Christmas in Africa

Apparently Christmas isn’t quite as big a deal here as it is in America, so Toivo didn’t quite understand my enthusiasm and countdown until midnight on Christmas Eve. We had a lovely Christmas Eve service at Nan’s house. I was expecting to play guitar for the children to sing a few songs since that’s what we had practiced together on Saturday, but here you can’t hold too tightly to your expectations. Instead Tresford gave a lovely reading of the Christmas story interspersed with a few songs, then we all shared refreshments afterward.

The next morning all the Hope’s Promise families and friends were caravanned out to the pool at the old Rossing Country Club. We swam, played soccer, and had a brai (an African barbeque or cookout), then I joined Brenda and Co. back at her place to exchange gifts. It was cool getting to know some of the Hope’s Promise kids that I didn’t know really well.

With so many American volunteers coming and going I wonder how attached these kids really get, knowing that we’ll leave again in a week. Probably not nearly as attached as we get to them. That’s why I think consistency and long-term relationship are so important to ministry. That’s why we don’t just support missionaries at Christ’s Church, we support partners. That’s why we’ve been back to Namibia summer after summer with many team members returning multiple times. That’s why I’m hoping to stay for a whole year. And that’s why being in Arandis for this week almost makes me want to stay here rather than return to Okahandja next week.

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I’ve been thinking about career missions and ministry in the States. Listening to Ron Gardner, pastor at Emmanuel Church in Windhoek, Dieter and Joan’s sending church, he puts a major emphasis on being called to Namibia because that’s their home. And I recognize that the people I best understand and can relate to are New Englanders, especially those who have grown up in church, mostly because that’s who I am. There’s so many more cultural barriers I have to work through to minister elsewhere, whereas my environment has already shaped me perfectly to minister in a church in New England.

Then I watch a film about Mother Theresa who lived with and ministered to the poorest of the poor on the streets of Calcutta, India. No one will convince me that the poorest of the poor live in Amherst, NH, not after what I’ve seen here, and what Mother Theresa dealt with in India. I recognize that over 95% of the world’s youth leaders work with only 5% of the worlds youth population in the United States, leaving only 5% of the world’s youth leaders to work with 95% of the world’s youth. I know that 50% of the Namibian population is under 15 years old. The parents of this generation are dying off because of AIDS leaving thousands of orphans and grandparents or relatives that remain raise 10-12 kids at a time. And Namibia’s not the only place in such rough shape.

But I’m also fully aware that it was Mother Theresa who said, “Calcutta’s are everywhere. You just have to find yours.” There is suffering and spiritual poverty in the rich world as well; you just have to open your eyes to it. So I continue pondering career missions or ministry in the States. Penny for your thoughts?

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Annetjie and Sannetjie joined us at the pool on Christmas.

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Celebrating Christmas Eve.

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This place is a stinkin paradise!

This photo could've been taken in the Carribean.

Christmastime Is Here

Friday morning I was suppose to catch the bus at 8:30am. It finally showed up at about 11:15 and we headed out on the 3 hour trek across the desert to the coast. Supposedly this was a luxury coach bus, but the air conditioning hardly blew out and every seat was booked so I was tightly seated with a friendly older woman who graciously shared the arm rest. With about an hour to go we pulled over and they shut off the engine. The fan belt had broken. But apparently that’s why they were late in the first place, because the same thing happened before, so they had brought an extra one. They finally dropped me off on the side of the main road outside Arandis and I caught a lift into town. The 2 ½ hour drive had turned into about 6 hours. As they say, TIA. This is Africa.

This weekend a Hopes Promise family from Rehoboth was being moved out to Arandis so all afternoon we helped clean and move furniture into the new house. That night Toivo and I slept over there to make sure nobody made any moves for all that nice stuff we were moving in. Franco reassured us that they had found lots of salt in the closets, a superstitious way to keep away evil spirits, so we should be safe.

It’s been a lot of fun hanging out with Toivo. I’ve missed his sense of humor and non-stop chatter. He’s also been helping me learn Afrikaans. I don’t think I’m much help for his studies, because I just want him to come out and about, but he’s been pretty dedicated to getting his exams done before the end of vacation.

Around town I’ve seen a few people I recognize from our trip this past summer. I saw a guy from the high school that we nicknamed ‘Professor’, Raymond - one of the dancers that Amanda was friends with, and one of the girls that came to our after school program that befriended Kat. It’s cool seeing the effects of our relationship building goals and having everyone here ask about the people they know from back home.

Monday night I’ll be playing some songs with Tresford for their children’s Christmas program. Then for Christmas I’ll be joining the Hope’s Promise family at Dolphin Park for a little celebration. Apparently you can’t reserve the place (it’s first come, first serve), so Roland’s going over the night before and camping out in his infamous Bobo camper to save the spot for us. It’ll be a little odd going to a pool on Christmas, but at least I have my Christmas tree scent from Jackie for a little fragrance from home. What are you all doing for Christmas?

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

We took Richard to the airport this afternoon. He’s off to enjoy his white Christmas in NH, watch some Patriots games, and see some friends in their home culture. He will be missed. He was my faithful adventure partner, so now I’ll have to do all those crazy things, like hitchhike to Swakop, all by myself. But I was actually thinking, it might not be so bad. To meet people here, I tend to rely on the relationships that my friends already have. So now without Richard here it will force me to be a little more outgoing and get to know some people. Not necessarily the most comfortable thing in the world for me, but after all, that is why I’m here.

Early tomorrow morning Dieter and Joan will be meeting up with their daughter, Thelma, in Windhoek and heading down to Cape Town, South Africa to spend Christmas with family there. I’ll head in the other direction, joining the rest of the nation in Swakopmund. They say the roads are already so packed that you have to park outside of town. The beaches will be crowded, from the wall to the water, full of people. And there I’ll be, just a short half-hour drive away, in Arandis.

Arandis is a small town built for the workers at the nearby Rossing Uranium mine. It is also the home of Brenda Johnston and Hope’s Promise Orphan Ministry. We’ve been partnering with Brenda since we started bringing teams over in 2004. As opposed to the typical orphanage model, HPOM places orphans in Christian foster homes. We think such a family-based ministry is much more effective, not to mention more Biblical.

Also in Arandis are our friends Tresford and Fabiola Banda, and their children Pearl, Liki, and Jeshua. Tresford has been pastoring a church there for the past few years, and many on our teams have grown close to their family. I’ve been working, almost since I got here, to help their family get visas to go over and visit Christ’s Church, but we keep running into red tape and technicalities. Hopefully Darin can work some magic Stateside to figure something out.

While in Arandis, I’ll be rooming with Toivo Thomas, a long-time friend of Christ’s Church. He and his siblings lived at an orphanage called The Ark, but because he was such a bright kid he was sponsored to go to the International School in Windhoek to get the best education available. When he graduates in 2½ years he’s hoping to go to university in the States to become a doctor. He’s joined many of our teams and we’ve all grown to love him. Oh flip!

Because the nearest internet café is in Swakop, I’m not sure how often I’ll get to update the blog over the next week. Thanks so much for all who keep leaving comments. It’s a great encouragement to know I have friends back home remembering me. I hope to get on again before the 25th, but in case I don’t, I wish you all a very merry Christmas. Be blessed and eat well! :)

Random Thoughts

Everything is decorated for the holidays like you would expect. There are Christmas lights on every street light in town. Fake evergreen trees covered in shiny balls can be found in all the malls. Santa even made an appearance, though he didn’t seem quite the same as a skinny, black man. It’s interesting seeing so many “American” traditions find their way into a Namibian Christmas, but then I was reminded that Christmas is largely an “American” holiday. Africans never celebrated it until the whites brought it here. It makes me wonder how the native Africans might have celebrated the birth of the Savior of the world if it hadn’t become so westernized.

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Part of being here for a whole year is experiencing everyday life in a different culture, and part of that everyday life that I’ve enjoyed the most is family life. The Morsbachs have taken me in like another son, having me join them for family picnics by the dam, family meals in the evening followed by some competitive Skip-Bo (Richard has become quite an addict by the way). I think they’re acceptance has helped smooth my transition to African normalcy.

I’ve come to think it’s the subtle, ordinary things that make a place feel like home. Every time you move you have to get used to little things, like a new bathroom or kitchen, where to shop for particular things, a new view from lying in your bed at night. Things like washing clothes and grocery shopping happen everywhere, but perhaps just a little differently than what you’re used to. It’s those little things that become comfortable, then they become habits, and before long it’s normal life. Hmmm…I wonder if there’s any correlation between that idea and how we as Christians make a home of this world.

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I’ve discovered ESPN broadcasts three games a week. The Sunday night game is on at 3am, but then they rebroadcast games at 4pm on Monday and Tuesday. I’ll have to make friends with people who get satellite TV so I can go watch some games. There is a new satellite network that carries FOX Sports, but it’s so new that nobody knows anybody who has it. Because it was a 1:00pm game this week, I got to follow online as the Patriots went 14-0 (for only the second time in NFL history), but that’ll only last so long. I do miss being a part of all the conversations and hype building up to the playoffs, so I really hope I can find a place to watch.

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Keep praying hard for my visa. We got a call from home affairs today and they told us that since I was applying for a whole year I should apply for a work permit rather than a volunteer visa. That was what I was going to do originally so I do have all the paper work, but it just means going through the whole process all over again.

Fun times and old friends

I finally got to sit down with Toivo for lunch today. It was great to see him again. He sends greetings to everyone. He’s doing very well in school including an A+ in PE. He was pretty excited about that one. :) All of his American friends from the international school are driving at 16 so he’s looking forward to turning 17 when Namibians can get their learner’s permit. He’s playing soccer for the school team who just came in 2nd place in a tournament. We’re trying to figure out how we can watch some football together. He’s heading out to Arandis over the holidays to work on his midterm exams. Looks like we’ll get to be roommates again.

After we got back from Windhoek, it was so hot we went swimming at the dam, or as Jadon would say, we went for a dam swim. There was a great place to jump off into the water which makes for the first of today’s photos of the day.

Before lunch I got to walk around the Municipal Gardens in Windhoek which gave me opportunity to play with the macro settings on my camera, so today you get two photos of the day. I’m not typically a flower person so this one’s for Mike Mendola.

Look out Ty Pennington

As I mentioned before, Richard and I came across some spare tiles while we were searching for furniture for my house, so we decided to tile my shower. Neither of us had ever tiled before but we thought it looked easy enough so we gave it a try. By the end, we both decided it looked good but neither of us would ever become professional tilers. Now a little paint job and my shower will be good as new!

  
Here’s the before pic, and Richard spreading the tile cement.

  
After a few botched attempts I figured out the tile cutter and laid them all in place.

  
Then we pointed the grout to seal the gaps. Almost looks professional. :)
I haven’t used it yet, but I’m convinced that when I do it will somehow all melt away and I’ll be back to my wooden grate. Either way, it was a fun project and now we both know how to tile…ish.

What culture shock

This post is for those that think Africa is all jungle huts and natives with loin cloths. We were running errands in Windhoek (the capital city) yesterday and while Richard was buying his plane ticket I got a chance to meander around the mall. I walked into a store called Hi-Fi that has all sorts of electronics from plasma TVs to car stereos to housing appliances. I watched an employee play a demo on the Nintendo Wii, then caught Steven Segal on the projector screen in their home theatre section. The guy that drove us back from the coast on Monday had a Toyota Forerunner with leather seats, multi disc changer, and even had a radar detector in his cell phone. So there is wealth here, and luxury, and convenience, just not in the abundance you find the States.

But if their modern technology doesn’t take you by surprise, here are a few things that might. When you order a bacon cheeseburger you ask for ‘chips’ instead of fries. Rather than dipping your chips in ketchup, they have bottles of tomato sauce. And if you bite into your burger expecting the small, crunchy strips of bacon you’re used to then you’re in for a shocker. Their bacon is basically slices of ham. They call stoplights ‘robots’, flashlights are ‘torches’, and ATMs are BOBs. We had ‘pancakes’ for dinner one night, but really they were crepes. What we call pancakes, they call crumpets. So if you thought your English would get by just fine then you may still have some learning to do.

Then there’s those things you might expect to adjust to. Instead of looking out for deer on the road, you watch out for warthogs and baboons. Speaking of driving, “Keep Left, Pass Right” is a popular road sign with the tourists. When I first arrived I was quickly warned about the zebra snake and the puff adder, how they look and act, and what to do if I came across one. In the dark I’ve almost stepped on a scorpion and a toad/frog bigger than my foot. There are bugs everywhere. I have a walking stick (of the bug variety) living in my kitchen sink. And this is my roommate, Linus, a common African gecko. I think I’m the one that invaded his space, but once he realized I was just trying to take his picture he stood still for me. He lives over my closet and comes and goes as he pleases. He likes it because it’s cool inside during the day and warm at night. I like him because he eats the mosquitoes.

So Africa’s not such a world apart after all, it’s just different. And just because something’s different doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It may take a little getting use to, but people have been living here for centuries. I can’t come as the typical arrogant American thinking I have all the answers to fix Africa. It’s about understanding a different culture, experiencing life from a different perspective and in the long run, hoping that it will broaden my own.

Visa News

The Home Affairs office opens at 8am. I was in line at 8:05 and stood there for half an hour before someone even showed up at the desk. But then only 15 minutes later my visa app was left in their hands (a little sketchy, I know) and now I go back in a week and hope it'll be approved. I ended up applying for a volunteer visa which is a little different than the work permit I was originally going to apply for. Volunteer visas are what the peace corps uses and they say it should be pretty easy to get. So pray that next week I return to a favorable response!

Richard was also pleased to get the news of his visa. He will be going to the States under a visitors visa for 6 months. He hopes to spend a few weeks in NH so he can have a white Christmas, and then head down to Orlando to go to skydiving school. It's been a blast hanging out with him and having someone else around my age and with my adventerous spirit. He will be missed.

Photo of the Day

Sunset over Okahandja,

Yet another reason I'm in love with Af.

Long weekend

With a youth group staying at Dieter’s for the weekend and Monday being declared a national holiday, Richard and I decided to head out to the coast for the weekend. During December the temperature inland is like I said before, 36-40 C, but out at the coast it’s quite cool thanks to the ocean breeze. During the holidays everyone heads out to the coast because it’s so much cooler, so Richard and I packed up some backpacks and hitched a ride in the back of a pickup for the 3 hour ride out to Swakopmund on the coast. It’s quite a way to travel, not too cushy on the bottom and be sure to lather on the sunblock, but the open air can’t be beat.

We were hoping to rent some sandboards in Swakop to ride down the dunes, but the only place that has them makes you go on their special tour for N$300 per person, so we decided we’ll just make our own boards before we go back again. We had some renown jumbo burgers from Beryl’s for lunch then hit the beach where we discovered some pretty intense volleyball players. I jumped in for a few games and I must say, playing in sand is FAR different than playing in a gym, but with a few tips I started to get the hang of it. I got a few contact numbers for people that run a club program on Tuesday nights in Windhoek, so hopefully I can join them after the holidays.

Sunday morning we went to Tresford’s church in Arandis where I got to catch up with Pearl and Brenda for a bit. In typical African style, Tresford invited me up to play his guitar completely impromptu, so we sang “Blessed Be Your Name”. After lunch we got to spend a little more time with Tresford before taking Leah, Brian, and Charmaine out to Swakop and the dunes. It was great seeing all our Arandis friends again and sharing news of all the people from back home who’ve been there before. Sounds like I may be back there again within the next couple weeks to help with music for a children’s Christmas program at the church.

This morning Richard’s roommate from Pneumatics, Gilbert, was having his 21st birthday party out on the beach so we joined them for a game of touch rugby and some lunch. I may be a foreigner to rugby but I sprinted past the defense for a score and made a few interceptions. Not a bad showing for the American. Hanging out with that group made me all the more anxious to learn Afrikaans. They were all chattering away and laughing with each other and I had no idea what they were saying. But I was still invited in just like I belonged. Gilbert was quick to remind me, “You’re in Namibia now where you make family and friends easily.” All in all it was a great relaxing weekend and I discovered an awesome new way to travel, hitchhiking! :)

Photo of the Day

Shipwreck in the bay outside Swakop

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Backflips off the dunes

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Our view from the back of the pickup hitchiking to Swakop.

Settling in

I think to be a hunter you need much more patience then I have. Just after dark last night Richard and I went out hunting kudu in a neighboring farmer’s field. The kudu come in and eat all the crops so we’re doing both of us a favor, clearing out the kudu and getting us some meat. (Don’t tell Erin!) However we only saw 3 and they were too far off for a good shot. The night watchman told us a good place to sit and wait for them so we’ll head back later tonight and see if we can’t nab some dinner.

The house I’m staying in doesn’t have much so Richard and I scavenged around the property and some pawn shops for some furniture and assorted household items. We found some boxes of tile so our new project will be tiling my shower. Neither of us have done it before so it’ll be a good learning experience. There’s probably a reason there are professional tilers, but it seems easy enough so we’ll give it a shot.

I got to connect up with Brenda, Nan, and Tresford today. We’re trying to help Tresford get visas for his family to visit the States to work with Christ’s Church, but there have been a few hang-ups we’re trying to iron out. For all those who’ve been asking, Brenda’s going to find out for me what Toivo’s doing over the holiday break. I’m hoping we’ll get to spend some time together.

Photo of the Day

The view out my kitchen window

Welcome to Namibia!

It’s always great to see a smiling, familiar face that you haven’t seen in quite some time. Joan and Richard picked me up at the airport, along with one of my two bags. But no worries, I had expected as much so I split up all my clothes and stuff so I’d have some of everything in case that happened. (I wasn’t long without as my other bag was dropped off this afternoon.) Richard and I dropped Joan off in Windhoek where she’ll be staying this week for some preschool training, grabbed a burger and headed back to the plot to get settled in. Unpacking seemed strangely unfamiliar as I usually live out of a suitcase while I’m here, but soon enough it’ll feel more like home.

Sleeping last night was a little rough. I didn’t get to sleep until after 1:00am, which is 6pm to my body clock. So after tossing and turning all night I forced myself up at 8:00am to try and adjust myself. Now I’m doing all I can not to take an afternoon nap so I’ll crash hard tonight and hopefully be good to go by tomorrow morning. Oh the joys of traveling. (7 hours ahead for those who were wondering and didn’t do the math.)

Everybody was asking about temperature. Apparently December is the hottest month of the year, although being in the desert, the nights are still surprisingly cool. But by about 10am the heat sets in until about 6ish when the sun starts to go down. Richard says it typically gets up to about 37-40 C in the day, and down to about 18-20 C at night. He says it will cool down a little when the rains come in January. So there you have it. Maybe I can find a weather widget or something to stick on the sidebar for you to follow.

Thanks for your prayers. Pics of the new pad coming soon!

Fly Happy indeed

Well I must say this has been the easiest, most uneventful flying experience of all my trips to Namibia. Some of it may have to do with not being responsible for 20-some-odd other people. I've blown through security, only twice, with no lines, no waiting. They've checked my passport once. No long layovers. Even the 15 hour flight was a breeze, other than my eccentric seatmate, but even that wasn't so bad. So now I'm waiting in the Joburg airport, almost ready to board my last 2 hour flight to Windhoek. But in my spare half hour I had to check online to see that the Pats sqeaked another one out. Sports analyst Mike says this is dangerous for the rest of the NFL. Everybody may be saying that now they're vulnerable, but I say now they've experienced a little pressure. They can blow teams out of the water, but they can also come from behind in the fourth quarter. This is the third time. So watch out NFL, this "never perfect" attitude will only make this team better and harder to beat down the road. Well I only have 10 minutes left and a few emails to read over. Thanks for all your comments and travel prayers!

Think I'm just about ready

So tomorrow's the big day. I fly out of Logan at 12:15pm to Washington D.C., then on to Joburg. It's crazy that it's actually here, but it still won't seem real until I'm actually sitting on the plane. The past few days have been pretty intense working out all the final details. We had to change my ticket to return in 90 days since I can only get a 90 day visa when I arrive, then I'll apply for my 12 month work permit when I get there. We worked out insurance and I've settled most all of my accounts. My room is emptied of everything that I'm not taking with me. And my two heavy bags are waiting on my sleeping bag and pajamas before they're finally zipped for good. I was reminded of Gideon as I was realizing I wasn't going to fit everything into my bags. I took out a little bit and God said, no that's still too much. Took out some more, still too much, but I squeezed it down to the essentials, and still managed a few fun items.

The support from my church family has been overwhelming. From meeting kids for ice cream, dinner, or breakfast to being prayed over during the service this morning to a surprise going away party tonight, it's awesome having such a loving, supportive community around me. That's one thing I know I'll truly miss over the next year. So thank you all for the incredible encouragement you've been (and will be) to me. It has indeed been my joy. Thanks for all your prayers as I travel. Hopefully my next post will be from the other side of the world!