Seasons of Change

The weekend in Okahandja was a great time to refresh and catch up with some old friends. I joined Buddy and Julia at Bible study on Friday afternoon, but since the 10th and 12th graders are in the middle of their final exams, they had all gone home early when they finished testing. At church on Sunday I was able to catch up with Jenny a bit who is still waiting to hear from the municipality about getting her own plot. And on Saturday I went to Windhoek to hang out with Toivo and help him work on his personal essay to send out with college applications. He’s doing well, but he says this is his hardest term yet so keep him in your prayers.

I spent Friday afternoon at the Ark playing rug-ball (a combination between rugby and American football) with some of the younger kids. Donavon had been asking me to bring my football ever since our Independence Day braai back in March, so I decided to leave it with him to enjoy. Though I’m certain I’ve doomed it to a life as a makeshift rugby ball.

Much has changed at the Ark over the past two months. Lazarus and Leila, the house parents for the last 3ish years, are moving up north to work with the ministry in Oshikuku. So now the house is being led by foreign volunteers, all female. They’ve made some new rules and disciplinary changes that the kids are getting used to. It’s been tough on many of them and simply reinforces my belief in long-term consistency with kids, especially through such formative years. It’s no wonder many become so hard-hearted and closed off, but it’s something this continent has gotten far too used to.

Saturday evening I was invited back for another boy’s night. The female volunteers, not knowing me from before, asked if I would be ok with the guys by myself. It made me smile realizing that in reality, I was probably more ok than they were. It’s not gonna be fun in a few weeks saying goodbye to the kids for the last time, but God works in seasons. And my prayer is that this won’t be the last season for me to invest in their lives.