Chriszelda with her new son "Imanuel" at one day old. He's pretty cozy!Saturday, September 6, 2008
Special Delivery
Karrie got to play the role of midwife (kinda) recently. She accompanied our Afrikaans' language tutor to the hospital for the birth of her baby, and was sort of a labor coach for her. Well, the nurses at the state run hospital there didn't seem to care too much, and there was no doctor to be found. After a while, well, they had a baby. Karrie was glowing following that experience, to say the least.
Chriszelda with her new son "Imanuel" at one day old. He's pretty cozy!
Chriszelda with her new son "Imanuel" at one day old. He's pretty cozy!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Another funny antecdote
It came out recently that Kailey was born in Kentucky. Mind you, the only frame of reference that the people here have for the word "Kentucky" involves the one and only American restaurant chain in this country (only in the big towns/tourists locales).
So, all of Kailey's friends here now say she was born in a KFC.
I think I find it funnier than Kailey does.
So, all of Kailey's friends here now say she was born in a KFC.
I think I find it funnier than Kailey does.
August 2008 Newsletter
I almost forgot to post the link to the newsletter... but I didn't. So, here you go:
Download Newsletter
Download Newsletter
Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Advocate
For some reason I've been spending a lot of time thinking lately on the meaning of the word "advocate". There are four definitions given for the word at Dictionary.com. The one I identify with the most is "a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor". Generally speaking, the word has a legal meaning, which is why 3 of the 4 definitions given are related to official use of the word. My thoughts and day dreams have been more along the lines of a non-legal use. The image that I dwell on the most is of a superhero interceding to save the life of a young child. It's The Powerful stepping in on the behalf of The Powerless.
You know, that's the person I want to be. The one who steps in to help the weakling. Now, I'm under no illusions - I don't consider myself very powerful...but instead the life that now lives inside of me bears a level of power we usually describe as omnipotent. The Jesus who lives in me (and every other true believer on the entire planet) is the same one who came to earth to step in the way of the freight train we know of as "eternal death" to protect us.
I think the perspective of the "advocate" is what is behind the wording we find in James 1:27, which reads "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world"(NIV). Have you ever just sat and thought about that passage? Who is more vulnerable and seemingly hopeless than children with no parents, and women with no way to earn a living? Even the hungry dog outside my yard right now knows how to search for food. The ability to sniff out food is innate in a dog, but not in a child. Even the dog is born with teeth sharp enough to fight most everything off by himself. Even the strongest of children would die quickly without food, water, and shelter. Few have even the inborn strength to forage for themselves at younger ages. And, of course, since there's no natural source of food, water, or shelter where we live, what hope do hungry children have except for the help of an adult. Of course, that scenario in itself requires having adults around who care about the children more than their next sip of brew. So, I cannot help but ask the question to myself... who will be the advocate here?
For that matter, what about the meekness of most women (the use of the word "meek" is not meant as a derogatory description - I promise)? In some cultures, women are less valued than the physical possessions of a man. In fact, in many cultures, the woman IS a physical possession of the man. Those ideas are certainly not foreign here. So how little worth does society place on a woman who no longer brings a dowry to the table? The widow usually inherits NOTHING, and is no longer the "daughter" of their family of origin. What is a woman with no wealth and no future supposed to do when the "tigers come at night". Usually she ends up being swallowed up by the tigers. Who is her advocate?
A couple weeks ago I pulled up to a small lodge in town to meet with a guy who does some carpentry work for me. Behind the lodge is a dumpster. That day I found a boy (maybe 5 years old) and a girl (maybe 7) searching through the dumpster. The children here can be found sometimes looking for either edible food, or for glass bottles that they can turn in for the small change of a bottle deposit so they can buy bread to eat. I took some individually wrapped biscuits/cookies out of my car and offered them something to eat (thank you Caroline Webb for the idea). Of course, I didn't even finish the question of "would you like some..." before they interrupted with a resounding "yes". I realized in that moment that the children were likely fending for themselves. I would like to have spent more time with them, but they quickly scurried off - most likely to avoid competition from other, healthier/stronger children who would have been happy to take away their snack. I ask myself now - who is the advocate for these children? Where are the adults who are supposed to look after them?
Every day here in town I meet someone who is asking for something. For some, it's money, food, or clothes. For others, it's a job. Honestly, some are just asking for a drink of booze - a way out of their pain and misery. In a country so beautifully situated for the immense tourism market and the wealth of mining it seems a travesty that so many are still treading water in the financial world's sea of forgetfulness. Who will be their advocate?
You know, there could be a million "advocates" that show up in this country, and there still wouldn't be enough. The poverty that exists here goes beyond the surface of physical and social need. In fact, the physical poverty here may be the least of the concerns I see. There's some sort of spirit that I can feel here that is the opposite of "advocacy". I tend to think it's called "oppression" -> which is the spirit that motivates the powerful to seek out the weak for purposes of exploitation. The oppression I think we're witnessing here is too great to be overcome simply by the effectiveness of welfare ministries. The battle against flesh and blood is useless in the face of this type of oppression. This country won it's independence less than one generation ago using that sort of tactic. Now, they are fighting here for a different type of independence, and the tactics must change.
You know, I haven't really finished my thinking about the true meaning of advocacy. Even the last few paragraphs are just a matter of thinking out-loud. It's a good thing that the answer doesn't depend on me. It's a good thing that Jesus already stepped into the chasm between man and God to stand on our behalf as OUR ADVOCATE. And through the power of Jesus Himself I am confident that we will be able to truly make a difference here. Through Him we can be advocates. And so can you.
You know, that's the person I want to be. The one who steps in to help the weakling. Now, I'm under no illusions - I don't consider myself very powerful...but instead the life that now lives inside of me bears a level of power we usually describe as omnipotent. The Jesus who lives in me (and every other true believer on the entire planet) is the same one who came to earth to step in the way of the freight train we know of as "eternal death" to protect us.
I think the perspective of the "advocate" is what is behind the wording we find in James 1:27, which reads "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world"(NIV). Have you ever just sat and thought about that passage? Who is more vulnerable and seemingly hopeless than children with no parents, and women with no way to earn a living? Even the hungry dog outside my yard right now knows how to search for food. The ability to sniff out food is innate in a dog, but not in a child. Even the dog is born with teeth sharp enough to fight most everything off by himself. Even the strongest of children would die quickly without food, water, and shelter. Few have even the inborn strength to forage for themselves at younger ages. And, of course, since there's no natural source of food, water, or shelter where we live, what hope do hungry children have except for the help of an adult. Of course, that scenario in itself requires having adults around who care about the children more than their next sip of brew. So, I cannot help but ask the question to myself... who will be the advocate here?
For that matter, what about the meekness of most women (the use of the word "meek" is not meant as a derogatory description - I promise)? In some cultures, women are less valued than the physical possessions of a man. In fact, in many cultures, the woman IS a physical possession of the man. Those ideas are certainly not foreign here. So how little worth does society place on a woman who no longer brings a dowry to the table? The widow usually inherits NOTHING, and is no longer the "daughter" of their family of origin. What is a woman with no wealth and no future supposed to do when the "tigers come at night". Usually she ends up being swallowed up by the tigers. Who is her advocate?
A couple weeks ago I pulled up to a small lodge in town to meet with a guy who does some carpentry work for me. Behind the lodge is a dumpster. That day I found a boy (maybe 5 years old) and a girl (maybe 7) searching through the dumpster. The children here can be found sometimes looking for either edible food, or for glass bottles that they can turn in for the small change of a bottle deposit so they can buy bread to eat. I took some individually wrapped biscuits/cookies out of my car and offered them something to eat (thank you Caroline Webb for the idea). Of course, I didn't even finish the question of "would you like some..." before they interrupted with a resounding "yes". I realized in that moment that the children were likely fending for themselves. I would like to have spent more time with them, but they quickly scurried off - most likely to avoid competition from other, healthier/stronger children who would have been happy to take away their snack. I ask myself now - who is the advocate for these children? Where are the adults who are supposed to look after them?
Every day here in town I meet someone who is asking for something. For some, it's money, food, or clothes. For others, it's a job. Honestly, some are just asking for a drink of booze - a way out of their pain and misery. In a country so beautifully situated for the immense tourism market and the wealth of mining it seems a travesty that so many are still treading water in the financial world's sea of forgetfulness. Who will be their advocate?
You know, there could be a million "advocates" that show up in this country, and there still wouldn't be enough. The poverty that exists here goes beyond the surface of physical and social need. In fact, the physical poverty here may be the least of the concerns I see. There's some sort of spirit that I can feel here that is the opposite of "advocacy". I tend to think it's called "oppression" -> which is the spirit that motivates the powerful to seek out the weak for purposes of exploitation. The oppression I think we're witnessing here is too great to be overcome simply by the effectiveness of welfare ministries. The battle against flesh and blood is useless in the face of this type of oppression. This country won it's independence less than one generation ago using that sort of tactic. Now, they are fighting here for a different type of independence, and the tactics must change.
You know, I haven't really finished my thinking about the true meaning of advocacy. Even the last few paragraphs are just a matter of thinking out-loud. It's a good thing that the answer doesn't depend on me. It's a good thing that Jesus already stepped into the chasm between man and God to stand on our behalf as OUR ADVOCATE. And through the power of Jesus Himself I am confident that we will be able to truly make a difference here. Through Him we can be advocates. And so can you.
Friday, July 18, 2008
From the files of useless but funny antecdotes...
So, upon hearing about how when Kailey was younger, and before we adopted Josiah, Kailey prayed and asked God for a brother - Josiah now feels like he was an "answer to prayer" (of course, with a twist of pride in it). So there's the background, now here's the conversation that just happened:
Kailey: "Josiah, stop being annoying"
Josiah: "Did you pray for a brother who wasn't annoying?"
Kailey: "No"
Josiah: "Well, there you go then!"
Dad/Steve: "wow... I mean WOW" (and then, laughs his head off)
Have a nice day everyone!!!
Kailey: "Josiah, stop being annoying"
Josiah: "Did you pray for a brother who wasn't annoying?"
Kailey: "No"
Josiah: "Well, there you go then!"
Dad/Steve: "wow... I mean WOW" (and then, laughs his head off)
Have a nice day everyone!!!
Monday, June 30, 2008
"Hello from Arandis" Video download
We sent a video to our home church in Chantilly, VA for viewing. In case you want to see us and the Arandis area you can download the video (it's a big file, so be patient) to your local computer for viewing.
Right click on the following link and choose 'Save Target As' or 'Save Link As' in order to download the file to your local computer.
Right click on the following link and choose 'Save Target As' or 'Save Link As' in order to download the file to your local computer.
Link: http://us.share.geocities.com/xpertdd/reachnamibia/Hello_from_Arandis1C.mov
To view the file from within a web page, just click on the link.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Happy 13th Birthday Kailey!
For her 13th birthday we took Kailey out to see some Dolphins and Seals off the coastline of Namibia. Pics, of course, below...
above: a seal came up on the boat and sat on Kailey's lap... of course it was one that the skipper was familiar with - so no danger there...
above: there were dolphins everywhere it seemed, and they loved to follow the boat around as if it was a game.
After School Club in Karibib
We had the opportunity to work alongside a short-term mission team that came to Arandis from the Tampa, FL area. My (Steve) main participation was with the after school clubs (kinda like VBS) that we did in Usakos and Karibib (both close to 1 hour drive away from Arandis). The following pictures are from our time in Karibib.
above: the ages of people who came ranged from infants to adults
above: the venue was a stage area behind a local bar - which was sorta strange, but it worked! Of course, that meant that at times I had to play "security guard" in keeping the inebriated adults from interfering too much.
Above: even the adults listened in carefully to the stories of Jonah, David & Goliath, etc.. Some even enjoyed the crayons and coloring pages that were passed out. We enjoyed the opportunity to include them.
above: everywhere you look around here you find babies on the backs of people - even on the backs of their 6 or 7 year old siblings.
above: the ages of people who came ranged from infants to adults
above: the venue was a stage area behind a local bar - which was sorta strange, but it worked! Of course, that meant that at times I had to play "security guard" in keeping the inebriated adults from interfering too much. 
Above: even the adults listened in carefully to the stories of Jonah, David & Goliath, etc.. Some even enjoyed the crayons and coloring pages that were passed out. We enjoyed the opportunity to include them.
above: everywhere you look around here you find babies on the backs of people - even on the backs of their 6 or 7 year old siblings.
above: Ms. Debbie with some of the precious little ones who just absorb any attention and affection they can get.
Next year we expect to play host to a team from our home church in Chantilly, VA in doing some similar things with children. If you would like to know more about joining the team from VA please send me an email at reachnamibia@yahoo.com
Thursday, June 5, 2008
June Newsletter
You can download our latest newsletter with updates, pictures, etc. by clicking here.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Language Acquisition Made "Fun" (LAMF)
I must say, I was less than enthusiastic about going to Windhoek for MORE training. Granted, all of the preparation that AIM has provided for us has been for our benefit as well as for the benefit of those we serve and therefore necessary and even a blessing. Frankly though I was ready to be beyond that "training" phase and settle in here! But, LAMP (Language Acquisition Made Practical) is required by AIM so, I submitted my attitude to the Lord and tried to make the best of it. I actually ended up enjoying our time in Windhoek quite a bit and LAMP tuned out to be kind of fun!
The major premise of LAMP is learning language through relationships, not through book learning. Though we ultimately need to learn Afrikaans here in Arandis, the language we learned there was Otjiherero. Half of our time at LAMP was spent going out into a portion of Windhoek populated largely by Otjiherero speaking people where we had the chance to use the phrases we were learning. It was amazing to see people open up as we white Americans greeted them in their mother tongue!
One day when we were sent out, it was lunch time and we followed our noses to an area where there were lots of vendors preparing delicious looking meats and breads in the traditional styles over open fires. It was quite an experience! In one area there were whole portions of freshly butchered sides of beef, etc. I was SO glad we had missed the actual butchering time! I could barely handle the sounds of the dying chickens in the restaurant we visited in Kenya! But, the men would just cut off big pieces of beef and throw them on the fire. For a few Namibian dollars they would then cut off bite sized pieces for you which you could then stand there and dip into piles of seasoning and salt they had setting there. The meat was quite tasty. I don't think I've ever had meat so fresh.
But.... back to our language learning experience. So, here we were, completely out of place, smiling and proudly trying out our newly aquired phrases on anyone and everyone. "Wao hara!" I would say, which means "Good afternoon!". But why were people ignoring us or worse, snickering and talking to each other in words I couldn't understand? We continued undaunted. "Wao hara!" we said, "Wao hara!" (note from Steve: by "we" Karrie means her and some others... I wasn't saying that to anyone 'cause I knew better :-) ) Once in awhile we were rewarded with "Nawa, nawa." which was the expected response. But it seemed that people generally either didn't understand or were refusing to respond to us. .
Finally Steve and I sat down on a bench to rest. A gentleman came, sat down and began a conversation with us. He said he was Herero but that we were not in a Herero area which is why people weren't responding the way we'd hoped. OOPS. Since he was Herero he humored us by allowing us to practice our great (ha,ha!) language skills on him. Then he offered to walk us to a Herero area and not only walked us there but acted as our guide, introducing us to everyone he knew and even taking us to see some Himba (who are also Otjiherero speaking, and are ones who live out away from cities and a lifestyle pretty well free from any modern conveniences)! He seemed to have a wealth of knowledge on Namibian history and Herero culture. We learned SO much! He told us we must be very poor though since we had no cows. I proudly told him my family in the US had about five cows and he let me know that someone with only five cows should be very ashamed to tell people that because they must be very poor. Sorry Lonnie and Mom! Seriously, we were very humbled by this man's willingness to spend his day with us, asking nothing in return.What a fantastic day we had with our newfound friend!
Fast forward a week. So, now, here I am back in Arandis, freshly inspired in my Afrikaans learning. Taking walks out in the community, to the market and to visit people to practice my Afrikaans has become my new hobby. It is such fun and so rewarding as people respond with joy at hearing me attempt their language! At first I feared the idea- wondering what people would think and how they would respond. But everyone has been so encouraging, helpful and kind. Yesterday morning, I took a walk to the market to buy ingredients for a birthday cake. On the way back, I stopped to practice my Afrikaans on this lady selling homemade curtains. She asked me where I was from and became very excited when I told her the US. She has spent 20 years in the US, loved it and loves Americans. She came back, she said, to care for children in need here. Currently she cares for fourteen children in her humble, Arandis-sized house. I couldn't resist and invited her to come to our house for dinner last night. What a WONDERFUL treat. I feel like I found a diamond because this woman truly is a jewel. Some of her life experiences inlude: being the wife of an ambassador to the US (formerly), being involved in the independence fight, and currently running a day care and shelter for orphans and vulnerable children in Windhoek. We ate and talked for nearly four hours after which I drove her home where I got to see many of the children. I am liking this language learning thing.
-Karrie
The major premise of LAMP is learning language through relationships, not through book learning. Though we ultimately need to learn Afrikaans here in Arandis, the language we learned there was Otjiherero. Half of our time at LAMP was spent going out into a portion of Windhoek populated largely by Otjiherero speaking people where we had the chance to use the phrases we were learning. It was amazing to see people open up as we white Americans greeted them in their mother tongue!
One day when we were sent out, it was lunch time and we followed our noses to an area where there were lots of vendors preparing delicious looking meats and breads in the traditional styles over open fires. It was quite an experience! In one area there were whole portions of freshly butchered sides of beef, etc. I was SO glad we had missed the actual butchering time! I could barely handle the sounds of the dying chickens in the restaurant we visited in Kenya! But, the men would just cut off big pieces of beef and throw them on the fire. For a few Namibian dollars they would then cut off bite sized pieces for you which you could then stand there and dip into piles of seasoning and salt they had setting there. The meat was quite tasty. I don't think I've ever had meat so fresh.
But.... back to our language learning experience. So, here we were, completely out of place, smiling and proudly trying out our newly aquired phrases on anyone and everyone. "Wao hara!" I would say, which means "Good afternoon!". But why were people ignoring us or worse, snickering and talking to each other in words I couldn't understand? We continued undaunted. "Wao hara!" we said, "Wao hara!" (note from Steve: by "we" Karrie means her and some others... I wasn't saying that to anyone 'cause I knew better :-) ) Once in awhile we were rewarded with "Nawa, nawa." which was the expected response. But it seemed that people generally either didn't understand or were refusing to respond to us. .
Finally Steve and I sat down on a bench to rest. A gentleman came, sat down and began a conversation with us. He said he was Herero but that we were not in a Herero area which is why people weren't responding the way we'd hoped. OOPS. Since he was Herero he humored us by allowing us to practice our great (ha,ha!) language skills on him. Then he offered to walk us to a Herero area and not only walked us there but acted as our guide, introducing us to everyone he knew and even taking us to see some Himba (who are also Otjiherero speaking, and are ones who live out away from cities and a lifestyle pretty well free from any modern conveniences)! He seemed to have a wealth of knowledge on Namibian history and Herero culture. We learned SO much! He told us we must be very poor though since we had no cows. I proudly told him my family in the US had about five cows and he let me know that someone with only five cows should be very ashamed to tell people that because they must be very poor. Sorry Lonnie and Mom! Seriously, we were very humbled by this man's willingness to spend his day with us, asking nothing in return.What a fantastic day we had with our newfound friend!
Fast forward a week. So, now, here I am back in Arandis, freshly inspired in my Afrikaans learning. Taking walks out in the community, to the market and to visit people to practice my Afrikaans has become my new hobby. It is such fun and so rewarding as people respond with joy at hearing me attempt their language! At first I feared the idea- wondering what people would think and how they would respond. But everyone has been so encouraging, helpful and kind. Yesterday morning, I took a walk to the market to buy ingredients for a birthday cake. On the way back, I stopped to practice my Afrikaans on this lady selling homemade curtains. She asked me where I was from and became very excited when I told her the US. She has spent 20 years in the US, loved it and loves Americans. She came back, she said, to care for children in need here. Currently she cares for fourteen children in her humble, Arandis-sized house. I couldn't resist and invited her to come to our house for dinner last night. What a WONDERFUL treat. I feel like I found a diamond because this woman truly is a jewel. Some of her life experiences inlude: being the wife of an ambassador to the US (formerly), being involved in the independence fight, and currently running a day care and shelter for orphans and vulnerable children in Windhoek. We ate and talked for nearly four hours after which I drove her home where I got to see many of the children. I am liking this language learning thing.
-Karrie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)