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
Sunday, February 11, 2007
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
Monday, January 08, 2007
Meagan's Trip to Angola December 2006
It's LONG... but if you have time you can read about a trip to Angola through the eyes of a teenager!
Meagan's Trip to Angola
By:
Meagan Knightly
At 1am Sunday morning, December 10th, I started out on my trip to Angola. I went with a girl named Emanuela. Around 9am that morning we got to the border. I called Morais Binga (a friend of my family) and he came over to the bus stop on the Namibian side and drove us to customs. I filled out my papers and handed them in, they stamped my passport and then we left the building. We got to the Angolan side and did the same there; it only took about 45 minutes to get through. Morais drove us to the bus stop in Angola. He bought my ticket, and would have bought Emanuela's but her brother Aristides had bought it the day before in Lubango. We decided to go to his house because the bus wouldn't leave until all of the tickets were sold, and only half were sold. When we got to his house we met his wife and kids and a guy from Namibia. We stayed there for lunch then went back to the bus to see if all the tickets were sold yet. They weren't but Emanuela and I decided to stay there and wait. We finally left Santa Clara at 3:30pm.
The trip to Lubango took FOREVER! We got there at 6am the next day. Aristides picked us up and dropped me of at Jú's auntie’s house. I met Jú there and we hung out for awhile. She told me that Wilson (one of my best friends) was in Lubango so I bought Saldo (credit) and she called him. She told him she had something for him so later on he came over. I was in the room reading a book when he came. He was eating bread when I walked into the kitchen. I casually walked to him and gave him a hug. He said "wait", put down his bread and slowly got up and gave me a big hug.
The next day Edul and his mother, Tia Laura, and his brother, Ary, came. I went to the church with Edul for the last wedding march practice. I was standing outside and my friend Claudio, from church in Windhoek, came up. We talked for a bit then he went to practice something with someone. Jú chose then to tell me that my partner (Edson) wasn't coming. I know him so Jú let me call him. I asked him why he wasn't coming and he said it was because he had exams on Saturday and the teacher wouldn't let him take them earlier. I hung up and walked back to the church. There I met Leidy (another friend from Windhoek). He told me that he wasn't coming back to Namibia 'cause he was finished school. Then another friend from Windhoek walked up. Valdemar (Nike). They said they were going to town and asked if I wanted to come. I went and told Jú where I was going then went back outside. As I was getting into the car I realized that James (yet another guy from Windhoek) was in the car. He hadn't even bothered to come out before to say hi!!!! We went to Leidy's house and I took some pics. Then we went to the fountains at the circle drive in town and I got some more pics. After that Leidy and I dropped Nike and James off at their houses, and then he dropped me off at Jú's auntie’s.
Wednesday the 13th I was standing outside when all of a sudden I saw Jefferson coming down the sidewalk. I ran to him and gave him a hug. He was so surprised to see me and just kept saying "Meagan!” It was funny.
The next day, Thursday, Aristides came over. He drove me to the Foster's house with my stuff... I was moving over there for the rest of my time in Lubango. Nobody was home so I took my stuff to the back and left it there. I went back to the other house and Jefferson came. We were standing out front when Jú's dad and Nelson came. Nelson was also surprised to see me. Jefferson, Nelson and I went to the Foster's to see if they were home yet. Uncle Steve was outside with some cool Brazilian guys. One of them (Juliano) had gone to university in Kamloops of all places. We went back to Jú's house and I went with Jú to Cila's "legal" wedding. That was ok but a little boring. Later that day, Jefferson, Edul, Nelson and I went to Jefferson's apartment and hung out for awhile. On the way home we bought ice-cream. It was raining.
Friday the 15th. Jefferson came and picked me up at the Foster's house and we went to Jú's place together. He had to go to the bank so I stayed and waited for him to come back. After about an hour I wondered if he was coming back. It was raining pretty hard so I waited till it had calmed down a bit and then I started to walk to his house alone. I met him about half-way. He said the Galatas had arrived and he had only found a moment just then to come get me. We pretty much ran there! We ran all the way to the top floor to the apartment but when Jefferson knocked, nobody answered the door so he went back down the stairs and around the building to the back and opened the door for me. I went into the living room and waited for what seemed like forever. I kept hearing familiar voices and I was literally spinning around and jumping. Jefferson finally convinced them to come to the living room. Doeg came in first. I scared him so bad!!!!! He pretty much screamed my name. He grabbed me in a huge hug and almost lifted me off the ground. When he finally released me I gave Gilberto, Jelson, Ary and this guy I didn't even know hugs!! It was so nice. Later we all went to Wilson's house to see if he was home. His cousin said he was at school so we went to Doeg's aunty or somebody's house. I got a few pics there. On the way back to the Foster's house the guys were kicking each others butts. They started walking with their hands over their butts so the others couldn't kick them. It was so funny. The Fosters were having a Christmas party with some of their friends so I sat and watched. Juliano was there so I talked to him for awhile about Kamloops and stuff. Becky was also there and she trimmed my extensions for me.
Saturday the 16th. I was up really early to get ready to go to ISTEL to get ready for the wedding. When I got to Jú's house she was just leaving. I went into the house and waited for someone to come and take me to ISTEL. When I got there they forced me to wear my bridesmaid dress, even though I would only be a photographer. It took a long time for them to get ready! They all had to put their hair in rollers, dry them take them out then get them styled. Then Jú made up this whipped cream looking face stuff and they all (except me) put it on. Now that too had to dry. Me and this other photographer (a guy) got lots of cool pictures. Me and three other girls went to the church a bit early to look at the decorations and to do some stuff then we went to one of the out-buildings to wait for the other bridesmaids and groomsmen. The groom (Nando) came first. He looked so nice! Then the other brides maids came and finally the groomsmen came. They all looked beautiful or… handsome for the guys!!! Finally the bride came and we went to the church, the bridesmaids and groomsmen all lined up for the march and I went inside to wait for them to begin. When they were coming in, about a quarter of the way up they all had to stop and stand by the pews to let Nando, the flower girls, ring bearers, and Cila go through. Edul was standing directly under a balcony and all of a sudden some kind of water thing opened and gave his shoulder a shower! The people on the balcony quickly closed the thing. I was trying hard not to laugh. I tried to get a picture but the other photographers were in my way. My batteries went dead about half way through the ceremony. A guy gave me some other batteries but they were also dead so I went to the back and sat with Leidy, Nike and James. After the ceremony everyone stood around for a long time. I ran around visiting all of me friends from Namibe, Lubango, and Namibia. When the time came, we all got into cars to drive around and take pictures and honk the cars horns. I went with my Windhoek friends. It was fun. First we went to the fountains. I met a lot of people I know from Namibe. Lots of the women from the church were there. They were all very surprised to see me. Tio Chitomba bought me batteries, so I took some pictures with the other photographers and then we moved on to the next place. While we were there I got some pictures then Jú got a couple of me and a few other girls. Then “the Windhoek guys” and I went to the mountain for a few pictures of our own. When we heard the train moving again we went to join them. We went to one last place and got lots of pictures there. I hung out mostly with the Galatas there. Finally we went to the reception. It was ok, but by then my feet were killing me from wearing high heals all day. The bridesmaids, groomsmen and I served the guests. There was a lot of food, but we ran out so they had to quickly make more. After the reception the bridesmaids and groomsmen stayed to clean the hall. I helped a bit but my feet were so tired and I was tired too... it was past midnight. Finally I found a ride home.
The next day was Sunday so I went to church with the Fosters. After church I went to Mitcha with Brent to get some stuff from the container. Then Brent drove me back home. That day I spent mostly indoors. I helped prepare for the bible study group party, and then I uploaded my pictures onto their computer. When everyone arrived we sang so many Christmas songs that all of our voices were hoarse. Then we ate goodies and talked for a long time. After that I went to ISTEL with Uncle Steve Foster to pick up the stuff that I had left there on Saturday. When we got back Becky was still there and she told me that she was driving some people to the bus stop the next morning and asked if I wanted to get a ride with her. Jelson and I were planning to go Monday so I called him and he agreed.
The next morning I was up early getting ready to go. Becky came around 7am. We went and picked up Jelson and then the other people and she drove us to the station. We left Lubango at 9am. Jelson and I sat in the very back with one of his friends. The trip took about 3 hours! We bought some mangos at the small praza (open market) at the bottom of the Leba. When we got to Namibe I found Vivas working at the bus stop. We waited there for Jelson’s friend to pick us up then we went to his house. Gilberta was sitting on the couch when I walked in. She was SO surprised and happy that she went nuts on me! We went over to Nayr’s house and she was happy to see me too. After that I went over to Mãezinha’s house. She wasn’t there but Justo and JóJo were. I stayed there for awhile and Mãezinha came back with Tio Venencio. She had been at the hospital. After we ate supper I went back to Jelson’s house to get ready for Christmas play practice at the church. I walked with Gilberta and Nayr. When we got there I met a bunch of my friends and I was so happy. I asked Tia Salli if I could stay with her and she said yes so I went with Tia Arlett to get my bags. That night Pastor Zebedeu came home from his trip with the boys (not Ladinho!).
The next night was bible study. Tio Luis was there with our old truck so I asked him for the keys. He gave them to me and I went and sat in the truck and remembered all of the good memories. All that week I was sick but I still walked around visiting my friends.
Wednesday and Saturday there was choir practice and Friday was bible study again.
Sunday the 24th we did the Christmas play. It was a lot of fun! I did a pantomima (dance) with some other girls and I also went in for “registration” with Gilberto and Nelson.
Christmas day there was a short service at church then I went to Edul’s house and we went to Doeg’s house and Wilson, Jelson and Simba were there. Simba went home but me and the other guys went to my place and had some cake and pop and stuff. The next day I was still sick so the Pastor drove me to Lubango for a consult. I got my finger pricked, or should I say STABBED, then I waited for an hour to get the results. When I got them I went to Uncle Steve Collins and he told me I had malaria. It was very minor though. Later we went back to Namibe.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I hung out with my friends.
On Sunday I went to church and sang in the choir. I spent the day with Edul and Jú. At 9pm we went back to the church to sing and do all that till midnight. At 12 everyone hugged each other then went home. Nelson, Simião and I went to Chimichi’s house and the Galatas followed. Later we went back to Edul’s house. The Galatas went somewhere and Nelson, Edul, Gilberta and I stayed and played video games. Jelson, Wilson, Doeg and Yurão (my new friend) came back and we ate cake and Jelson and Edul played the game. We were all laughing and having a great time. Wilson switched his empty Coca-Cola bottle with Doeg’s half full one and drank it then switched them back. Doeg tried to do the same thing to Jelson but Jelson caught him in the act. Yurão went home early. Around 5:30am the rest of them decided to go home so Edul and I went with them half way. Wilson and Gilberta went home but Doeg, Edul, Jelson, and I stayed. Gilberto walked up just then and we talked for a long time. Talitha called and I passed around Edul’s phone so everyone could talk to her. Edul mostly hogged the phone though. We finally went to sleep around 6:30am.
Later that day I went to the beach with Familía Chitomba and Cila and Nando. They hadn’t told me we were going there so I didn’t have time to get my bathing suit. That was my first time to the beach and I didn’t even get to swim. It was still fun though. We had lunch there. I slept at Edul’s again that night. The next day Yurão came over. I was going to go buy a ticket to Lubango, and I called Becky to ask if she could pick me up at the bus stop and she said “hold on I’m outside your house.” I was a bit confused… then all of a sudden she drove up and I thought ‘oh!’ She had been in Tombua for New Years. She said she could drive me to Lubango so I went to the Pastors and packed up my stuff and we left. I didn’t even have time to say good-bye to all of my friends. We went out to the farm to pick up a table, and then we were on our way. On the Leba, Tinka (the car) started overheating so we stopped for a bit. The guy that was with us went onto the roof and found the mangos that had fallen onto the roof at the farm. They were still green but I ate them anyways. I stayed with Becky in Lubango. When we got to Mitcha I went to the container and got some Kraft Dinner to eat. Becky went out somewhere and I made the Kraft Dinner. It was only a snack. When Becky got home we went to Aunty Doreen’s house for supper. When we went home I watched a bunch of Spongebob episodes.
The next day Becky had to go do something at the UIEA staff house so I went to Leidy’s house. He wasn’t home so I waited for him with his mom. When he came he brought me to Nike’s house. We looked at pictures then we went to the SOS orphanage because they were having a youth camp there. I hung out with my Namibe friends there for awhile then I went with Nike, James and JuJu (from Windhoek) to someone’s house nearby. While we were there Leidy came and Nike left. We went back over to the camp and I said good-bye to my friends. When we left we went to pick up one of Leidy’s friends. When we got to her house, Leidy went inside. He was taking forever so James and I went drove to this parking lot and drove around it to pass time. He said I could drive in the parking lot but I didn’t want to. We drove back and Leidy came out with his friend. When his friend was getting in I had to move over and I accidentally sat on my purse. I heard something crack… it was my camera. I can still use it but the viewing screen is cracked a bit. They dropped me off at Becky’s house and I watched some more episodes of Spongebob until Becky got home from Doreen’s house.
Thursday the 28th. I stayed at Mitcha most of the day to pack. I still had some room in my suitcase so I went to the container and found a few more things to bring home. Later on I called Fenguito, because I was planning on traveling with him and Nike. We decided to meet at the church because Becky had to go there anyways for a bible study. When I got there he wasn’t there so I went to the Holden’s house to say good-bye then I went back to the church and he still wasn’t there so I went to Jefferson’s apartment to see him for the last time before I left. He was there with Ary. Ary was going to Luanda the next day to do school or something, Doeg was there already. I went back to the church with Jefferson to wait for Fenguito. He finally came and we talked a bit, then Jefferson left. Becky’s bible study finished and she said she had to go pick up this girl that was going to stay at her house for awhile. I had forgotten my pillow and shoes at Jú’s auntie’s house so Fenguito and I went there to get them. I saw some friends that live there. It started to rain so we went inside to wait for Becky. She finally came and we left. We dropped Fenguito off in town then went back to Mitcha.
The next day was the day of the trip. Around noon I gave up trying to call Fenguito and Nike so I decided to go to Nike’s house with Becky. We met him there just as he was coming home from buying his bus ticket. He grabbed his bags and we went and bought my ticket, then we went to find Fenguito. We went to his house but he wasn’t home so we waited there for awhile, then his sister went to see if he was at his friend’s house. She met him just as he was coming into the gate. He said good-bye to his family then we went to buy his ticket. We were too late to buy a ticket to the same bus as the rest of us. I met a friend of mine from Okahandja there at the bus stop. He had a ticket to the same bus as me but he didn’t want to trade with Fenguito. We (Nike, Cachaca and a lady from ISTEL) left Lubango at 5:30pm. During the night some time we stopped at this town and picked up a couple of people, one of which was drunk. The drunk guy wouldn’t stop talking so I finally told him to shut up and that he had no respect for the people who were sleeping on the small bus. The second time I said it he quieted down for awhile and went to sleep.
In the morning we got to the police stop and they checked all of our bags. I can’t remember what time we got to the border. We got through in no time. There was no bus so we waited for like 2 hours then decided to go with some guy to Ondangwa to see if there was a bus there. We found a bus and were the last people to get on. The 4 of us were in the front row together and we were SO squished. We got to Okahandja at 10:30pm. Dad picked me up and we went home.
THE END
Meagan's Trip to Angola
By:
Meagan Knightly
At 1am Sunday morning, December 10th, I started out on my trip to Angola. I went with a girl named Emanuela. Around 9am that morning we got to the border. I called Morais Binga (a friend of my family) and he came over to the bus stop on the Namibian side and drove us to customs. I filled out my papers and handed them in, they stamped my passport and then we left the building. We got to the Angolan side and did the same there; it only took about 45 minutes to get through. Morais drove us to the bus stop in Angola. He bought my ticket, and would have bought Emanuela's but her brother Aristides had bought it the day before in Lubango. We decided to go to his house because the bus wouldn't leave until all of the tickets were sold, and only half were sold. When we got to his house we met his wife and kids and a guy from Namibia. We stayed there for lunch then went back to the bus to see if all the tickets were sold yet. They weren't but Emanuela and I decided to stay there and wait. We finally left Santa Clara at 3:30pm.
The trip to Lubango took FOREVER! We got there at 6am the next day. Aristides picked us up and dropped me of at Jú's auntie’s house. I met Jú there and we hung out for awhile. She told me that Wilson (one of my best friends) was in Lubango so I bought Saldo (credit) and she called him. She told him she had something for him so later on he came over. I was in the room reading a book when he came. He was eating bread when I walked into the kitchen. I casually walked to him and gave him a hug. He said "wait", put down his bread and slowly got up and gave me a big hug.
The next day Edul and his mother, Tia Laura, and his brother, Ary, came. I went to the church with Edul for the last wedding march practice. I was standing outside and my friend Claudio, from church in Windhoek, came up. We talked for a bit then he went to practice something with someone. Jú chose then to tell me that my partner (Edson) wasn't coming. I know him so Jú let me call him. I asked him why he wasn't coming and he said it was because he had exams on Saturday and the teacher wouldn't let him take them earlier. I hung up and walked back to the church. There I met Leidy (another friend from Windhoek). He told me that he wasn't coming back to Namibia 'cause he was finished school. Then another friend from Windhoek walked up. Valdemar (Nike). They said they were going to town and asked if I wanted to come. I went and told Jú where I was going then went back outside. As I was getting into the car I realized that James (yet another guy from Windhoek) was in the car. He hadn't even bothered to come out before to say hi!!!! We went to Leidy's house and I took some pics. Then we went to the fountains at the circle drive in town and I got some more pics. After that Leidy and I dropped Nike and James off at their houses, and then he dropped me off at Jú's auntie’s.
Wednesday the 13th I was standing outside when all of a sudden I saw Jefferson coming down the sidewalk. I ran to him and gave him a hug. He was so surprised to see me and just kept saying "Meagan!” It was funny.
The next day, Thursday, Aristides came over. He drove me to the Foster's house with my stuff... I was moving over there for the rest of my time in Lubango. Nobody was home so I took my stuff to the back and left it there. I went back to the other house and Jefferson came. We were standing out front when Jú's dad and Nelson came. Nelson was also surprised to see me. Jefferson, Nelson and I went to the Foster's to see if they were home yet. Uncle Steve was outside with some cool Brazilian guys. One of them (Juliano) had gone to university in Kamloops of all places. We went back to Jú's house and I went with Jú to Cila's "legal" wedding. That was ok but a little boring. Later that day, Jefferson, Edul, Nelson and I went to Jefferson's apartment and hung out for awhile. On the way home we bought ice-cream. It was raining.
Friday the 15th. Jefferson came and picked me up at the Foster's house and we went to Jú's place together. He had to go to the bank so I stayed and waited for him to come back. After about an hour I wondered if he was coming back. It was raining pretty hard so I waited till it had calmed down a bit and then I started to walk to his house alone. I met him about half-way. He said the Galatas had arrived and he had only found a moment just then to come get me. We pretty much ran there! We ran all the way to the top floor to the apartment but when Jefferson knocked, nobody answered the door so he went back down the stairs and around the building to the back and opened the door for me. I went into the living room and waited for what seemed like forever. I kept hearing familiar voices and I was literally spinning around and jumping. Jefferson finally convinced them to come to the living room. Doeg came in first. I scared him so bad!!!!! He pretty much screamed my name. He grabbed me in a huge hug and almost lifted me off the ground. When he finally released me I gave Gilberto, Jelson, Ary and this guy I didn't even know hugs!! It was so nice. Later we all went to Wilson's house to see if he was home. His cousin said he was at school so we went to Doeg's aunty or somebody's house. I got a few pics there. On the way back to the Foster's house the guys were kicking each others butts. They started walking with their hands over their butts so the others couldn't kick them. It was so funny. The Fosters were having a Christmas party with some of their friends so I sat and watched. Juliano was there so I talked to him for awhile about Kamloops and stuff. Becky was also there and she trimmed my extensions for me.
Saturday the 16th. I was up really early to get ready to go to ISTEL to get ready for the wedding. When I got to Jú's house she was just leaving. I went into the house and waited for someone to come and take me to ISTEL. When I got there they forced me to wear my bridesmaid dress, even though I would only be a photographer. It took a long time for them to get ready! They all had to put their hair in rollers, dry them take them out then get them styled. Then Jú made up this whipped cream looking face stuff and they all (except me) put it on. Now that too had to dry. Me and this other photographer (a guy) got lots of cool pictures. Me and three other girls went to the church a bit early to look at the decorations and to do some stuff then we went to one of the out-buildings to wait for the other bridesmaids and groomsmen. The groom (Nando) came first. He looked so nice! Then the other brides maids came and finally the groomsmen came. They all looked beautiful or… handsome for the guys!!! Finally the bride came and we went to the church, the bridesmaids and groomsmen all lined up for the march and I went inside to wait for them to begin. When they were coming in, about a quarter of the way up they all had to stop and stand by the pews to let Nando, the flower girls, ring bearers, and Cila go through. Edul was standing directly under a balcony and all of a sudden some kind of water thing opened and gave his shoulder a shower! The people on the balcony quickly closed the thing. I was trying hard not to laugh. I tried to get a picture but the other photographers were in my way. My batteries went dead about half way through the ceremony. A guy gave me some other batteries but they were also dead so I went to the back and sat with Leidy, Nike and James. After the ceremony everyone stood around for a long time. I ran around visiting all of me friends from Namibe, Lubango, and Namibia. When the time came, we all got into cars to drive around and take pictures and honk the cars horns. I went with my Windhoek friends. It was fun. First we went to the fountains. I met a lot of people I know from Namibe. Lots of the women from the church were there. They were all very surprised to see me. Tio Chitomba bought me batteries, so I took some pictures with the other photographers and then we moved on to the next place. While we were there I got some pictures then Jú got a couple of me and a few other girls. Then “the Windhoek guys” and I went to the mountain for a few pictures of our own. When we heard the train moving again we went to join them. We went to one last place and got lots of pictures there. I hung out mostly with the Galatas there. Finally we went to the reception. It was ok, but by then my feet were killing me from wearing high heals all day. The bridesmaids, groomsmen and I served the guests. There was a lot of food, but we ran out so they had to quickly make more. After the reception the bridesmaids and groomsmen stayed to clean the hall. I helped a bit but my feet were so tired and I was tired too... it was past midnight. Finally I found a ride home.
The next day was Sunday so I went to church with the Fosters. After church I went to Mitcha with Brent to get some stuff from the container. Then Brent drove me back home. That day I spent mostly indoors. I helped prepare for the bible study group party, and then I uploaded my pictures onto their computer. When everyone arrived we sang so many Christmas songs that all of our voices were hoarse. Then we ate goodies and talked for a long time. After that I went to ISTEL with Uncle Steve Foster to pick up the stuff that I had left there on Saturday. When we got back Becky was still there and she told me that she was driving some people to the bus stop the next morning and asked if I wanted to get a ride with her. Jelson and I were planning to go Monday so I called him and he agreed.
The next morning I was up early getting ready to go. Becky came around 7am. We went and picked up Jelson and then the other people and she drove us to the station. We left Lubango at 9am. Jelson and I sat in the very back with one of his friends. The trip took about 3 hours! We bought some mangos at the small praza (open market) at the bottom of the Leba. When we got to Namibe I found Vivas working at the bus stop. We waited there for Jelson’s friend to pick us up then we went to his house. Gilberta was sitting on the couch when I walked in. She was SO surprised and happy that she went nuts on me! We went over to Nayr’s house and she was happy to see me too. After that I went over to Mãezinha’s house. She wasn’t there but Justo and JóJo were. I stayed there for awhile and Mãezinha came back with Tio Venencio. She had been at the hospital. After we ate supper I went back to Jelson’s house to get ready for Christmas play practice at the church. I walked with Gilberta and Nayr. When we got there I met a bunch of my friends and I was so happy. I asked Tia Salli if I could stay with her and she said yes so I went with Tia Arlett to get my bags. That night Pastor Zebedeu came home from his trip with the boys (not Ladinho!).
The next night was bible study. Tio Luis was there with our old truck so I asked him for the keys. He gave them to me and I went and sat in the truck and remembered all of the good memories. All that week I was sick but I still walked around visiting my friends.
Wednesday and Saturday there was choir practice and Friday was bible study again.
Sunday the 24th we did the Christmas play. It was a lot of fun! I did a pantomima (dance) with some other girls and I also went in for “registration” with Gilberto and Nelson.
Christmas day there was a short service at church then I went to Edul’s house and we went to Doeg’s house and Wilson, Jelson and Simba were there. Simba went home but me and the other guys went to my place and had some cake and pop and stuff. The next day I was still sick so the Pastor drove me to Lubango for a consult. I got my finger pricked, or should I say STABBED, then I waited for an hour to get the results. When I got them I went to Uncle Steve Collins and he told me I had malaria. It was very minor though. Later we went back to Namibe.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I hung out with my friends.
On Sunday I went to church and sang in the choir. I spent the day with Edul and Jú. At 9pm we went back to the church to sing and do all that till midnight. At 12 everyone hugged each other then went home. Nelson, Simião and I went to Chimichi’s house and the Galatas followed. Later we went back to Edul’s house. The Galatas went somewhere and Nelson, Edul, Gilberta and I stayed and played video games. Jelson, Wilson, Doeg and Yurão (my new friend) came back and we ate cake and Jelson and Edul played the game. We were all laughing and having a great time. Wilson switched his empty Coca-Cola bottle with Doeg’s half full one and drank it then switched them back. Doeg tried to do the same thing to Jelson but Jelson caught him in the act. Yurão went home early. Around 5:30am the rest of them decided to go home so Edul and I went with them half way. Wilson and Gilberta went home but Doeg, Edul, Jelson, and I stayed. Gilberto walked up just then and we talked for a long time. Talitha called and I passed around Edul’s phone so everyone could talk to her. Edul mostly hogged the phone though. We finally went to sleep around 6:30am.
Later that day I went to the beach with Familía Chitomba and Cila and Nando. They hadn’t told me we were going there so I didn’t have time to get my bathing suit. That was my first time to the beach and I didn’t even get to swim. It was still fun though. We had lunch there. I slept at Edul’s again that night. The next day Yurão came over. I was going to go buy a ticket to Lubango, and I called Becky to ask if she could pick me up at the bus stop and she said “hold on I’m outside your house.” I was a bit confused… then all of a sudden she drove up and I thought ‘oh!’ She had been in Tombua for New Years. She said she could drive me to Lubango so I went to the Pastors and packed up my stuff and we left. I didn’t even have time to say good-bye to all of my friends. We went out to the farm to pick up a table, and then we were on our way. On the Leba, Tinka (the car) started overheating so we stopped for a bit. The guy that was with us went onto the roof and found the mangos that had fallen onto the roof at the farm. They were still green but I ate them anyways. I stayed with Becky in Lubango. When we got to Mitcha I went to the container and got some Kraft Dinner to eat. Becky went out somewhere and I made the Kraft Dinner. It was only a snack. When Becky got home we went to Aunty Doreen’s house for supper. When we went home I watched a bunch of Spongebob episodes.
The next day Becky had to go do something at the UIEA staff house so I went to Leidy’s house. He wasn’t home so I waited for him with his mom. When he came he brought me to Nike’s house. We looked at pictures then we went to the SOS orphanage because they were having a youth camp there. I hung out with my Namibe friends there for awhile then I went with Nike, James and JuJu (from Windhoek) to someone’s house nearby. While we were there Leidy came and Nike left. We went back over to the camp and I said good-bye to my friends. When we left we went to pick up one of Leidy’s friends. When we got to her house, Leidy went inside. He was taking forever so James and I went drove to this parking lot and drove around it to pass time. He said I could drive in the parking lot but I didn’t want to. We drove back and Leidy came out with his friend. When his friend was getting in I had to move over and I accidentally sat on my purse. I heard something crack… it was my camera. I can still use it but the viewing screen is cracked a bit. They dropped me off at Becky’s house and I watched some more episodes of Spongebob until Becky got home from Doreen’s house.
Thursday the 28th. I stayed at Mitcha most of the day to pack. I still had some room in my suitcase so I went to the container and found a few more things to bring home. Later on I called Fenguito, because I was planning on traveling with him and Nike. We decided to meet at the church because Becky had to go there anyways for a bible study. When I got there he wasn’t there so I went to the Holden’s house to say good-bye then I went back to the church and he still wasn’t there so I went to Jefferson’s apartment to see him for the last time before I left. He was there with Ary. Ary was going to Luanda the next day to do school or something, Doeg was there already. I went back to the church with Jefferson to wait for Fenguito. He finally came and we talked a bit, then Jefferson left. Becky’s bible study finished and she said she had to go pick up this girl that was going to stay at her house for awhile. I had forgotten my pillow and shoes at Jú’s auntie’s house so Fenguito and I went there to get them. I saw some friends that live there. It started to rain so we went inside to wait for Becky. She finally came and we left. We dropped Fenguito off in town then went back to Mitcha.
The next day was the day of the trip. Around noon I gave up trying to call Fenguito and Nike so I decided to go to Nike’s house with Becky. We met him there just as he was coming home from buying his bus ticket. He grabbed his bags and we went and bought my ticket, then we went to find Fenguito. We went to his house but he wasn’t home so we waited there for awhile, then his sister went to see if he was at his friend’s house. She met him just as he was coming into the gate. He said good-bye to his family then we went to buy his ticket. We were too late to buy a ticket to the same bus as the rest of us. I met a friend of mine from Okahandja there at the bus stop. He had a ticket to the same bus as me but he didn’t want to trade with Fenguito. We (Nike, Cachaca and a lady from ISTEL) left Lubango at 5:30pm. During the night some time we stopped at this town and picked up a couple of people, one of which was drunk. The drunk guy wouldn’t stop talking so I finally told him to shut up and that he had no respect for the people who were sleeping on the small bus. The second time I said it he quieted down for awhile and went to sleep.
In the morning we got to the police stop and they checked all of our bags. I can’t remember what time we got to the border. We got through in no time. There was no bus so we waited for like 2 hours then decided to go with some guy to Ondangwa to see if there was a bus there. We found a bus and were the last people to get on. The 4 of us were in the front row together and we were SO squished. We got to Okahandja at 10:30pm. Dad picked me up and we went home.
THE END
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas friends and family,
I would like to start by saying that we are truly thankful for the financial support as well as prayer support and the contact through emails that you have given our family over the last couple of years. We are thankful to God for those he has placed in our path.
The transition to Namibia has not been an easy one, there have been some trials and difficulties in moving and personally I am weak, weary and worn from all that has been going on in the last few months. Pete has fit into his new position and is enjoying the work that God has called him to and I am feeling in limbo and lonely. After some consideration Pete suggested that I take a trip back to Canada for a month or two, this would enable me to visit some family (especially Talitha), visit some of our supporters and perhaps share with some churches. This is something I would never have considered and I am thankful that he is willing to sacrifice to make it possible.
We did not tell many about my return visit as we wanted it to be a surprise Christmas present for Talitha, and a surprise it was! My brother had a box ready in the living room, and I climbed in and they covered it with a blanket. They called her and my nephew upstairs and told them there was an early Christmas present to open; they pulled the blanket off, and opened up the box! Talitha stepped back and with her hand over her mouth stood there in shock. There were tears of joy flowing all over the room and she just couldn’t believe it was ‘for real’! We spent half of the night catching up; I expect that we will be having a really wonderful time together.
Pete and the boys have all kinds of plans for the holidays ‘alone’ in Namibia. Meagan is enjoying her time in Angola with all of her friends; she won’t be back in Namibia until sometime in January.
I am in New Brunswick and I will spend Christmas with my parents and Talitha.
If you live in NB I will be here until January 10,
on the 11th of January I will fly to BC and spend time in the Kamloops area until January 30th.
If you are interested in having me come and share to your small group or church the ministry that God has called us to I would be happy to do so. Please phone me at 506-433-5478 or email me at knightvision6@gmail.com . I would love to have the chance to share how God has been working and continues to work in our lives over the course of the last couple of years, show you the work of Christ’s Hope Namibia, and the needs in Angola that still weigh heavy on our hearts.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Charlene Knightly
I would like to start by saying that we are truly thankful for the financial support as well as prayer support and the contact through emails that you have given our family over the last couple of years. We are thankful to God for those he has placed in our path.
The transition to Namibia has not been an easy one, there have been some trials and difficulties in moving and personally I am weak, weary and worn from all that has been going on in the last few months. Pete has fit into his new position and is enjoying the work that God has called him to and I am feeling in limbo and lonely. After some consideration Pete suggested that I take a trip back to Canada for a month or two, this would enable me to visit some family (especially Talitha), visit some of our supporters and perhaps share with some churches. This is something I would never have considered and I am thankful that he is willing to sacrifice to make it possible.
We did not tell many about my return visit as we wanted it to be a surprise Christmas present for Talitha, and a surprise it was! My brother had a box ready in the living room, and I climbed in and they covered it with a blanket. They called her and my nephew upstairs and told them there was an early Christmas present to open; they pulled the blanket off, and opened up the box! Talitha stepped back and with her hand over her mouth stood there in shock. There were tears of joy flowing all over the room and she just couldn’t believe it was ‘for real’! We spent half of the night catching up; I expect that we will be having a really wonderful time together.
Pete and the boys have all kinds of plans for the holidays ‘alone’ in Namibia. Meagan is enjoying her time in Angola with all of her friends; she won’t be back in Namibia until sometime in January.
I am in New Brunswick and I will spend Christmas with my parents and Talitha.
If you live in NB I will be here until January 10,
on the 11th of January I will fly to BC and spend time in the Kamloops area until January 30th.
If you are interested in having me come and share to your small group or church the ministry that God has called us to I would be happy to do so. Please phone me at 506-433-5478 or email me at knightvision6@gmail.com . I would love to have the chance to share how God has been working and continues to work in our lives over the course of the last couple of years, show you the work of Christ’s Hope Namibia, and the needs in Angola that still weigh heavy on our hearts.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Charlene Knightly
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
We continue to adjust to our new life here in Okahandja Namibia. Life is different here than Angola, in some ways good and others well, we will continue to learn to adjust! We are still waiting for our personal effects from Angola; there is a problem with the Namibian side of the border crossing (something we didn’t expect).
Pete has been very busy working into his new position as Ministry Coordinator! Here are some of the things he has been doing.
Ø Attending many meetings in the community on HIV/AIDS, and O.V.C (Orphaned and Vulnerable Children).
Ø Agreed to go out with Social Services personnel and visit street children.
Ø Spoke in the white Dutch Reformed church and accompanied a colleague to the black Dutch Reformed Church (yes they still have some invisible borders even in churches here where the affects of A Partite will take generations to work through).
Ø Spent a lot of time working with the house parents at the Ark to get things organized.
Ø Hired a cook and laundry lady at the Ark.
Ø Promoted one of the ladies to assistant house parent.
Ø Has been reviewing the work of the staff at the Ark and assisting them with becoming more productive.
Ø Working on phasing out a catering service that delivers groceries to the Ark (they were expensive and not delivering all of the things needed to complete the menu plan). He is now working with Lazarus and the cook to develop a menu so that 2 weeks from now they can begin to do their own shopping.
Ø Developing a schedule for the workers at the Ark, some of them have never had days-off scheduled! He is going to work out holidays for them and is also working on extra pay for statutory holidays!
Ø Has been doing a lot of reading and reviewing policies and procedures.
Ø Attending CHI business meetings.
Ø Developing a schedule for the new volunteer from Germany who has come to work in the Ark.
Ø Helping with Care and Compassion
Ø Attended Choose to Wait training
Ø Planned a birthday party for Charlene, very nice gift, cake, ice cream and friends to enjoy it with!
Charlene has been busy, but not as much with CHI as with family things. Here’s a bit of what she has been doing.
Ø Schooling the kids (we are looking forward to the New Year; the start of the school year is in January here in Namibia).
Ø Packing and moving into a very nice place suitable for our family.
Ø Making curtains for a thousand windows (ok not a thousand but 9 and one very long window/door in the living room).
Ø Keeping the house clean and the family fed.
Ø Fixing computers for staff at the Ark (Lazarus’ computer had a few hundred viruses’ on it, I now have to format his whole computer in order to get it working properly).
Ø This week I am working on reports for the Annual General Meeting coming up in November. I did up the report for Ark Okahandja and I guess it looked too nice, they asked me to do ALL of them!
Ø Made a trip to Rehoboth with the National Director, Walter Nel. I took photos of the kids and the Ark, as the house parents who are currently at the Ark are leaving in 3 weeks. They must find new house parents and so I am developing a Power Point presentation and newsletter for promotion in the churches.
Ø Teaching the cook and assistant house parent how to make soups and stews, for better supper meals (currently they only eat bread for supper; the big meal is at lunch).
Ø Babysitting for mom’s when they have work to do with CHI (Christ’s Hope International).
Ø Celebrated a birthday the 21st of September.
Talitha is doing well back in NB with my brother Roger. She is enjoying school (as much as you can), and loves spending time with her grandparents also. She attended a ladies retreat where she met a lady who taught her some guitar, she has apparently picked it up quickly. She spent Thanksgiving at my parents with a whole lot of family and is traveling down to Maine this week to see more! She has also had the chance to visit my oldest brother and his wife, Vince and Anne as they are on holiday back east.
Meagan has also been busy helping the people of CHI with different things. Here is what she has been up to.
Ø Beading for the Choose to Wait program as a fund raiser. She is doing a lovely job and it is keeping her quite busy.
Ø Babysitting for 2 of the missionary families quite regularly, one family from Florida, Jim and Joy Baker, frequently.
Ø Schooling in her spare time (actually she has been doing much better now that Joy has been helping out).
Ø Getting to know some of the teenagers at the Ark, having them over and inviting them to our church in Windhoek. She enjoys spending time over there and has made some good friends.
Ø Helping with Choose to Wait Clubs on Monday and Wednesday’s, either ‘at’ club or by watching Joy’s kids.
Ø Getting to know people at the church in Windhoek, she really enjoys keeping the Angolan connection.
Ø Planning a trip to Angola (if the Lord is willing) with her friends Ju and Edul Chitomba when they go home for break the end of November. She will probably stay a month. There are 2 weddings she has been asked to be a part of.
Trevor has been doing well also. Here is what he has been up to.
Ø Beading for Choose to Wait, he even made up his own ‘new’ design.
Ø Gardening in the yard, and helping his dad to keep up on the watering.
Ø Shooting with a hand gun at a farm just outside of town.
Ø Making friends with some of the kids at the Ark.
Ø Doing school work (of course)!
Ø Giving his mom fantastic back rubs.
Ø Helping his dad do some baking.
Ø Cleaning out a large water dam at a farm not far from here. He helped scrub it with wire brushes so that it could be filled with water and allow them to cool down on these ‘hot’ days!
Ø Cleaning up our new yard.
Ø Helping with the little kids.
Ø Attending Choose to Wait primary program.
Ø Celebrated a Birthday on the 4th of September.
Tavis has also been busy, as he can’t really sit still for too long… This is what he has been up to.
Ø Shooting with a hand gun at a farm outside of town.
Ø Doing school work (he is doing well).
Ø Enjoying shopping with us.
Ø Loving astronomy! He got a telescope for his birthday and he was thrilled at his first up close sight of the MOON!
Ø Cooking, he loves cooking.
Ø Helping with the little ones who come to our house, he is great with little kids.
Ø Attending Choose to Wait primary program.
Ø Celebrated a birthday on the 5th of October.
We enjoyed a visit from Pastor Zebedeu (from Namibe, Angola), he stayed with us for 5 days, and it was a good time together! We also enjoyed a visit from Dr. Steve Collins (Uncle Steve) and Paul Holden from Angola! Thankfully we have room in our new place for company. We were able to meet up with several missions from Angola in Windhoek this last month, Gary and Doreen Toews (MAF), the McBeth Family (Baptist Mission), Donna Foster (SIM) and Carolyn (their kids’ teacher, SIM), Dr. Karen Hendrickson (SIM, returning from her 6 month furlough), Peter Ritchie (SIM). We are expecting Becky (SIM) from Angola the end of this month, and Telo Siame from Zambia (she attending college in Kamloops the year before we left). Since we are so close to Windhoek we are able to meet up with many Angolan missionaries who are traveling on to Angola, this makes us happy!
As for Christ’s Hope Namibia, there are some needs and concerns that need to be addressed.
Ø First is the situation at Rehoboth, the old house parents are leaving and they are in need of new ones (there are almost 30 children in this Ark). The building is in need of some major repairs, and for that they need funds. The Ark depends on donations from the ‘mobilization’ countries, and they currently are having difficulty paying their staff; which makes it difficult to do the many repairs.
Ø The Ark in Okahandja could also use funds to help with the daily running of the Ark.
Ø The Ark in Keetmanshoop (more than 30 children) has urgent repairs that are needed; the funding again is not available.
If you are interested in helping out with donations or coming here on a short term mission trip to help out with doing repairs please send us an email.
We want to say a special thank you to those who have given financially to our family. Information on how and where to give you will find at the end of this email. We thank those of you who are praying for our family regularly also. We hope you have enjoyed this update, please send us a note and let us know how you are doing! We love hearing from our friends and family!
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Knightly Family
c/o Christ's Hope,
P.O. Box 9979,
Eros Windhoek,
Namibia
Charlene's Cell: 264 81 301 8798
**Pete's NEW Cell: 264 81 317 4600
Meagan's Cell: 264 81 314 6890
(use YAK 10 10 925 011 for $0.29 a minute)
Skype: knightvision5
websites:
http://knightlyfamily.blogspot.com/
AND
http://spaces.msn.com/members/knightvision6/
How to donate funds to the Knightly Family!
Donations in the US can be mailed to:
Christ's Hope -US
PO Box 52038,
Longwood, FL
32752-0328
(When sending support for our family, please indicate on a separate piece of paper that it is for the "Knightly Family")
Donations in Canada only until December 2006 (for Canadian receipts) can be mailed to:
Hillcrest Baptist Church
c/o Hillcrest Mission Fund
1393-9th Ave
Kamloops BC V2C 3X6
250-372-2021
(Please make cheque out to Hillcrest Baptist and write on a separate piece of paper that is it for the Knightly Family)
Non-receiptable option:
Pete’s Parents
Pete and Charlene Knightly
c/o Ron and Marge Knightly
Box 4 Fort Steele BC
V0B 1N0
250-426-4782
Pete has been very busy working into his new position as Ministry Coordinator! Here are some of the things he has been doing.
Ø Attending many meetings in the community on HIV/AIDS, and O.V.C (Orphaned and Vulnerable Children).
Ø Agreed to go out with Social Services personnel and visit street children.
Ø Spoke in the white Dutch Reformed church and accompanied a colleague to the black Dutch Reformed Church (yes they still have some invisible borders even in churches here where the affects of A Partite will take generations to work through).
Ø Spent a lot of time working with the house parents at the Ark to get things organized.
Ø Hired a cook and laundry lady at the Ark.
Ø Promoted one of the ladies to assistant house parent.
Ø Has been reviewing the work of the staff at the Ark and assisting them with becoming more productive.
Ø Working on phasing out a catering service that delivers groceries to the Ark (they were expensive and not delivering all of the things needed to complete the menu plan). He is now working with Lazarus and the cook to develop a menu so that 2 weeks from now they can begin to do their own shopping.
Ø Developing a schedule for the workers at the Ark, some of them have never had days-off scheduled! He is going to work out holidays for them and is also working on extra pay for statutory holidays!
Ø Has been doing a lot of reading and reviewing policies and procedures.
Ø Attending CHI business meetings.
Ø Developing a schedule for the new volunteer from Germany who has come to work in the Ark.
Ø Helping with Care and Compassion
Ø Attended Choose to Wait training
Ø Planned a birthday party for Charlene, very nice gift, cake, ice cream and friends to enjoy it with!
Charlene has been busy, but not as much with CHI as with family things. Here’s a bit of what she has been doing.
Ø Schooling the kids (we are looking forward to the New Year; the start of the school year is in January here in Namibia).
Ø Packing and moving into a very nice place suitable for our family.
Ø Making curtains for a thousand windows (ok not a thousand but 9 and one very long window/door in the living room).
Ø Keeping the house clean and the family fed.
Ø Fixing computers for staff at the Ark (Lazarus’ computer had a few hundred viruses’ on it, I now have to format his whole computer in order to get it working properly).
Ø This week I am working on reports for the Annual General Meeting coming up in November. I did up the report for Ark Okahandja and I guess it looked too nice, they asked me to do ALL of them!
Ø Made a trip to Rehoboth with the National Director, Walter Nel. I took photos of the kids and the Ark, as the house parents who are currently at the Ark are leaving in 3 weeks. They must find new house parents and so I am developing a Power Point presentation and newsletter for promotion in the churches.
Ø Teaching the cook and assistant house parent how to make soups and stews, for better supper meals (currently they only eat bread for supper; the big meal is at lunch).
Ø Babysitting for mom’s when they have work to do with CHI (Christ’s Hope International).
Ø Celebrated a birthday the 21st of September.
Talitha is doing well back in NB with my brother Roger. She is enjoying school (as much as you can), and loves spending time with her grandparents also. She attended a ladies retreat where she met a lady who taught her some guitar, she has apparently picked it up quickly. She spent Thanksgiving at my parents with a whole lot of family and is traveling down to Maine this week to see more! She has also had the chance to visit my oldest brother and his wife, Vince and Anne as they are on holiday back east.
Meagan has also been busy helping the people of CHI with different things. Here is what she has been up to.
Ø Beading for the Choose to Wait program as a fund raiser. She is doing a lovely job and it is keeping her quite busy.
Ø Babysitting for 2 of the missionary families quite regularly, one family from Florida, Jim and Joy Baker, frequently.
Ø Schooling in her spare time (actually she has been doing much better now that Joy has been helping out).
Ø Getting to know some of the teenagers at the Ark, having them over and inviting them to our church in Windhoek. She enjoys spending time over there and has made some good friends.
Ø Helping with Choose to Wait Clubs on Monday and Wednesday’s, either ‘at’ club or by watching Joy’s kids.
Ø Getting to know people at the church in Windhoek, she really enjoys keeping the Angolan connection.
Ø Planning a trip to Angola (if the Lord is willing) with her friends Ju and Edul Chitomba when they go home for break the end of November. She will probably stay a month. There are 2 weddings she has been asked to be a part of.
Trevor has been doing well also. Here is what he has been up to.
Ø Beading for Choose to Wait, he even made up his own ‘new’ design.
Ø Gardening in the yard, and helping his dad to keep up on the watering.
Ø Shooting with a hand gun at a farm just outside of town.
Ø Making friends with some of the kids at the Ark.
Ø Doing school work (of course)!
Ø Giving his mom fantastic back rubs.
Ø Helping his dad do some baking.
Ø Cleaning out a large water dam at a farm not far from here. He helped scrub it with wire brushes so that it could be filled with water and allow them to cool down on these ‘hot’ days!
Ø Cleaning up our new yard.
Ø Helping with the little kids.
Ø Attending Choose to Wait primary program.
Ø Celebrated a Birthday on the 4th of September.
Tavis has also been busy, as he can’t really sit still for too long… This is what he has been up to.
Ø Shooting with a hand gun at a farm outside of town.
Ø Doing school work (he is doing well).
Ø Enjoying shopping with us.
Ø Loving astronomy! He got a telescope for his birthday and he was thrilled at his first up close sight of the MOON!
Ø Cooking, he loves cooking.
Ø Helping with the little ones who come to our house, he is great with little kids.
Ø Attending Choose to Wait primary program.
Ø Celebrated a birthday on the 5th of October.
We enjoyed a visit from Pastor Zebedeu (from Namibe, Angola), he stayed with us for 5 days, and it was a good time together! We also enjoyed a visit from Dr. Steve Collins (Uncle Steve) and Paul Holden from Angola! Thankfully we have room in our new place for company. We were able to meet up with several missions from Angola in Windhoek this last month, Gary and Doreen Toews (MAF), the McBeth Family (Baptist Mission), Donna Foster (SIM) and Carolyn (their kids’ teacher, SIM), Dr. Karen Hendrickson (SIM, returning from her 6 month furlough), Peter Ritchie (SIM). We are expecting Becky (SIM) from Angola the end of this month, and Telo Siame from Zambia (she attending college in Kamloops the year before we left). Since we are so close to Windhoek we are able to meet up with many Angolan missionaries who are traveling on to Angola, this makes us happy!
As for Christ’s Hope Namibia, there are some needs and concerns that need to be addressed.
Ø First is the situation at Rehoboth, the old house parents are leaving and they are in need of new ones (there are almost 30 children in this Ark). The building is in need of some major repairs, and for that they need funds. The Ark depends on donations from the ‘mobilization’ countries, and they currently are having difficulty paying their staff; which makes it difficult to do the many repairs.
Ø The Ark in Okahandja could also use funds to help with the daily running of the Ark.
Ø The Ark in Keetmanshoop (more than 30 children) has urgent repairs that are needed; the funding again is not available.
If you are interested in helping out with donations or coming here on a short term mission trip to help out with doing repairs please send us an email.
We want to say a special thank you to those who have given financially to our family. Information on how and where to give you will find at the end of this email. We thank those of you who are praying for our family regularly also. We hope you have enjoyed this update, please send us a note and let us know how you are doing! We love hearing from our friends and family!
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Knightly Family
c/o Christ's Hope,
P.O. Box 9979,
Eros Windhoek,
Namibia
Charlene's Cell: 264 81 301 8798
**Pete's NEW Cell: 264 81 317 4600
Meagan's Cell: 264 81 314 6890
(use YAK 10 10 925 011 for $0.29 a minute)
Skype: knightvision5
websites:
http://knightlyfamily.blogspot.com/
AND
http://spaces.msn.com/members/knightvision6/
How to donate funds to the Knightly Family!
Donations in the US can be mailed to:
Christ's Hope -US
PO Box 52038,
Longwood, FL
32752-0328
(When sending support for our family, please indicate on a separate piece of paper that it is for the "Knightly Family")
Donations in Canada only until December 2006 (for Canadian receipts) can be mailed to:
Hillcrest Baptist Church
c/o Hillcrest Mission Fund
1393-9th Ave
Kamloops BC V2C 3X6
250-372-2021
(Please make cheque out to Hillcrest Baptist and write on a separate piece of paper that is it for the Knightly Family)
Non-receiptable option:
Pete’s Parents
Pete and Charlene Knightly
c/o Ron and Marge Knightly
Box 4 Fort Steele BC
V0B 1N0
250-426-4782
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Knightly Family Budget
As it stands right now the house at the ARK will not be completed for 'months' and we have not yet received approval from CHI (international director) to go ahead with the addition. In the meantime, we have found a house that we can rent, but the expense is clearly above what we currently receive in donations ... however, we are going to step out in FAITH and move in, trusting that the Lord will supply all that we need! The following letter will explain in detail our donations vs expenses, so that you can understand what we are facing. I must share with you that this is probably a low estimate and because Pete is incredibly frugal we can generally manage to get by. We try very hard to live responsibly with our finances, and we do not have any debt. We are very thankful to those of you who have supported us financially over this last year +, we could not stay on the field without the generous gifts that you have given to us. We are not here for ourselves, and we feel privileged to have been called by God to work with orphans and those in need here in Africa!!!
Knightly Monthly Budget
(In Canadian Dollars)
Current income:
Ø Average donations per month is $1000 (this is all from individuals, we do not have any churches that support us)
Ø Child Tax Credit $640 (this may disappear in the new year due to change in employment status)
TOTAL: $1640
Current Expenses:
Ø Income Tax $100
Ø Bank Fee $12
Ø Talitha Allowance $50
Ø House rental $350
Ø Water $40
Ø Electricity $70
Ø Charitable Donations $160
Ø Auto Insurance $50
Ø Life Insurance $27.12
Ø Internet $100
Ø Telephone $100
Ø Gas for Stove $10
Ø Household cleaners/toiletries $250
Ø Groceries $500
Ø Car fuel $300
Ø Clothing $100
Ø School $30
Ø Entertainment $20
Ø Dining out $100
Ø 10% compensation for exchange rate $236
TOTAL: $2605.12
SHORTAGE (-$965.12)
We also have no idea what the expense will be for Work Permits, and Student Visas, so this is not included in the budget… the price was supposed to change in July, and we pray it doesn’t change before we get ours! Some of the things we are not sure about such as water and electricity (this is a guess based on a family of 3 living in the house we may rent; water is very high here in Namibia). Telephones are used mainly for CHI purposes, and internet is our only source of communication with ‘home’.
Some of the expenses can be cut back on such as entertainment, and dining out (which is incurred when we go into Windhoek running errands). School fees may be higher as they must purchase uniforms, and school supplies. We currently as of yet do not have insurance for our vehicle.
We are still working on figuring out exactly how much things will cost in Namibia, so this is rough estimate, based on our first month here and some projected expenses that we have not yet incurred!
We will also have other expenses once we move into a house, such as purchasing a fridge, stove, freezer and furniture. We have beds in Angola (but we only borrowed a table and chairs while there, and we never did manage to purchase living room furniture). Hopefully we will have the details worked out for having our things trucked down here in the next few weeks! Once we have an idea of what the appliances may cost we will send that information out to you.
We encourage you to pray about it, and if you feel God laying on your heart to support the Knightly Family financially please email us with your pledged amount. Currently you can receive a receipt for your gift until December 2006 (when you give through Hillcrest). However after December is up in the air, and we are in the process of and making every effort to find an organization to funnel our funds through, until CHI has a Canadian office (which they are in the process of doing). All we can offer at this point is God’s blessing as you give without obtaining a receipt! Our account details will be included in this email if you would like to direct deposit, if you prefer to mail post-dated cheques to Pete’s parents (who have been so gracious as to take care of our banking) the address will be included also.
Specific Prayer Requests
Ø A mission organization to temporarily go under, so that we may funnel our funds through them as a benefit to the givers
Ø Finances
Ø Health (my asthma was very bad shortly after arriving here in Namibia, and Praise the Lord I was given some Mannatech and in just over a week I am feeling an unbelievable amount better!)
Ø Encouragement (this has been a difficult time of transition for me and the kids, as our hearts are in Angola. It has also been difficult living in the multi purpose building with many people in and out day and night! Etc!)
Ø House to live in and appliances
Ø Our things to arrive from Angola (safely and inexpensively)
Ø Things seem to go missing and get stolen here in Namibia, frequently (we have had food go missing from our kitchen, toiletries from the bathroom, Pete’s cell phone was stolen, etc!!) please pray for safety and the ability to not become angry, frustrated and constantly suspicious.
Ø The safe and quick return of our new passports from Canada.
Praise Items
Ø Pete is very happy with his new duties here in Namibia.
Ø We as a family enjoy going to church in Windhoek each Sunday at a Portuguese/English church. Great teaching and great people!
Ø We had a wonderful visit from Pastor Zebedeu from Namibe, Angola! What a great time we had together, and what an encouragement he was to us!
Ø One of the members from the church in Namibe sent some money to us (just to help with groceries and things)… we were speechless and challenged by the generosity of our Christian brother in Angola.
Ø One of the CHI ladies was a teacher back in America and she offered to teach my children a couple of days a week, this has been a HUGE blessing.
Pete’s Parents
Pete and Charlene Knightly
c/o Ron and Marge Knightly
19-14th Ave S
Cranbrook, BC VIC 2W9
250-426-4782
Hillcrest Baptist Church
c/o Hillcrest Mission Fund
1393-9th Ave
Kamloops BC V2C 3X6
250-372-2021
(Please make cheque out to Hillcrest Baptist and write on a separate piece of paper that is it for the Knightly Family)
We thank you for taking the time to read this over, and we thank you in advance for praying concerning the needs of our family. We thank God for you!
Love in Christ,
Charlene
Knightly Monthly Budget
(In Canadian Dollars)
Current income:
Ø Average donations per month is $1000 (this is all from individuals, we do not have any churches that support us)
Ø Child Tax Credit $640 (this may disappear in the new year due to change in employment status)
TOTAL: $1640
Current Expenses:
Ø Income Tax $100
Ø Bank Fee $12
Ø Talitha Allowance $50
Ø House rental $350
Ø Water $40
Ø Electricity $70
Ø Charitable Donations $160
Ø Auto Insurance $50
Ø Life Insurance $27.12
Ø Internet $100
Ø Telephone $100
Ø Gas for Stove $10
Ø Household cleaners/toiletries $250
Ø Groceries $500
Ø Car fuel $300
Ø Clothing $100
Ø School $30
Ø Entertainment $20
Ø Dining out $100
Ø 10% compensation for exchange rate $236
TOTAL: $2605.12
SHORTAGE (-$965.12)
We also have no idea what the expense will be for Work Permits, and Student Visas, so this is not included in the budget… the price was supposed to change in July, and we pray it doesn’t change before we get ours! Some of the things we are not sure about such as water and electricity (this is a guess based on a family of 3 living in the house we may rent; water is very high here in Namibia). Telephones are used mainly for CHI purposes, and internet is our only source of communication with ‘home’.
Some of the expenses can be cut back on such as entertainment, and dining out (which is incurred when we go into Windhoek running errands). School fees may be higher as they must purchase uniforms, and school supplies. We currently as of yet do not have insurance for our vehicle.
We are still working on figuring out exactly how much things will cost in Namibia, so this is rough estimate, based on our first month here and some projected expenses that we have not yet incurred!
We will also have other expenses once we move into a house, such as purchasing a fridge, stove, freezer and furniture. We have beds in Angola (but we only borrowed a table and chairs while there, and we never did manage to purchase living room furniture). Hopefully we will have the details worked out for having our things trucked down here in the next few weeks! Once we have an idea of what the appliances may cost we will send that information out to you.
We encourage you to pray about it, and if you feel God laying on your heart to support the Knightly Family financially please email us with your pledged amount. Currently you can receive a receipt for your gift until December 2006 (when you give through Hillcrest). However after December is up in the air, and we are in the process of and making every effort to find an organization to funnel our funds through, until CHI has a Canadian office (which they are in the process of doing). All we can offer at this point is God’s blessing as you give without obtaining a receipt! Our account details will be included in this email if you would like to direct deposit, if you prefer to mail post-dated cheques to Pete’s parents (who have been so gracious as to take care of our banking) the address will be included also.
Specific Prayer Requests
Ø A mission organization to temporarily go under, so that we may funnel our funds through them as a benefit to the givers
Ø Finances
Ø Health (my asthma was very bad shortly after arriving here in Namibia, and Praise the Lord I was given some Mannatech and in just over a week I am feeling an unbelievable amount better!)
Ø Encouragement (this has been a difficult time of transition for me and the kids, as our hearts are in Angola. It has also been difficult living in the multi purpose building with many people in and out day and night! Etc!)
Ø House to live in and appliances
Ø Our things to arrive from Angola (safely and inexpensively)
Ø Things seem to go missing and get stolen here in Namibia, frequently (we have had food go missing from our kitchen, toiletries from the bathroom, Pete’s cell phone was stolen, etc!!) please pray for safety and the ability to not become angry, frustrated and constantly suspicious.
Ø The safe and quick return of our new passports from Canada.
Praise Items
Ø Pete is very happy with his new duties here in Namibia.
Ø We as a family enjoy going to church in Windhoek each Sunday at a Portuguese/English church. Great teaching and great people!
Ø We had a wonderful visit from Pastor Zebedeu from Namibe, Angola! What a great time we had together, and what an encouragement he was to us!
Ø One of the members from the church in Namibe sent some money to us (just to help with groceries and things)… we were speechless and challenged by the generosity of our Christian brother in Angola.
Ø One of the CHI ladies was a teacher back in America and she offered to teach my children a couple of days a week, this has been a HUGE blessing.
Pete’s Parents
Pete and Charlene Knightly
c/o Ron and Marge Knightly
19-14th Ave S
Cranbrook, BC VIC 2W9
250-426-4782
Hillcrest Baptist Church
c/o Hillcrest Mission Fund
1393-9th Ave
Kamloops BC V2C 3X6
250-372-2021
(Please make cheque out to Hillcrest Baptist and write on a separate piece of paper that is it for the Knightly Family)
We thank you for taking the time to read this over, and we thank you in advance for praying concerning the needs of our family. We thank God for you!
Love in Christ,
Charlene
Friday, September 01, 2006
September 2006 Update
The ARK is in desperate need of some assistance in the area of management and already Pete has been able to assist the houseparent, Lazarus with some of the difficulties he has had to face on his own as of late. It is difficult to find trustworthy help and often those who have been hired end up having to be let go, and the common reasons are theft and inability to complete daily tasks. Living on-sight would allow us to help with the management of the Ark.
There are several reasons why living ‘on-sight’ would be ideal for our family. First of all we have had no progress in finding a house to rent and the place we are currently living in is definitely temporary. Secondly in the ministry that we have been asked to do by Christ’s Hope, living on-sight would be the best option. I will be sending a Project Proposal shortly.
As Ministry Coordinator for Okahandja Pete is over-seeing:
The ARK
Care and Compassion (which has an office at the ARK)
Choose to Wait program
In our first bi-weekly staff meeting since joining Christ’s Hope Namibia many of the issues with the ARK and Care and Compassion were discussed and it was expressed several times how grateful to God that our family had come to assist Christ’s Hope in this area… we praise God that although it was not in our plan, His plan for us is at work, and we are confident that He will use us here in Namibia.
Pete is the first Ministry Coordinator in Namibia and although it will take a while to figure out exactly what that means, he has been a big help already and is slowly figuring out what his job description will look like. He has assisted Lazarus with some interviews for a replacement cook and laundry worker. He has also spent a lot of time with him discussing some of the areas that he is struggling with, especially concerning his staff. He is also in the process of interviewing for a Care and Compassion leader. Next week he will attend training in the Choose to Wait program. He has also been assisting in some of the finishing touches in the kitchen of the MPMC and in setting up shelving in the containers here on sight.
For myself I will slot in where needed but more specifically in the area of fund-raising and promotion of Christ’s Hope Namibia IN Namibia… they are hoping that the ministries within Namibia will be supported 50% by Namibians somewhere in the near future. Currently my projects to complete are Partnership Posters (to give to Namibian donors as a thank you for partnering in the work of Christ’s Hope), and a Power Point presentation to include in presentation folders to perspective donors. I have also been able to set up 4 computers for the children at the ARK that were sent in a container, and get the secretary’s and Care and Compassion office computers working properly.
Along with trying to concentrate on school work (which is a difficult task these days) the kids have also been helping with some of the ministries in CHI. Meagan has assisted with the Choose to Wait Club, Kids Club, Coffee House, and babysitting for the CHI volunteers who have small children. The boys have been challenged to dig a big metal door out of the ground, not sure how they are doing with that… but the MEN of CHI are quite excited to have boys around… they seem to bring ‘LIFE’ to the party!!!
Currently there are 13 children in the ARK. They range in age from 8 to 18. The oldest boy is struggling in school and if he fails this year he will be responsible to finish school on his own. He is lacking in motivation at the moment, but we must find a way to help him regain momentum as it is very difficult for kids who do not finish school here in Namibia… they keep passing them until they reach grade 12 and then that is it… they must complete school as ‘adult’ students (they can’t continue to attend high school) in a separate program. The most recent child to be placed in the ARK by social services was beaten by her mother and raped by her step-father. The staff at the ARK is not qualified to deal with the emotional and physical needs of a child like this. It is so heart breaking to see the state of the children here in Africa (in general). Reminds me of a song that we have called “Who will hear the cry of the children”… well God hears and he has called our family for this specific purpose. Please pray that we will have the strength to fulfill our calling, and not become discouraged by the overwhelming need.
We would also ask that you pray for our family concerning finances. Hillcrest will only be able to receipt those who are supporting us up until December 2006. We are looking for another organization who will funnel our funds until CHI has a Canadian office set up (which they are currently in the middle of working on, but this can be a lengthy process). We are also in the process of working out the details to allow US donors to give through CHI United States, this will also take time. At present we are being faithfully supported 50% of our budgeted expenses. Praise the Lord He has been faithful in supplying all of our needs; however if you are feeling a desire to help support our family financially, know that your support of our family is allowing us to help the orphans and unwanted children of Namibia. To the best of our ability we desire to be responsible, careful and generous with the money that comes into our hands. Please note, as some have been asking, CHI does not financially support their volunteers it is up to each volunteer to raise the money for daily expenses (house, food, vehicle, etc)… we are missionaries, not employees.
I hope that this letter has given you more of an idea of what we are doing, but know that if you have any questions or concerns you are free to drop us an email or give us a call and we will do our best to answer you. We miss you all and look forward to hearing from you.
God Bless,
Charlene for the Knightly clan!
Knightly Family
c/o Christ's Hope,
P.O. Box 9979,
Eros Windhoek,
Namibia
Charlene's Cell: 264 81 301 8798
Pete's Cell: 264 81 314 6889
Meagan's Cell: 264 81 314 6890
(use YAK 10 10 925 011 for $0.29 a minute)
websites:
http://knightlyfamily.blogspot.com/
AND
http://spaces.msn.com/members/knightvision6/
There are several reasons why living ‘on-sight’ would be ideal for our family. First of all we have had no progress in finding a house to rent and the place we are currently living in is definitely temporary. Secondly in the ministry that we have been asked to do by Christ’s Hope, living on-sight would be the best option. I will be sending a Project Proposal shortly.
As Ministry Coordinator for Okahandja Pete is over-seeing:
The ARK
Care and Compassion (which has an office at the ARK)
Choose to Wait program
In our first bi-weekly staff meeting since joining Christ’s Hope Namibia many of the issues with the ARK and Care and Compassion were discussed and it was expressed several times how grateful to God that our family had come to assist Christ’s Hope in this area… we praise God that although it was not in our plan, His plan for us is at work, and we are confident that He will use us here in Namibia.
Pete is the first Ministry Coordinator in Namibia and although it will take a while to figure out exactly what that means, he has been a big help already and is slowly figuring out what his job description will look like. He has assisted Lazarus with some interviews for a replacement cook and laundry worker. He has also spent a lot of time with him discussing some of the areas that he is struggling with, especially concerning his staff. He is also in the process of interviewing for a Care and Compassion leader. Next week he will attend training in the Choose to Wait program. He has also been assisting in some of the finishing touches in the kitchen of the MPMC and in setting up shelving in the containers here on sight.
For myself I will slot in where needed but more specifically in the area of fund-raising and promotion of Christ’s Hope Namibia IN Namibia… they are hoping that the ministries within Namibia will be supported 50% by Namibians somewhere in the near future. Currently my projects to complete are Partnership Posters (to give to Namibian donors as a thank you for partnering in the work of Christ’s Hope), and a Power Point presentation to include in presentation folders to perspective donors. I have also been able to set up 4 computers for the children at the ARK that were sent in a container, and get the secretary’s and Care and Compassion office computers working properly.
Along with trying to concentrate on school work (which is a difficult task these days) the kids have also been helping with some of the ministries in CHI. Meagan has assisted with the Choose to Wait Club, Kids Club, Coffee House, and babysitting for the CHI volunteers who have small children. The boys have been challenged to dig a big metal door out of the ground, not sure how they are doing with that… but the MEN of CHI are quite excited to have boys around… they seem to bring ‘LIFE’ to the party!!!
Currently there are 13 children in the ARK. They range in age from 8 to 18. The oldest boy is struggling in school and if he fails this year he will be responsible to finish school on his own. He is lacking in motivation at the moment, but we must find a way to help him regain momentum as it is very difficult for kids who do not finish school here in Namibia… they keep passing them until they reach grade 12 and then that is it… they must complete school as ‘adult’ students (they can’t continue to attend high school) in a separate program. The most recent child to be placed in the ARK by social services was beaten by her mother and raped by her step-father. The staff at the ARK is not qualified to deal with the emotional and physical needs of a child like this. It is so heart breaking to see the state of the children here in Africa (in general). Reminds me of a song that we have called “Who will hear the cry of the children”… well God hears and he has called our family for this specific purpose. Please pray that we will have the strength to fulfill our calling, and not become discouraged by the overwhelming need.
We would also ask that you pray for our family concerning finances. Hillcrest will only be able to receipt those who are supporting us up until December 2006. We are looking for another organization who will funnel our funds until CHI has a Canadian office set up (which they are currently in the middle of working on, but this can be a lengthy process). We are also in the process of working out the details to allow US donors to give through CHI United States, this will also take time. At present we are being faithfully supported 50% of our budgeted expenses. Praise the Lord He has been faithful in supplying all of our needs; however if you are feeling a desire to help support our family financially, know that your support of our family is allowing us to help the orphans and unwanted children of Namibia. To the best of our ability we desire to be responsible, careful and generous with the money that comes into our hands. Please note, as some have been asking, CHI does not financially support their volunteers it is up to each volunteer to raise the money for daily expenses (house, food, vehicle, etc)… we are missionaries, not employees.
I hope that this letter has given you more of an idea of what we are doing, but know that if you have any questions or concerns you are free to drop us an email or give us a call and we will do our best to answer you. We miss you all and look forward to hearing from you.
God Bless,
Charlene for the Knightly clan!
Knightly Family
c/o Christ's Hope,
P.O. Box 9979,
Eros Windhoek,
Namibia
Charlene's Cell: 264 81 301 8798
Pete's Cell: 264 81 314 6889
Meagan's Cell: 264 81 314 6890
(use YAK 10 10 925 011 for $0.29 a minute)
websites:
http://knightlyfamily.blogspot.com/
AND
http://spaces.msn.com/members/knightvision6/
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Hello from Namibia
Hello from Namibia
We have made it to our destination… Okahandja, Namibia.
Thursday, Meagan jumped on a MAF flight to Windhoek… she was thrilled at not having to travel down the highway!! She is staying with friends from Angola!
Friday we drove down the bumpy road from Rio de Huila (starting at 7:30 AM) and arriving at the border (Santa Clara) at 3:30 PM (400 km in 8 hours, not bad!). We arrived in Oshakati (where we would normally renew visas for going back to Angola) around 7:30PM. It was a long day.
Saturday afternoon we joined a short-term Christ’s Hope team from Holland on a trip to the Oshikuku Ark (about 30 km from Oshakati). The Ark (orphanage home) there is not yet complete yet, they have been working on it for 2 years (this is AFRICA). Within 10 minutes of arriving over a 100 kids came out of nowhere! They played and sang together with the team, it was a lot of fun and action. However we were so tired we just sat back and observed most of the fun.
Sunday morning we headed out for our 7 hour drive to Okahandja, on a NICE road! We arrived at the Multi-purpose ministry training center around supper-time. We were met by a few of the Christ’s Hope team from here in Okahandja, a very friendly and welcoming group of people! They had supper here for us, and had stocked the fridge with some essentials and some treats!!! The training center is a 3 story building (reminds me of living at the Bible Camp in New Brunswick just before we left Canada)… there is one very large open room that is open to the roof of the building… and on the other side of that room there are 3 levels, the floor level has the kitchen, washrooms, and other smaller rooms, the second level has offices, and the third level has two bedrooms! It will work perfect for our family while we wait for a place to rent. We will get our exercise running up and down the stairs, which will be good for us, as food is much cheaper here in Namibia and there is so much more available (and we will be excited about trying some things after a year of chicken and rice! J).
Today is Monday and we are just resting and taking it easy. One of the missionaries (or here they call them volunteers), loaned us their car and we were able to go and do some grocery shopping. Now we are about to head for lunch so I better sign off… I just wanted to give a quick update and let you know that we are all still alive, and give you our new phone number in case you would like to give us a call. If you use YAK (which just bills to your regular phone bill) you will pay 29 cents a minute, the access code is 10 10 925 011 and our phone number is 264 81 301 8798.
Tomorrow Meagan will come back to us catching a ride from the Namibian director who is in Windhoek.
Take care and God Bless,
Love,
The Knightly’s
We have made it to our destination… Okahandja, Namibia.
Thursday, Meagan jumped on a MAF flight to Windhoek… she was thrilled at not having to travel down the highway!! She is staying with friends from Angola!
Friday we drove down the bumpy road from Rio de Huila (starting at 7:30 AM) and arriving at the border (Santa Clara) at 3:30 PM (400 km in 8 hours, not bad!). We arrived in Oshakati (where we would normally renew visas for going back to Angola) around 7:30PM. It was a long day.
Saturday afternoon we joined a short-term Christ’s Hope team from Holland on a trip to the Oshikuku Ark (about 30 km from Oshakati). The Ark (orphanage home) there is not yet complete yet, they have been working on it for 2 years (this is AFRICA). Within 10 minutes of arriving over a 100 kids came out of nowhere! They played and sang together with the team, it was a lot of fun and action. However we were so tired we just sat back and observed most of the fun.
Sunday morning we headed out for our 7 hour drive to Okahandja, on a NICE road! We arrived at the Multi-purpose ministry training center around supper-time. We were met by a few of the Christ’s Hope team from here in Okahandja, a very friendly and welcoming group of people! They had supper here for us, and had stocked the fridge with some essentials and some treats!!! The training center is a 3 story building (reminds me of living at the Bible Camp in New Brunswick just before we left Canada)… there is one very large open room that is open to the roof of the building… and on the other side of that room there are 3 levels, the floor level has the kitchen, washrooms, and other smaller rooms, the second level has offices, and the third level has two bedrooms! It will work perfect for our family while we wait for a place to rent. We will get our exercise running up and down the stairs, which will be good for us, as food is much cheaper here in Namibia and there is so much more available (and we will be excited about trying some things after a year of chicken and rice! J).
Today is Monday and we are just resting and taking it easy. One of the missionaries (or here they call them volunteers), loaned us their car and we were able to go and do some grocery shopping. Now we are about to head for lunch so I better sign off… I just wanted to give a quick update and let you know that we are all still alive, and give you our new phone number in case you would like to give us a call. If you use YAK (which just bills to your regular phone bill) you will pay 29 cents a minute, the access code is 10 10 925 011 and our phone number is 264 81 301 8798.
Tomorrow Meagan will come back to us catching a ride from the Namibian director who is in Windhoek.
Take care and God Bless,
Love,
The Knightly’s
Saying Good-bye!
Saying good-bye!
Sunday night the adults of the church surprised us. A group of about 20 crammed into our dining room, they brought food, juice, and gasosa (pop) and we enjoyed an evening of fellowship together with some of the great people we have come to know in our time here.
Monday evening a large group of the youth paraded into our house with several cases of gasosas, juice, a HUGE bowl of chicken, and bags of buns! Then they disappeared! About an hour later a huge pile of teenagers came filtering into our house for a long night of partying! And what a party it was!!! There was LOUD Angolan worship music, English worship music, pantomimes to the music, laughing and talking! Around 10:30 some of the gang said good-bye and then they began to filter out, leaving behind our closest young friends.
They all quieted and sat down, in a circle around the room and they began to share with our family what we meant to them in coming here, how they hoped that we would one day return and work in Angola, and the hope that we would be reunited in heaven, if not here on this earth! There were many tears and lots of hugs and kisses! What an amazing group of youth they have here in this church, and what a blessing they have been to us. After they finished talking Pete and I shared with them what they meant to us, how they helped us with the language barrier, and how much we enjoyed spending time with them, here at the house at their houses and at the beach!
When we were finished with that we all held hands in a big circle and they prayed and sang. Then there were more hugs and kisses and tears!!! Then they turned back into youth and one of the guys popped a gasosa shook it up and began spraying it all over the house! What a riot… of course that caught on with everyone and there was gasosa flying everywhere (thankfully most of our stuff is packedJ). Of course, as a typical youth riot must go, someone got hurt… slipped and fell flat on his face, splitting open his chin… so the night (or should I say morning 12:30 AM) ended at the hospital getting Gilberto stitched up! He will be ok! Oh and yes they will come and wash my walls this morningJ. They are good kids!
As they spoke last night I realized that although we did not get to work with orphans here in Angola (this time), we did seem to have an impact on the youth of the church. It surprised me some of the things that they said about our family (the things that were important to them). One of the boys said that he thought it was the best policy that we did not have a TV in our home, it meant that we spent time communicating and sharing with each other, and he liked that. One boy said he appreciated that we shared our time and our money with people [that we picked up people who wanted to transport goats in our truck (6 of them)]. One girl thanked us for opening our home to them, and showing them love and care. Another thanked us for the times we spent together (he reminisced about the first time we took them to the beach, I tried to teach them American Football, and I tackled one of the biggest boys and sent him flying into the sand… he remembered I called him skinnyJ). They all mentioned that our family was different and that they were thankful that we opened our home to them and welcomed them.
I hope that God will use these kids in the future to change their country. We are thankful for our time here, and look forward to what God will do with us in the future.
Yesterday we left Namibe, many of the youth came to say good-bye, and on the way out of town we drove Rosa home and said good-bye to the family. It was a very tearful good-bye. Pastor Zebedeu and his wife Sally accompanied us to Lubango with a load of stuff in their truck. It was nice to have them along. We said our good-bye’s here in Lubango and they returned home to Namibe.
This morning Meagan hopped an MAF flight to Windhoek, she will stay with friends there until we make it down. It gives us more room in the vehicle and it is kind of a late birthday present for her, she has been asking since she knew we were going (for a flight out)… as the road is SO bad, and no one in their right mind enjoys the trip. People have said they have lost their sanctification or lost their sense of humour on that trip to the border… it truly is worse than you can imagine! Tomorrow morning (if the Lord is willing) we will head out on our “head banging” trip for Namibia.
We will send out our new phone number as soon as we can access the internet. Thank you all for your love and prayers, we truly appreciate it!
Love and Prayers,
Charlene for the gang
Knightly Family
c/o Christ's Hope,
P.O. Box 9979,
Eros Windhoek,
Namibia
tel: 244 924 028 396 (until we leave Angola)
(use YAK 10 10 925 011 for $0.39 a minute)
websites:
http://knightlyfamily.blogspot.com/
AND
http://spaces.msn.com/members/knightvision6/
Sunday night the adults of the church surprised us. A group of about 20 crammed into our dining room, they brought food, juice, and gasosa (pop) and we enjoyed an evening of fellowship together with some of the great people we have come to know in our time here.
Monday evening a large group of the youth paraded into our house with several cases of gasosas, juice, a HUGE bowl of chicken, and bags of buns! Then they disappeared! About an hour later a huge pile of teenagers came filtering into our house for a long night of partying! And what a party it was!!! There was LOUD Angolan worship music, English worship music, pantomimes to the music, laughing and talking! Around 10:30 some of the gang said good-bye and then they began to filter out, leaving behind our closest young friends.
They all quieted and sat down, in a circle around the room and they began to share with our family what we meant to them in coming here, how they hoped that we would one day return and work in Angola, and the hope that we would be reunited in heaven, if not here on this earth! There were many tears and lots of hugs and kisses! What an amazing group of youth they have here in this church, and what a blessing they have been to us. After they finished talking Pete and I shared with them what they meant to us, how they helped us with the language barrier, and how much we enjoyed spending time with them, here at the house at their houses and at the beach!
When we were finished with that we all held hands in a big circle and they prayed and sang. Then there were more hugs and kisses and tears!!! Then they turned back into youth and one of the guys popped a gasosa shook it up and began spraying it all over the house! What a riot… of course that caught on with everyone and there was gasosa flying everywhere (thankfully most of our stuff is packedJ). Of course, as a typical youth riot must go, someone got hurt… slipped and fell flat on his face, splitting open his chin… so the night (or should I say morning 12:30 AM) ended at the hospital getting Gilberto stitched up! He will be ok! Oh and yes they will come and wash my walls this morningJ. They are good kids!
As they spoke last night I realized that although we did not get to work with orphans here in Angola (this time), we did seem to have an impact on the youth of the church. It surprised me some of the things that they said about our family (the things that were important to them). One of the boys said that he thought it was the best policy that we did not have a TV in our home, it meant that we spent time communicating and sharing with each other, and he liked that. One boy said he appreciated that we shared our time and our money with people [that we picked up people who wanted to transport goats in our truck (6 of them)]. One girl thanked us for opening our home to them, and showing them love and care. Another thanked us for the times we spent together (he reminisced about the first time we took them to the beach, I tried to teach them American Football, and I tackled one of the biggest boys and sent him flying into the sand… he remembered I called him skinnyJ). They all mentioned that our family was different and that they were thankful that we opened our home to them and welcomed them.
I hope that God will use these kids in the future to change their country. We are thankful for our time here, and look forward to what God will do with us in the future.
Yesterday we left Namibe, many of the youth came to say good-bye, and on the way out of town we drove Rosa home and said good-bye to the family. It was a very tearful good-bye. Pastor Zebedeu and his wife Sally accompanied us to Lubango with a load of stuff in their truck. It was nice to have them along. We said our good-bye’s here in Lubango and they returned home to Namibe.
This morning Meagan hopped an MAF flight to Windhoek, she will stay with friends there until we make it down. It gives us more room in the vehicle and it is kind of a late birthday present for her, she has been asking since she knew we were going (for a flight out)… as the road is SO bad, and no one in their right mind enjoys the trip. People have said they have lost their sanctification or lost their sense of humour on that trip to the border… it truly is worse than you can imagine! Tomorrow morning (if the Lord is willing) we will head out on our “head banging” trip for Namibia.
We will send out our new phone number as soon as we can access the internet. Thank you all for your love and prayers, we truly appreciate it!
Love and Prayers,
Charlene for the gang
Knightly Family
c/o Christ's Hope,
P.O. Box 9979,
Eros Windhoek,
Namibia
tel: 244 924 028 396 (until we leave Angola)
(use YAK 10 10 925 011 for $0.39 a minute)
websites:
http://knightlyfamily.blogspot.com/
AND
http://spaces.msn.com/members/knightvision6/
Moving to Namibia
Greetings from the Knightly Family,
In one week we will be on the road to Namibia, if the Lord is willing (this phrase we have learned to end our sentences with here in Angola). We have been accepted by Christ’s Hope International for work in Namibia. The town we will be moving to is called Okahandja, it is close to the capital city, Windhoek. At present we are expecting to move into a small house, and we will assist the house parents at the Ark Okahandja (the Ark is what they call the orphanage homes).
The job description for us will include administration, care for the children as well as maintenance in and around the Ark. They also have Care and Compassion teams who go into the community to assist those who have AIDS, and they have a Choose to Wait program that they teach in the community… these are both areas that Pete and I are interested in getting involved in. We are looking forward to seeing how God is going to use us in Namibia. We are excited about the road ahead, even knowing that there will be many trials and struggles to face.
We are very sad to say good-bye to Angola, we have made many friends in this past year and we are thankful that we had that opportunity. We cannot see the future, so we have no idea how God is going to use the relationships that have been formed. Angola was a great introduction to Africa! We have had a good share of struggles, and the adjustment to everyday life wasn’t always easy but God has shown himself faithful and we are grateful for his help day by day.
Answers to a few questions:
We have sold our truck (Praise the Lord), some were asking why we couldn’t take it to Namibia… it is because they drive on the left side of the road and the driver is in the right side of the vehicle, the government does not allow imports of vehicles which are the opposite (you can go to visit for a while, but you cannot import it).
The official language in Namibia is English, but many people speak Afrikaans and tribal languages.
Talitha is doing fine. She has been working at Bible Camp all summer and was baptised a couple of weeks ago. She keeps herself very busy with friends and family. I am sure she misses us a little, but we are glad that she has adjusted so well!
Meagan, Trevor and Tavis are doing fine also. All healthy, but sad to leave Angola! They all have learned a LOT of Portuguese, so we are hoping that they will find some Portuguese speaking people to connect with in Namibia!
Pete is keeping busy with trips to Lubango; with our things... we will store them in a container until we are settled into Okahandja. He is very excited at not having to learn more Portuguese! He celebrated his birthday on the 9th of July (all of the Knightly’s managed to celebrate a birthday IN Angola!).
Myself? I am tired from packing but feeling fine. I have been encouraged in my devotion time, and as I read through Hebrews 11 yesterday I realized that there are many marks of faith in our lives and there have been many great examples of faith in the great cloud of witnesses from the past.
Some of the things that struck me were:
Being Pleasing to God (living a life pleasing to God, drawing near to Him, believing Him)
Reverent Fear (obedience to God even when it looks foolish to everyone else)
Trust (GO… even when you don’t know where or for how long, and look forward to heaven, not the momentary pleasures of this earth)
Consider “who” God is (study His attributes)
Use your gifts (God has given gifts, we need to USE them for His glory)
When tested… OBEY!
Bless others (and do it for Christ’s sake and not your own)
Believe in the Promise (Life eternal in the presence of Christ)
We are here on this earth for such a short time, life is a breath and then we are gone. There are so many in our world who are suffering and in need of a Saviour. Those who have a faith and trust in Jesus Christ must show their faith by their works (James 2:18) because if someone is poorly clothed and lacking in food and you say “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? (James 2:15-16). So the challenge to me from the Bible is to Love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, AND my neighbour as myself… ‘Actively’. Not easy to do, this is why I need a daily reminder to focus on Christ and not myself and my hardships!
I must get back to packing, just thought I would take the time to update you on where we are off to and to let you know that we are doing ok. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Hope you are all doing well. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
God Bless,
Charlene for the gang!
In one week we will be on the road to Namibia, if the Lord is willing (this phrase we have learned to end our sentences with here in Angola). We have been accepted by Christ’s Hope International for work in Namibia. The town we will be moving to is called Okahandja, it is close to the capital city, Windhoek. At present we are expecting to move into a small house, and we will assist the house parents at the Ark Okahandja (the Ark is what they call the orphanage homes).
The job description for us will include administration, care for the children as well as maintenance in and around the Ark. They also have Care and Compassion teams who go into the community to assist those who have AIDS, and they have a Choose to Wait program that they teach in the community… these are both areas that Pete and I are interested in getting involved in. We are looking forward to seeing how God is going to use us in Namibia. We are excited about the road ahead, even knowing that there will be many trials and struggles to face.
We are very sad to say good-bye to Angola, we have made many friends in this past year and we are thankful that we had that opportunity. We cannot see the future, so we have no idea how God is going to use the relationships that have been formed. Angola was a great introduction to Africa! We have had a good share of struggles, and the adjustment to everyday life wasn’t always easy but God has shown himself faithful and we are grateful for his help day by day.
Answers to a few questions:
We have sold our truck (Praise the Lord), some were asking why we couldn’t take it to Namibia… it is because they drive on the left side of the road and the driver is in the right side of the vehicle, the government does not allow imports of vehicles which are the opposite (you can go to visit for a while, but you cannot import it).
The official language in Namibia is English, but many people speak Afrikaans and tribal languages.
Talitha is doing fine. She has been working at Bible Camp all summer and was baptised a couple of weeks ago. She keeps herself very busy with friends and family. I am sure she misses us a little, but we are glad that she has adjusted so well!
Meagan, Trevor and Tavis are doing fine also. All healthy, but sad to leave Angola! They all have learned a LOT of Portuguese, so we are hoping that they will find some Portuguese speaking people to connect with in Namibia!
Pete is keeping busy with trips to Lubango; with our things... we will store them in a container until we are settled into Okahandja. He is very excited at not having to learn more Portuguese! He celebrated his birthday on the 9th of July (all of the Knightly’s managed to celebrate a birthday IN Angola!).
Myself? I am tired from packing but feeling fine. I have been encouraged in my devotion time, and as I read through Hebrews 11 yesterday I realized that there are many marks of faith in our lives and there have been many great examples of faith in the great cloud of witnesses from the past.
Some of the things that struck me were:
Being Pleasing to God (living a life pleasing to God, drawing near to Him, believing Him)
Reverent Fear (obedience to God even when it looks foolish to everyone else)
Trust (GO… even when you don’t know where or for how long, and look forward to heaven, not the momentary pleasures of this earth)
Consider “who” God is (study His attributes)
Use your gifts (God has given gifts, we need to USE them for His glory)
When tested… OBEY!
Bless others (and do it for Christ’s sake and not your own)
Believe in the Promise (Life eternal in the presence of Christ)
We are here on this earth for such a short time, life is a breath and then we are gone. There are so many in our world who are suffering and in need of a Saviour. Those who have a faith and trust in Jesus Christ must show their faith by their works (James 2:18) because if someone is poorly clothed and lacking in food and you say “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? (James 2:15-16). So the challenge to me from the Bible is to Love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, AND my neighbour as myself… ‘Actively’. Not easy to do, this is why I need a daily reminder to focus on Christ and not myself and my hardships!
I must get back to packing, just thought I would take the time to update you on where we are off to and to let you know that we are doing ok. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Hope you are all doing well. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
God Bless,
Charlene for the gang!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Mini Series... summary of time here in Angola
Episode 1--“The Call”
A few years ago, through prayer and fasting, reading in the Bible, motivational preaching and books, our church, friends, family and circumstances we came to the conclusion that our family had been called to the foreign mission field. As the journey began we realized that our heart was for the orphaned children of Africa. First of all because the need is so great, and secondly because we saw a ministry that although ‘long term’ could have ‘long lasting’ effects, in that children could be raised in the Hope and the Knowledge that there is a God who loves them and desires to change their hearts and lives.
As a result of this call we began looking into organizations that work in this area. Through many hours surfing the internet, emailing, traveling to Mission Fest, and communicating our desires with friends and coming into contact with many different options, we made contact with some missionaries in Angola. During our times of communication we felt God leading us in the direction of coming with the UIEA church here in Angola.
After much prayer, fasting, and guidance we made a decision to send Pete on a scouting trip to check things out. His trip was encouraging and the decision was made to go to Angola.
Next in the mini-series “Part 2—‘Preparation’”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 2—“Preparation”
After the decision was made to go to Angola the preparation began. In hind-sight if we had known all of the work, hassles, and headaches that would go into it, we would have given up before we started! However, God is gracious in not showing us ‘everything’ and so we began.
The first order of business was getting the paperwork prepared for our work visa. This process was cumbersome and difficult at times, but we managed to get all of the things we needed in order to start the process (this included: police checks, a medical, sending paperwork to be authorized by the Canadian Government, finding a translator, having every paper translated in Portuguese, getting immunizations, money, etc). Finally the process was sent in at the end of December 2004.
The next step was to downsize our possessions, fix up our home, put it on the market and wait for a potential buyer. During this time the fever caught, in our hearts and minds, it was becoming a reality and the excitement grew, along with many trials. The day to day struggles and joys are on our website (knightlyfamily.blogspot.com) if you wish to take the time to reminisce.
Our church bravely decided to put us on staff and funnel your donations, for which we are truly grateful. With that came the time spent speaking with lawyers, accountants, and other mission organizations concerning the legalities involved. Not everything is ironed out presently, but we trust that God is in control, even in this area!
Then came the big day, the house sold and we went into mad-dash mode to pack and arrange a day that we would have all of our belonging in Toronto to place in the container to be shipped to Angola. We purchased our truck only a week before leaving Kamloops! The 17th of May we drove out of Kamloops, No Turning Back is a song that came to mind as we drove out of the city. With great anticipation and sorrow we set out on our journey into the ‘unknown’.
Finally we drove to Toronto accompanied by Pete’s parents, a memorable time for all. Delivered everything to the warehouse, and set out the next day by Greyhound bound for NB to spend some time visiting with family.
Next in the mini-series, Part 3 “The Farm”
God Bless
The Knightly Family
Episode 3—“The Farm”
Although our journey is ‘in detail’ laid out on our website, I decided to make Part 1 and 2 a summed up history lesson! This part of the series will give information into our time here in Angola along with our hope in the future grace of God in our lives.
To begin with I would like to describe “The Farm”. Several years ago the UIEA (the church we work with in Angola) purchased Agro Sul here in the Namibe area for the purpose of building an orphanage. Two years ago, with the risk of losing their investment, they asked an SIM missionary family to move to the farm with the purpose of getting the ‘farm’ part up and running and paying off some debt.
In the last two years, Strauss and Sanette Joubert and boys, have worked hard to develop it. There have been many trials and struggles for their family, the workers, and the church in regards to Agro Sul. At present, however, things have begun to work together for good and with God’s provision, hard work and perseverance has paid off.
Presently the farm employs many people in the surrounding village/area, helping them to supply for their families. A pastor of the Bom Deus church up the hill from the farm has been employed by the farm to drive the pickup for errands to the city. This is a blessing for the farm and the pastor. For the farm because they have someone trustworthy to rely on, and for the pastor because it supplements the meager income that he receives as a pastor so that he can feed his family and continue with his ministry.
Agro Sul has also started 2 stores, one in their community and one in a community further east, Hmuambo. This has been a great service for these communities that are a long way from town by foot, or taxi which costs a day’s wage! It has also generated much needed income in order to get the farm up and running.
Another facet of the farm is that each worker of the farm receives a little plot of land to work for their family, and if desired to generate another source of income.
Strauss is well-known all over the valley (actually as Senor Branco, Mr. White), and well-respected. The ministry that the Joubert’s provide to the people of the Giraul River Valley is not only ‘Spiritual’, but ‘Physical’ and as a result people are coming to know the Love of God in a tangible way. In July the Joubert family will move back to their native South Africa, moving on in their calling to a new location. They are going to be missed.
The orphanage project was part of a vision of the church around 6 years ago when this piece of land was purchased, and I feel they still hold out hope that one day it will become a reality, but here in Angola things work very slowly. Here in Africa is it understood and accepted, but in North America we live by 6 month, 1 year, 3 year and 5 year goals/plans and we do not understand the African way of thinking. This is part of the adaptation process. This brings me to the next part of the series…
Next in the mini-series, Part 4 “Adaptation”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 4—“Adaptation”
No one can fully prepare for this portion of ‘the journey’. Although we had lots of knowledge in regards to adaptation, the experience puts a whole new twist on things! Circumstances that are beyond your control, physical challenges, health issues, etc can cause different reactions that what you ‘thought’ you may have, and we have had our fair share of all of these since arriving here in Angola.
The first issue, which is harder for Pete than me, is the issue of TIME (what’s that? I tossed my watch after arriving here)! Very little happens when it is ‘supposed’ to happen. This has been evident in our wait time in Namibia after arriving in Africa, our wait time in Lubango before the house was ready in Namibe, our wait time for the container, our wait time for fuel, the lights to come back on, water supply to return, at the bread store, for the stores to open after their siesta, our wait time for our visas, a meeting with the pastors, etc! The list goes on and on and one cannot realize how much it can ‘drive you crazy’ until you are experiencing it (especially when it is for the thousandth time).
The second (and these are not in order of degree) issue is the visa situation. We came with the information given us, and it did not include a renewal ‘every’ month, a trip to Namibia every 3rd month, the expense, and the length of time previous people have had to wait for a visa (some up to 5 years, leaving the country every 3 months to renew). I cannot express how much frustration and anxiety this has caused the family; from the expense, the interruption, the horrible road, and now the inability to renew in Namibia! We are finding another true statement in scripture: to work out your salvation with fear and trembling!
The third issue is language learning. This has been very difficult for Pete as he has found his mind is not a sponge but a rock. I don’t mean this in an insulting way, just that he is having a hard time with retention, and because he is more tense about the issue of TIME he sets unrealistic expectations for himself, and when he cannot meet it he becomes frustrated. For me, Pete says I live life with ‘rose coloured glasses’ on. I just realize that it is going to take time, and somehow I feel I will learn by osmosis. Frankly, we know a lot more than when we arrived, but we are not fluent and have a hard time properly conjugating verbs and joining sentences with the proper word, and the list of vocabulary is LONG! All of our learning has been done on our own, as the two teachers we have had just disappeared… a common occurrence here. The teenagers from the church who drop in regularly to visit have been a great help.
Other issues include, dealing with regular power outages, no water, fuel shortages, no hot water heater, exchange rate fluctuations, HIGH prices for ‘everything’ except fuel, sickness (Talitha, and Tavis have both had malaria, and Pete has had it twice now, I have issues with my stomach and constant infections), the Angolan system, drivers (you think they are bad in North America, please come here for a few weeks!!!), people with a great lack of knowledge in the area of hygiene, health, and the outside world (including doctors, nurses, and other ‘so-called’ health professionals) and a deficiency in financial support has made it difficult to find our feet.
But! God is faithful. He has sustained us through some pretty difficult adjustments in this past year. We have ‘not arrived’ yet, but I pray one day we will at this:
Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
God is good (even when it ‘looks’ really bad) all the time!
Next in the mini-series Part 5 “The Blessings”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 5—“The Blessings”
We have seen and experienced ‘many’ blessings in this past year, and it is now that I will take the time to name a few and what an impact it has had on us and where we are.
I will begin by saying that we were blessed by very sound doctrine and theology that stimulated us to have a desire to serve God with our ‘whole’ hearts! Motivational preaching by Pastor Zach at Hillcrest, sound doctrine from Fred Eaton while at Hillcrest, the excellent ministry of John Piper (pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist, Minneapolis Minnesota www.desiringgod.org ), and the love and encouragement from many brothers and sisters in Christ, friends and family! When the going gets tough, we need to remember 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.”
Before leaving Kamloops there were many blessings flowing… friends who came to help pack and clean the house, the purchase of the truck (I will share later just how much of a blessing it has been to us and the people of Angola), a very generous donation for the payment of our container, BC vehicle tax refund for our truck, a trailer to haul our things across Canada, my mom’s speedy recovery from her heart surgery, and the support and prayers of friends and family as we set out on this journey.
Once in Africa, we experienced the blessing of great new friends in Cape Town, South Africa, safety traveling the train, safe travels flying, and missionaries to travel into Angola with.
In Angola we have received many blessings. Our family has faithfully telephoned us to encourage and uplift us. Many friends have called at just the right time! The Joubert family has become a great source of encouragement and friendship. The youth at the local church have been wonderful. Care packages from our church, friends, and family have been a source of excitement! My brother taking Talitha in so she can finish up her schooling is a great comfort. The blessing of supplies being sent in a container, donations from a church and individuals on the east coast, and packages sent from the west coast, and of course our family chipping in more than we can really thank them for! The kids have adapted quickly, learned the language well, finding friends, and loving Angola! That is more of a blessing than you can imagine. The friendships at church and other local people has been a blessing. Last week we were blessed beyond belief by a pastor (whom Pete took to Kuvango) and his wife here in town, I guess they felt the Lord was blessing them and so they decided to bless us. When we were leaving they handed us 1000 kwz (over $10 US… 800 kwz is $10) and told me to buy eggs (which costs 900 kwz for 30), at first I thought she meant for her, but she said no, no, no for our family! I was humbled and struck with emotion. They have so little by worldly standards, but their hearts are overflowing by heavenly standards!
Last but not least we have been blessed by being a blessing to others. We have had visitors, some by surprise and some planned… both a blessing! One missionaries’ vehicle broke down and so we had 2 visitors for a few days (a great distraction to some of our ‘life’ challenges), 1 visitor got ‘left behind’ by her group, and she stayed for several days (she was such an encouragement to our family), other missionaries have popped in for a few days of respite from their work (we have enjoyed their visits), we had 3 visitors (one a neighbour from Kamloops) who came for a respite from their province in the north/east. What an enjoyable time of encouragement and refreshment! There is rarely a trip made in the “TRUCK” that we are not stopping to ‘bless’ someone. It may seem small to you, but stopping and picking someone up here in Angola is met with such praise and thanksgiving… and when you can say ‘In the name of Jesus’ and they see the ‘church’ sticker on the truck and can make a connection it brings such joy. People walk for ‘many’ miles, some with extremely heavy loads on their heads. We do it so often but there are some that stick out in our minds. The Mukubali lady (they wear nothing on top, only strings to tie down their breasts) and her baby on her back and a 6 or 7 year old daughter had walked a several hour drive (2 day walk… or more) out of the desert with a sack that I could hardly lift up into the truck and another sack too heavy for a 6 year old… they were hungry and thirsty and thankfully I had some bread and water in the truck to share with her. There is a military base just out of town that we drive by to get to the farm, Pete has stopped so often to pick them up (and since the truck is EASILY noticeable) when they see us driving the opposite direction they wave and smile just to say hi! We picked up 3 Mukubali men (I call them ‘men in skirts’) when we were taking the missionary girls from the north on a ‘fun’ day… their skirts are made of a panel on the front and a panel on the back, connected by a waste cord… that was fun to watch the girls on the back of the truck with these 3 men… they were sharing with the girls how many wives (one had 25 or more) they had, and livestock!!! I think he was looking for one more wife! One couple we picked up late at night and drove them out to a lighthouse way out of town, when they got out they were clapping and thanking us over and over. We have taken the women, children and youth on different trips. The women’s choir has gone twice with me to Tombua, the day I took the children out for their outing there were over 40 kids in our truck (10 in the cab), and last weekend we brought about 30 youth home in the truck (after making 2 trips IN to the farm). Pete’s trip to Kuvango, was a blessing to the pastors and people of the villages they visited, and a blessing for Pete too! We get reminded every time just how much a blessing this truck has been. However the wear and tear has been a lot more than we budgeted for!
Rosa and her 5 children, blessing her has been a blessing to us. She is a trustworthy, hard worker and friend. She is content living in a house without a roof (although she has our tarp on it now), and dirt floors. We picked her up in the middle of the night a few nights when it was raining here in the desert. What a mess her house was, broke our heart and we wished we had more that we could give her. We not only pay her a wage but we send her home with coal to cook her food, and food for her and her kids to eat. Only now has she felt she can tell us when her kids are going hungry, we have insisted that she let us know! We are looking for a new house for her to rent, but we are not sure how she will survive if we have to leave Angola, we are her only real source of income, and we have grown very attached.
We are thankful that there have been ways of blessing others during this time, as some days we can feel as though we are not accomplishing anything for the purpose that we intended. However, God knows what our purpose is here, Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways, declares the LORD.” We may not see until eternity what His purpose was in bringing us here to Angola.
Next Episode 6—“Present work in Angola”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 6—“Present Work in Angola’
Although our first year was primarily set aside for language learning and adaptation, there have been opportunities for work, as small as it may seem to us.
Relationship building is one area of ministry.
There is a man named Dada who comes over to visit Pete regularly. They work hard at trying to communicate with each other (Dada stutters which makes it even more difficult). Pete has invited him to church many times, although he hasn’t come yet. Pete’s parents sent some great tracts in Portuguese and we were able to share them with Dada and one of his friends. Dada has decided to make us his daughter’s godparents (we aren’t too sure what that means as we are not Catholic).
Our x-language teacher, Augusto, still comes over to check on us, and help with translation once in a while. He has become a very busy man in the last while, taking correspondence course and running an English school and pursuing the ‘almighty’ dollar. We have had an opportunity to share with him what is really important in life, and that having money is not going to be what fills his desires for ‘more’. He has read a couple of our John Piper books. His father was a pastor in the north but was taken hostage during the war and never seen again.
We always have a group of children in our yard or house (just like in Kamloops). Although I cannot communicate with them well, I hope that they feel loved and wanted, and they all know that we are here with the church.
Again the truck is God’s and we will use it for His service as long as He keeps it on the road.
Again Rosa and her family is part of our work. Through financially supporting her, physical support and also by bringing her kids here for sleepovers (which they LOVE, as soon as their heads hit the pillow they are sound asleep… they sleep together on a skinny mattress on the floor, under a mosquito net that we gave them… Rosa sleeps in a bed, if you can call it that, full of lumps and springs with her mosquito net and Minda, the youngest, and for a while she shared her home with her sister), we hope we are showing her the Love of Christ… we really would love to do more for her financially but honestly our budget does not allow it.
The youth of the church… this has been a great opportunity. Most of the ‘boys’ can speak a little English, and they ‘all’ want to learn more, so we have enjoyed our time with them. They generally drop over in the evenings, most times after a church function when they are walking Meagan (and Talitha when she was here) home. One young man, Gilberto has improved incredibly in his English and has helped me with my Portuguese. He brings a lot of laughter to our family; he has a great sense of humour and can joke around with us in English! We have spent time discussing the Bible with them and they want to know more… preaching is constant, but teaching is missing in the church here. Some of the young men wanted to start a Bible study but time has not worked in their favour as of yet… almost every night there is an event at the church, and everyone is expected to be there. There are generally 2 choir practices a week, this month there are 3, and before the youth festival there were practices every single day, for a month! The church is almost programmed to death. The country has come out of a communistic state and the middle generation is ingrained in it, one of the symptoms is the passivity toward authority, and so people don’t ask questions, or question things! The younger generation though is asking questions (although they have come to realize that they cannot ask them of the leaders in the church), and so having us here they have shot the questions left, right and center. We have enjoyed sharing with them that there are different points of view, even from church to church, Christian to Christian, not everyone thinks the same, interprets scripture the same, and it is good to ask questions and ‘think’ about what you believe and why you believe it. I feel the next generation coming up could bring the church ‘to life’, and what a blessing it would be to see the results. There are many in the ‘older generation’ that I am sure love the Lord, but they are all stifled by such legalism and its effects on ‘joy’ and ‘grace’!
The farm is Pete’s area of work. He has done a lot to assist the farm with the truck. Hauling produce to Lubango (a 2 hour drive), also into town to the market, going on fuel runs into Namibe, hauling barrels of water up to Mhuambo (when they were building the store), bringing sick children into the hospital, and many other errands. Strauss was gone for 6 weeks in December/January and between Pete and the Pastor of the Bom Deus they did all the trips. Two of the three foremen had to be ‘let go’ when Strauss got home as they were not performing their tasks honestly and/or effectively and had taken advantage of Pete and his lack of Portuguese. However, now they have a new foreman who is an honest hard-worker, which is a huge asset.
There are many things that we would like to do, as we can see a need for them… which brings me to the next episode.
Next episode “Challenges Ahead”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 7—“Challenges Ahead”
The first and most notable challenge we face is the VISA situation. When we were in Oshakati renewing our visa the last time, we were told that it would BE the last time! Which leaves us with a feeling of discouragement and we wonder where we will be at the end of July! We have not been given any clear direction from the Lord in this area, but I will lay out one option that we have and then share some of the ideas IF the work visa was to come through.
First of all, while we were out in Namibia we met with the country director of Christ’s Hope International ( www.christshope.org ). They work with orphans in several countries in Africa. There are presently 3 orphanages up and running in Namibia, and one more on the way. The orphanages were meant to be for children who have been orphaned by AIDS parents, but the government has been placing a much different mix into their orphanage. This raises some concerns for us (in regards to bringing our own children into some situations that could very well be potentially dangerous). However, we have sent them a letter and our church has sent a letter introducing us to the organization. We will see how God leads, if our visas should not come through. This however will require an extreme move… to a whole new country… Pete likes the fact that they are ENGLISH there! It will involve selling our truck and vehicles are VERY expensive on this continent! There is much to look into, although we are down to only 2 months now!!!
If we do get our visas, the plan was to move out to the farm, replacing the Joubert’s who leave in July. The thought was that we would move Rosa and her kids out with us, repairing a half-existing house and putting a roof on it. Pete would take up overseeing the workings of the farm, and help develop it more. I could see many areas of ministry with the families who live on the farm and in the surrounding areas… just a few are education on health and hygiene, educating the younger children who do not have an opportunity to go to school, continuing with Sanette’s literacy program with the ladies (who can’t read or write), and perhaps teaching English (a treasured gift, here in Angola). None of these things would happen overnight… they would take years to develop, but would also be worked into an orphanage program. The other thing we would like to see is the local churches taking more of an interest in the UIEA leadership’s projects… so it would be nice to get the youth involved in helping out.
Presently in Angola there is not a massive HIV/AIDS positive rate, like there are in the surrounding countries. Mostly due to the closed borders and war, people just didn’t move in and out of country… but now they are! Many of the refugees are moving back, and where are they coming from? Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa… where the HIV/AIDS rates are extremely high. It is said that at the border of Angola and Namibia there is an HIV positive rate of 80% (this is from a doctor here in Angola). It will spread and it will spread quickly with the tribal practices of sharing wives, having several wives, and general promiscuity. The need to protect and care for AIDS orphans ‘now’ may not be great but in 5 years the need will be there. Which is why continuing to establish the farm, pay off the debt, and working toward having a self-sustainable orphanage in the future looks exciting.
Next Episode 8 “Current Needs”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 8—“Current Needs”
I will share with you some of our current needs, both spiritual and physical. I can say that with all that has been happening over the last month we have felt as though the wind was knocked out of us. We are seeking God’s direction in our lives and we need your help.
Spiritually:
We know that God called us. We do not know if his purpose is for us to stay here forever, or move around. We do not know if it is even to always work with orphans, or if he has something else in mind. We KNOW we were called… how, where, etc that plays out ONLY God knows. Some days however when we are feeling tired and weak we even question the call. Some days everything looks hopeless. So we would ask for your prayers in that area.
We can always use some encouragement, either by an email or a phone call, we appreciate those who have taken the time, and it does make a big difference in our outlook for that day.
We are lacking in the area of fellowship. Fellowship with like-minded believers who speak English and that can make one worn out spiritually. So please pray in regards to that.
We need strength to endure and we appreciate your prayers for that.
Physically:
Our health has been up and down here in Angola (which was to be expected). Pete has had malaria twice, and it can take a big toll on your body. I have suffered from diarrhea frequently, Guardia, and infections (both bladder and skin) that hang on and won’t go away without a long dose of antibiotics. On the plus side my asthma is almost totally cured here at sea level and the strength in my lungs has increased immensely in the last 8 months. The boys have also had the skin infections that won’t go away! Meagan has been very healthy. Please be in prayer for our health.
The obvious one is for our visas, and for direction should God wish to lead us somewhere else. Also, should Oshakati reconsider and say they will renew our visas; we would like wisdom to know if this is a process that we should continue with. Which brings me to the next point!
Finances. Always a topic we would rather leave alone, and never discuss. However, it is fact of life, we need money to eat, have a roof over our heads, clothe ourselves, and to meet the basic needs of others that God places in our lives. At present our support is at 50% of the budget that Pete worked out when he came to visit, and of course not worked into that budget was the trip to Oshakati every three months, and the almost $400 US for visa renewals… MONTHLY. Thankfully the UIEA has been gracious in dropping our rent from $300 US per month to $100 US per month, which is an incredible blessing. We are also shocked by how expensive it is to live in this ‘poor’ country. We are not entirely sure how everyone survives with the prices as they are, we can barely squeak by, we just don’t know how they do it (except to say there is a lot of corruption and people in the city have many different business ventures). Tourists who come through are in shock especially with the price of food, and you can check out the knightlyfamily.blogspot.com site for Grocery Shopping in Angola for more information. This is the primary reason we do a great deal of our ‘food’ shopping in Namibia when we go out to renew visas.
We will leave this area in God’s hands, and if he is impressing on your heart to give you can do it one of two ways… if you live in Canada and wish to have a tax receipt you can do it through our church (you are welcome to send post-dated cheques) or if you don’t desire a receipt you can mail a cheque (or series of post-dated cheques) to Pete’s parents who have access to our accounts (which I will give the details in a bit).
We do thank you for your prayer support, and we also thank those that are supporting us financially, we are blessed by your giving. Please feel free to drop us a line anytime and ask questions, we would rather you ask than wonder!
This is the end of the Mini-Series on the KNIGHTLY FAMILY. There was a lot more that I could add to fill in the pockets of time, but I will spare you the ‘details’… just keep in mind that if you have questions as to ‘what’ we are doing here, we would be happy to answer if you just ask. Don’t sit at home wondering why there is no orphanage yet without being able to see ‘what’ is happening and ‘how’ differently things work in a foreign land… ask questions. We hope this has been informative and helpful and that you will hold us up in your prayers more fervently!
Thank you for your friendship,
With God’s Blessing,
The Knightly Family
In reference to giving here are the addresses that you can send to:
If no receipt is required:
Pete and Charlene Knightly
c/o Ron and Marge Knightly
19-14th Ave S
Cranbrook, BC
V1C 2W9
If you would like a receipt:
Please fill out the form below and mail to Hillcrest Baptist Church if you feel called to support our ministry:
Name:
Address:
Phone:
Make checks payable to: Hillcrest Baptist Church
MISSIONARY YOU’RE SUPPORTING: Name: Pete and Charlene Knightly/ Hillcrest Mission Fund
(Please be sure to include this on the memo section on your cheque)
Monthly Support $
Yearly Gift $
One Time Gift $
PLEASE NOTE: This form is to be sent to Hillcrest Baptist Church with your first contribution for the missionary.
SEND T0 HILLCREST BAPTIST CHURCH
1393-9TH Ave.
Kamloops, BC V2C-3X6
(250) 372-2021
hillcrestbaptist@shaw.ca
A few years ago, through prayer and fasting, reading in the Bible, motivational preaching and books, our church, friends, family and circumstances we came to the conclusion that our family had been called to the foreign mission field. As the journey began we realized that our heart was for the orphaned children of Africa. First of all because the need is so great, and secondly because we saw a ministry that although ‘long term’ could have ‘long lasting’ effects, in that children could be raised in the Hope and the Knowledge that there is a God who loves them and desires to change their hearts and lives.
As a result of this call we began looking into organizations that work in this area. Through many hours surfing the internet, emailing, traveling to Mission Fest, and communicating our desires with friends and coming into contact with many different options, we made contact with some missionaries in Angola. During our times of communication we felt God leading us in the direction of coming with the UIEA church here in Angola.
After much prayer, fasting, and guidance we made a decision to send Pete on a scouting trip to check things out. His trip was encouraging and the decision was made to go to Angola.
Next in the mini-series “Part 2—‘Preparation’”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 2—“Preparation”
After the decision was made to go to Angola the preparation began. In hind-sight if we had known all of the work, hassles, and headaches that would go into it, we would have given up before we started! However, God is gracious in not showing us ‘everything’ and so we began.
The first order of business was getting the paperwork prepared for our work visa. This process was cumbersome and difficult at times, but we managed to get all of the things we needed in order to start the process (this included: police checks, a medical, sending paperwork to be authorized by the Canadian Government, finding a translator, having every paper translated in Portuguese, getting immunizations, money, etc). Finally the process was sent in at the end of December 2004.
The next step was to downsize our possessions, fix up our home, put it on the market and wait for a potential buyer. During this time the fever caught, in our hearts and minds, it was becoming a reality and the excitement grew, along with many trials. The day to day struggles and joys are on our website (knightlyfamily.blogspot.com) if you wish to take the time to reminisce.
Our church bravely decided to put us on staff and funnel your donations, for which we are truly grateful. With that came the time spent speaking with lawyers, accountants, and other mission organizations concerning the legalities involved. Not everything is ironed out presently, but we trust that God is in control, even in this area!
Then came the big day, the house sold and we went into mad-dash mode to pack and arrange a day that we would have all of our belonging in Toronto to place in the container to be shipped to Angola. We purchased our truck only a week before leaving Kamloops! The 17th of May we drove out of Kamloops, No Turning Back is a song that came to mind as we drove out of the city. With great anticipation and sorrow we set out on our journey into the ‘unknown’.
Finally we drove to Toronto accompanied by Pete’s parents, a memorable time for all. Delivered everything to the warehouse, and set out the next day by Greyhound bound for NB to spend some time visiting with family.
Next in the mini-series, Part 3 “The Farm”
God Bless
The Knightly Family
Episode 3—“The Farm”
Although our journey is ‘in detail’ laid out on our website, I decided to make Part 1 and 2 a summed up history lesson! This part of the series will give information into our time here in Angola along with our hope in the future grace of God in our lives.
To begin with I would like to describe “The Farm”. Several years ago the UIEA (the church we work with in Angola) purchased Agro Sul here in the Namibe area for the purpose of building an orphanage. Two years ago, with the risk of losing their investment, they asked an SIM missionary family to move to the farm with the purpose of getting the ‘farm’ part up and running and paying off some debt.
In the last two years, Strauss and Sanette Joubert and boys, have worked hard to develop it. There have been many trials and struggles for their family, the workers, and the church in regards to Agro Sul. At present, however, things have begun to work together for good and with God’s provision, hard work and perseverance has paid off.
Presently the farm employs many people in the surrounding village/area, helping them to supply for their families. A pastor of the Bom Deus church up the hill from the farm has been employed by the farm to drive the pickup for errands to the city. This is a blessing for the farm and the pastor. For the farm because they have someone trustworthy to rely on, and for the pastor because it supplements the meager income that he receives as a pastor so that he can feed his family and continue with his ministry.
Agro Sul has also started 2 stores, one in their community and one in a community further east, Hmuambo. This has been a great service for these communities that are a long way from town by foot, or taxi which costs a day’s wage! It has also generated much needed income in order to get the farm up and running.
Another facet of the farm is that each worker of the farm receives a little plot of land to work for their family, and if desired to generate another source of income.
Strauss is well-known all over the valley (actually as Senor Branco, Mr. White), and well-respected. The ministry that the Joubert’s provide to the people of the Giraul River Valley is not only ‘Spiritual’, but ‘Physical’ and as a result people are coming to know the Love of God in a tangible way. In July the Joubert family will move back to their native South Africa, moving on in their calling to a new location. They are going to be missed.
The orphanage project was part of a vision of the church around 6 years ago when this piece of land was purchased, and I feel they still hold out hope that one day it will become a reality, but here in Angola things work very slowly. Here in Africa is it understood and accepted, but in North America we live by 6 month, 1 year, 3 year and 5 year goals/plans and we do not understand the African way of thinking. This is part of the adaptation process. This brings me to the next part of the series…
Next in the mini-series, Part 4 “Adaptation”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 4—“Adaptation”
No one can fully prepare for this portion of ‘the journey’. Although we had lots of knowledge in regards to adaptation, the experience puts a whole new twist on things! Circumstances that are beyond your control, physical challenges, health issues, etc can cause different reactions that what you ‘thought’ you may have, and we have had our fair share of all of these since arriving here in Angola.
The first issue, which is harder for Pete than me, is the issue of TIME (what’s that? I tossed my watch after arriving here)! Very little happens when it is ‘supposed’ to happen. This has been evident in our wait time in Namibia after arriving in Africa, our wait time in Lubango before the house was ready in Namibe, our wait time for the container, our wait time for fuel, the lights to come back on, water supply to return, at the bread store, for the stores to open after their siesta, our wait time for our visas, a meeting with the pastors, etc! The list goes on and on and one cannot realize how much it can ‘drive you crazy’ until you are experiencing it (especially when it is for the thousandth time).
The second (and these are not in order of degree) issue is the visa situation. We came with the information given us, and it did not include a renewal ‘every’ month, a trip to Namibia every 3rd month, the expense, and the length of time previous people have had to wait for a visa (some up to 5 years, leaving the country every 3 months to renew). I cannot express how much frustration and anxiety this has caused the family; from the expense, the interruption, the horrible road, and now the inability to renew in Namibia! We are finding another true statement in scripture: to work out your salvation with fear and trembling!
The third issue is language learning. This has been very difficult for Pete as he has found his mind is not a sponge but a rock. I don’t mean this in an insulting way, just that he is having a hard time with retention, and because he is more tense about the issue of TIME he sets unrealistic expectations for himself, and when he cannot meet it he becomes frustrated. For me, Pete says I live life with ‘rose coloured glasses’ on. I just realize that it is going to take time, and somehow I feel I will learn by osmosis. Frankly, we know a lot more than when we arrived, but we are not fluent and have a hard time properly conjugating verbs and joining sentences with the proper word, and the list of vocabulary is LONG! All of our learning has been done on our own, as the two teachers we have had just disappeared… a common occurrence here. The teenagers from the church who drop in regularly to visit have been a great help.
Other issues include, dealing with regular power outages, no water, fuel shortages, no hot water heater, exchange rate fluctuations, HIGH prices for ‘everything’ except fuel, sickness (Talitha, and Tavis have both had malaria, and Pete has had it twice now, I have issues with my stomach and constant infections), the Angolan system, drivers (you think they are bad in North America, please come here for a few weeks!!!), people with a great lack of knowledge in the area of hygiene, health, and the outside world (including doctors, nurses, and other ‘so-called’ health professionals) and a deficiency in financial support has made it difficult to find our feet.
But! God is faithful. He has sustained us through some pretty difficult adjustments in this past year. We have ‘not arrived’ yet, but I pray one day we will at this:
Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
God is good (even when it ‘looks’ really bad) all the time!
Next in the mini-series Part 5 “The Blessings”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 5—“The Blessings”
We have seen and experienced ‘many’ blessings in this past year, and it is now that I will take the time to name a few and what an impact it has had on us and where we are.
I will begin by saying that we were blessed by very sound doctrine and theology that stimulated us to have a desire to serve God with our ‘whole’ hearts! Motivational preaching by Pastor Zach at Hillcrest, sound doctrine from Fred Eaton while at Hillcrest, the excellent ministry of John Piper (pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist, Minneapolis Minnesota www.desiringgod.org ), and the love and encouragement from many brothers and sisters in Christ, friends and family! When the going gets tough, we need to remember 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.”
Before leaving Kamloops there were many blessings flowing… friends who came to help pack and clean the house, the purchase of the truck (I will share later just how much of a blessing it has been to us and the people of Angola), a very generous donation for the payment of our container, BC vehicle tax refund for our truck, a trailer to haul our things across Canada, my mom’s speedy recovery from her heart surgery, and the support and prayers of friends and family as we set out on this journey.
Once in Africa, we experienced the blessing of great new friends in Cape Town, South Africa, safety traveling the train, safe travels flying, and missionaries to travel into Angola with.
In Angola we have received many blessings. Our family has faithfully telephoned us to encourage and uplift us. Many friends have called at just the right time! The Joubert family has become a great source of encouragement and friendship. The youth at the local church have been wonderful. Care packages from our church, friends, and family have been a source of excitement! My brother taking Talitha in so she can finish up her schooling is a great comfort. The blessing of supplies being sent in a container, donations from a church and individuals on the east coast, and packages sent from the west coast, and of course our family chipping in more than we can really thank them for! The kids have adapted quickly, learned the language well, finding friends, and loving Angola! That is more of a blessing than you can imagine. The friendships at church and other local people has been a blessing. Last week we were blessed beyond belief by a pastor (whom Pete took to Kuvango) and his wife here in town, I guess they felt the Lord was blessing them and so they decided to bless us. When we were leaving they handed us 1000 kwz (over $10 US… 800 kwz is $10) and told me to buy eggs (which costs 900 kwz for 30), at first I thought she meant for her, but she said no, no, no for our family! I was humbled and struck with emotion. They have so little by worldly standards, but their hearts are overflowing by heavenly standards!
Last but not least we have been blessed by being a blessing to others. We have had visitors, some by surprise and some planned… both a blessing! One missionaries’ vehicle broke down and so we had 2 visitors for a few days (a great distraction to some of our ‘life’ challenges), 1 visitor got ‘left behind’ by her group, and she stayed for several days (she was such an encouragement to our family), other missionaries have popped in for a few days of respite from their work (we have enjoyed their visits), we had 3 visitors (one a neighbour from Kamloops) who came for a respite from their province in the north/east. What an enjoyable time of encouragement and refreshment! There is rarely a trip made in the “TRUCK” that we are not stopping to ‘bless’ someone. It may seem small to you, but stopping and picking someone up here in Angola is met with such praise and thanksgiving… and when you can say ‘In the name of Jesus’ and they see the ‘church’ sticker on the truck and can make a connection it brings such joy. People walk for ‘many’ miles, some with extremely heavy loads on their heads. We do it so often but there are some that stick out in our minds. The Mukubali lady (they wear nothing on top, only strings to tie down their breasts) and her baby on her back and a 6 or 7 year old daughter had walked a several hour drive (2 day walk… or more) out of the desert with a sack that I could hardly lift up into the truck and another sack too heavy for a 6 year old… they were hungry and thirsty and thankfully I had some bread and water in the truck to share with her. There is a military base just out of town that we drive by to get to the farm, Pete has stopped so often to pick them up (and since the truck is EASILY noticeable) when they see us driving the opposite direction they wave and smile just to say hi! We picked up 3 Mukubali men (I call them ‘men in skirts’) when we were taking the missionary girls from the north on a ‘fun’ day… their skirts are made of a panel on the front and a panel on the back, connected by a waste cord… that was fun to watch the girls on the back of the truck with these 3 men… they were sharing with the girls how many wives (one had 25 or more) they had, and livestock!!! I think he was looking for one more wife! One couple we picked up late at night and drove them out to a lighthouse way out of town, when they got out they were clapping and thanking us over and over. We have taken the women, children and youth on different trips. The women’s choir has gone twice with me to Tombua, the day I took the children out for their outing there were over 40 kids in our truck (10 in the cab), and last weekend we brought about 30 youth home in the truck (after making 2 trips IN to the farm). Pete’s trip to Kuvango, was a blessing to the pastors and people of the villages they visited, and a blessing for Pete too! We get reminded every time just how much a blessing this truck has been. However the wear and tear has been a lot more than we budgeted for!
Rosa and her 5 children, blessing her has been a blessing to us. She is a trustworthy, hard worker and friend. She is content living in a house without a roof (although she has our tarp on it now), and dirt floors. We picked her up in the middle of the night a few nights when it was raining here in the desert. What a mess her house was, broke our heart and we wished we had more that we could give her. We not only pay her a wage but we send her home with coal to cook her food, and food for her and her kids to eat. Only now has she felt she can tell us when her kids are going hungry, we have insisted that she let us know! We are looking for a new house for her to rent, but we are not sure how she will survive if we have to leave Angola, we are her only real source of income, and we have grown very attached.
We are thankful that there have been ways of blessing others during this time, as some days we can feel as though we are not accomplishing anything for the purpose that we intended. However, God knows what our purpose is here, Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways, declares the LORD.” We may not see until eternity what His purpose was in bringing us here to Angola.
Next Episode 6—“Present work in Angola”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 6—“Present Work in Angola’
Although our first year was primarily set aside for language learning and adaptation, there have been opportunities for work, as small as it may seem to us.
Relationship building is one area of ministry.
There is a man named Dada who comes over to visit Pete regularly. They work hard at trying to communicate with each other (Dada stutters which makes it even more difficult). Pete has invited him to church many times, although he hasn’t come yet. Pete’s parents sent some great tracts in Portuguese and we were able to share them with Dada and one of his friends. Dada has decided to make us his daughter’s godparents (we aren’t too sure what that means as we are not Catholic).
Our x-language teacher, Augusto, still comes over to check on us, and help with translation once in a while. He has become a very busy man in the last while, taking correspondence course and running an English school and pursuing the ‘almighty’ dollar. We have had an opportunity to share with him what is really important in life, and that having money is not going to be what fills his desires for ‘more’. He has read a couple of our John Piper books. His father was a pastor in the north but was taken hostage during the war and never seen again.
We always have a group of children in our yard or house (just like in Kamloops). Although I cannot communicate with them well, I hope that they feel loved and wanted, and they all know that we are here with the church.
Again the truck is God’s and we will use it for His service as long as He keeps it on the road.
Again Rosa and her family is part of our work. Through financially supporting her, physical support and also by bringing her kids here for sleepovers (which they LOVE, as soon as their heads hit the pillow they are sound asleep… they sleep together on a skinny mattress on the floor, under a mosquito net that we gave them… Rosa sleeps in a bed, if you can call it that, full of lumps and springs with her mosquito net and Minda, the youngest, and for a while she shared her home with her sister), we hope we are showing her the Love of Christ… we really would love to do more for her financially but honestly our budget does not allow it.
The youth of the church… this has been a great opportunity. Most of the ‘boys’ can speak a little English, and they ‘all’ want to learn more, so we have enjoyed our time with them. They generally drop over in the evenings, most times after a church function when they are walking Meagan (and Talitha when she was here) home. One young man, Gilberto has improved incredibly in his English and has helped me with my Portuguese. He brings a lot of laughter to our family; he has a great sense of humour and can joke around with us in English! We have spent time discussing the Bible with them and they want to know more… preaching is constant, but teaching is missing in the church here. Some of the young men wanted to start a Bible study but time has not worked in their favour as of yet… almost every night there is an event at the church, and everyone is expected to be there. There are generally 2 choir practices a week, this month there are 3, and before the youth festival there were practices every single day, for a month! The church is almost programmed to death. The country has come out of a communistic state and the middle generation is ingrained in it, one of the symptoms is the passivity toward authority, and so people don’t ask questions, or question things! The younger generation though is asking questions (although they have come to realize that they cannot ask them of the leaders in the church), and so having us here they have shot the questions left, right and center. We have enjoyed sharing with them that there are different points of view, even from church to church, Christian to Christian, not everyone thinks the same, interprets scripture the same, and it is good to ask questions and ‘think’ about what you believe and why you believe it. I feel the next generation coming up could bring the church ‘to life’, and what a blessing it would be to see the results. There are many in the ‘older generation’ that I am sure love the Lord, but they are all stifled by such legalism and its effects on ‘joy’ and ‘grace’!
The farm is Pete’s area of work. He has done a lot to assist the farm with the truck. Hauling produce to Lubango (a 2 hour drive), also into town to the market, going on fuel runs into Namibe, hauling barrels of water up to Mhuambo (when they were building the store), bringing sick children into the hospital, and many other errands. Strauss was gone for 6 weeks in December/January and between Pete and the Pastor of the Bom Deus they did all the trips. Two of the three foremen had to be ‘let go’ when Strauss got home as they were not performing their tasks honestly and/or effectively and had taken advantage of Pete and his lack of Portuguese. However, now they have a new foreman who is an honest hard-worker, which is a huge asset.
There are many things that we would like to do, as we can see a need for them… which brings me to the next episode.
Next episode “Challenges Ahead”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 7—“Challenges Ahead”
The first and most notable challenge we face is the VISA situation. When we were in Oshakati renewing our visa the last time, we were told that it would BE the last time! Which leaves us with a feeling of discouragement and we wonder where we will be at the end of July! We have not been given any clear direction from the Lord in this area, but I will lay out one option that we have and then share some of the ideas IF the work visa was to come through.
First of all, while we were out in Namibia we met with the country director of Christ’s Hope International ( www.christshope.org ). They work with orphans in several countries in Africa. There are presently 3 orphanages up and running in Namibia, and one more on the way. The orphanages were meant to be for children who have been orphaned by AIDS parents, but the government has been placing a much different mix into their orphanage. This raises some concerns for us (in regards to bringing our own children into some situations that could very well be potentially dangerous). However, we have sent them a letter and our church has sent a letter introducing us to the organization. We will see how God leads, if our visas should not come through. This however will require an extreme move… to a whole new country… Pete likes the fact that they are ENGLISH there! It will involve selling our truck and vehicles are VERY expensive on this continent! There is much to look into, although we are down to only 2 months now!!!
If we do get our visas, the plan was to move out to the farm, replacing the Joubert’s who leave in July. The thought was that we would move Rosa and her kids out with us, repairing a half-existing house and putting a roof on it. Pete would take up overseeing the workings of the farm, and help develop it more. I could see many areas of ministry with the families who live on the farm and in the surrounding areas… just a few are education on health and hygiene, educating the younger children who do not have an opportunity to go to school, continuing with Sanette’s literacy program with the ladies (who can’t read or write), and perhaps teaching English (a treasured gift, here in Angola). None of these things would happen overnight… they would take years to develop, but would also be worked into an orphanage program. The other thing we would like to see is the local churches taking more of an interest in the UIEA leadership’s projects… so it would be nice to get the youth involved in helping out.
Presently in Angola there is not a massive HIV/AIDS positive rate, like there are in the surrounding countries. Mostly due to the closed borders and war, people just didn’t move in and out of country… but now they are! Many of the refugees are moving back, and where are they coming from? Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa… where the HIV/AIDS rates are extremely high. It is said that at the border of Angola and Namibia there is an HIV positive rate of 80% (this is from a doctor here in Angola). It will spread and it will spread quickly with the tribal practices of sharing wives, having several wives, and general promiscuity. The need to protect and care for AIDS orphans ‘now’ may not be great but in 5 years the need will be there. Which is why continuing to establish the farm, pay off the debt, and working toward having a self-sustainable orphanage in the future looks exciting.
Next Episode 8 “Current Needs”
God Bless,
The Knightly Family
Episode 8—“Current Needs”
I will share with you some of our current needs, both spiritual and physical. I can say that with all that has been happening over the last month we have felt as though the wind was knocked out of us. We are seeking God’s direction in our lives and we need your help.
Spiritually:
We know that God called us. We do not know if his purpose is for us to stay here forever, or move around. We do not know if it is even to always work with orphans, or if he has something else in mind. We KNOW we were called… how, where, etc that plays out ONLY God knows. Some days however when we are feeling tired and weak we even question the call. Some days everything looks hopeless. So we would ask for your prayers in that area.
We can always use some encouragement, either by an email or a phone call, we appreciate those who have taken the time, and it does make a big difference in our outlook for that day.
We are lacking in the area of fellowship. Fellowship with like-minded believers who speak English and that can make one worn out spiritually. So please pray in regards to that.
We need strength to endure and we appreciate your prayers for that.
Physically:
Our health has been up and down here in Angola (which was to be expected). Pete has had malaria twice, and it can take a big toll on your body. I have suffered from diarrhea frequently, Guardia, and infections (both bladder and skin) that hang on and won’t go away without a long dose of antibiotics. On the plus side my asthma is almost totally cured here at sea level and the strength in my lungs has increased immensely in the last 8 months. The boys have also had the skin infections that won’t go away! Meagan has been very healthy. Please be in prayer for our health.
The obvious one is for our visas, and for direction should God wish to lead us somewhere else. Also, should Oshakati reconsider and say they will renew our visas; we would like wisdom to know if this is a process that we should continue with. Which brings me to the next point!
Finances. Always a topic we would rather leave alone, and never discuss. However, it is fact of life, we need money to eat, have a roof over our heads, clothe ourselves, and to meet the basic needs of others that God places in our lives. At present our support is at 50% of the budget that Pete worked out when he came to visit, and of course not worked into that budget was the trip to Oshakati every three months, and the almost $400 US for visa renewals… MONTHLY. Thankfully the UIEA has been gracious in dropping our rent from $300 US per month to $100 US per month, which is an incredible blessing. We are also shocked by how expensive it is to live in this ‘poor’ country. We are not entirely sure how everyone survives with the prices as they are, we can barely squeak by, we just don’t know how they do it (except to say there is a lot of corruption and people in the city have many different business ventures). Tourists who come through are in shock especially with the price of food, and you can check out the knightlyfamily.blogspot.com site for Grocery Shopping in Angola for more information. This is the primary reason we do a great deal of our ‘food’ shopping in Namibia when we go out to renew visas.
We will leave this area in God’s hands, and if he is impressing on your heart to give you can do it one of two ways… if you live in Canada and wish to have a tax receipt you can do it through our church (you are welcome to send post-dated cheques) or if you don’t desire a receipt you can mail a cheque (or series of post-dated cheques) to Pete’s parents who have access to our accounts (which I will give the details in a bit).
We do thank you for your prayer support, and we also thank those that are supporting us financially, we are blessed by your giving. Please feel free to drop us a line anytime and ask questions, we would rather you ask than wonder!
This is the end of the Mini-Series on the KNIGHTLY FAMILY. There was a lot more that I could add to fill in the pockets of time, but I will spare you the ‘details’… just keep in mind that if you have questions as to ‘what’ we are doing here, we would be happy to answer if you just ask. Don’t sit at home wondering why there is no orphanage yet without being able to see ‘what’ is happening and ‘how’ differently things work in a foreign land… ask questions. We hope this has been informative and helpful and that you will hold us up in your prayers more fervently!
Thank you for your friendship,
With God’s Blessing,
The Knightly Family
In reference to giving here are the addresses that you can send to:
If no receipt is required:
Pete and Charlene Knightly
c/o Ron and Marge Knightly
19-14th Ave S
Cranbrook, BC
V1C 2W9
If you would like a receipt:
Please fill out the form below and mail to Hillcrest Baptist Church if you feel called to support our ministry:
Name:
Address:
Phone:
Make checks payable to: Hillcrest Baptist Church
MISSIONARY YOU’RE SUPPORTING: Name: Pete and Charlene Knightly/ Hillcrest Mission Fund
(Please be sure to include this on the memo section on your cheque)
Monthly Support $
Yearly Gift $
One Time Gift $
PLEASE NOTE: This form is to be sent to Hillcrest Baptist Church with your first contribution for the missionary.
SEND T0 HILLCREST BAPTIST CHURCH
1393-9TH Ave.
Kamloops, BC V2C-3X6
(250) 372-2021
hillcrestbaptist@shaw.ca
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