Namibian Notes

18 July 2007

I have been learning a lot about water treatment, water pressure, water tank installation
on the roof, fixing water heaters repairing electrical out lets, replacing hinges in cabinets,
toilets, hanging mirrors in cement walls that disintegrate as you drill into them etc.
Richard, the man on the ladder, could well find himself fixing all the water heaters in
Arandis that are full of calc and have burned out the heating element.

The really amazing thing about all this is that we go into hardware stores and everyone is
so helpful to explain how to do these projects and how to install needed equipment and
genuinely advise us on what is better than the other. Then they ask us why we are doing
this work and if we are here on holiday how come we are doing all this service in the
community. Then comes the all important question…how do we plan to pay for it? We
get a chance to explain that it is God who will pay as we expand his kingdom on earth.
That is a first shot, then comes the question… 'Oh which organization are you working
for? So we tell them we work for The Jewish Carpenter and that usually creates a very
strange look on the face. Then the strangest thing happens…they excuse themselves, go
away for a bit and come back with either an enormous reduction in price or give the stuff
to us. Yes, this trip has been an experience in walking by faith in no uncertain terms.

~ posted by mexikids at 5:03 PM

16 July 2007

The second night was pretty spectacular for me. I came to Namibia this time hoping to
get a glimpse of the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven. The Hall was locked up
when we got there to start the seminar and the man with the key was no where to be
found.

We all went to the Pastor's house and piled into his living room. I have added a discovery
section so I can talk less and let them work out the wrinkles in their own culture. I felt
this was risky because they don't usually share especially in mixed company but
something wonderful happened. The ladies were in tears that for the first time they were
able to speak up in the small groups about the lies in the culture that was impoverishing
them spiritually, physically and financially and the men where overwhelmed that they
were able to cross all the denominational lines and find some unity.

The unity they are looking for they discovered would be found in the service to each
other and the community in practical ways together and share in something much bigger
than themselves.

Sunday night was the grand finale. We did get the man to open up the Hall on time and
had a wonderful evening with people sharing openly and ready to make a move together
to be creative and find ways to come out of the dullness that life here has become.

They all signed up for the on going 10 week DVD course I brought from Disciple
Nations Alliance, totally intrigued by the idea that if Jesus were Mayor of Arandis what
would change in their town.

There will be several uranium mines opening soon in Arandis. The town may have a
chance to flourish again but if the church body comes alive and implements a creative
plan to bring the Kingdom of God on earth as it is In Heaven to Arandis I think they will
be far along the path to a less impoverished future without having to wait on some
perceived human savior.

~ posted by mexikids at 5:02 PM

15 July 2007

A team from Orlando was here for only a short while before they went off to Okahandja
to meet the rest of the Zebra team coming in from Orlando. They also had their luggage
left behind in Johannesburg SA. I think it will be the last time Jo'berg will see us. I know
it will not see me again even though I did not lose any luggage. I feel blessed but may
have lost important things and the inconvenience is hard as it is quite cold at night and no
sleeping bags or clothing is no joke. Distances are far so airport runs waiting on incoming
planes to see if bags are dribbling in are very difficult.

I have been learning a lot about all kinds of things in between ministry. The computer is
not such a menace to my life now. I have a good teacher in Mike who is helping me to
learn how to function with one in the middle of nowhere.

~ posted by mexikids at 5:01 PM

14 July 2007

Arandis is a mining town in the middle of the desert. The nearest town is Swakopmund
about a 45 minute drive away. The first impression of Arandis is one of an abandoned
town. It has a certain gloom hanging over it and it looks very run down and neglected.
However, as you move about the small area it occupies you find things that you don't
expect and you are able to do things you did not think possible. The people have that
wonderful spirit found all over Namibia and it is a delight to make connections with the
many fine people that live here. There are a lot of service opportunities here to serve the
residents and share the hope of the Kingdom of God.

Mike who is here serving The Jewish Carpenter is busy doing all kinds of wonderful
repairs to a lot of things that are in need. Bethany, a school teacher from Kentucky, is
here for 7 weeks teaching at the Talitha Kumi School and we had a chance to visit the
museum in Swakopmund as well as the famous Dune 7 that Bethany climbed all the way
to the top. It is wonderful to be a 20 year old.

The museum visit gave us a wonderful insight into the history of Swakopmund, the
various people groups of Namibia and the processing of Uranium ore. It is worth a trip to
see this small private museum.

~ posted by mexikids at 5:00 PM

13 July 2007

The Leadership Seminar started over the week end in the Town Hall. I had no idea what to expect. The church leaders from several denominations came, both men and women.

The first night was a mixed bag. There are several teachers here. One of them is a Jamerican and member of the Zebra team who although was attending the presentation remarked "'where is he going with this?" Lots of it is thinking aloud on my part as I go but it all does come together in the end quite powerfully.

Anyway, Bethany came to the rescue and gave up a lot of time along with Pastor Banda's, daughter Pearl to make a booklet of my diagrams, to bind and print them out and make notes on each page as a take away. So like Panorama this leadership course is finally now in the first stages of becoming a real course in leadership. The booklets and the organization of the thoughts will be a great help next week end as I have the opportunity to present it in Windhoek at The Gospel Outreach Center there.

~ posted by mexikids at 4:58 PM

8 July 2007

I am still alive and very well in spite of the back ache. I will try to recount the time so far in Arandis staying at the HUGS house.

My time in Arandis will be primarily with Pastor Banda doing a leadership conference. Photo shows Pastor Tresford and family welcoming us to Arandis.

I arrived in Arandis last Sunday after a wonderful week end spent in Swakopmund with Lon and Neils. Lon is starting in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ at the Swakop River Commome near the beach, and little did I know that that would be the last hot shower for a while. Arandis is a very different place.

The weather pattern here is much warmer than in Okahandja but there is a phenomenon at this time of the year called the East Wind. It blows the hot desert air with a pile of sand and fine dust that comes into the house and the car through every small crack anywhere. It dies down at about noon and comes up again at about 2 AM each night. The nights are cool so very pleasant to sleep out doors and count the stars but at 2 AM it is time to run inside when you hear the wind coming up.

~ posted by mexikids at 4:56 PM

July 5

Today I am trying to write a new blog to catch up and get ready for the next team coming in on the 13th so we went in search of the cook I used to work with two years ago to see if she will help do the cooking at the red Plot. We found her and made the arrangement so menus and shopping later.

I will go to Swakopmund on Saturday with Lon to visit the church there and for Lon to preach on Sunday morning at The Swakop River Community Church. On Sunday afternoon I will go to Arandis and start with Pastor Tresford on Monday working on helping him to get set up to reach Arandis with the gospel as there is no real representation of church there. He is open to really looking at doing small churches and starting in homes so we need to try to make a plan they can cope with and follow up by email.

We leave in the morning at 7AM for Swakopmund and will be carrying 6 of the remaining bags that came in today. This should be a challenge for sure.

~ posted by mexikids at 6:14 PM

July 4

A team of 9 from Orlando arrived in the afternoon after missing their flight in Johannesburg. Not one of their bags came with them. We took them for some food and then tried to find lodging for them. God provided again. The next day they set out for Arandis and one of their members Niels Leppert and I spent the day at the airport tracking down baggage. This was a day to remember never, yes never, go through Jo'berg again no matter what. It is the theft capital of baggage in the world. This time the conveyors broke down and the baggage for Namibia alone was backed up 200 pieces. Some people had been here two weeks with no luggage. Niels was talking to the agent in her office here and at 2 PM she just up and went home with a "shift over" goodbye. Customer service is not a high point here.

Neils moved in and took over calling Jo'berg from her vacant desk with their phone and got the names of everyone in the British Airways staff and telephone numbers in Jo'berg (a list no one in Namibia has) and secured 11 of the 22 bags on the next flight. None of his came as a reward and the rest of the 11 other missing bags are still missing as the pile grows in Jo'berg. We still live in hope that they will soon show up here and hopefully not in the flea market. I hope this is sorted out before the rest of the team arrives on the 13th July. Yaaaaa!... welcome to Africa. Things are expanding rapidly here but there is really no improvement in the infrastructure to manage it.

~ posted by mexikids at 2:21 PM

July 1

A new team arrived from South Africa and immediately went to work at the Red Plot on the water problem. One of them was an ex-mayor and he went over to the factory in town where they make the large plastic water storage tanks and got into his political mode and talked to the owners and came back with a huge water tank that they even agreed to deliver and connect up for free. It makes you wonder sometimes. Doesn't it? When the time is right things happen. It is the sign when the miracle happens and the wonder is that it makes you think as the kingdom advances simply when God decides it will. They are in the schools teaching and fixing broken windows around the plot for the rooms of the incoming teams.

[CLICK HERE for full story with more photos]

~ posted by mexikids at 11:22 PM