show!

Tuesday morning we went back to FHS before heading to the coast. Falconer had wanted to make t-shirts with her kids. It is difficult to find a place here to buy plain white t-shirts, so Mom bought 22 shirts at Walmart and lugged them all the way here! So that morning we helped her class make the t-shirts. They were adorable! Falconer even made each of us one. ☺

I am really glad that we had the time to visit FHS so they could meet the staff and children. I know that they were blessed by the experiences as much as they were a blessing to the children. And I’m glad that they now know from their own experience a little more about what it has been like for me to live and serve here for these past several months. It’s nice to know that when I go home there are already a couple people who can relate to my stories after seeing so much of Namibia with their own eyes.