Jesus, You're a Donkey

(written Monday, January 19)

Well, we are moved in to Rehoboth and if I thought it was hot in Windhoek, I was wrong. Even the locals here think it is unusually warm--which means for a girl from Minnesota and minus 20 degree days, it is sizzling! I woke up this morning and my first thought was, “Uh--I am hot again!” and then laughed as I realized I am in AFRICA…It is going to be hot EVERY day. But it is dry heat at least, and when it rains (which it has done every night we’ve been here), it is absolutely wonderful! The first night I was so sticky, and when I heard thunder and felt the rain start to splash down on us in the sand-yard, I was so happy because it reminded me of warm summer evenings with storms and good books. Speaking of which, I recently finished a book called “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan and highly recommend it.

Rehoboth is very different from what I imagined. In my mind, it was a tiny town with one main street that was lined with houses. I figured I would be able to see across the whole town from any one position, and when a girl who has been here since September said she goes running and just stays on the main road--I pictured her running up and down and up and down this one short little street many times. NOT the case! It is not as big or fancy as Windhoek, but it is beautiful to me--and much bigger than I’d thought. The houses are all brightly colored with yellow, tangerine, lilac, celery, cerulean blue, mustard, lime, rust-red, teal, light-to-bright pink, and my personal favorite (since I’m living in it) a pretty&bright shade of mauve-purple. Many streets are sandy/dirt, and fences ranging from tangled chicken wire to grand fortress walls surround each house. The woman I’m living with, Lenie, has lived here for almost 26 years and our neighbors are her son, John, and daughter, Leatitia (who Lulu is living with). The three houses share a sand-yard (a big open space with lots of very soft brown sand but not much grass), which is nice because it becomes a meeting place for children and animals--two of my favorite things! Leatitia has two beautiful girls, Kevanni and Hayley, and when we play we are joined by Marthanae, Siko, Okie, Elario, and Taylon (friends and cousins) as well as Suka, Charlie, Jack, and Pimsy (dogs), and Mia and her three newborn kittens. Suka and Charlie are puppies, and it is such a blessing to have them, one because they are so cute and two, because they let me hug and hold them and they don’t care what I say or do, they just love me for loving them.

The older children speak some English and so they are helping to teach us some Afrikaans words--my favorite phrase is “thank you very much”--which sounds like you are saying “buy a donkey.” Even better was when we were praying after worship team practice (yes, all three of us are a part of the choir at church--we began Sunday and tried as hard as we could to sing along in Afrikaans) and the guy next to me said, “Yes Jesus, you’re a donkey…” Or at least that is what my English-speaking ears heard (: It really means: “Lord, Thank you.” I have a lot to learn, but it is so fun to finally be able to put small phrases together and say something correctly and have someone actually respond!

We had our first day of work today. Pastor Anthony picked us up and we went to finally see the Youth Center we’ve all been thinking about for the past so many months. It is HUGE! It’s like a mini-strip mall. A long corridor with about 8-9 large rooms, a small kitchen, and bathrooms. Some rooms were in better shape than others as far as broken windows, falling ceilings, and ripped up tiling on the floor but ALL had a thick cloud of dust settled across them--which our small team of 7 helped to clean up both by sweeping and also by inhaling massive amounts of it as it billowed around us en-route to the trash bag. We will have dust-masks for tomorrow…and gloves. We will be cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning for the next few weeks and hopefully eventually painting (bright colors, of course!), furnishing, and so on. I’m still not completely sure what the game plan is, but that is sort of how it goes with this project. We will see.
I do miss home at times but for the most part, I am enjoying these new experiences and living amidst the Baster people of Rehoboth. I am so grateful for my host family (s) and how kind they have been, as well as for the delicious meals they cook us, the time they take to explain things to us, and the way they’ve included us in their family. Praise God He provided a home for us, not just a house!

The biggest thought on my heart this week so far is the idea of dying to myself so that Christ can live in me. It’s an idea I’ve heard many times before, but it really sank in with me this weekend…The idea that if I find it hard to be patient while I’m here, or to love or to forgive or to understand--it does not matter. Because it shouldn’t be me doing those things anyway. If I hug a child or smile at a stranger on the street, it is really Jesus doing it through me. Which is good because that person doesn’t need my hugs or smiles or love. That would accomplish only temporary satisfaction. What they need is an eternal peace that surpasses ALL understanding, regardless of culture, race, or history. Eternal love, eternal joy, eternal salvation. And I cannot give any of those. What I can do is wake up each morning willing to set myself aside so that God can use my hands and my feet to do the work He has planned and put before me…What a crazy thought that the Creator of the Universe would take the time to devise a plan for my life and then continue to use me even when I mess up, give up, or fail to live up to His commands. My mind is still processing, and I’m not thinking very coherently yet, so I will say goodnight--Quia Nand--for now (disclaimer: I spell names and new words phonetically…I make no promises about accuracy (: ).

Prayer requests:
*building relationships in Rehoboth
*the youth center and the dirty work ahead (:
*that I would make new discoveries about God and find my encouragement in Him

Baie Dankie, I love you.