Namibia Day 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

22^nd , 23^rd, 24^th, 25^th and 26^th of September

(Sorry pictures will have to come when I have free wi-fi it took an hour last night to try and post the pictures and it ate up all my internet airtime!)Long time no writing! Last Thursday I left work early with a mild stomach ache, knowing that everyone else has been getting sick lately, so I figured, go home, sleep it off and I will feel 100% better! Well like a lot of other things in everyday life, just the opposite happened. I went home, slept and felt worse. I was in bed for the next two days! I was so thankful that Dr. Rob could help me with my symptoms and I was feeling pretty much back to normal by Saturday morning. Not sure if it was food poisoning, or a mild case of salmonella, but Thursday and Friday were not fun days for me. It is so true what people say, whenever you are sick, no matter how old, you always want to be home and have Mom take care of you!

It was so crazy that I happened to get sick this week because just this past Tuesday we were having our bible study at FHS with the teachers, we have been reading the Purpose Driven Life, and this weeks Chapter happened to be on Self Pitying and how we are called to make use of the challenges that God decides to come our way. We are to remember he does not allow anything to be brought onto us that we can not handle and that we are to be rejoicing in every circumstance that comes our way. Like I said, a pretty epic way in which the Lord decided to reveal himself to me again!

It has been so sweet to experience the Lord so vividly while I have been here in Namibia! He is definitely showing me what a leap in faith can bring as well as really meeting a lot of my requests in prayer recently, which has been such a blessing!

After resting for all of Thursday and Friday and finally feeling better on Saturday, I was going stir crazy and had to get out of the house. The first thing I did Saturday morning was walk down to the local Eros Shopping Center and had the opportunity to explore a shop with some great artwork and lighting fixtures in it. What a shame I will not be able to bring such bulky items L It was such a sweet morning just walking around before the midmorning sun was out!

Later that day I got to go with a lot of my co workers and new friends to the Windhoek Show. This is an event that happens once a year and is very similar to our local “NC State Fair” or any other fair in the States for that matter! It was so crazy to see what I have always thought as such a typical “American tradition” take such a presence in Windhoek! There were a lot of different vendors selling jewelry, clothing, kitchenware and everything else in the middle. There were vendors from Kenya and India, all over to sell their products. There was the typical cotton candy and hot dogs and hamburgers there as well! The funniest part was seeing the rides and all the people go crazy over them, just like at home. It may not be the North Carolina State Fair, but it sure gave me a little taste of home!

Sunday I had the pleasure of going to Minnie’s church, Christ Church, with her and N’dahafa. I really enjoyed the service! The congregation was very small, made up of about 20 people, but the message was very rich and we sang out of the hymn books, which I always love! I think I am going to try the Brown’s church out next weekend and then have a very hard decision on where to go for the remainder of my time here! The rest of Sunday was very relaxing; I got to take a nap to which always helps complete my Sabbath. I was also very excited/nervous because I got to make dinner for Minnie, N’dahafa and I. I was not nervous about cooking, but cooking for other people! Haha I decided to make scalloped potatoes and the local chakalaka sausage, which is a spicy sausage, it turned out really yummy I was excited!

Today was the best Monday I have had since being here. I felt very refreshed all day (probably from all the sleep I had late last week!) as well as quick on my feet with helping multiple students with their schoolwork at one time, which has been a huge struggle for me since being here. This evening after work David, Robert, Tanya and I relaxed at Mugg & Bean before heading home for the evening.

It was really neat tonight was the most dramatic weather I have seen since being here. The sky and mountains were dusty looking the whole way from FHS to the Wernhill Mall. Today was one of the only days I can remember since being here that there have actually been multiple darker clouds in the sky. Tonight on the way home I felt and then got to see my first sighting of a rainfall since I have been in the desert of Windhoek, Namibia. Thanks so much for reading, hope all is well with everyone at home, praying for and missing all of you!

Namibia Day 20, 21, 22

19^th, 20^th and 21^st of September

Monday started out pretty hectic considering my weekend was not a normal weekend by any means so I felt a little behind on sleep, routine etc. We had our planning meeting today which ended a lot longer than planned. I seem to find a pattern with any type of meeting I have attending in Africa thus far has clearly lived up to the saying “African Meeting.” It’s great though because I truly feel like I am living within the culture when I can relate to sayings like this one! Monday is the day when I moved out of the Greidanus’ flat and into Minnie’s house! I was so excited to get settled in and learning about the area of Eros in Windhoek where I will be living.

All the Positives about my new Home!

-Living with Minnie and her daughter N’dahafa! (having community with Minnie is something I desired right as I met her and especially after Jennifer told me all the great experiences she had living with her, as well as N’dahafa is so much fun and keeps things interesting!

-Great Area! And safe! Minnie said I can even go walking in the morning alone if I feel like it!

-Walking distance to the Eros Shopping Center (600m) which has a grocery store, coffee shop, drug store, video store, Gas Station, clothing store and African decorative store. They even have a lingerie shop called the Perfect Cup! (haha I found this humorous because by just the title alone I would have thought this was the coffee shop, not a lingerie store!)

-Close to downtown

-And so much more!

Tuesday was a very hard day for me. Being that it was Joe’s birthday I wanted nothing more at that moment but to be home and celebrate with him. I attempted to call him on Monday night almost midnight here, but could not get a hold of him and Tuesday since I had just moved into Minnie’s I did not have internet set up yet so I could not contact him until the afternoon here and it made me so sad that not only was I not the first to wish him happy birthday, but I could not even call him on his special day and my gift for him arrived late and he didn’t get his card L! Even though I was super sad about this he seemed very positive and upbeat and never once made me feel like my greetings were anything less than terrific. I am so lucky to have him!

Today was an overall good day with Instant coffee in my system and a good time in the word in James this morning I was ready to take on the day. I got a chance to pray with the kids I helped tutor in the morning. Please be praying for me and my ability to teach some of these children the best I can. A lot of them are in the 4^th grade and are having a very difficult time with spelling and even sounding out the letters in the alphabet. Now I am not a teacher, by profession by any means, but I knew that when I was in the 2^nd grade I was already reading chapter books and most of these kids just have picture books with minimum words on the pages. Now English is their second language and they probably speak Afrikaans as well as their native tongue, which is amazing, but the comprehension with school related tasks in these languages are hard. Just pray the spirit can move my words to help these kids understand to the best of their ability as well as them to be able to grasp my accent because sometimes we have a language barrier as well. Tonight I had the opportunity to use Minnie’s “washing machine” for the first time. I was very thankful that Jennifer showed me how to use it before she left. I believe it was modeled in either the late 70s or early 80s and I had to use the hose to fill it up etc. It was a very interesting experience to say the least! Afterwards Minnie’s Pilipino friends came over for dinner and cooked their native food fish, but not “just fish.” It was a fish cut in half, seasoned with salt, dehydrated then fried (eyes, tail and all!) It was a very neat experience having the treat of Pilipino food in Namibia. Thanks so much everyone for your feedback and continuous support and prayers I truly appreciate it and it gives me the energy to keep plugging away knowing God is at work here and back in the US as he always is!

Minnie's House!

My Street!

Some of the Boys playing soccer at FHS
My new cute Namibian Neighbor (so cuddly! Mixture of Mally and Lace!)
N'dahafa!!
Pilippino Fish!

Namibia Day 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19

13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th of September

So I realized tonight that I definitely haven’t updated in awhile and I apologize about that! Last week was so crazy starting my first full week at FHS and getting adapted to lesson plans, school schedules and everything else that goes into the fun of an up and coming season! Monday was a great day, since I had a great and relaxing last weekend I had lots of energy set aside to helping the kids to the best of my ability. I was very convicted this past Sunday too while reading A Purpose Driven Life Chapter 24 explains how not only are we supposed to read the word daily, but have a goal that relates the word into our daily lives. This really helped fuel me for the week and through this daily intake of the word it allowed me to have a better time adjusting and learning the ropes compared to last week. Monday ended with a time of lesson planning which helped set us up for our lessons during the remainder of the week.

The rest of the week went well! Having a lesson plan really helped our sessions seem more meaningful, the kids seemed to get a lot more out of their time for homework with us and our time telling bible stories to the Kids seemed to keep their interest more. I am excited to see what these upcoming weeks possess with a somewhat more organized structure for them.
There are two girls from Germany, Anieka and Corrie that came on Wednesday with a sister branch of AIM. I had the pleasure of meeting them and they will be staying here at the Greidanus’ with me until Monday night when I leave for Minnie’s house! They will also be working at FHS which is exciting that they will be working with Robert, David and I and truly making an impact for Christ with the kids there.

Thursday evening was one of my most treasured moments from the week. The Brown’s invited all of the Windhoek Missionaries over for a sweet time of encouragement and prayer. It is always very uplifting to have meaningful conversation about life in general and how the Lord is showing himself especially in a place so far away from “home.” I got the opportunity to share about my time of prayer at FHS with a girl named Ndemona. Ndemona is a little girl in my morning group that is sometimes causing trouble, but has a sweet heart and a contagious smile! On Thursday morning she was upset about some boy who was picking on her and was not about to do her homework like she was instructed to do. When nothing else was working the spirit lead me to ask her if she wanted me to pray with her. I asked if she wanted me to and right away she answered “yes!” Even though it was a simple prayer and seemed a little silly to me, the Lord showed me this is the way to show I love the kids. It is also the way to show how Christ loves them and is even listening to their “little” concerns. After praying for her I asked if she wanted a hug. This little girl was not encouraged at all prior to my encounter with her and afterwards was so excited about getting a hug and then starting her homework and the rest of her day in the right manner. Now I am not saying by any means that I am the one that made her, but it is so encouraging when you can feel the Holy Spirit guiding you through something and then see Christ’s outcome. It is the wonderful feeling of knowing there is a purpose behind you being in a certain place at a certain time.

Later on Thursday David, Robert and I went to Joe’s Beerhouse, a very popular restaurant in Windhoek where all the tourist go. We went there the first week of our stay just to look around so now we finally got the chance to eat there! I had a very good Spicy Carrot and Ginger Soup, which was delicious, and a regular “Joe Hamburger” and honestly was not very good, I was so sad that I chose the “safe” choice and was not happy with it, next time I will have to pick the Schnitzel or some other kind of Namibian specialty.

The point of going to Joe’s on Thursday night was to stock up on food because on Friday I was going to my a home in Katutura to stay for the weekend. I was very nervous going on my home stay because I was the only one that was going alone. Robert and David had each other and Anieka and Corrie had eachother. I knew the family would be wonderful and very welcoming, I was not worried about that just more of the language barrier and being alone trying to understand the culture more while making plenty of mistake along the way!

I arrived for my homestay on Friday evening after FHS. I found out on the car ride over that I would be staying with Judy, I met her and her family one of the first days I was in Namibia. That made me feel much more comfortable, it was such an answer to prayer that I knew the family and had been to their home already. When I arrived on Friday night the family was so welcoming, even though I could not understand the parents, Judy translated to me that her father, Joseph, was telling all his neighbors that I may not have the same color skin as him, but I am his daughter. I was so excited with the warm greeting I received from not only the family, but all their neighbors as well. Friday evening I got placed into their typical routine of having bible study with their family and what we in the US would call our extended family as well. Afterwards we watched a popular soap opera called “The Clone” with the family and ate dinner in their sitting room then headed to bed rather early.

I am glad I am such a heavy sleeper due to essentially in this house the rooms are separated by sheets so you can hear everything in the other rooms like the TV on, conversations etc. Saturday morning Judy and I got to visit her “sister” (her dad’s father’s brother’s daughter) and her family who live next to the public shower where Judy and I rinsed off for the day. What an experience walking about half a mile in the dirt to the tiny communal shower. Judy said the government is possibly thinking of funding a project that would give each area of homes its own shower and toilet facilities, but for the time being they walk to use the shower and use the toilet that is just a pile of rocks covered by the tin roofing next to their house. After cleaning ourselves we walked to Judy’s school, Katutura Community College, where she was taking a computer class and had to retake two of her exams in order to get her certificate. She passed the test, so excited the second she got out of the classroom, such an answer to prayer! We later celebrated with some delicious biscuits and Pineapple Fanta! We then went to choir practice, which was supposed to start at 3:00, but Judy and I were eating lunch (rice and ketchup, surprisingly really good!) then so we decided to leave at 3:30, by the time we got to the church at 3:55 the Woman’s lecture that morning was still going on so we decided to stop by a friends house until they were finished, which ended up being around 5:00, great example of operating on the infamous “African Time!” After practice we went home and helped prepare dinner of Pap (famous Namibian dish made of Maize meal and water) and beans with tomatoes, and onions as well as some of the meat we went to the neighbors to purchase called Kapana. My hosts did a great job at being sensitive to my “American” stomach, which I was thankful for! Others in my group were not so lucky!

This morning the house was pretty much awake with the sunrise getting ready for church, ironing, bathing and getting ready for the Sabbath. After the church service, which happened to be the same one I attended last week we relaxed in the house until Rob and everyone else came to pick me up!

The house I stayed in for my homestay was so incredible probably about 15’ x 30’ in total and housing atleast 6 people! It was split up into 5 rooms, 3 bedrooms, a kitchen and sitting area. The pictures do not captivate how this home truly functions and it was such a treat to live in Babylon, the area of Katutura I was in for the weekend. It was interesting to hear what Judy had to say about how no white people ever come into Katutura except to drive through and take pictures so the point that I was there living with the people of Katutura meant a lot to them! Needless to say I got plenty of stares and my first marriage proposal (don’t worry Joe I said no…). This is sadly a strategy that a lot of men use in this area to try and see what the girl’s response is… But overall the weekend was very humbling as well as rewarding. One thing I think I will always remember vividly from this weekend was in the middle of me trying to comprehend what it would be like to live in these conditions for more than a weekend I looked up on the space next to their TV and their was a sign that stated “The Little I have is A Gift From God.” Such powerful words, especially because this family has so, so little, but they are truly believe that anything they have is such a blessing from our maker. So often we say in our minds that we deserve more than we have not realizing that because we are sinners, anything less than Hell is true grace. Praise the Lord for sending his son, Jesus Christ to come and die for our sins so that we can live an eternal life with him!

That sums up most of my weekend, but if you have any specific questions feel free to email them to me, I would love to hear from you! Tlgarber@uncg.edu . Thanks so much everyone for all your prayers I truly felt them this weekend!Some of the Kids outside the house where I stayed
Me stirring the Pap
Everyone helping in the Kitchen
Judy stirring the Pap
Nana and Tata eating dinner
Me and Alex Eating Dinner
Judy and I in her Choir Uniform
The Girls in the bedroom where I stayed
The Family Outside of their home before I left!

Namibia Day 12 & 13

11th and 12th of September

Today started off fairly early to wake up to go to Zeka and Anita’s church this morning. I wanted to try out a traditional African church service during my stay in Windhoek. I have heard rumors that they are a lot longer than traditional western services and can go for up to 4 hours so I mentally prepared myself for this attitude. The service was very neat! Everyone had their own hymnal booklet (they knew all the songs anyway so I don’t think they even needed it ☺ !) There was a lot of singing, dancing and just worshipping which was really neat to see. Robert and I had the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the entire church which was a little nerve racking, but fun and welcoming at the same point. I was so impressed there were infants up to adults sitting in the church and the children were very quiet during the entire service, which you do not see much in America! The sermon was great too translated in English the entire time was very helpful as well! After the service we filed out of the building and continued the receiving line of handshakes. So by the time it was said and done we got to shake everyone’s hands that came into church that day, what a way of welcoming others!
After church we had the opportunity to visit some of Zeka’s relatives that live in Katutura. It is so amazing to see how these people survive on the bare minimum. It really allows me to be so appreciative of everything that the Lord has blessed me with. His family was so welcoming to both Robert and I, embracing us like family!
After lunch David cooked Robert and I spaghetti at the guest house they are staying in, what a treat! We had a lazy after noon talking about our trip so far which was fun. Afterwards Robert and I went back to the Greidanus’ house to hang out in the “internet café” as we like to call it! We also had the opportunity to try Tom Thumbs’ “chips” to simply put it, an amazing delicious greasy mess that later made us have that feeling of “man is this gross, but I can’t stop eating it because its so good!” After a relaxing evening I headed to bed early to get up early (or what now is turning into normal) for FHS. Had a great morning, but still dealing with the complications of communication barriers, what is expected as me as a new “teacher” and trying to learn what is best to show my love of Christ.
After work I had a great opportunity to talk with Robert, David, Tanya and John about lesson planning and learning a better agenda to follow in the upcoming week. I always thought I had a knack for teaching and if design never panned out, I would have something to fall back on… Boy is the Lord humbling me through this process!
A few prayer requests I have are that I will learn how to find my place at FHS and more importantly be used as a tool to really demonstrate Christ in the best way possible. I read James 1:1-8 which has been a great reminder to really be grateful for times of trials because the Lord is using this to ultimately strengthen our walk with him. Another prayer request is that I will do “this missionary thing” well, not only well, but that God will mold me into the person he wants me to be through this trip and that I will affect others in more ways than known. Thanks so much everyone for checking in, it makes me feel more loved than you will ever know!
The Girls at the Outdoor Market
At Zeka and Anita's Church
Delicious French Fries! You can see the grease from the pictures!

Namibia Day 9, 10 &11

8th, 9th and 10th of September
The last couple days have been a whirlwind. I am starting to get accustom to the crazy time I need to wake up in the morning, something I haven’t done in awhile! I am also getting used to what is expected of me at FHS. I see the Lord is teaching me a lot through learning that I sometimes have to be dependent on others. I like to think of myself as a very independent person and I have realized through the course of being here that I have become dependant on a lot of people, the Greidanus’ to house me and help me with my living situation, the taxi drivers to know where they are going, Robert and David to walk with me places after dark. Its been a very humbling experience knowing that I can not always be in control like I would like to be.
Last night I got to go downtown with Robert, David and Tanya, a Jamaican missionary as well that we work with at FHS. It was nice to get out and have a relaxing time at a nice Pizza place in town. I was a little nervous though, getting there early and not knowing where exactly it was, it was dark by this point and it was a great example of how the Lord has shown me to rely on him. At that moment I moment is pray for the Lord to keep me safe. I know I may be over exaggerating, but he is showing me to trust him in everything. Like he says in his word he kept me out of harms way and David and Robert showed up and we were all finding our way together.
Today I got the opportunity to catch up on some emails and really sit down with the word and some coffee. It is nice not having the hectic-ness of life in the west. That has been another thing the Lord has been teaching me, learn to enjoy my time with him and do not rush through it. After that I got to go downtown and meet up with our Rehoboth friends, Hannah and Sarah and the woman they are staying with, Heidi! It was such a treat to see them and swap stories with eachother.
Tonight I am going to attempt to make dinner on my own for my first time since I have been here (we will see how this goes!) and catch up on some reading before heading off to church in the am with Zeka, Anita (my new Namibian friends!) I will get to experience their church tomorrow starting at 8:45 and ending at 12 in the Oshiwamgo language, should be a treat!
Please just continue to keep me in your prayers with getting adjusted to this new lifestyle its still very hard for me and I want to know how I should proclaim the Lord’s glory without trying to convert people into my way of comfortability. Thanks so much for all of your support and prayers, you have no idea how much I appreciate them!The guys deciding I need to take more pictures for my blog haha!
Everyone at Dinner!
This Picture is for Michelle Chewens, but a favorite here in Windhoek, wish we had this at home!

Shopping on Independence downtown

Namibia Day 8

7th of September
This morning I got to wake up bright and early to head over to FHS at 7:00. It is amazing how excited these kids are to come to FHS everyday. Abigail, the woman in charge of the program was telling us that the kids go to the school and sit outside starting at 6:00 so that they will not miss a minute of school. It was a little chaotic as I assumed it would be on the first day. Its really neat because the program has different sections for different students. They have a program that gears towards children that can not be in school due to lack of a birth certificate, expenses etc. They also have an enrichment program for children to come to after their school and get extra help and tutoring in their subjects.
It was so encouraging to see the workers of FHS really love the children a lot of the teachers there teach 3 grades within one group of children. I found this so difficult and would not know how they do it, but they have a set pattern down that allows each child to be challenged within their own abilities. What is also really neat about FHS is that they have a food program that gives kids the opportunity to have a well balanced meal as well as a nutritional snack and powder drink through their program. This is very encouraging to see that these kids come early in the morning to get their educational, nutritional and spiritual fulfillment.
While I was there this morning I was very challenged by the question is why do I not have this same excitement or energy in the morning? Every morning God has blessed me with another day to live and if anyone knows me, they know how unfortunately in the morning, praising God is not the first thing on my list to do. I want to daily seek my spiritual fulfillment with the Lord like I would with nutritional or any type of fun fulfillment in the morning.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at Mugg & Bean and grocery shopping in the mall with Robert and David. I am finally getting used to this taxi business! I will finally see tomorrow if I am really a pro yet because I am off to work by the way of taxi tomorrow morning wish me luck! The later of the evening was spent with Alisa, Paloma, Rachel, Ronia and Mohab enjoying Ronia’s amazing Egyptian mac and cheese meal. I am praying for high energy and seeking the Lord for it tomorrow. Good night everyone!

This is FHS’ website, very encouraging what people are doing to really display the Love of the Lord fully! http://familyofhopeservices.org/

Namibia Days 6 & 7

5th and 6th of September

Yesterday morning was great! I got to sleep in which was really nice and have a nice relaxing morning just reading devotions and having coffee, which is always such a pleasure! I finally headed upstairs to the Greidanus’ house and met up with David and Robert there. We decided we wanted to explore Windhoek a little further so we got a taxi and went down town to the Wernhill Mall. I bought a great new pen for journaling (I know still a nerdy IARC major at heart!) and a map to see where things were in Windhoek because for some reason I am always so turned around here! After walking around we discovered a new place to get wi-fi! Mugg & Bean coffee! Which apparently started in San Fransisco? Never heard of it before, but boy were we excited! We headed back to the Greidanus’ and got ready for our busy day on Tuesday. Today, we got up early and headed to Vintage which is also a new coffee shop to us. It was so nice! I was really excited to see a coffee shop this nice, that had internet access! Our meeting was really informative telling us things to expect while at FHS and the system that they run by. After the meeting Rob and Mohab picked us up for us to go back to the Greidanus’ were Raina cooked us an amazing recipe that is very common in Egypt, where her and Mohab are from. Now off to bed so I can get some sleep before my first day tomorrow at FHS!

Mugg & Bean in the Mall!
At Vintage
I told you, still an IARC major at heart!

Namibia Day 5

4th of September 2011

This morning we got to wake up an hour early considering we set our clocks forward for the spring. That was a little rough just between the busy week, jet lag and late night last night watching a movie and reading etc. but it was well worth it! New Song Family Church is terrific! A perfect mix of western style worship, but in Namibia, with people from all over who all have a heart for Namibia.
We learned today about how our eyes should be focused on God, and not too much on Grace or too much on holy standard, because than we have tainted view of who God really is. Just focus on your relationship with him and your heart will be convicted to try and hold a holy standard, but you will have a reminder on how much God loves us and will seek grace in that as well. Us as Christians are the most free people because when we do fall short of perfection we can connect directly with Christ with repentance of that mistake and be immediately forgiven. I do want to challenge myself and others to not take that for granted, but be extremely appreciative of his love for us.
After Church we came back to the Greidanus’ house to fellowship with everyone before saying our goodbyes for now. Everyone parted to their different ways: David and Robert to their apartment in Katutura, Hannah and Sarah to Rehoboth, and Mohab and Rania will be staying until Thursday and then parting to the northern part of the country as well.
Today was a little emotional for me trying to figure out where the Lord wants me right now to be living, saying goodbyes, busyness of the week, realizing I will be in Namibia for awhile without seeing any family. I want to make sure I am doing the Lord’s will, but do not know where that is or what that looks like at the moment. If you could please pray for me that I would figure that out I would be greatly appreciative. Thank you!

Namibia Day 3

Friday 2nd of September

Today I woke up at the correct time, which I was excited about and went into Mentoring training. Through this very informative time I felt extremely grateful for the relationship I had with Leah and Campus Outreach during my time in college. I knew about mentoring and discipleship before, but it really convicted me on how I always want to mentoring/discipling and being discipled myself. After that talk we had the privilege of hearing Pelgrina’s (a friend of the Greidanus’) story. It is extremely encouraging how much she continues loves the Lord through the hardships of losing two children, a husband and being diagnosed with HIV. We then learned a lot of information about HIV and the horror on how prevalent it is here in Namibia.
This afternoon we had the opportunity to go around town with Zeka and Anita (a couple who Rob and Alisa have been mentoring). They showed us the university where they attend (NETS Namibian Evangelistic Theological Seminary). We also stopped by the clinic where people go if they want to be tested for HIV. Sadly, many people do not choose to go to this clinic even though it is free because of the stigma that accompanies the procedure.
After seeing the clinic we were taken to the part of town where Robert, David and I will be working in Katatura. It was an incredible experience. I was shocked at how little people had to get by with. We had the opportunity to walk into one of Zeka’s cousin’s house. It was made of tin or what they call zinc houses. Zeka told us that 15 people lived in this house that was probably 15’ x 30’ in size. Coming to this part of town made you really feel the ways of life that Africa is known to hold. This really made you realize how much we really have to be grateful for and what our purpose really was to be in Africa, sharing the gospel through both love and compassion.
After our tour around some of some of town we met Rob at Joe’s beerhouse in downtown Windhoek. What a contrast coming from one of the poorest sections of the city to the most tourist friendly attraction I had seen yet. Being in this beerhouse was very similar to setting foot in any rainforest café or any other Disney themed restaurant. It had a river through the outdoor stoned pathways. Half of the restaurant was outside and only holding small areas with a covering overhead. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures, but can’t wait to go back and get some.
After meeting up we went to Steve and Pam Brown’s house (other medical missionaries through AIM). The Browns were so hospitable and a great taste of home being Pam had an adorable southern accent being from Texas and they lived about 8 years in Millville, PA, which was another great taste of home. After chatting with them for little while and enjoying some amazing meatloaf and scalloped potatoes recipe we left to head back for the Greidanus’ house for a great night of sleep.
Our normal places during orientation
Beef on the side of the Road in Katutura
Us with the women selling the beef


A Little Reluctant to Try Anything...


Katutura
Dinner at the Brown's

Namibia Day 4

Saturday 3rd September

Today started bright and early with Alisa making us an amazing hot breakfast and we dug right into the results of the “Ministering Cross Cultural” Quiz. We learned a lot about our western mentality and how much the culture is different here in Namibia and we have to be open to change our point of view and be flexible with each circumstance.
Next we went to the mall to exchange money, take out some money in the ATM as well as buy a Sim card for our cell phones we will be using here. The mall was great, very western and surely felt like a little taste of home. After the mall we got to see where the president of Namibia resides as well as some of the memorials in downtown with Rob’s friend, Naf, as our tour guide.
We than came back to the Gredinaus’ and learned a lot about the Namibian culture and the mindset a lot of people have in this country because of apartheid and such. Naf was sharing a lot of his story and how his family had been kicked out of his home. Many hurtful things were said to him growing up about his tribe and the color of his skin, which made him hateful of white men for many years even though he was a believer. It was not until a missionary from Australia came in the 1990’s that helped change Naf’s mindset towards white people. The moral of his story is that people may not seem on the outside that you are affecting them, but through your actions of love like Jesus you are showing them more than you’ll ever know. As the Lord instructs us we are to be planting seeds everywhere we go and in everything we do.
After a great lunch of local meat and mac and cheese, we set out for a detailed tour of Namibia from Naf. It was lots of fun going back into Katutura for the second time fully understanding the story of why these people are here. After that we came back to the Gredinaus’ house for a movie and snacks. I got my cell phone tonight, which I still don’t fully understand how to use, but I am learning and then off to bed!


At the Mall
Some of us Hanging Out


Lutheran ChurchPresident's Home


New Cemetery Old CemeteryA Family filling up water in KatuturaKatutura