Where He leads...: May 2010

Living in a country that has the second highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the world offers a lot of reality checks along the way. And not only that... but also serving in an area with so much poverty, sickness, and obstacles that nearly every family here faces. Maybe I will have more than one blog entry with a similar title as I am hit with these realities from time to time...

As I'm sitting here doing data entry for the new FHS database, I am constantly heartbroken by much of the information that has been gathered about the 450 children in the program. The average monthly income is less than most Americans make in one day, some homes generating income for one month less than some of us might make in one hour! We're talking as low as $6.50 per month. Over half of the children live in homes with no sanitation whatsoever. Around 85% of them live in shack-like houses made from whatever materials of any kind can be found--most of which have access to a communal tap only. Most are smaller than many master bathrooms in the States, and yet half of them have 6-10 people living in them! Nearly 40% of the children at FHS have lost at least one parent. These statistics are staggering, and they are more than just statistics... they are beautiful children whom I know and stare in the face on a regular basis.

The reality check that prompted this entry wasn't a collection of statistics... it was the name of one 9-year old boy with "HIV+" typed in the next column. This caught my attention for two reasons... (1) because I never knew until that moment that this boy whom I see every time I go to FHS is HIV+ and (2) because of a vivid series of thoughts I had this very morning. Those thoughts went something like this...

As I was coming into the driveway of FHS he was one of the first children I saw. I thought to myself, "He is one bright kid... one of the brightest! Given the opportunity he could really achieve greatness." As I looked at him, I wondered to myself what he might want to be when he grows up, and I made a mental note to ask him. Maybe in addition to my time right now in Namibia, I could have an impact in helping him achieve whatever goals he might have. And I truly believe that if he sets goals, he will achieve them.

The reality check came in the form of 3 letters followed by a + sign... H-I-V+. How will this affect his future? Will this disease even give him a full chance for his dreams to be realized?

I don't believe it is an accident that I had those thoughts today specifically about him, and then saw that diagnosis beside his name. Reality checks are a necessary part of ministry here. They remind me that my work at the center is not just skipping rope, helping with homework, and playing silly games. Some of these children are literally fighting for their lives, whether they realize it now or not. Because of their health or their circumstances or both and so much more, they have a journey ahead of them more difficult than what most of us could even imagine. Not to be a pessimist, but in my mind, the odds are stacked against them. But I have hope. And I have seen real joy on the faces of some who have overcome those odds. They may not be rich in the world's eyes, they may not have had the opportunity to even see beyond the borders of Namibia, but they have found peace and joy and they are living to tell the rest of their community (and the world--because you're reading this!) about the hope that is found in Christ Jesus. It is my prayer that my presence here will help spread that hope throughout this community even more. Because the ultimate reality is... the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ IS our hope, our peace, and our strength.

I suppose I'm not quite old enough to be an empty nester... or at least I certainly don't meet the criteria. But I'm definitely feeling the effects after having a very busy home for the past month and a half, and now it's down to just me all by my lonesome. Dad and Kelly left yesterday after being here for two weeks. Before that, my mom and aunt Judy were here for two and a half. And before that, Falconer and Carolyn were here living with me--both of them have since returned to the States. Thankfully, Frodo and Sam have yet to desert me.

With all the busyness that has filled my time the past several weeks, I welcome the calm and quiet. But I wouldn't trade any of that time and traveling with my family for anything! I left home exactly 11 months ago yesterday, so seeing the faces of some of the dearest people in the world to me was such a wonderful blessing. They were able to love on and encourage me like no one else can. It was great getting to share stories with them face-to-face from my time here and to hear also of stories from home.

Now, it's back to the real world. Like I said, it was a true blessing to be able to travel like I have. The timing worked out well for me to get away from Windhoek for a bit as both of the family visits fell mostly during the FHS break. Schools here run for 4 terms, with at least a full month's break between them. Thankfully, my administrative load has also slowed a bit and my office duties are not as hectic as they were during the first few months of taking on that role. Those are my two primary duties that keep me grounded in Windhoek most of the time. Given the timely break, I could devote most of my attention to my family and just enjoy spending that time with them. And I love to travel and see new places, so it has been exciting to see and do all that I have so far. Despite all of my recent travel blog entries, I didn't come to Namibia for one big vacation. I see these opportunities to travel around Southern Africa as an added blessing during my time here. (And to convince all of you that you should come visit this beautiful country... and me!)

Yes, it's incredibly quiet (and quite chilly) in this house, but I think I will cope just fine. I've got plenty of blankets, plenty of books, and soon to have a full season of CSI courtesy of iTunes. I've got Frodo and Sam (so thankful for them!). And I've got plenty of work still left to do. The children at FHS have stolen my heart and I don't even want to think of the day I'll be leaving them. And so I suppose with so many sweet kiddos around me all the time, I cannot technically consider myself an empty nester, can I? Although I don't want to go so far as wishing all 450 of them would come live with me in this house...

Our last few days before Dad and Kelly headed back to the States were spent in Swakopmund and back in Windhoek. I took them quadbiking on the dunes, one of my favorite things to do in Swakopmund. We had a blast! Check out the video for a sample of the experience. Sorry the camera is so shaky... it was hard to drive smoothly and film at the same time!

Click play button to watch:

On our way back to Windhoek we stopped at Okapuka Game Lodge. Since we didn't get to see lions in Etosha, I wanted to take them to the lion feeding at Okapuka. You can't spend two weeks in Africa AND go on safari and NOT go home having seen some lions! I knew Okapuka would not disappoint. Aside from the tall grass obstructing a bit of the view, it was pretty awesome seeing lions that close. I had gone before, but I could probably go and watch them everyday and be happy. They are just incredible animals. I took a short video of the female lions getting their food. They have to wait until after the male lion is settled and eating or he will come and steal theirs away. The video shows his attempt.

Female kudu -- one of many hanging out near the lodge as we left.

Click play button to watch:

Our last stop on our journey o' fun was a visit to FHS. Dad and Kelly were looking forward to this day just as much as any other. Wednesday was actually the first day of the second term, so there weren't as many children at the center as usual. Many are still traveling back from the farms. But there were about 40 kids there, anxious for the new term to begin. There is obviously a huge contrast between children here and most children back in the States. One example... I asked the kids here if the break was too short (breaks here average a month each quarter) and they all gave an emphatic, "NO!" "No teacher, it was too long!" You would never hear a kid back home saying that a school break was too long! But most of the children here work on the farm during the break with little to no free time, while children back home are entertained with everything imaginable. Dad and Kelly both remarked about how much joy they see on the children's faces. How they dance and sing uninhibitedly, without even being prodded. Indeed, it is amazing to me that these children can suffer so much, and yet keep a huge smile on their face, arms open wide to give and receive love. Even still, I pray that each one of these precious little ones knows and experiences the love that comes from God, knowing that eventually they can find themselves in a place with no pain and no suffering. Listen to the video at the end to hear them sing about their own desire for Heaven one day.

Dad and Kelly bought some apples and goodies to hand out. The lip gloss was a huge hit with the girls!

Click play button to watch:

To say that the names of places in Namibia are difficult to pronounce is an understatement. Try these on for size... Otjiwarongo, Maltahohe, Okaukuejo, Nkurenkuru, Trekkapoje, and Ombalayamumbweng. I've learned that most w's are pronounced like v's as in Windhoek (VIND-hook), and some x's and some g's are pronounced like h's as in Khorixas (KOR-ee-has) and Gobabis (ho-BOB-is).

From Etosha we headed to Twyfelfontein (pronounced TWY-fill-fon-tane). Twyfelfontein means "doubtful fountain" and got its name from the first white farmer in the area who was unsure whether the fountain would be strong enough to provide enough water for his family and livestock. But we didn't drive all that way to see some water trickling under a rock...

Twyfelfontein has the one of the largest concentrations of rock art in Africa. There are around 2,000 rock engravings at the site, the majority of which are between 3,000-6,000 years old. It was very interesting walking among this important piece of history and learning a bit about the culture of the people who made these engravings.

Two other attractions in the Twyfelfontein area included Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes...

Aside from visiting the rock engravings, we stopped by the Damara Living Museum. This museum has been created to teach Namibians and others about the traditional culture of the Damara tribe. The Damaras were traditionally known as hunters-gatherers and shepherds. They of course lived off the land, knowing what trees, seeds, and plants were good for certain ailments and other uses in their villages. Our tour included learning how they made fire, how they used certain herbs for healing and perfumes, how they used goat hide for a variety of purposes, how they made jewelry out of ostrich egg shells, and more. They also demonstrated some traditional dances and songs. The children were precious as always. I wanted to bring the first little naked toddler I saw home with me. His name was Breddi and I could have stayed and played with him for hours!

Breddi

Maria and her water bottle

It is common to see baboons along the side of the road, especially in the mountainous areas. We happened upon this troop heading back from Sossusvlei. We slowed down to try and take some photos. If you keep driving past they will stay right where they are, but if you slow down they will immediately start running away (as with many of the animals here). This time, however, they were in a fight with each other or something and were more concerned with that than with us. The bigger ones, probably males, were quarreling with each other, running another one off, and the others were just sitting around watching. I was mostly busy taking pictures (which I accidentally deleted) but did pull out my video camera right at the end of it. You can hear them making all kinds of noises. It's short and nothing super special, but I thought it was still something unique to share.

Dad, Kelly, and I are still having a great time. It's been fun playing tour guide for my family this month! I've also been able to go to some places I've never been before, so that has been an extra treat. Etosha was a first for me...

Etosha is 13,840 square miles and home to nearly 150 mammal species. My only disappointment was that we didn't see any lions, but we still managed to see a lot even though this time of the year isn't really the best time for game viewing. It's better to visit Etosha during the hot and dry months, and we're now just ending the rainy season as we head into winter. We still had a great time and Kelly and I probably took 700 photos between the two of us! (What I am going to do with a thousand pictures of Namibian wildlife I do not know!)

I'll let the photos below speak for themselves. I know I've posted many of these animals before, but we were able to get really close to some that I hadn't been as close to before. Enjoy!

Jackals and their feast

We stumbled upon a goldmine of animals at this waterhole!

Zebras and kudus

Wildebeests

Zebras and oryx

The baby was no more than 1-2 weeks old! And already over 250 lbs!

Impala

Lilac breasted roller

Living in Namibia has definitely allowed me to relate more and more to those passages in the Bible referring to the dry and weary land. Namibia is mostly a vast desert, stretching as far as the eye can see. It’s incredible to realize how big this country actually is! I have roughly measured this country in hours… it’s about 16 hours tall and 6 hours wide. (That’s driving about 100km/hr—about 62m/hr.)

Even with its harsh climate, Namibia is beautiful! Each section of the country offers such a different experience. You have the coast and dunes of Swakopmund, the villages in Rundu, the canyon in the south, the urban environment of Windhoek, the safari plains of Etosha, and the desert scenery in Sossusvlei… which was our next stop.

I had been to Sossusvlei once before (remember my blown tires and burned out clutch?!). Thankfully, this time around was a lot less problematic. We stayed at the Namib Desert Lodge, a neat place but unfortunately quite far from the gates of Sossusvlei. We had to wake up super early Monday morning in order to get to the dunes in time for sunrise. The early morning was well worth it! The sun colored the dunes with rich pinks and oranges. The springbok, ostriches, and oryx were all out having their breakfast.

We rode one of the safari vehicles into the sandy area and trekked across the desert to Dead Vlei. This area has dead acacia trees that are perhaps as old as 500 years. It was one of the most incredible sights I’ve ever seen. I loved roaming around the trees, feeling like I was in some crazy movie where people get accidentally teleported to a strange planet.

This would have been an awesome picture of the three of us with Dead Vlei in the background. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted several dozen photos from my camera. I suppose I can be thankful that we had a safe trip, no major car problems, and that I am so blessed that I have this time to spend with my family. God is good! And this is not me being extra cheesy or super spiritual. This is me trying to convince myself that deleting those once-in-a-lifetime pictures is not the worst thing that could happen… and helping me resist the temptation to punch myself in the face!

Friday morning we headed south towards Fish River Canyon. I was there not too long ago with Falconer and probably mentioned then that it is the second largest canyon in the world (the Grand Canyon being the first). It is truly a spectacle to behold! Dad and Kelly were excited to see the landscape and stay at Cañon Lodge. We enjoyed resting and relaxing. There is not much to do around the area other than see the canyon and lounging around the lodge. That was perfect for all of us and exactly what each of us needed!

We spent the first part of Saturday driving around the various viewpoints at the canyon. I would love the opportunity to do the 4-day hike through the canyon. Maybe one day! For now, enjoying the view will have to do. We set out looking for the Sulphur Springs… if we found it, we never realized it. We did, however, find something sharp to puncture my tire. Dad graciously changed it. Kelly helped. I cheered them on.

We saw a ton of wildlife this trip! Ostriches, zebras, kudu, springbok, mongoose, a lizard, a klipspringer (or something similar), some funky chicken kind of thing and a jackal. That was especially exciting for them. We still have Etosha to look forward to, but I know that was already better for them than any zoo!

Dad and Kelly arrived yesterday and we hit the ground running! We had a wonderful lunch at Vintage and they got to meet my sweet friend Nova. From there we hit up the shops so they could see what beautiful crafts Namibia has to offer. I made them my yummy rosemary potato pizza for dinner and we crashed early to get ready for our next full day.

Today has been a wonderful day. Dad and Kelly had packed all kinds of goodies in their suitcases for some of the children here. Some friends back home had donated little boys’ clothing and shoes that were still in pristine condition. I bagged them up to spread them out between some of the little boys I know in Katutura. Kaita got a giant bag filled with all kinds of winter clothes. He also got some sandals, dress shoes, and awesome camo cowboy boots! J The boots went great with his new Disney shirt!

We had enough clothes to share with Elizabeth’s son Benedictus and his cousin Ndjeri. I’ve also become friends with a lady in that same area named Jospehine. She runs a small kindergarten there and had asked for assistance buying tables and chairs. A friend from home gave me money to purchase a couple tables and ten chairs. She was very grateful. We delivered those today and also some of the childrens’ clothes—and some clothes that Falconer had left behind to give away.

It was nice to be able to introduce Dad & Kelly to some of my friends here. They enjoyed seeing the area and witnessing how most of the people here live. I know, for me, seeing these small houses and realizing how many people live in each one, often without their own access to running water and not even a pit latrine for sanitation, reality sets in of the daily struggle for many of these families just to survive. Even with the rugged living conditions, you can’t spend time in this area without noticing all the smiles. Strangers wave at me as I pass by, and the children light up if I show them even the least bit of attention. It has been a real blessing to be invited into the homes of my friends in Katutura, and it was great for Dad and Kelly to be able to be a part of that community, even if only for a couple hours.