As I am wrapping up my blogs from Namibia (since I'm now in Kenya en route back to America), I thought I would "finish" with one about some of the special people I met there and what they mean to me. I say finish because I know there will be more to come as I process my time in Namibia, but I haven't really began that process yet, so for now it's just the facts.

Ouma works in the kitchen at FHS. While Ester (Kaita's grandmother) is the actual head cook, Ouma is the eldest at FHS, thus... she receives the most respect due to her seniority. Culturally, she should be greeted first when you come to the center. Most of us got in the habit of doing this. And it was a pleasure to do so. I got to practice my limited Oshiwambo on her more than anyone else. She hardly speaks any English and it thrills her whenever we try to speak Oshiwambo... or wear a skirt. :) Cindy wrote about Ouma in a newsletter I posted earlier this year. Click here to read it. A brief summary... Ouma was married and had three children during the struggle for independence. Namibia was not the safest place during that time. Times were hard. All three of her children got sick and died. One at 6, one at 5, and one at 18 months. She still grieves their loss. She had another child in exile and she survived. Her husband died in 2006. She is currently raising one of her three grandchildren, Petrus... who is a shining light at FHS, just like his grandmother. I cried as I hugged Ouma's neck the day before leaving Namibia. She communicated so much love to me during my time there, regardless of our language barrier.

Kaita has made many appearances on my blog. He stole my heart when I first arrived and he never gave it back. When his previous sponsor didn't come through for this year, I jumped at the chance to be his sponsor. The $240 or so each year will pay for him to go to school, have a proper uniform, backpack with supplies, and toiletries. He is still in Kindergarten now, in the back of the FHS building. So he is at the center everyday, coming around for mid-morning snacks and then hanging out from lunch on. We have a special bond. My heart hurts to think of him now asking, "Where's Teacher Hannah?" After Falconer left, he would ask, "Where is Teacher Falkness?" That broke my heart, and breaks it even more to think of him asking for me when I'm 8,000 miles away. But I know I will stay in his life forever. As his sponsor, I can check up on him, write letters, send photos, and hopefully get some back in return! If I could, I would just bring him back with me. I've sure thought about it more than once! When Kaita was born, his mother abandoned him. Shortly after that, his father took his own life. He's now being raised by his grandparents. As I've mentioned before, Ester is the head cook at FHS. Her husband, Daniel runs the bike shop. I am thankful for this loving home, even though they have so little materially. They live in a tin shack like most the people in Katutura. But I can leave Namibia knowing that Kaita is cared for and loved, and for that I am grateful!

Nova has been such a dear friend to me. I first met her when she was my waitress at Vintage. Linda and I had gone for lunch, neither of us had enough cash on us, so I was just going to use my credit card. Even after asking whether my Visa would work, and receiving a positive answer... it didn't work. Long story short, they agreed that I could bring the cash the next day to cover the rest of the bill. When I came back, Nova hugged my neck. Each time I went to Vintage, I would ask for her. Slowly, we got to know each other a bit more. Her smile was infectious. And she has such a sweet personality, though "sweet" does not even fully capture this beautiful woman. Several months later, I saw that she was pregnant. I instantly went shopping for a baby gift. And thanks to a generous donation from a recent donor, I had money to buy her a digital camera. Every new mother needs a camera to capture those precious moments! Mom and Judy brought the camera when they came. We all went to Vintage for lunch and took Nova her baby bag filled with goodies. It was that day, still new in our friendship, that Nova told me I would name her baby. We soon started hanging out outside of the restaurant. Leading up to Matthew's birth, I frequently stopped by her house to check up on her. And then, as you know, that morning finally came for her delivery. I was there every step of the way (at her request). What a miraculous day! Even though it will be difficult to stay in touch, since she doesn't have easy access to the internet, I know we will be friends for life. It is my hope that one day I can raise money for her and Matthew to visit the States. It would be so incredible to give them that gift and show them where I'm from. And of course, Matthew needs to meet his namesake! :)

Abigail is the director of FHS. She is from Botswana and her husband is a pastor in Namibia. They have two adorable and energetic kids. Abigail is exactly the kind of person I want as my "boss" and teacher. She is driven by the Holy Spirit and desires for all of the workers at FHS to operate out of their unique gifts and talents. I appreciated this so much. She could recognize when some of us were being "forced" into roles that weren't the best fit for us. She would listen as we shared with her what we were most passionate about and how we felt we could best assist the center and care for the children. And she would give her insight and encourage us to be our own person and follow those passions as we fit in with FHS and worked towards a common goal. At the end of 2010, two other long-termers (Cindy and Linda) left in addition to myself. Heather and Candace also left after their three-month term. Several people have asked, "What will happen to FHS after you all leave?" My answer? FHS will continue its great work. FHS was there long before we came and I have faith that it will be there for years to come. Yes, it will look a bit different as each of us Westerners brought something new to the table. But hopefully, the teachers and staff have learned from us (we certainly learned from them) and will continue some of the specific work we started. I do know, however, that each of them will continue to love those kids as best as they know how. And I think it will be really good for them to have this time where they will be as motivated as ever to step up to the plate and take over these tasks on their own for a while. And with Abigail at the wheel, I trust that only more good things are to come and I look forward to hearing all about what God does at and through FHS.

Petrus is the man who cleaned the house and worked in the yard. For any of you who are familiar with the lives of missionaries, you know that this is a pretty common thing. For others of you, it could sound pretty strange that missionaries would hire someone to help around the house. There are many reasons for this, and aside from how nice it is to have some help in a very dusty place with dirty dogs and a busy schedule, the main reason why I support this idea is because it benefits the local people in a huge way. The U.S. is not the only place with an employment crisis. People in Namibia are just as desperate for jobs. And when you consider that the majority of Namibians have below a 10th grade education, there aren't a lot of opportunities for them. Petrus came to the house every other Wednesday. He would arrive at 8am, have some tea, and get started cleaning and doing yard work. I would have lunch prepared for him and he'd leave around 2pm. Petrus is one of the most joyful people I have ever met. He always has the sweetest smile on his face. We always chat for a bit before I run off to wherever I'm going. I ask about his family and he asks about mine. Even up to the last time he came right before I left, he was still asking about how my granddaddy was doing. Petrus is a pastor of a small church connected to his shack house. I went there with Mom, Judy and Falconer (see photos here). He is married to Aurelia and has four children. Petrus is very proud of his home, church and family. He is always grateful for everything he is given. Some men from Mom's church were able to purchase chairs for his church. He and Aurelia were so thrilled when I delivered them. People have also donated clothing for his family and also for him to distribute to his congregation and neighbors. I have been blessed to get to know Petrus and his family. And I am thankful that there are men like him living in Katutura to be a witness for Christ and to share the joy of Christ with those around him.

Ringo and Riwaldo. What stinkers! :) There are so many cute and wonderful kids at FHS. I could write a book talking about all of them. (And if you bought an FHS calendar, you can see many others for yourself!) When I think about the past 18 months at FHS, I look back to see what changes I have seen in some of the children. If you go on any missions trip, you want to be able to see results. And not always just the "how many people got saved" results. I want to be able to see transformed lives. I want to be able to see a child that has been transformed by love! And one of the things I focused on most while in Namibia was loving on those kids. Last year I wrote about Ringo (click here to read). He's a tough kid... and he's 6! His cousin is the same way. When I first came, you couldn't get a reaction from them. No smile. Nothing. After months of showing them attention. Giving them hugs. Smiling at them from across the room. They slowly started opening up to me. Ringo would give me this half-hearted smile. But I took whatever I could get! These last few months at the center I have been watching them. Smiling to myself thinking about how far they have come. They are smiling, laughing, bouncing all around. I know that life for them back home hasn't changed. They have an alcoholic father figure and who knows what other terrible things they deal with and see on a daily basis. But they are smiling. They know that FHS is a safe place for them and there are people who love them. They still have a long way to go, however. They are quite violent and temperamental for their age. I hope that will pass, but it may not. The children in Katutura are surrounded by so many negative influences. Fighting is a way of life, and in some cases a way of survival. But for now, I'll enjoy my memory of them as silly little kids who like to sneak up and tickle me. :)

The Nodens... (I didn't have a picture of all of us together, so that one I stole off their FB will have to do.) Again, I know I'm leaving a lot of people out. And I am purposely not mentioning any AIM people because if I mention one I'll have to mention them all since they've all meant so much to me. But the Nodens aren't currently with AIM, so I can mention them without breaking my rule. :) This family have made my time in Namibia so sweet! They moved to Namibia early this year and I've gotten to know them and their kids pretty well. I've been an "aunty" to Ethan and Anna and have had such a fun time teaching them origami, how to make balloon animals, and doing a bit of jewelry making. Bruce and Myra have been such a huge encouragement to me. With all the various challenges throughout my time there, they were constantly sympathetic and always gave the best advice. Or even if they weren't necessarily giving advice, they would let me know that whatever I was going through or feeling was valid. And it's important to have friends like that. Sometimes you think you're going crazy getting worked up over this or that, but they would remind me that it's ok to feel a certain way and remind me how everyday problems you might face in the U.S. are really heightened when you're on the mission field. They've lived most of their lives on foreign soil as missionaries. I trust them because they are speaking from experience. And I love them for their honesty, support, and prayers throughout my time there and I know they are continuing as I move on.

My classroom kiddos... Ok, so we didn't actually have a classroom. We'd find a spare table or meet out under a tree. But these girls (and one or two boys) were a bright spot in my day. We'd typically meet on Wednesday afternoons. I'd have an assignment ready. Some would work diligently, others would want to talk... and talk... and talk. One day, we actually just went outside under a tree and chatted. I let them ask me whatever questions they wanted. Most of them were questions about America. I asked them a few questions too. We've had a lot of fun together. I've enjoyed reading there stories from the creative writing part of it. I learned a lot about them, their families, and their culture. But mostly, I just enjoyed their sweetness. On my last day at FHS, most (if not all) of them wrote me notes and/or drew me cute pictures. The notes wished me a Merry Christmas, but they also were thank you notes for giving them things and being a great teacher. I read through most of them before I left Namibia, but I know I will read and reread them for years to come. They bring tears to my eyes. And I actually did get choked up hugging some of them goodbye. So did they. I'm so glad I was able to be a small part of their lives for this brief period of time. Now, as I write this, I'm asking myself if that was enough. When I think about all that they are facing in this world, the answer is no. Those girls (and boys) need even more love than I was able to give them during those few months. I pray the others still at FHS will continue loving and supporting them. And I pray that those kids will remember me and believe me always when I told them that I love and will forever love them.

We will end with the last, but not least--though littlest--Baby Matthew. This little man will always have such a special place in my heart. He'll probably be one of the few people in this world I can say that I have known since the day he was born. What an incredible experience that was! When I left Namibia he was a little more than four months old. And though I do plan to visit Namibia in the future, hopefully more than once, he's not really going to remember me. He is such an important child to me, and yet for now, I don't really mean much to him. I suppose that's ok. I won't love him any less for that. I am just thankful for having the opportunity to meet Nova and her family. I honestly feel like I am a part of their family now, and that feeling will always remain.

So many special people. So many wonderful memories. All I can think of is how thankful I am to God for this experience. For this opportunity to walk alongside these precious people. To get to know them, encourage them, and pray for them. I will never forget any of them, and I know they will continue to be in my life as we try to communicate across the distance and as I plan to return to Namibia again in the future--even if only short-term. Thank you for praying for these relationships throughout my time in Namibia. I ask you to continue as often as you think of them.