It's been a month!

       The weather: So its been pretty hot here in Rundu in comparison to Windhoek. Plus we get the pleasure of walking since we have no car. There is sand everywhere! It gets in your shoes, on your clothes and your skin. One of my favorite things is how the taxis pass you on the road going 100 km/hr and make a huge cloud of dust only to get more dust on your sweaty body. Love it!  We walk to and from work which means we are sweaty each way, fun times. But on the same token it does cool off a night which is a blessing. My favorite time of day is dusk.  It is cooling off and the sun is going down, its a great time for a walk. The sunsets are beautiful here. 

Conference:  All of the AIM missionaries from Namibia came together for a time of fellowship and learning along with some international guests as well.  We learned a great deal about personalities and behavior styles.  In our team from Rundu ,we learned that we are all a little different and deal with conflict in different ways.  It was good to talk about it and be up front and honest and hopefully not have too many conflicts. ;)  It was uplifting and good for us to hear about the mission fields in the other regions of Namibia as well as the southern region of AIM.  There are some amazing things happening all over Africa.  It encourages me to hear about how God is working in other places and drives me to want to serve here in Rundu.  I want to make a difference and watch God work through me.  I am still wondering how he will do it but I am a willing servant.  

Home stay: We had the opportunity to stay in one of the villages surrounding Rundu.  Anna and I had the privilege of staying in Ndama. We were lucky and we were honored to stay in one of the mud homes.  It is not a hut but a home with three rooms. There is the main room which is where we hang out and eat, the sleeping room and the storage room. We did get to experience going to the African “bathroom” and taking a African “shower.”  These people only eat once a day because it is all they can afford. They eat a large meal for dinner and that is all. I can tell that the children are hungry.  It breaks my heart. 

Living in the village is hard work. There is lots to be done and it takes time to do everything. There is no microwaves, refrigerators or ovens. All cooking is done over the fire. The women have to gather the wood, chop it, build the fire then cook the meal. For the traditional dish of pap the meal is gathered, ground up, sifted, laid out to dry then it could be cooked.  This is a process that is not easy.  In addition, all the clothing is washed by hand in large basins.  And of course all the dishes are washed by hand. :)  It was an adjustment when coming from a culture with some many amenities. 

Overall Africa is starting to feel like home but I am still feeling very overwhelmed. Everything takes a little more time and effort. It can be exhausting. I go to bed every night tired and emotionally drained.  They tell you that living in another culture is hard but until you completely experience it, there is no way to explain it.  Every conversation takes concentration, walking in the sun on sandy roads is physically hard in addition to carrying all your groceries, learning a language takes practice and trying to adjust to a different hospital environment are just a few of the things we are dealing with daily.  But God is greater than all of that! And I thank him for that. He has been faithful to me. Thank you for all of your prayers. 

Prayer Requests: Continued guidance in the hospital and learning my place there and how to be a help to them.  As we start our ministries, which include bible studies with the girls in the villages and campus crusade, give us wisdom and discernment. 

       Pictures: First of the pictures is me making some pap, a traditional African food.  The second is of the lion Mufasa at the place we stayed at conferance. The last is me with the children in the village for my home stay.