I was really pretty upset about losing my long sleeve Patriots shirt on our hike yesterday, so today after Bible Study I decided to embark on a one man rescue mission. Backtracking my steps I returned to face my previous adversary, the fateful riverbed. About a half hour into the hike I stumbled on a rock and as I looked down to catch my footing, there was my shirt right in front of me! I’d been praying the whole way that God would allow my eyes to fall on just the right place so I wouldn’t miss it in the vastness of the bush, and sure enough He did. Coincidence or Providence? I think you know my answer.
Since I’d already gone that far, I figured I'd keep going up the koppe. I had nothing waiting for me at home and plenty of sunlight, so I went. Rather than continuing down the long “shortcut” I set off blazing my own trail through the bush up the mountain. This time I saw a couple baboons across the valley and a gemsbok not 40 yards away. Had I been a little quieter I might not have scared it away so quickly. As I looked out across the rolling hills and valleys of the Central Plateau stretching out before me it felt like I was in National Geographic.
I had to leave about an hour before sunset so as not to be hiking down in the dark. This time I took the short, steep way down rather than Dieter’s phantom “access road”. I made it home as the sun was becoming a fading memory beyond the clouds on the horizon. Mission accomplished!
MIA extraction successful!
Some shortcut
Dieter and I really should save our adventures for Saturday mornings rather than Sundays. This morning we decided to climb up the koppe to the cell tower. We left at 6am by the light of the moon, when the first lights of morning were just awakening over the horizon. At first it wasn’t bad walking because the cattle had eaten away most of the grass. But once we’d climbed above where the cattle graze, the grass was tall, often chest height. We wound our way along the fence up the steep precipice thick with yellow flowers. As we reached the top the sun had poured out over the valley below revealing astounding views. We could see Monkey Mountain, the lake, the whole of Okahandja and the road to Swakopmund stretching out beyond. We had a great view of Dieter’s plot, all his neighbors and the road to Gross Barmen following the Swakop River as it disappeared past the horizon heading out across the desert. Next time I’ll have to plan to spend some time there, but today I had to get back for church.
The way we came up would have been tricky going down with the tall grass making the steep rocks quite slippery, so while Dieter went that way with the dogs, I opted to jump the fence and walk down the access road through the nature reserve. With all the grass it was difficult to see the access road so I ended up following the water runoff which was easy enough because it was a mostly rocky path and not as much grass. Once I hit the river bed it was easy going and reminded me of hiking through the Grand Canyon with steep hills climbing quickly to my left and right. All the land around Von Bach Dam is a nature reserve which made for quite an eventful walk. Across the valley I saw four zebra looking oddly at me before they traipsed away to the other side of the koppe. I startled some kudu from their resting place and followed them down the river bed for a while, but the only view of them I saw was a little white tail some 50 yards away as it bounded into the bush. Since water takes the path of least resistance, the walk was easy enough, but it wound its way around every hill and koppe from here to Timbuktu! By the time I made it back, Dieter had beaten me by almost an hour, I was quite exhausted, lost my long sleeve Patriots shirt, and needless to say, I didn’t make it to church.
Photo of the Day
Walking down the koppe I saw four zebra walking up the koppe on the opposite side of the valley...definitely one of those "I'm in stinkin Africa!" moments.Extreme Makeover pt.2
On the show, when a house gets a makeover (a.k.a. torn down and replaced) they get sponsors to fill the place with all the latest furniture and technology. I’m still waiting for the technology part, but this morning I did help move all sorts of furniture into my previously empty looking pad! God provided through a guy who’s moving up north for a while and needed some place to store his furniture. He asked Dieter if he had any place to store it where it would get used. I know it’s the same place, but it almost feels like I’m living in someone elses house. I took an inaugural nap on the sofa this afternoon to help break it in. :) Praise God for providing blessings we don’t even have the faith to ask for!
Gotta love 5 day weekends
Friday afternoon the Ark hosted a Fun Day by the river (which wasn’t actually flowing since we’ve had a few sunny days now) for all the volunteers and people that help out there. We played some volleyball, some balloon games and I even taught the kids how to play American football. At first they tried to turn it into rugby, but there were enough of us that knew the game that eventually the others got the hang of it. It was a blast hanging out with the kids and staff. Usually I’m just helping with homework so it was nice to play a bit.Saturday afternoon Dieter invited me to join him out on the lake created by the Von Bach Dam. This and a few other dams provide much of the water for the rest of the country. We loaded up our sleeping gear, warm change of clothes, my camera, and a bottle of Coke all on their Hobie Cat, hoisted the sail…and started paddling because there wasn’t much wind. :) Once we did catch a breeze it was awesome dangling my feet in the water, watching the sun set behind us. We navigated down a small inlet to where we would camp for the night. We unrolled our sleeping bags and drank our Coke around the campfire chatting away. All the while, we were keeping a watchful eye on the clouds that slowly started drifting over the almost full
moon. Just as I got a call from some friends back home, we started feeling the first drops. We quickly rolled up our beds and stuffed our bags under a rock outcropping, then took shelter ourselves underneath the Hobie Cat that we’d pulled up on shore. What a true African adventure! Fortunately it was only a quick shower and cleared up for the rest of the night so we could stay out. The next morning as we sailed back watching the moon set on one horizon and the sun rise on the other we were both incredibly thankful that God created people who love 5-star hotels and that we’re not them.
Liars make more friends
I noticed a girl blatantly lie today telling someone she was in sixth grade when she’s really in fourth. I noticed it because she’s lied to me before for the same reason. She doesn’t feel like she’s adequate or good enough for people to like her so she ‘improves’ on the truth to make herself look better. It got me thinking, how often do we do the same thing to each other? How often do we put our ‘best foot forward’ or pretty ourselves up before we walk out the door in efforts to cover up what we see as inadequacies. I know I’ve been guilty of not sharing ‘the whole story’ when it might make me look bad. So in trying to get to the bottom of this phenomenon I asked myself, ‘how does it feel when this girl lies to me to make herself seem better in my eyes?’ That’s when I realized, what she’s really saying is, ‘I don’t trust you enough to love me just the way I am.’ She feels she somehow needs to embellish her image to make sure I don't decide she's no longer worthy of my love. She’s not protecting her image. She’s doubting my love.
How often do we do the very same thing to God? We put all our best, most noble deeds on the altar as if that would somehow improve our standing in His omniscient eyes. We come to church dressed to impress, showing off how spiritual we’ve become. We convince everyone else by serving in every possible ministry in the church. And all the while we’re lying to ourselves thinking God must be happy with me because I do so much for Him. What we’re really saying is, ‘God, I don’t trust you enough to love me as the wretched sinner I know I really am.’ But He is God, not a man. He is the One who can truly love unconditionally because He defines love. (1 Jn 4:8) It was while we were sinners that Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8) He came not to save those who thought they were righteous, but those who knew they were sinners. (Matt 9:13; Luk 19:10) The references abound, shall I continue? His history with Jacob, Moses, the whole nation of Israel, David, Peter, Paul, as well as other less notorious sinners speaks for itself. What is there left to doubt?
Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Snide remarks?
A long walk home
Late yesterday afternoon, I opted for a little cultural experience of my own. After hanging out at the Ark, I had a little grocery shopping to do in town, then I decided rather than catch a taxi I would just walk home. I figured people in Vyf Rand do it all the time and I wanted to see what it was like. It’s probably a good 7-10km or more from the Spar to the plot, but I had the time and the daylight (or so I thought) so I gave it a go. You definitely meet more people by walking, other people walking, or people you pass. Two times people asked me for money or some bread (that’s not unusual, it happens all the time). And I couldn’t help feeling the strange looks as if to say, “Why is a white guy walking?” Afterall, it’s not something they see everyday. I finally strolled up to the gate well after sunset, my grocery bags weighing far more than usual. As educational as it was, I think next time I may stick with the taxi.
I realized the other day how acclimated I’m becoming when a new volunteer walked through the sitting room at the Ark and my first questions after the intros were, “Where are you from, and how long are you here?” Seriously, those are the first questions everybody asks here. I always thought that was just a normal way to start conversation when people used to ask me those questions. Now I realize (at least for me) I want to know if this is a fellow American I may have something in common with, and how much should I bother investing in this relationship if they’re just going to leave. I know it sounds bad, but that’s the reality of it. So many people come and go that if they’re only here for 2 weeks or a month than you only invest enough to get by. Why bother becoming best friends if you know they’re just going to leave? But if someone’s here for 3 months, 6 months, a year, then you’re willing to invest a little more, because you know they’ll be around for a while. It’s really a curious phenomenon, not a conscious thing, just simply a reflection of the reality of the situation. I just didn’t really realize it until I heard the words coming out of my own mouth.
Photo of the Day
Kaptain (Dieter & Joan's dog) joined me on a walk tonight and we stumbled upon this humongous monitor lizard. After I took a few shots Kaptain thought it'd be fun to pick a fight. I'm telling you, he looks calm but this thing sprung up like nobodies business. Unfortunately I had my zoom lens on or I'd have gotten great some shots of the battle before Kaptain chased it up a tree.What's normal?
I’ve had lots of free time around the plot these past few days since Dieter & Joan are in South Africa and I’m again without a car. I’ve used the time to sort through the many photos of the last 3 busy weeks and take a few new ones.
I discovered these new insects that Buddy likes to call “armored crickets”. That’s one scary looking Jimeny if you ask me! (And yes, it really is as big as it looks.) I’ve done some gardening around my house, if you could call it that. When it rains, grass sprouts up where there was formerly just dirt. We’ve had so much rain that the grass is taller than my waist. So I’ve been out with a hoe and a rake chopping down the jungle that has overgrown my clothesline. I’m almost there. One or two more afternoons should do the trick.Land of Contrast
Please be praying for Joan Morsbach and her family. Her mother passed away yesterday. They had known it was coming for some time. Joan had made multiple visits down to South Africa to see her, most recently just after New Years. They will be away for the funeral through the weekend.
On a brighter note, Lazarus and Leila, house parents at the Ark, had their baby last week. They had a son, Caleb James, who joins older brother, Praise, and sister, Gloria. Mother and baby are home and doing just fine.
Not Home Yet
But I found I didn’t wish I was going with them. Instead I quite customarily checked the exchange rate before taking out some cash at the ATM. I pulled out onto the left side of the road like it was quite normal. Getting groceries at the Spar seemed quite natural. Namibian bills have become much more familiar than American ones. It’s funny because while they were here I melded right in and enjoyed the bit of ‘American culture’ they brought with them, but when they left and I stayed, everything felt strangely ordinary, like I’ve come to the place where I fit in here. That’s kinda scary in a way, but it kinda makes me smile. :)
To Don & Jackie: It’s been a blast! Thanks for your love, prayers, and encouragement. See you soon my friends, I’m telling you!Sweet Sorrow
With the time change in the States, I’m now only 6 hours ahead of EST. After the first weekend of April when we change our clocks, it will only be 5 hours. For those trying to do the math and not adding up, it’s because we’re in 2 different hemispheres so we change in opposite directions. In the north it’s “spring ahead, fall back”. Down here, it’s “fall forward, spring back”.
Short-termers bring an encouragement to long-termers by simply listening and getting excited with us about what we’re doing. Nothing increases ones joy more than sharing the thing that you love. Like recommending a good book, their love for the ministry brings a revitalizing joy. They also bring a renewed energy to the ministry. Where it often becomes everyday life for us, they realize they only have so much time and want to pack it full of opportunity. Just for now, I’ve associated myself with the long-termers only because I’m here longer than my visiting friends. However, I more than recognize even my year is very short term. The long-termers I’ve come to respect and love are those who’re committed to 10yrs, 20yrs, or a lifetime of service.
International Womens Day
As of this afternoon, Jackie can add to her resume, International Keynote Speaker. Sylvia Beukes, the national director for Hope’s Promise, was helping put on a large event to celebrate International Womens Day. She had asked Jackie to prepare a message on “the seasons of women” which she has been working on and collecting input from everywhere we’ve been so far. So this afternoon, while Don and I were out playing pool with Franco (don’t ever let Don fool you, he’s smoking!), Jackie was delivering her speech, poised and prepared, for about 150 other women. In the end it was only 7 minutes, but apparently very motivational since everybody was asking for copies. You just never know what ministry opportunities God might have for you when you show up over here. :) Congrats Jackie!
Illegal Alien
As of today I’m officially illegal. My 90 day tourist visa ran out yesterday so now I’m on the run, ducking police roadblocks, cringing at every siren…well ok, not quite. With my application in the hands of Home Affairs they say I’m fine since they’re the ones holding it up. To make a long story short, since it’s the second time I applied they came back and said I needed to file an appeal letter. Fortunately, since there’s an agency working on it for me they do all that stuff so I don’t have to worry about it. Hopefully this is the last of the run-around paperwork and I should be golden within the week. Thanks for all your prayers!
Bring the Fire
Another weekend in Arandis made for more late nights, investing in relationships, and lots of funny moments. Friday and Saturday nights at the crusade provided more of the same. Crowds of people flooded the stage to be prayed over for healing or employment or to be ‘baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Toward the end of the last night while the different pastors were praying over people and they were falling down left and right, the preacher called me over to pray for me. Realizing there was no polite way out of it, I begrudgingly set down my guitar and let him pray for me. He kept praying “Bring the fire! Bring the fire!” and I kept praying “Thank you Lord that I already have the Spirit living in me!” I found humor in the situation, mostly because I believe so differently than they do. I went back to our Bible study in Okahandja on Monday where we were talking about the Spirit of the Lord leaving Saul and coming upon David, and made a special point of emphasis about us receiving the Spirit once for all when we become children of God. Guess the whole experience made a lasting impression.
Overall, it was a great weekend. I spent a lot of time with the young people from Arandis Community Church since many of them were also helping with the music. I finished up taking family photos of the Hope’s Promise families that I didn’t get to last weekend. That whole process has been cool because it’s allowed me to get to know many of the kids that I didn’t know before. But probably my highlight of the weekend was leading worship for youth group on Sunday afternoon. It was a great joy playing and worshiping together with such an inspiring group of teens.
Don & Jackie had already started their 48 hour countdown when I left. They will join me back in Okahandja tomorrow, then we’ll head down to Rehoboth on Thursday, stopping in Windhoek on the way to hang with Toivo.
