Darin's Journal

6/July/2007

Another couple of days. Another couple hundred memories. First, the general report. Across the team everyone is healthy and pretty happy. There are 19 of us staying in a house that was built with maybe 6 or so in mind. It has meant for very close-quartered living. Everyone is coping well. There is only one shower in the house and a hot water tank built to handle the needs of that one shower being used maybe once or twice a day. Last night... it died. Ice cold showers the rest of the trip.

I realize that I need to say more about my decision to send Maderyna home. I still struggle for the right words to use. I’ve been talking with members of our team about the fact that this may well have been for our benefit –a chance to see the horrors of this setting up-close and in person. Maderyna’s story includes an upbringing that we cannot imagine. Her present reality is beyond our imagination as well. One of my last conversations with her this trip was a tear-filled admission that her mom has arranged ‘boyfriends’ for her – a means of securing money and alcohol. The sad truth is that there is nothing that can be done for Maderyna unless she decides she wants help. There is no system in place here that would advocate for her – at sixteen years (emotionally 12 or 13 if you ask me), she’s considered an adult. We are brokenhearted for her. I’ve decided I won’t go into the reasons that I removed her from our team here on the blog. I’ll ask you to understand – I wrestled over this. I’ll also ask you to trust me that this is only a small part of the whole story. We strategized everything we could imagine. In the end, the only solution was to send her home. This was one of the hardest leadership decisions I’ve ever had to make.

Since her departure, we’ve recovered a bit of a normal stride, I think. The dance team continues to impress me. On the second day the girls noticed that many of the children that came were dressing similarly to their American teachers – leggings and tank tops, or Capri pants and t-shirts. By day three we all realized they were picking up and copying some of the little mannerisms of the dancers – I watched as a couple of our girls stretched, and across the room some of the children were stretching in the same way; a couple of the girls came with water bottles like the dancers; as I watched the dancers ‘mark’ their moves before the music started, I noticed the children doing the same. It is quite a sight to see. Many people have told Steph, Steph, Amanda and Casey that they saw the 2005 team come and that this is the very reason there is a dance program today. Even Pearl, the 15 year old who, by herself, started and leads the dance team here, was present that day in 2005 at Kolin Foundation School, and has told the girls how God used that day in her life. I am thrilled for them to hear this with their own ears. There are 56 girls preparing for the performance Saturday night. Our dancers have done a marvelous job.

Our school teams, Pre-school and Primary are busy with children in one on one and classroom settings. This team is the group that will hurt the most when we pull out of here. You cannot spend any time with these children and not have them wrap your heart around their little finger. Each night I listen (read: eavesdrop) on the conversations here – mentioning the children by name and describing experiences they had. I know that this means a tearful separation in a couple of days. But, the rest of the story is that they are making a huge difference. The educators are getting a wealth of testing done that the schools have asked for. Our helpers are loving on these kids, more important our hosts will tell you than even the testing! God is at work in and thru this team.

Our high school team continues to hold forums in the afternoons after visiting classrooms in the mornings. Great discussions have taken place, including some real trust being built. Each member of this team will tell you that it is a stretching experience for them. They have shown a video entitled “Beat The Drum” about the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. There is an expectation that conversations today will move more that direction. So, sexual purity, rape, pornography, homosexuality, AIDS… how are these for ‘easy subjects’ to talk about in a high school setting? These folks are giving themselves away!

My late night walks and talks continue. Last night I actually spent some time walking and talking with StephB. No, that’s not a typo. Really. Many of us shared some cool walks late last night as the sky was unbelievably clear. I kept thinking about Hosea 2:14… go ahead, look it up. God pokes His face through the night and says, “I’m God. I love you.” Too cool.
And, I actually got 7 hours of sleep last night. That’s after three straight days of 3 hours a night… so I’m feeling much more human… a kinder, gentler Darin. More later.

Vark Plek!

I can not tell you how amazing this trip has been... my focus has been entirely different this time around, and it hasn't entirely been all me. As you've noticed... I have not been able to post as much as We would like to. Connections have been tough, I've been trying to get the video we have up, but it's continually not allowing me to post it. I get about 2 megs into the 11 1/2 and the connection keeps getting lost. I haven't taken my camera out as much as I normally would've, but I have some really great pics. I have been taking a lot of time focusing on the girls at the high school. I have heard stories that break my heart, stories similar to mine. I have heard stories of abuse, rape, disrespect and heart break. I have heard hopes and dreams of becoming doctors, engineers, accountants and auto mechanics. I have heard stories of girls that have great relationships with their fathers and families that really care. I have learned that there is still arranged marriages in some tribes and it doesn't matter if the man is 20 or 72, the girls line up and if they are chosen by him they must then submit. I have met girls that love God and desire to trust in Him and that He gives her the courange to make the right decisions. I have sat in a home bible study cell and listened to a floor full of children of the participants sing Agnus Dei at the top of their lungs. All in all the trip has been amazing, indescibable and heart breaking.

Through the tears we have had many laughs. Toivo is always assisting with that and I couldn't imagine this trip without him. Last evening was the 4th of July and we celebrated by having a braai and marching over to Nan'a house singing the "Star Spangled Banner". She just had a team arrive so it was pretty funny. We also passed by the guards that are watching the movie set and they asked us what we were doing and when we explained that it was America's Independence Day and the we were sharing the celebration with another team of Americans they thought it was wonderful. Mike & Kevin had run back from Nan's and when we arrived back at the house they had set up a surprise rave in the garage, ummm... I mean Club Vark Plek... which is Jackie's nickname, but we can explain all that later... It appears that we are going to try and come back to Swakop tomorrow to see if we can get the video up.

Darin's Journal Entries

29/June/2007 pt. 1
My first journal entry for the trip finds the team having completed the fifth day of our trip, the second of our activities on the ground in Namibia.
The trip over to Namibia was okay. None of us were able to sleep on the flight to Paris, so our day-long layover that we were so excited about turned out to be more an exercise in physical exhaustion than a cheery day. Out fatigue perfectly matched what was rainy, cold, and dreary weather from start to finish. A couple of our team members had a particularly difficult day of ‘tourism’. A couple really shined, however. Kat and Dorothy turned out to be the gems. Kat with her understanding of Paris and a bit of French language, and Dorothy with her command of French, but also her tact in negotiating enabled us to drop all our gear in a hotel room… free of charge! We did manage to visit a few hot tourist spots. To be totally honest with you, I wasn’t really into it. I signed up for this trip to get to Namibia – Paris was simply a layover in which I was trying to constructively kill some time. I did have a great sandwich there. And, a coke. There’s hope for the place.
Our arrival in Namibia brought both wonder and woe. First, the wonder: Those of you who were praying with us about the bags, their weights, their contents and the beefy Customs chicks – God is good. While I got involved with the woes, Mike and team rolled all bags thru the ‘nothing to declare’ line without so much as a shuffle-step. Our sound system – this year cleverly disguised as underwear and socks and packed in suit cases instead of road cases – rolled right through the door.
The woes involved four missing bags – my and Kevin’s guitars, one HPOM donation bag and one personal bag, belonging to Steph B. Let me give Steph a shout here. The last thing you want to hear when you’ve been in the same clothing for three days is that you may face more days in the same threads. Steph was devastated, I could tell. But, she put on a game face and demonstrated what being flexible is all about for one of our teams. I’m very proud of her. I’m thankful also for a few of her many teammates who came to her aid until her bag finally arrived some 30 hours later, with the other missing items as well.
Toivo joined us as we arrived in Windhoek. I am thrilled to have our good friend with us again this year. Mike, Kevin and I are appreciative to have one more male on this team!
Our first day in Namibia began with an orientation with Dieter and Joan. Not one of us missed the fact that this past year has been hard for the Morsbachs, evidenced by their emotions during their sharing. We drove thru Vyf Rand and then split up a bit in the afternoon, some of our team working with Joan’s Pre-School materials room, others assisting with the assembly of a swing set at one of the Pre-School properties, while Dennise, Dorothy and Amanda L (our Special Ed task force, as I call them) spent the afternoon with our young friends Janus and Stephanus helping to evaluate their needs. By day’s end we were all playing with the children of the community of Nau-Aib.
Around the fire sharing was pretty meaningful. We’re all asking a lot of questions of each other, our hosts, and of our God over what we’re seeing and hearing. We broke out the instruments (now that we had them all – and yes, Denise & Gary, Steph’s bag arrived mid debrief while we were gathered around the fire). We began our set of tunes by request with that great spiritual standard from 2005 – Summer of ’69.


29/June/2007 pt. 2
Day two saw 6 of us hit the road early for Rehoboth. Our mission was to gather Maderyna and Memory from Maderyna’s mother’s home so that they too could be a part of our team for the duration of our stay. As a part of the trip we spent an hour with Rickie seeing the Beads of Promise store. What an amazing place! God is doing great things in and thru these ladies. Maderyna and Memory were aboard and we were off for Dieters – with a quick pit stop to pick up an extra Kombi from a friend of mine. (Note: this is not a typo… see the photo.)
We made a second visit to the Ark for our Spec-Ed Ops to have more time with Janus and Stephanus. Before they were finished, Mike and the rest of the team joined us at the Ark – playtime erupted all over the property with members of our team and the sixteen children who call the Ark home. What a great time. I spent most of my time holding Memory and watching Maderyna playing with the other children. Who is this girl? A child? A parent? In what kind of world would she be both?
The reality set in for many of our team members tonight. Many of these children face very uncertain futures. Our time around the fire and our walkabout conversations tonight all revolved around these facts. So, before you go to bed tonight will you join us in praying for a few of our friends? Francina is a 16 year old. If she cannot pass her 10th grade exams, she will be tossed from school (a fact of life for 10th graders here) leaving her inelligible for 11th and 12th grade, vocational training or further education. At that point she would also ‘age out’ of the Ark – with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Francina’s learning disabilities almost assure she will not be able to continue her education. Janus and Stephanus have a laundry list of needs connected with disabilities the result of fetal alcohol syndrome. The reality here is that there are no specialists to work with them, and even if there were money would make it an impossibility. And for Maderyna and Memory. I honestly don’t have the heart to type the details of what we’ve observed in just these first few hours of our being together. To sad. I’m too sad to type it.
So what’s it all about? Toivo? Maderyna? The 18 of us from such varied backgrounds? Dancers? Teachers? Bar Tenders? Preachers? Namibia? Stars? I don’t know. He does.
Absolutely awesome night for me in conversations with a few of my teammates. Real answers to prayer, each one. I’m proud of this team. Dorothy and Dennise – they’re on the front lines of discovery, and it’s an emotionally draining work. Amanda L just caught the brunt of ministry to Maderyna. She has shoulders (more, a heart) equal to the task, though she doesn’t believe it. I do. Christine is queen – just ask Stephanus. StephL, great looking left to see her, even if it was walking the property instead of in the kombie. Melissa and Jackie (aka Thelma and Louise), they earned their own set of keys today. Load ‘em up. Amanda, StephB, Jaime & Case – did you see that? Prayer healed the blown amplifier! Amen.
Administrative minutia in the morning. Driving to Arandis in the afternoon. One of my friends often uses an away message that confesses while his body is in his office in America, his heart is in Arandis. Well, here I sit in Okahandja, my heart turned towards our friends there in Arandis, and the opportunities there to see God show up.

1/July/2007
The trip from Okahandja to Arandis was almost uneventful. We passed a giraffe. Then on eof our teammates got car-sick and vomited all over the back of my kombi. No need to worry, once all the action stopped, she felt much better. My kombi on the other hand took some work. I decided to be a great team leader and take care of it all myself. All I can say is thank the Lord for Dennise, who dove in hip deep with me – something about a mom and dealing with puke.
We enjoyed a wonderful first night in Arandis. Most of our team went on a walk about town. It was the last day of the month – pay day for Namibians, and prime time at the local Shebeens (bars). We met many ‘spirited’ neighbors as we walked. They are filming a movie here called ‘Generation Kill’. As such, we walked by many sets, including a Palm Tree they added into the Namib Desert. Lots of great conversations as we settled into our new digs. For that I am very thankful.
We enjoyed a great service this morning at Arandis Christian Church. Cool story: I had a pretty trying day yesterday for lots of reasons I don’t want to get into here – amounts to whining on my part! I don’t want to read it in print. So, I woke up this morning and prayed a bit as I usually start my days here, this time asking the Lord to refresh my faith in His being here with me. As I prayed, I decided to read thru a few Bible texts just in case Pastor Tresford were to call on me to ‘bring a message from the word’ at church. I decided to read thru three familiar texts that I could feel somewhat comfortable talking about if I was called upon. I chose three that were also easy to segue into this situation – my American team here to partner with our Namibian friends. I read thru Ephesians 2 (the two peoples becoming one in Christ), Psalm 139 (each of us ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’), and Acts 17 (He chose the dates and places of our habitation). We got to church and saw lots of friends. Awesome times! Here’s the real cool part – not only did Tresford not ask me to preach, he opened his bible to Ephesians 2. Half way thru his message he referenced Psalm 139. He wound up his message with a quote from Acts 17. All I could do was laugh out loud.
The afternoon included time with Boniface and Brenda concerning our schedule for the coming week. We will be very busy. Steph B., Steph L., Amanda, Casey and Jaime will be heading up an afterschool dance program in the community with Pearl (Pastor Tresford’s daughter). They will meet and plan in the mornings and their dance program will run 3-5 each afternoon. Jackie is going to spend time each day with HPOM families in their homes. Dennise, Dorothy, Amanda L., Christine, Molly & Toivo will be working at the HPOM school, beginning tomorrow working on evaluating the students. Mike, Kevin, G, Erin, Melissa, and Kat will be going to the High School each day this week in the morning to lead discussions in the classrooms over topics like dating, sex, homosexuality, pornography and self esteem – all topics the principal of the school has asked us to address from a Christ-centered perspective. As a team, we’re cramming tonight!
We wound our day up with a beach and sand dune visit, catching sundown from the top of a huge dune. As I finish this entry we are headed out to spend some time around the fire as a team. Looks like a big week ahead. Pray for us.

4/July/2007
For sure, an eventful first few days in Arandis. Each of our teams is engaged and doing well in their particular areas of ministry. The high school team has been spending time each morning with students in classrooms at Kolin Foundation Secondary School – a miracle in itself where I am concerned. When we first visited that school with the 2005 team, the principal was very concerned about what we would share, so much so that she stood by my side in case she needed to pull the plug. In 2006, she met me before the morning assembly and told me that she was needing to leave for the morning, but whatever I wanted to do was fine. This year, she’s asked our teams to come and given us the aforementioned topics to cover as a favor to her. Is that not tremendous?
The pre-school and primary school team is enjoying time with the children. Dorothy and Dennise continue to evaluate students and spend many hours each day huddled with their materials and conferring over their findings for HPOM. The children are capturing the hearts of our team members, as I am noting a rising number of stories about their interactions with the children. You know what that means? Yep, a difficult separation when we head out of here,
The dancers started their dance classes. The target was girls in grades 5-8. There are two boys who were allowed in, because they are a part of Pearl’s dance team. The first day 37 girls showed up. Yesterday it more than doubled – to 76 girls. Brenda advised that we limit it to grades 5-8, as they had a special program for younger kids last week. Once again, as we’ve experienced before, we need to follow the lead of our hosts who understand far better than we do the dynamics of this community and the ways in which they are making inroads. “Pleeeeeeeaaassse Oma!” the children say as I walk in the door. They press themselves against the windows to watch the class inside. Our girls have worked a couple of days now teaching some choreography to the students – each of whom has had to commit to being here each day this week and bring a permission slip to participate (another direction from HPOM). To see these girls enjoying this so much overwhelms me. At the end of each day’s two hour class the kids shout, “One more time!”
I’ve had a tough couple of days. I will endeavor to write more detail for you in the near future. The short version is that I made a very difficult decision yesterday to send Maderyna and her baby home to Rehoboth. We had planned for her to be with us our entire trip. There were problems from the very start, and I had put this team and its cohesiveness in jeopardy with Maderyna here. Again, I’m still trying to unpackage it all myself so that I can put it into words for you. The only thing I can leave you with now is that while this was a very difficult decision for me to make, I believe that I made the right decision for the circumstances we’re in. There are a few members of our team who are very hurt right now, but they do all agree that the decision had to be made. It wasn’t until after I had packed Maderyna up and sent her off with Nan Parker (who was to take her home), that we saw that Don had written a comment here on the blog for her in Afrikaans. Quite a somber moment for us all. Don, I’ll have that printed and read to her in Rehoboth… and I’m sorry.
It is a strange mix for me this morning. I am sad about the Maderyna developments, but also very excited at what is happening across the team. Parents, family members and friends at home – you can be very, very proud of your loved ones here – they are doing an awesome job of giving themselves away. This will once again be a team that lives up to the mantra, ‘Sleep when you get home’.
Last but not least, the movie that is being filmed here is an HBO mini-series called Generation Kill. There are no stars associated with it, and rumors of Vin Diesel were just that, rumors. It is funny how many people see our white faces in town and think we’re here to make the movie.
Oh yea, one more thing – and this really is the last word… Clowns are coming – and there are two members of my team who are terrified of clowns. More to come.

Finally!!

I am combining these two because the computer is so slow… Currently the only access to the internet is at the Ministry Centre and it’s dial up… now I see why Don didn’t post that often… :-) It has taken 10 minutes just to open the blogger home page so that I can log in. which is good, because I had nothing written since Darin gave me 3 posts, but they are from Word 2007 and save differently. Brenda’s computer will not open the files. I will have to have him resave them and come back. :-/ So first a message from mike…


July 1, 2007
Hey all, You haven’t heard much from me yet this trip so I figured I was due to chime in. Our first few days at Dieter’s were a great orientation to Namibia for everyone. It was great for all of us, but the time came to move on, and now we find ourselves in Arandis. We took a walk around town last night to experience the scene when everyone gets their paychecks at the end of the month. Smashed beer bottles were everywhere and all the shabeens were hopping with drunken party-goers. When we went to church this morning we began by helping clean bottles and cans off the stage. Brenda says it’ll go on until Monday morning when some of them will sober up for work. That’s so wild to me.

We got to head into Swakop this afternoon. It was cool hanging at the beach and hiking the sand dunes. I made sure to grab Germaine’s camera to play photographer for a while. Fun times. I’m sure you’ll get to see some of them when she gets a chance to put some up. Molly stubbed her toe at the dunes and is convinced she has a rock stuck in it, but I told her it’s only a blood blister. (She also wanted to make sure I put that in my post.) I’ve quite enjoyed having Toivo around. He’s never at a loss for something to say and always knows how to make us laugh. I’m trying to teach him an American accent since he makes fun of my African one so much. :-)

Well, I’ll have to chime in more later because if I keep typing I’m gonna miss dinner. Spaghetti tonight! A’ight, until next time. Peace

mike



This has been an amazing trip so far… I had a bit of an emotional time during our transition to Arandis, but God is faithful and I am so happy to be here doing EXACTLY what God has called me here to do. Currently Erin, Kat, Melissa, Kevin, Mike & myself are going into the High School in the mornings and afternoons to speak with the kids about dating and sex. What amazes me is that this is what I have been studying up on this year with the girls back in the States… Jodi… it’s too cool!!! Dorothy, Dennise, Christine, Molly & Toivo have been working with evaluating the children to find out where their levels are and if they are special needs. Jackie is a floater… doing whatever Brenda thinks needs to be done. Amanda is working in the preschool… I can hear her teaching in the other room right now. The dance girls are working with Pearl and teaching in the afternoons… I hear that it’s an amazing time.

I need to spend some more time getting in depth with all that is going on… there have been some rough patches, and lots of amazing times.

BTW Laura… they are filming a movie here in Arandis… rumor has it that Vin Diesel is the star… It’s a wicked small town… told you that you should’ve come!! :-)

Love ~G

And I’ve been asked to give a special message:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!!!! Love mom!!!

Shout Outs Continued

HI YEA I AM AROUND, RICHARD
GLAD TO HEAR ALL IS GOOD OVER THERE
GOD BLESS RICHARD

:-) Mom, Dad, Nicole, Tee, Serge & Ruby… Miss you guys and love you tons!
Nicole I wish you were here with me I miss you! April, lovee you and you would love it here. Jameson, love you… the kids would adore you here. Miss you and love you.
- - Kat

I have margarine on my thumb because Richard poured boiling water on me and that’s the African remedy. No, it wasn’t on purpose… I don’t think. Mike

Hey Ma, Pa and crew, I miss you all sooooo much! It is incredible out here and I may not want to leave :-) I can’t wait for return trips when you can come see this amazing country with me! Thanks for all your support and I will see ya soon!
To all my friends, I miss you all so much! You will be all shocked to know I tried oryx tonight. Didn’t like it, but hey I tried it! Mandy, I wish you could have made it out here with me, but next time, eh?
Matt, I miss you! Hope Ben and jerrys is able to pay the bills without me in the country :-) I love you all! Give yourselves hugs and kisses from me!
Xoxo
Melissa

Today some of the team traveled to Rehoboth to pick up Maderyna & Memory (including Kat... plus, she is at the cemetary, repacking clothes, by the fire & playing with kids... some of the pics she is looking away though, but she's here!!). She is the most beautiful baby!! Chubby with little black curls. She can fall asleep anywhere and is always making some sort of noise… although I haven’t heard her cry. Richard & Thelma came back to the plot for a braai. SHE REALLY EXISTS!! I have been joking with the family that she is always around right before or after I leave. It was so nice to meet her and I hope that I have more time to talk with her. It was great to see Richard again and hear how that past year has been on the game farm. Tomorrow we head to Arandis. Although my heart breaks to leave here, I am looking forward to spending more time there and really see the place that many I know have come to love. God is leading me more and more to come back here soon. I am just praying for more clarity in that and moving forward with my steps. Please pray for Joan’s mom... Meegs, I haven’t seen any pencils yet, but then again, I haven’t been to any store that may have them… my eyes are peeled :-P love you Laura!! Glad to see you've figured out this internet thing!! :-) Jodi, you are right here with me!!
Love ~G

Shout Outs

HI EVERYONE! Thank you Mike for leaving us comments! I’m having an awesome time here, but I miss all of you a lot. Mike – tell Matt I found Red Bull and tell Christina to try to stay sane while I’m gone. I love you all, I miss you all, and I’ll be seeing you soon. And oh yeah, say hello and I love you to my parents as well, haha.
Love, MOLLY!!!!

Hey mom and dad it’s Jaime and Steph! We miss you but we’re having an amazing time. Jaime hates 10 hour long plane rides and will not be returning on one so please send a boat to pick her up. The Metro in Paris hates Ton and she hates it in return :-) Say hi to bisabuela for us. Love, J and T

So most of my family is here with me…. but hi dad! Tell the cats I say hi, and I hope Seth is still alive… I guess :-) Everything is good so far, I wish I had more blankets though, what else is new? Hope everything is still just as exciting in NH as when we left! Hi friends! Love, Steph L

Hey everyone, me and Dennise are doing good, and having a good time. Dad don’t have to much fun mowing those lawns and going to Conway, tell the Gourdeaus and everyone else we say hello. Denny is being a mother to everyone and I’m just having fun. I got beat up by monkey mountain today and the pineapple fanta is amazing as always. Brit, Stash, and Livi I miss you guys! And ricky I hope you figured out how to comment! Byee, Casey

Hey everyone! Who knew I’d be shivering so much in Africa, I guess I should have listened to what other told me more closely. I love it here though, something completely different but so amazing. Anddd, there’s no humidity here! So have fun sweating back in New Hampshire! Love to my friends, family, and anyone else who may be reading this! I can’t wait to tell y’all about it :-) LOVE, Erin.

Hey everyone! (Shaw’s, Mariany’s, Hallowell’s, Vernet’s, and Ryan’s haha) I miss you all and I hope you are all doing good. Africa is great, I actually got up wicked early to see the sunrise, it was really cool but really cold :-) Okay, well I’m off to play with some kids so love you guys!!!
Love, Amanda S

Hi there Mike, Emily, Luke, Ethan, Nicholas, Louise, Claudette et al. – Greeting from Namibia. Made it safely here Wed Africa time. All is well! Who would imagine having cold feet at this time in a sleeping bag in Namibia?!?!? What an amazing place! Emily, this is a great place for stars in the sky at night – no other lights except the moon – crystal clear! Climb (very short) Monkey Mountain this morning to see the sun rise. That’s it for now.- will be traveling to Arundis on the coast tomorrow. They do have a variety of peanut butters here. Love to all, Dorothy XXXXXOOOOOOOxxxxxxxxxxoooooooo
All comments are welcome.

Hello to all the HDHS crew!!!! – Suzanne, Jane, Michelle, Jon, et al – We made it !!!!! and so did Dennise!-no one would have ever guessed that two years ago she was adamant that she would NEVER fly that long over 10,000 miles!!!!! The kids are great!! Lots of “eye openers” !!!! It takes an experience such as this to realize how good we have it! Such warm and wonderful people who are passionate about making a positive difference in people’s lives! And miracles do happen!!!!
That’s all for now….to be continued!!!

Hola! Sonciary, I miss you so, there are so many things already I wish you could be here to share. Also, it’s quite cold, and Mike is no good at keeping me warm. Dieter and Joan send their love, he has had many wonderful things to say about you :-). XOXO + lots of love to Chico. Mom and Dad, miss you and love you both, so much to share with you. Jason Roaf, I have had a Grapetizer for you, and am gaining converts. More to come! – Kevin.

Hallo hoe gaan dit? its me Toivo. Just wanted to send a shout out to all the 2005 and 2006 crew, Rebecca, Al, Colin, Chawla, Mj. I miss you guys and hope you come again to this beautiful country. This year is a lot different from last year…... well, there are only 5 guys and the rest are ladies, YO! Chawla, sorry India lost South Africa the other day! Mj hope you come next year, so we could climb some mountain or something! Toivo

Check back later, I will be adding more updates tonight! Also, I made it to the internet cafe... check out a few picks... Thanks for all the comments!! The team loves to hear from you!! Love ~G

Where does my hope come from??

Today started off pretty mellow, everyone woke up at their own time. Sat by the fire, had breakfast and then we unpacked and sorted the Hope’s Promise bags. We had a time set with Dieter for 10am to have a presentation about what their ministry is and their vision. About 11am it started… ahhh, African time. Kevin & I were setting up the projector with my laptop while they were outside for the introduction. We had everything all set pretty much instantly and then suddenly it decided not to work…nothing had changed, everything just decided not to work. It was a bit nerve racking… Although I know that Dieter can talk, I had NO idea how long the “introduction” would take. Kevin suggested another adjustment and I finally just prayed that it would all come together and then Kevin said “Oh-oh, better hurry up…” the GINORMOUS presentation opened up just as the team started walking toward the door, the sound hadn’t been tested (we decided to use the sound system that the girls will be using when they dance). And everything went off smoothly. No one realized that we had spent the last hour+ trying to fix the projector that shouldn’t have stopped working in the first place. Ahhh, the humor… wish I would’ve just prayed in the first place. I think that is one of the biggest lessons for me to learn on this trip.

After the presentation we took a “tour” of Okahandja. We drove through Vyf Rand, Nau-Aib, visited the cemetery & drove through the more affluent parts of the town. After lunch, some went to build a jungle gym at one of the preschools where Joan mentors the teacher. Some went to the Ark, an orphanage, to evaluate some of the special needs students. And the rest of us stayed behind to sort through preschool supplies for Joan. Once we completed what we could we met over at Maria’s preschool to play with kids and see how the construction was coming along. Her school is amazing and she is truly gifted in teaching these kids.

Dinner was Kudu Stew… which was utterly amazing. After dinner we debriefed about the day and it was truly a tough day for most of the team. They have experienced things that most have never seen and it’s is heart breaking. They learned that Namibia is the third highest in HIV/AIDS cases (and remember, most people are not said to die of AIDS, but are listed as having died of the sickness that their immune system couldn’t fight off). They learned that the world is a much bigger place than they ever imagined. They learned that there is no plan… at least not one of our own… because the second we come up with one… God is sure to change it in order to grow and mold us. And for some, they learned or were reminded that God is faithful. Our bags and guitars arrived this evening during our debrief time. Steph has her own clean underwear and we celebrated by singing everything you could imagine around the fire… songs from the ’05 CD, songs from the ’07 CD, and some other very special songs… :-) even if we couldn’t remember all the words… they were so very special!

I still haven’t made it to the internet café. Hopefully I will have more pics up soon. I got to get to bed. Sunrise is coming quick & we are going to see it from monkey mountain.