I want to tell you about one particular task I was involved in during my time in Namibia. If you can remember from previous entries, particularly this one, you'll know that I had several other duties outside of FHS. I was also in charge of the admin duties for the entire AIM Unit in Namibia. As you can imagine, I didn't find as much joy in these duties as I did hanging out with my beloved kids at FHS, but I tried to keep a positive attitude despite the many challenges of financial reports, stuffed filing cabinets, and personnel visas and permits. And I don't feel bad saying I was more passionate about my work at FHS than the office work. Anyone who knows me would know that anyway. I didn't keep that a secret from anyone. But at the same time, I can't complain about the admin duties. I know without a doubt that God had me in Namibia at that particular time for that purpose, just as He had me there for my involvement at FHS.

Don't worry... I won't bore you with details about lease agreements, bill payments, and paper cuts. But I do want to tell you about one of my most challenging tasks while in Namibia and how a pretty rough start turned into a satisfying finish.

There is a place in Namibia that you go when you are needing to reside in the country as more than just a tourist. We'll call it Affaires de Maison (that's for you, Heather), or we could just call it HA--its English abbreviation. (I'm trying to be diplomatic so that "googlers" don't happen upon this entry looking for real information regarding this place and the process.) As the admin person, I was responsible for helping all of the AIMers in Namibia receive the work visas and/or permits that are required for them to stay in the country and be involved wherever they are assigned... hospital, college, after-school program, social welfare organization, etc. This was no easy task. Mick taught me the ropes as best as he could, but unfortunately consistency isn't a word that can describe any business establishment in Namibia--government or otherwise. No offense to that beautiful country! That made the process even more difficult. One day, everything could go really smoothly. The next day, it could be complete chaos. Not to mention the queues in that place that are completely out of control. An aerial view would look like a Scrabble board filled with the longest words ever overlapping this way and that. I've heard some pretty nasty insults coming and going from both sides of the counter. I've been talked down to. I've been frustrated beyond belief. And I've been completely clueless sometimes as to why something that worked one time didn't even have a chance a second time.

But... those details aren't really important. So long as you get the point that this was not an easy task and that sometimes I wanted to pull my hair out... we'll move on. :) I mentioned a "satisfying finish" so let me jump to that. The past year was pretty rough regarding these HA duties. But through it all, I began building some "relationships". Sometimes it wasn't much more than one of the ladies asking for a piece of the gum like I was chewing or receiving a few more questions about what I was doing here, "Oh that's interesting," and so on. But there were some occasions when I felt comfortable enough in those relationships to ask for help when we had a visa or permit crisis that needed a fast resolution. One lady even gave me her cell phone number. A few weeks before I left Namibia, an AIMer desperately needed his work permit to come through--or at least a temporary visa to allow him to take a scheduled trip to Kenya. I spent at least 8 hours of my week at HA, desperately trying to get it all sorted out. By the end of the week I was exhausted and had two necklaces less than when I started (my cell phone friend liked the ones I was wearing and I thought it would be a nice gesture... and persuasion!?). But I also had his passport in my hand, work permit endorsed. Amen! Then, right as I was closing out all my office duties, a rush request to get the work visas stamped for some newcomers fell on me. One of them had to leave for South Africa in less than a week. It can easily take at least two weeks for this process, so basically... the request was impossible. We took a gamble, I said I would try, but I also said that I didn't have 8 hours to sit up at HA at this point. Sidenote: Within this time, two of the ladies I've gotten to know at HA asked for me to bring them a Bible. I happily obliged. This seemed to open the door for our friendship to grow even more. In that confidence, I asked one of them to help me with this visa emergency. Let me just say that these six passports got into the back door of HA and were ready THE NEXT DAY! That is unheard of!

I know this story is a lot different than my stories regarding the children and families that I've had the pleasure to get to know over this past year and a half. But I tell this story because it is a huge testimony to God's grace as He has taken me on a journey beyond my expectations. I never expected for the admin duties to fall into my lap. And the HA duties were probably the most difficult of all. All the AIMers in Namibia know it was sort of the "thorn in my side" (that was the alternate name for this entry). But what an incredible way to end my time in Namibia with such a success story at HA! I see that miracle as a testimony of my work there. Yes, it took a year, but in that time I was finally able to build a relationship with two women there. One especially was one of the ones who used to give me a hard time in the beginning. And now, she has a Bible and a young American friend who has treated her with respect and love. Because of that friendship, God made the impossible possible, and He made six newcomers very happy to be able to legally continue their ministry in Namibia.

As I reflect on my admin duties, I realize that there will always be aspects of every job that we don't enjoy. But we must try our best to be just as diligent in these duties as all the others. God can and will use these things for His glory as much as anything else if we let Him.