by Grace...

Thank You

2009-07-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

The library that smells like camp and memories in Pearl River. I love this room.

Me and Mick (my boss/advisor/friend/contact/and supplier of really great jokes...)

I had to dance and sing with Christy and Paloma one more time (:

Playing Rugby...Stephen got smoked.

Talon and Ilario in their matching robes--the girls had lilac terry cloth ones....So cute!

Nicky took this one of Hayley at our daycamp at the Youth Center...what a beautiful little child.

Me and the girls before I left.

Some of the girls in our Youth Group at ESK church.

Me, Larissa, and Elreda during our girl's night (Stephen was the lucky photographer for our impromptu photo shoot)...They brought me more joy than I can say.

The men all dressed up for the Mother's Day service at church. Jerome (far right) is the Youth Director.

Well, I realize it's been about a month since I got home and just as long since my last post...for which I apologize. It was--as expected--crazy to arrive home and begin the fun journey of visiting friends, family, and favorite places. I was able to spend a week in Minneapolis apartment hunting and spending wonderful time with friends and then go up to Camp Vermilion for a week and a half to help out and spend time in the place that I probably missed the most while I was in Namibia. Both trips were great, and now I am preparing to move to the cities next week so that I'm ready to begin my job at Target on July 13. I will post more thorough accounts of my final weeks in Rehoboth once I'm moved but for now, I just wanted to say THANK YOU so so very much to all of you who have read my blog, prayed for me, supported me financially, supported me emotionally, asked me questions, looked at pictures, sent me notes, and loved me through it all! It was one of the most incredible, life-changing experiences of my 23 years, and I am humbled and grateful that God allowed me to go through it. As I said, I will write more and also plan to continue this blog with my new "adult" life and whatever adventures that brings my way--so keep visiting if you'd like to read my thoughts on life back in good old Minnesota (:

I posted some pictures from my final days in Namibia and will also put up bigger albums on Facebook if you want to see more! Let's be FB friends.
Thank you again! I love and appreciate you!

Brittany

Packing List

2009-05-12T02:26:00.000-07:00

I've been packing these past few days and am so surprised at how easily everything is fitting and cleaning up...my room is bare, my hangers are empty, and the drawers are ready for the next guest. It's weird how smoothly the packing for home has gone and yet I feel like even though all my clothes and souvenirs are fitting, so many things are being left behind that aren't really packable. I've been trying to take pictures of everything that is sigificant to me in this town, but that's not really possible. And it's sad to think that if I don't take a picture of this small detail that I love, I will probably forget it within a few weeks and then that moment or memory will just disappear because certainly no one else is going to remember it and remind me of it. I sometimes wonder how many incredible things have passed through my mind at one time or another that I've forgotten--like, if I could watch a slideshow of every significant memory I've ever had--can you imagine the things I would see and be amazed that THAT has been in my mind at one point! Happy, sad, overwhelming, joyful, full of laugher, and so on...I wish I could categorize my memories and go into the files to watch the ones I want when I felt like it. So many things I've already forgotten about my time in Namibia...I'll re-read a journal entry or look at pictures from February and be amazed at what I was feeling or thinking so long ago and also be surprised I forgot it so easily.

Anyway--that's just a little of what's going on in my mind as I pack up and get ready to go. Do you think I could fit this town in my bag? I've packed my neccessities but have to leave behind the truly important stuff.

love,b

ocean waves

2009-05-08T02:32:00.001-07:00

Chaco tan line (:

The sunset on our drive home

Sunset on the Atlantic

The sand dunes

I visited the Atlantic Ocean last weekend and was reaffirmed in my belief that if they existed and if I didn’t love my life so much, God would have made me a mermaid. We drove into Swakopmund, a little German town on the Namibian coast, and I poked my face through the tiny window in the back of Heidi’s bakkie, just breathing in the salt and waves in the air. And after the hot, 5-hour drive crammed next to bodies, luggage, and/or the stick shift bumping into my knee up every hill--the fresh air was much appreciated! We arrived at the Finnish Guest House (which used to be a school for Finnish missionary kids, I believe) and moved into our home away from home: a beautiful 3-bedroom flat with a fully furnished kitchen--complete with wind chimes hanging from the ceiling!--two rocking chairs covered in leopard print fabric, candles sitting on the piano, multi-colored woven rugs, and a giant dining table next to the grandfather clock. The house is just two streets over from the beach, so after we had unpacked, I ran across the road and down to the shore to watch the waves roar in from sea before dissipating on the sand and rocks. That day and early the next morning had the fiercest and most intense waves I have ever seen. Multiple times I ran shrieking up the sand to escape a surprise wave that would end up drenching me well above the knee…Poor Stephen wore his brand new tennis shoes and managed to keep them dry until the very end, when he stopped a few feet from the water to put them and his socks back on and almost made it--before a big wave passed its boundaries and completely soaked him up past his ankles. I laughed really hard and had no sympathy--who wears tennis shoes to the beach?

We spent our long weekend browsing the souvenir shops, quad-biking in the sand dunes, drinking tea, walking in the waves, reading good books, and baking. I unfortunately got a cold the morning we left for Swakop, but I still had a wonderful time exploring and relaxing. On the way home, we strapped some bags to the roof of the bakkie, so it was a much more pleasant drive.

Water relay

Me and Sheryl-Lee--one of the regulars at the Youth Center

Two days after we got back, we hosted our first day of two of a mini-daycamp for the community. Only 11 kids showed up (we had a hard time with advertising since school let out at the end of April) and then 30 the second day…It was a small group, but those children are some of the most well-behaved, respectful, happy, excited, fun, and adorable kids I’ve ever worked with! The two days of the camp have been two of the best days I’ve had in Rehoboth, and I am so happy I got to see the Youth Center finally come alive with children inside laughing, singing, painting, praying, and playing. We did skits, played relay games, learned Origami, had Bible Study, ate popcorn and ice, face-painted, and danced our socks off. I really can’t put into words how incredible the kids were--they listened instantly and were excited about every single thing we did with them. We also had Jerome, Ralph, Larissa, Elreda, and Koosi volunteering from our Youth Group, so they helped out a ton by translating all day long to make sure the kids understood what was going on. What a wonderful way to end my time with the Youth Center. Adults are great. I do like them. I hope to marry one someday. But kids…Kids make my heart happy and my soul laugh. Every time I do something like this daycamp, I am amazed all over again at how much joy I get from being around them.

Well, apparently I’m in the final countdown to come home. I have a few days left in Rehoboth before I head down south for the Farm Camp with our YG. That’ll last for 5 days and as soon as I drive back into Reho, I’ll leave for Windhoek and then fly out May 19. About a week-and-a-half total left. AH! I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling…I had my final Bible Study today and almost cried to say goodbye to these beautiful young girls who have such an honest interest in learning more about the Lord and His love for them. Every week I met with them, they amazed me more and more with their questions, their eagerness to share, their willingness to pray and read aloud, and simply how much FUN they are to be around! It was an interesting mix of girls but the group dynamic was so great, and I loved getting to know them. I don’t know how I’ll handle my final goodbye to Rehoboth…it seems so unreal that it’s almost here. Five months, at the beginning, seemed a bit long. But five months, at the end of it, has not been near enough time to do all I want to do now. Unfinished roads to walk, unfinished friendships to build…I am starting to see a bigger picture on the horizon, but I have to leave before I can really grasp it. It takes a lot of building to get to this place, and it’s frustrating to know that anywhere I go now, I have to start that building again. All the work, time, tears, hugs, and love I’ve poured out here…
I’m starting to understand that this will be a lot harder than I first thought.

Prayer Requests:
*The Farm Camp May 13-17 for safe traveling, lots of kids, and good ministry

*My heart, as I say goodbyes and pack

*Health in general…I’ve had a cold for a week now and then I’ve been hearing about the Swine Flu stuff a lot and I’ll be traveling soon, so just that I can get and then stay healthy!

Goodnight dear friends.
Britt

Clownin' Around, All Around Town

2009-04-29T00:35:00.000-07:00

The amazing black jellybeans Stephen's mom sent us for Easter. There was no sneaking around to eat them...

Our Thursday Bible Study (minus Larissa, from L to R): Janie, Gada, Steve, Benita, Valencia, Verooshka, and me.

Wow! What a week! Monday, our YC team met with Pastor Anthony and Pam Brown (a woman serving in Windhoek for a few years) to talk about the goals and vision for the Youth Center in the next few months. I have accepted that I won’t get to see it reach it’s full potential while I’m here--which is a little disappointing--but I do not feel that I wasted my time working there, and I know that God will bring good things from both mine and my team’s labor, as well as from the building. I WILL get to help plan and run the mini-daycamp there coming up in a week and a half, though, which should give me a small taste of what the Youth Center will be like once it’s completely finished and furnished. There is a lot of work left, but we’ve painted various parts of 6 rooms, bought 4 chairs and a table, fixed the leaking ceiling (some, at least), got electricity going in some rooms, and cleaned, scraped, chipped, puttied, and washed with the best of them…So it’s had a definite facelift, which has been fun to be a part of! I also found out Monday that my cousin Julie and her husband Greg are the proud and recovering parents of their fourth little girl, Makenzi Lynn! It was a difficult pregnancy/delivery, so I’m thankful both mom and daughter are doing well and home healing. I am going crazy not being able to see the baby and hold her! I feel like she will be all grown up by the time I get home but…she will actually only be 1 or 2 months old, so I guess she’ll still be pretty little (: Praise God for His beautiful little miracles of life. The flat, flat, very flat tire on the way to Kwa-Kwas.

At Catherine's school...the Sin Clown just popped his sin balloon! Hurrah!

Kristen and Nicky

Tuesday was the big theatrical debut day of Clown Worship at the Farm schools. Josh, Nicky, Step-hen, Mackenzie, Kristen, and I crammed ourselves and all costumes and props into Heidi’s bakkie and headed off for Kristen’s school, Kwa-Kwas Primary, first. We had driven about 15 minutes when it began to sound like someone was shooting as us from the bush. Don’t worry--no guns in sight when we climbed out, but there WAS the most horribly shredded and destroyed flat tire I’ve ever seen in my life. Luckily, there was a spare and two men (Steve and Josh) who knew how to fix a flat. Kristen and I also helped by finding a big rock to put behind the front tire. That part was crucial. Good thing we were with. So, the flat got fixed, we got back on the bumpy, rocky, deserted road in the middle of nowhere and traveled very slowly the rest of the way. Once we got closer to the school, the “roads” became more like huge rock piles at steep angles with huge ruts that we were supposed to drive over. Josh also had to honk multiple times to clear the goats/sheep off the road. I laughed a lot…especially because I was in the back of the bakkie, which meant every bump we hit, I went flying. The BEST driving, though, occurred at Catherine’s school when we had to cross the dried up river (probably would have been even sweeter if there was water in it--which they DO have to do during rainy season…or else get out and cross by foot and get soaked). We were following Catherine so we could find her school, and she stopped to tell us before crossing, “This part is really bad, but you just have to keep going, ok? Don’t stop--just go as fast as you can to get across.” The river was super sandy and impossible to get any traction in, so Josh gunned the engine from the bank and then fishtailed, bumped, and literally at times, flew through the air across the riverbed. Ah! Haha I was laughing so hard and screaming and bouncing around in the back of the bakkie like out-of-control popcorn. I felt like we were in a car chase in some action-packed movie, and it was great. As for the Clown Worship--it was amazing. We had an outdoor stage at Kwa-Kwas, and the kids thanked us by singing us some songs in English and then Nama, which was so cool. Catherine’s school was next, and she said that the kids kept talking the rest of the week about how their favorite part was that the Cross burst the clowns’ sin (the balloon). She also asked them to share what they’d learned from it, and it was encouraging to hear their responses since we didn’t have to speak a word during the performance, which meant--they understood everything! We mustered our energy for the final play of the day at Heidi’s school, and then packed our tambourines, bubbles, puppets, and tired selves back into the bakkie for the drive home. I went to Kristen and Mackenzie’s Bible study that afternoon at Rehoboth High, and we did Soularium with the girls. They shared some really good thoughts about their lives and views of God. Finding ways to talk about God without actually talking too much (since the language barrier makes it hard sometimes) has been such a challenge but so rewarding when it works. And funny how communication can work almost as well with pictures and action instead of just words.

Making the dye-baths with the boiling water!

Line drying...

Thursday was another big day…drum roll please…TYE-DYE!!! We packed 30 tiny, bright white T-shirts that Steven’s mom sent, as well as the classic red, yellow, and blue RIT dyes, out to the preschool. We brought buckets, salt, vinegar, forks, rubber gloves, and rubber bands. The school doesn’t have electricity to boil water though, so I had decided we’d just use cold water to mix with the dye and hope that the colors still turned out okay. When I mentioned this to Selvia (the principal) she said, “Oh, I’ll just bring some wood and a pot and boil the water in the yard.” What?! I was SO excited! When we arrived to school, she already had the little fire going with her black, cast-iron cauldron bubbling away with toasty water. We spent the morning bringing groups of 6-8 kids inside at a time to choose between the spiral, polka-dot, accordion, or bullseye tye-dye patterns. I used a small tin cup to spoon the boiling water from the pot into the buckets of dye, and then we gathered the kids around and got started! It’s been really windy lately in Reho, so we clothespinned the shirts to the wire fence running around the school yard and let them flap dry in the wind. At the end of the day, Selvia brought the shirts in for the kids to wear, and some were so excited that they started pulling off their other shirts as they waited to be handed their new shirt to put on.

Friday night was “American” night at youth group (: Me and Steve planned songs to teach them (Radical God, Shake Another Hand, Romans 16:19, and To You Oh Lord), games (Shidoh…SO much fun!), and a skit that the kids acted out themselves. Nicky and Josh shared with the group about their courtship and marriage and more on the idea of purity. It was a fun night--and really cold when I was waiting for a ride home after! The days are still hot, but the nights are freezing.

Saturday, our team went to Windhoek to visit the Craft Shops there and then to Joe’s for a goodbye dinner for Mackenzie and Kristen. For dessert, I ordered a “Treasure Bag”…doesn’t the name alone make you want to try one? It was delicious, and I had the first strawberry I’ve had since getting to Africa! And cherries. Mmmm! I miss the girls...our team is shrinking! They were such a joy to serve with and laugh with (:

more to come...the internet is slow today.

love,b

…I’m a Little Teapot…

2009-04-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

This past week has been so good for a multitude of reasons. Sunday night we had a team Easter dinner and ate homemade pizza, oatmeal raisin cookies, and Lifesaver jelly beans from the US. Monday was a day off for the holiday weekend, Tuesday to the preschool, and Wednesday me, Stephen, Josh, and Nicky jumped in a combi for a day-trip to Windhoek to get supplies for the center and other random things. We met a lady for lunch who is responsible for a lot of the positive social justice programs implemented throughout the local area. Nicky wanted to talk to her to get some insight into the culture since she’ll be doing counseling for part of her job. We went to lunch at one of the best restaurants I’ve ever seen, called “The Teapot.” Listen to this--to get to the restaurant, you first have to walk through a huge greenhouse full of plants, trees, flowers, and sculptures spouting water into their attached basins. There’s a great little bead store situated like a tree-house in the middle of the greenhouse. Once you leave there, you can see the glass windows announcing “The Teapot” up ahead, and the decorations are exactly like what you must be imagining right now…Picture round tables topped with lilac fabric with a smaller polka-dotted tablecloth in the center. The chairs have a sense of whimsy, streaked in white paint to look like an antique chair left in an attic next to a window, where it got too much sun and too much dust. A small glass, oval-shaped vase holds a real (but tiny) bouquet of fresh flowers, and all the sugar and cream pots on the tables are delicate shades of celery green, rosy pink, and cornflower blue. Not too pastel, but definitely Tea Pot Pastel. Through the glass windows you can see geese playing in an enclosed pond and another huge water statue adds the refreshing sound of running water to the atmosphere. A colorful variety of teapots decorate the shop but the BEST part, the absolute cherry on top was this: the restaurant is home to the cutest (and therefore possibly ugliest) pug dog I’ve ever seen. Fat and with huge, wide-set bulging eyes, he walked around the tables, stopping to wait for food and then wiggling on his way to the next customer. It was a great lunch.

Thursday at the preschool, we made ribbon twirlers and went on a parade around Block E. It was incredible…Each kid had a shower curtain ring (compliments of Steve’s mom/aunt) with various colors of ribbon tied on and then a few random musical instruments to bang/shake/rattle, etc. The kids wore the ribbon-rings as bracelets, earrings, or else just held them and waved them as they went. We walked down the middle of the streets (28 kids and three adults) all singing songs about Jesus, playing instruments, performing some great ribbon dancing, and having a blast. I had to carry one of the youngest kids because he couldn’t keep up, and I felt more strongly than I have before that I was IN Africa…holding this baby as I walked down the street, surrounded by singing, yelling, running, dancing, clapping children praising the Lord in odds and ends of English and lots of clicking and laughing. It was so much fun and so beautiful to see the fun they had in getting out of the confines of the one-room schoolhouse. It also made me laugh to think how you would never take an entire classroom of preschoolers out for a sporadic walk in the middle of the day if you were teaching in the US. We didn’t use the “buddy system,” the teacher was in the very back, walking with another of the babies, the kids were running way ahead in the center of the road and it was pretty much mass chaos (but fun, mass chaos (: ). And everyone was fine and got back safe, but I’m pretty sure to do that in the US you’d need at least a signed permission slip and possibly an armed guard to accompany the walk…

Thursday night I stayed at Kristen’s again since it was her last Thursday left in Rehoboth…Both her and Mackenzie fly out this coming Sunday! They’ve been here 8 months, and now it’s time for home. Pretty crazy. Her host family has satellite TV, so I got to watch about 10 minutes of American Idol, which was wild. It made me realize I’m glad I don’t have to worry about “following” shows…TV is so addicting and so mindless a lot of the time. It’s been nice to just NOT have it for these past few months. I also met with Kristen and Mackenzie’s host sister because she wants me to design her dress for the Metric Farewell that is coming up in August, I think (like senior prom). I’m working on dresses--just designing, not making!--for two girls and it’s fun that I can still use that part of my life while I’m here.

Now Saturday--this was a great day. I spent all morning baking brownies because that night, we had a “Women’s Night” for the girls on the worship team at my church and for the girls from Kristen and Mac’s Bible study at Rehoboth High (26 in all showed up, plus 8 adults). We began the night by playing Human Tic Tac Toe and then did some introductions and said where we would go if we could go on holiday ANYwhere RIGHT now (where would you go?). Then I shared about my purity journey, my struggles, my past, and some scripture that talks about God’s view of how unmarried women should live and about how He can and will redeem you from ALL unrighteousness and purify you, them, me. We explained that “purity” is not just referring to the physical but also means what you think about, how you act, the words you speak, the music you listen to, the movies you watch, and so on. Then we passed around paper and pens and had them write down any and all questions they had regarding purity, relationships, sex, boys, God, and being a woman. They had incredible, honest, serious questions and we spent about an hour trying to answer them (there was a panel of four of us) and at the end, one of the married women who had came shared (in Afrikaans) her personal testimony. She also translated at various points in the night if we said something that she felt was really important for the girls to understand completely. It was such a blessing, and so encouraging to see her open up and be vulnerable with these young women. We prayed to wrap up and then projected High School Musical 3 on the wall for them to watch while we served them popcorn, peanut-butter-chocolate balls, brownies and ice cream, and cool drinks. Ah! It was so fun…And as I dished the brownies, I was rejoicing to finally be at that point because I was inspired to do the whole night by the idea of brownies. About three weeks ago, I didn’t have a translator in church, so I spent the whole service dreaming up this idea for a women’s night where we would talk about all the deep stuff of women’s hearts and then top the evening off with--what’s the best thing to serve a roomful of females?--a mega chocolatey dessert. After talking and planning with the rest of the Reho team, we finally arrived at the night, and I was so happy to dish the dessert and see how God had been so faithful with this idea and how He blessed the evening in HUGE ways…It was so good--and also for me to remember how important it is to pursue the things of Christ and live in purity in all areas of my life…I easily forget when I’m surrounded by all the temptations this world offers.

After the girls piled into Wenda’s combi to get dropped off at the hostel and home, I went with Nicky to Kristen and Mac’s house for my second sleep-over of the week (: Oh, I do love them. This was even better though because Nicky and Josh brought two sleeping bags with from the US, so we got to use them to sleep on the floor and ended up staying up until 2:30am talking…I felt like I was right back at home, getting only 4 ½ hours of sleep and laughing over some seriously good girl-talk. I was surprisingly awake for church but got to take a nice nap before our team meeting.

Now I’m gearing up for another week. We’re officially taking the Clown Worship on the road and going to three farm schools (Kristen, Catherine, and Heidi’s) this Tuesday to “perform” (: I’m so excited…I’ll keep you posted how it goes and hopefully will have some pictures!

Prayer Requests:
*the clown worships on Tuesday (safe traveling, energy, technology works, the kids understand the Gospel message…)

*Me, Steve, Josh and Nicky are planning a two-day mini day camp for May 6&7...We are hoping to get some community/church involvement and donations and also that kids would be excited to come!

*For Kristen and Mackenzie as they spend their final week in Namibia and then fly home and adjust/find jobs/see loved ones

Praise: the women’s night…Praise praise PRAISE the Lord!

I love you…Goodnight!
Britt

Good Friday

2009-04-11T03:01:00.001-07:00

Handing out the sandwiches (we happened to run into Ricardo and Rizaldo).

Making the PB&J!

some of our team at the dam before Lu left.

Tumee with her blanket!

Cedrizia's handprint...they all traced their hands, colored them, cut them out and taped them to the cross painted on the wall.

Josephina and Patrick again, with their artwork.

Martha and Willemina with their handprints.

Patrick and Andreas.

The kids with their new blankets.

Larissa, Verooshka, and Zoe washing a combi.

My church’s (Evangelical Mission Church) youth group had a car wash last weekend. We started at 7am and finished around 4:30pm…Whew! It was a long day in the hot sun, and we washed TONS of cars, combis, and bakkies! It was a good time and we raised some money, so mission accomplished. The youth are working to raise money for the Farm Retreat we have coming up May 13—17 (the week before I leave—perfect timing!). We’ll be going to stay at a farm down south—where it is apparently much hotter than Rehoboth…is that possible?—and going to neighboring farms in the area to lead day camps for the kids there. It’s a ways off still, but I’m really excited. It’ll be a good way to end my time here.

Sunday evening, we made about 320 PB&J sandwiches, packed a bunch of apples and headed off in Heidi’s little bakkie (truck type vehicle—we crammed 13 bodies in it at one point, which is a new record!) for Block E. We met lots of kids and after had juice and banana bread at a friend’s house there. Monday I went to the preschool by myself which was pretty challenging for the second half of the day. One of the two teachers quit, so I’m going 3 days a week to try and help Selvia out since she’s alone with 30 kids. It was a rough day. I’m realizing that language barriers are one of my least favourite things in the world…I am so frustrated that I can’t understand the excited chatter of these beautiful children and that I can’t implement a consistent type of discipline that will help them all to enjoy school more. As it is, a large part of the day is spent with them running around wild, which makes playing games, doing arts, or learning very difficult. I have so many things I want to do but CAN’T because I can’t do something as simple as tell them the directions. It is wearing me down…I long to know the small things they say each day that show their personality and character—what they think about, what their big questions are, what makes them happy and what makes them sad, what they love about their family, school, and God. I have their smiles memorized, and I love their laughter—but I know I am missing so much. Thursday was a much better day with them. We had an Easter party and brought my teammate’s laptop with to watch “Ice Age 2.” The kids were so excited; we hung blankets over the windows to make it darker and after, we hid little bags of candy for them to find. The room smelled like sugar for a while, and their mouths were filled with blue, pink, and gooey chocolate as they smiled for the camera (: At the end of the day, we handed out a blanket to each child to take home. When Lulu left, she designated money for that as her parting gift to the kids. Their faces lit up as we handed a brand new blanket into their tiny hands—it was great. Thanks Lu!

On Good Friday night, we had youth group at church with a smaller group of kids than usual because of the holiday weekend. Jerome (the youth leader) is talking about relationships for the month of April, and last night, he focused on our relationship with Jesus. I had asked if we could do a confession activity we do at Camp where each person writes a sin on a piece of paper and then sticks it on a nail on the cross. Then someone lights the paper on fire and as it burns it forms into a rose, symbolizing how God forgives our sin, making something beautiful out of something that was so ugly.

Jerome began by talking about “The Passion of the Christ” and the scene where Jesus is carrying His cross to Golgotha to be crucified. He had the youth close their eyes and visualize walking down a long, empty road. Paved, dirt, smooth, rocky…Up ahead, you see a great crowd and in the middle of that crowd is a man carrying a huge, splintered cross. You run as fast as you can to reach the group, so excited to be near this man and to help him. When you get close, you step into the center of the crowd and stand beside the man. You can smell his sweat, see the blood on his back, and then he turns and looks right into your eyes…
We opened our eyes then, and Jerome said—what is the one thing you hope He couldn’t see when He looked right at you? What is the sin that you want to hide, that you are ashamed of, that you are haunted by? That. Confess that on this piece of paper. Why did you look away when Jesus turned his face to you? What are you hiding from Him—what do you wish you could cover up in His mighty presence? Jerome played some songs, and we wrote, and then moved outside into the dark courtyard where we pressed our sins onto the nail at the center of the cross. The moon was almost full, so it cast enough light for us to watch the paper burn and curl into a ragged rose. You’ve confessed it, you’ve placed it on the cross and it is finished. It is forgiven. You don’t have to think about it anymore, you don’t have to dwell on it or feel trapped by it anymore. When Jesus died years ago on this day, He did it to forgive ALL your sins—past, present, and future.
“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain…Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering…He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:2-5).

Jesus did not set himself above us. He was not a handsome, charismatic super-preacher. He wasn’t wealthy; he wasn’t popular; he wasn’t adored. He lived simply, he suffered greatly, and he sacrificed everything, that we may have LIFE. Sin, no matter how awful or shameful, can never be too big for God. You can never do something that is just too much for God to forgive. He loves you and longs for your heart—for you to turn from the sin that we all struggle with and allow Him to heal and restore you. He doesn’t expect you to be perfect. His love is so much greater than any sin, problem, or fear you have.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:38-39).

Jerome told the kids to imagine that they only had one hour left to live. He asked them, “What would you do, if you KNEW that in exactly one hour you will die?” Many of them responded that they would accept Christ so that they could go to Heaven. Then Jerome asked, “Why would you wait until you die to finally accept life?” God offers forgiveness and life NOW, He offers the amazing love described in Romans, chapter 8—love that can never be separated from us, love that is stronger than death, stronger than life, stronger than angels and demons, stronger than time, space, and creation. Nothing can separate you from God’s love if you believe that His Son died on the cross for your sins and then rose again, conquering death AND sin. Through that victory, you can be sure of eternal life spent with Christ. If you died right now, where would you go?

Tomorrow, on Easter Sunday, I’ll celebrate a risen Savior. God’s beauty, forgiveness, grace, and love have transformed my life. I am in AWE of Him. How could Someone so great treasure me—someone with faults, flaws, and sin? How can He forgive me time and time again? How can He look at me as I sit surrounded by my failures and still say, “I have a purpose for your life and a plan for your future—I will use you to have an impact for my Kingdom!” My pastor here talked the last few weeks on “What’s so amazing about grace?” Everything I just wrote.

Thank you God that you are the ultimate example of forgiveness and love. Thank you that you offer life to the fullest if we just believe in your Son’s death and resurrection and turn from the sin in our lives. Thank you for being greater than I can understand or express. You offer amazing grace in abundance.

Have a blessed Easter celebration, and I pray you will feel God’s presence and love wherever you’re at.

A Bit of This and That

2009-04-04T02:34:00.000-07:00

This is Ricardo. Every single time I look at him, he either squinches his eyes shut or else covers his cute little face with his hands. I love it.

This is usually what he does next...ducks behind a door or chair or when nothing is around...He just sits down or holds really, really still, hoping I can't see him anymore.

Andreas, Carlos, Chrisley, and Michael outside in the sun at the preschool.

Kevanni, Ilario, and Talon cleaning the yard...

some of the kids with Camilla the elephant and all her pinned on tails (:

Right before Lu got on the combi to go home. This is the sweet dentist chair left in the YC. Who knows what it's purpose is. I love it though.

Hayley and Kevanni with the cake they decorated with food coloring for the birthday party.

We made balloon animals, hats, and flowers (or tried at least!).

Happy April! Lots going on this month and lots that has been happening these past few weeks.

Stephen’s aunt Edith came to visit for the last week because she was traveling around Africa for mission work and a wedding, so she stopped in (along with a suitcase full of supplies, Easter candy, and GRANOLA BARS!) to spend some time walking and working with us. It was great to have a guest, but I unfortunately got food poisoning her second night in Rehoboth, so I ended up knocked out for most of the remainder of the week. I was finally feeling well enough Thursday to go to the preschool with a small crew of friends: Stephen and Edith, Kristen, and Josh and Nicky. We did a miniature version of a Clown Worship for the kids, and it was so much fun! We all dressed in our crazy clothes (when I got to school first, Selvia, the principal, saw my bright colors and variety of patterns and stripes and said, “Ohhh! You look like a Nama girl today!” I think it is one of my favorite compliments, and I kind of wish I could wear crazy patterns and colors and jewelry every day…who needs to match?). We also painted our faces and brought bubbles for the kids, new musical instruments, Yo-Yos, and my iPod to provide the soundtrack for the worship. Since I obviously didn’t have the actual clown worship music, I had to improvise and make the soundtrack using a bit of music from Wicked, country, Jock Jams, the Beatles, and worship music. The kids LOVE music and love to dance as much as possible though, so it worked great and they were bouncing around to “Cotton Eye Joe” with great passion. Selvia was also a huge help by translating the worship service (even though we don’t speak at all for it) into the children’s language so that they understood what we were doing when the Sin clown froze all the happy clowns with sin balloons, and then the Christ clown freed them from their sin by popping the balloon on the nail on the cross. We also acted out the Good Samaritan skit to finish it off and then painted all the kids faces. It was a high-energy day, but so much fun. We’re thinking of taking our act on the road and visiting Kristen’s farm school to show it to the kids there.

Me and Stephen have started helping out with a Bible study on Thursdays, and it has been wonderful. It’s always a new mix of kids each week, ranging in ages from 11 to 18, but it always manages to work. We’re going through a Campus Crusade 4-part study about the foundations of being a Christian, and it has been so amazing to me to see Christianity through the eyes of a new believer again. How many things I forget about or skim over but that are SO incredible and beautiful. The kids have a lot of questions, and it’s really encouraging for me to hear their hearts and how they see God. Tonight on the way home from youth group, a young girl Nolene told me that she’d had a great week. When I asked why, she said that she is so thankful that God has opened her eyes to realize what a gift each day is. She was so excited at the thought of living one more day, each day being such a blessing. I was a little bit stunned that a 13-year-old would think about something like that. The kids in the youth group, worship team, and Bible study are so dear to me. Saying goodbye to them, and the children at the preschool, will be the hardest part in leaving. I’ve hit that point where I’m thinking that having a month and a half left seems so long still until I can see my friends and family but much too short of a time left to invest in the people here and spend good time with them. So I’m stuck at an impasse of wanting to go home but not wanting to leave the relationships growing here…Why does the world have to be so big?

Tonight Larissa (a friend from the worship team) gave me a “Musk Mint” to try…First of all, anything titled “Musk” that is supposed to be edible is bound to be gross. Second, it was. It tasted exactly like what is sounds--a weird minty, chalky thing that tasted like a can of musk that you would buy off the bottom shelf of a dollar store. It was so bizarre! I said, “You like these things? Gross!” haha She just laughed. Then she gave me an actual mint mint. That was better.

Two weeks ago, a group of high-schoolers from Canada came to do ministry in Rehoboth over their Spring Break. It was a lot of fun to have them at youth group leading familiar songs and acting out dramas. They had HIGH energy, let me tell you, and it definitely helped to revitalize my energy and passion for being here. The week after that was Lulu’s final week (she’s home now), so we had a “Everybody’s Birthday Party” party at the preschool. We baked cakes, brought candles, played pin-the-tail-on-the-elephant (named Camilla by my host cousin Talon), did a cake-walk with candy bars, blew up balloons, and sang Happy Birthday many, many times. Desserts and baked goods are really rare from what I’ve seen (they eat much more meat and bread…), so it was a lot of fun to dish out giant pieces of vanilla cake dripping with way too much pink frosting (: The kids were probably on a sugar high the rest of the day, but that’s why we send them home at noon! To say goodbye to Lulu that weekend, we went to Windhoek for lunch at Mugg and Bean, which is a fabulous little restaurant. Think Caribou and Panera combined in Africa. Mmm! And the people who started it really had the last names “Mugg” and “Bean.” Soo…I’m thinking I just need to find a good buddy with a cool last name like that, and I’ve got myself half of a successful coffee shop! It was no fun to send Lu home early, and the past two weeks have been weird to not have her always with me and Steve. We were three peas in a pod, and now we are two. I miss her a lot (especially when I was hugging the toilet all night this weekend and relieving my stomach of its entire contents plus a few small organs. She is the kind of friend who would have sat there all night and held my hair and made me feel a little better in the midst of awfullness) but I know she has a purpose being home. So keep praying for her and checking her blog to see what God’s doing in her life!

The Wilkes arrived (Josh and Nicky), and it has been a blessing to get to know them and hear their thoughts on the Youth Center. Our whole team went to the dam this week to spend time with Steve’s aunt, and I was struck by how blessed I’ve been to have them all here to support and encourage me, to laugh with, to pray with, to ask questions, to learn from, and to just simply be friends. I really enjoy the time I get to spend with them. Last night I had a sleepover with Kristen, and it was such a needed reprieve from day-to-day life. We watched “The Jane Austen Book Club,” ate homemade banana muffins, talked, laughed, I cried (at the movie), and then I went to sleep, living out of my little backpack, just like I would at home. I will never get too old for sleepovers. Oh the power of good friends, good food, and a good chick flick.

I forgot--before Lu left, me, her, and Steve made a bunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and went to hand them out to the kids in Block E. I’d never done a PB outreach before, but I think it would work just as great in the US! The kids were so happy to get the food and to talk to us (kids are generally just so cheerful here!) and we were humbled by how grateful they were for one little sandwich. How much I take for granted. We’re going again this Sunday with the team, so maybe I’ll have some pictures after.

I really have so many thoughts and I’ve waited too long to write this but life has seemed to suddenly accumulate a ton and now I can’t write it all out. Or keep it straight, as I’m sure you’ve noticed from the random stories bobbing around in this letter. On a very very happy note--my good friend Shelley got engaged on St. Patrick’s day, which made me so excited and then to make it even better, she put a video on her wedding blog to tell me about it and then ask me to be a bridesmaid! It was so great! It was like actually talking to her in person and getting to see her ring and hear her excitement…Woo! So keep her and her fiancé Josh in your prayers as they began that craziness called wedding planning!

Other prayer requests:
*Continued prayer for the purpose and direction of the Youth Center
*My relationships with the youth at my church and the opportunities to talk about God and their lives and their futures!
*That I would enjoy my last month and a half here and really focus on NOW and what God can use me for in this little bit of time left

Thank you for your patience and for your continued support, love, prayers, and encouragement. I love and miss you!
God Bless,
Britt

Intergalactic Mind-Control (&cutekids)

2009-03-14T00:37:00.000-07:00

Three of the cutest kids in Africa.

Me, Christy, and Paloma. I love their smiles (:

Hayley all dressed up one morning.

Okie (that's his nickname--his name is Carlito) and our puppie Charlie (who is recovered!) playing. Okie has the MOST incredible, contagious, uplifting, crazy laugh I have EVER heard...I will take a video before I leave. I promise. It's unstoppable.

Ziko, Marthanay (neighbor kids), and Hayley.

Hayley sleeping on my bed.

A lot of people in Rehoboth watch a new soap that is featured on the one channel available--it's called, "All About Camilla." It follows in the wildly dramatic footsteps of the Spanish soap "Catalina and Sebastian," which has English voice-overs and some interesting acting. I can usually hear bits and pieces of the show from my room, and a few nights ago, Eduardo was talking about how he has "Intergalactic MIND-control!!!" I can't keep all the plots straight, but I think that was the gist of this latest episode. It is my new favorite phrase, and me and Stephen will sometimes communicate via IGMC now, since he is just one room away from me.

A quick loop back to my Zambian adventures...Here is a video of me jumping off a 315ft cliff and free-falling into the gorge below. It was amazing!!! When I signed up for it Saturday night, I felt like it would be such a freeing experience and SO spiritual. Which might sound weird, but all week I kept thinking about how stepping off this cliff into nothing is so much like daily walking with the Lord. I wanted this to symbolize how I am willing to take a chance, to surrender, to step out and trust that I will be caught (even if the fall is terrifying for a while--life in Christ is not guaranteed to be gentle and fun). I set aside my natural instincts (I've always been afraid of heights) and said, I will DO this, I will MOVE for the One who deserves my blind faith and who deserves complete surrender, even when it seems scary or extreme. Which is something else I have been thinking about lately--what does it mean to be an "extreme" Christian? And why is it usually thought of as a bad thing? I'll write more on that later. Anyway--enjoy the jump and the echoing screams (: It was incredible.

Lastly, I wanted to quick put up a few pictures of all the cute kids I'm blessed to spend time with here... (see top)

Prayer Requests:

*Lulu's grandpa and family is still not doing well--please pray for healing and togetherness/support

*That I would have a positive attitude at work...I'm dragging a bit.

*We're starting to help with a H.S. Bible Study this week (Thursdays at 3pm) for new believers...please pray for guidance, words, fun, and opportunities to get to know the kids and invest in them!

Thank you--have a blessed weekend.

Charles Dickens Said it Best

2009-03-11T03:09:00.000-07:00

Our Rehoboth team in the Chill Pit.

On the shuttle to Victoria Falls our first day in Zambia.

Which ones are the humans, which ones are the lions? Hard to tell, huh?

Stephen crossing off one thing on his Bucket List!

Our multiplied group, minus Jessa, on our last night all together.

Me and Allie Twist...She's doing the "American Smile" as she calls it. I said, how do the British smile? She said, They don't. They pout.

Being our holy selves in our rain ponchos at the Falls... (:

Chacos, Teevas, flip flops...and lots of water.

Our team after riding the elephants.

He was playing and smiling all over the place outside of the Falls at the wood market.

My first view of Victoria Falls!

She was a wonderful elephant! Like, I really think I would enjoy having a pet elephant after meeting her.

Our team, plus Allie, in front of our hostel on our last morning.

The past two weeks have been the best of times and the worst of times in Namibia (and technically, Zambia, too). I have a lot of catching up to do on here, so I hope you have your second cup of tea ready! I’ll start off with the worst of times, which started Sunday, February 22.

The Worst of Times
I found out that weekend that a young man, Charlton, who is in both the Youth Group and Worship Team at my church here was in the hospital with kidney complications. We went to visit, and he seemed pretty healthy, just tired and a bit shaky. The rest of the week, his health went up and down drastically, and we went to visit him two more times in the hospital. Which--I have to add, is incredibly different from any hospital you’d see in the US. In Charlton’s room, there were three other men still in their street clothes and with no monitors or tubes attached. I saw only one nurse peek in the room in the entire three times I was there, and security was very minimal seeing as we just walked right past the front desk and into his room with no questions asked. It’s hard to explain, and maybe hospitals in the US are overdone, but it was hard to imagine being very sick and having that be your last glimmer of hope for treatment. Anyway, to backtrack a little--Monday, me, Lulu, and Stephen were attacked by bees at the Youth Center. At first, it wasn’t that big of a deal. We were outside singing “Shake Another Hand” with the kids, when they all started screaming and running. Bees came swarming, but it was manageable to bat them away or run out of range. (Some kids had stirred up the nest just across the lot). Then we noticed one young girl (13) whose entire face, neck, and head was covered solid in bees. For some reason, they were chasing mainly her and there were hundreds in the air around her and tons on her face. Long story short, me and Lu ran in to dump water on her, which made them start stinging us, so we grabbed her and ran back toward the Center where she ran in to meet Stephen and we kept running to get help/water next door. No adults in the area would help and most ran away or laughed at us when we asked them to call for help and said that we were being stung a lot and that one little girl was being severely attacked. When we got back to the Center, Stephen had been able to get all the bees off the girl and had called for a ride to the hospital. The little girl was so brave, and she ended up being okay, despite being a diabetic who was stung all over by honey bees. Her blood sugar was a little high, to say the least. That night, my eye swelled shut from the stings on my face and my leg was throbbing from another sting. I panicked at 2am, after I woke up from a dream about going blind, only to find my eye burning and swollen so that only a tiny sliver peeked out. Not a fun night. That week, Lulu’s grandpa had triple-bypass heart surgery, and on a less extreme but still sad note, one of our little puppies here, Charlie, had a nasty breakout all over his body of angry red bumps. After arriving home from Zambia yesterday (that is the best of times to come), we found out that Charlton had passed away. He was 19 years-old and had one of the most beautiful smiles. It is so hard to understand that a week before he went into the hospital, he was sitting at our Worship Team party laughing and being a confident, care-free guy. Even when we visited him in the hospital, he was still laughing and smiling even after losing the ability to talk. The week was incredibly hard and I felt as if a dark cloud of fear was drifting around us. So much death and pain and fear just circling and overlapping…I began listening to sermons on spiritual warfare and feel that there is more to come in that area. Would you pray for that and also for Charlton’s family and friends as they mourn and heal?

The Best of Times
By the end of the week, we were all weary and in much need of a break from Rehoboth. We had been planning a trip to Victoria Falls in Zambia for the first week in March since our arrival in Africa. However, the bus we’d booked was leaving Friday evening and by Thursday morning, we still had no news on if our passports were stamped and cleared for pick-up. Suzanne texted us mid-morning, though, saying all systems were a go! We were SO excited. The bus ride took almost 24 hours, and it started raining as soon as we arrived at Jolly Boys (the best hostel in the world!!!). The group had started as me, Lu, Steve, Catherine, Kristen, and Mackenzie but Trisha and Nicole (who are working up north in Rundu) jumped on the bus (literally) and joined us for a few days. Sunday we went to the Falls, and it is SO beautiful! We spent the day getting drenched by the mists that float around the falls, browsing the wood market there (whew--bartering will wear you OUT!), eating crusty P&B sandwiches, and relaxing. As the week progressed, we ended up spending more and more time with three British guys (Charlie, Sam, and Ben) who had ridden the bus with us from Windhoek. We also met a British girl, Allie, who is 18 and traveling around Africa and then India by herself! Good thing she is the farthest thing from shy I’ve ever met (: She ended up with malaria while we were there…Is malaria contagious? Just kidding. That’s what everyone thought and would subtly step away from her when she talked about it. She was a good sport though. Lastly, we met a girl from Chicago, Jessa, who joined the party and by the end of the week, our initial small group of 6 had more than doubled in size! It was so great. I also met people from Norway, Holland, Israel, Australia, South Africa, France, Ireland, Wisconsin (woo!), and of course, Canada. I met a bigger variety of people and cultures in ONE week than in my entire life previous! Wow--it made me realize I might just enjoy traveling the world and living overseas more than I thought before this trip. So, my adventures for the week: I walked with and pet lions, rode African elephants and fed them, bartered at street markets for hours on end, jumped off the side of a cliff into a gorge and freefell before being caught by a swing and then coasting over the tops of trees, watched Stephen bungee jump at Vic Falls, and enjoyed amazing company and delicious food. Overall, the adventures were great, but my favorite part of the entire week was the people we met and spent time with. The British guys cooked us crepes with grated chocolate and freshly squeezed lemon juice to top them; we had a BBQ with cheeseburgers and S’noobs (renamed by Sam after he couldn’t remember the word “s’mores”…apparently, they don’t eat s’mores in the UK! Crazy, huh?); we went out for pizza and ice cream (NOT real ice cream…I have yet to find that here) and went around the table sharing the top 5 things on our Bucket List; we sat up late nights in the Chill Pit answering questions like, “What makes you come alive?” “What would your perfect day be like?” and “What is your biggest fear in life?”; we jumped off cliffs together, and my favorite part--we talked about God and Satan and heaven and hell and everything in between. All of the people we met had different views of God, and we spent one afternoon going through the Soularium cards, using pictures to explain our beliefs. It was so incredible to hear everyone’s thoughts and to hear them share their life with us--even though we were all complete strangers just a few days before! It was a whirlwind of a week, and it will stick in my mind as one of those memories that never fades. One of those times that I’ll always look back on and remember as one of the things I’ve loved about life on this earth. And all the small things that added to it: taking hot showers, eating fresh fruit, sleeping in a bunk bed, treading water, having a warm cookie and hot chocolate, laughing so hard my side hurts as I watched Allie attempt to jump off the cliff, watching Ashley do an Irish jig after dinner, having a car to ride in instead of walking everywhere, hearing a myriad of accents from all over the world, listening to the Canadian guys (I am convinced they are an undercover boy band) play guitar at night, and so much more. What a week! And I am so grateful for God’s timing…That He would give us a week of stillness (for the most part (: ) and restoration after everything that had happened the week before. We’re back home now, and I can’t believe that it’s almost mid-March! A young married couple (Josh and Nicole Wilke) is arriving in Windhoek this Friday and then moving down to Rehoboth next Friday to join our team! I am SO excited to meet them and to have a fresh set of hands and hearts to serve with.

Much more to share…but a break for now.

Prayer requests:
*to readjust with ENERGY and JOY to being back in Rehoboth and working
*for the Wilkes as they travel this week and begin orientation next week
*for Charlton’s family and friends
*for Lulu’s grandpa’s recovery from surgery…It is tough right now
*for wisdom as I explore the idea of spiritual warfare and STRENGTH in Christ

My mind is swirling with Zambian, Namibian, American…from all, goodnight!
Love,Britt

Lessons in Love

2009-02-21T00:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-13T22:45:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-10T04:50:00.000-08:00

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?"

2009-02-05T05:10:00.000-08:00

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?

Yes, I actually am Britney Spears.

2009-01-26T06:46:00.000-08:00

God Bless the rains down in Africa—it is pouring outside as I’m writing this, and the underlying coolness in the air all day has been wonderful. We started week two of cleaning/renovating the Youth Center, and it’s finally starting to look like a building! We even waxed and polished one floor, and it was gleaming as we left. Hopefully it still looks semi-clean in the morning! The problem is that most of the windows in the whole building have been knocked out and need to be replaced, so all the dirt, sand, and flower puffs blow in all day long and settle on the floors. And bugs…although we have yet to see any massive bugs or dangerous spiders. I did have a dream one night that there was a snake in my bed, which kept me up most the night. And I also have 28 itchy bites on my body—I am suspicious where they are coming from because they only seem to happen at night.

Working on the YC has been fun and tiring—we’ve had some people from the youth group come to help: Karl-Hines, Gevanni, and Marco. (I can’t put pictures up yet because of viruses on the computers, but go to Lulu’s blog and you can see some! http://africalu.blogspot.com/ ). They keep things interesting as Gevanni is a perfect match for Stephen, and they have come up with some pretty clever solutions to our cleaning problems as well as enjoyed climbing around on the roof, busting glass out of the windows, and basically just being guys. Karl-Hines is our cleaning guru and keeps us laughing all day…He HATES cleaning but comes everyday and tells us how we’re doing it wrong and how he is so much better at it. All three help us with our Afrikaans and laugh plenty as we scramble the sentences and accidentally say inappropriate things.

I’m feeling a little more settled here. Every time I meet someone and tell them my name, they go “Britney Spears!” and then chuckle and pat me on the shoulder, including me in their joke. Hmm. At least it is better than my teammate, whose name is Lulu. Everyone would laugh when she introduced herself until finally a school principal named Arthur Erasmus told her “Lulu” means “naughty.” She considered changing her name, but no luck so far.

A few nights ago when Siko (2) and Marthane (6) were over to visit, we took them and Kevanni and Hayley outside and played a game of chicken fights, but on land. We (me, Stephen, and Lu) each had a kid on our back and then ran around chasing the other pairs trying to kick each other in the butt. It was so fun! After a while of doing that, the kids all ran over by the house and huddled up and started whispering. We had no clue what they were doing until suddenly they broke into sibling partners, jumped on each others back, and ran toward us yelling! It was so cute and so clever! We would run around the house to hide and jump out at them, and it felt a little bit like playing “Capture the Flag” at camp. I am SO excited to be at camp for a while this summer…mostly for the access to a big, cold lake! There is a dam about 10 kilometers out of town here—I can’t wait for the first Saturday we get to go and swim and lay by the water.

We cooked for our host families yesterday—an “American” meal. We made pasta, a tossed salad, and very cheesy toasted bread. Lenie added syrup to her bread…They really like their syrup here. Reminds me a little of “Elf”…Which makes me happy since my family at home likes that movie so much (: I also bought a fan finally, and I slept with a comforter on for the first time last night! It was so great to be a little cool.

My mom sent me with a list of Bible verses to read each day, and I found this passage as a result of my daily verse:
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit…The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.”
-Psalm 147:3-5, 11

Great, powerful, limitless, unfailing…And we can call Him our God! He heals us, understands us, and He delights in us. I can’t imagine a God who counts and names the stars delighting in me. Stars—when there are no other lights around or buildings to block them—are magnificent. The other day we finally had a cloudless night sky, and the stars were beautiful. God knows each of their places, each formation, each constellation (I can always only find Orion’s Belt). And even more than just knowing, verse 5 says that “his understanding has no limit…” Of me, of my mind and body, of my frustrations and fears, of my dreams. He understands it ALL. And He also promises:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
And
“Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

He wants to give me the desires of my heart, and He has a plan to give me hope and a future…And I can trust that all of those will be good because His understanding of me, of Brittany Lee Bean, has NO limits! So I am here, I am a little homesick, and I am wondering what these next few months will look like. What is my purpose here? Will I be used? Will I be effective? Will I submit daily to the Lord so that He can use me in whatever way best serves His Kingdom? Even though my mind can’t see the answers, if I choose to trust in God, then the answer will always be yes. He has a plan and a future ahead of me. I believe I am here in Rehoboth for a reason, big or small.

Stars have splendor and an ethereal beauty—they are fit for a King. But not me. On my own, I am dirty and sinful. Praise God He loves me more than the stars and even delights in me. Oh that I could see my worth and my sin through His eyes.

Prayer Requests:
*that people in the community would get involved with the Youth Center, both with their skills and also with monetary and supply donations…Right now, we basically have a beaten-up building and a team of 4-7.
*For the children here…There is a lot of pain for various reasons.
*For my team’s involvement at the church—that we could be mentors and good examples to the youth there…That we would be bold and confident in the Lord

Have a happy week!
Thank you for your prayers.

MY ADDRESS!--UPDATED!!!!

2009-01-21T06:21:00.001-08:00

Brittany Bean
c/o Lenie Van Wyk
PO Box 4067
Rehoboth
Namibia
9000
AFRICA

Mail might take up to a month to get here...just so you know! All good things are worth waiting for though, right? (:

Jesus, You're a Donkey

2009-01-21T06:03:00.000-08:00

(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.

First Class to London, Please

2009-01-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

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.

The Calm Before the Storm

2009-01-06T17:22:00.000-08:00

I'm in New York right now, finishing up our initial orientation before flying out tomorrow afternoon for London. We'll have a 12-hour layover there, so we're hoping to explore a little outside the airport! London in a day...It will still be exciting (:

I do feel right now that I am in a sort of calm before the storm. Everything here at AIM's headquarters is so peaceful, quiet, and homey (picture quilted bedspreads and all the hot chocolate you could drink), but I have a restlessness inside that I think is part nerves and part readiness to finally be in Africa doing what I've been preparing to do for the last year. And as we've been assured, it will not be a "cakewalk." I don't think the storm will necessarily be bad--just strong, fast, surprising, and fierce. It will shake me up--turn my way of living upside down, blow away old beliefs and worldviews and wash off any remaining thoughts I have of what the "right" way of living is and what the "right" way to love our amazing God is. It will uproot my relationship with God and replenish it in a new light...Replant it with a new heart, new hands, new mind.

There is an old, beautiful library here with windows for walls and tons of old books that make the room smell exactly like: Camp Hiawatha's cabins, the Bach house at Verm, and the saunas at both camps. My feet sank into the carpet, and I couldn't bring myself to leave this beautiful place that smelled like so much laughter, love, and happy memories. As I was sitting in there with God, I wondered what it will be like when I return in May. I figure the sunlight will stream through all the windows and the trees outside will be turning green and alive, and the books will still smell just the same. But I can't begin to imagine what I'll be thinking or feeling--or that I'll be anywhere near the same person I am now. Sometimes I'm scared of who I'll be when I come back...What if this isn't my home anymore? But that's a thought for another time. I still have to go!

At my grandparent's church, a gentleman named Sid left me with this advice: "Life is supposed to be dangerous! Christian fellowship isn't about sitting around having coffee and donuts...It's about being out there in the trenches together, fighting!"

So tomorrow, I am off to the trenches. Time to live dangerously! (: Thank the Lord, I do not go alone.

All in Him

2009-01-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

I think it is good to start my very first blog (oh...how exciting!) with the verse that first propelled my heart in the direction my body will soon be following:

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do ALL this through HIM who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:11--13

I really read and understood that verse my senior year of HS and have had a desire building since then to live it. I can't believe that NOW is here already, and I'm leaving for New York Monday, Africa Wednesday, and Rehoboth, Namibia (my home until May 19) soon after! I am feeling a whirlwind of emotions as I pack and prepare...The two biggest ones are excitement and sadness to leave my family and friends. Such highly contrasting emotions...I am sad to leave because I will be apart from so many people and places that I love so dearly...But I am really excited for the journey God has prepared for me in Namibia.

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do." -Ephesians 2:10

I have so much more to say, but since I have spent way too many hours sitting in Caribou (for their fast wireless and peppermint tea...they will be glad to see me leave (: ) these past two weeks, I am going to sign off for now.

Thank you for your continued support, love, and prayer.
Happy New Year to all!