Reunion Social

Calling all Team Members! I hope you're all getting settled back into life State-side, or maybe I hope you're not. Either way, this Sunday, July 22nd, you're all invited to my house at 156 Camp Sargent Rd. in Merrimack at 5:00pm to enjoy some team time together. We can share stories of our struggles with being back home, share your pics, and sing around a campfire like old times. We'll have the grill fired up and provide hotdogs and hamburgers, but if everybody could bring a side, dessert, or beverage that'd be great. Hope you can make it!

Try, Try Again

Greetings All!

It is 7:45AM in Paris. Do you know where your loved ones are? I do. We're back at the gate, looking at an airplane and hoping we'll soon see the world from the inside of it.

The news is: We are flight AF332A, scheduled to arrive at Logan around 10:50AM.

The team is in pretty good spirits this morning. We're laughing about this now. Last night was very trying. We're learning to swear in French, as there were many angry passengers last night. This was as close to getting out of control as I've ever experienced in a crowd. People were shouting in French and English, "You're liars! Tell us the truth!"... and that's the stuff I can print here. Trust me, that was the kind language. So, those of you wondering about your kids, we're getting quite a cultural lesson!

The airline finally got us to a hotel (a nice one at that) by about midnight. We had to be on buses back to the airport at 6:30AM. Some of us got a few hours of sleep and a shower, so that's helping our mood a bit this morning.

We do look forward to seeing you all very soon.

And, Shari... I love you more.

CRAP!!! :-(

btw... crap is a swear in Namibia... & that is how I feel!!

Just got the news a little bit ago... we were all preparing to hear the boarding call for our flight in 15 minutes. We had just finished up reading comments... life was good. I went for my "final" trip to the ladies room, I came out ready to grab my contacts so that I could put them in... suddenly I hear "Well, I got snacks!" and everyone giggled. For those of you that know Jackie that particular phrase is mentioned on a daily basis so I didn't think too much of it. As I was reaching for my contacts Kevin said "did you hear the news??" He then proceeded to tell me that the flight was delayed... until 11:15pm... 11:15PM!!! That is 12 hours from the time we found out!!

Please pray for the team... everyone is so anxious to get home... the look of sadness on people's faces is depressing. Also, please pray that there is something the airline will be willing to do to help make this delay more comfortable... but most of all... please pray for the mechanics working on the plane and that the issue will be resolved and our flight home is worry-free.

I also posted some more pics... Just so you know, I really have no idea what is up there (I only was able to post some at various times through out the trip), I will be posting more and organizing them better once I get back, but for now... the newest pics are in the back of the "On The Ground" album and I have added some to the "Etosha Debrief" album.

On the road again...

It’s been a LONG couple of days… days of sitting in the car for hours on end traveling from Arandis to Okahandja and then to Etosha, back to Okahandja and finally to Windhoek. In the scheme of things we were in the car for 3 days straight. Now we are sitting in the Paris airport. The last few days have been tough as we were realizing that it all was coming to an end and we couldn’t take Toivo with us. I will forever be thinking of some of the things he has said and be laughing inside. We always state that we will not leave team members behind, but with this one there is no choice. I will forever remember the look in his eyes as he said good-bye to me (about five times) with an “I’ll see you next time”. For me… that was the hardest part of this trip. I’ve been less emotional in the scheme of things… there were a couple of conflicts which caused me to close up a bit, but all in all it was amazing. I’ll go into more details about how amazing the trip has been at another time.

Everyone was quite spent during the last few days. It seems like we were non-stop this time around. In Etosha people were falling asleep in the car except for the big game encounters. Mike’s combie was the only one that saw lions, my combie saw a hyena during daylight as well as a close encounter with 3 elephants that mock charged and then the teenager in the group had to show how “cool” he was by trumpeting at us… I was sure to tell Toivo that that elephant reminded me of him. The people in my combie thought that Darin’s combie was going to have a view of us getting trampled, but I had no fear of that… Dieter was driving and he could’ve gotten us away if needed. Anyway… I am going to stop typing for now and get online to post this so that I will have time to grab comments and read them before my battery decides to quit. See you soon!!!

7/July/2007

Saturday morning. The team slept in today. That means many of them slept until 8 or so. We had a nice breakfast together, and some decided to head to Swakopmund for a few hours, while others decided to stay in Arandis and spend time with their new friends. I sit in this internet café (blazing connection rate of 20Mbps!) enjoying a coke… there is a God!

This afternoon many of us will be wandering the streets of Arandis with an evangelistic team from Windhoek. They dress up like clowns and walk the streets telling people Jesus loves them. Those who know me understand how ridiculous I think this is. I’ve already told my team to restrain me if one clown honks his nose and asks me if I love Jesus! I’ll be laying hands on him… in a ‘spiritual’ way. This isn’t a mandatory thing for my team. But, I will say that I am more than a little surprised at which members of my team have said they intend to go be a part of this. I’ll leave it at that. I suppose it could have something to do with the fact that the drummer in the Windhoek band, a certain young man named Marnus is part of the team. Hey, the Apostle Paul said, “Whatever works” (loose Darin paraphrase… but he said something like that).

Tonight is the big weekend performance that StephB, Jaime, StephL, Casey, Amanda and Pearl have been preparing their dancers for all week long. I have to tell you, this will be amazing. I’ve been watching the rehearsals all week, and still, I await this with great anticipation. Amanda and StephB danced their duet last night that they choreographed to Amazing Grace at the Friday night service. Amazing. It will be done again Sunday morning at church as Pastor Tresford asked them to do it again. The girls have a tap number and a couple of solos ready for tonight too, if they are needed. Pearl’s dancers have a few numbers ready, including one that our girls jumped into. We’re all excited to show off Pearl’s choreography before a large crowd. The final number is one MHDC parents will remember – Absolutely Everybody, and a stage that includes a couple of groups of the Namibian kids, totaling 60 at song’s end. Oh yea, mixed in there, Mike, Kevin and I will be playing a couple of songs… with our chorus of 18 singing alongside us.

I’m keenly aware of what the next 24 hours will mean for this team. You at home should pray for your loved ones. Saying goodbye as we head out after church tomorrow will be very hard. I am noticing the strain already on several of our team members. Erin had a visitor to our home this morning, a girl named Jennifer that she met at the school. Kat has a few friends she’s met, including one girl named Jesme who brought her a picture of herself. All the dance girls have been giving themselves away to the children in the dance classes and to Pearl. Amanda spoke last night with one of the boys in the class, Raymond, and his story broke her heart. He’s 15 and still in Primary School. He has no real relationship with his parents, and the dance group is his ‘family’. He wanted to know when the girls are leaving and if they will ever come back. Jaime has a handful of the pre-schoolers that adore her. I arrived yesterday to see Beauty and Precious each on a leg and Revival climbing on her like she was a jungle gym. Jaime’s face gave her away. Goodbye will be hard.

I’m off to spend some time with my team. There is a hamburger in our future. And more coke. Have I told you yet, there is a God! We head out to begin our debriefs and to prepare for reentry tomorrow. I am not sure what communication will look like these next few days. We will endeavor where and when we can to chime in here. Be patient, and as I’ve asked, pray for us.

By the way… to those who remember… God speaks out of the southern hemisphere night. And, He’s spoken volumes to members of this team. See you all in less than a week.

Travel Video

Hey all, sorry it's taken so long but we finally got our first video up from our travel over here, layover in Paris, and our first few days. It figures that it's not until we're leaving for Etosha that we get our travel video up but hey, sometimes that's how it works here. At least we found a cool internet cafe that lets us bring our laptops or else it may never have happened. Anyway, the girls worked on it tirelessly one evening this week so I hope you enjoy it. Get out the tissues...And now, for your FEATURE PRESENTATION...

More Shout Outs!

Hey mom and dad. We miss you. Say HI to Bis for us :-)
Love steph and Jaime.

Hey everybody,
I miss you guys so much, hope you are all doing well. How was July 4th? We had some fun times... alright well see you all soon, love you!!!!
–Amanda S

Mom, Dad – I miss you both so much! I know you would both enjoy it here, although mom I think you’ve got far too soft (albeit big) of a heart for it. Dad, thanks for expressing your desire for the high school talks to not be “how-to’s”, very funny. Nicole, I miss you tons and I know you will love it here next year! Tee, Serge, Princess Ruby – miss you guys, glad to hear of her progress and can’t wait to be bitten by those tiny teeth! Renee, Mike, Justin & Jacob – love and miss you all dearly! Grandma & Grandpa – Love you both, thanks for all of your support. Ape, my biff, love you bunches and can’t wait to see you! Jama, love you to the ends of the earth, miss you even more, happy birthday and I cannot wait to see you!
<3333 Kat


Hey Doug, friends, family and supporters,
Well we have been in the community of Arandis all week. It is much warmer here than when we first arrived. We are also all living in a three bedroom house, all 19 of us with no hot water now. We blew out the coil of the heating element so cold showers since Friday morning. Well, Dorothy and I have been getting up around 6 every morning to leave for the preschool at 7:30. There are about 30 kids and we have assessed about half of them. Several of the kids have helped which has been great. Still we did not finish them all. Report writing tomorrow before the big dance show tomorrow night. You would be so proud of Casey. I am so glad that we are here despite the not so comfy accommodations. The people are quite friendly. The other afternoon after preschool, around 12:30 pm Dorothy and I were walking back home to the house (about a 10 minute walk) and as we walked by many of the houses, the kids and some adults would wave and said hello. The kids are so loving and caring. They always want a hug each morning when we come to the preschool. Gosh I have not given that many hugs in ages. I’m sure I’ll be doing it more when I get back. Then I said to Dorothy as we walked, “ who would ever believe two middle aged women (teachers) had been walking down a street in Namibia, Africa on a Tuesday afternoon on July 3rd, 2007”. Of course we had just passed a “shebeen” (local pool hall in the garage of a person’s house) where people come, hang out, play pool and drink libations. I said gee this could be like a Friday afternoon at Country Spirit. Anyway it was a good laugh. After daily preschool we go back for lunch (peanut butter and jelly) just about everyday, then I go to the hall where the girls rehearse with the young Namibian girls. They have taught them the Absolutely Everybody dance. They picked up so quickly and it looks great. Casey has been at the preschool rehearsing, participating in forums at the high school and attending church and nightly walks with the group. They were filming an HBO movie about 100 feet from our house called Generation Kill about a journalist point of view regarding Iraq. No big stars but we actually met a young actor from New Hampshire, living in Hillsboro no less. Can you stand it. Small World. Doug I can’t believe you said you wished you were here because I know I would definitely come back. We should make a date. I know John and Anne, especially Anne would love to come and share her faith, love and nursing skills. Well that’s it for now. Pat, Brenda loved your quilt. She said she never really gets personal gifts and said Thanks. She is an awesome person and appreciates our help. A few of us are considering supporting a severely impaired young boy to go to a special school. It will cost about 80.00 per month. I’ll give up coffee at DD and Casey said she could live without some clothes. Anyway hope you are enjoying the blog. Have some people send messages while you are up North this week. This message will go out tomorrow Sat the 7th so enjoy the week up North and will see you all soon. Casey has taken lots of pics, Jackie and G too. Bye for now. Love to all, Dennise and Casey


Hey everyone!
Sooo, how’s it going? Things are pretty good here, you know, just chillin’ in Arandis. It’s kind of weird to believe that this time next week I will be home and life will go on as usual. I can’t wait to be home and see everyone but at the same time I really don’t want to leave. A warm, long shower would really nice though. To my family: it’s weird not being up at the lake for the 4th of July, but I have some stories to tell you when I get back. The my friends: I miss you all, I hope you’re all staying out of too much trouble, and don’t completely forget about me because I’ll be home soon enough. Thanks Mike for commenting so much, definitely feeling the love. Oh, and Toivo says hi, and Kevin and G are upset with you for some reason because you don’t know that they’re here, or you haven’t given them a shout out or something. So I miss you all, I can’t wait to see you all when I get back but for now I’m going to try to enjoy the time I have left here in Namibia. Love you all, very much.
<3 Erin


HELLO EVERYBODY!
I’m making this one quick because I’m about to go on a walk to look at the stars. HAH be jealous – it’s the prettiest thing I’ve seen. I can’t believe we only have four days left before the painfully long journey home… spending way too much time in the Paris Airport (not really happy about that). Anyway, everything is going fine. I’ve been going to the preschool with a few other people every morning. Needless to say, all the kids LOVE me (haha). The afternoons vary, sometimes I go to the dance classes to do crowd control, one day Toivo and I walked around town with a soccer ball and gathered up kids to play a soccer game. I’ve taken like 450 pictures so far, so be ready for the slideshow of a lifetime when I get back. Mike – make Christina read this part. CHRISTINA – You better be at the airport, and force Matt to go if he’s not working. By the way, you should bring me some Dunks because I’ve been craving it like nothing else. And some fries would be nice. MUCH LOVE!
--Molly


Hey all, thanks for your concern. The margarine lasted long enough for me to remember that I had some aloe. So now a layer of skin just peeled off and it looks all gross. I know everybody really wanted to know that.
~mike


Hey Everyone! I am having an AMAZING time as usual. I really don’t want to come home, but don’t worry mom I will. The creation is beautiful, and God is stretching me a lot, and teaching me a lot about myself. I love you mommy! Thanks for the comments, I’m glad you finally figured it out, thank you for the prayers. Lyssy- it made my night to hear from you. Your wedding is only like a month away!  tell Gordy I say hi. Jimmy- GOSHHHH!!! waiting for some comments! “I’ve been sitting in my pee pants for two weeks waiting” hehe. Daddy, Andrew, and SJ- hi, I miss you and love you guys. I will see you in a week, until then I am having a blast and mom there is no need to worry. Don- hey teammate! We miss you and think of you often, wish you were here. God always looks out for me and He uses these amazing trips to make me more like Him.
<3, Amanda


Hi everyone! I’m having a great time here. I can’t believe we come home in less than a week! I love teaching dance to the kids here, they learn SO fast and they are doing an amazing job… I wish some of the other girls from ’05 were here to experience it too! Erika, I hope I’m invited to the barbeque you talk about, I’m really craving a cheeseburger! Hi Mike, I hope you’re having a good time in Namibia too… sorry to hear about your skin problems, haha! Hi dad, write me a comment, let me know you’re alive! See you all next week!
– Steph L


Hey everyone!
Want to give a shout out to my BFF! Thanks for writing… I giggled when I heard BFF over here in Africa  So good to hear from you babe. I miss you a ton… I can’t wait to see you!

Hey Fam!
Ma thanks for writing me your comments. I love em. I hope you got the email I sent. I had some trouble sending it for some reason. I am having such an amazing experience. Some days harder than others, but I wouldn’t trade anything for the world. I am totally bummed about my pics, but between everyone here I should have a selection of over 2000 pics lol I can’t believe the trip is almost over. These two weeks have flown by. We are heading up to Etosha soon to see some wildlife. I hear there is a lion roaring less than a mile from where we will be sleeping. Freaky! Love ya and miss you!

Hey friends… Ladies I was thinking about Lifetime movie night last night! I don’t miss t.v. but I do miss Lifetime movies lol I hope there were some good ones the past two weeks! Mandy, hopefully you have been recording army wives for me hehe I have a lot to catch up on! I miss you tons!

Xoxo
Melissa


Hi! Everyone,

It has been an amazing trip…just as I expected! The time is going by quickly now. One more day in Arandis! I have been a “floater” here, spending my time going where I am needed. I’ve been to the pre-school and the primary school, and have spent some time cataloging the books in the primary library. I have spent some time with the mommies from HPOM and went to a ladies group the other night with women from the community and the Zebra team from Florida! I have been giving out lots of hugs, Don! The families and children all love you and miss you so much. I am missing you on the team here too!
Mike T….I made a new friend in Okahandja.....some girl named Jen from Florida? LOL.
I have been sharing lots of laughter with my friend, Cynthia-Pearl, and am learning a few more Afrikaan phrases. Justine and Armando came over for a visit from Swakopmund and will be spending the weekend here in Arandis, so we will get to visit with them more! Shari, everyone is missing you here, too! PD is behaving most of the time. On our visit to the coast the other day, I met up with my friend, Veronica, coming across the street! God is good. What about coincidences? Looking forward to camping in Etosha and sleeping with the lions! Love to all my family and friends! See you next week. Hope Jake, Casey, and Seth are doing well and still love us!

Vark Plek,
Jackie


Hello friends and family if anyone is reading this! We are having a glorious time here in Arandis. I have been floating around doing a variety of things such as working at the preschool and the high school. There is a big show tonight for the dancers to perform with the girls they have been working with all week. I’m guessing it will turn into a concert too. It will be a good last night here since we are leaving tomorrow to go see some wildlife! See you all Thursday! Hi Dad, Jake, Casey, Colleen, Michaela, Alyssa, Kara, Pat, Paul and Ryan!

Love, Christine


Hi all!
This has been an amazing trip!!!
Rather than go on and on – it is probably very safe to say “DITTO-DITTO-DITTO……” to the above mentioned information about the trip.
All is well! – Mike and Emily it was great hearing from you! Em – based on previous celebrations, I’m certain that you had a wonderful B-Day on the 4th at the lake!!!!!.....and Mike Happy B-Day to you on the eighth!!!! - ….and how OLD will you be?!?!?!?(LOL)
I did have the opportunity to e-mail yesterday – hope you got them – will try again today!
Love to everyone,
Dorothy and Mom
XXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOxxxxxxxxxooooooooo


Hola my wife! Getting ready to come home in a few days, missing you terribly and can’t wait to see you. Love to the Fam, Chico, Rosalita, Tyrone, and any new pets that may have been acquired in my absence . I played bass in a band that came from Windhoek last night. Last thing I expected to be doing on this trip! (put a big smile on my face though) I LOVE YOU XOXOXOOO. Mike T.- You have given me no comment love… but I love you anyway. –Kevin-
/span>