First Class to London, Please

I am in Namibia! I warn you--this could get long, so grab a cup of tea (people drink it here all the time, despite 90 degree temps!) and settle in. We have a lot of catching up to do.

First off--travelling went smoothly and all our luggage and supply boxes got through safely. The BEST part of the travelling was our surprise gift while flying from New York to London. All three of us (me, Lulu, and Stephen) had our tickets beep red at us when we were boarding, which of course made us nervous as the woman went over to check something in the computer. She came back, said have a nice flight, and sent us on our way. So we thought everything must be fine. We get on the plane and can't find our seats...So we ask a flight attendant. She looks at our tickets and then leads us toward the front of the plane--away from the little bitty seats in coach (don't worry--we DO experience those on our 11 hr flight to Jo'Berg) and toward the Club World seats! I said "This isn't my seat," to which she replies, "You've been upgraded. Have a seat." So let me explain: I had my own private cubicle with a chair that reclines into a bed, a mini TV, a three course meal (Dad--the salad had roasted asparagus, which was delicious! And the dessert--my favorite part--was lemon cheesecake with a berry compote sauce), free champagne (I didn't have any--but I enjoyed the fact that it was free (: ), a big pillow and blanket, and a window view of landing in London! We found out later that to fly Club World, you have to pay an additional $1700 approx....Whoa. Earlier that day, Rae had been talking to me about how we have a generous God...I thought this was a very tangible way of him to show his generosity to our team!

So we arrived in London--jumped on the tube and saw: the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament buildings, Westminster Abbey (Linds--is this where the Beatles crossed the road? I was so confused.), Buckingham Palace and a change of the Queen's guard, and Piccadilly Circus. We were going on minimal sleep but still enjoyed our chilly exploration!

Ok--after all this, some crying babies, a bit of nauseau, no sleep in 48 hrs, lots of airline food, and a whole lot of security checks--we arrived in Windhoek, Namibia! It is hot, sunny, and dry here--I'm hoping the expected rains make an appearance soon. We're staying with a wonderful, wonderful host family with a houseful of children. I love the time spent eating outside in the shade, walking past the laundry as it soaks in the sunshine, hearing the children's laughter and singing as they dance around the house, and slowly feeling myself adjust to this new world. We've had orientation all this week, and through that I've met a couple from the UK and the Netherlands, as well as the States and some Namibians who've helped teach us about their culture and country. It's been great to meet all these people, and I'm really excited to move to Rehoboth this Friday to begin our work there and continue meeting more people.

I bought a guitar today. She is small and a pretty blue color. It felt good to play again and do something so familiar to me, even though I'm far away from home. I brought out the classic camp songs like "Frip Frop" and "I Lke to Chew my Gum with God"--always a hit with children, right counselors? We love them, too (: I'm brainstorming a name for this new addition to my life...My guitar at home is Agammemnon (Aggie), so if anyone has any suggestions...Feel free.

Well, I realize this is a lot of fact and not much feeling yet, but I imagine your tea is cooling, and I have to get to bed since flying 8hours into the future can make one tired.

Prayer requests:
*our move to Rehoboth on Friday and meeting our host families and the community
*continuing to unite our team,as well as the other missionaries we will meet in Rehoboth
*focus on the Lord--it's been so busy--I want to put my focus back on Him


"If I had to be changed by anyone--it would have to be the Creator of the Universe..."
-Shelley Clark

I do desire to change and grow, and she makes a good point. Why not God? Why not allow the same hand that created each country, climate, culture, and people group to create a new me? Change my heart, Lord, change my eyes from focusing on this 5 month trip to focusing on an eternal Kingdom where you invite us ALL to come, and change my attitude, that I could better love, serve, sacrifice, trust, and be changed. Amen.