September 22, 2008
"Today was my first day of school and I loved it. The kids came stampeding out of the building when they saw us and globbed onto us. There are about 30 kids and only 2 women working full time. The school is just a one roomed shed. Selvia, the teacher, is very excited to have Cathi and me come on a regular basis. The kids love to rub my arms and mess with my hair. The kids bring a lunch to school, but some of them didn't. So the teacher stands in the front of the room and these 3, 4, 5, and 6 year olds split their own sandwich or slice of bread--or whatever they brought--in half and put part of it into the basket. So that way, everybody gets something, even if it is only a slice of bread."
September 24, 2008
"School was very good this morning, but very tiring. The kids are amazing but they kind of sap energy right out of you. They figured out how to say my name today so they kept me running. They all want to show you what they are working on....There is one little girl at school named Damas. Actually her real name is Vicky but she goes by Damas which means 'Dark skin". So she goes by Damas and there is another little girl who goes by Namas which means 'Light skin.'. Any way, Damas is a beautiful child with huge brown eyes that are pretty much always sad. Her and her brother Ricky Jr. have a very hard life. There is another little girl named Jenesly. She is 2 years old and a tiny little slip of a thing. She is like a little pixie. I got a puppet out and she started talking to her and she freaked out. It was rather humerus. Now she gets irritated at people when they get the puppets too close to her."
My time in Namibia was good but it was also very hard. I struggled a lot with my attitude and motivation for doing stuff, homesickness and knowing how I was supposed to handle some of the situations that I found myself dealing with.
October 12, 2008
"I'm really struggling because I don't feel like I'm doing anything here. School only takes about 3 hrs and even when I'm there I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything, or even like I want to be there. Then I spend the rest of my day not doing much. I feel bad about it, but I don't want to get up and do anything about it. I'm just really feeling a lack of motivation. I want to be used by God, but I really need a boost of motivation and some creative ideas for school."
October 13, 2008
"I discovered that working on the alphabet in the sand is a lot more fun than sitting at tables! At lunch this morning, I was ticked. Even with kids sharing their food, there was not enough to go around. It makes me mad that these kids don't have enough to eat and I tend to get self-righteous and judgmental. And then I realized that I could be doing more to help the situation. So, I got some bread and peanut butter to take tomorrow. But I really want things like that to come from my love for God and His children. I don't want to do it simply as a conscience cleaner.
October 17, 2008
"Cathi had bought a bag of oranges for the kids. What a treat. The kids are so funny because they eat the orange peel as well as the orange. The other day Cathi had taken an orange for herself. She had the peelings on her lap and was letting the kids take pieces. Then Ricky came up and took them all in two little fists and sat on them so that the other kids couldn't get at them while he was eating them. It was hilarious. He is a smart little whip. He is only 5, but he can count better than many of the older kids. The other day we were working on counting. We had some of the kids in row on the floor and the other kids were counting them. A lot of them were really struggling and then Ricky got tired of watching. So he got up, marched over, and counted them up. 1,2,3,4,5! He then sat back down glad that things had finally been taken care of."
I truly believe that The One who wrote the adventure sent me to Namibia to spark something new in my heart.
October 20, 2008
"Ok, so here is an interesting scoop. I have always been adamantly against the idea of being a teacher. I never thought that I'd be good at it, and I never wanted to do it. So, it is odd that lately I have been having these little thoughts pop into my head that I could be a teacher and that I might actually like it. It is so odd and kind of neat. I don't think that I'm making it up either because this would be a 180 degree change. I have been praying and asking God to take this all away if it is not Him and to grow the desire in me if it is. Before coming here I prayed that through this trip God would give me direction for my life. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I'd start thinking like this."
Oh the Adventures!
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