Namibia Journal - November 30th
November 30thI woke up today getting ready for one of the first actual appointments I kind of set up myself. Actually it was Josh and I who talked with Josef when he came by the other day to talk about the money he was supposed to raise to go to camp. Each student was required to get fifty Namibian dollars (about $7.50 US) for camp, to help to slightly defray the costs, and so that they have some personal stake in it. But even $7.50 was too much for some of the students and the team has had to come up with creative ways for them to work to get their portion instead. So, on Monday Josef came to see what he could do and we arranged that he could come back on Wednesday around 10 to see if we could go help at the Multi-Purpose Ministry Center (MPMC). Josef came early and also brought another guy, Pollo. These are two of the five guys in my small group for camp so I have been told a little about them. They are good guys, and ones that are less fortunate than some of the others. They live in 5 Rand and come from an Oshiwambo background. Anyway, I bought a bag of apples so they would have something to eat before working and we headed out to the MPMC. We had a good talk, getting to know each other a little bit as we walked and ate apples and drank warm water. At the MPMC, we got to work sanding the painted concrete walls to smooth out the excess chunks of paint and concrete.
The Lord is our boss and we are his workmen, but, after the Lord, at the MPMC our boss is Gert from Holland. He had Pollo doing most of the wall sanding while I moved a paint bucket around to stand on it and sand the ceiling. Josef did a great job helping with that also and then Gert had him paint the trim around the ceiling. The electrician was in the building today and we are supposed to have electricity soon. It took us a good half day to take care of all the jobs Gert gave us, painting, sanding, and scraping. We walked back when we were finished and were able to get lunch together because Erin made food for us. It's hard for me to imagine right now (still) how little the guys actually get to eat, especially when it involves sitting down at a table, having conversation, spending time like most families take for granted every night. I still haven't been to 5 Rand where they live but they told me neither of them have running water inside their houses. Unlike most others, they do have electricity.
Williams came by while we were working at the MPMC. He came to tell me goodbye for the summer break. He's going to go stay with his father at a farm somewhere far from here. Williams' parents are divorced and he stays with his mom in Okahandja during the school year. We didn't talk about all that while he visited. Erin told me later about the conversation she had with him when he stopped by the center. He went their first, looking for us, to say goodbye, and because he needed money to make some phone calls. Erin doesn't usually have any money so she told him where I was at. I was happy to give him what he needed. Someone he didn't know too well was giving him a ride to where he was going and he needed to call one of his brothers before he left and when he got there. I pray he has a good time this summer and that the Lord keeps working on his heart. Joel Ogden reminded me recently of one of the posts from a short-term trip that mentioned Williams. Apparently he was in a fight while an Apex team was here and almost got expelled from school. I thank the Lord that he didn't and that we have this time now to continue watering what has been planted and planting some more. Pray that God gives growth in Williams' life. He was teary-eyed when talking about being at the farm with his father, and very restrainedly excited when he heard we would be here for so long.
After Josef and Pollo took off from the Center, Erin and I headed out on a walk to tour another house we are interested in. We found it on a short walking tour Mike took us on of his street one day. It looks like the MPMC had a baby. It's the mini-MPMC. It's the same colors—yellow with green trim, and it looks similar because it's also new. Even though we already secured the other house to rent, we called on this one and found out what it would cost us. They only wanted to sell at first but after some time they said they would rent it. The price they named would be 2.5 times what we have in the other house but we knew they were just starting high and we would need to negotiate. There are also some reasons why we actually might want to buy it or see if Apex will buy it and we can rent from them. Our main attraction to the house is the large living room area which would be excellent for hospitality. I might have mentioned it before but it's worth saying again. Overall, hospitality is lacking in Okahandja. We would love to have a place where we can invite over a lot of people. The price in US dollars is a little less than $30,000. Having no experience buying a house in either America or Namibia, I have no idea what a monthly payment would be. In any case, there are some significant reasons why buying property in Okahandja right now is a good idea. Hein and Nadine came over to look at it as well. They were very impressed that there was a new place like that in the location where it's at. It's not any nicer than the average home but it is new and in a great location. The only drawback is the yard has nothing in it but dirt and rocks—scorched earth. The first thing we'd have to do is plant some shrubs or trees or something. I'm not a gardener (yet) but I would love to get some projects going for some local guys who are.
After touring the house, I saw one of the coolest things I've seen here yet. We walked over to Mike & Josh's house and accidentally interrupted one of Josh's weekly Bible studies. He was sitting in the living room with a group of Namibian guys studying their Bibles. I was praising the Lord, being very impressed by God. We went back into their office and spent some time with Mike on the camp teaching and plans. He's put together some good stuff, with teaching influenced by John Piper, gospel illustrations from Firm Foundations, and a strategy for giving the youth a passion for their schools that Mike says is influenced by Campus Crusade and Young Life.
A little bit later, I was back at Mike & Josh's for the Wednesday night discipleship with Christiaan. If you have any opportunity or ability at all, you need to watch the second message Louie Giglio gives on the Matt Redman “Facedown” DVD. You won't go wrong by watching any of them and I highly recommend them all, even though I haven't seen the third one yet. The second one should, as Christiaan put it, cut you to pieces. We prayed for a very long time. We prayed silently for even longer. I walked away that night seeing more stars in the sky than I think my eyes had ever observed before. I want to insert a special message to my friend James Scoville in Ohio right here—you need to see this DVD and then you need to come see us in Namibia, if nothing else than to admire God for His work in the stars.
Erin had a fantastic time with a big group of women this week. She was blessed, and blessed to be a blessing. (P.S. I am trying to encourage her to write some things from her perspective and about the women's things. Pray and see what happens!)
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