What a weekend

It’s been pretty crazy these past couple days, and it doesn’t look to let up anytime soon. Our Bible Study at the high school just finished the Firm Foundations book that they’ve been going through for over 2 years now. To celebrate we had a little Fun Day with the kids. We spent the morning over at Gross Barmen, a natural hot spring in the area, enjoying all kinds of pool games like sharks & minnows, Marco Polo, and some chicken fights. Then we headed back to Dieter & Joan’s plot where we braaied up some food and gathered around in my living room to watch The Passion of the Christ projected up on the wall. We had some great questions and conversation following the film. Overall, a great day and a good conclusion to the study.

As I mentioned, next weekend I’m joining Dieter & Joan and a group from Emmanuel Church on an outreach down to Mariental. Joan was put in charge of the volleyball ministry, for her leadership and ministry sense rather than her volleyball skills I’m sure. In fact, no one who joined her team knows much of anything about volleyball! As usual, Joan was excited about the Providence of having an American coach living on their plot. So Saturday morning I held a little clinic for them, demonstrating some of the basics that they can then show the girls next weekend and teaching the rules so they can referee their tournament. They were an attentive class and most importantly, they understand that this whole project is for the sole purpose of sharing the gospel and God’s love with the teens that come.

Have I mentioned yet how thankful I am that God provided good friends my age to hang out with? Saturday night we had a little game night with some of the other ministry volunteers around the area. Markus and JoJo are a German couple who are helping Lon & Val Garber with their ministries. Isabella is an Ovambo girl who’s been staying with them as well, helping with the beading ministry and often used as an interpreter in Vyf Rand. Anna is a German volunteer at the Ark. Then there’s Buddy, Julia, and myself. It was awesome being halfway around the world, sharing the same table and breaking bread with people from 3 different countries and cultures. We quickly decided that there needs to be a Namibian version of Apples to Apples, a perfect opportunity for me to use my print-your-own cards. It wasn’t until I played it over here that I realized how very American that game really is. But it was cool because they could learn a little vocabulary and I could learn how deeply engrained my own culture is in me.

The Judea Harvest Youth Camp arrived tonight. I helped out playing guitar during the opening session and it gave me flashbacks of the crusade back in Arandis. The leader starts singing a song and I have to figure out the key and the chords on the fly, but this time I don’t have Tresford to follow. Should make for an interesting week. :) Dieter keeps telling me how African I’m becoming, but I can’t help but think how American I really am.

Mr Gardener

This is the beginnings of the gardening project I've been working on. Unfortunately I don't have a before picture for you to see the jungle it started out as. It's now a lovely place to sit and read your Bible as the sun first peaks over the horizon, or just pray and listen to the wind rustling the tall grass.

This is what's next...and here you can see the jungle. :)

100

I used to think of Orion as a decent sized constellation, but not that big compared to Taurus or the Scorpion. But that was before I saw the flashing light of a plane flying through the middle of "The Hunter”. I’ve stood next to planes. I know how big they are. But this one, as it inched across the constellation, was no bigger than one of the stars making up his shape. Now I look up at the western sky and Orion looks enormous.

It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. It is he who turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night; who draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name! ~Amos 5:8

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Guinea fowl are usually pretty timid, but making it’s home in the Windhoek Botanical Gardens, this one probably sees it’s fair share of inquisitive tourists. It was quite a peaceful walk through the hills enjoying the quiver trees and the bottle trees and the Windhoek Aloe in full bloom. It’s these little things that you don’t have the chance to appreciate when you’re in and out in two short weeks.

I’m pretty excited about the Judea Harvest youth camp next week. Like I said, I’ll be teaching a volleyball clinic in the late morning, but I also volunteered to be a part of the worship team. There will be over 100 kids from churches all around Windhoek. They’ll spend Sunday night through Thursday here at the plot learning evangelism training and other life skills. Then over the weekend I’ll join them down in Mariental (an hour and a half south of Rehoboth) for an outreach to put their training into practice. It should be a great week…although it does mean I’ll miss the bazaar in Arandis which I’m kinda disappointed about.

Other random updates: The animal adventures continue…I’ve killed 4 mice in my house within the last week. For those animal rights people, there are still plenty around even without those who desire to reside in my home. I also skidded out pretty hard core on a bike the other day and scraped up my knee pretty badly. It looks rough, but it’s already on the mend. And as surprising as it may sound, I found a juice I think I like better than Juicy Fruit’s Mango Orange. Fruitree’s Clear Apple juice is phenomenal! With every cup it’s as though I’d forgotten how good it was!

Photo of the Day

Rugby practice

April Vacation

This is the Africa I remember, cool mornings, clear skies, and dark by 6. It’s been kinda weird getting used to the time change, but it’s cool. I’ve been up with the sun by 6-6:30am and to bed by 9-10pm. I feel like I’m turning into Dieter. :) Otherwise Bible study’s and things at the Ark are going well. We finished up the Firm Foundations material at the school study so we’re going to throw a little party over break. Their first term ends on Monday so they have a few weeks off before going back for the second term.

School may be out, but I’ll be staying busy over the holiday. There is a Judea Harvest camp of about 100 teens coming to the plot. During the mornings they’ll have sport electives so they want the American coach to teach the volleyball one. Arandis Christian Center is hosting a bazaar to raise funds for their new church building. And Dieter has given me permission to work on the garden that has spent years trying to survive being overgrown and forgotten. Now I’m not much of a gardener, but I’ve done my share of landscaping along the way. I’ll post pics of my progress.

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Pearl’s home from the hospital today, though they haven’t heard the results of the tests yet. She’s feeling a little queasy as a side effect, but overall thrilled to be home.