Photo of the Day

I volunteered to take photos of the weekend for the local newspaper Vision Arandis. It was so much fun that today you get two photos of the day! The first is kids playing on the inflatables. Below is a kid winding up for an uppercut in the boxing competition.

There's no time like the present

The Sports Weekend proved to be a great event for the community and a great lesson in African culture for me. The other volleyball teams that were suppose to come never showed so we just split up some teams and played amongst ourselves, nothing very competitive since we were coed. We were slotted to play again on Saturday at 9…which turned into 11…which turned into afternoon…which never ended up happening. That was pretty typical of the whole weekend schedule. It did me no good to ask what time events started because when I would show up no one would be there. That’s part of the love/hate relationship that many Westerners have with African culture: stuff happens when people show up.

Africans themselves are very split over the topic. I’ve heard some say it’s a fault of their culture that they need to work on. I’ve heard others speak proudly of it as a cultural distinction and heritage. As a Westerner and an outsider I realize it’s something I must take in stride. To get frustrated is useless, because there’s no one who will sympathize with me and it’s not going to change anything. The best thing to do is become a little ‘African’ myself and just enjoy the relationships right in front of me.

Arandis Sports Weekend

This weekend is the long awaited Arandis Sports Weekend. There will be tournaments all weekend including track and field events, soccer, tennis, darts, chess, netball, and of course, volleyball. I’ve been recruited for the town team and we’ll be playing against the Kolin Foundation team as well as teams from Windhoek and Walvis Bay. You can log on today at 12:00pm EST for a live streaming video of the tournament games…are you kidding? Who do you think I am!? Maybe next time.

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This week in Bible class we talked about the patriarchs in Genesis. We started with Abraham and how salvation came through his faith and not his works. Then we talked about Jacob and Esau, how God uses even our sins and bad choices to accomplish His ends. Finally, this morning we looked at Joseph’s life and learned that even when nothing seems to be going our way, God is still in control. After two weeks we finally finished the first book of the Bible. Next week we’ll hit the next two books, then spend our final 2 weeks together on the whole rest of the Old Testament. Hard to believe I only have 3 full weeks left in Arandis.

Photo of the Day

Playing with colorization:

This is my new friend Vivian, one of eleven OVCs (orphans

and vulnerable children) taken in by a kindhearted woman.

Change for the Hospital

Thanks to all those who participated in the ‘Change for the Hospital’ campaign. Now’s the time to take all that spare change to the bank to see how much you’ve saved. Even for those who haven’t been collecting their change through the month of September, you can still give. Click on the banner in the right column for more info on the project. Then send your donation to Christ’s Church of Amherst, 58 Merrimack Rd, Amherst, NH 03031 or you can donate online here. When it’s all tallied up I’ll let you know how we did. Thanks again for all your help!