Saturday, June 28, 2008

Update #1 ...from Africa


where i sleep! kind of luxury!! a sleeping bag and blanket have never felt so nice!!

these are the some of the tent houses... with a contrast to the more expensive ones behind!

patty and tenzino!!! his little potbelly... we are praying for this little one constantly... also trying to give him all his daily vitamins... his is so mal nourished at home... it is scary to send him home for the weekends...

the beautiful kidz at play!!


Emilie, Luke and Celio!! some of the workers here!

the little ones... :)

ladies doing what they do best... doing each other's hair

the kids are praying for one another... laying hands and praying for the upcoming year (it is their birthday)

So here in Namibia I am in constant joy!!! The people I have come in contact with are amazing... they are so different from me in so many ways yet are the same as we all are... God's children. They love Jesus yet all show it in different ways... We all worship God as an outpour of who He created...
The children here are hungry... they are hungry for love and affection...
At home the children are treated as adults (having to run errands, cook, clean, watch over their younger siblings). This is also a pretty violent area and aggression runs full swing at home and at school between the chilren...
At school all the children desire is hugs and kisses... and everywhere i constantly hear, "look, teacher... teacher, look" as they run and jump and try anything to get a "good job" or a "wow!" they need all the affection I can give and also a sense of order to their lives...
However... they are constatly showing me new ways to be content...
People here live in a different kind of poverty I've ever knows... however, it points out the kind of poverty I have been in my entire life... yet was blinded to! The US is so infected with a kind of poverty that is escapable... a poverty that is: loneliness and discontent... because we are so independent (I earn this money, I bought these things, I can do it for myself... etc, etc...) we miss out on the beauty that Africa is in the process of teaching me...
Cooking meals is a community event; one person does the potatoes, another the pumpkin (squash), another the carrots, another the meat... then they come together to dine as a family (many many people at once).., they are content with sports! And I'm not talking about mega dollar video games or the latest and greatest... but they can play for hours with a simple soccer ball (old, new, used, constructed from random material...it doesn't matter) ... as a group they find joy... they are not perfect... but they are never alone... they realize they need each other... as we sometime forget...
I am learning and loving... and doing my best to do as God asks! I love you and will write again soon!