My Beautiful Journey: August 2008

Hi all! This may be my last email before I head back in three weeks!

Things have been completely unbelieveable! I am SO BLESSED! The last few weeks I have been able to do so much! After I emailed you last time I had just returned from Witvlei (I can never remember how to spell that name, forgive me) and from there I went back to working at the center and prepared for my weekend trip!

Over the last two months I have become really close with one of the girls here; she's 19 and doing the teacher training here at the center. She invited me to go back with her to her village and spend a weekend! So that is what i did! Her village is only about an hour away, so saturday morning we boarded a crowded mini-bus and headed toward her village! As soon as we got off the bus, I knew we were in for some fun! Everywhere I went-everyone stared! For one, I was white...and I was new in town! All the people wanted to know who I was, where I was from... and when they found out...they said, "take me with you." Everyone was so incredible warm and welcoming! We walked around, met all her neighbors, went on a donkey cart ride, and horse ride, and just saw the sights and met the people! On our walk, we got invited to a 21st birthday party! So of course we accepted! That night we all sat around the fire and ate the wonderful dinner her mother prepared, shared one cup of water and her mother then prepared the bath for me! HA! What an amazing experience! That night we went to the party, met lots of people and did about 4 hours straight of dancing! Oh it was so fun! I got shown how to do their traditional "African Long-Arm" dances as well as just how the young folk dance in Africa! Oh it was so great!

Sunday I went to a Damara speaking church, where I didn't understand a word!!! We said our teary goodbyes and headed back for home!

Then the next weekend... we headed to their little german influenced beach town: Swakopmund! Loreta had been there only once, she's never been on a plane or the internet! So we at lease had to take care of one of those things! So in Swakop we went right on the internet! I got to show her pictures of my friends and family! It was so great! We also went sandboarding!! Sandboarding is almost like snowboarding except on sand! And Swakopmund has the largest sand dunes in the WORLD! HA! It was a little scary at first... but I just did it! It was SO fun! And the guys we met were incredible, they are all from the townships there in Swakopmund and after work they take the kids from the townships out for an afternoon of sandboarding (of course for free) and they give back so much! They were great guys! We came back and went for a long relaxing walk on the beach...out to dinner and then met up with a bunch of people (like 20) that we had much and hung out til after 3 in the morning! Oh they are such great people!!!

Then sunday came time for us to head home... so we boarded another crowded mini bus and headed back to windhoek! I was then to prepare for my last few days with the kids... how was I supposed to prepare for that! School was to end on Wednesday and I had three days to say my goodbyes! I couldn't handle it! Too sad! I had about three days of straight tears! The kids didn't understand why I was crying, except that I would miss them! They prayed for me, told me thank you for playing with them and loving them, they said they would miss me too, then a few started crying! That was the hardest part!

As I have to keep this a little shorter than I would like due to time... Let's just say...

The people here of Namibia have made a great influence on my life! They have left their impression on my heart! My life will never be the same! The beauty that God places in the face of a child, in the face of an auma (grandmother), in the face of people...everywhere; is amazing! God commands our worship when we look into the eyes of each other, believer or not! He created us...and He has the power to bring us back! We are so blessed for having an opportunity to be loved and to love our Creator! Those children, my Namibian friends...they are blessed by God, in so many ways I have only begun to understand! I will miss them, and pray for them! They will stay in my heart and I hope to honor them with my life!

I love you all! Thank you so much for allowing me to bring the love of Jesus to these people! And in addition, they brought me the same!

Time has flown by! I can't believe I have already been here a month and a half! I am loving it here! The children are amazing! As I get to know them more and more; they are really trusting me and showing me their true colors! They are beautiful children! I have been teaching a lot, as well as doing the regular duties of running the center!

This past weekend has definitely been my favorite time here so far! We spent a weekend in a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere! We spent our time playing games, singing and dancing and basically just loving on 126 children, ages 7-17. The children that we spent our time with were bushman children! Which means, their parents (if they are still alive) are nomads in Africa and there is nowhere for the children to go to school unless they live at a sort of boarding school, called a hostel.

The sad facts about these kids:
A large percentage are orphans
These are the poorest of the poor
Most don't have underwear, socks, or even shoes
No towels or even toys
Most rarely see parents, even on weekends where they can go home...no one comes for them
No vaseline, lotion, soap, toothpaste, pads (for the girls)
NOTHING!

Yet they are well-behaved, caring, beautiful children! All they have is each other!

We spent the weekend with them...holding, singing and loving them! It was one of the best times of my life! I will remember them and think of them always!