Ark Okahandja
May began with a continuation of the kid’s holidays, and after the second week of holidays the schools of Namibia decided that 4 weeks wasn’t enough, so they added an extra week, making it a 5 week holiday! Most of the children went on holiday with extended family; some were able to go to a camp and some on a school choir trip during the 5 weeks. The girls who didn’t get to family during the holiday came to visit Auntie Charlene for a week! It was a busy but fun week with Francina, Tuuliki, Selma and Emily. Trevor went and spent a few days at the Ark with the boys. School went back on the 28th of May.
The staff at the Ark is doing well. Auntie Leila is back from her maternity leave (she was always around, just not responsible to do anything but bond with the new babe). Uncle Lazarus felt a little lost without Pete, but Charlene filled in where she could during the time Pete was in Oshikuku. Pelgrina who teaches the Choose to Wait program has not been doing well physically. She has AIDS and struggles from time to time with different health issues.
We welcomed 2 new volunteers this month. Joanne from the USA and Mari from Japan have joined us for short term. Joanne for 8 weeks and Mari for 6 months, Joanne has been helping with Care & Compassion and Mari with the children and will try each of the ministries to see which one fits for her. We also had a large team from Ireland come and spend some time here in Okahandja. They blessed the people beyond measure, with their time, talents and finances! A 7 member team from the USA arrived the end of the month and will spend a week joining in with each of the 3 ministries of the Ark. This team comes from Table Rock Church which almost fully funds the Ark Okahandja each month!
Walter, the National Director spent the month in Kenya at a Directors training.
Winter has come to Namibia!
I thought I would explain why the SNOWFLAKES in the newsletter this month. The cold weather has arrived EARLY this year! I have been thinking about how to explain how cold I mean… it is like camping in the late fall in Canada… bone chilling comes to mind! I wear a toque to bed! No… really… I do. We sleep on the floor (since our beds are still in Angola) and so it gets very cold on the cement floors, although thankfully we have a thin layer of carpet to keep the ice from forming! HA!
There’s no central heating in the houses so the cement houses feel chilly all day and really cold at night… the people in community who live in tin shacks are either freezing at night or roasting in the daytime!
I am writing this at 10 AM and it is 15 Celsius in the house… I would guess in the night we are getting down below 10 degrees! It usually doesn’t get this cold until July/August, so we are feeling the chill early this year.
Pete’s Ministry
This month Pete spent a great deal of his time with Joe up in Oshikuku or on the road (to and from). They managed to get a lot of work done tiling the Ark. Of course, Joe was able to see first hand some of the “GREAT” frustrations we encounter on an almost daily basis here in Africa, and I think he left with a better understanding of things and will probably read between the lines in our newsletters from now on! Pete sure enjoyed having Joe around this month; we wished he could stay longer!
The beginning of the month began with CHI prayer and fasting which Pete was responsible to plan and run. He chose the theme, The Glory of God. The CHI staff and volunteers were very positive in their reviews of the 2 day program.
Pete also helped the Irish team get involved in Care & Compassion and Kids Club during their stay. This team left a lot of money behind for different people and ministries and since WINTER has come we were able to purchase some blankets and jackets for the ladies at 5 Rand in the C&C program! They were overjoyed and are now much warmer at night.
Pete lost his Bible the last week of May… he feels like someone who has lost an arm or leg. It has been a very difficult thing for him to handle, not only because it is marked and well read, but also because we cannot get this version here in Africa, and it is the version he has memorized from.
Visitors
Joe arrived April 28 and went home May 26. He showered our family with lots of goodies… the kids were especially excited (from the sugar high), and Pete was thrilled with his new watch and Leatherman! Joe spent most of his time in Oshikuku working on the Ark. He also went to C&C at 5 Rand a few times. He helped cut some branches off of one of the trees at the Ark… with his Leatherman, and he also fixed a door there. He fixed our door too, now we keep slamming it, as we were used to having to ‘drag’ it closed!
Kelly and Dakotah arrived on the bus at 4 AM on May 7. Kelly attended the prayer and fasting day with us, she shared what was going on with CHI Zimbabwe. During the week we traveled to the Cheetah reserve north of Otjiwarongo (where they have the ‘best’ pizza). We had a flat tire on the way, which Kelly and Trevor replaced with the donut tire. As the tire was being replaced we ate pizza! The next day we traveled to Walvis Bay and stayed a wonderful guest house run by a generous Christian couple! We took the kids to the Dunes and after climbing to the top and rolling down Trevor negotiated with the Quad guy for an awesome rate… so the kids went Quading on the Dunes. The next day we spent at the ocean and the smaller dunes where the kids went dune boarding with their greased up boards. We had a great time visiting together and getting to know each other!
Joy from Florida arrived May 24 to be Matron of Honour at Buddy and Julia’s wedding. I personally enjoyed spending time with Joy and I wish they were still living here; I realized in her time here how much I missed having her around!
Jonathan arrived on May 30. He came on the bus from South Africa and arrived late at 6:30 AM in Windhoek (he was supposed to arrive at 5:45AM). He will be staying with us for 2 months and has already been getting involved with helping. The boys think he’s great!!
New House Help
Meagan gave up her job as our house help as Jenny needs the money to ‘survive’. Jenny is an excited newer believer with 2 children. Her little boy lives in Rundu with her mother, and Queen her 7 month old baby lives with her. Her husband died from TB before Queen was born (on the floor of her house here in Okahandja). Her son was also very sick with TB but was diagnosed correctly in time and was treated properly. I hired her for 3 hours a day but she stays for 6 to 8 and she loves to iron. With tears in her eyes she thanked me for hiring her… she said that now she can send money to help her son, her mother and her siblings. She has experienced many blessings in her life as she has remained faithful to God, and prayed to him for the things that she needs to live. You will hear more about Jenny in the days ahead, I will try to put something on the website soon sharing ‘her story’ and photos!
Charlene’s Ministry
This month has been extremely busy. With Pete gone for part of the month and people coming and going I have been kept going non-stop. I was trying to think of a job title for myself, I wanted something creative, but I haven’t had time to think… so here it goes… I am a HOLE FILLER! I have realized that there are those who dig the holes, those who supervise the work and those who fill them in again… I am the filler!
There were a lot of ‘holes’ this month! Barbara (the volunteer coordinator) was away and so when the volunteers who were going home it was me picking them up from the bus or dropping them off at the airport (1 1/2 hours from Okahandja)! There were about 6 trips to the airport, 1 trip to the bus stop in Windhoek and some were two trips in one day.
I helped with filling in holes during the planning for prayer and fasting. One of the missionaries here got married and there were several trips in and out of Windhoek, I think I made 5 trips to Windhoek in one week (twice one day). The bi-monthly reports were due this month, and since Walter was away the Prayer & Praise reports fell into my hands. I had a wedding shower/Braai at my house for the bride-to-be! There were many other things, but I don’t have space.
I was able to have a restful week when Kelly and Dakotah came from Zimbabwe on their way back to Canada. We traveled around giving them a little taste of Namibia. We saw the Cheetahs north of here and the coast to the west! It was a lot of driving, but we had a great time with the kids!
Also during this month I was very sick. I have had a terrible pain in my chest since the middle of the month and now a cough. You can pray that it is nothing more than pleurisy or a cold, however one day I will go in for a TB test... when I have some time!
The Funeral
I attended my first African funeral. You will have to check out the website to hear the full story as it had more twists and turns than the Leba in Angola (the switchback up the side of a mountain). At the beginning of the month our yard worker, Josef came and shared with us that his wife had died, they have 3 children (one was six weeks old at the time). The Irish team left money for formula for the baby and whatever might be needed for the funeral arrangements. One day I took Josef out to a farm to buy a goat for the day of the funeral, he managed to tie the front leg to the back and throw it in the back of my ‘car’! It cried and pooped all the way back to town… in my ‘car’! The day of the funeral as I was standing at the gravesite through a round about conversation Josef’s sister informed me who the woman was who died… we had a connection even though we didn’t know it. If you remember newsletters from August and September we talked about Rosaria (she died from TB… and had been beaten and sexual abused by her step-father). Well long story short, Josef seems to be the guy, although when I sat and talked with him he claims innocence. All I could do is share the gospel with him and hope and pray that things change in his life. The baby has now fallen ill and they are not sure the cause.
The Knightly Kids
Meagan turned 16 on May 7! We had cakes at the Ark after the prayer and fasting day was over. She used her birthday money from her grandparents to buy a new cell phone (it takes pictures… teenagers). She has been struggling with motivation for school, Pete has her reading encyclopedias now and doing Math. She loves to read! She has gotten some great books from our visitors.
Trevor is still enjoying wrestling, and especially liked learning new moves from Joe (a champion wrestler in his youth). Joe even went to club with them and taught his trademark winning move! He enjoyed spending time with Dakotah, both boys went on a hike up the mountain with her; they brought home a snake skin! I think Trevor is getting taller; he will be 13 in September (almost a teenager)
Tavis goes to wrestling but he has a hard time getting motivated to get out the door, but enjoys it when he gets there. He keeps busy and especially enjoys walking to the grocery store to purchase things for me. He is making plans for entrepreneur day at the school, and seems quite excited about it. It is common to hear Tavis say “do you want me to make you something for lunch”? He loves cooking!
Prayer and Praise
Praise
For safety in all the traveling we have done this month and for the finances to put fuel in our tank.
For special visits with friends from North America, this has been such a huge blessing and encouragement!
For the strength to complete all of the tasks that needed doing this month!
For the boys going back to school! Five weeks was a long time… for Mom!
For all of the ways to minister here in Namibia.
Prayer
Health… a common theme for Charlene! This month has been difficult health-wise. Pray for healing of this pain in the chest.
Still no word on going north, please pray that God will guide and direct not only us but the National Director in his decision making.
Still no sign of our things from Angola, we have tried to get in touch with the man arranging the transport down, but to no avail. As the weather gets colder we could use our beds, bedding, warm clothing and warm PJ’s that are still waiting in Lubango.
Please pray for wisdom and guidance in dealing with the ‘many’ difficult situations that we encounter. There are many people with obvious need here in Namibia and we can only financially and physically do so much. There are ‘many’ children who pick through the garbage to find food, how do you drive or walk by without feeling compassion?
Pete, Joe and I drove to the dump this month and gave bread that had been donated by Pic n Pay to 40 children who were picking through a fresh arrival of garbage. It’s heartbreaking!
I taught some kids to play hop scotch at 5 Rand while Joe was here, and afterward both Joe and I were wondering how one boys legs didn’t break from jumping, they were just skin and bones!
Jenny helped a woman the other day with some of the things that I had given her for the baby. This lady was cutting old clothes to use as nappies (diapers) and they were wearing rags. She shared nappies I had bought for her, and baby clothes that Joy had left for me to give away. This lady is taking 2 of her children north to live with family as they are starving, she will keep the baby with her and try to get work at a farm where her husband is working.
This is just a small portion of the needs we meet each day… so please pray! We truly need wisdom for who to help, when and how much!
We are in the transition phase with our finances and would appreciate your prayers during this time. Currently we are unable to receipt those who live in Canada (but we are working on it!).
For those who desire to support our ministry financially you can do so by
sending cheques to Ron and Marge (Pete’s parents).
Ron and Marge Knightly
Box 4, Ft. Steele BC V0B 1N0
Phone:250 426 4782
If you live in the USA you can mail your donation to CH-USA and you will receive a receipt for tax purposes. The address is PO Box 52038, Longwood FL, 32752-0328, please include a ‘separate’ paper indicating that your donation is for the
“Knightly Family-Namibia”!
Thank you for your support! We are continually overwhelmed by God’s provision for not only our daily needs but for the ability to help meet the needs of others through the generosity of those who give financially to our ministry here in Namibia. May God richly bless you!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
May Update
Ark Okahandja
May began with a continuation of the kid’s holidays, and after the second week of holidays the schools of Namibia decided that 4 weeks wasn’t enough, so they added an extra week, making it a 5 week holiday! Most of the children went on holiday with extended family; some were able to go to a camp and some on a school choir trip during the 5 weeks. The girls who didn’t get to family during the holiday came to visit Auntie Charlene for a week! It was a busy but fun week with Francina, Tuuliki, Selma and Emily. Trevor went and spent a few days at the Ark with the boys. School went back on the 28th of May.
The staff at the Ark is doing well. Auntie Leila is back from her maternity leave (she was always around, just not responsible to do anything but bond with the new babe). Uncle Lazarus felt a little lost without Pete, but Charlene filled in where she could during the time Pete was in Oshikuku. Pelgrina who teaches the Choose to Wait program has not been doing well physically. She has AIDS and struggles from time to time with different health issues.
We welcomed 2 new volunteers this month. Joanne from the USA and Mari from Japan have joined us for short term. Joanne for 8 weeks and Mari for 6 months, Joanne has been helping with Care & Compassion and Mari with the children and will try each of the ministries to see which one fits for her. We also had a large team from Ireland come and spend some time here in Okahandja. They blessed the people beyond measure, with their time, talents and finances! A 7 member team from the USA arrived the end of the month and will spend a week joining in with each of the 3 ministries of the Ark. This team comes from Table Rock Church which almost fully funds the Ark Okahandja each month!
Walter, the National Director spent the month in Kenya at a Directors training.
Winter has come to Namibia!
I thought I would explain why the SNOWFLAKES in the newsletter this month. The cold weather has arrived EARLY this year! I have been thinking about how to explain how cold I mean… it is like camping in the late fall in Canada… bone chilling comes to mind! I wear a toque to bed! No… really… I do. We sleep on the floor (since our beds are still in Angola) and so it gets very cold on the cement floors, although thankfully we have a thin layer of carpet to keep the ice from forming! HA!
There’s no central heating in the houses so the cement houses feel chilly all day and really cold at night… the people in community who live in tin shacks are either freezing at night or roasting in the daytime!
I am writing this at 10 AM and it is 15 Celsius in the house… I would guess in the night we are getting down below 10 degrees! It usually doesn’t get this cold until July/August, so we are feeling the chill early this year.
Pete’s Ministry
This month Pete spent a great deal of his time with Joe up in Oshikuku or on the road (to and from). They managed to get a lot of work done tiling the Ark. Of course, Joe was able to see first hand some of the “GREAT” frustrations we encounter on an almost daily basis here in Africa, and I think he left with a better understanding of things and will probably read between the lines in our newsletters from now on! Pete sure enjoyed having Joe around this month; we wished he could stay longer!
The beginning of the month began with CHI prayer and fasting which Pete was responsible to plan and run. He chose the theme, The Glory of God. The CHI staff and volunteers were very positive in their reviews of the 2 day program.
Pete also helped the Irish team get involved in Care & Compassion and Kids Club during their stay. This team left a lot of money behind for different people and ministries and since WINTER has come we were able to purchase some blankets and jackets for the ladies at 5 Rand in the C&C program! They were overjoyed and are now much warmer at night.
Pete lost his Bible the last week of May… he feels like someone who has lost an arm or leg. It has been a very difficult thing for him to handle, not only because it is marked and well read, but also because we cannot get this version here in Africa, and it is the version he has memorized from.
Visitors
Joe arrived April 28 and went home May 26. He showered our family with lots of goodies… the kids were especially excited (from the sugar high), and Pete was thrilled with his new watch and Leatherman! Joe spent most of his time in Oshikuku working on the Ark. He also went to C&C at 5 Rand a few times. He helped cut some branches off of one of the trees at the Ark… with his Leatherman, and he also fixed a door there. He fixed our door too, now we keep slamming it, as we were used to having to ‘drag’ it closed!
Kelly and Dakotah arrived on the bus at 4 AM on May 7. Kelly attended the prayer and fasting day with us, she shared what was going on with CHI Zimbabwe. During the week we traveled to the Cheetah reserve north of Otjiwarongo (where they have the ‘best’ pizza). We had a flat tire on the way, which Kelly and Trevor replaced with the donut tire. As the tire was being replaced we ate pizza! The next day we traveled to Walvis Bay and stayed a wonderful guest house run by a generous Christian couple! We took the kids to the Dunes and after climbing to the top and rolling down Trevor negotiated with the Quad guy for an awesome rate… so the kids went Quading on the Dunes. The next day we spent at the ocean and the smaller dunes where the kids went dune boarding with their greased up boards. We had a great time visiting together and getting to know each other!
Joy from Florida arrived May 24 to be Matron of Honour at Buddy and Julia’s wedding. I personally enjoyed spending time with Joy and I wish they were still living here; I realized in her time here how much I missed having her around!
Jonathan arrived on May 30. He came on the bus from South Africa and arrived late at 6:30 AM in Windhoek (he was supposed to arrive at 5:45AM). He will be staying with us for 2 months and has already been getting involved with helping. The boys think he’s great!!
New House Help
Meagan gave up her job as our house help as Jenny needs the money to ‘survive’. Jenny is an excited newer believer with 2 children. Her little boy lives in Rundu with her mother, and Queen her 7 month old baby lives with her. Her husband died from TB before Queen was born (on the floor of her house here in Okahandja). Her son was also very sick with TB but was diagnosed correctly in time and was treated properly. I hired her for 3 hours a day but she stays for 6 to 8 and she loves to iron. With tears in her eyes she thanked me for hiring her… she said that now she can send money to help her son, her mother and her siblings. She has experienced many blessings in her life as she has remained faithful to God, and prayed to him for the things that she needs to live. You will hear more about Jenny in the days ahead, I will try to put something on the website soon sharing ‘her story’ and photos!
Charlene’s Ministry
This month has been extremely busy. With Pete gone for part of the month and people coming and going I have been kept going non-stop. I was trying to think of a job title for myself, I wanted something creative, but I haven’t had time to think… so here it goes… I am a HOLE FILLER! I have realized that there are those who dig the holes, those who supervise the work and those who fill them in again… I am the filler!
There were a lot of ‘holes’ this month! Barbara (the volunteer coordinator) was away and so when the volunteers who were going home it was me picking them up from the bus or dropping them off at the airport (1 1/2 hours from Okahandja)! There were about 6 trips to the airport, 1 trip to the bus stop in Windhoek and some were two trips in one day.
I helped with filling in holes during the planning for prayer and fasting. One of the missionaries here got married and there were several trips in and out of Windhoek, I think I made 5 trips to Windhoek in one week (twice one day). The bi-monthly reports were due this month, and since Walter was away the Prayer & Praise reports fell into my hands. I had a wedding shower/Braai at my house for the bride-to-be! There were many other things, but I don’t have space.
I was able to have a restful week when Kelly and Dakotah came from Zimbabwe on their way back to Canada. We traveled around giving them a little taste of Namibia. We saw the Cheetahs north of here and the coast to the west! It was a lot of driving, but we had a great time with the kids!
Also during this month I was very sick. I have had a terrible pain in my chest since the middle of the month and now a cough. You can pray that it is nothing more than pleurisy or a cold, however one day I will go in for a TB test... when I have some time!
The Funeral
I attended my first African funeral. You will have to check out the website to hear the full story as it had more twists and turns than the Leba in Angola (the switchback up the side of a mountain). At the beginning of the month our yard worker, Josef came and shared with us that his wife had died, they have 3 children (one was six weeks old at the time). The Irish team left money for formula for the baby and whatever might be needed for the funeral arrangements. One day I took Josef out to a farm to buy a goat for the day of the funeral, he managed to tie the front leg to the back and throw it in the back of my ‘car’! It cried and pooped all the way back to town… in my ‘car’! The day of the funeral as I was standing at the gravesite through a round about conversation Josef’s sister informed me who the woman was who died… we had a connection even though we didn’t know it. If you remember newsletters from August and September we talked about Rosaria (she died from TB… and had been beaten and sexual abused by her step-father). Well long story short, Josef seems to be the guy, although when I sat and talked with him he claims innocence. All I could do is share the gospel with him and hope and pray that things change in his life. The baby has now fallen ill and they are not sure the cause.
The Knightly Kids
Meagan turned 16 on May 7! We had cakes at the Ark after the prayer and fasting day was over. She used her birthday money from her grandparents to buy a new cell phone (it takes pictures… teenagers). She has been struggling with motivation for school, Pete has her reading encyclopedias now and doing Math. She loves to read! She has gotten some great books from our visitors.
Trevor is still enjoying wrestling, and especially liked learning new moves from Joe (a champion wrestler in his youth). Joe even went to club with them and taught his trademark winning move! He enjoyed spending time with Dakotah, both boys went on a hike up the mountain with her; they brought home a snake skin! I think Trevor is getting taller; he will be 13 in September (almost a teenager)
Tavis goes to wrestling but he has a hard time getting motivated to get out the door, but enjoys it when he gets there. He keeps busy and especially enjoys walking to the grocery store to purchase things for me. He is making plans for entrepreneur day at the school, and seems quite excited about it. It is common to hear Tavis say “do you want me to make you something for lunch”? He loves cooking!
Prayer and Praise
Praise
For safety in all the traveling we have done this month and for the finances to put fuel in our tank.
For special visits with friends from North America, this has been such a huge blessing and encouragement!
For the strength to complete all of the tasks that needed doing this month!
For the boys going back to school! Five weeks was a long time… for Mom!
For all of the ways to minister here in Namibia.
Prayer
Health… a common theme for Charlene! This month has been difficult health-wise. Pray for healing of this pain in the chest.
Still no word on going north, please pray that God will guide and direct not only us but the National Director in his decision making.
Still no sign of our things from Angola, we have tried to get in touch with the man arranging the transport down, but to no avail. As the weather gets colder we could use our beds, bedding, warm clothing and warm PJ’s that are still waiting in Lubango.
Please pray for wisdom and guidance in dealing with the ‘many’ difficult situations that we encounter. There are many people with obvious need here in Namibia and we can only financially and physically do so much. There are ‘many’ children who pick through the garbage to find food, how do you drive or walk by without feeling compassion?
Pete, Joe and I drove to the dump this month and gave bread that had been donated by Pic n Pay to 40 children who were picking through a fresh arrival of garbage. It’s heartbreaking!
I taught some kids to play hop scotch at 5 Rand while Joe was here, and afterward both Joe and I were wondering how one boys legs didn’t break from jumping, they were just skin and bones!
Jenny helped a woman the other day with some of the things that I had given her for the baby. This lady was cutting old clothes to use as nappies (diapers) and they were wearing rags. She shared nappies I had bought for her, and baby clothes that Joy had left for me to give away. This lady is taking 2 of her children north to live with family as they are starving, she will keep the baby with her and try to get work at a farm where her husband is working.
This is just a small portion of the needs we meet each day… so please pray! We truly need wisdom for who to help, when and how much!
We are in the transition phase with our finances and would appreciate your prayers during this time. Currently we are unable to receipt those who live in Canada (but we are working on it!).
For those who desire to support our ministry financially you can do so by
sending cheques to Ron and Marge (Pete’s parents).
Ron and Marge Knightly
Box 4, Ft. Steele BC V0B 1N0
Phone:250 426 4782
If you live in the USA you can mail your donation to CH-USA and you will receive a receipt for tax purposes. The address is PO Box 52038, Longwood FL, 32752-0328, please include a ‘separate’ paper indicating that your donation is for the
“Knightly Family-Namibia”!
Thank you for your support! We are continually overwhelmed by God’s provision for not only our daily needs but for the ability to help meet the needs of others through the generosity of those who give financially to our ministry here in Namibia. May God richly bless you!
May began with a continuation of the kid’s holidays, and after the second week of holidays the schools of Namibia decided that 4 weeks wasn’t enough, so they added an extra week, making it a 5 week holiday! Most of the children went on holiday with extended family; some were able to go to a camp and some on a school choir trip during the 5 weeks. The girls who didn’t get to family during the holiday came to visit Auntie Charlene for a week! It was a busy but fun week with Francina, Tuuliki, Selma and Emily. Trevor went and spent a few days at the Ark with the boys. School went back on the 28th of May.
The staff at the Ark is doing well. Auntie Leila is back from her maternity leave (she was always around, just not responsible to do anything but bond with the new babe). Uncle Lazarus felt a little lost without Pete, but Charlene filled in where she could during the time Pete was in Oshikuku. Pelgrina who teaches the Choose to Wait program has not been doing well physically. She has AIDS and struggles from time to time with different health issues.
We welcomed 2 new volunteers this month. Joanne from the USA and Mari from Japan have joined us for short term. Joanne for 8 weeks and Mari for 6 months, Joanne has been helping with Care & Compassion and Mari with the children and will try each of the ministries to see which one fits for her. We also had a large team from Ireland come and spend some time here in Okahandja. They blessed the people beyond measure, with their time, talents and finances! A 7 member team from the USA arrived the end of the month and will spend a week joining in with each of the 3 ministries of the Ark. This team comes from Table Rock Church which almost fully funds the Ark Okahandja each month!
Walter, the National Director spent the month in Kenya at a Directors training.
Winter has come to Namibia!
I thought I would explain why the SNOWFLAKES in the newsletter this month. The cold weather has arrived EARLY this year! I have been thinking about how to explain how cold I mean… it is like camping in the late fall in Canada… bone chilling comes to mind! I wear a toque to bed! No… really… I do. We sleep on the floor (since our beds are still in Angola) and so it gets very cold on the cement floors, although thankfully we have a thin layer of carpet to keep the ice from forming! HA!
There’s no central heating in the houses so the cement houses feel chilly all day and really cold at night… the people in community who live in tin shacks are either freezing at night or roasting in the daytime!
I am writing this at 10 AM and it is 15 Celsius in the house… I would guess in the night we are getting down below 10 degrees! It usually doesn’t get this cold until July/August, so we are feeling the chill early this year.
Pete’s Ministry
This month Pete spent a great deal of his time with Joe up in Oshikuku or on the road (to and from). They managed to get a lot of work done tiling the Ark. Of course, Joe was able to see first hand some of the “GREAT” frustrations we encounter on an almost daily basis here in Africa, and I think he left with a better understanding of things and will probably read between the lines in our newsletters from now on! Pete sure enjoyed having Joe around this month; we wished he could stay longer!
The beginning of the month began with CHI prayer and fasting which Pete was responsible to plan and run. He chose the theme, The Glory of God. The CHI staff and volunteers were very positive in their reviews of the 2 day program.
Pete also helped the Irish team get involved in Care & Compassion and Kids Club during their stay. This team left a lot of money behind for different people and ministries and since WINTER has come we were able to purchase some blankets and jackets for the ladies at 5 Rand in the C&C program! They were overjoyed and are now much warmer at night.
Pete lost his Bible the last week of May… he feels like someone who has lost an arm or leg. It has been a very difficult thing for him to handle, not only because it is marked and well read, but also because we cannot get this version here in Africa, and it is the version he has memorized from.
Visitors
Joe arrived April 28 and went home May 26. He showered our family with lots of goodies… the kids were especially excited (from the sugar high), and Pete was thrilled with his new watch and Leatherman! Joe spent most of his time in Oshikuku working on the Ark. He also went to C&C at 5 Rand a few times. He helped cut some branches off of one of the trees at the Ark… with his Leatherman, and he also fixed a door there. He fixed our door too, now we keep slamming it, as we were used to having to ‘drag’ it closed!
Kelly and Dakotah arrived on the bus at 4 AM on May 7. Kelly attended the prayer and fasting day with us, she shared what was going on with CHI Zimbabwe. During the week we traveled to the Cheetah reserve north of Otjiwarongo (where they have the ‘best’ pizza). We had a flat tire on the way, which Kelly and Trevor replaced with the donut tire. As the tire was being replaced we ate pizza! The next day we traveled to Walvis Bay and stayed a wonderful guest house run by a generous Christian couple! We took the kids to the Dunes and after climbing to the top and rolling down Trevor negotiated with the Quad guy for an awesome rate… so the kids went Quading on the Dunes. The next day we spent at the ocean and the smaller dunes where the kids went dune boarding with their greased up boards. We had a great time visiting together and getting to know each other!
Joy from Florida arrived May 24 to be Matron of Honour at Buddy and Julia’s wedding. I personally enjoyed spending time with Joy and I wish they were still living here; I realized in her time here how much I missed having her around!
Jonathan arrived on May 30. He came on the bus from South Africa and arrived late at 6:30 AM in Windhoek (he was supposed to arrive at 5:45AM). He will be staying with us for 2 months and has already been getting involved with helping. The boys think he’s great!!
New House Help
Meagan gave up her job as our house help as Jenny needs the money to ‘survive’. Jenny is an excited newer believer with 2 children. Her little boy lives in Rundu with her mother, and Queen her 7 month old baby lives with her. Her husband died from TB before Queen was born (on the floor of her house here in Okahandja). Her son was also very sick with TB but was diagnosed correctly in time and was treated properly. I hired her for 3 hours a day but she stays for 6 to 8 and she loves to iron. With tears in her eyes she thanked me for hiring her… she said that now she can send money to help her son, her mother and her siblings. She has experienced many blessings in her life as she has remained faithful to God, and prayed to him for the things that she needs to live. You will hear more about Jenny in the days ahead, I will try to put something on the website soon sharing ‘her story’ and photos!
Charlene’s Ministry
This month has been extremely busy. With Pete gone for part of the month and people coming and going I have been kept going non-stop. I was trying to think of a job title for myself, I wanted something creative, but I haven’t had time to think… so here it goes… I am a HOLE FILLER! I have realized that there are those who dig the holes, those who supervise the work and those who fill them in again… I am the filler!
There were a lot of ‘holes’ this month! Barbara (the volunteer coordinator) was away and so when the volunteers who were going home it was me picking them up from the bus or dropping them off at the airport (1 1/2 hours from Okahandja)! There were about 6 trips to the airport, 1 trip to the bus stop in Windhoek and some were two trips in one day.
I helped with filling in holes during the planning for prayer and fasting. One of the missionaries here got married and there were several trips in and out of Windhoek, I think I made 5 trips to Windhoek in one week (twice one day). The bi-monthly reports were due this month, and since Walter was away the Prayer & Praise reports fell into my hands. I had a wedding shower/Braai at my house for the bride-to-be! There were many other things, but I don’t have space.
I was able to have a restful week when Kelly and Dakotah came from Zimbabwe on their way back to Canada. We traveled around giving them a little taste of Namibia. We saw the Cheetahs north of here and the coast to the west! It was a lot of driving, but we had a great time with the kids!
Also during this month I was very sick. I have had a terrible pain in my chest since the middle of the month and now a cough. You can pray that it is nothing more than pleurisy or a cold, however one day I will go in for a TB test... when I have some time!
The Funeral
I attended my first African funeral. You will have to check out the website to hear the full story as it had more twists and turns than the Leba in Angola (the switchback up the side of a mountain). At the beginning of the month our yard worker, Josef came and shared with us that his wife had died, they have 3 children (one was six weeks old at the time). The Irish team left money for formula for the baby and whatever might be needed for the funeral arrangements. One day I took Josef out to a farm to buy a goat for the day of the funeral, he managed to tie the front leg to the back and throw it in the back of my ‘car’! It cried and pooped all the way back to town… in my ‘car’! The day of the funeral as I was standing at the gravesite through a round about conversation Josef’s sister informed me who the woman was who died… we had a connection even though we didn’t know it. If you remember newsletters from August and September we talked about Rosaria (she died from TB… and had been beaten and sexual abused by her step-father). Well long story short, Josef seems to be the guy, although when I sat and talked with him he claims innocence. All I could do is share the gospel with him and hope and pray that things change in his life. The baby has now fallen ill and they are not sure the cause.
The Knightly Kids
Meagan turned 16 on May 7! We had cakes at the Ark after the prayer and fasting day was over. She used her birthday money from her grandparents to buy a new cell phone (it takes pictures… teenagers). She has been struggling with motivation for school, Pete has her reading encyclopedias now and doing Math. She loves to read! She has gotten some great books from our visitors.
Trevor is still enjoying wrestling, and especially liked learning new moves from Joe (a champion wrestler in his youth). Joe even went to club with them and taught his trademark winning move! He enjoyed spending time with Dakotah, both boys went on a hike up the mountain with her; they brought home a snake skin! I think Trevor is getting taller; he will be 13 in September (almost a teenager)
Tavis goes to wrestling but he has a hard time getting motivated to get out the door, but enjoys it when he gets there. He keeps busy and especially enjoys walking to the grocery store to purchase things for me. He is making plans for entrepreneur day at the school, and seems quite excited about it. It is common to hear Tavis say “do you want me to make you something for lunch”? He loves cooking!
Prayer and Praise
Praise
For safety in all the traveling we have done this month and for the finances to put fuel in our tank.
For special visits with friends from North America, this has been such a huge blessing and encouragement!
For the strength to complete all of the tasks that needed doing this month!
For the boys going back to school! Five weeks was a long time… for Mom!
For all of the ways to minister here in Namibia.
Prayer
Health… a common theme for Charlene! This month has been difficult health-wise. Pray for healing of this pain in the chest.
Still no word on going north, please pray that God will guide and direct not only us but the National Director in his decision making.
Still no sign of our things from Angola, we have tried to get in touch with the man arranging the transport down, but to no avail. As the weather gets colder we could use our beds, bedding, warm clothing and warm PJ’s that are still waiting in Lubango.
Please pray for wisdom and guidance in dealing with the ‘many’ difficult situations that we encounter. There are many people with obvious need here in Namibia and we can only financially and physically do so much. There are ‘many’ children who pick through the garbage to find food, how do you drive or walk by without feeling compassion?
Pete, Joe and I drove to the dump this month and gave bread that had been donated by Pic n Pay to 40 children who were picking through a fresh arrival of garbage. It’s heartbreaking!
I taught some kids to play hop scotch at 5 Rand while Joe was here, and afterward both Joe and I were wondering how one boys legs didn’t break from jumping, they were just skin and bones!
Jenny helped a woman the other day with some of the things that I had given her for the baby. This lady was cutting old clothes to use as nappies (diapers) and they were wearing rags. She shared nappies I had bought for her, and baby clothes that Joy had left for me to give away. This lady is taking 2 of her children north to live with family as they are starving, she will keep the baby with her and try to get work at a farm where her husband is working.
This is just a small portion of the needs we meet each day… so please pray! We truly need wisdom for who to help, when and how much!
We are in the transition phase with our finances and would appreciate your prayers during this time. Currently we are unable to receipt those who live in Canada (but we are working on it!).
For those who desire to support our ministry financially you can do so by
sending cheques to Ron and Marge (Pete’s parents).
Ron and Marge Knightly
Box 4, Ft. Steele BC V0B 1N0
Phone:250 426 4782
If you live in the USA you can mail your donation to CH-USA and you will receive a receipt for tax purposes. The address is PO Box 52038, Longwood FL, 32752-0328, please include a ‘separate’ paper indicating that your donation is for the
“Knightly Family-Namibia”!
Thank you for your support! We are continually overwhelmed by God’s provision for not only our daily needs but for the ability to help meet the needs of others through the generosity of those who give financially to our ministry here in Namibia. May God richly bless you!
Care & Compassion
Blankets and Jackets that were given to the ladies at 5 Rand were very well received!
Nicholas cozy in bed with his new blanket, given by Care & Compassion Okahandja with donations from a team from the UK. Thank you Ireland for your thoughtfulness, love, care and compassion to the needy in Namibia. 
Ark Okahandja Ministries
Ark Okahandja Ministries
Detailed report
February:
The Ark:
There are 16 children in the Ark currently. There was a new addition last month, he is adjusting well, but it looks like he will go to live with his grandmother soon. For a little boy who had been beaten so bad by his father, you would be amazed if you had the opportunity to meet him; you would be greeted with a bright warm smile and a big hug from little Shipandeni. If you are good at Math and would like to volunteer for 3 to 6 months at Ark Okahandja, the children could use some help in this area! Donavan, thankfully, was admitted to Okahandja Primary School for grade 1.
Pelgrina and Sonja have resumed teaching Choose to Wait in the Primary schools three days a week. Rachel, Corina and a local volunteer Aurelia are working at Care and Compassion on the weekdays, sharing the word of God, visiting and giving food to those suffering with AIDS. Violet has resumed with Kids Club two days a week. The volunteers have been doing a marvelous job with study times with the children; however Corina and Sonja will both be heading home to Germany next month. The staff are all healthy and we are excited to announce that Uncle Lazarus and Auntie Leila had a beautiful baby girl almost 2 weeks ago now.
Pete started a garden project and the fruits of his labour were very much enjoyed by those at the Ark… the HUGE watermelons and cantaloupes were big hits! He is hoping to engage some of the children in helping out with the project as they really need to learn some practical life skills.
The staff house is ‘almost’ complete and the Volunteer Coordinator, Barbara, has finally moved in (after a very long wait). I made curtains for all the bedroom windows, and have one more set to go for the kitchen. I was very thankful that one of the other volunteers left behind her sewing machine… it has been put to good use!
Pete’s Work
After his wife being away for 6 weeks I guess Pete needed a bit of a break. So on the 11th he headed out to a farm about 100km north of Okahandja for 5 days of prayer and fasting with a group of leaders from many other countries. I think it was a refreshing time for him, not only to get away to meditate and pray but to have the fellowship with men who love God and want to serve him with their whole hearts. On the 18th Pete preached again at Pioneer Baptist. The next few days were spent in meetings at CHI headquarters here in Okahandja, with some training and information on OVC’s (orphaned and vulnerable children) and HIV/AIDS. It is always beneficial to receive more information in this area.
In regards to Ministry Coordinating the Ark and other 2 ministries, he has been busy trying to work out some kinks. It has been difficult to deal with some of the challenges since our COO left in December (especially in the area of obtaining finances for the daily needs of the Ark). They are currently working on some of the options and he attending a board meeting where everyone was in agreement that something must be done. The monthly CH-Namibia Prayer and Fasting will be held here in Okahandja so Pete has been busy trying to help Uncle Lazarus organize and get things ready.
Pete also worked on the staff house with Jandre (our finance guy at National Office) and made it livable for Barbara and any other volunteers who come to Okahandja. Barbara is very thankful to the 2 of them for their hard work and extra effort on her behalf. It looks great, Pete did the countertops (which he did for a living in Prince George many years ago). All things for a reason!
Charlene’s Work
This month has gone by quickly. It has taken almost the whole month to recover from Jet-lag and to get settled back into the HEAT (which I will not complain about!!!) I think it is the humidity that is making me so very tired, hopefully this will pass… soon!
After seeing that I could make curtains (for my house) I was asked to make curtains for the MPMC (Multi-Purpose Ministry Center) and now the Staff house. It has been nice to make use of a skill taught to me by my mother so many years ago. Thanks Mom! They hinted that the Ark could use some new curtains, we’ll see!
I learned how to take off a spare tire but never had the chance to actually change the tire myself… I could have… but I was very thankful that someone stopped to help me!
This month I started a ‘Ladies Night Out’ at my house for the volunteers and staff at the Ark (however there are others who have joined us, including Pete for a couple of ‘seconds’). We had a movie (Janette Oke series of movies) and popcorn. We have had 3 nights now, watched the 3 of the series of 4 (I don’t have the #4 so we will have to figure something else out for next time). I didn’t realize what an encouragement it would be to the girls, as they are tired after a long week at the Ark and really can use a break from the stresses.
Along with helping out with Uncle Lazarus’ computer (which I am threatening to BLOW UP) I have done Christ’s Hope Namibia’s Bi-monthly newsletter, Uncle Walter (our National Director) decided that every other month was enough to contend with.
March:
Care & Compassion
We thank God for Aurelia our local volunteer who has helped with Care and Compassion and Corina our volunteer from Germany that has been with us for 6 months now. We thank God for the improvements that are taking place, the way the women are doing and how they are putting their attention on Bible study and we pray that God will touch them and give them the ability to minister the Good News to those around them. We have 22 patients, eighteen adults, and four children (3 of them are attending school the other is Tweufilwa a one year old).
How Patients are Doing:
Rosalia A. from 5 Rand was sick for a few days but now she is doing fine. Lineekela from 5 Rand moved to a farm last year and we do not know about her health. The women are having a slight problem with the garden and we are hoping to get it worked out soon.
Below is the list of patients and programs:
Oshetu: Fenny is back from the North, Priscilla, Frieda, Martha are on ARV treatment, they attend Bible Study some times, their businesses has taken a lot of their attention currently. Tuuliki, Johanna, Simsom, Loise, Sofia are attending Bible Study regularly. Nicolas and Sandra they are not reactive however Nicolas has epilepsy and Sandra has been affected by AIDS (her parents died from HIV/AIDS).
Five Rand: Martha, Olivia, Ndahekelekwa, Rosalia A., Rosalia H., Otillia N., Otillia S., Helena H., Helena Ha., Tweufilwa, Lineekela, and Salti are all on ARV treatments. Some of them do not attend Bible Study regularly, however many of them do.
Empowerment Program: All of our patients started with a business last year and still continue, except for those in sewing class as their teacher is not around.
Our Plan
To have many patients who are really in need
To train many local volunteers
To find a place for our garden, or work things out with the present garden
Prayer Requests
Pray for our patients that they have a good connection with God
Pray for the Care and Compassion team in Okahandja that God will give them strength and knowledge
Compiled by Rachel and Aurelia
Choose to Wait
“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart
I will tell of all your wonders,
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O most high.”
(Psalm 9:1-2)
The School Ministry
On 30 January we had an appointment with the new Principal, Mr. Fritz from the Aurora school. He was open and happy to give us RME and Life Skills classes to teach Choose to Wait from Grade 5 to Grade 8. We also had an appointment with Nau-aib Principal but she said that at the moment we do not have the opportunity to teach Choose to Wait, but she will call us when she needs us (perhaps next term).
We began 7 February with our teaching at Aurora and this year Violet joined us. She is a big help with her experience from Kids Club and Choose to Wait after school club. We were especially thankful because Sonja went home to Germany 17 March, it was an answer to prayer.
We go to the school 3 days per week (Monday, Tuesday and Friday). The schedule was confusing in February as there was Athletics at school, but now everything is in order. We have 40 minutes for each of the 9 classes we teach now (Grade 5: 3 classes, Grade 6: 3 classes, Grade 7: 2 classes, and Grade 8: 1 class).
Violet and Sonja taught Grade 5 and 6 the beginning Biblical Foundation (God is Almighty Creator; Jesus Made Me Beautiful; I am Blessed; Genesis 1, 1-28).
Pelgrina taught Grade 7 and 8 about Choose to Wait Biblical Foundations, The Voice of Truth, You Have Value, I Have Value, and Sex Has Value.
We are now building a relationship with the children and are encouraging and motivating the children concerning their social life and helping them to think about God. One of the difficulties we are facing is that a lot of these children in grade 5 and 6 do not know how to read and they have problems listening and concentrating on the lessons. Moreover, the children in grade 7 and 8 are very naughty and do not take the topic seriously.
We appreciate your prayers,
Pelgrina, Violet (and Sonja who has returned to Germany)
Kids Club
I am doing Kids Club by myself and I am managing quite well but would appreciate it if there was help. The Kids Club is on Tuesday and Thursdays. For Tuesday there are about 70 kids, and Thursday there are about 60. The kids really like Kids Club and they are growing in this ministry, spiritually! The older children are doing a great job helping when it comes to preparing the food and saving the food.
In the near future I would like to have camps with the kids or just go for an outing for a day or so.
It has been a blessing for me to work with Kids Club because I too am growing and learning a lot from the kids. They too have been good to me because they look up to me for help and ask lots of questions that they are having in their lives. They are a blessing just knowing them and being able to work with them.
My prayer is that Kids may come to know the Lord as their personal Saviour. I want them to appreciate what Christ is doing in their lives.
Thank you for your prayers,
Violet
Pete’s Work
Pete spent some extra time at the beginning of the month on C&C as Danny who had started the program here in Okahandja was here for a visit. They spent several days together meeting with C&C patients and discussing issues concerning the program. It was very fruitful, and he enjoyed Danny’s fellowship.
He attended a week of training at International Headquarters here in Okahandja. It ran from 8 AM until 6PM every night Mon-Thurs and then 1/2 day on Friday. This made it difficult for keeping up with the daily running of the Ark and other commitments that he has to keep.
He has also been struggling with the budget for the Ark, meeting with the Board and trying to convey the message to our National Director. It has been like swimming upstream all month and the frustration level is rising!
Administration is not his favourite thing and so he enjoys the opportunities to get out into the community to share the gospel. There is a huge receptiveness amongst the people. I like to use Romans 1:18-32 because it gives me the opportunity to explain from a Biblical standpoint why there is so much suffering and sin in the world and they can all easily relate because of the things described in that passage are so clearly seen here in this culture. He has seen many positive changes in the women in 5 Rand, they are beginning to care more about each other and have fewer complaints. The fact that we have not had a lot of food to distribute lately has provided us with the opportunity to teach an important lesson that their dependence should not be on man but on God. We have been teaching them the importance of going to God for their daily provisions and now when we do have things to give they seem truly thankful.
Charlene’s Work
On March 6, I went to Five Rand to interview and take photos of Meme Olivia for the pamphlet we sent out. I finished the pamphlet about her and now I am working on several others. I sent it to our International Director, he is very excited about the potential of this and well... now I have more work!
I spent 3 days with the Choose to Wait team in the Aurora Primary School. We showed the grade 7 and 8’s a video called In Your Face, a Christian doctor in South Africa shows kids what having AIDS and STD’s looks like… very terrible pictures, and a great message sent to the kids! On this continent (especially) the danger far outweighs the inconvenience of waiting to have sex!
I have been busy with correspondence and working out details this month as there are 3 potential visitors coming to join us for a short term. Kelly and Dakota from Kamloops BC are currently in Zimbabwe with CHI and would like to come by for a visit, we look forward to that! There are two others who Lord willing will come and help work on Ark Oshikuku… this is very exciting! It takes a lot of planning but I am enjoying it.
I have also had to attend some meetings (not fun). I was supposed to speak at a baby shower, but the to-be mother decided to go to hospital instead! I have also been fixing more computers and creating Power Point presentations for CHI-Namibia. I am also currently working on the National bimonthly newsletter. Of course there were lots of other things happening; these are just the highlights you can email throughout the month for more information.
Detailed report
February:
The Ark:
There are 16 children in the Ark currently. There was a new addition last month, he is adjusting well, but it looks like he will go to live with his grandmother soon. For a little boy who had been beaten so bad by his father, you would be amazed if you had the opportunity to meet him; you would be greeted with a bright warm smile and a big hug from little Shipandeni. If you are good at Math and would like to volunteer for 3 to 6 months at Ark Okahandja, the children could use some help in this area! Donavan, thankfully, was admitted to Okahandja Primary School for grade 1.
Pelgrina and Sonja have resumed teaching Choose to Wait in the Primary schools three days a week. Rachel, Corina and a local volunteer Aurelia are working at Care and Compassion on the weekdays, sharing the word of God, visiting and giving food to those suffering with AIDS. Violet has resumed with Kids Club two days a week. The volunteers have been doing a marvelous job with study times with the children; however Corina and Sonja will both be heading home to Germany next month. The staff are all healthy and we are excited to announce that Uncle Lazarus and Auntie Leila had a beautiful baby girl almost 2 weeks ago now.
Pete started a garden project and the fruits of his labour were very much enjoyed by those at the Ark… the HUGE watermelons and cantaloupes were big hits! He is hoping to engage some of the children in helping out with the project as they really need to learn some practical life skills.
The staff house is ‘almost’ complete and the Volunteer Coordinator, Barbara, has finally moved in (after a very long wait). I made curtains for all the bedroom windows, and have one more set to go for the kitchen. I was very thankful that one of the other volunteers left behind her sewing machine… it has been put to good use!
Pete’s Work
After his wife being away for 6 weeks I guess Pete needed a bit of a break. So on the 11th he headed out to a farm about 100km north of Okahandja for 5 days of prayer and fasting with a group of leaders from many other countries. I think it was a refreshing time for him, not only to get away to meditate and pray but to have the fellowship with men who love God and want to serve him with their whole hearts. On the 18th Pete preached again at Pioneer Baptist. The next few days were spent in meetings at CHI headquarters here in Okahandja, with some training and information on OVC’s (orphaned and vulnerable children) and HIV/AIDS. It is always beneficial to receive more information in this area.
In regards to Ministry Coordinating the Ark and other 2 ministries, he has been busy trying to work out some kinks. It has been difficult to deal with some of the challenges since our COO left in December (especially in the area of obtaining finances for the daily needs of the Ark). They are currently working on some of the options and he attending a board meeting where everyone was in agreement that something must be done. The monthly CH-Namibia Prayer and Fasting will be held here in Okahandja so Pete has been busy trying to help Uncle Lazarus organize and get things ready.
Pete also worked on the staff house with Jandre (our finance guy at National Office) and made it livable for Barbara and any other volunteers who come to Okahandja. Barbara is very thankful to the 2 of them for their hard work and extra effort on her behalf. It looks great, Pete did the countertops (which he did for a living in Prince George many years ago). All things for a reason!
Charlene’s Work
This month has gone by quickly. It has taken almost the whole month to recover from Jet-lag and to get settled back into the HEAT (which I will not complain about!!!) I think it is the humidity that is making me so very tired, hopefully this will pass… soon!
After seeing that I could make curtains (for my house) I was asked to make curtains for the MPMC (Multi-Purpose Ministry Center) and now the Staff house. It has been nice to make use of a skill taught to me by my mother so many years ago. Thanks Mom! They hinted that the Ark could use some new curtains, we’ll see!
I learned how to take off a spare tire but never had the chance to actually change the tire myself… I could have… but I was very thankful that someone stopped to help me!
This month I started a ‘Ladies Night Out’ at my house for the volunteers and staff at the Ark (however there are others who have joined us, including Pete for a couple of ‘seconds’). We had a movie (Janette Oke series of movies) and popcorn. We have had 3 nights now, watched the 3 of the series of 4 (I don’t have the #4 so we will have to figure something else out for next time). I didn’t realize what an encouragement it would be to the girls, as they are tired after a long week at the Ark and really can use a break from the stresses.
Along with helping out with Uncle Lazarus’ computer (which I am threatening to BLOW UP) I have done Christ’s Hope Namibia’s Bi-monthly newsletter, Uncle Walter (our National Director) decided that every other month was enough to contend with.
March:
Care & Compassion
We thank God for Aurelia our local volunteer who has helped with Care and Compassion and Corina our volunteer from Germany that has been with us for 6 months now. We thank God for the improvements that are taking place, the way the women are doing and how they are putting their attention on Bible study and we pray that God will touch them and give them the ability to minister the Good News to those around them. We have 22 patients, eighteen adults, and four children (3 of them are attending school the other is Tweufilwa a one year old).
How Patients are Doing:
Rosalia A. from 5 Rand was sick for a few days but now she is doing fine. Lineekela from 5 Rand moved to a farm last year and we do not know about her health. The women are having a slight problem with the garden and we are hoping to get it worked out soon.
Below is the list of patients and programs:
Oshetu: Fenny is back from the North, Priscilla, Frieda, Martha are on ARV treatment, they attend Bible Study some times, their businesses has taken a lot of their attention currently. Tuuliki, Johanna, Simsom, Loise, Sofia are attending Bible Study regularly. Nicolas and Sandra they are not reactive however Nicolas has epilepsy and Sandra has been affected by AIDS (her parents died from HIV/AIDS).
Five Rand: Martha, Olivia, Ndahekelekwa, Rosalia A., Rosalia H., Otillia N., Otillia S., Helena H., Helena Ha., Tweufilwa, Lineekela, and Salti are all on ARV treatments. Some of them do not attend Bible Study regularly, however many of them do.
Empowerment Program: All of our patients started with a business last year and still continue, except for those in sewing class as their teacher is not around.
Our Plan
To have many patients who are really in need
To train many local volunteers
To find a place for our garden, or work things out with the present garden
Prayer Requests
Pray for our patients that they have a good connection with God
Pray for the Care and Compassion team in Okahandja that God will give them strength and knowledge
Compiled by Rachel and Aurelia
Choose to Wait
“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart
I will tell of all your wonders,
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O most high.”
(Psalm 9:1-2)
The School Ministry
On 30 January we had an appointment with the new Principal, Mr. Fritz from the Aurora school. He was open and happy to give us RME and Life Skills classes to teach Choose to Wait from Grade 5 to Grade 8. We also had an appointment with Nau-aib Principal but she said that at the moment we do not have the opportunity to teach Choose to Wait, but she will call us when she needs us (perhaps next term).
We began 7 February with our teaching at Aurora and this year Violet joined us. She is a big help with her experience from Kids Club and Choose to Wait after school club. We were especially thankful because Sonja went home to Germany 17 March, it was an answer to prayer.
We go to the school 3 days per week (Monday, Tuesday and Friday). The schedule was confusing in February as there was Athletics at school, but now everything is in order. We have 40 minutes for each of the 9 classes we teach now (Grade 5: 3 classes, Grade 6: 3 classes, Grade 7: 2 classes, and Grade 8: 1 class).
Violet and Sonja taught Grade 5 and 6 the beginning Biblical Foundation (God is Almighty Creator; Jesus Made Me Beautiful; I am Blessed; Genesis 1, 1-28).
Pelgrina taught Grade 7 and 8 about Choose to Wait Biblical Foundations, The Voice of Truth, You Have Value, I Have Value, and Sex Has Value.
We are now building a relationship with the children and are encouraging and motivating the children concerning their social life and helping them to think about God. One of the difficulties we are facing is that a lot of these children in grade 5 and 6 do not know how to read and they have problems listening and concentrating on the lessons. Moreover, the children in grade 7 and 8 are very naughty and do not take the topic seriously.
We appreciate your prayers,
Pelgrina, Violet (and Sonja who has returned to Germany)
Kids Club
I am doing Kids Club by myself and I am managing quite well but would appreciate it if there was help. The Kids Club is on Tuesday and Thursdays. For Tuesday there are about 70 kids, and Thursday there are about 60. The kids really like Kids Club and they are growing in this ministry, spiritually! The older children are doing a great job helping when it comes to preparing the food and saving the food.
In the near future I would like to have camps with the kids or just go for an outing for a day or so.
It has been a blessing for me to work with Kids Club because I too am growing and learning a lot from the kids. They too have been good to me because they look up to me for help and ask lots of questions that they are having in their lives. They are a blessing just knowing them and being able to work with them.
My prayer is that Kids may come to know the Lord as their personal Saviour. I want them to appreciate what Christ is doing in their lives.
Thank you for your prayers,
Violet
Pete’s Work
Pete spent some extra time at the beginning of the month on C&C as Danny who had started the program here in Okahandja was here for a visit. They spent several days together meeting with C&C patients and discussing issues concerning the program. It was very fruitful, and he enjoyed Danny’s fellowship.
He attended a week of training at International Headquarters here in Okahandja. It ran from 8 AM until 6PM every night Mon-Thurs and then 1/2 day on Friday. This made it difficult for keeping up with the daily running of the Ark and other commitments that he has to keep.
He has also been struggling with the budget for the Ark, meeting with the Board and trying to convey the message to our National Director. It has been like swimming upstream all month and the frustration level is rising!
Administration is not his favourite thing and so he enjoys the opportunities to get out into the community to share the gospel. There is a huge receptiveness amongst the people. I like to use Romans 1:18-32 because it gives me the opportunity to explain from a Biblical standpoint why there is so much suffering and sin in the world and they can all easily relate because of the things described in that passage are so clearly seen here in this culture. He has seen many positive changes in the women in 5 Rand, they are beginning to care more about each other and have fewer complaints. The fact that we have not had a lot of food to distribute lately has provided us with the opportunity to teach an important lesson that their dependence should not be on man but on God. We have been teaching them the importance of going to God for their daily provisions and now when we do have things to give they seem truly thankful.
Charlene’s Work
On March 6, I went to Five Rand to interview and take photos of Meme Olivia for the pamphlet we sent out. I finished the pamphlet about her and now I am working on several others. I sent it to our International Director, he is very excited about the potential of this and well... now I have more work!
I spent 3 days with the Choose to Wait team in the Aurora Primary School. We showed the grade 7 and 8’s a video called In Your Face, a Christian doctor in South Africa shows kids what having AIDS and STD’s looks like… very terrible pictures, and a great message sent to the kids! On this continent (especially) the danger far outweighs the inconvenience of waiting to have sex!
I have been busy with correspondence and working out details this month as there are 3 potential visitors coming to join us for a short term. Kelly and Dakota from Kamloops BC are currently in Zimbabwe with CHI and would like to come by for a visit, we look forward to that! There are two others who Lord willing will come and help work on Ark Oshikuku… this is very exciting! It takes a lot of planning but I am enjoying it.
I have also had to attend some meetings (not fun). I was supposed to speak at a baby shower, but the to-be mother decided to go to hospital instead! I have also been fixing more computers and creating Power Point presentations for CHI-Namibia. I am also currently working on the National bimonthly newsletter. Of course there were lots of other things happening; these are just the highlights you can email throughout the month for more information.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
The Funeral
You can check out the photos at: http://knightvision6.spaces.live.com/
This is the funeral I attended on Saturday. It is a long story... The father holding the baby in one of the pictures is our yard guy (he cleans our yard on Fridays). We had many people coming to the house asking to clean up the yard (they needed work, more than the yard needed cleaning)... So I said NO to about a handful before Josef came asking (and then NO to many more after). You will understand the significance of this when I finish the story!!! About a month ago he came to the door asking for some money because his wife was in the hospital and she was very sick (this was the first time he asked for anything without offering to work). So I gave him the money... I asked later if she was ok and he said yes. Then 2 weeks ago after he worked in our yard he went home to find his wife dead. He came on Saturday morning and sat at our kitchen table and told us, he was very broken up (crying). We went to his house and found that he had a 6 week old baby and an almost 2 year old as well as an older boy. So we helped them with some food and baby formula. Over the last 2 weeks we have helped with different things, and an Irish team (who came to work with CHI for a couple of weeks) left behind some money to help with anything else that came up (i.e. formula). On Thursday, Josef came asking if I could help him with one more thing, purchasing a goat to feed all of the family during the funeral time (wake, funeral, whatever). So we went out into the tully barbs and found this goat which we threw into the back of my car (alive) and took home (bleating and pooping all over the back of the car). The family seemed so appreciative of the help and I was grateful that I could. The funeral was Saturday morning and I wasn't sure if I would attend, but it seemed as though they wanted me to come, so I asked God... If you want me to go you will have to wake me up (the funeral was at 8, and I was exhausted from having 8 kids at my house all week). So sometime before 7, someone from North America called me (I don't know who... But someone, cause the display comes up NO NUMBER when someone from home calls... However, I decided it was God calling, and since I missed the call, you never know!!!). So I got up and went to the funeral (it was LONG, as they were having the funeral for 2 people... Neither one knew the other... Just random, thrown together on one day, saves time I guess!). After the funeral I drove them out to the graveyard... As they were putting the dirt into the ground Josef's sister came over and we began to talk (and this is where the story gets really interesting... And very very sad). I asked her how Milka (a woman who cleans for CHI) was related to the family. She explained that she was her husbands auntie. She said, 'she works over at that big building (MPMC) and those people from there really helped Christina (the mother who died)', I said, 'oh, how so?', she said 'well last year they took her daughter at the Ark', I said 'oh, what was her name?' (I wished I hadn't asked)... She said, 'Rosaria'... I BLURTED OUT... "WHAT?"... DO YOU REMEMBER ROSARIA? She was the little girl (9 years old) who came to the Ark after being badly beaten and raped by her stepfather?!?!?!?! I had to really calm myself down, I was kind of feeling like I should throw the father into the ground so that they could bury him with Christina. So, since I wasn't sure of the whole story I asked her to explain a little (without revealing everything I knew!)... She told me some cock and bull story (which I am kind of glad she did, because it left doubt in my mind until the funeral was over)... Then afterwards I sat and talked with Uncle Lazarus and he explained everything (including where Rosaria was living at the time... The same place)... He said the gramma was beating her (the skinny little lady by the casket holding the 2 year old) and although they had arrested Josef they let him out (I guess due to not enough evidence or something). Uncle Lazarus also said that Christina had been coming to the Ark asking for food... And the last time she came (about 3 weeks ago) he said she looked like she was starving to death. We are not sure exactly what she died from but we do know that her family ordered an autopsy and only 2 of her family came to the funeral (her parents refused to come).
Now... What are you going to do? You ask! Well, I talked to Pete (who was in just as much shock as I was, as well as just as angry)... And I explained to him... We said NO to how many yard guys and yes to this one... That was GOD! God kept us from finding out who his wife was (because Pete had met her at the Ark)... And we didn't find anything out until the lady was buried! Now what do we do? We must look at this as a God thing! This man and his family need Jesus... We have done a lot for the family and now we know a lot more about who they are, and perhaps we have more licence to speak into their lives. I don't know... I am just guessing as to why God did it this way! However, I know that he could also be teaching us a very important lesson... Something we have been struggling with since coming to Africa... And that is helping those, even those who you don't think deserve it! Would I have helped him if I had known he was the one who raped that precious little girl? NO! NO, I wouldn’t have... That's me being honest! BUT GOD... He saw things differently, through different eyes, and had us help without knowing.
Now what are we going to do? Well I have spoken with a gal from Nau aib (the black side of town), she comes to my house and cleans now... She really needed the work and Meagan was willing to give up the money and the cleaning! She is a new Christian with lots of zeal... And in sharing with her my confusion yesterday, she said "THIS MAN NEEDS TO GO TO CHURCH AND GET HIS LIFE RIGHT WITH GOD"... From the mouth of babes! She offered to translate for me (he really doesn't understand English well) and I will share with him the story(what I know)... And his need for a Saviour! You can pray that this man and his family will come to know Jesus and the death of 2 people will not be in vain. So please pray for GRACE... And PATIENCE... And LOVE... For us to give to give the gospel to this family (some of the family go to the Evangelical Lutheran church, and the sister is taking the baby home with her to Windhoek, and it seems to me that she is a Christian!?!?!). May God help us in the coming weeks!
So there is my story! It has been a very busy month and I am completely worn out, so pray for me! Pete is up north in Oshikuku helping Joe finish up the tiling at the new Ark (I text messaged yesterday and just said to Joe "Slave driver"... He sms'd back "AM NOT"... I said "are so", he said "are not"... All along he thought it was Pete sms'ing from across the Ark!!!! HAHA!! It was good to have a moment of laughter!). As I said I had 8 kids (one of the boys friends and 4 Ark kids) here at my house all week... It is school holidays and a lot of the kids got to go to relatives for a visit... So the 4 girls that were left behind I brought to my house... It was very tiring... But we had a good time together too! One day I had 11 children in my house, and I was running in and out for CHI and the funeral stuff!!! NUTS! Oh well, at least I know I am alive (I can feel it in my bones and muscles... Haha)! I have a crazy week ahead too so you might not hear much from me until the beginning of next month! :0-) Keep in touch anyway though, k?
Love to you all,
Charlene
This is the funeral I attended on Saturday. It is a long story... The father holding the baby in one of the pictures is our yard guy (he cleans our yard on Fridays). We had many people coming to the house asking to clean up the yard (they needed work, more than the yard needed cleaning)... So I said NO to about a handful before Josef came asking (and then NO to many more after). You will understand the significance of this when I finish the story!!! About a month ago he came to the door asking for some money because his wife was in the hospital and she was very sick (this was the first time he asked for anything without offering to work). So I gave him the money... I asked later if she was ok and he said yes. Then 2 weeks ago after he worked in our yard he went home to find his wife dead. He came on Saturday morning and sat at our kitchen table and told us, he was very broken up (crying). We went to his house and found that he had a 6 week old baby and an almost 2 year old as well as an older boy. So we helped them with some food and baby formula. Over the last 2 weeks we have helped with different things, and an Irish team (who came to work with CHI for a couple of weeks) left behind some money to help with anything else that came up (i.e. formula). On Thursday, Josef came asking if I could help him with one more thing, purchasing a goat to feed all of the family during the funeral time (wake, funeral, whatever). So we went out into the tully barbs and found this goat which we threw into the back of my car (alive) and took home (bleating and pooping all over the back of the car). The family seemed so appreciative of the help and I was grateful that I could. The funeral was Saturday morning and I wasn't sure if I would attend, but it seemed as though they wanted me to come, so I asked God... If you want me to go you will have to wake me up (the funeral was at 8, and I was exhausted from having 8 kids at my house all week). So sometime before 7, someone from North America called me (I don't know who... But someone, cause the display comes up NO NUMBER when someone from home calls... However, I decided it was God calling, and since I missed the call, you never know!!!). So I got up and went to the funeral (it was LONG, as they were having the funeral for 2 people... Neither one knew the other... Just random, thrown together on one day, saves time I guess!). After the funeral I drove them out to the graveyard... As they were putting the dirt into the ground Josef's sister came over and we began to talk (and this is where the story gets really interesting... And very very sad). I asked her how Milka (a woman who cleans for CHI) was related to the family. She explained that she was her husbands auntie. She said, 'she works over at that big building (MPMC) and those people from there really helped Christina (the mother who died)', I said, 'oh, how so?', she said 'well last year they took her daughter at the Ark', I said 'oh, what was her name?' (I wished I hadn't asked)... She said, 'Rosaria'... I BLURTED OUT... "WHAT?"... DO YOU REMEMBER ROSARIA? She was the little girl (9 years old) who came to the Ark after being badly beaten and raped by her stepfather?!?!?!?! I had to really calm myself down, I was kind of feeling like I should throw the father into the ground so that they could bury him with Christina. So, since I wasn't sure of the whole story I asked her to explain a little (without revealing everything I knew!)... She told me some cock and bull story (which I am kind of glad she did, because it left doubt in my mind until the funeral was over)... Then afterwards I sat and talked with Uncle Lazarus and he explained everything (including where Rosaria was living at the time... The same place)... He said the gramma was beating her (the skinny little lady by the casket holding the 2 year old) and although they had arrested Josef they let him out (I guess due to not enough evidence or something). Uncle Lazarus also said that Christina had been coming to the Ark asking for food... And the last time she came (about 3 weeks ago) he said she looked like she was starving to death. We are not sure exactly what she died from but we do know that her family ordered an autopsy and only 2 of her family came to the funeral (her parents refused to come).
Now... What are you going to do? You ask! Well, I talked to Pete (who was in just as much shock as I was, as well as just as angry)... And I explained to him... We said NO to how many yard guys and yes to this one... That was GOD! God kept us from finding out who his wife was (because Pete had met her at the Ark)... And we didn't find anything out until the lady was buried! Now what do we do? We must look at this as a God thing! This man and his family need Jesus... We have done a lot for the family and now we know a lot more about who they are, and perhaps we have more licence to speak into their lives. I don't know... I am just guessing as to why God did it this way! However, I know that he could also be teaching us a very important lesson... Something we have been struggling with since coming to Africa... And that is helping those, even those who you don't think deserve it! Would I have helped him if I had known he was the one who raped that precious little girl? NO! NO, I wouldn’t have... That's me being honest! BUT GOD... He saw things differently, through different eyes, and had us help without knowing.
Now what are we going to do? Well I have spoken with a gal from Nau aib (the black side of town), she comes to my house and cleans now... She really needed the work and Meagan was willing to give up the money and the cleaning! She is a new Christian with lots of zeal... And in sharing with her my confusion yesterday, she said "THIS MAN NEEDS TO GO TO CHURCH AND GET HIS LIFE RIGHT WITH GOD"... From the mouth of babes! She offered to translate for me (he really doesn't understand English well) and I will share with him the story(what I know)... And his need for a Saviour! You can pray that this man and his family will come to know Jesus and the death of 2 people will not be in vain. So please pray for GRACE... And PATIENCE... And LOVE... For us to give to give the gospel to this family (some of the family go to the Evangelical Lutheran church, and the sister is taking the baby home with her to Windhoek, and it seems to me that she is a Christian!?!?!). May God help us in the coming weeks!
So there is my story! It has been a very busy month and I am completely worn out, so pray for me! Pete is up north in Oshikuku helping Joe finish up the tiling at the new Ark (I text messaged yesterday and just said to Joe "Slave driver"... He sms'd back "AM NOT"... I said "are so", he said "are not"... All along he thought it was Pete sms'ing from across the Ark!!!! HAHA!! It was good to have a moment of laughter!). As I said I had 8 kids (one of the boys friends and 4 Ark kids) here at my house all week... It is school holidays and a lot of the kids got to go to relatives for a visit... So the 4 girls that were left behind I brought to my house... It was very tiring... But we had a good time together too! One day I had 11 children in my house, and I was running in and out for CHI and the funeral stuff!!! NUTS! Oh well, at least I know I am alive (I can feel it in my bones and muscles... Haha)! I have a crazy week ahead too so you might not hear much from me until the beginning of next month! :0-) Keep in touch anyway though, k?
Love to you all,
Charlene
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Weekend in Swakopmund
Youth Weekend Retreat
Swakopmund Namibia
This weekend with the youth from our church in Windhoek was a test of my patience. In the face of a lack of respect of time and mostly of others I found myself needing a lot of grace and mercy in order to love and be kind to these young people. I spoke up a couple of times, however I do not think it was well received or listened to. It was very discouraging because the pastor who came all the way from Luanda Angola was speaking on relationships and building others up. They have dynamic ‘Praise’ times, but they don’t yet realize that “WORSHIP” is 24/7 and not just limited to a time of singing! They will learn in time (I pray) but for now the weekend was very stressful (especially for those in charge, and Meagan and me).
Friday morning:
I was asked to be at the church in Katatura, Windhoek (Pioneer Baptist, our Angolan Church in Namibia) at 8:30AM. {Remember we had to drive into Windhoek (a 45 minute drive) and then on our way to Swakopmund we would drive past our house again!} They had told the young people (these were people anywhere from 16 to 35) to be there at 7AM. When we arrived there were close to 20 hanging around inside and out of the church. Some had been there since 7AM, and others had been straggling in intermittently. I was told that we would leave at 9AM, which was why I had decided with the leadership that showing up at 8:30AM would be the best as then I would not be sitting there waiting for 2 hours (knowing full well those told to arrive at 7AM would not be there until 9AM). However, I was completely WRONG… I should have come to the church around 1:00PM and then I would have not felt so much frustration before the trip even began. The more responsible individuals who came between 7AM and 9AM were very frustrated also. We discussed how not being places on time is a lack of respect for those around you, and we were right, as those people proved to be the same throughout the whole weekend. We were also frustrated with one of the leaders who left a bunch of photocopying (photocopies that were ‘so’ important we never even used them the whole weekend) for the ‘morning of’ and she never arrived back at the church until after noon. Of course, they ‘knew’ that they would not be left behind so they just did their own thing.
Friday afternoon:
After the 40+ arrived and we managed to get everything packed up we headed out on the highway for Swakopmund, traveling together in a convoy of 3 combi’s, and two cars… filled with the 40+ people, camping supplies, clothing, bedding and food for the weekend. The distance from Windhoek to Swakopmund is around 400km, and starting out late we had hoped to just ‘move’ and not be stopping too much along the way, but that was not to be. There were many fuel breaks (even though there was no way the vehicles needed it) and potty breaks… and then as darkness was about to fall two of the combi’s began to overheat. The hunt was on for water to fill the radiator of the first combi (amazingly later when the second combi started to overheat we found that HE had 4 jugs of water in the back of his vehicle… which he did not share with the first one!!! I guess he knew his would be next and why share?!?!). We drove to a town, took a rest, let the vehicles rest and guess what?!?!?! They didn’t bother to fill all the empty jugs with water!!!!!!!!!! Now that is basic planning, and not one of those in the overheated vehicle thought to do it, and those in our vehicle automatically assumed that they would… wow! Just a few km’s out of the town it began to overheat again, and one of the guys was stopping at every car asking for water (I turned to my passengers and said, please tell me that they are NOT asking for water?!?!? Sure enough). So I ended up driving back to the town, filling up as many jugs as we could find, and purchasing some radiator flush (for when we got the campsite) and some coolant (not even so much as a thank you… but this was just the beginning of the thanklessness!).
Friday NIGHT:
Now remember we left the church around 1:30PM for a 3 ½ hour trip to the ocean (the speed limit is 120 the whole way, so actually it should be less than that, but we’ll allow for potty breaks). We should have arrived at 5PM (before dark) and had enough time to set up the tents in daylight and have people prepare supper… however… what happened was we arrived at 11PM!!! Of course, they all pile out of the vehicles they are making a lot of noise (and there are several other campers in the vicinity of our camping spot)… some begin to socialize and I get my tent out and Meagan and I start setting it up! Then the boys move into action and start setting up the very large tent that they brought (where most of the boys slept)… the girls went and sat at the picnic tables wrapped in blankets, complaining about the cold and not lifting a finger to help with their 3 tents (which the boys finally had to go and set up after finishing theirs). A couple of the boys came and helped pound my tent pegs into the hard ground (for which I was very thankful… Alex and Stephan… they had also been passengers in my car… nice boys). Once my tent was set up the girls who were going to stay in my tent came with their stuff and began to set up their beds, and THEN after beds were set up some of the girls went to the kitchen and began preparing the chicken and rice for supper! I think we ate around 12:30AM, perhaps it was later! When we finished they announced to us that we would be getting up at 6AM sharp… no really… because the theme this weekend was “Discipline” (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… ok that started out on the wrong foot didn’t it… we’ll see if they learned any by the end of the weekend!).
Saturday morning:
Around 2AM we made it into our beds to sleep and well one of the ‘leaders’ in my tent set the alarm wrong “4AM” and got up and started rustling things around, making all kinds of noise… of course waking me up (not anyone else in the tent… Meagan slept in the car… smart girl). Then she goes outside, starts clapping and making a big noise to wake one of the other leaders who gets up and tells her it is 4:30AM… so she goes back to bed for a half an hour and gets up and goes through the whole noisy process “again”!!! Ok this is the start of my weekend!!!! You can imagine where it goes from here! The girls come out of their tents at 6AM and all 20+ head for the 8 showers and they are supposed to be out and ready at 6:30AM for personal devotion time and they hear it for their lack of discipline in this area! Breakfast starts late, and then we go to the hall for our meeting (late) and listen for an hour to the LIST of RULES for the weekend, this is very Angolan! You can’t have a church related thing without a long list of rules… however… there are really no consequences for breaking those rules (perhaps the more serious ones, but not the petty little ones that were listed for the bulk of the hour). Zeka tells everyone that the consequences will be expulsion (but no one is expelled for being late… for lack of respect for others… etc!!!). The Praise times are energetic, people swaying, bouncing around, excited, clapping, etc!!! However, there seems to be no connection in that you can be emotional before the Lord, but in your moment by moment walk you must be disciplined, courteous to others, loving one another, etc and THAT is worship! They divide us into teams and we are going to have a competition, at the end there will be a prize for the team with the most points (there was no mention in the end of who won, or any prizes given out!). They are terribly competitive people, and so ensues (almost) a war between the groups… they choose one group to make lunch that day and that group will choose the next group who will prepare supper.
Saturday afternoon:
The group prepares a marvellous lunch, but late! Then they wait for everyone to arrive so that they can serve the lunch! My group is chosen to prepare supper! We are scheduled to go out ‘on the town’ to see the sights of Swakopmund as only a couple of people in the group have ever been there! Because we are late we manage to drive into town, stop at the boardwalk… walk to the end, get some photos and get forced back into the cars and head back to the campground because now we must prepare for another meeting. We were scheduled to go to the Aquarium but that didn’t happen (mostly because they ran out of money before the weekend was over… but also due to lack of time, because people were ‘late’ for every single event!).
Saturday evening:
My group was to prepare supper (they eat their big meal at lunch and then just bread at supper)… guess what? They didn’t purchase enough bread for the size of the group, and so we ran out… we were the ONLY group to begin the meal ‘on time’ with or without all of the people and so the accusations began and voices began to raise, and insults were hurled and basically those who were late were down right ignorant to those of us who had prepared the meal with what we had been given. Zeka went out and bought more bread, and everyone ate, however I did not because by that time my stomach was in such a knot that I couldn’t even think about eating! Of course, supper didn’t finish until after 9PM… but they were still going to have their evening meeting (come hell or high water) and so off they went, I chose to stay behind (making up my bed IN the car… so I could get ‘some’ sleep) and was reprimanded by Zeka for not setting a good example. WOW… he was lucky I didn’t lose it on his head at that point… but I was way too tired!
Sunday morning:
I was set to go into Walvis Bay to attend a marvellous English church. I had discussed it with the leadership and they had agreed that this would be fine… however Zeka had other ideas… he came to me and told me that “NO you cannot go”. He used guilt and manipulation to prove his point, however I did stand up to him and let him in on a few secrets about the weekend (HA)… he told me that I couldn’t go because I had come as a camper (even though I had to bring my own car and pay for my own gas, and everyone else had their fuel paid for and one guy charged N$100 per person riding in his vehicle) and that I ‘knew’ they would be speaking Portuguese all weekend (yes I knew that, but I was really looking forward to a bang on message in English) and that I needed to be an example to the young people (which I had been the whole weekend and no one was listening or watching… they were too concerned with themselves to notice) and that if they let me go I would feel that they were using me the whole weekend, but they really wanted my presence with them (however the opposite was clearly true, my presence was not only not needed but they were using me… they needed my car for the trip to the beach after the meeting for the Braai that they had planned, and they were to leave at 10AM… guess what time they ended up leaving… 1:30PM!!!!!!!). I explained my situation and shared my frustration about the whole weekend and finally he relented… but I told him that I would not go because of the guilt that he had placed on me. NOW I wish I had gone… I needed not only the break but I needed the refreshment and good preaching! I cried harder than I think I have cried in years, maybe even in my life… it was so incredibly hurtful and I was so incredibly tired… bad combo! Then of course after the meeting was finished and we were supposed to be on our way (10AM)… I sat crawling out of my skin because we didn’t leave until 1:30PM and I could have gone to Walvis (a 30 minute drive) and back several times and still been able to be ‘used’ for my vehicle! They didn’t need or appreciate me… and the lack of respect for time and others proved that quite nicely!
Sunday afternoon:
We go to the beach between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, get set up, they Braai the food and we eat, and then (although this was supposed to be a relaxing day at the beach 10AM to 5PM) we pack up and go back to the campsite for one of two evening meetings.
Sunday night:
The first meeting begins late… then we break for supper… then the last meeting begins after 10PM… and I decide this time to go to it… we don’t finish until after midnight and you guess it, we MUST be up at 6AM again on Monday! I must say that the pastor from Angola was amazing… he is filled with grace and he has good doctrine and is considered a rebel in the organization in the church in Angola… because he is not legalistic! LATE night!
Monday morning:
I sleep in until 7AM… and guess what; I hear it from almost everyone. I just shake my head… these people are so frustrating! I took down my tent (with the help of some of the boys) and got my car packed up! The girls left their tents up… waiting for the boys! Breakfast is late again… then we set to go to another meeting… I stay behind and finish cleaning up the kitchen, and watching the food that has already been started for the lunch meal (at the Dunes). I also took time to have a shower and ‘then and only then’ did I go to the meeting! They were having an open microphone! So, I did get up and share with them that unfortunately this had been quite a frustrating weekend for me and mostly it was in the area of time… I told them that by being late all of the time it was showing that they had NO RESPECT for other people. I thanked Alex who had helped me several times throughout the weekend ‘without being asked’, he just saw that I needed help and came and helped, I had also observed him doing the same for others… the only one (other than Fenguito the leader of the weekend). I also thanked the staff (because I didn’t wish to just single out Fenguito… but man was he tired after a weekend filled with frustration!!!
Monday afternoon:
After the meeting they explained to everyone that they really wanted to get going quickly, so please help pack things up… the meeting is over and 6 of the boys go to the pool table while Fenguito, Alex, Tony and myself put all the chairs away… and Claudio packs up the musical equipment. Figures! Then we go back and the boys have to take down the tents for the girls and get all of their things packed into the vehicles. This takes a lot of time… but finally we are on our way to Dune 7. Of course we must stop in town for fuel again (either these vehicles suck a lot of gas or they just like having a full tank all of the time)…! Amazingly we do reach Dune 7, the wind is blowing sand all over the place, everyone is complaining… but finally we convince them just to Braai anyway, and stop freaking out about everything! We eat and I manage to climb the Dune and roll part way down (feel quite sick after)… but then it is time to go! We leave there at 5PM.
Monday evening:
Now we are on the road, we stop again at Swakopmund… more cars get fuel and people get snacks for the road! At 8:30PM we begin to experience more car troubles and well we don’t arrive here in Okahandja until 11:30PM… another LONG day! Thankfully I convinced them that they would have to squeeze three people and all of their stuff into another vehicle for the trip between Okahandja and Windhoek; otherwise I would not have gotten home until around 2AM!
Summary:
Well, as I look back on the weekend, I am not really sure why I was there… except that there was another vehicle needed. God did grant me a lot of grace to make it through the weekend and I do hope that one person noticed and will realize that God is powerful and can give grace in horrible situations. He didn’t change the circumstances but He allowed me to get through without a complete nervous breakdown! I did get to know some of the kids and it was nice to be able to share experiences and the idea of God’s grace (as apposed to legalism) with them. I have no idea if my being there made an impact on anyone, but I do pray that somehow there will be one or two who will stand up and begin to show respect for others and be a leader in change!
I felt so bad for Fenguito (the youth president)… he worked so hard, was so tired, had headaches all weekend and no one really gave him any thanks in front of the crowd (probably not wanting to offend the other leaders who didn’t take on nearly the responsibility as he did). He was very upset about what happened on Sunday morning with Zeka coming to me, but I told him not to worry about it!
Although everyone else’s weekend cost them N$280… mine cost over N$1500 (including Meagan)… because I paid for the fuel for my vehicle, I bought snacks for my starving passengers on our 11 hour trip that should have taken 3 ½), I purchased radiator products for the other vehicles, I helped with the pastors expenses, and more snacks for the long trip home! Only one person knows and I told him just to keep it under his hat… I explained that people just assume that because we are missionaries we must have a lot of money (and many missionaries’ do, if they are with a big organization)… however with us that is not the case. I couldn’t afford N$1500 for the trip and I would have stayed home if I had known that it would be this much! However, God wanted me there for a reason (I do not yet know what that is… but I will have confidence that he did have a reason)! I explained to one person that God will supply the N$1500 and he will do it in a way that is surprising and I will be grateful for his kindness and compassion! Now I will wait, and I won’t forget to share with him when it happens! I want them to know that the power of God is at work and sometimes we are just not paying attention!
Pete summed the weekend up in one thought after I got home and had vented to him… he said these young people are here in Namibia because their families can afford to send them for a better education, most of them are spoiled and affluent which is why they are able to be here. He is right… sometimes we give our children too much and don’t ask them to lean on God for their provision and they become those who take advantage of others, calloused and uncaring about those around them… they only care about themselves and their happiness and contentment. This was exactly what I saw displayed this weekend! He hit the nail on the head!
Aside from all of that God is good… All the time and I am glad to have experienced his grace this weekend… even though every situation was a disaster from my view! I will wait and see how God will restore my strength and provide for my needs in the future. I will have faith in his kindness and compassion toward me… his future grace! I will also watch and see how God has impacted the lives of some of those young people this weekend and pray that they wake up and realize how important it is to serve rather than be served! May God be glorified!
Charlene
Swakopmund Namibia
This weekend with the youth from our church in Windhoek was a test of my patience. In the face of a lack of respect of time and mostly of others I found myself needing a lot of grace and mercy in order to love and be kind to these young people. I spoke up a couple of times, however I do not think it was well received or listened to. It was very discouraging because the pastor who came all the way from Luanda Angola was speaking on relationships and building others up. They have dynamic ‘Praise’ times, but they don’t yet realize that “WORSHIP” is 24/7 and not just limited to a time of singing! They will learn in time (I pray) but for now the weekend was very stressful (especially for those in charge, and Meagan and me).
Friday morning:
I was asked to be at the church in Katatura, Windhoek (Pioneer Baptist, our Angolan Church in Namibia) at 8:30AM. {Remember we had to drive into Windhoek (a 45 minute drive) and then on our way to Swakopmund we would drive past our house again!} They had told the young people (these were people anywhere from 16 to 35) to be there at 7AM. When we arrived there were close to 20 hanging around inside and out of the church. Some had been there since 7AM, and others had been straggling in intermittently. I was told that we would leave at 9AM, which was why I had decided with the leadership that showing up at 8:30AM would be the best as then I would not be sitting there waiting for 2 hours (knowing full well those told to arrive at 7AM would not be there until 9AM). However, I was completely WRONG… I should have come to the church around 1:00PM and then I would have not felt so much frustration before the trip even began. The more responsible individuals who came between 7AM and 9AM were very frustrated also. We discussed how not being places on time is a lack of respect for those around you, and we were right, as those people proved to be the same throughout the whole weekend. We were also frustrated with one of the leaders who left a bunch of photocopying (photocopies that were ‘so’ important we never even used them the whole weekend) for the ‘morning of’ and she never arrived back at the church until after noon. Of course, they ‘knew’ that they would not be left behind so they just did their own thing.
Friday afternoon:
After the 40+ arrived and we managed to get everything packed up we headed out on the highway for Swakopmund, traveling together in a convoy of 3 combi’s, and two cars… filled with the 40+ people, camping supplies, clothing, bedding and food for the weekend. The distance from Windhoek to Swakopmund is around 400km, and starting out late we had hoped to just ‘move’ and not be stopping too much along the way, but that was not to be. There were many fuel breaks (even though there was no way the vehicles needed it) and potty breaks… and then as darkness was about to fall two of the combi’s began to overheat. The hunt was on for water to fill the radiator of the first combi (amazingly later when the second combi started to overheat we found that HE had 4 jugs of water in the back of his vehicle… which he did not share with the first one!!! I guess he knew his would be next and why share?!?!). We drove to a town, took a rest, let the vehicles rest and guess what?!?!?! They didn’t bother to fill all the empty jugs with water!!!!!!!!!! Now that is basic planning, and not one of those in the overheated vehicle thought to do it, and those in our vehicle automatically assumed that they would… wow! Just a few km’s out of the town it began to overheat again, and one of the guys was stopping at every car asking for water (I turned to my passengers and said, please tell me that they are NOT asking for water?!?!? Sure enough). So I ended up driving back to the town, filling up as many jugs as we could find, and purchasing some radiator flush (for when we got the campsite) and some coolant (not even so much as a thank you… but this was just the beginning of the thanklessness!).
Friday NIGHT:
Now remember we left the church around 1:30PM for a 3 ½ hour trip to the ocean (the speed limit is 120 the whole way, so actually it should be less than that, but we’ll allow for potty breaks). We should have arrived at 5PM (before dark) and had enough time to set up the tents in daylight and have people prepare supper… however… what happened was we arrived at 11PM!!! Of course, they all pile out of the vehicles they are making a lot of noise (and there are several other campers in the vicinity of our camping spot)… some begin to socialize and I get my tent out and Meagan and I start setting it up! Then the boys move into action and start setting up the very large tent that they brought (where most of the boys slept)… the girls went and sat at the picnic tables wrapped in blankets, complaining about the cold and not lifting a finger to help with their 3 tents (which the boys finally had to go and set up after finishing theirs). A couple of the boys came and helped pound my tent pegs into the hard ground (for which I was very thankful… Alex and Stephan… they had also been passengers in my car… nice boys). Once my tent was set up the girls who were going to stay in my tent came with their stuff and began to set up their beds, and THEN after beds were set up some of the girls went to the kitchen and began preparing the chicken and rice for supper! I think we ate around 12:30AM, perhaps it was later! When we finished they announced to us that we would be getting up at 6AM sharp… no really… because the theme this weekend was “Discipline” (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… ok that started out on the wrong foot didn’t it… we’ll see if they learned any by the end of the weekend!).
Saturday morning:
Around 2AM we made it into our beds to sleep and well one of the ‘leaders’ in my tent set the alarm wrong “4AM” and got up and started rustling things around, making all kinds of noise… of course waking me up (not anyone else in the tent… Meagan slept in the car… smart girl). Then she goes outside, starts clapping and making a big noise to wake one of the other leaders who gets up and tells her it is 4:30AM… so she goes back to bed for a half an hour and gets up and goes through the whole noisy process “again”!!! Ok this is the start of my weekend!!!! You can imagine where it goes from here! The girls come out of their tents at 6AM and all 20+ head for the 8 showers and they are supposed to be out and ready at 6:30AM for personal devotion time and they hear it for their lack of discipline in this area! Breakfast starts late, and then we go to the hall for our meeting (late) and listen for an hour to the LIST of RULES for the weekend, this is very Angolan! You can’t have a church related thing without a long list of rules… however… there are really no consequences for breaking those rules (perhaps the more serious ones, but not the petty little ones that were listed for the bulk of the hour). Zeka tells everyone that the consequences will be expulsion (but no one is expelled for being late… for lack of respect for others… etc!!!). The Praise times are energetic, people swaying, bouncing around, excited, clapping, etc!!! However, there seems to be no connection in that you can be emotional before the Lord, but in your moment by moment walk you must be disciplined, courteous to others, loving one another, etc and THAT is worship! They divide us into teams and we are going to have a competition, at the end there will be a prize for the team with the most points (there was no mention in the end of who won, or any prizes given out!). They are terribly competitive people, and so ensues (almost) a war between the groups… they choose one group to make lunch that day and that group will choose the next group who will prepare supper.
Saturday afternoon:
The group prepares a marvellous lunch, but late! Then they wait for everyone to arrive so that they can serve the lunch! My group is chosen to prepare supper! We are scheduled to go out ‘on the town’ to see the sights of Swakopmund as only a couple of people in the group have ever been there! Because we are late we manage to drive into town, stop at the boardwalk… walk to the end, get some photos and get forced back into the cars and head back to the campground because now we must prepare for another meeting. We were scheduled to go to the Aquarium but that didn’t happen (mostly because they ran out of money before the weekend was over… but also due to lack of time, because people were ‘late’ for every single event!).
Saturday evening:
My group was to prepare supper (they eat their big meal at lunch and then just bread at supper)… guess what? They didn’t purchase enough bread for the size of the group, and so we ran out… we were the ONLY group to begin the meal ‘on time’ with or without all of the people and so the accusations began and voices began to raise, and insults were hurled and basically those who were late were down right ignorant to those of us who had prepared the meal with what we had been given. Zeka went out and bought more bread, and everyone ate, however I did not because by that time my stomach was in such a knot that I couldn’t even think about eating! Of course, supper didn’t finish until after 9PM… but they were still going to have their evening meeting (come hell or high water) and so off they went, I chose to stay behind (making up my bed IN the car… so I could get ‘some’ sleep) and was reprimanded by Zeka for not setting a good example. WOW… he was lucky I didn’t lose it on his head at that point… but I was way too tired!
Sunday morning:
I was set to go into Walvis Bay to attend a marvellous English church. I had discussed it with the leadership and they had agreed that this would be fine… however Zeka had other ideas… he came to me and told me that “NO you cannot go”. He used guilt and manipulation to prove his point, however I did stand up to him and let him in on a few secrets about the weekend (HA)… he told me that I couldn’t go because I had come as a camper (even though I had to bring my own car and pay for my own gas, and everyone else had their fuel paid for and one guy charged N$100 per person riding in his vehicle) and that I ‘knew’ they would be speaking Portuguese all weekend (yes I knew that, but I was really looking forward to a bang on message in English) and that I needed to be an example to the young people (which I had been the whole weekend and no one was listening or watching… they were too concerned with themselves to notice) and that if they let me go I would feel that they were using me the whole weekend, but they really wanted my presence with them (however the opposite was clearly true, my presence was not only not needed but they were using me… they needed my car for the trip to the beach after the meeting for the Braai that they had planned, and they were to leave at 10AM… guess what time they ended up leaving… 1:30PM!!!!!!!). I explained my situation and shared my frustration about the whole weekend and finally he relented… but I told him that I would not go because of the guilt that he had placed on me. NOW I wish I had gone… I needed not only the break but I needed the refreshment and good preaching! I cried harder than I think I have cried in years, maybe even in my life… it was so incredibly hurtful and I was so incredibly tired… bad combo! Then of course after the meeting was finished and we were supposed to be on our way (10AM)… I sat crawling out of my skin because we didn’t leave until 1:30PM and I could have gone to Walvis (a 30 minute drive) and back several times and still been able to be ‘used’ for my vehicle! They didn’t need or appreciate me… and the lack of respect for time and others proved that quite nicely!
Sunday afternoon:
We go to the beach between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, get set up, they Braai the food and we eat, and then (although this was supposed to be a relaxing day at the beach 10AM to 5PM) we pack up and go back to the campsite for one of two evening meetings.
Sunday night:
The first meeting begins late… then we break for supper… then the last meeting begins after 10PM… and I decide this time to go to it… we don’t finish until after midnight and you guess it, we MUST be up at 6AM again on Monday! I must say that the pastor from Angola was amazing… he is filled with grace and he has good doctrine and is considered a rebel in the organization in the church in Angola… because he is not legalistic! LATE night!
Monday morning:
I sleep in until 7AM… and guess what; I hear it from almost everyone. I just shake my head… these people are so frustrating! I took down my tent (with the help of some of the boys) and got my car packed up! The girls left their tents up… waiting for the boys! Breakfast is late again… then we set to go to another meeting… I stay behind and finish cleaning up the kitchen, and watching the food that has already been started for the lunch meal (at the Dunes). I also took time to have a shower and ‘then and only then’ did I go to the meeting! They were having an open microphone! So, I did get up and share with them that unfortunately this had been quite a frustrating weekend for me and mostly it was in the area of time… I told them that by being late all of the time it was showing that they had NO RESPECT for other people. I thanked Alex who had helped me several times throughout the weekend ‘without being asked’, he just saw that I needed help and came and helped, I had also observed him doing the same for others… the only one (other than Fenguito the leader of the weekend). I also thanked the staff (because I didn’t wish to just single out Fenguito… but man was he tired after a weekend filled with frustration!!!
Monday afternoon:
After the meeting they explained to everyone that they really wanted to get going quickly, so please help pack things up… the meeting is over and 6 of the boys go to the pool table while Fenguito, Alex, Tony and myself put all the chairs away… and Claudio packs up the musical equipment. Figures! Then we go back and the boys have to take down the tents for the girls and get all of their things packed into the vehicles. This takes a lot of time… but finally we are on our way to Dune 7. Of course we must stop in town for fuel again (either these vehicles suck a lot of gas or they just like having a full tank all of the time)…! Amazingly we do reach Dune 7, the wind is blowing sand all over the place, everyone is complaining… but finally we convince them just to Braai anyway, and stop freaking out about everything! We eat and I manage to climb the Dune and roll part way down (feel quite sick after)… but then it is time to go! We leave there at 5PM.
Monday evening:
Now we are on the road, we stop again at Swakopmund… more cars get fuel and people get snacks for the road! At 8:30PM we begin to experience more car troubles and well we don’t arrive here in Okahandja until 11:30PM… another LONG day! Thankfully I convinced them that they would have to squeeze three people and all of their stuff into another vehicle for the trip between Okahandja and Windhoek; otherwise I would not have gotten home until around 2AM!
Summary:
Well, as I look back on the weekend, I am not really sure why I was there… except that there was another vehicle needed. God did grant me a lot of grace to make it through the weekend and I do hope that one person noticed and will realize that God is powerful and can give grace in horrible situations. He didn’t change the circumstances but He allowed me to get through without a complete nervous breakdown! I did get to know some of the kids and it was nice to be able to share experiences and the idea of God’s grace (as apposed to legalism) with them. I have no idea if my being there made an impact on anyone, but I do pray that somehow there will be one or two who will stand up and begin to show respect for others and be a leader in change!
I felt so bad for Fenguito (the youth president)… he worked so hard, was so tired, had headaches all weekend and no one really gave him any thanks in front of the crowd (probably not wanting to offend the other leaders who didn’t take on nearly the responsibility as he did). He was very upset about what happened on Sunday morning with Zeka coming to me, but I told him not to worry about it!
Although everyone else’s weekend cost them N$280… mine cost over N$1500 (including Meagan)… because I paid for the fuel for my vehicle, I bought snacks for my starving passengers on our 11 hour trip that should have taken 3 ½), I purchased radiator products for the other vehicles, I helped with the pastors expenses, and more snacks for the long trip home! Only one person knows and I told him just to keep it under his hat… I explained that people just assume that because we are missionaries we must have a lot of money (and many missionaries’ do, if they are with a big organization)… however with us that is not the case. I couldn’t afford N$1500 for the trip and I would have stayed home if I had known that it would be this much! However, God wanted me there for a reason (I do not yet know what that is… but I will have confidence that he did have a reason)! I explained to one person that God will supply the N$1500 and he will do it in a way that is surprising and I will be grateful for his kindness and compassion! Now I will wait, and I won’t forget to share with him when it happens! I want them to know that the power of God is at work and sometimes we are just not paying attention!
Pete summed the weekend up in one thought after I got home and had vented to him… he said these young people are here in Namibia because their families can afford to send them for a better education, most of them are spoiled and affluent which is why they are able to be here. He is right… sometimes we give our children too much and don’t ask them to lean on God for their provision and they become those who take advantage of others, calloused and uncaring about those around them… they only care about themselves and their happiness and contentment. This was exactly what I saw displayed this weekend! He hit the nail on the head!
Aside from all of that God is good… All the time and I am glad to have experienced his grace this weekend… even though every situation was a disaster from my view! I will wait and see how God will restore my strength and provide for my needs in the future. I will have faith in his kindness and compassion toward me… his future grace! I will also watch and see how God has impacted the lives of some of those young people this weekend and pray that they wake up and realize how important it is to serve rather than be served! May God be glorified!
Charlene
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Story of Meme Olivia
Story of Meme Olivia
In 1999 Meme Olivia’s husband passed away, she believes from AIDS as he had all of the symptoms; however his family kept that fact hidden. This was her only husband, he traveled a lot of different places and so she suspects this is how he got AIDS.
In 2000 Meme Olivia began to get sick, she was admitted to the hospital and tested positive for TB.
In 2001 she was admitted to hospital again in Oshakati in Owamboland. She was tested for HIV and received a positive test. She never told anyone. (She continued to read her Bible and pray)
In 2003 she became seriously sick. Her face developed pimples and she had no ARV treatment only pain killers.
In 2004 she was now living in Okahandja with her sister and in January her health deteriorated considerably. She went to the hospital and her CD4 blood count was tested, they would not give her the results, so she went to Windhoek hospital and found that her CD4 level was very low. They asked her to return the next week to start ARV (anti-retroviral drugs) treatment. She returned to Okahandja and consulted with Mrs. Catanga and was started on ARV tablets. She notified her parents that she is HIV positive and they didn’t want to hear it. They inform her children “your mother is HIV positive”, this made her very sad and caused her to cry, but she still found comfort in reading her Bible.
Finding Encouragement
She returned to Mrs. Catanga at the hospital and asked for counselling because she was thinking terrible thoughts including suicide. Mrs. Catanga contacted Uncle Danny and Auntie Frieda, Annemiek and Tennaki (Christ’s Hope Volunteers). Meme Olivia joined the Bible Study at 5 Rand; there she learned some different ideas and found her life was beginning to change, sometimes she even forgot she was HIV positive. She began to encourage others when she saw they were sick, and she tells them where they can get counsel. She led them in Bible studies and began helping others with HIV and those dying from AIDS. She cooked for them and cared for them. Meme Maria (who passed away from AIDS) was one who Meme Olivia cared for; washing her laundry; feeding her and helping her take her medication (ARV’s). Meme Maria even had older daughters close by who would not take care of her.
Faith in God
She has put her trust in God; she prays that she will not die from HIV/AIDS but some other way. She has 8 children, the 2 young ones (13 & 15) still live with her and she is also caring for grandchildren. The older children will not help her; in fact, her oldest daughter who lives in Grootfontein and who works for the municipality won’t send her any money. She has phoned and asked for financial help, her daughter has said yes she would send something and then never has. She then decided that she would make baskets and Oshikundu (a traditional drink) to sell to help supply an income for the family.
Through her involvement with Danny she became a believer and she is very thankful for the encouragement that she received from him. He is a Christ’s Hope volunteer from Zambia and he has had a wonderful impact on those he has ministered to in and around Okahandja. Danny and Frieda started the Bible study with her and from there the group grew in 5 Rand.
People who have HIV/AIDS in the community are stigmatized and made fun of. Meme Olivia was laughed at and had people say some really dreadful things to her. Some of those who laughed at her have since died from AIDS themselves. Occasionally people make fun of the ladies as they walk to the big trees where they meet for Bible Study. They call them “4 letters” (referring to AIDS). A few of those people who have made fun in the past have come to the Lord and she finds that encouraging.
Coming to know the Lord Jesus has made a big change in her life: she can sleep during the night, she finds comfort opening the Bible and reading it, and she finds herself singing songs as she goes to collect firewood. On occasion when she is all alone she starts to talk out loud to God and thank Him for helping her through difficult times. She enjoys helping other people (making them happy or feel good, especially during their last days on this earth).
In the beginning she was rejected by her parents because they don’t understand HIV/AIDS. After she started making baskets she made a big basket for her mother and sent it up to Owamboland as a gift for her. Her mother was surprised that her daughter could make these baskets and that she had the strength to do this, it was then that they began to act loving toward her. She has helped them to understand the disease.
Meme Olivia’s Prayer Requests:
For Strength and Patience, so that she can continue to encourage others, especially those who are sick and those who are hiding their sickness (those with HIV/AIDS who don’t want to let others know, because of the stigma).
We asked her this question: If others wanted to help you, what things could they do for you? I was personally touched by her answer, her response was not greedy or out of reach; this is what she requested:
Maize meal (corn flour), macaroni, fruit and vegetables and maybe some meat (‘but meat is very expensive’ said Meme Olivia).
It is very important that those on ARV’s get a properly balanced diet.
Message from Pete, Ministry Coordinator:
Your donations to Care and Compassion have the potential of greatly improving the lives of those infected and affected by AIDS. Olivia’s is one such story, her courage and devotion in the face of many challenges is an inspiration to all of us. It is our hope that many more would have the courage to take a stand for Christ in their communities, like Olivia. Your on-going support of this ministry will help to ensure that more lives are reached for Christ.
You can send your donations earmarked for Care and Compassion Okahandja to your nearest CHI office, which can be located on the web at www.christshope.org
Expect to see special features on a regular basis in the future.
In 1999 Meme Olivia’s husband passed away, she believes from AIDS as he had all of the symptoms; however his family kept that fact hidden. This was her only husband, he traveled a lot of different places and so she suspects this is how he got AIDS.
In 2000 Meme Olivia began to get sick, she was admitted to the hospital and tested positive for TB.
In 2001 she was admitted to hospital again in Oshakati in Owamboland. She was tested for HIV and received a positive test. She never told anyone. (She continued to read her Bible and pray)
In 2003 she became seriously sick. Her face developed pimples and she had no ARV treatment only pain killers.
In 2004 she was now living in Okahandja with her sister and in January her health deteriorated considerably. She went to the hospital and her CD4 blood count was tested, they would not give her the results, so she went to Windhoek hospital and found that her CD4 level was very low. They asked her to return the next week to start ARV (anti-retroviral drugs) treatment. She returned to Okahandja and consulted with Mrs. Catanga and was started on ARV tablets. She notified her parents that she is HIV positive and they didn’t want to hear it. They inform her children “your mother is HIV positive”, this made her very sad and caused her to cry, but she still found comfort in reading her Bible.
Finding Encouragement
She returned to Mrs. Catanga at the hospital and asked for counselling because she was thinking terrible thoughts including suicide. Mrs. Catanga contacted Uncle Danny and Auntie Frieda, Annemiek and Tennaki (Christ’s Hope Volunteers). Meme Olivia joined the Bible Study at 5 Rand; there she learned some different ideas and found her life was beginning to change, sometimes she even forgot she was HIV positive. She began to encourage others when she saw they were sick, and she tells them where they can get counsel. She led them in Bible studies and began helping others with HIV and those dying from AIDS. She cooked for them and cared for them. Meme Maria (who passed away from AIDS) was one who Meme Olivia cared for; washing her laundry; feeding her and helping her take her medication (ARV’s). Meme Maria even had older daughters close by who would not take care of her.
Faith in God
She has put her trust in God; she prays that she will not die from HIV/AIDS but some other way. She has 8 children, the 2 young ones (13 & 15) still live with her and she is also caring for grandchildren. The older children will not help her; in fact, her oldest daughter who lives in Grootfontein and who works for the municipality won’t send her any money. She has phoned and asked for financial help, her daughter has said yes she would send something and then never has. She then decided that she would make baskets and Oshikundu (a traditional drink) to sell to help supply an income for the family.
Through her involvement with Danny she became a believer and she is very thankful for the encouragement that she received from him. He is a Christ’s Hope volunteer from Zambia and he has had a wonderful impact on those he has ministered to in and around Okahandja. Danny and Frieda started the Bible study with her and from there the group grew in 5 Rand.
People who have HIV/AIDS in the community are stigmatized and made fun of. Meme Olivia was laughed at and had people say some really dreadful things to her. Some of those who laughed at her have since died from AIDS themselves. Occasionally people make fun of the ladies as they walk to the big trees where they meet for Bible Study. They call them “4 letters” (referring to AIDS). A few of those people who have made fun in the past have come to the Lord and she finds that encouraging.
Coming to know the Lord Jesus has made a big change in her life: she can sleep during the night, she finds comfort opening the Bible and reading it, and she finds herself singing songs as she goes to collect firewood. On occasion when she is all alone she starts to talk out loud to God and thank Him for helping her through difficult times. She enjoys helping other people (making them happy or feel good, especially during their last days on this earth).
In the beginning she was rejected by her parents because they don’t understand HIV/AIDS. After she started making baskets she made a big basket for her mother and sent it up to Owamboland as a gift for her. Her mother was surprised that her daughter could make these baskets and that she had the strength to do this, it was then that they began to act loving toward her. She has helped them to understand the disease.
Meme Olivia’s Prayer Requests:
For Strength and Patience, so that she can continue to encourage others, especially those who are sick and those who are hiding their sickness (those with HIV/AIDS who don’t want to let others know, because of the stigma).
We asked her this question: If others wanted to help you, what things could they do for you? I was personally touched by her answer, her response was not greedy or out of reach; this is what she requested:
Maize meal (corn flour), macaroni, fruit and vegetables and maybe some meat (‘but meat is very expensive’ said Meme Olivia).
It is very important that those on ARV’s get a properly balanced diet.
Message from Pete, Ministry Coordinator:
Your donations to Care and Compassion have the potential of greatly improving the lives of those infected and affected by AIDS. Olivia’s is one such story, her courage and devotion in the face of many challenges is an inspiration to all of us. It is our hope that many more would have the courage to take a stand for Christ in their communities, like Olivia. Your on-going support of this ministry will help to ensure that more lives are reached for Christ.
You can send your donations earmarked for Care and Compassion Okahandja to your nearest CHI office, which can be located on the web at www.christshope.org
Expect to see special features on a regular basis in the future.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Tavis' Farming Story
Farming
When we lived in Angola we helped on a farm owned by the UIEA church. It was located near Namibe in the Giraul River valley. On different parts of the farm they grew corn, potatoes, peppers, many tomatoes, bananas, and watermelon. They were all grown at different times of the year. They also had mango, olive, lemon, and papaya trees. They ploughed the ground with a tractor, but the tire broke and they borrowed a tire from some other farmer in the area. When they couldn’t borrow the tire they had to use a hoe and do it by hand. They made trench irrigation, and they would dig trenches and at the sides of the ditches they would plant the seeds and the water would go through and water them a lot. They would make one big row with many little rows coming down from it. They got water from wells from the underground river. They used diesel water pumps to pump the water up from the well and through the trenches. The plants start to grow and so do weeds. Sometimes we picked the weeds and gave them to the pigs, but most of the time the workers at the farm weeded the fields. At harvest time they picked all the fruit and vegetables and the produce was taken into town and sold at the praca (market). The money was used to pay the farm workers, buy more seeds, and keep the farm running. There was a little shop at the top of the hill (owned by the farm) where the farm workers and people in the community could buy rice, porridge, sugar, biscuits, matches, sweets, oil, lamps, fuel, and other things they needed.
Life at the farm was very nice, and I liked it a lot. At the farm we did lots of different things like swimming in the water dam. The wall around the well was rock so we could climb out easily, but when I first tried it I couldn’t get up so I had to get teenagers to help me, but later I got the hang of it. We did many things like riding on the pigs (like they were horses), we would climb this one mountain with shark teeth and dinosaur teeth from thousands of years ago. The first time I tried to find a tooth of a dinosaur it was hard and it took me a long time to actually find one. Even though there were many many teeth all over the place. But after I found my first one I started to find more and more. One time we were up on the mountain and we separated trying to get to the top of the mountain. My brother got stuck on the side of a cliff where the path was narrow. We went down to help him and there was a big black scorpion so we were trying to get somewhere else where we could get up off the narrow path. Then we kept going along and the path got narrower and narrower as we kept going and so it was too narrow for us to keep going, so we turned around and went back the same way and found a way to get out. Then we went to the top of the mountain and looked at the farm below. Sometimes when we would sleep over at the farm, we would take our sling shots out at night and go and find birds that were sleeping. And twice in one night my friend from the farm shot and killed two birds with one stone, because this certain type of bird would cuddle together two of them to keep warm. The farm workers would eat them. When the river was flowing over the ground we would go down with the current.
At a farm there is a lot of work to be done but sometimes you can have a lot of fun. In Angola farming is not easy because it is hard to find supplies and if you do it is really expensive. The people there were very nice. It was nice to do stuff with the farm workers, like sitting around the fires at night eating corn cooked on the fire. They shared their sugar cane and food with us. I wish I could go back and live on the farm in Angola.
When we lived in Angola we helped on a farm owned by the UIEA church. It was located near Namibe in the Giraul River valley. On different parts of the farm they grew corn, potatoes, peppers, many tomatoes, bananas, and watermelon. They were all grown at different times of the year. They also had mango, olive, lemon, and papaya trees. They ploughed the ground with a tractor, but the tire broke and they borrowed a tire from some other farmer in the area. When they couldn’t borrow the tire they had to use a hoe and do it by hand. They made trench irrigation, and they would dig trenches and at the sides of the ditches they would plant the seeds and the water would go through and water them a lot. They would make one big row with many little rows coming down from it. They got water from wells from the underground river. They used diesel water pumps to pump the water up from the well and through the trenches. The plants start to grow and so do weeds. Sometimes we picked the weeds and gave them to the pigs, but most of the time the workers at the farm weeded the fields. At harvest time they picked all the fruit and vegetables and the produce was taken into town and sold at the praca (market). The money was used to pay the farm workers, buy more seeds, and keep the farm running. There was a little shop at the top of the hill (owned by the farm) where the farm workers and people in the community could buy rice, porridge, sugar, biscuits, matches, sweets, oil, lamps, fuel, and other things they needed.
Life at the farm was very nice, and I liked it a lot. At the farm we did lots of different things like swimming in the water dam. The wall around the well was rock so we could climb out easily, but when I first tried it I couldn’t get up so I had to get teenagers to help me, but later I got the hang of it. We did many things like riding on the pigs (like they were horses), we would climb this one mountain with shark teeth and dinosaur teeth from thousands of years ago. The first time I tried to find a tooth of a dinosaur it was hard and it took me a long time to actually find one. Even though there were many many teeth all over the place. But after I found my first one I started to find more and more. One time we were up on the mountain and we separated trying to get to the top of the mountain. My brother got stuck on the side of a cliff where the path was narrow. We went down to help him and there was a big black scorpion so we were trying to get somewhere else where we could get up off the narrow path. Then we kept going along and the path got narrower and narrower as we kept going and so it was too narrow for us to keep going, so we turned around and went back the same way and found a way to get out. Then we went to the top of the mountain and looked at the farm below. Sometimes when we would sleep over at the farm, we would take our sling shots out at night and go and find birds that were sleeping. And twice in one night my friend from the farm shot and killed two birds with one stone, because this certain type of bird would cuddle together two of them to keep warm. The farm workers would eat them. When the river was flowing over the ground we would go down with the current.
At a farm there is a lot of work to be done but sometimes you can have a lot of fun. In Angola farming is not easy because it is hard to find supplies and if you do it is really expensive. The people there were very nice. It was nice to do stuff with the farm workers, like sitting around the fires at night eating corn cooked on the fire. They shared their sugar cane and food with us. I wish I could go back and live on the farm in Angola.
Doctor Visit
March 7, 2007
What a day! I finally decided that today would be the day to go see a doctor and get some testing. I have been so incredibly exhausted and just feeling generally under the weather. Not sure what it is (but I am guessing there are some parasites from Angola that are hiding out in my body), but we’ll see if they can actually test blood, swabs and stool samples here!
Ok… I took Meagan with me for company, knowing it could take a while! Had no idea how long a while would be. We arrived at the hospital at 9 AM and waited to speak to one of the doctors, and then we went to register and take a number! I was number 56! Then it was off to a line up where they would take you in a room weigh you and take your blood pressure! I sat outside on the cement walkway for a couple of hours and then managed to have my number come close enough that I was able to go into the clinic and sit on a bench. We were the “only” white people there and that made for some interesting conversations and looks! One older gentleman thought that they were trying to move me ahead of the line because I was white… it took a while to convince him that 68 was quite a bit down the line from 56 and that I had been there a long while already!!
Eventually I did make into the blood pressure and weight room! My blood pressure was 110/70 and NO I am not telling you my weight! HA! After being pressured and weighed I was off to another line up to wait for the doctor. I saw Dr. Musasa who is from the DRC and on the board of the Ark. His boy Alex plays with Trevor! He ordered some blood tests, a throat swab and stool samples. I thanked him for seeing me and then it was off to another line up!
Ok… they do not take blood here like they do in Canada! Wow! OUCH! They blew 2 veins drawing 2 vials of blood! I have a small bruise on my wrist and a much larger bruise on my forearm. I will find out NEXT week how I am doing (if they manage to read my blood, swab and stool properly… or if they manage to not get my blood mixed up with someone else… like one lady who they told had AIDS and well it was someone else’s blood that had gotten mixed up with hers). I watched them get the needles out of the sealed packages so we’ll hope that they didn’t give me anything while I was getting my tests! Hmmmm!
Well, what time did we finish you ask… at 1PM… 4 hours, not bad, just to have a regular doctor visit and a few little tests!! We had to rush home, I had a bruised and bloody arm but we couldn’t wait around, Pete needed into the house, and I had the key. Almost considered letting Meagan drive, but thought better of it! HA! Meagan was very woozy after watching me give blood, I am pretty sure she was almost green. She decided that she did not ever want to be a nurse, but I thought perhaps she should be and well… actually learn how to take blood (the right way!!!).
It wasn’t until I was home that the comment the nurse made hit me…(after the first vial of blood had been removed) I said, wow that is a big bruise… she said “IT IS ONLY BECAUSE YOU ARE WHITE THAT IT LOOKS LIKE THAT”! HAHAHAHAHA! Ok… wow… I guess they must bruise everyone, and they just can’t see it on the darker skin! They could use a good teacher to come and show them how to actually take blood without bruising! I am sure it can be done, in fact, I am pretty sure I have had it done a ‘few’ times without the bruising! J It is actually kind of painful, so it would be nice if they could learn to do it the right way!
That was my day. I am still not thinking clearly so I hope that it makes sense! This is life in Africa!
What a day! I finally decided that today would be the day to go see a doctor and get some testing. I have been so incredibly exhausted and just feeling generally under the weather. Not sure what it is (but I am guessing there are some parasites from Angola that are hiding out in my body), but we’ll see if they can actually test blood, swabs and stool samples here!
Ok… I took Meagan with me for company, knowing it could take a while! Had no idea how long a while would be. We arrived at the hospital at 9 AM and waited to speak to one of the doctors, and then we went to register and take a number! I was number 56! Then it was off to a line up where they would take you in a room weigh you and take your blood pressure! I sat outside on the cement walkway for a couple of hours and then managed to have my number come close enough that I was able to go into the clinic and sit on a bench. We were the “only” white people there and that made for some interesting conversations and looks! One older gentleman thought that they were trying to move me ahead of the line because I was white… it took a while to convince him that 68 was quite a bit down the line from 56 and that I had been there a long while already!!
Eventually I did make into the blood pressure and weight room! My blood pressure was 110/70 and NO I am not telling you my weight! HA! After being pressured and weighed I was off to another line up to wait for the doctor. I saw Dr. Musasa who is from the DRC and on the board of the Ark. His boy Alex plays with Trevor! He ordered some blood tests, a throat swab and stool samples. I thanked him for seeing me and then it was off to another line up!
Ok… they do not take blood here like they do in Canada! Wow! OUCH! They blew 2 veins drawing 2 vials of blood! I have a small bruise on my wrist and a much larger bruise on my forearm. I will find out NEXT week how I am doing (if they manage to read my blood, swab and stool properly… or if they manage to not get my blood mixed up with someone else… like one lady who they told had AIDS and well it was someone else’s blood that had gotten mixed up with hers). I watched them get the needles out of the sealed packages so we’ll hope that they didn’t give me anything while I was getting my tests! Hmmmm!
Well, what time did we finish you ask… at 1PM… 4 hours, not bad, just to have a regular doctor visit and a few little tests!! We had to rush home, I had a bruised and bloody arm but we couldn’t wait around, Pete needed into the house, and I had the key. Almost considered letting Meagan drive, but thought better of it! HA! Meagan was very woozy after watching me give blood, I am pretty sure she was almost green. She decided that she did not ever want to be a nurse, but I thought perhaps she should be and well… actually learn how to take blood (the right way!!!).
It wasn’t until I was home that the comment the nurse made hit me…(after the first vial of blood had been removed) I said, wow that is a big bruise… she said “IT IS ONLY BECAUSE YOU ARE WHITE THAT IT LOOKS LIKE THAT”! HAHAHAHAHA! Ok… wow… I guess they must bruise everyone, and they just can’t see it on the darker skin! They could use a good teacher to come and show them how to actually take blood without bruising! I am sure it can be done, in fact, I am pretty sure I have had it done a ‘few’ times without the bruising! J It is actually kind of painful, so it would be nice if they could learn to do it the right way!
That was my day. I am still not thinking clearly so I hope that it makes sense! This is life in Africa!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Charlene's Whirlwind Trip to Canada
WHIRLWIND TRIP TO CANADA
Yes it was a whirlwind! Thought I would share some of my experiences while traveling across Canada this winter! Six weeks of rushing around in what felt like an out of control tailspin.
On December 19, 2006 (my 19th Wedding Anniversary) I set out for a six week trip to Canada. The primary purpose of this trip was to spend time with Talitha (my firstborn and first to ‘leave the nest’)!
In Atlanta I went through the grilling US customs… what a process (especially when you are tired); thankfully I had lots of time to just kick around so I wasn’t in any hurry to get through. I did meet a nice guy at the Agriculture counter; he was joking around lots and made me laugh! The lady at the screening however wasn’t quite as nice, she was yelling her head off… I almost asked her why she worked there if she hated it so much, but decided not to. I arrived in Maine on the 20th and spent the night at my Aunt and Uncle’s near Bangor; however before getting to Uncle Wilbur’s place I ended up spying one of my other Uncles (Uncle Nathan) standing across the way leaning with his arms crossed and a big smile on his face. I thought, ‘oh he came to see me also’… but no he had no idea I was going to be there. He was there to pick up his son-in-law with my cousin Carol (whom I hadn’t seen in years). He was wondering what was going on! It was funny, especially since it was 10:30 PM, what are the odds?
The next morning we got up and went for a visit at my Grandmother’s place (where my Uncle Nathan and Aunt Sue came for a quick visit) and then we were off for Roger’s place. I was a bit concerned about going through the border with all my luggage (filled with Namibian trinkets), but once at the border the lady asked a few very simple questions and then asked “are both of you Canadian citizens?” and they said “yes” and she said “have a nice day”… she didn’t even see me sitting in the back of the van (could have been the stack of blankets I had covering me to keep me warm… haha). Talitha made it home before I could make it to Roger’s so they had her downstairs watching a movie. When I arrived Roger had a box by the tree, which I promptly got into (I was totally out of breath) and he covered the box with a red table cloth and then Roger called Talitha, Janeice and Tyler up. The kids knew something was up but didn’t have any idea what was in store. Janeice played along with everything when Roger called her to come upstairs, she let him know that they were in the middle of a movie, but then said they might as well go see what was going on. Talitha came bounding up the stairs and spotted her grandparents (I think she thought they were the surprise as she was going to their house the next day after school but it turned out that she didn’t have school on the Friday), she said “Granny and Grampy!” Then they told her they had an early Christmas present for her “is it for both of us?” (her and Tyler) she asked. My mom said “I guess it could be, yes”… so both Talitha and Tyler grabbed the red tablecloth and counted to 3 and then ripped it off. Then they leaned down and opened the flaps on the box… Talitha stood there stunned, slowly raised her hand to her mouth and said “oh my word, no”, and then started to step back, she was in shock and just couldn’t believe that it could really be me! She then latched onto me and didn’t really let go for about 3 weeks! She packed up her things and we headed to my mom and dad’s for the time over Christmas holidays. We had many LATE nights (some until 3 AM)!!!
The rest is a bit of a blur… but I will do my best to recall what I can. We went out shopping (which caused a bit of stress to my body), that must have been the most difficult thing to adjust to while at home… the SHOPPING! It is no wonder people are stressed, depressed, and have ADHD! You don’t realize until you have been away from it all. Doesn’t seem like it should be such a big deal, but it is and you don’t understand it until you have gone away to some place where there is ‘nothing’, can’t imagine how much worse it would have been if I had been coming from Angola!! All the colour, selection, lighting, busyness, etc… of course it was Christmas time too which adds a new dimension, but really it gave me the jitters.
I spoke at my mom and dad’s church in Sussex (it was nice to connect with and meet personally the people who have been praying for us this past year). I also went to the Miramichi and spoke at my mom’s home church, and also had the opportunity to visit some of my family (such as my Grammy Olga, Uncle Don, Aunt June, Great Uncle Allen and Great Aunt Della… she passed away 2 days before I returned to Africa, the funeral was on the Saturday that I left). On the 3rd of January I went to my Uncle David and Aunt Irma’s church near Fredericton and shared with another group who had been praying diligently for our family and we had never met them.
On the morning of the 7th we drove to Cumberland Bay (where Roger lives) and I was able to share with the church there (their Sunday School kids raised money and we put a roof and door on Rosa’s house in Angola, the pastor even dyed his hair blue and yellow because the kids met the goal in the time allotted), then I stayed with Roger and Janeice for the next 3 days. The 8th there was a SNOW DAY… the first of the New Year (they had been having rain the whole time I was there), so we went out and had a wiener roast and made Snow Angels. On the 8th Roger and Janeice took me back up to the Miramichi and we visited some more family and went to Calvary Baptist in the evening for their Missionary Night. It was exciting to share with people who had taught me in Sunday School when I was just a kid!
On the 10th I went to school with Talitha, it was great to meet her teachers and principal… they had a lot of nice things to say about her (which always makes a mother happy). In the evening I went back to my parents and got ready to fly out to Kelowna. I arrived ‘late’ and Steve, Patti and Callista were there to meet me. We stayed up late visiting and then on the 12th I went up to Kamloops with Valen and Carol Straley and Amy Berthelot, who came down to get me! THANK YOU! I went to the Ev. Free to speak to the youth group and got roped into playing some games (for those of you who know me, you know I ‘don’t like to play games’)… we played capture the flag and because I had forgotten my Mannatech (the stuff that has helped my asthma) I couldn’t do the running around on the second go, so Troy came up with the brilliant idea of hiding me in the cold air return vent in the basement floor! I FIT, good thing it was at the start of time in Kamloops that’s all I can say!!! Afterwards I went for a visit with Jason and Lorena (until well after midnight!). On the 13th in the evening I met with the leadership of Hillcrest to try to work out some things. Sunday morning I slept in (my alarm didn’t go off) so I made it to church LATE (African time…half hour late). I went for lunch with the Wiseman’s and that was wonderful! In the evening I spoke at Hillcrest.
The 15th I went to the Sheriff office and visited Pete’s old coworkers. Then I had lunch at MINO’S (my favourite Kamloops restaurant) with Carrie and Arlana, it was nice to catch up! Then it was on to Guy and Wendy Doll’s for supper (where they invited several others to join us, that was nice).
The morning of the 16th I popped into George Hilliard Elementary (where my kids went for 9 years) and shared in 2 classrooms! Then at noon I met my friend Philippa Coxon at Chapters Viewpoint (what a view of the city… which is GROWING), then it was on to Mirtha Zamudio’s to get my hair done (GREAT JOB!!!) we had a wonderful visit! Then in the evening I went to Jodi and Chris Gremaud’s house (man have their kids grown!!!).
The morning of the 17th I went to Katherine and Earl Varbel’s for a visit and fantastic lunch!!! It was sure nice to be able to spend some time with our second mother (and her new husband, he is so cute!). In the evening I went for supper at my friend Philippa’s and then joined her at her Bible Study and shared with the group there our journey in Africa! There was a gentleman there who is going to Mozambique the end of this month, that was so exciting!
On the 18th there was a big snow storm and I went to Mary Scott’s for lunch and a time of sharing at her Bible Study with some of my friends from the Ev. Free Church. It was so nice to get caught up on everyone there! Pete’s parents arrived at the Gill’s in the afternoon and we spent the rest of the day visiting (and we went to MINO’S for supper!).
On the 19th the Knightly’s and I spent the day doing a little bit of shopping and then had a relaxing evening at the Gill’s where we were fed the most fantastic East Indian meal!!!
Saturday was also fairly relaxing and I did get caught up a little on some sleep. I went to Hillcrest around 5 PM to meet with a gal who is interested in joining us on a short-term mission here in Namibia, and then at 6 PM we had a Coffee and Dessert Night (thank you to those at Hillcrest who helped to organize that!!!). There were many friends there and I was encouraged by their support and love for our family. It was so nice to see everyone, although I wish I could have had more time with each of them, personally! After the night was finished I headed off for the East Indian Ladies Party, it was great!!! Again I had the chance to eat some great Indian food, and visit with some of the ladies.
Sunday morning I went to Ev. Free Church (I was supposed to go to the coast but it had snowed a lot and I was not keen on traveling in someone else’s car over the mountains especially being as tired as I was). Sunday afternoon I moved over to the Marlow’s house. I spent the next week with them.
Monday and Tuesday were pretty relaxing, in fact I don’t really remember much of what I did (although I spent a lot of the time working on getting my new computer set up and getting things downloaded, since there was HIGH SPEED internet available!!!). I went to a movie on the Monday night, got to see my friend Helen for a couple of minutes up at the theatre (where I used to work).
The 24th in the morning I met with the pastor of Gateway Community Church, as one of his members and her daughter are interested in going with CHI in Zimbabwe and I did an interview with him for CH-USA. Then I went off to the Christian School to share with the High School kids. At lunch time I was off to Lorena and Jason’s house, where I spent the rest of the day and evening! Kelly and her daughter (the one’s going to Zimbabwe) came over for supper and we had a nice time visiting.
The 25th was my Pinitan day… I went out for brunch at Karen’s place and then we trucked on over to Jackie’s place (she worked with Pete) and had lunch! Had a great visit there (and of course went home with all kinds of gifts for Pete and the kids… and me too!!!), then it was off to the Leslie Bowering’s log house for a visit with her and the kids! Had a great time… can’t believe how BIG those 2 boys are getting… and so smart too! In the evening I went back to the Marlow’s and I think this was my first viewing of House (the series… very very funny!!!) or maybe that was the night we watched a movie.
The 26th I headed up to Juniper for a ladies morning out at Horst and Alisa’s house. We had a great visit. I scheduled a supper with the Marlows and was able to spend the evening with them.
The 27th I went to a Crop Til You Drop (Creative Memories Scrapbooking Day) to visit with a friend, then I met Dyanne Sharp and the Maisonneuve’s for lunch at MINO’S (I know that was my THIRD time!!!), then I had a meeting with Shawn Buckley after which I headed to the church for a meeting with the leadership again. Then I went with Lora Lee Marlow and her friend to Kelly O’Brian’s Restaurant (another great place… mmm Patchos).
The morning of the 28th I went to Westsyde Baptist (I was a bit late getting there) and had to set up quickly… I was feeling a bit tense and tired! The pastor’s house had burned down that week and his wife was singing on the worship team (what a trooper). After I shared with the congregation he gave a wonderful application to missions and living a life recognizing in life what is important, its not the stuff you have but rather the relationships! After church I went to my friend Kelly’s for a nice light lunch (thanks Kelly)! I am pretty sure I have gained about 15 or 20 pounds while on the American Continent!!! After that I moved into the Gill’s again and on Monday morning Jirnail and one of his friends who was up visiting from the coast drove me to Vernon to Steve and Patti’s again!
On Tuesday morning (January 30, my mother’s birthday) I flew off to NB again… arriving LATE (story of my flights!), not just late in the evening but the flight was later than it should have been! The next day was spent packing things up and preparing to head to Maine (there was supposed to be a big snow storm rolling in, so we left a day early). My dad’s cousin passed away and the funeral was on Saturday so they decided to attend that after I flew off to Africa. On the 2nd in the evening we went to Bugaboo Restaurant with Uncle Wilbur, Donna and my cousin Kevin (it was Donna’s birthday on Saturday).
Then it was off to bed… but not for long… I was up at 2AM getting ready to head out. I was concerned about my luggage and whether or not it would be in the limits… people had given money for the extra luggage I was taking home and so I was prepared to pay but one bag was over the limit!! We arrived at the airport at 4AM and we were trying to figure things out when a kindly gentleman came out from the back and said that he would check my bags for free!!! WOW! The only thing was he couldn’t check them all the way through to Windhoek!!! AHHH! So he checked them as far as Jo’burg, South Africa! Everyone was really praying that there wouldn’t be any problems with the transfer there… and PRAISE GOD there wasn’t any problem! The traveling time (including airports and hotel in Jo’burg) was over 50 hours!!! We left LATE from Maine, left LATE from Boston, and left LATE from Atlanta… had problems with the plane in Dakar Senegal and ended up being delayed 4 hours (which didn’t make a lot of people very happy)!!
Arrived LATE in Jo’burg and many people missed their connecting flights. I had my hotel booked as I knew that I would be too late for the last flight into Namibia… however I ended up waiting around for quite some time to get my bags rechecked so that I could GO TO BED! I finally made it up to my room around 9PM and managed to get into bed around 11PM and then only slept until 3AM (Jet lag is so much worse coming this way)… checked out of the hotel at 9 AM and went and got my boarding pass and continued on to Windhoek (we arrived a little LATE!).
I was SO incredibly tired and my brain wasn’t working… I grabbed my laptop from under the seat in front of me but I completely missed my camera… sitting right beside it!!!! Things went a bit crazy after that… I went to get my HUGE amount of luggage (thankfully our International Director and his wife happened to be on the same plane and he helped me get it off the track)… however I managed to grab one bag that WASN’T mine… and as I was loading it into the car I realized it… I then ran back into the terminal just as Jos was coming out with MY bag, he even took the wrong bag back for me! It wasn’t until we were about 5 minutes from the airport that Meagan said “hey can I see your camera, I want to see the pictures”… that I went AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH… MY CAMERA… it is STILL ON THE PLANE! So we rushed back, the plane was taxiing out to the runway on its way back to South Africa and well the final verdict after filling out police report, and going to lost and found was that the cleaners probably took it and I would never see it again! That was a sad moment… but I was almost TOO TIRED TO CARE… however now that I don’t actually have my camera and I have gotten some rest I am quite disappointed; however I am HOME safe and sound and glad to be back with my FAMILY!
So that is my story of the Whirlwind Trip to Canada… in the cold, snow, hustle and bustle of the Great White North! Hope I didn’t bore you to death… really I did leave a lot of stuff out!!! J
Lots of Love,
Charlene
Yes it was a whirlwind! Thought I would share some of my experiences while traveling across Canada this winter! Six weeks of rushing around in what felt like an out of control tailspin.
On December 19, 2006 (my 19th Wedding Anniversary) I set out for a six week trip to Canada. The primary purpose of this trip was to spend time with Talitha (my firstborn and first to ‘leave the nest’)!
In Atlanta I went through the grilling US customs… what a process (especially when you are tired); thankfully I had lots of time to just kick around so I wasn’t in any hurry to get through. I did meet a nice guy at the Agriculture counter; he was joking around lots and made me laugh! The lady at the screening however wasn’t quite as nice, she was yelling her head off… I almost asked her why she worked there if she hated it so much, but decided not to. I arrived in Maine on the 20th and spent the night at my Aunt and Uncle’s near Bangor; however before getting to Uncle Wilbur’s place I ended up spying one of my other Uncles (Uncle Nathan) standing across the way leaning with his arms crossed and a big smile on his face. I thought, ‘oh he came to see me also’… but no he had no idea I was going to be there. He was there to pick up his son-in-law with my cousin Carol (whom I hadn’t seen in years). He was wondering what was going on! It was funny, especially since it was 10:30 PM, what are the odds?
The next morning we got up and went for a visit at my Grandmother’s place (where my Uncle Nathan and Aunt Sue came for a quick visit) and then we were off for Roger’s place. I was a bit concerned about going through the border with all my luggage (filled with Namibian trinkets), but once at the border the lady asked a few very simple questions and then asked “are both of you Canadian citizens?” and they said “yes” and she said “have a nice day”… she didn’t even see me sitting in the back of the van (could have been the stack of blankets I had covering me to keep me warm… haha). Talitha made it home before I could make it to Roger’s so they had her downstairs watching a movie. When I arrived Roger had a box by the tree, which I promptly got into (I was totally out of breath) and he covered the box with a red table cloth and then Roger called Talitha, Janeice and Tyler up. The kids knew something was up but didn’t have any idea what was in store. Janeice played along with everything when Roger called her to come upstairs, she let him know that they were in the middle of a movie, but then said they might as well go see what was going on. Talitha came bounding up the stairs and spotted her grandparents (I think she thought they were the surprise as she was going to their house the next day after school but it turned out that she didn’t have school on the Friday), she said “Granny and Grampy!” Then they told her they had an early Christmas present for her “is it for both of us?” (her and Tyler) she asked. My mom said “I guess it could be, yes”… so both Talitha and Tyler grabbed the red tablecloth and counted to 3 and then ripped it off. Then they leaned down and opened the flaps on the box… Talitha stood there stunned, slowly raised her hand to her mouth and said “oh my word, no”, and then started to step back, she was in shock and just couldn’t believe that it could really be me! She then latched onto me and didn’t really let go for about 3 weeks! She packed up her things and we headed to my mom and dad’s for the time over Christmas holidays. We had many LATE nights (some until 3 AM)!!!
The rest is a bit of a blur… but I will do my best to recall what I can. We went out shopping (which caused a bit of stress to my body), that must have been the most difficult thing to adjust to while at home… the SHOPPING! It is no wonder people are stressed, depressed, and have ADHD! You don’t realize until you have been away from it all. Doesn’t seem like it should be such a big deal, but it is and you don’t understand it until you have gone away to some place where there is ‘nothing’, can’t imagine how much worse it would have been if I had been coming from Angola!! All the colour, selection, lighting, busyness, etc… of course it was Christmas time too which adds a new dimension, but really it gave me the jitters.
I spoke at my mom and dad’s church in Sussex (it was nice to connect with and meet personally the people who have been praying for us this past year). I also went to the Miramichi and spoke at my mom’s home church, and also had the opportunity to visit some of my family (such as my Grammy Olga, Uncle Don, Aunt June, Great Uncle Allen and Great Aunt Della… she passed away 2 days before I returned to Africa, the funeral was on the Saturday that I left). On the 3rd of January I went to my Uncle David and Aunt Irma’s church near Fredericton and shared with another group who had been praying diligently for our family and we had never met them.
On the morning of the 7th we drove to Cumberland Bay (where Roger lives) and I was able to share with the church there (their Sunday School kids raised money and we put a roof and door on Rosa’s house in Angola, the pastor even dyed his hair blue and yellow because the kids met the goal in the time allotted), then I stayed with Roger and Janeice for the next 3 days. The 8th there was a SNOW DAY… the first of the New Year (they had been having rain the whole time I was there), so we went out and had a wiener roast and made Snow Angels. On the 8th Roger and Janeice took me back up to the Miramichi and we visited some more family and went to Calvary Baptist in the evening for their Missionary Night. It was exciting to share with people who had taught me in Sunday School when I was just a kid!
On the 10th I went to school with Talitha, it was great to meet her teachers and principal… they had a lot of nice things to say about her (which always makes a mother happy). In the evening I went back to my parents and got ready to fly out to Kelowna. I arrived ‘late’ and Steve, Patti and Callista were there to meet me. We stayed up late visiting and then on the 12th I went up to Kamloops with Valen and Carol Straley and Amy Berthelot, who came down to get me! THANK YOU! I went to the Ev. Free to speak to the youth group and got roped into playing some games (for those of you who know me, you know I ‘don’t like to play games’)… we played capture the flag and because I had forgotten my Mannatech (the stuff that has helped my asthma) I couldn’t do the running around on the second go, so Troy came up with the brilliant idea of hiding me in the cold air return vent in the basement floor! I FIT, good thing it was at the start of time in Kamloops that’s all I can say!!! Afterwards I went for a visit with Jason and Lorena (until well after midnight!). On the 13th in the evening I met with the leadership of Hillcrest to try to work out some things. Sunday morning I slept in (my alarm didn’t go off) so I made it to church LATE (African time…half hour late). I went for lunch with the Wiseman’s and that was wonderful! In the evening I spoke at Hillcrest.
The 15th I went to the Sheriff office and visited Pete’s old coworkers. Then I had lunch at MINO’S (my favourite Kamloops restaurant) with Carrie and Arlana, it was nice to catch up! Then it was on to Guy and Wendy Doll’s for supper (where they invited several others to join us, that was nice).
The morning of the 16th I popped into George Hilliard Elementary (where my kids went for 9 years) and shared in 2 classrooms! Then at noon I met my friend Philippa Coxon at Chapters Viewpoint (what a view of the city… which is GROWING), then it was on to Mirtha Zamudio’s to get my hair done (GREAT JOB!!!) we had a wonderful visit! Then in the evening I went to Jodi and Chris Gremaud’s house (man have their kids grown!!!).
The morning of the 17th I went to Katherine and Earl Varbel’s for a visit and fantastic lunch!!! It was sure nice to be able to spend some time with our second mother (and her new husband, he is so cute!). In the evening I went for supper at my friend Philippa’s and then joined her at her Bible Study and shared with the group there our journey in Africa! There was a gentleman there who is going to Mozambique the end of this month, that was so exciting!
On the 18th there was a big snow storm and I went to Mary Scott’s for lunch and a time of sharing at her Bible Study with some of my friends from the Ev. Free Church. It was so nice to get caught up on everyone there! Pete’s parents arrived at the Gill’s in the afternoon and we spent the rest of the day visiting (and we went to MINO’S for supper!).
On the 19th the Knightly’s and I spent the day doing a little bit of shopping and then had a relaxing evening at the Gill’s where we were fed the most fantastic East Indian meal!!!
Saturday was also fairly relaxing and I did get caught up a little on some sleep. I went to Hillcrest around 5 PM to meet with a gal who is interested in joining us on a short-term mission here in Namibia, and then at 6 PM we had a Coffee and Dessert Night (thank you to those at Hillcrest who helped to organize that!!!). There were many friends there and I was encouraged by their support and love for our family. It was so nice to see everyone, although I wish I could have had more time with each of them, personally! After the night was finished I headed off for the East Indian Ladies Party, it was great!!! Again I had the chance to eat some great Indian food, and visit with some of the ladies.
Sunday morning I went to Ev. Free Church (I was supposed to go to the coast but it had snowed a lot and I was not keen on traveling in someone else’s car over the mountains especially being as tired as I was). Sunday afternoon I moved over to the Marlow’s house. I spent the next week with them.
Monday and Tuesday were pretty relaxing, in fact I don’t really remember much of what I did (although I spent a lot of the time working on getting my new computer set up and getting things downloaded, since there was HIGH SPEED internet available!!!). I went to a movie on the Monday night, got to see my friend Helen for a couple of minutes up at the theatre (where I used to work).
The 24th in the morning I met with the pastor of Gateway Community Church, as one of his members and her daughter are interested in going with CHI in Zimbabwe and I did an interview with him for CH-USA. Then I went off to the Christian School to share with the High School kids. At lunch time I was off to Lorena and Jason’s house, where I spent the rest of the day and evening! Kelly and her daughter (the one’s going to Zimbabwe) came over for supper and we had a nice time visiting.
The 25th was my Pinitan day… I went out for brunch at Karen’s place and then we trucked on over to Jackie’s place (she worked with Pete) and had lunch! Had a great visit there (and of course went home with all kinds of gifts for Pete and the kids… and me too!!!), then it was off to the Leslie Bowering’s log house for a visit with her and the kids! Had a great time… can’t believe how BIG those 2 boys are getting… and so smart too! In the evening I went back to the Marlow’s and I think this was my first viewing of House (the series… very very funny!!!) or maybe that was the night we watched a movie.
The 26th I headed up to Juniper for a ladies morning out at Horst and Alisa’s house. We had a great visit. I scheduled a supper with the Marlows and was able to spend the evening with them.
The 27th I went to a Crop Til You Drop (Creative Memories Scrapbooking Day) to visit with a friend, then I met Dyanne Sharp and the Maisonneuve’s for lunch at MINO’S (I know that was my THIRD time!!!), then I had a meeting with Shawn Buckley after which I headed to the church for a meeting with the leadership again. Then I went with Lora Lee Marlow and her friend to Kelly O’Brian’s Restaurant (another great place… mmm Patchos).
The morning of the 28th I went to Westsyde Baptist (I was a bit late getting there) and had to set up quickly… I was feeling a bit tense and tired! The pastor’s house had burned down that week and his wife was singing on the worship team (what a trooper). After I shared with the congregation he gave a wonderful application to missions and living a life recognizing in life what is important, its not the stuff you have but rather the relationships! After church I went to my friend Kelly’s for a nice light lunch (thanks Kelly)! I am pretty sure I have gained about 15 or 20 pounds while on the American Continent!!! After that I moved into the Gill’s again and on Monday morning Jirnail and one of his friends who was up visiting from the coast drove me to Vernon to Steve and Patti’s again!
On Tuesday morning (January 30, my mother’s birthday) I flew off to NB again… arriving LATE (story of my flights!), not just late in the evening but the flight was later than it should have been! The next day was spent packing things up and preparing to head to Maine (there was supposed to be a big snow storm rolling in, so we left a day early). My dad’s cousin passed away and the funeral was on Saturday so they decided to attend that after I flew off to Africa. On the 2nd in the evening we went to Bugaboo Restaurant with Uncle Wilbur, Donna and my cousin Kevin (it was Donna’s birthday on Saturday).
Then it was off to bed… but not for long… I was up at 2AM getting ready to head out. I was concerned about my luggage and whether or not it would be in the limits… people had given money for the extra luggage I was taking home and so I was prepared to pay but one bag was over the limit!! We arrived at the airport at 4AM and we were trying to figure things out when a kindly gentleman came out from the back and said that he would check my bags for free!!! WOW! The only thing was he couldn’t check them all the way through to Windhoek!!! AHHH! So he checked them as far as Jo’burg, South Africa! Everyone was really praying that there wouldn’t be any problems with the transfer there… and PRAISE GOD there wasn’t any problem! The traveling time (including airports and hotel in Jo’burg) was over 50 hours!!! We left LATE from Maine, left LATE from Boston, and left LATE from Atlanta… had problems with the plane in Dakar Senegal and ended up being delayed 4 hours (which didn’t make a lot of people very happy)!!
Arrived LATE in Jo’burg and many people missed their connecting flights. I had my hotel booked as I knew that I would be too late for the last flight into Namibia… however I ended up waiting around for quite some time to get my bags rechecked so that I could GO TO BED! I finally made it up to my room around 9PM and managed to get into bed around 11PM and then only slept until 3AM (Jet lag is so much worse coming this way)… checked out of the hotel at 9 AM and went and got my boarding pass and continued on to Windhoek (we arrived a little LATE!).
I was SO incredibly tired and my brain wasn’t working… I grabbed my laptop from under the seat in front of me but I completely missed my camera… sitting right beside it!!!! Things went a bit crazy after that… I went to get my HUGE amount of luggage (thankfully our International Director and his wife happened to be on the same plane and he helped me get it off the track)… however I managed to grab one bag that WASN’T mine… and as I was loading it into the car I realized it… I then ran back into the terminal just as Jos was coming out with MY bag, he even took the wrong bag back for me! It wasn’t until we were about 5 minutes from the airport that Meagan said “hey can I see your camera, I want to see the pictures”… that I went AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH… MY CAMERA… it is STILL ON THE PLANE! So we rushed back, the plane was taxiing out to the runway on its way back to South Africa and well the final verdict after filling out police report, and going to lost and found was that the cleaners probably took it and I would never see it again! That was a sad moment… but I was almost TOO TIRED TO CARE… however now that I don’t actually have my camera and I have gotten some rest I am quite disappointed; however I am HOME safe and sound and glad to be back with my FAMILY!
So that is my story of the Whirlwind Trip to Canada… in the cold, snow, hustle and bustle of the Great White North! Hope I didn’t bore you to death… really I did leave a lot of stuff out!!! J
Lots of Love,
Charlene
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Essay by Talitha
One North American’s African Journey
It feels as though it was only yesterday that I was embarking on a glorious and yet scary adventure. To move to another country, not just any country but a third world country, is like a fairytale or something out of a storybook to most people, it may seem. The destination, Angola, Africa. Though most have not heard of this wild and exotic sounding country it does indeed exist, and I traveled there.
It was not an idea in my mind that brought me to this strange new world, but a calling, a calling that my parents listened to with their spiritually tuned ears and open hearts. If God said we were to go to Africa, then by golly, or rather by the grace of God, we would. It was not an easy task this moving to Africa; instead it was a difficult journey, not just physically, but mentally and spiritually.
If there was ever a person who said it would be easy going to a strange new land, they definitely did not have a family with six members. To get four children to agree with an idea that not only seems crazy to them, but to you and everyone else, is not an easy task for a parent. It turned out that the hardest to convince would in fact be myself. This though does not account for the actuality that I am back in Canada now while my family is still roughing it in Africa; it does not even come close.
When in Africa I felt as though for the very first time in my life I belonged, though this may seem strange to some, it is entirely true. I found the youth of Namibe, Angola, where I lived, more accepting of me than any other youth that I had encountered in my entire childhood. No longer was I bullied for my style, or lack thereof, nor for the way that I try to do the best that I can in school, notoriously known as being a goody-two-shoes. Yes, there were trials and tough times, such as the time that our power went out for fourteen days, but we as a family learnt to be grateful for what we had and also to accept and cope with the way things are in Angola.
So, you may ask me, “why on earth did you leave Africa if you were so suited to the ‘African ways’ and loved it so much?” The answer may unfortunately make me sound like a goody-two-shoes once again. In actual reality, the answer is that the only reason for my coming back to Canada was to finish high school and possibly go for some post-secondary education. Am I crazy, you may ask, after all why would someone want to leave the place where they essentially feel that they belong? I can only say that I often ask myself the same question, which begs to be answered the next probable question, will I go back? The answer to this question is probably quite obvious. Of course I will go back, if of course it is in my power to do so!
I would like to conclude these mad ravings of a crazy “American-African” by saying that I one-hundred percent encourage North Americans, teens and adults alike, to go and experience some other place beyond this “North American shelter” that we have all created for ourselves. I fully believe that my journey to Africa, and the year that I spent living there, has changed entirely my life forever. The old Talitha will never be the same person again!
It feels as though it was only yesterday that I was embarking on a glorious and yet scary adventure. To move to another country, not just any country but a third world country, is like a fairytale or something out of a storybook to most people, it may seem. The destination, Angola, Africa. Though most have not heard of this wild and exotic sounding country it does indeed exist, and I traveled there.
It was not an idea in my mind that brought me to this strange new world, but a calling, a calling that my parents listened to with their spiritually tuned ears and open hearts. If God said we were to go to Africa, then by golly, or rather by the grace of God, we would. It was not an easy task this moving to Africa; instead it was a difficult journey, not just physically, but mentally and spiritually.
If there was ever a person who said it would be easy going to a strange new land, they definitely did not have a family with six members. To get four children to agree with an idea that not only seems crazy to them, but to you and everyone else, is not an easy task for a parent. It turned out that the hardest to convince would in fact be myself. This though does not account for the actuality that I am back in Canada now while my family is still roughing it in Africa; it does not even come close.
When in Africa I felt as though for the very first time in my life I belonged, though this may seem strange to some, it is entirely true. I found the youth of Namibe, Angola, where I lived, more accepting of me than any other youth that I had encountered in my entire childhood. No longer was I bullied for my style, or lack thereof, nor for the way that I try to do the best that I can in school, notoriously known as being a goody-two-shoes. Yes, there were trials and tough times, such as the time that our power went out for fourteen days, but we as a family learnt to be grateful for what we had and also to accept and cope with the way things are in Angola.
So, you may ask me, “why on earth did you leave Africa if you were so suited to the ‘African ways’ and loved it so much?” The answer may unfortunately make me sound like a goody-two-shoes once again. In actual reality, the answer is that the only reason for my coming back to Canada was to finish high school and possibly go for some post-secondary education. Am I crazy, you may ask, after all why would someone want to leave the place where they essentially feel that they belong? I can only say that I often ask myself the same question, which begs to be answered the next probable question, will I go back? The answer to this question is probably quite obvious. Of course I will go back, if of course it is in my power to do so!
I would like to conclude these mad ravings of a crazy “American-African” by saying that I one-hundred percent encourage North Americans, teens and adults alike, to go and experience some other place beyond this “North American shelter” that we have all created for ourselves. I fully believe that my journey to Africa, and the year that I spent living there, has changed entirely my life forever. The old Talitha will never be the same person again!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The JOURNEY!
I was just looking back over the posts on the website... they are dated from December 2004 but I started the website prior to that (I republished it and it set the wrong date... oh well live and learn). This blog has told the story of our journey to Angola and then on to Namibia. I hope that it shows you how we have grown as a family, what we have learned, and how we have given up our lives in North America to serve God in foreign land. It has come at a price, but the price is worth it if we glorify God with our lives. It's not about us, it is about God who sent His Son to redeem a lost world!
I would encourage those of you who have visited the site over the last couple of years to take some time and re-read our journey... I am truly amazed at what God has done with us and for us! God is GOOD... ALL the time! This has been an AMAZING JOURNEY... I purposefully called it a journey from the beginning because an adventure sounded like TOO much fun... I was right... it hasn't all be fun, but it has been worth the 'journey'!
In His service...
Charlene Knightly
I would encourage those of you who have visited the site over the last couple of years to take some time and re-read our journey... I am truly amazed at what God has done with us and for us! God is GOOD... ALL the time! This has been an AMAZING JOURNEY... I purposefully called it a journey from the beginning because an adventure sounded like TOO much fun... I was right... it hasn't all be fun, but it has been worth the 'journey'!
In His service...
Charlene Knightly
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Whirlwind Trip!
This whole trip has been a whirlwind experience. I spent the first 3 weeks at the East Coast (New Brunswick) with Talitha, my parents, and my brothers family! It was a wonderful time of 'catch up' for Talitha and myself. I also had opportunities to visit extended family and old time friends. I had the opportunity to visit some of the churches I attended as a child, and others with whom family has a connection now. It was great to get to know some of those who have been praying for our family. Once I get back to Africa and settled I will take the time to write a newsletter answering some of the questions that people have been asking while I have been home.
Now that I am at the West Coast (British Columbia) of Canada, I am spending most of my time in Kamloops (our 'home' town). I was scheduled to go to Hope and Surrey but declined due to 'lots' of snow and being so incredibly exhausted from my last few weeks! Every day has been filled with meeting people, speaking in churches, sharing at Bible Studies and sharing in the elementary school my kids attended for years!!! I should be going to the bank to deal with some things but I am so tired I am having a hard time thinking. The first 2 weeks back were spent living with my great East Indian 'family' (neighbours from North Glen... our old street) and now I am staying with another family... I had many offers but there was no way I could 'move around' that much... I needed some stability! God has given much grace and strength during this time, it is amazing how much I have been able to be on the go... IN THE COLD... without getting sick! God is GOOD... ALL the time!
I had no idea how much of a culture shock it would be coming back to Canada! The things your body goes through when coming back to 'all the action' is amazing! I felt like a nervous wreck for the first half... I found out I can't digest fast food anymore... I can't make decisions or choices (too much to choose from!)... and KIDS grew up in just a year and a half!!!! I truly feel for those missionaries who don't make it home for 4 or 5 years... how traumatic!!!!
Well, just a quick update for our blog friends... I go to Vernon on the 29th (stay overnight with Pete's brother and family) and then fly out of Kelowna on the 30th. I will then head back to Africa on the 3rd of February flying out of Maine USA... ONE BIG PRAYER REQUEST... that I will have NO problems at the border into the states, that I will have NO problems booking my luggage all the way through to Namibia (even though I switch airlines), and that I will arrive safely, healthy and in one piece on the 5th of February! Thank you all for your prayers!
Take care... and God Bless...
Charlene
Now that I am at the West Coast (British Columbia) of Canada, I am spending most of my time in Kamloops (our 'home' town). I was scheduled to go to Hope and Surrey but declined due to 'lots' of snow and being so incredibly exhausted from my last few weeks! Every day has been filled with meeting people, speaking in churches, sharing at Bible Studies and sharing in the elementary school my kids attended for years!!! I should be going to the bank to deal with some things but I am so tired I am having a hard time thinking. The first 2 weeks back were spent living with my great East Indian 'family' (neighbours from North Glen... our old street) and now I am staying with another family... I had many offers but there was no way I could 'move around' that much... I needed some stability! God has given much grace and strength during this time, it is amazing how much I have been able to be on the go... IN THE COLD... without getting sick! God is GOOD... ALL the time!
I had no idea how much of a culture shock it would be coming back to Canada! The things your body goes through when coming back to 'all the action' is amazing! I felt like a nervous wreck for the first half... I found out I can't digest fast food anymore... I can't make decisions or choices (too much to choose from!)... and KIDS grew up in just a year and a half!!!! I truly feel for those missionaries who don't make it home for 4 or 5 years... how traumatic!!!!
Well, just a quick update for our blog friends... I go to Vernon on the 29th (stay overnight with Pete's brother and family) and then fly out of Kelowna on the 30th. I will then head back to Africa on the 3rd of February flying out of Maine USA... ONE BIG PRAYER REQUEST... that I will have NO problems at the border into the states, that I will have NO problems booking my luggage all the way through to Namibia (even though I switch airlines), and that I will arrive safely, healthy and in one piece on the 5th of February! Thank you all for your prayers!
Take care... and God Bless...
Charlene
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