Marco and Julia...

My "stove" under water!

March 21^st was Namibia's Independence Day! Namibia's Independence Day is celebrated differently than at home... mainly, no fireworks. :( Most people have the day off from work though... including Mark. I went to the hospital, and like most holidays in any casualty around the world, it was super busy! After work I biked home, did some laundry and before I could even hang it up to dry a huge rainstorm rolled in and it downpoured the rest of the day!

Mark and I did have a great afternoon the day prior as celebration for independence day. We were invited to a braii (BBQ) at Rundu Beach with the rest of our AIM crew and a mutual friend from the hospital. The river has raised up so much over the rainy season, and it looked like a completely different beach from our last visit on New Years. Mark and I watched as kids went swimming and boats were transporting people and materials to and from Rundu and Kali, Angola. Braiis are big in Namibia, and people were cooking up all sorts of meat! We cooked up a great BBQ pork... Mark and I gnawed on a huge piece and honestly, couldn't believe how awesome it was. It's funny, because just a few days before that I said how we were practically vegetarians since arriving here and I was commenting on how much I enjoyed it and thought it could become a lifestyle, and the next moment I'm eating pork. :) 

Rundu Beach at Sunset

Judith talking me through Civundu...

Our pace of life has slowed down a bunch over the past few weeks, and we realized some of it has to do with really settling in and making Rundu our home. It's becoming hard to even figure out what to blog about because everything we are doing just seems, well... normal. :) This month seems to have flown by. We've spent lots of time in the village... just living life. I've started branching out and cooking more traditional foods, mainly Civundu. (This is Namibia's staple maize meal food... in ZIM it was called Sadza.) This is difficult to make... you literally work up a sweat each time you make it! I've sustained a few burns in the process, but the other night one of the village women told me after sampling my Civundu that “I'm finally a Nyemba woman.” I took that as a huge compliment! 

Elizabeth and I preparing Mutete leaves

I've helped prepare Mutete (a leafy green plant dish), Sampo (a type of leaf from a tree), Vicasa (pumpkin and squash leaves), and Lipungu (maize corn on the cob). The other night we learned how to roast our Lipungu directly on the fire coals... man, was it yummy! Cooking has become more relaxing for me over time... especially in preparing fire. However, some things in the village you can't be prepared for... an example being the other night. I was cooking lentils and civundu over the fire, things were going smoothly... and I was in and out of the house preparing dinner. The next thing I know, donkeys are walking through our “yard” dragging their tire on a rope (it keeps them from wandering too far from home) and they walked straight through my fire knocking over my lentils which then snuffed out my fire. I had to start all over again, quite dumbfounded and upset. Now, I find the entire thing hysterical. ;)

Mr. Mark has continued to teach at the Don Bosco Youth Center during the week.  He is really enjoying teaching the children English and Math.  He tells me that the children are very respectful... in the mornings when he starts class all the children stand and say "Good Morning, Sir" and he then says "Good Morning Class, how are you?" with the response "We are fine and how are you?"  Also when any of the children are called on to answer a question they stand to say the answer.  Since there are not teacher's books, Mark gets to make up his own lessons each day.  This can sometimes prove to be a challenge.  The other day he taught about telling time however, not many children know this skill since Africa is a not a time oriented culture.

Marco holding Jeffy & Pepe holding Paulus

Mark and I have also been spending lots of time with the kids in the village. They have warmed up to us in such a natural way. We've gotten so used to them that I can even distinguish each child's cry from a distance. I love being one of the “village mommy's” :) The kids also love Mark and each morning when I walk outside I can hear some of the younger boys off in the distance immediately yell “Marco!”...not Julia, but I'll live. :) We've also been spending time in the afternoons reading books with the kids. The other night little Eliza was reading “The Little Red Hen” and a few of the girls came up to hear asking her to come to the bush with them. She literally gave them 'the hand' and said... “Me, I'm reading” with a big grin. It was priceless.

Movie Night!

We've continued having a movie night every once in the while which has been a big kick. The moment Mark and I bring out our laptop kids come out of the woodwork (even a few adults too!) and we spend the night watching a movie under the stars. So far we've watched Eight Below and The Lion King. Even with the language barrier they have loved it... and they all couldn't get over the Hakuna Matata scene in The Lion King. :)

Last night we had a braii for David and Mackenzie since they are going back to Montana this next week. It was a fun night and we will miss them tremendously. They are such a fun and creative couple that strive to live interesting and “unboxed” lives... Mark and I love them so much and have learned so much about life from them. It has been great being able to connect and hang with another couple here in Namibia... they will be missed for sure.

Mark & I with David and McKenzie

And now, surprisingly it is April. Mark and I only have 2 more months here in Rundu before we finish out our time here in Africa with a few weeks of travel. We have been so comforted by everyone's packages, letters, and support. We are beginning to really miss home so please keep the emails coming! We would love to hear from you guys...

Half Way...

 Okay, so our time in Namibia has passed the half way point. Julie and I were just talking the other day about all that we have done throughout our time here, and realized that maybe it would be a good thing to share. So here it goes...

I started out not really knowing what to expect here in Namibia. I was told there were computer opportunities at the hospital and sports opportunities. However, those opportunities haven't panned out to much in regards to a time commitment, so months back I began searching for things to do on my own.

I helped with the “Farming God's Way” workshop that hasn't really taken off at the project but it has influenced the church to help the project by planting maize in the field. This is an improvement over past years when the farm land was unplanted. Even if they are using their traditional methods and not “Farming God's Way” techniques it is great to see the community working together on the fields. Before rainy season hit, I helped many people with hauling mud with the project bakkie to either repair or build new homes. I also helped plow some fields with oxen. My farming family roots would be proud of that!

Ernst & Kahilu- our friends & volunteers at Project

Sadly, the OVC project itself has not started up again since Christmas. This has been hard to see happen, however, the team here is still trying to empower the local church and community to come together and run the project without “missionary or white peoples” assistance. We know that they can do it, they just need to believe that they can... and changing beliefs here is a hard but needed task. We've learned that some things in Africa don't function or remain sustainable when the “white people” step back, not because the nationals are incapable, but because it has been engrained in their culture that they are incapable. Changing history is something we cannot do, and we are saddened by how things have run their course in Namibia over the years, but we are encouraged by many here who do have the self-esteem, willpower, and passion to step out against the grain to try to make a difference. We are continuing to try to mentor those people here- because those are the people that will change Namibia's future.

I've had meetings with the hospital about the computer system and helped with layout of the system by measuring distances, planning closet locations, and discussing equipment. I've also completed a hospital wide survey on the staff's computer knowledge which will help build a foundation for the computer training courses that are to come. I'm not sure how much more of the computer system will be completed over the course of our time here, but I am happy that I've been able to give my assistance when it's needed.

I've also spend my spare time tutoring some kids from the village, playing soccer in the deepest sand you could imagine, and working on building relationships and mentoring a few really amazing guys here. I also love hanging out and playing with the littler kids in the village. Much of the beginning of January I was able to help our team leader and his family transition their lives and move from Rundu to the capital city of Namibia, Windhoek. One day, on an hours notice we were able to pack their entire home into the back of an empty grocery truck that was driving back down to the capital! Lots of behind the scene things happen when a family of 9 is moving 8 hours away, and I am happy that I was able to be available to help them sort some things out prior to their move.

Since the New Year my schedule has changed a bit. I've started teaching English and Math on Mondays and Fridays at a local privately funded school and youth center named Don Bosco. Kids that are accepted into this school are in grades 1-5 and are in some sort of poor social situation that has made them unable to attend other local schools. The idea of the school is to continue education with the students until they are able to get back into the school system. Once the students are enrolled at Don Bosco the staff works with the Namibian government to try to get grants for the students to attend regular schools. In Namibia the school system is advertised by the government to be free for everyone however each school has fees associated with them that keep children that are unable to pay out of school. At Don Bosco there is only one class for all the children so teaching is done at either a grade 1 or grade 3 level usually switching back and forth between days or subjects. The class has only one textbook for each subject so all the exercises are copied to the chalkboard and the students have notebooks to write down the questions. It has been a challenge to teach in a classroom setting, but I am enjoying it.

On Tuesdays, I meet with my friend Mashingo. Mashingo is someone I met through the hospital and have been getting to know for quite sometime now. We have been meeting every Tuesday to hang out. I have been able to fix a computer he has in his mud home and gave him some training on how to use it. Also since he is in a wheelchair and not really able to make it to the Saturday bible study I have been able to go over the bible study discussion each week with him. We usually talk for hours about questions he has about the bible and different stuff. He could use some prayer right now because he is currently on his way to the capital to see if he can get calipers to assist him in walking since he is paralyzed from the waist down from a gun shot wound and currently in a wheelchair.

On Wednesdays, Julie and I have a day off together. Since we are busy over the weekend with our bible study we decided to use Wednesdays as our day together.

On Thursdays, I have been meeting with Ben. Ben is a young adult leader at the Kaisosi Tar Road Church where we have our Bible study on Saturdays. I meet with him every Thursday to go over the Bible study together and get his input on what people are taught in this culture about certain verses. It is also a time for me to encourage him in what he is doing at the church and in his life.

Creating our own shade at Bible Study!

On Saturdays, Julie and I have the Bible study at Kaisosi Tar Road Church. The bible study starts at 10am. On average we have 12 people that attend sometimes more sometimes less. The Bible study has been a great outlet for the youth to be able to share what they don't understand about the things they read in the Bible or what they have been taught. Julie and I have learned a lot also by preparing the lessons and the discussion with the youth. It is funny to hear the stories they have been taught about creation and a mountain that reaches all the way to heaven or about how the rainbow is a dragon that eats water. We have been getting a lot of encouragement from the elders at the church and the youth that attend the study. We feel blessed that God has been able to work through us in this Bible study...thanks for the continued prayers.

Now onto Julie...

Like Mark said, we've passed our “half way point” and thought we should update you all on some things we've been doing more on a daily basis! My week starts Monday mornings in Casualty at Rundu State Hospital. I usually wake up around 6:30 and start my morning routine of washing my face & hair in a basin, eating some toast, and then biking to the hospital by 7:30. I change out of my bike clothes when I get to work, because I've found it super difficult to bike in a nursing skirt! (And since its culturally inappropriate to show your knees, long shorts work out a bit better!)

At work with my friends Justin & Aina!

I spend my days volunteering in Casualty from 8-1 on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Like home, anything can happen in Casualty. :) Some days are quite slow... and on those days I take “fat cake breaks” with Laura. (I love those days!) But also like home, some days are very busy... and I love those days too! Working in Casualty has gotten me more used to the Ru-kwangali language, but I still can only speak medically. People ask me often what type of patients I see. I rarely see any diseases related to obesity (unlike back home) such as strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, hypertension... but I still see them on occasion. More commonly, I assist in treating dehydration, dysentery, diarrhea, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, snake bites, scorpion bites, poisonings, etc. There are many home deliveries here in Namibia, so I often get to do well baby check ups on 1 day old newborns... which I can't get enough of! I also get to assist in minor procedures on a frequent basis which has been quite fun! There are two “mini-theatre” rooms (operating rooms) off of casualty that are used daily to I & D abscesses, do biopsies, suture, remove foreign bodies, and do other minor procedures. There is also a POP (plaster of paris) room where I get to assist in placing and removing casts. The staff in Casualty is refreshingly fun and I enjoy working with them a lot. The working environment in Africa is much less stressful and laid back – even in Casualty – and I can say, I've adapted to that quite nicely! :)

Tuesdays I've started volunteering with the hospital's community health outreach in distant villages. This usually is a full day event where I go with a few other hospital staff by truck out in the “bush” to provide medical care to people that live too far away from the hospital. So far I've felt a bit out of my comfort zone because nurses are expected to act more like doctors in this role, but I'm catching on and am enjoying learning more about medical care in the bush. It's a different world in these villages from the town of Rundu, and I am enjoying getting out there and making little kids laugh after I give them a vaccine, or making an old man smile when I attempt to speak his native tongue while explaining his medications. I've also gotten a kick out of people's method of payment if they can't pay the $2N for treatment. By the time we return back to the hospital at night, the truck is full of maize, peanuts, mahangu, veggies, and beans! I've really been enjoying community health, but I do ask for your prayers as the community health staff, although kind, has been a bit difficult to get to know on a more personal level.

Wednesdays are my day off! YIPPEE for days off! I've only started taking a day off since recently beginning community health, and it has been great for r&r and also for some time away with Mark. We've discovered the only coffee shop in all of Rundu and have begun going Wednesday mornings to talk and spend time together. It's been a great find and much needed as our time in Africa, although amazing, can sometimes be a bit strenuous and stressful.

Saturday mornings into the afternoon are spent at our bible study at Kaisosi Tar Road Church. It takes us an hour to walk there from Ndama, and to be honest, most weeks Mark needs to cheer me on to keep walking! :) We've really enjoyed teaching a bible study together, and Mark has been doing an amazing job fostering the kids in asking questions and feeling comfortable with open discussion. Bible studies here are not common, and most people are only used to “preachers, not teachers” as one girl told us last week. So, we are encouraged to continue and teach foundational stories from the Bible while encouraging and fostering self-esteem among the youth here.

Ndama Church

Sundays are spent at church at Ndama EBC. Church is about a half-day event in Africa! The church service is in Luchazi, but luckily Mark and I have our friends and dictionaries (as we've nicknamed them) Pepe and Kambinda translate the service for us. Our favorite part of every African church service is the singing... and lucky for us its usually about an hour long :) Afternoons and evenings on Sundays are usually spent in the village with everyone... visiting, talking, and relaxing together. On weekends at some point I get to perform my favorite womanly duty in the village – laundry! I must say, a washing machine is an amazing invention because not only is washing all your laundry by hand exhausting and sometimes painful – it takes forever! I have picked up a bit of speed over the past month though, and have even found myself looking forward to laundry day... strange. :)

Mark and I usually meet up in the afternoons during weekdays back in the village for our PB&J lunch. Yes, we eat it every day! It is so enjoyable to be able to spend so much time with Mark throughout the day. It has been great for our marriage and something I am sure we will miss when we get home and back into the hustle and bustle of the American work day. Most afternoons I try to take a nap – some days I am successful, some days not. (The heat inside our mud home with its metal roof can make sleeping, well, not possible!) If naps are not possible, I'll clean or do the dishes... otherwise, I sit outside in the shade of our tree and play with the kids, read, help kids with their homework, or try to learn language and talk with the other women of the village.

Yup, that's a split fire with 2 pots! I was happy that day.

The village comes alive in the evenings. Usually around 7 pm the men will come home from their jobs, and the women will come home from the field or selling fish, bread, or tomatoes at the local market. This is when I start the fire for dinner and cook one of 3 things: rice and beans, rice and lentils, or pasta. I know- creative! I have promised some of the women in the village I will try to start cooking their traditional meals soon, but as of right now – they are a bit intimidating! It took me 27 days of living in the village to be able to start a fire on my own. With it being rainy season, some days are harder than others and when we first moved in, every night someone wanted to come over and help before I could even attempt it on my own! I must say, the loving help we've received here has been endearing to say the least. People give of their time, energy, and possessions so freely here. Most evenings Mark and I receive some traditional food from a family in our kiembo. We always return the favor with giving some of our “rice and macunde (beans)” which everyone seems to get a kick out of. Sharing food each evening is something that took some getting used to, but something we've learned to love. There is something about giving and receiving food from family and friends that warms the heart – and the belly!

After dinner Mark and I go outside and sit under the vast African sky and talk with everyone around the fire until bedtime. Some evenings the men and women sit separately, some evenings together. This is probably our favorite time of the day and when we feel most of our relationships grow the most. By the time the coals of the fire cool, Mark and I have fetched our water for our shower and for the next day. Then it is “tana” time (luchazi for shower). This is probably our 2^nd favorite time of the day! Mark and I take bucket showers outside which does take some skill... but we've got it down to an art and use such a small amount of water its amazing! Bedtime is usually around 10 or 11... when we tuck ourselves into our mosquito net and drift off to sleep. And when the alarm rings at 6:30 its time to start all over again...

Introducing our new home!

Mark with Kambinda, Pepe, & Mateo

As you may know from one of our previous blogs we moved to Ndama village to live in community with the people we have been getting to know.  The community that we are living in is awesome. There are 5 couples in our housing group, Paul and Elizabeth, Jaime and Veronica, Kativa and Secilia, Kawende and Fernanda, and Ferciano and Emilie. There are also a number of children: Tani, Kina, Pepe, Masela, Easy, Eliza, Paul, Zeka, Kado, Mateo, Jeferino, January, Shika, Fati, and Kambinda.  Each of the families have a home or group of homes.  Mainly the houses are for sleeping and cover from the rain. There is not to much activity done in the house during the day, mostly because it is always blazing hot inside the houses due to the metal roofing.  Everyone usually retreats to the coolness of the shade found under a nearby tree.  On most days there is some type of breeze that keeps us cool.

Our New Home! (You can also see our "stove" and shower!)

Pepe and Eliza

Since moving here we have really been expanding our Luchazi language knowledge. When we lived in Tutengeni we practiced language however, it is a lot different practicing the language and truly needing to learn the language to talk to people.  Only a fraction of people that we interact with on a daily basis in the village know English.  We do have a secret weapon that has been helping us a great deal, Pepe. Pepe is now in 12^th grade and knows English very well so he has been our translator when we want to talk to someone more then just greeting them.  We are learning a lot and will hopefully pick up more of the language soon.

The children are a lot of fun to be around. At first they only called us Chindale (Luchazi for white person). They would yell it whenever they saw us coming.  After telling them only a few times what our names were, they replaced chindale with Marco and Julia... I think that is a good compromise. The children love teaching us Luchazi and learning English. We spend a lot of time pointing at things and saying what it is in both languages, or writing words out in the sand. We found out that language learning can be a tricky thing sometimes and you need to be careful to pronounce words just like they do. Julie was learning the word for chicken the one day and just pronounced the ending a little off and ended up saying the female reproductive part, Oops!

Washing clothes by hand is a challenge and so far Julie is the only one that had the pleasure of washing our clothes.  One thing we didn't expect while hanging our laundry out to dry is that you must beware of the donkey cart that comes through daily. If your clothes are unfortunately hanging when the donkey cart comes through the donkeys will rub against your clothes making the clothes much dirtier. Lesson learned!

I must say that my favorite thing about getting around Africa is being able to ride a bicycle everywhere!  I got my bicycle soon after we got here from an orphans project that has bikes donated to them and fixes them up to sell.  The sales produce money for the orphans project to keep running.  As soon as I saw the bike I got I knew it was meant to be...a red Specialized (reminds me of home).  Sure the seat is falling apart, the tires are worn, and I recently blew out the rear hub but in African standards I have a sweet ride.  Julie's bike is nice also.  It is very rugged looking with red spray paint at spots.

Valentine's Day Dinner in the Making...

Who would have thought that they celebrate Valentine's day in Africa?  I didn't think they did.  Well, I was wrong.  They even have plastic flowers in the store to give to your loved ones.  My Valentine's day gift to Julie was to cook her a meal over the fire!  I knew it would get some strange looks since no man is supposed to cook when their wife is willing and able.  I must say I think I did a good job besides burning the rice and spilling the lentils into the fire not once but twice.  There was a small crowd to see what I would mess up next but all in all it was a Valentine's day gift I will not forget anytime soon...I hope Julie won't either!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

At Least I Haven't “Fallen off the Calendar” Yet!

Turning 30 in Africa was something I've been thinking about since we celebrated Mark's 30^th the day before we left for Namibia. I learned while being here that people refer to being old as when you “fall off the calendar”... as in when you turn 32. If your birthday can be found on a day in a month on the calendar (1-31) you are still a young-en and don't need to worry about a thing. SO, in African standards, I've got another 2 years to be considered young... :)

Myself with Alysse, Laura, & McKenzie!

We started off the day with our weekly Bible study in a mud church in the village in the morning. Afterwards, we biked into town to splurge on an ice cream cone and Mark even bought me a new shirt! (My first frivolous purchase since getting here!) That night Mark and I got together with our friends Laura, Alysse, Mckenzie, & David to celebrate at a local lodge. I ordered an amazing “fillet” steak and ate looking out at the stunning Kavango River over sunset. It was so nice to have a relaxing night out with friends. I even got a few gifts... a head wrap, some chocolate, and 2 homegrown zucchini! Turning 30 in Africa was simple and fun... just the way I like it! :)

Our New Address: Ndama Village!

Mark and I wanted to share with you all some exciting news! If you haven't checked out our blog lately, reading our last entry below will explain a lot, but we've decided to move into Ndama village into Zeka and Anita's mud home! Zeka and Anita are close friends of ours and our AIM leaders Rob and Alisa. They will be in Windhoek finishing their schooling from today until June, so Mark and I are moving into their community this week! (We could move in tomorrow... but we figured moving into a mud hut wouldn't be an awesome way to spend my 30^th birthday, so we are moving early in the week!)

Mark and I have really felt a desire to become more part of a community here on a daily basis, and we are growing some good relationships in Ndama. So the 2^nd half of our time here won't be as “cushy” as it has been in Tutengeni, but we look forward to the change. In Ndama, we won't have running water, plumbing for a toilet, sink or shower, refrigeration, or a stove/oven for cooking. Which means many changes for us and we ask for much prayer as we make the transition! I will still be working in the hospital most days of the week, and am also starting up some community health outreach in February... so things like cooking over a fire, taking outdoor bucket showers, going to fetch water, doing laundry by hand, and going to the bathroom in the bush will be added changes that I hope go well.

Mark has been super supportive and an awesome husband preparing me for the move which comes with added responsibilities for me especially since most tasks are traditionally done by women in the village. We know we can do it and know that being in this setting will be much more of a blessing than a burden, however, we do ask for some prayer over the next few weeks as we settle into a new normal. :)

Mark is also meeting with Dr. Yuri on Monday in regards to beginning the process for the hospital computer system. He is also going to see about possibly tutoring in a local school or helping with computer classes too... so keep him in your thoughts as well! February comes with many changes for us, and we can imagine for you all too! We aren't missing the snow :) but we are getting tired of this heat! Africa is awesome, but sometimes the abundance of sand and heat mess with your mind because you expect to see the ocean and there is none around! :)

We hope everything is going great for you all. Please keep sending emails... we love receiving them!! We hope to have the same amount of internet time while in the village... and will be keeping you all updated too.

Our Home Stay with Zeka and Anitha

Kids playing in Ndama

Most of the people in Rundu do not live in “town” like Mark and I, they live out in the village. There are many villages within the town of Rundu including Sauyemwa (pronounced saw-yay-mwah), Ndama, Kaisosi, Kaisosi Taya Rodi (pronounced Tire Road).The villages consist of homes that are built made of mud, cement, or metal and have thatch or tin roofs. Zeka and Anitha (pronounced Anita) live in Ndama and most people living in their area of Ndama live in mud homes with tin roofs. Ndama village could be a town on its own it is so large. It is also the village closest to the center of town (near all the shops and businesses), so some people even refer to it as “town.” It also is one of the more diverse villages with people living there speaking Ru-kwangali, Lucazi, or Portuguese.

Girls always love playing with hair!

Mark and I began our homestay on Friday January 7^th... but it was short lived because Mark has his first 24-hour stomach bug that began earlier that day and didn't stop until Saturday. He was a trooper trying to muster up the strength to go on our home stay anyways... but he was vomiting and had a fever, and we both feared he would end up with diarrhea and running back and forth to the bush all night in the rain (something we both decided wouldn't be a great first memory of the village!) Zeka and Anita were so sweet getting us a taxi to go home, and we promised we'd return soon.

Mark playing with the kids, Judith, and Anitha

And we did, on Sunday morning the 9^th! Mark and I walked to Ndama EBC Church that morning to meet Zeka and Anitha and begin our home stay. Ndama Church was very welcoming and we enjoyed the service as well. It was great to meet a few of their friends and family too. On our way back to their home from church, we stopped at an open market to buy some fried fish and some Fanta for lunch. We spent most of the afternoon taking turns relaxing under a tree in the shade, playing with the children, or having conversation. Most afternoons during the most intense heat of the day, this is most common in the village. It is almost like a line you don't cross in the sand, an unspoken rule... stay in the shade, not in the sun!

Cooking Pap

That evening was my first experience cooking pap, mutete (dried or fresh sour leaves that are cooked down), fish, and green chicken over the fire. (Green chicken are leaves from a tree in the village- not sure why the name, but Mark and I think it went something like this: “What's for dinner?” “Chicken. Green Chicken”). What is so refreshing in the village that you don't get to experience in town is community, and community to the fullest. Each village has areas where families and extended families live together within close proximity to eachother. Each family has their own mud home and sometimes own cooking hut within close distance to all of their family; meaning by standing at your home, you can see all of your relatives homes. 

It's dinner time!

And what is cool is that as you get to be an older teenager, most build their own one-room mud huts to live in too (likened to your own bedroom in the States). These families within the village care for eachothers children, care for eachother, and eat dinner together each night. Every woman within the family unit cooks what she will contribute for the night, it is all put together and then dished out to all the homes. The coolest thing is that it isn't discussed throughout the day, the fires just start burning... and each woman can see what the other is cooking and how much, and adjusts hers to contribute appropriately. It was awesome to see.

Mark & Zeka enjoying dinner

We then ate dinner together... Mark and I, Zeka and Anitha, and Judith (a relative of Zeka's). It was an awesome dinner- so full of flavor, and of course, fun to eat with our hands! Another thing to note about the village, is that these family members are blood relatives of Zeka. When married, the wife leaves her village and her family and moves in with her husband and his family. That is why there is a “labola.” A labola is a dowry of sorts that when explained here, just helps the wife's family with finances since the woman (not the man), does most work in the village and is significantly missed when she is gone. (By work meaning raising children, cooking all meals, cleaning, laundry, fetching water and firewood. When asked what the duty of a man was in a village – we were told it was to provide for and protect the family. However, sadly since unemployment is over 50% here, most of the men just sit around all day and “protect” their family! It is a very open thing to discuss... and with the younger generations some of these traditional views are slowly changing, but it is very much a respected part of village life).

Our room!

Mark and I then took bucket showers late at night outside under the stars. It's not as romantic as it sounds since Mark showered with Zeka and I showered with Anita! There are so many things you can learn from village life- showering is one of them. It amazed us how clean you can get using just one bucket of water, and how much water you can save doing it that way! We then said goodnight and went off to bed. Our first night sleep was much worse than the second! It was a HOT night and the mosquitoes were out in force! I got 48 bites that night and Mark and I barely slept due to the buzzing in our ears! Our second night sleep was like heaven though, because Zeka lent us their fan which was our protection since mosquitoes cannot fly well in a breeze and we didn't get any bites that night!

Monday was a great day of just hanging out in the village, meeting people, playing with the kids, and relaxing. Mark spent the with Zeka planning and discussing the Bible Study, pushing a dead car through the sand to the street for some guy, and playing with the kids. Anitha and I did the dishes, made an awesome porridge breakfast (tastes like cream of wheat), and relaxed and played with the kids. Of course, Mark and I found some little puppies to play with too...

In the early evening we took a walk with Zeka throughout Ndama and had a great conversation about America, our struggles as a nation and a culture, and how we can all learn from eachother. People in Africa talk about America like the promised land. It is hard to convey the stuggles we have as a nation too. Yes, Africa has severe poverty but America has a different kind of poverty; a spiritual and community poverty. People in America live very solitary lives, just trying to individually strive for the bigger and better, and sadly have fallen into such severe materialism that they don't experience community in the way it was meant to be. This is hard to convey to an Africa in which a sense of community practically runs through their blood. Mark and I are really starting to re-evaluate our lives when we return home. Leaving the African community will be difficult...and hopefully we can learn enough here to bring what we've learned home. :)

Julie & Anitha cooking dinner

Our dinner Monday night was more traditional; the men and women ate dinner separately in different homes. Mark and I were able to have great conversations that night and I was fortunate enough to eat outside in the dark under the stars. :) Mark had a pretty emotion provoking conversation with a few of the men about us being there. They explained that they are one of the “lowly” tribes in the area because not only are they refugees from Angola, they also speak Portuguese (not Lucazi). They couldn't believe that we, “white people,” would take time to come and stay with them and eat with them. They also told Mark that they saw the love of God in us and were happy to get to know us.

Sadly, there are many situations from the past that have caused Namibians to harbor poor self images. There are many refugees from the Angolan war that have struggled to survive in even getting to Namibia, and they are sadly “looked down upon” by many Namibians. Also, Namibia has struggled to overcome a marred self image from many years of being oppressed first by the Germans (it is argued that Namibia had the first ever genocide), and then during the apartheid. Many do not realize that Namibia too was forced into apartheid because at the time of the South African apartheid, Namibia was a territory of South Africa and was affected in the same away South Africa was. Sadly, Namibia didn't have a social hero like the great Nelson Mandella to bring them out of the dark world they were living in... so even today, some Namibians have distorted views of themselves and whites. Mark and I can see how our ministry here for some is simply to tell them that we are all created in the image of our God, and we were all created for a purpose. We are all loved by God, and we are all his children- black and white, and God doesn't favor whites over blacks.

Welcome to the bush!

Tuesday morning was started by taking a trip to the bush. :) Yes, otherwise known as the bathroom! I am only adding this to the blog because questions like where is the bathroom, how do you bathe, how do you cook, etc. are quite common. The bush is across the tar road from the village... and it is just that, the bush. It is a huge area, and designated for only bathroom needs. I must say, it is a great way to keep sanitation needs in check since it is across the road from the village. It was also another “ministry” opportunity for Mark and I, because to be honest... white people don't go to the bush around here. So, for that reason only... we went to the bush. :)

We had an amazing time... and really were able to build our relationships with Zeka and Anitha. We see the value of spending more time in the village and hope to return soon...

The Beginning of Our Youth Bible Study!

It has been very encouraging to see our friends Zeka and Anitha show a great interest and concern for the youth of the Rundu area. We met Zeka and Anitha when we arrived in the capital of Namibia before we came to Rundu. They are in Winheok attending NETS, which is an evangelical theolgical college in Nambia. During their summer break from school in December they returned to their home in Ndama, and Julie and I had a chance to meet with them and discuss their vision for a mulitple village youth Bible study. Julie and I are very interested in seeing a spiritual growth in all the youth of Rundu which coinsides with Zeka and Anitha's vision as well.

The plan we came up with is to start a youth Bible study in Rundu. We are hoping to have a group of youth that will be eager to learn about the Bible in such a way that one day they will be able to teach others. Julie and I invited the youth from 3 different villages to attend the Bible study; Ndama, Kaisosi Mission, and Kaisosi Teya Rodi. Reaching out to different villages and joining them together is a newer concept here, as most times villages stick together and don't branch out much. It is exciting for us to see friendships already occuring, and we are hoping these friendships grow outside the Bible study as well.

Our first weekly study was Saturday, January 8th and we had 17 youth show up! Zeka lead the discussion and did a good job of encouraging and going over the introduction to the bible. We had a mixed group of knowledge about the bible. Some know the bible pretty well and enjoy reading it on their own and others were not as familiar with the bible so it is going to be good to have a bible study that starts at the basics and builds up from there.

The second bible study was yesterday and I lead the discussion on the basic sections of the old testament and a summary of the first 5 books of the bible. This was the first time Julie and I lead a Bible study, and it was challenging for us. We've been saying that it's funny that leading our first Bible study has started here in Africa, where we are still struggling to even understand the culture! Overall, it was a great day and a great beginning for us. We are excited to see how God uses us here over the next few months through this study and are already looking forward to this coming Saturday!