As always, I took a ton of photos at FHS! So here are some headshots of more precious kiddos! Some you will recognize, and some may be new faces like they were for me. All are beautiful. And I'm so thankful that they are involved in a program like FHS where they can be loved and have some of their basic needs met. Visit www.familyofhopeservices.org for more information and how you can get involved.










Benedictus and Shihepo




Daniel and Karembera









 
Kaita

There are so many things I am looking forward to during my week here in Namibia. It's been a year and a half since I left this beautiful country and these beautiful people. It's not easy to leave a country where so much of your heart has remained. I've been looking forward to visiting again since the day I left. It is surreal to realize that I'm finally here again!

I couldn't wait to get to Family of Hope Services! After I booked my trip I realized that I had booked it during a holiday week. Thankfully, even though the kids will be absent from the center most of this week, they had scheduled a Fun Day on Saturday so I was still able to see many of them. There were many new faces but many sweet ones I recognized and had grown to love so much! I also had joyous reunions with many of the FHS staff including Foibe, Teacher Elisabeth, and Teacher Adeline. Teacher Ana and Abigail were both under the weather and Esther was at home, but I hope to be able to see them before I leave. Queen is no longer in Windhoek, but I heard she had a baby girl last year.

Many of the kids remembered me. Several from my creative writing and photography class were there. Kaita was there and is getting so big!! And Teacher Elisabeth's adorable twins Nessy and Gift were two of the first to great me. And precious Shihepo too. It was a wonderful day playing games, catching up, and taking photos so I can show many of you who also know these kids so well! It is great to see how the work is continuing and how the staff has stayed faithful to their ministries there. It was definitely a short but sweet visit!





It was so good to see Adeline, Foibe, and Elisabeth!


No party in Namibia is complete without a jumping castle!


There's one of Elisabeth's girls, maybe Nessy, in the brown skirt. So cute! Love the baby doll flying around!


Kaita with his usual dirty face. They were playing some messy game when I arrived.


Ringo and his teeth! He makes me laugh! Guess he lost many of his baby teeth since the last time I saw him!


Foibe was playing a quiz game with them. Mostly she was asking who is the president of this or the minister of this... I had no idea!


Here are five of the students who were in my class. I missed seeing the rest of them, but maybe I'll have a chance if I can go back for the feeding program on Wednesday.


Precious Rauna was one of my favorites, though we probably weren't supposed to have favorites. :) I always did!


Look at this little man!! Kaita is getting big and was a bit camera shy but mostly the same ol' Kaita! I wasn't sure how much he'd remember. But later we were looking through a photobook I made and brought and I pointed to my photo and said, "Who's that?" He said, "Teacher Hannah!" :)


Penny, Kaita's teeange aunt (Esther's daughter), has had a baby since the last time I saw her. He is a cutie... and one more mouth to feed.


Gift and Nessy. LOVE THEM! They were so happy to see me. I was so glad they hadn't forgotten me! Apparently they've played "school" while I was gone, and someone was often "Teacher Hannah".


Martha is such a beautiful girl! I didn't know her before, but she was my sweet photographer that day.


Clean up time! This is Gift (I think) joyfully pitching in! Earlier Nessy had a huge bundle of trash she had gathered to throw away.

Party's over but bellies are full, hearts are happy, and hands are filled with goodies! :)

Before arriving in Namibia, I was blessed to be able to spend 3 nights in Johannesburg with my dear friend Cindy McClamma. Cindy and I were together as missionaries with AIM in Namibia. She was there for over two years and we both left the same week. I've seen her one other time briefly in Brentwood since our time in Namibia. It was so wonderful to be able to spend these few days with her in South Africa! The last time we were in South Africa together was on our exciting road trip to Cape Town with her daughter Brandi and our friend Kitty. Good memories! And most of the time we were together last week that's what we talked about... good memories. There were so many during our 18 months together in Namibia! Special times at FHS, unpredictable road trips, and just spending time together in each others' home or out to lunch or a movie...

Cindy is now serving another two year term at the Southern Region office in Johannesburg. While it is a highly administrative role, she also gets to travel to the various countries where AIM serves, meet many of AIM's missionaries and staff, be active in the local church, and spend time getting to know and ministering to those God has put in her path in Johannesburg. I loved listening to her stories and hearing how God has been working in and through her since she arrived in South Africa in April of last year.

On Wednesday we drove around Kempton Park and some of the surrounding neighborhoods. We browsed a mall, had a wonderful lunch, and found a flea market. It looked just like a flea market you'd see in Tennessee, except for a few variations in products. Thursday she took me to Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens right outside the city of Johannesburg. It was a beautiful day and we had a relaxing time walking around and admiring God's creation. The trails ended in a stunning waterfall.

I'll end this by sharing some photos from that day. I regret that I don't yet have a photo to post of Cindy and I together, but I will add that as soon as I'm able. On Saturday I will have time when I travel through Johannesburg to see Cindy once again. I look forward to having lunch with her and telling her all about my week in Namibia. She was able to revisit Namibia this past April and I enjoyed hearing all about that trip. Now it will be my turn to give her updates about all of our special friends here. :)

Enjoy the photos!!


















Cindy said this looks like something the Addams family would plant. I found myself attacked by thorns and stickers trying to snap the shot. Reminder #1 about Africa... you can't just go tromping through the weeds. There are many more thorns than I'm used to back home!




The weaver birds are busy at work. Apparently the males are the ones who build the nests to attract prospective mates. If the female approves she may help him finish the nest. We sat and watched them for a while. Cindy snapped this great photo with her zoom lens.

Other than some other strange birds, there was not much wildlife. Usually I'm posting photos of lions or elephants! But we did happen upon some interesting insects. Grasshoppers or locusts to be exact. These green ones were sneaky at first... quite camera shy. Finally we met this guy who seemed content enough to pose for a photo.



We were most fascinated by their beautiful colors shown when they are in flight. We tried and failed to get a good shot until I eventually happened on one that was hopping and flying around near the ground. I followed him for several minutes, took dozens of shots, and thankfully got a few in focus. And I did have one grasshopper attack me... so that was our excitement for the day! :)





Cindy let out a gasp when she saw this last guy. I was expecting a spider but jumped when I spotted him just inches away from my hand. He's a mean looking dude! Especially compared to our other rainbow friends!

 

My time is winding down in Haiti. I only have four full days left before I fly out Monday morning. That's hard to believe! Since August of last year I've spent 7 months in Haiti. This last three months has been the longest stretch of time I've spent here so far. It's been a great summer!! I've enjoyed serving with Baptists 4 Haiti, befriending the staff and getting to know all of the volunteers who've come down to serve alongside of us. I've made good use of our off weeks and been able to visit with other ministries in Haiti and spend time with dear friends here. Knowing I'll be back in Haiti helps me not get too sad about leaving, but I know this Fall will bring even more changes to my life and my life in Haiti. I look forward to them, but I'm also sitting on the edge of my seat at times wondering what it's all going to look like! Thankfully God already knows and I can relax knowing that He's in charge and He not only has my best interests in mind, but He sees the big (global!) picture and I'm humbled to have the opportunity to play even the smallest role in His plan!

I'll get into more details about what's next for me in upcoming blog entries as I pray through and find out more information myself in the coming weeks. For now I can say that I'll be home next week, probably through September, and I plan on heading back to Haiti the beginning of October. During that in-between time I'll also be taking a two week trip to Namibia to visit my special friends there. I'm very excited about that opportunity! I can't believe it's been over 1.5 years since I left Namibia... my home of 18 months from 2009-2010. I don't know where the time went! But I know my heart has never left that beautiful country and I have never stopped missing the beautiful people I love there. 

It's been over a week since we've said goodbye to our last group of volunteers with Baptists 4 Haiti. I stuck around seeing some friends in Croix des Bouquets killing time until my brother arrived in Haiti this past Sunday. He came down with some friends of his who work for Tiva Water (http://tivawater.com/). Tiva Water has been working in Uganda for a few years now. They're looking at bringing their water filters to Haiti, so these two weeks for them are filled with meetings with various organizations to determine the best approach and discuss the need here for their filters. Better and easier access to clean water is a constant need in Haiti. I'm excited for them to help provide one more way for the Haitian people to have this safer option in their homes and communities. I'm mostly just tagging along, helping them with my knowledge of the country and the language, and a few of the Baptists 4 Haiti guys are assisting as well... which is great because when volunteers aren't in, most of them do not have other options for work.



As I wind down these last few months in Haiti, I'm already thinking about what I'll do when I come back. You guys already know that I have a giving heart. I'm always getting to know the local people and learning more about their needs. I want to help wherever I can and want to give you all opportunities to join in the work here as well. In countries like these, I always want to give appropriately. I've learned more and more over the years serving in third-world countries that simply giving is not the answer. It's better to work with the people and help empower them with the resources they already have. But the Bible also tells us to give generously. Sometimes we are led to give to the beggar on the street (sometimes I have 4 or 5 who come to the car window when we're stuck in traffic). Right now I'm working on trying to find a wheelchair for a lady who lives on the beach. As I live my life in Haiti, making relationships is very important to me. I prefer spending time with people on a regular basis then just blitzing an area with a service or gift and never returning. I like to give in ways that will multiply impact like helping my adult friends pay for English courses, putting two young boys in school for the first time, giving Bibles to people who have never owned one, and so on. Many of you have already been involved in those projects. Over $800 for Bibles has already been raised this past month by my family and friends. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I've continued to receive messages asking about the needs in Haiti and so here is some more info about some upcoming projects I'll be involved in and how you can help. If you live in the Maryville area and want to get any of these items to me, send me an email at hannahsterling@live.com and I can meet up with you. If you live somewhere else but want to contribute, message me and I'll send you my address. Like I said, I'll be in Tennessee for about a month in a half so that'll give me time to get everything together to bring back down in October.

Project #1: Teaching kids how to make jewelry
I am really excited about this as you all know that I love making jewelry! For a long time I didn't think that this project would be an option because I had heard that most churches in Haiti are against wearing jewelry. I've since found out that only a few denominations here have that belief. Most of the churches and organizations I work with do not fall in that category. I'm especially looking forward to teaching the kids at the orphanage. This will not only be a fun activity for them and hopefully give them something to look forward to each week, but it probably could end up being something they could sell to volunteers and help raise more money for the orphanage. A definite win-win! 

How can you get involved?! Donate jewelry supplies, beads, or better yet... Hobby Lobby gift cards! With the gift cards I can go and purchase the exact items I need. And with my couponing skills, a little can go a long way! :) If you prefer to buy the supplies, let me know and I can tell you what's most needed. I'm steering away from the plastic children's beads and plan to use materials similar to what I use to make my jewelry. I'm so excited about this project and I hope many of you will get behind it too and help get it going!

Project #2: Helping a Haitian friend start a business
I've heard statistics for the unemployment rate here from 75-98%! I'm not sure how that is calculated here. Does that only include formal jobs? What about the moto taxi drivers and the street vendors? I'm amazed at the patience and dedication of the street vendors. They sit out in the hot sun all day long, selling their product or products, and for many I would assume the profit margin is so small my guess is many of them wonder if it's even worth doing. I asked a friend of mine if he'd be interested in having his own business and if so what he thinks he would do well selling. We narrowed it down to cell phone gadgets or shoes and settled on men's shoes. Even in a country of poverty, the people here take pride in their dress. My male Haitian friends especially love their shoes! It's comical at times really. But they often save for a good pair of shoes that they like, and they'll wear them until they're worn out and they're forced to get another one. My friend says that no one else around his area is selling shoes. He thinks he could do well. And I want to help get him started. I've heard other success stories of small businesses beginning in similar ways, and I'd love to give him a boost and see if it could be a great way for him to provide some income and support his family.

How can you get involved?! I need people to donate new or like new men's shoes (sizes 8-11). My goal is to pack one suitcase filled with as many men's shoes and sandals as I can to take down for him to have his first stock of inventory. From there he can use the profits to purchase his next batch and so on. Name brand shoes are best but they don't all have to be. The men here love Converse and Airwalk type shoes (similar to the examples below). Sports shoes are also great too--basketball, tennis, soccer. (And if any of you have any tips for me as this is new territory, please feel free to share them. I want my friend to be invested from the beginning, if that means he needs to somehow invest in the first batch of shoes I provide or what... any tips for helping start a small business like this would be appreciated.) I'm really eager to see how this will go! It has the potential to be something great for this family and has the potential to expand even beyond that as he could grow to have others working with and for him in the future as well.



Constant Needs (Items that can always be used!)
Children's underwear
Children's vitamins (chewable or gummy)
Children's medicines
Baby formula
DD batteries
Children's swimmies, rafts and life jackets
Kid's and adult sunglasses
Children's Bibles and illustrated books
Matchbox type cars
Soccer balls and pumps
Backpacks
Dolls and barbies (black ones preferred)
Bras
New or like new children's clothing*
And donations for more Creole Bibles are always a blessing!

*I always prefer that items (i.e. books, toys, clothing) be new or at least like new. The main reason for this is because the wear and tear on things in Haiti is much greater. The better things can start from the beginning, the longer they can last here. 

I appreciate all of you following along with my journey and staying interested in helping my ministry and the Haitian people! I'm looking forward to seeing many of you during my time at home. If you have any other questions or ideas of how you can be involved with the work in Haiti let me know! Many blessings!