Rumor has it that winter is coming soon. I see no sign of it.
About this time last year we posted a pic of our digital clock showing a temp of 128.5 outside. Yep, we topped it. Earlier it was measuring 135, but I had to bring it inside to get the photo and it registered a little lower by the time the digital display cleared up.
It says 132.
The boys were making the best of it. We later turned it into an a bubble bath. Why not, right?
Update at 2pm -> it's hotter now. The temp just registered 139 degrees Fahrenheit. No joke. It felt like a huge ceramic heater was blowing on the town.
I have found a song that I love, and I wanted to share the lyrics with you. I believe they tell of the heart of a loving God which is real and amazing.
Song: Among the Poor By: Jeremy Riddle Album: The Now and Not Yet
"Lord I've said I want to serve You
I've been so eager to love And how I've longed so much to find You Just to be where You are
But it seems I've forgotten Where You are and what You look like I hear Your words speak to me As You remind me again
You're among the poor You're close to the broken The least of these the lowest of the low You're among the weak the hungry the thirsty And as we do unto them We've done unto You We've done unto You
We are Your people we bear Your name God we claim to seek Your ways But have we neglected Your cries And we have looked past Your face oh
You're among the poor You're close to the broken The least of these the lowest of the low You're among the weak the hungry the thirsty And as we do unto them We've done unto You We've done unto You
(BRIDGE) See My face (see My face) Look in My eyes Hear My voice Don't ignore My plight
And I'm among the poor I'm close to the broken The least of these the lowest of the low I'm among the weak the hungry the thirsty And as You do unto them You've done unto me yes You've done unto me yeah You've done unto me"
Song of the Year, in my opinion... now, hurry and go to iTunes and get it. It's worth your time and money (no, I get nothing from this plug :-) )
Last week I traveled to Windhoek because I needed to conduct some business and see some people in the "big city". I made a plan to stay overnight for a couple nights before returning to our hometown. Well, I'm getting off track. The more important thing is that I had a few folks who tagged along - my oldest two (Kailey and Ashlan), and the lady we help out who has taken in 10 children. I will call this lady "S" (since this is a public blog). "S" was on her way back to take care of her mom again who has been struggling with cancer for some time now.
When we arrived in Windhoek we went straight to the house where S's mom stays. The location is in "the location" - which is what they call the Township-style cities situated around most of the major population areas that one time served as the forced relocation areas for the black people. Bottom line - it still looks like apartheid when you go into those areas. The area is ripe with reminders of life under the old regime.
So, as I was saying, we arrived at the house. There we found her mom with two ladies standing over her bed fanning her with newspapers trying to keep her cool. Every time I have seen her in the past she has looked frail, weak, and terribly sick. The cancer started out small, as it normally would. In recent months it has spread to almost every conceivable corner of her body. The doctors sent her home last year with morphine in hand, saying there was nothing they could do. And now, here she was... lying in wait of a miserable death. The room was an oven - probably over 100 degrees Farhenheit by the time I arrived (mid day). The ladies were doing the best they could to keep her comfortable. But I couldn't sit (or stand) idle.
So, I went to one of the big chain stores in Windhoek - called "Game". It's the closest thing to a Wal-mart that southern Africa has. There, I bought a cheap fan and an extension cord. We drove immediately back to the home and plugged in the fan. The extension cord was to help bring the power in from the house next door.
As soon as the fan was on I saw a wave of relief fall across two faces. First, the face of the old, feeble mother who was laying in her overheated, emaciated state. Second, the face of "S", whose tears spoke gratitude greater than I could have ever asked for. And then, the mom called over "S", and spoke in a voice softer than one I've ever heard before. The words were small, and I could hear only the faint clicks of the Damara language she spoke. And then, "S" said, "my mom says, 'thank you'. And she says, 'now I can rest, because he brought the wind'." She hugged me. I tried to act nonchalant and comfortable. But, I admit I wasn't. It's hard for me to receive appreciation for things like that. I just want people to experience Jesus in a real way. Nothing more, nothing less.
I went away from that experience hoping that the real message of the Gospel made it through the thickness of the environment and the heat of the day. Jesus saves... yes...BECAUSE, Jesus loves.
This morning, I received a call from "S" at about 6:30am from Windhoek. She told me that her mom had died. She has been through so much pain, and I was only able to offer a bit of comfort near the end. I wish I could have done more.
"I'm so sorry Auntie "S". I will tell the children", I said. And so I did.
And then I sat for about an hour holding the 13 year old girl who was raised from a baby by S's mom. She cried the entire time. The other 9 sat mostly stone-faced. And at that moment I again "preached the Gospel" through loving them. I do love them.
And then Jesus brought the wind. Comfort came. Night has since fallen.
Tomorrow is another day, and more winds must come, lest this place become singed by the scorching heat of reality.
In the last week we passed the 1 year mark for having moved into Arandis. I asked our kids to reflect on the year and their new lives in writing. I didn't give them many parameters so that they would write with honesty and so it would be their own work and not mine. Here is what they wrote (in no particular order):
"I like to play with my friends and I like to go to Sunday School. I like to paint and I like Arandis - it is fun (daddy's note: she's being positive, because she is frequently bored...). Playing with new friends like Nadine and Chandre are really fun. I like to go to school and learn different things like reading, science, English, and math. I like them all and I also like break/recess. I also like to go to Swakop and other places. And we also like to go to the shops and buy things."
- Jessa, age 10
"My life in Arandis has been different from what I was used to in America. I have to walk every where instead of driving every where because the town is so small. The shops are small and don't have too much in them. Even though I miss America very much I can sometimes have a lot of fun. I often find myself comparing Arandis to Virginia. The food, culture, language, and many others are different but I love how every one gets along. I go to dance twice a week so that's something to do. I also help in the school library Thursday mornings and then sometimes help my mom teach art. I look forward to some Friday nights when they play movies at the town hall and sell snacks. This happens maybe once a month and is very cheap. I also like concerts when we dance on stage.
Even after a year here I still sometimes get laughed at. I have learned to ignore it but I don't really forget it easily. I am glad that there are at least some Americans here. It makes me feel like I can relate to some people. I have some good friends who - I hope - like me for who I am.
At this time, I don't know if I'd rather go back or stay here. I have grown to love this place despite the heat and other differences. I miss America but also love it here. I know if I went back I really wouldn't feel the same. So, in conclusion, my life here in Arandis is interesting and different but I like it. I think I could call it home."
-Ashlan, age 12
"What I will not forget (about Arandis) is when we had to give Jumpy (a dog) back to the SPCA because he was really nice and cute (daddy's note: yeah, and he peed all over the house, and went into neighbors' houses and did the same. He was at risk of being put down by people around here who don't have patience for that kind of stuff if we kept him). Sometimes he was annoying... Kailey an Ashlan will say he was all the time. I really liked him but Jessa was in love with him. Happy (our other dog, who we still have) and Jumpy played with each other every morning. Sometimes they got in fights but it ended alright. But that is what I will never forget (about my first year here)."
-Josiah, age 7
"The past year has been like none of the others. Finally, after spending almost a decade in Northern Virginia surrounding by the same culture, same people, and the same terrain, I've experienced life in a completely different way. Last year I faced my greatest struggles ever. Nothing was the same. I had to face a new culture alone. English was a foreign language to most people. The place was new. The people were new. The food was new. Altogether, it made life a challenge.
I struggled to find comfort in a place I didn't know (Even after having our own home, it didn't feel like home). I asked God why things had to be so difficult more than a few times. But I never really got a direct answer. I remember hearing Him ask, "do you trust me?" But I didn't understand. From my point of view I was a helpless girl facing extreme emotional struggles. Having no one to walk with me through the difficulties (daddy's note: she means 'no one except her stodgy, mean, old parents'), I was turning to God asking "What happened to 'the righteous receiving God's blessings'?"
What I didn't realize for months was that He WAS the blessing. By separating from everything I find comfort in, I had nothing to do but find comfort in Him. I began to depend on Him for my needs. And now, when I'm in His presence, I feel completely emotionally satisfied. I might never find a permanent place of comfort on this earth, but at least God is here to walk me through it all."
Tourism is big in this country, and during some seasons I think there are more rich South Africans and Germans in this country than Namibians. Well, the advantage to that is there are tons of decent lodges and scenic areas in the country to get away to. So, we took a trip last week to the southern part of Namibia. The director of HPOM-N has a sister who is a travel agent and owner of a lodge and we were offeredFREE accommodations. You have to know that we were going to take up that offer!
So, off to the "bush" country of southern Africa we went... and in doing so I learned just how small and vulnerable we are. Many valuable lessons were absorbed, and several I really really hope I never forget. Here are just a few:
(1) Don't under estimate the power of dirt and sand roads, washed out roads (from the rain), and a "scenic route" to slow you down I measured it up... figured it out... and it should have taken about 4-5 hours to get to the lodge. So, we left at 8am. We arrived at about 6pm. You do the math... :-)
(2) One spare tire is ok, but two is better So, on day 3 of the adventure (Wednesday) we decided to head out of the general area of the lodge to a German-built town on the southwest coastline of Namibia called Luderitz. (Remember that it was the Germans who colonized Namibia for a number of years and in doing so they built up a few towns along the coastline. They are all well-built and are VERY much in contrast to the rest of Namibian towns. Anyhow, the Kaiser was kicked out of Namibia by the South Africans in WWI, but many of the German descendants still remained afterward. To this day, you can hear German spoken in several towns along the coastline, including in Swakopmund which is about 60 kilometers from Arandis where we live.)
It was going to be a long day of driving, sightseeing, and driving again - so we got up very early (5am). After driving 3 hours on dirt, rock, mud, and water we finally reached a paved road. Not more than 2 minutes later one of the back tires shredded like a carrot in a blender. And as I worked to change the tire I looked over at the other one and saw radials of metal poking out everywhere. That thing was NOT going to last.
Well, by God's hand we met a man named Washington, who is Zimbabwean. He is here because of the turmoil in his country. He not only helped me change my tire, but he road with us and showed us the nearest fuel stop and service station about 5 kilometers away - hidden back in a town called Aus. Next dilemma though... they only had 1 tire of each possible size. So, I bought a tire (used, and repaired) and we went on our way towards Luderitz. Once there, we found a place where we could purchase 2 tires. But, listen to this -> The used one we purchased, when removed there at the tire place, had a BIG gash in it. I do not know, apart from the hand of God, how it made it all the way there (120 kilometers). If it had gone, we would have been stuck in EXTREME desert territory without a good spare. God no doubt protected us.
(3) Every time I think I understand the history of how people have suffered here I learn more... and it just sounds worse every time.
When we finally made it to Luderitz we visited several places around the town (I mean, after visiting the tire store). One of those places is Shark Island, which is connected to the coastline via a short causeway. The history of Shark Island is depressing, to say it kindly. It was at one time a concentration camp for the German military during their fight against the Herero and Nama people of southern Namibia. Not only did they hold men there, but also women and children - most of whom died while on the island because of the terrible living conditions, and the harsh weather and climate. To dispose of the people, the Germans would dismember them and throw the parts into the ocean. That, of course, attracted the sharks for eating - thus the name Shark Island. You will see by the pictures below of our visit, just how useless the island would be for living on...
The surface of the island is pretty much all the same... rock.
And, right off of the island is nothing but harsh waters and more rocks.
This is a monument commemorating the struggle of the Nama people (shown as !AMA on the marble sign. The "!" is a hard click sound in the Nama language).
I think this is the only standing structure on the island... a lighthouse building built by the Germans and now used as a lodge
(4) Build as we may, God's creation will take back over sooner or later...
There is a small ghost town outside of Luderitz which is quite famous for it's scenery. The town is called Kolmanskop, and was a German-built diamond mining town in the heart of the sand dunes of the southern Namib desert. Abandoned in the 1950s it has been almost overrun with sand. We visited and walked through houses where the sand was so deep on the floor that there was almost no walking space in the whole room.
It was downright eery walking through the houses where families once lived that had been overrun with sand. Look at the German architecture - very surreal.
Old-style hot-water heater and tub. You would put hot coals into the lower part, and the water would sit in the upper part.
Anyone need to use the toilet?
(5) Traveling during the rainy season is crazy.
So, on the way back to our lodge we encountered a rain and wind storm in the middle of the desert unlike one we've ever seen before - complete with sideways rain and sand storms. The first 120 kilometers of that trip is mostly uphill, and so our van was Struggling (capitalized on purpose). When we reached the town of Aus again (remember, where we stopped first after our tire blew out) we returned to the service station we had seen earlier in the day. I was positive we couldn't make it any further, and I was looking for help. We found a small tourist-oriented hotel in the town and I went in ready to beg for a place to sleep. They were very helpful (glad to take Visa or Mastercard??) and we planted ourselves there for the night. Not but about 30 minutes after I took the keys for the rooms the rain stopped and the sun came out. You may think - well, maybe we should have waited and then continued on, but in Namibia when it rains the "rivers" start to appear everywhere including over the roads. And there have been stories of people who were caught in a flash flood a died and I wasn't about to mess around. So, there we stayed.
Check out the rainbow on the right side. It was a full rainbow at first, but the pictures don't really show it well
The hotel. Yep, that is really in a small town in Africa. Like I said, tourism is a MAJOR industry here. Unfortunately, it doesn't usually benefit the people living in tin-shacks and make-shift structures in almost every city and town because much of the tourism industry is owned and operated by the wealthy few, or South Africans who have invested well. And I really don't mean that in a critical way, it's just a general reality.
(6) Traveling during the rainy season is REALLY crazy.
Again on our way the next morning, we entered the region of sand, dirt, and rocky roads. The effects of the rain were everywhere, but I was NOT turning back at that point. We were desperate to get back to our lodge (remember- FREE). So, we pushed on.
It must have been about 10-12 times that we had to stop and evaluate the situation carefully before proceeding. I wish I could say that I was being a "man" about it and that I was the one scouting out the roads, but...
And all the ladies in unison say, "that IS being a man about it - letting your wife do it!"
This was actually one of the better river crossings. :-)
(7) Even in the rainy season, Namibia is worth seeing.
Safari time! The lodge had an older model Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4, and we took advantage of it. The area around the lodge is huge and packed with various animals. We saw a lot more than we got (good) pictures of, but I will share at least a couple of the safari adventure so you can get the basic idea.
Our little adventurers
Mom, I promise the vehicle was parked when the kids were up there.
c. Springbok (which jump around like they're on springs)
d. Ostrich (you don't need a picture I'm sure) - tons of them e. And, we saw a VERY large Cape Cobra - but, don't worry, there are none in the area that we live (Arandis). So, Mom, Chris, Brian, Pastor Pat, Tori, Joshua, Ron, Brianna, et al... you probably won't encounter anything like that when you visit! Seriously.
Do I look like a nature-show host?
(8) A Safari in Namibia can be on-road or off-road.
I don't need to comment on this, do I? Just enjoy the pics
Sheep in the driveway
Cows in the road
Baboon that was in the road, but got off of it in time
A road, with no guardrails, on a cliff. I drove about 5 miles per hour on this one! It was 2 lanes most of the way, so don't be fooled by the angle of the picture that makes it look like a donkey-path. (again, Mom, don't worry, it was ok).
(9) Pot holes on a paved road stink, but pot-holes in a river going across a road are harsh.
Killed my van's shocks and lost a license plate in the process of driving back towards civilization. The plate is cheap, but the shocks are going to cost me...
+++++++++++++++
And a couple more pics for the record. Just because.
Swimming pool, African-style (a big water container for holding water pumped from a bore-hole).
Wild horse, but contained in a rather large fenced area. He's a beauty (cue Steve Irwin)
We had a request to describe a typical day here and for info about what our lives are like here. So for those “INQUIRING MINDS”…
Each day is a little different and things rarely get boring. During the school year, Jessa and Josiah must be at school by 7:35. Since the school is about 70 yards from our house they walk. School lets out around 12:40. Kailey and Ashlan also do their school at that time at home. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays I teach art at Talitha Kumi. Steve’s schedule and responsibilities change almost daily. He can be found in meetings about official ministry decisions (recently he was elected Chairman of the Board for Hopes Promise in Namibia, with him casting the only “nay” vote on that), interfacing with social workers or counselors, leading a youth group meeting, fixing something at a foster family’s house, or even providing rides to the hospital. It just depends on the needs of the day.
Some days I walk to the market to get groceries and freshly baked bread for the day’s meals. Friday mornings we host the weekly foster parent meetings at our house, where we conduct parent-training.
Once school is out at 12:40, our house gets very busy and begins to feel like Grand Central Station until dinner time comes and we say goodbye to all the kids! Some days it seems that we are getting knocks on our doors every 5 minutes. Friday evenings we frequently host movie night at our house for some of the children. Occasionally children will also spend the night here. Saturdays the knocks begin much earlier!
As far as our free time goes, sometimes we make the drive into Swakopmund as a family and shop, eat out, go to the beach or whatever we can find to do. Sundays we all attend church at 9am. The kids attend children’s church at the pastor’s house and adult church is at the Town Hall. Sundays we don’t have children over but have our family day. We enjoy any peace and quiet we can get. As a family we like to play games, watch some TV, or even just drive out into the desert and go exploring.
Arandis is not the easiest place to be. While there are cities in Namibia that are quite nice and modern, Arandis is a town that is rather run down. The town is littered with broken beer bottles, cans, candy wrappers, used condoms and graffiti. Hundreds of stray dogs wander the streets in search of scraps of food or water and even dig up and eat people’s plants out of desperation. Kids of all ages also wander the streets, and some are fed only slightly better than the dogs. They play with whatever is available. The other day I saw a little boy playing with a tin can he was dragging behind him on a string! There are Shebeens (bars) on every corner and Tombo houses where people make and sell their own brew on every street. They play loud music all through the night on the weekends- especially on the last weekend of the month when people get paid.
We are at least blessed to have electricity, running water (usually), a vehicle, decent roads and markets with recognizable food items. Recently we’ve had no water for hours on end during the day because of work they’re doing on the pipes. That’s not so easy when it’s 115-120 degrees outside. We’ve learned to store up water in big bottles.
There are no fast-food restaurants in Arandis, and convenience foods at the stores are pretty expensive, so all meals generally must be made from scratch. I don’t mind that though since it’s how I prefer to cook anyway. All the local markets have freshly baked bread daily- what a wonderful treat! In Africa almost nothing happens in what we would consider a timely fashion and many times stores don’t have things they are supposed to and that are advertised.
As you know by now, the climate is hot, dry and the landscape desolate. Outside the town is a hauntingly beautiful, inhospitable landscape of sand, rock and bare mountains as far as the eye can see. It is fun to explore when the weather is cooler. And outside of Arandis there are many wonderful places to see like the ocean, the world’s highest sand dune, game parks, ancient cave paintings, dinosaur footprints and bones, deserted diamond mining towns, Namibia’s version of the Grand Canyon and many more. The culture here is also beautifully rich and diverse with a fascinating history.
Hopefully this gives you a little picture of what our life is like here in Namibia. We really hope that many of you can come and experience it for yourself someday. It is a country unlike any place else on this earth!
Hi all! Our home church - The Father's House - in Chantilly, Virginia is planning a small group trip to come visit and serve in the spring of next year (2009). This trip is open to all of our friends and family to make, so here's some basic detail so you can let us know if you're interested:
When: Target dates are April 26th - May 8th, 2009 (Flexible, to get best plane ticket prices) Where: Fly from Washington, DC to Windhoek, Namibia. Main stay in Arandis, Namibia. How much: We are estimating the price to be around $2500 (USD), which depends mostly on the price of the plane tickets at time of purchase. Each person is responsible for their own funding, though we encourage you to trust in God for it! What: Children's ministry and outreach during school holiday in Arandis, and possibly in Usakos and Karibib as well, and we will also do a little sightseeing during free time. Who to contact: To receive more information, or to contact the trip coordinator please email either Pastor Pat Fauntroy at patfauntroy@verizon.net or me (Steve Graham) at reachnamibia@yahoo.com.
Here are some pics from this last year's children's ministry outreach in Karabib...
Enjoy your turkey today, and be safe. We will be enjoying the day together as a family. It doesn't feel the same (mostly because it's not a holiday here and everyone is about their business as usual), but that's ok. We were at least able to find some turkey meat at a store (not a whole turkey)... But, most of all, don't forget the reason why we celebrate. It's a time to give "thanks". Why and to whom? Simple...
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good." (Psalm 136:1)
It says 132. 
The boys were making the best of it.
