Lessons in Love

A verse that has encouraged me this week:

“We remember…Your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” -1 Thessalonians 1:3

It is a good reminder to me of what my attitude should be as I’m serving here. Work, labor, and endurance--all produced, prompted, and inspired by FAITH, HOPE, & LOVE. And the greatest of these is love (1 Cor 13). Which is usually not a problem for me…I love love. But consider this verse:
“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” -Matthew 5:46-47

I long to love the unlovable. God doesn’t say, I will reward you for loving your best friend or bless you because you took care of your sister. Even non-believers do that! How does loving my friends and family show others Christ IN ME? It is easy to love those who love us back, who make us laugh, who treat us with respect, and who make us happy. But what do I do when it comes to loving someone who approaches me on the street, says “Give me your food,” and then walks away without even being grateful? I’m used to loving people who thank me, hug me, or who give back in return. Which makes my motives pretty apparent! “It is more blessed to give than to receive“ (Acts 20:35). Sounds good in theory, but when I’m faced with the choice of giving over receiving every single day here, it makes it tiring. I think about Mother Theresa often--don’t laugh, I know it’s cliché--and for the first time (even though I did a 20-page research paper on her in twelfth grade) I wish I could meet her and ask her about her life spent serving the poor, the sick, the dirty, and the people who, by the world’s standards, are unlovable. After all that research, I don’t even have a deep, though-provoking quote from her that I can throw at you…but Scripture sums it up well:

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7

It is so easy to be held back by a person’s appearance--either because they look intimidating, because they smell, because they seem confused or incoherent, or because they’re carrying a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag…All characteristics that most people would avoid and advise others to avoid, as well. But Christ looks past that--His own life is a living testimony to loving the unlovable. Tax collectors, prostitutes, the poor, the lame, the diseased, and so many more. He saw their heart, He saw who they were created to be, and He saw that despite the rough exterior, despite the veneer that had been polished by years of abuse, neglect, bad choices, and insults, they were still a child of God. I want to look at the people in Rehoboth not as who they appear to be but as who they were meant to be--who God created them to be. Each with a significant and incredible purpose to serve with the life they’ve been given. And when I think about walking around and talking with these people, about sharing with them about Christ and His plan for their life (Jeremiah 29:11--14), I am cautioned by this verse in James, chapter 2:

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (15-17).

It is good to share with them, to tell them about God’s love, but I also need to be a living example of God--I need to show others Christ IN ME. While Jesus was on earth, He provided for needs: clothed the naked, fed the hungry, healed the sick--He LOVED with both actions and words. So I need to do the same.

Prayer Requests:
*That I could continue to try to live as Jesus did…And that I would be striving to satisfy the One who sent me--not myself!

*For opportunities to talk with people as I walk to and from work each day…and that I would recognize them when they appear!

*Me, Lulu, and Stephen are hoping to start a Bible Study with our HS Youth Group at church--pray that we could figure out a time, place, and what to study--and that the youth would be excited to get involved

Praises:
*The Youth Group leader, Jerome, came back last night! We thought for the first few weeks that there was no leader, so it was a great surprise to meet him.

*A Peace Corp. volunteer, Beth, stopped in at the YC and asked if she could help us in our work there. She’s been in Rehoboth for about a year and a half already, so we’re excited for both the extra set of hands and also the knowledge of the town that she can bring.

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. I miss home but in the sense of, oh it will be good when the time comes to go home, but right now, I am content to be where I’m at. I know a lot of that peace comes from prayer and God’s hand--so thank you for being a part of that.

Love,
Brittany

Fat Cook

Little Damas...We painted faces our first day! Her eyes captivate my heart.

Some of the kids at the preschool during morning play-time...We took about 6 pictures but it's impossible to get them all looking the same direction and smiling, all at the same time!

Charlie Chicken (as I call him because he looks like a chicken when he sits up) and Suka...Already grown up so much but still so cute!

Lulu and her massive meat meal of zebra, Kudu, ostrich, alligator, and more...She loves meat.

Our "goodbye Amanda and Mollybea!"dinner out at Joe's in Windhoek last weekend.

I love the bread in Rehoboth. Almost weekly, I get a piece (or two) of Braii bread, which is a specialty here and is basically a thick fluffy, flaky lump of bread grilled over open flame/coals and loaded up with butter and jam. Delicious. Then, Lenie made this sweet, dessert type bread for dinner once. And THEN, Thursday, she made what’s called “Fat Cook”--you know it’s good based on the name alone. It’s balls of dough deep-fried in oil. I added a final ingredient by pulling the oil-oozing bread apart and dipping the inside in sugar. Like a donut at the State Fair! Mmmm. When the meat looks suspicious, I just get a double-order of bread! Good thing I’m walking 1-2 hours to work everyday.

Me, Lulu, and Stephen went to the preschool again on Thursday and the weather stayed cool all morning, which made running around with 20 kids a lot easier. We have been put in charge both days we’ve gone, so you can imagine the time we’ve had trying to teach a roomful of children ages 2--5 lessons, games, and songs in English (when they most definitely do not speak that language). They ARE really good at repeating us, though, but sometimes I forget that they can’t tell when I’m finished with a “repeat” section, so I get a chorus of little voices saying things like, “Ok, does that make sense?” or “and now listen to the next part,” etc. It’s frustrating but funny, too. I’ve created a wish-list of things I would love to do with these children while I’m here, and the one I think would be the most fun is TYE-DYE! I can’t even imagine their faces to see a bright, white T-shirt dunked into a rainbow of pretty colors and then get unfurled to reveal a different pattern for each child. I still think it’s a bit magical…So I would love to share that with them (: Other ideas include decorating sugar cookies, making a candy-filled piñata, and perhaps building a giant playground right next to the school that they could explore for hours and still discover something new each day.

We began painting at the Center and one room is now half Pepto-Bismo pink with one wall a mottled attempt at a cream-color. We’re going to have to do a second coat, I think… The color choices available were very limited (which surprised me based on the extreme variety of colors found on the houses in town!) so we’re doing the best we can. The walls may be in need of a few flowers, butterflies, and polka-dots to liven them up once we’re done.

Yesterday during my devotions, I was struck by what Jesus says in John 5:30, “I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.” I’ve been thinking about my purpose on this trip and how sometimes when I’m frustrated or bored, I’ll think, “Oh, I should just buy myself a treat,” or “I wish could watch a good movie” and then I will feel better. My focus is so inward and I’m constantly trying to figure out a way to be happier or to make myself feel better…But what should my purpose be on this trip? Jesus lived on earth for just a short time, but his purpose that entire time was to please the One who sent him…not himself. If I’ve been sent to Rehoboth by God, and if I desire to live like Jesus lived, then my goal here should be to please Him who sent me. Not myself, with ice-cream bars, movies, music, or whatever else I can dream up. To be honest, sometimes I walk down the aisles in the grocery store and just imagine how delicious this or that would be and how I can’t wait to come back and buy it…and that’s my source of entertainment for an afternoon! Wow. Can you imagine having so much free-time on your hands (something I felt I never had at home) that a trip to a 7-aisle grocery store is exciting? I want to use the gift of time God has given me for a bigger purpose than my personal satisfaction. Which led me to the question of what true satisfaction is. I made a list of “What Satisfies Me?” It included things like: the beach, nature, hugs, baby animals, my family, wearing great shoes, and bread. I filled a whole page, but it wasn’t until the near the bottom that “praying” flashed across my mind, and I wrote it down. I was shocked! It honestly took me that long to come up with something that wasn’t centered on myself and my desires. Next, I made a big list of “What Satisfies God?” This was so interesting for me to do…to think of specific scripture and realize that what is written there is something that satisfies GOD! Like: patience, goodness, self-control, ME!, purity, a guarded mouth, slow anger, taking care of orphans and widows, faith with action, and discipline. I looked at both lists and it really pointed out with stark clarity how self-centered my satisfaction is and how love-centered God’s is. Jesus says again later: “The One who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.” (John 8:29). I can be sure of God’s constant presence as I try to please Him with my life and actions, words and thoughts.

“He must become greater; I must become less.”
--John the Baptist in John 3:30

Prayer Requests:
*That I would see clearly the things in my life that I need to give up or fast in order that I would not be pleasing myself but making myself and my desires less and God’s more!

*For community involvement with the Youth Center…we’ve had a few encouraging moments but nothing too solid yet. It’s hard because we do feel a bit like the Americans who have come in and are cleaning this place up all by ourselves and it will have no lasting meaning for the people of Rehoboth. It’s for their youth though, and therefore we need people to step up who are going to be passionately involved in the center, it’s continued well-being and the programs that could happen there that will have a HUGE impact on the youth! The kids are all so excited, but we need some leadership from the adults!

*For contentment in the quiet, still, and slow moments.

Have a LOVE-filled Valentine’s Day my dear friends and family! We’re having a party with the Worship team tonight and then a Reho team-party, as well. Which means lots of sweets, good food, and laughter…What a beautiful way to live the day of love (:

Ek is Lief vir you (I love you!)

A Pub in the Youth Center

A quick one, I promise...Especially because I only have 14 minutes left on my internet time! Today, my team went to help at a preschool in Block E, which is a poorer part of town. We went last week for the first time with Amanda and Molly Bea before they left, and now it's just us and two other women who run the one-room school. There are about 12-16 kids going now but it can get up to 30. They are dear and so happy to hug and play with us. They don't speak English OR Afrikaans, so it's really stretching my language ability. I'll throw out a few Afrikaans phrases, thinking maaaaybe they'll understand me, but really, it's the same as if I spoke English. Neither works very well (: But at their ages, all you really need to communicate is a big smile, laughter, a soccer ball, and music. I'll bring my guitar Thursday (we're working at the preschool T/Th and the Youth Center M/W/F) and see how that goes...It's interesting teaching them new songs. They do love to sing and dance though!

Yesterday, as we weeded out front of the YC in the blazing sun, a man pulled up in his car and said, "I brought you cool drinks (soda/pop)...how many of you are there?" It was SUCH a blessing because one--we were so thirsty, but two--it was the first time someone approached us with the sole purpose of gifting us with something and not asking anything in return. It was an amazing feeling. He mentioned he would be going up north to do some mission work, as well, and then drove off. Such a simple encounter and yet very rare to find here. His name is Lyn, if you want to say a prayer of thanks for his kindness.

I was talking to our neighbor, Jood, yesterday and he asked what all would be in the Youth Center. I mentioned there might be a room for people who struggled with alcohol...but I must not have been too clear because he said, "Like a pub?" And me, not quite hearing him said, "Yah!" and went on talking until my mind clicked and I was like, "NO! Not a pub!" haha and then I laughed lots and explained I meant like an AA type meeting place. Whew...Can you imagine a pub in the youth center? Not good for business.

Tomorrow, we start painting! We've filled cracks and holes with putty and now are ready to get those walls looking snazzy. We had limited options for paint colors, but we're hoping to spice it up by painting flowers, animals, etc, on the walls after we're done. Maybe some Bible verses. Wow--it's raining so hard out right now and I have to walk home somehow...I'll definately get cooled off.

Well, my time is up for now. Have a blessed week!
love,Brittany

"What do you call those girls who dance in the parades?"

My dinner.

Stephen, me, and Lulu at Athletics--it was HOT!

Athletics on Saturday.

The giraffes on our "farm safari!

Some of the school kids...need to give me a break right now with all the names I'm learning! (:

Playing with the kids outside the youth center at lunch.

Christy and Paloma during orientation in Windhoek.

This is the question Karl-Hines asked me as we cleaned Tuesday morning at the Center. “There are girls who do Rifles, Flags, or maybe you’re thinking of the Rockettes?” I asked, demonstrating a high kick. He seemed satisfied and said, “Yes--that. You’re going to do that when we have our parade to open the Youth Center. And I will do Flags.” He then began twirling the broken broomstick he was holding. He explained that we will get some kind of marching band to come and walk through the streets of Rehoboth to announce the grand opening…And I apparently will be the one-woman Rockette. I am constantly laughing--or scolding him because sometimes he makes noise just for the sake of being loud--as we work together. He also asked me to bring my guitar along this week so we could practice. “Practice what?” I asked. “We can sing a duet for church this Sunday. Well, I’ll just sing, and you can play your guitar,” he responded. “What song are we doing?” I ask. “An opera.” I then explained that I am not quite skilled enough that I can come up with an accompaniment on my guitar for an opera in just two days. He is not convinced.

Saturday, me, Steve, and Lulu went to “Athletics” which is basically track and field here. It’s a pretty big deal because they continue to have these competitions until a national team is selected to compete against other athletes from different countries in Africa. It was very similar to a US high school track meet except that the track was dirt and many of the kids ran in socks or just barefoot and without any specific uniform. One guy even ran in a Polo-T with the collar popped…

I have been gone from home for a month now and in Rehoboth for almost 3 full weeks! We celebrate a lot of little anniversaries each week…Keeps it exciting (: This weekend we will be returning to Windhoek to buy some supplies for the Center and also some much needed items that can’t be found in Reho--like granola bars! Those are a necessity. Also, two of the girls on our Reho team are heading home, so we’ll be going out to dinner to say goodbye. And speaking of dinner--a man stopped by Lenie’s house Sunday night with a truck full of sheep. I said, “Hey Lenie! Are you going to get a pet sheep?” Just joking--until she pointed behind her, and there was a little lamb tied up to the clothesline pole. I was so excited until she explained he would not be a pet but rather, our dinner. Then I started to cry. I wanted to go and cover his little ears as we stood there talking about slaughtering him and cooking him up for dinner. I had to go inside and turn my iPod on full blast so that I wouldn’t hear anything. Luckily, we had chicken for lunch today…I don’t know how I’ll react when a little lamby shows up on my plate.

People like loud sound here, whether it’s the radio or the TV, and most mornings I wake up to some of the best 90s music I can think of…Celine Dion, Boyz II Men, Prince, and much more. The songs jump from country, to a love ballad, to gospel, to an Afrikaans song, and so on. You never know what you’ll hear--but hearing it at 7am makes it that much better. It reminds me of listening to Casey Casum’s Top 20 in my basement when I was little and taping parts of it with a cassette so I could play it on my Walkman later. I love it! We had a surprise birthday party for one of the women on our team on Friday (we got to eat pizza and cupcakes AND M’n’Ms…So good!) and when they started playing Whitney Houston’s greatest hits, everyone was humming/singing along. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It doesn’t get much better than a campfire, Whitney Houston in the background, and a beautiful sky full of stars.

This morning I got to sing/play “Living Water” at church, and it was really cool to think I’m in Africa sharing a song that I’ve loved since I was a camper years ago. They sing a lot of the same worship songs at our church (the Evangelical Sending Church), but they hadn’t heard this one, and it was calming for me to hear the familiar words and tune filling the sanctuary. Me, Lulu, and Steve are starting to pick up on more of the Afrikaans worship songs, and we’ve been very blessed to each have a translator at the service so that we can understand the message. One of my biggest problems initially was that I never could tell when they started praying, so I would be standing there, hands folded, head bowed, eyes closed until someone would nudge me to let me know that we hadn’t actually started yet. Everyone else is just standing there eyes wide open looking around. Now I wait until I see everyone bow their heads and then I go ahead and follow suit. “Amen” sounds the same in Afrikaans, so at least I know when to stop!

Amanda’s host dad Eugen (pronounced Oigen) took a few of us on a farm safari earlier this week. We rode through the countryside in the back of his truck before pulling off at a beautiful farm--not like farms in the US with fields of corn and wheat, although they did have cows. On our adventure, we saw springbuck, huge nests with tons of birds, giraffe (my favorite! How cool to have giraffes in your backyard?), Kudu, and a few more antelope-type animals I can’t remember. We did see one ribcage stripped clean, which made me hopeful there was a carnivore of some sort living out there--a lion?--but we had no sightings of any. The rains descended while we were out there but didn’t actually rain on us (until the drive home). So all around us the skies were dark and the wind whistled through the pipe fencing--it was eerie and beautiful. I felt a bit like I had entered Jurassic Park.

I’ve been listening to Podcasts by Peter Haas (Substance Church in Minneapolis) this week and learning about obedience, self-control, and the discipline required to live a “champion” lifestyle for God. One key idea that stuck out to me is that, “Delayed obedience is disobedience.” In a simple way, this applies when my alarm goes off at a too-early hour and I think, “I’ll just snooze it a few more times…” Instead of getting up right away, not because I feel like it but because I have decided that that is when I’m going to spend time with God. It is a lot about overriding your emotions and living by discipline. And discipline is generally built and sustained by hard work, practice, and pushing through the tough times. Like running cross-country or finishing a huge project…it takes a lot of little acts of obedience and hard work to be ready for the big test that will undoubtedly come. I want each day I spend here to reflect discipline and obedience to God--so that when a “big test” comes along, I am prepared. I want to be living a lifestyle that has prepared me for battle--spiritual, emotional, or physical.

Prayer requests:
*We are going to start painting next week at the Center--pray for volunteers to come so that it can be done quickly and efficiently!

*Amanda, Molly Bea, and Paul are all heading home this weekend--pray for safe travels and peaceful hearts as they readjust to life in the US and the UK

*Children have started stopping by the YC as they walk home after school (around noon)--would you pray that we can brainstorm games, stories, songs and other activities that can be done in our “ball field” out front that allow them to have FUN but also to learn more about God’s truth and love

Thanks everyone for your continued support and prayers!
Can you believe it’s February?