Where He leads...

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.

Josephine and some of the neighborhood kids.

Gift and Nessy warmed up to Dad and Kelly very quickly.

Kaita and Ndjeri lookin' spiffy in their new clothes!

Yee haw! Kaita was SO proud of his new boots! He'll even have a lot of room to grow into them.

Benedictus was super excited about his new outfit! I think it even gave him special ninja powers!

Today I decided to treat some of my favorite FHS peeps to a day o' fun! Teacher Elizabeth, her sister, her three kids, Kaita, Ndjeri, and myself headed to Spur for lunch. For the next three hours we played, ate, and played some more! The kids had a great time jumping in the inflatable castle and I had an equally great time watching them. :)

I love Ndjeri's face!

Gift and Nessy were scared of going in at first. They eventually warmed up to the idea and were bouncing and laughing the rest of the time.

We had no problem cleaning our plates!

Don't let Kaita's sad face fool you. This is what I got when I told him to smile. What a stinker!

The video games were a big hit, though none of us knew what we were doing!

This face sums up the day!

On Day 11 of Mom and Judy's time here, we began our drive south. We were bound for Cape Town! We had three and a half days to pack in as much as we could, and did we ever!

First stop: Table Mountain. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather! The last time I was on top of Table Mountain I nearly froze to death, so this time around was a nice change.

Other stops as we breezed through Cape Town included Robben Island, the Mount Nelson Hotel, the District Six Museum, and the Groot Constantia vineyard.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island for 18 out of his total 27 years in prison.

Enjoying the legendary Afternoon Tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel

Learning about the history of District Six was both enlightening and depressing

The vineyard at Groot Constancia

A trip to Cape Town is not complete without a belly filled with McDonald's! (Says the missionary who has been living in a no-McDonald's zone in Africa for 11 months!)

One of my favorite creatures in Southern Africa... a rock hyrax. I can say that because, unlike some of my friends here, I don't have them living in my backyard keeping me up at night. I do, however, have mice living in my ceiling--but that's a story for another time! Strange fact about these little guys... they are the closest living relative to an elephant. I have no idea how or what that means but look it up if you don't believe me!

Which of the following cannot be found in Namibia:

A) Lions
B) Tigers
C) Dinosaurs

If you answered (B), you are correct…

Ok, so there aren’t any dinosaurs still living in Africa, but they’ve left their mark.

Mom and Judy came at a great time. They were here for the last full week of FHS, and then with school closing on the 23rd Falconer and I were freed up to travel during the remainder of their time with us. We hit the ground running on the 24th and headed north to Omaruru. I didn’t really know anything about this town aside from the fact that dinosaur tracks are located nearby—an attraction on Falconer’s “must see” list. We arrived in Omaruru late afternoon and set out to find the tracks, barely reaching them before sundown. We quickly followed the owner of the farm to the tracks, took a few photos, and headed back to the car. It was practically dark by then, so we carefully headed back into town, eyes sharply on the lookout for wild animals—the biggest danger here when driving at night.

We had a lazy morning on Sunday and headed to Erindi, a private game ranch about 60km from Omaruru. Our time at Erindi was what I have been looking forward to the most. I’ve been on a couple smaller game drives since living in Africa, but this would be my first real safari! Erindi met and exceeded my expectations. We walked out onto the patio after we checked-in and the first thing I saw were several hippos sunbathing by the watering hole. Nearby, some giraffes were having their lunch. It was so surreal. We basically ate, slept, and went on game drives for the next two days. This is Africa!

The lions were extremely lazy. We were just a few feet from them. It's hard to imagine them as vicious predators when watching them like this!

One of three cubs we saw that day.

Mom and Judy really wanted to see zebras. Our guide finally found them on the outskirts of the farm. This was a challenge considering the farm is 175,000+ acres! We were all--including the guide--very excited to finally find them. Erindi used to be a hunting farm, so zebras are one of the several animals who aren't yet accustomed to vehicles. If they hear one, they run--assuming that they are about to be killed. (That's why my photo isn't very great!)

How would you like to walk up on this guy?

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