My Heart is Full

Only 2 days left here in Arandis!  I can’t believe it.  Over the past two weeks, this is what I’ve been up to:

-A team of 15 (mostly teens and then 4 leaders) from Minnesota was here two weeks ago for one week, and I enjoyed coming alongside of them and encouraging them, particularly the girls/women on the team.  I enjoyed sitting in on two different fellowship nights the girls/ladies on the team had for the teen girls in the ministry.  One night the theme was our stories/testimonies and the other night was about purity in relationships.  It was a blessing to be able to share from my experience and just help out with whatever was needed, including helping to lead a small group.

-I’ve been continuing to teach first grade in the mornings.  The past couple of weeks have been a combination of me lead teaching in first grade as well as me serving in a supporting role in both first grade and second grade.  It has been such an incredible learning experience, and I have really enjoyed working alongside the Namibian teachers, as well as Ms. Nan, the missionary from the States who is the principal of the school and the first grade teacher.  The kids have definitely given me a run for my money in terms of discipline, and I’ve had to learn to stop smiling and laughing, even a little, in order for them to take me seriouslyJ  I have enjoyed every minute with them though, and even though the days have been tiring, they have been incredibly fulfilling.

-In the afternoons, I’ve continued to visit the ministry foster homes and help out the kids with whatever I can—tutoring, helping them study for their tests, encouraging them, praying with them, sharing Scripture and music and pictures with them, playing games/sports with them.  I have loved this part of my time here!

-I participated in a prayer walk around town here one night a few weeks ago with the team that was here from Minnesota, as well as with members of the local church here and the pastor and his family.  It was a powerful experience.  The town of Arandis needs to come to know the Lord so desperately—there is so much alcohol abuse, drug use and corruption and there are few job opportunities and so many broken families.  It was a privilege to pray alongside local believers for God’s hand of salvation and mercy to come upon this town and bring healing and restoration.

-Last Saturday I went for a walk in the desert with my host family, and we were able to find some beautiful rocks for me to take back home for friends and familyJ On Sunday we had a braii for lunch (something Namibians LOVE to do!)-we grilled chicken and sausage, as well as sweet bread rolls, and even had potato salad.  It was delicious!  The meal took two hours to prepare, but only 15 minutes to eat it…yum yum!

-I have led the second and third bible study in the series I am doing here with the teen girls and foster moms in the ministry, called Search for Significance.  The series is all about how to find your identity in Christ ALONE.  Two weeks ago we talked about the Performance Trap (the lie that we have to perform a certain way in order to be loved/accepted by God) and last week we talked about the Approval Addict (the lie that we have to meet the expectations of certain people in order to be loved/accepted by God).  Between 15 and 30 people have shown up, and it has been such an encouraging time for everyone.  The part I have loved most about the study is that we get into the Word together and look at what the Lord says about who we all are in Christ, as believers, and talk about how to apply these truths to our lives and change the way we think about ourselves, for the better, with the Lord’s help.  I can see that this study hits home in the lives of all those who have been attending (including myself), and I praise the Lord for that.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to teach his Word and encourage others.  It has been so humbling, and such a privilege and a joy.

-I have immensely enjoyed my time with my Namibian host family!  The Lord has knit my host mom Beulla and I very closely these past two weeks, and we have been able to share each other’s burdens and pray for and encourage and bless one another.  It has been a blessing and a privilege, and my heart is so full.  This past week we were able to work through some of the Shepherding a Child’s Heart material that I brought along, and that was wonderful.  I have fallen in love with my 6 host sisters (as I knew I would), and I will miss them all so much when I leave for Windhoek this Wednesday.  

  

-I had the flu last week and had to miss school for two days.  The only lingering thing left from it is a cough I still have that is getting better each day.  Thankful for the Lord’s healing!

-This past weekend I had the awesome opportunity to travel north five hours to Etosha National Park with two Namibians and five other Americans.  We left Arandis on Friday late morning and arrived back in Arandis late Saturday night.  It was a full day and a half!  We stayed at an beautiful lodge run by a wonderful Christian family from Namibia, and they had their own cheetahs!  It was so neat to watch them get fed at sunset.  All day Saturday we drove on our own through the park, seeing tons of zebras, giraffes, spring box and ostrich, as well as a few wildebeest, oryx, impala, kudu, different types of birds, 3 elephants, etc. The watering holes were the jackpot!  On our drive to the park on Friday afternoon, we saw tons of wharthogs (which we joked had all escaped from the park) and a few sheep, goats, and cattle. I had hoped we would see a rhino (which are quite rare because they’ve been hunted so much) and a few lions, but we didn’t.  Lions apparently only come out at night and they rest in the bush during the day.  How lazy!  J

-This past Sunday for lunch I made a Zambian meal for my Namibian host family! We had Tonga chicken, nshima, beans, and a tomato and onion sauce.  It turned out better than I expected and my family raved about itJ We had a family photo shoot after lunch, which was a ton of fun.  My host sisters have big exams coming up the next few weeks, so we all rested and in the evening I helped them study, and afterwards, we had some girl time and a dance party with glow sticks in the street and in our backyard, with the beautiful African sky under us.  It was a night I will never forgetJ

I leave for Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, this Wednesday July 31^st (about a 4 hour drive), and will be there until the following Monday August 5^th, when I will be flying back home to the States.  A very good Zambian friend of mine is taking the bus from Zambia to meet me in Windhoek, where we will spend a few days together.  I am so excited!  I haven’t seen here in 2 years!  Please be praying that we would be able to encourage one another and point each other to Christ at all times.  Thanks!

My heart is full.  I love these people, and I love this place.  God is so good.

Streams in the Desert

Wow, what a past week and a half it has been!  I have only been here in Arandis for 2 1/2 weeks, but it feels like so much longer than that (in a good way)!  The east winds have been cool and strong in the mornings, but the air is warm here in the desert during the day as the sun rises high in the sky, and I am thankful for that!  The nights get rather cold, but that is what a sleeping bag is forJ  Flexibility is the name of the game here in Africa, as things change all the time and you just have to roll with it.  As they say, “this is Africa!”  This has definitely applied to my living situation here over the past week.  Due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to temporarily move into the house of one of the long-term missionaries here at the beginning of last week, staying with 4 other Westerners.  However, earlier this week I moved in with a Namibian family for my last two and a half weeks here.  So 3 moves in 2 ½ weeks--it’s safe to say I have had packing fatigue… I didn’t even fold my clothes to put them in my bag for this last move haha.

But…I am so happy to be staying with a local family!  I have had two other host family experiences in the past, for 5 months in Ecuador and for a year in Zambia, and I just love and appreciate getting to do life with local people.  It is in the home that a foreigner begins to understand the different layers of a culture, and relationships and trust can be built.  Over the past couple of weeks, I have already been getting to know the family I am staying with now, and I didn’t even know that I would have the chance to stay with them!  There is a husband and a wife (Unce Frank and Auntie Buella), and they have two of their own children and four foster children, all girls between the ages of kindergarten and around age 20; they are one of the foster families in the ministry.  The girls’ names are Buezetta, Zandria, Chandre, Nanysha, Zuelery and Ashley.  I hope and pray the Lord will use me to come alongside of them and encourage them, point them to Christ at all times, and pour into them as much as I can and in whatever ways I can.  I am so thankful for this opportunity—I had no idea the Lord would give me this blessing!

Last week was full but fulfilling.  My mornings were spent in the first grade classroom.  Man, those 11 munchkins are a handful, but are they ever adorable!  Amor, Karere, Consultis, Katalina, Lissa, Brandon, Phenni, Eunice, Kananjo and Innocent keep me busy and on my toes, but they want to learn and do wellJ  Keeping them focused and on task has been challenging, but we are working on that.  They keep me laughing for sure!  I shadowed Ms. Nan, the regular first grade teacher, who is a missionary from the States and also the principal of the school, Monday through Wednesday, and then on Thursday and Friday I was on my own, with Ms. Maria, the Namibian teaching assistant, coming and going and helping out as she was able to.  I am learning so much (as I am not a certified teacher nor do I have an extensive professional teaching background in the States).  I believe the Lord is equipping me and giving me the strength, wisdom and patience and peace that I need daily!  Please continue praying to that end.

My afternoons have been rich in relationships, as I spend every afternoon with older kids in the ministry, tutoring them at their homes and playing outside on the streets with them.  I think I may have pulled a muscle in my leg last week while playing soccer with them…whoops!  Guess I need to stretch moreL Two  Sundays ago I taught the basics of volleyball to about 20 kids, as well as one of the host mommies.  We had such a good time!  It’s exciting to see them willing to try something new, and improve as they work hardJ

The first Bible study I did last Friday with the teen girls and foster mommies in the ministry was fruitful!  More than I expected showed up (15 girls!), as well as two of the foster mommies.  I introduced the theme for the Bible study, the search for significance—finding our identity in Christ alone.  I am using an outline I made from the book Search for Significance by Robert McGee.  The group was a bit shy, and the style was more of me teaching and asking the whole group questions, to help lay the foundation for the rest of the study in the coming weeks.  I shared Scripture and we listened to a few really powerful songs relating to the topicJ  We will meet this coming Friday afternoon again, and I hope to be able to draw them out a bit more by breaking them up into smaller groups and having them reflect and share with one another about this week’s topic—avoiding the trap of trying to find your worth in how you perform.  Please be praying for wisdom for me, as well as soft, receptive hearts. 

And wow, what a day we all had in Swakopmund this past Saturday!  Swakopmund is the closest city to Arandis, about 30 minutes by car.  It is a beautiful coastal city that has a strong German influence.  There is a church there, called Shofar church, that started an outreach ministry with Children of Promise ministries (the ministry I am serving with here) awhile back.  Every month, they organize a fun trip/outing for all of the ministry children, foster mommies, volunteers and missionaries.  On Saturday, they came to pick us all up and took us into Swakopmund for the day.  We went to the aquarium, as well as to Spur (a nice “Western style” restaurant with burgers and French fries and ice cream), and then back to their church to watch an inspirational movie called “The Letter Writer.”  It was beautiful and moving, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.  The themes of the movie were forgiveness, the power of our words, using our gifts to bless others, etc.  I was impressed with Shofar church-they are the only church in the area doing anything for those in need in their own community.  They are showing these children that they are valuable and important!  Praise God!  

I had yet another marriage proposal the other day walking home from school.  It was from a Namibian constructor worker from the top of a roof he was working on.  He called to me, “Miss, you are beautiful.  Marry me!  I LOOOOVE YOU!”  I said back to him, “But how can you love me when you don’t even know me?”  And he replied, “Oh miss, don’t worry…you will come to love me!”  I just had to laugh.  From 5 year old boys to grown men, I have had quite the array of proposals, both here in Arandis on this trip and in other parts of southern Africa in the past.  Now though, when the kids at school come up and give me a giant hug and tell me that I look beautiful every day, that touches my heart, and I can take that a bit more seriously than those silly proposals from strangersJ

I have been enjoying all the walking I have been doing, as well as the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets here.  The African sky at night is just breathtaking.  Everything is so clear, and the stars feel so close.  It’s like you can reach out and touch the Milky Way.  Man, how I’ve missed it!

One last thought--I love how water is used throughout the Bible to represent life--eternal, abundant life.  This is my prayer for Arandis and for the rest of Namibia, for the hearts of all those who need the waters of eternal life to quench their parched souls.  May they be satisfied by the Father’s steadfast love! 

“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing…for waters break forth in the wilderness; and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water…”  Isaiah 35:1-2,6-7  

Adding to the beauty

Wow--I can't believe I've been here in Arandis for a week now!  As I sit here typing this, I hear children laughing and playing next door and in the street, dogs barking outside my window, and music blaring from a shebeen (bar) a street over.  I've missed these sounds more than I realized (okay, maybe not the music blaring from the shebeen--it's been making it hard for me to fall asleep at night).  But the children and the dogs?  Yes:)  Memories of my time in Zambia have come flooding back:)  The Lord is so good to have allowed me to return to this beautiful continent.  As I expected, there are definitely similarities, but there are also differences between my time in Zambia and other countries in southern Africa and my time here in Namibia so far.  One of the most obvious ones would probably be that I am in the desert here in Arandis, and it is much colder than I expected it would be!  Apparently, temperatures right now are lower than they typically are this time of year, so even the locals are shivering:)

By God's grace, the adjustment to life here has been smooth.  I think the fact that I was able to call Zambia home for awhile back in 2010/2011 has helped, because I knew a bit better what to expect this time around.  Definitely am still no expert, and will never be.  I have loved getting to know the kids in the the ministry, as well as the foster mommies, other short-term volunteers, the long-term missionaries here, the Namibian teachers, those at the local church, and others around town.  There are lots of names and faces to remember, but I'm working on it!  Everything in Arandis is within a 15 minute walk, which I love, and I have enjoyed exploring:)

This past week, I helped out each morning in the second grade classroom at Talitha-Kumi Academy, the school that was founded and is run by the ministry I am serving with here, Children of Promise Ministries.  Some days I was on my own, and other days I was the helper.  The school is right down the road from where I am staying at the ministry center, so the 7:10 a.m. start time isn't quite as painful as it could be if I lived further from the school:)

                                          The road I live on

I have been tutoring a few of the older kids in the afternoons at the school, and had the opportunity last Monday evening to attend a weekly prayer meeting held by the pastor of the local church here in town, who is Zambian!  We did prayer a bit differently, all praying at one time!  I thought that was just a Korean church thing, but I guess not:)  On Wednesday, I was able to help out with a youth conference in town, and was able to pray with teen girls and encourage them and share with them from my own walk with Christ and life experience.  So thankful for that opportunity!

  

At the end of the youth conference with Estomitch and Annalisa

So far, the Lord has blessed me with a number of opportunities just to encourage and pray with various individuals.   It has been a privilege to co-labor with Him in His ministry here in Arandis, and the gift of His peace has been incredible this week.  The following words have been impressed upon my heart by the Lord this week:  encourage.  point them back to me.  point them to the truths in my word.  embrace humility.  let your gentleness be evident to all.  observe.  be prayful at all times.  take the posture of a learner.  let me infuse you with my joy and peace so that you can pour into those around you.  you are my vessel, making known the riches of my mercies to everyone you interact with.  give thanks at all times.  i am with you.  trust me.  be flexible.  laugh often.  add to the beauty of this place.

This coming week, I will be helping out in the first grade classroom in the mornings, and then will be visiting the homes of a couple different foster families to help the older kids with their homework in the afternoons.  I'm looking forward to the relationships the Lord will continue to allow me to form.  On Friday, I hope to begin teaching the 5th-7th grades the basics of volleyball during gym class, to be continued over the weekends:)

Starting next Saturday morning, I also plan to help facilitate a parenting series for the foster parents in the ministry using the book Shepherding a Child's Heart, as well as a series on finding identity in Christ with the teen girls in the ministry (using The Search for Significance student edition book).  I'm excited!  It is so awesome to see how the Lord has equipped me for these opportunities over the past year as I've worked through these books at CIU and at church.

I will leave you with a couple of pictures from last weekend, when I was able to visit Moonscape, a mountainous region not far from Arandis, as well as the huge sand dunes right outside Swakopmund, a coastal city about 30 minutes by car from Arandis.

You can see the rest of my Namibia photo album on Picasa  here:  https://picasaweb.google.com/100039614502435865127/NamibiaJuly2013

"Blessed be the (wo)man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is in the LORD.  He (she) is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."  (Jeremiah 17:8).  May this be true of me, Father, and may I be found in you!

Love from Arandis,

Steph