Traveling Breit

A Brief Mubuyaeta Ministry Update

2011-02-03T02:43:00.001-05:00

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Every year is always packed with activity and changes, but 2010 had its fair share of events for the Mubuyaeta family. Elton and I began the year on maternity leave in the States for 6 months. On April 17, we welcomed Quincy Naleli to our family. We returned to Namibia in June 2010 with Quincy in tow. She is quite the popular kid around the village and around town. Everyone is always happy to see her. Now she is 9 months and full of energy.

In July, Quincy and I traveled to Windhoek to continue working on residency papers that I had applied for in May 2009. I am happy to report that in October they were finally approved for both Quincy and I giving us the freedom to live here for 2 years before we have to renew them. This is a HUGE improvement over the permits we were getting for 30/60/90 days.

In August, we moved into our newly built non-traditional traditional house in Mukisa Village to live with Elton's father's side of the family. It was built out of termite mud and wood poles with a metal sheet roof. What makes it non-traditional is the sheer size of it along with a built-in bathroom, complete with tub and a functioning toilet and also a kitchen sink. Most traditional houses would be without those luxuries. We are still working on obtaining running water and some form of power whether it be solar or electric. It also has 2 guest rooms for any travelers that wish to come visit us here.

Also in August, I started to suffer from problems which was a first diagnosed as hepatitis but turned out to be gallbladder problems. After reaching the point of hardly being able to eat anything, fat or otherwise, I finally had it removed in Windhoek hospital in December. Going through surgery in an African hospital is something I hope I never have to endure again. Fortunately, I am much improved but the experience has left me leery of the medical system here.

Since the beginning of 2011, both Elton and I have had malaria and have had numerous problems with the truck. I was hoping for a quiet beginning to this year...

Farewell to Children of Zion

After almost 3 years of service to Children of Zion Village and Mafuta Orphan Care Centre, I have resigned. Elton also has worked there since 2003 and will be leaving at the end of January. We will miss the kids and staff but we wish them God's blessing on their future endeavors. Elton has been appointed Vice Church Elder for the 2011 year at the Katima SDA church. Since this is an unpaid position, he also we be driving a taxi.

Some of our new projects:

Musanga Farm

I came to Namibia the first time in May 2007, I fell in love with the country and its people. When I prayed to God what I was supposed to do here, I received a very simple command of 3 words: Feed My Sheep. Not knowing if this was a literal command or a m ore figurative one, I went with a combination of both. As we've come to this time of transition when I am seeking God's direction I keep getting the same command: Feed My Sheep. We want to start farming soy beans and sunflowers with future expansions to add chickens and domestic projects like sewing and carpentry. Soybeans could be supplied to women and vulnerable children as a nutritious addition to their diet and don't require refrigeration. Sunflower seeds can be made into cooking oil

The Good Samaritan Centre: A HIV/AIDS Nursing Home/Hospice Facility

The Caprivi region where we live has been rated number one in Namibia with people who are infected. The government is caring for physical needs such as medication when they reach a certain stage of the illness and hospital care, but when they are discharged many have no place to go. Many times they may have a family that cares for them but is unable to provide the quality nutrition necessary for the medication to work properly. We hope to provide them with a temporary place to stay to get back on their feet, provide healthy food, education about their disease, and counseling how to cope with the future. This project will be in partnership with many of the local government ministries and foreign NGO's working in Namibia.

Mukisa Kindergarten

In July 2010, we opened a kindergarten for the children living in and around Mukisa Village. We have averaged 15-20 students per month age 3-6 years old. Elton's aunt, Cordelia, is the teacher and she is doing a wonderful job. The biggest challenge the school is facing at the moment is lack of space. The students are meeting in her house in the sitting room. When the weather is conducive they go outside. As you can imagine that amount of students in one cramped room is not ideal. We are praying for the funding to build a small school house near the edge of the village. The cost would be between $1,000-2,000 USD. They will also accept any school/craft supplies anyone is willing to send.

Final Messengers

There is a group of 8 guys from our church who formed a singing group called Final Messengers. Elton has been working with them to help them record a CD. They previously recorded 4 songs that are very popular on the local radio station. Last year they were invited to a number of the local churches for church services, special events and crusades. They hope in the future to raise enough support to be able to travel farther spreading the Gospel message through song.

Coming Home for a visit

Quincy and I will be coming home at the end of February 2011 for a few weeks. Elton unfortunately has to stay behind this trip. Pray for me as I fly more than 18 hours with a very wiggly 10 month old alone. We will be staying with my parents in Albany but making one or two trips to Rochester. If anyone would like me to speak about our new projects at church, bible study, youth group, etc. I'd be happy to do so.

Finally Some House Photos

2010-09-30T05:21:00.003-04:00

There are just a few but you can check them out on:

FACEBOOK or PICASA

We are still working to get the outside finished before the rain comes which is hot on our heals.

Mukisa Security Force

2010-09-28T02:43:00.003-04:00

Meet Buddy and Talula (aka Thug Dawg). They have joined Klepto and Kasper (Elton's dog who mostly lives with his great aunt but choses to grace us with his presence when he's hungry) as part of the Mukisa Security Force. They might not look too threatening now, but dogs are a huge part of keeping one's house secure here. Let's just hope they don't eat us out of house and home. This morning I realized they have learned Klepto's thieving ways when I found some of our neighbor's laundry outside my front door.

Photos still pending

2010-08-26T19:13:00.000-04:00

As one of my dear friends has pointed out I haven't posted photos of the house yet. My apologies. Our internet is broken and of course since it is a two year old device no one has the disks to re-install it. So i only have what little internet access that my cellphone can provide.

but i will say we are enjoying being in the village despite the learning curve for me. One of the hardest things has been cooking on the fire. Today i discovered something that makes it all worth it. After my work is done i take advantage of the coals. Two words: coconut marshmellows.

In the house

2010-08-20T20:42:00.000-04:00

We moved into our house tonight. It is still in need of a lot of work but the basic structure is done. It feels good to be home. Only wishing we had even a small amount of furniture or a toilet. I've already made a trip into the bush in the dark. But anyway these things will come over time. its home sweet home. We arrived too late tonight to take pics. It is pitch black. Pics to follow tomorrow.

Cuz

2010-08-08T11:06:00.000-04:00

Q and I travelled to Windhoek last week to work on our residency permits. We stayed with Elton's sister so Q could hang with her cousins, Mabby (rt) and Julia (lt). When they first met Julia didnt realize Q was a real baby until she pinched her cheek and she started screaming. Julia spent the whole week telling me, "Its a baby!" like she was still surprised everytime she saw her. I guess they don't see a lot of babies like Q around here.

like a foolish man who built his house on sand

2010-08-06T06:44:00.001-04:00

I know this scripture in Matthew 7 is talking about people that hear the words of Jesus and don't listen, but the words keep echoing in my head: like a foolish man who built his house on sand. I feel like that foolish man. As I've said before I know nothing about building houses especially traditional mud houses in Namibia. Sometimes I feel like I've bit off more than I can chew. Fortunately I am not building alone. Elton is an excellent builder. As with any kind of building project, everything costs more than we expected. The roof alone cost $1000 USD which was actually already at a great discount. People here normally build with thatch but unfortunately I am terribly allergic. We are struggling to finish the house properly.

As I've been recently reminded (thanks scott!), one of the reasons I was running from being a missionary in Africa was because I was scared of the very life I've just chosen.....this simple life living in the bush. Its amazing how God has eased me into this lifestyle. First He got me to Africa and allowed me to fall in love with it (and my wonderful husband) so that when it came time to chose this more simple life I was more prepared. We won't have electricity or running water. We are even going to fail to put in a concrete floor I had wished for so we will have mud floors. (What is that going to be like when Quincy starts crawling?!)

Life just becomes more difficult when the baby is crying in the night and you have to light a candle to see what's the problem rather than just flip a switch. Or when you need water, you have to go draw it from a bore hole this is way down the road instead of just turning a tap. Or when you want to cook, you have to light a fire instead of just turning on the stove. Or when you want to wash clothes, first to carry water then to scrub by hand. The great thing about being human is our ability to adapt. I am learning how to do these things, but it takes so much time there is little time left for anything else.

These things I can learn to live with. What I'm really struggling with is this idea of going to the toilet in the bush especially at night. We bought a toilet at a really cheap price, but we are failing to put in a septic system which makes that toilet obsolete. So off to the bush I will go. I don't know how many grown up people you know that are still scared of the dark, but I am one of them. And the darkness here isn't like in America. There are no street lights or city glow to brighten the sky at night. If the stars aren't shining or the moon is small, you can't see you hand in front of your face or the snake that is underneath your feet. I think I just won't drink much before I go to bed.

Another thing is I don't know how I'm going to manage is to cook daily over a wood fire. I am trying but I manage to burn everything including myself. The bottom line is when you are camping cooking over a fire is kind of fun but when it is everyday life, it will get very tiresome. We can buy a simple gas stove with an oven for about N$1500 (about $200 USD) but right now it is also outside our budget.

One of the biggest rookie mistakes I've made in building this house was to ask for more windows. The window frames are sort of expensive, but in my head I thought it was worth it. Since we won't have electricity, why not use the sun to our best advantage by having more windows, right? What I didn't know is that window frames are sold without glass and glass here is ridiculously expensive and somewhat difficult to get. It is almost essential to have either glass or netting on your windows, not only to keep our malaria-ridden mosquitoes but also snakes and other critters.

So I say all of this as a plea for help. We are building this house on our own. The best thing is after it is build our daily living costs will be significantly reduced. But we need help to finish some of these basic things. If we are especially blessed, we can add some of the more modern conveniences to make my life a bit more manageable. In the future, we are praying for the money for a generator or solar panel system both of which are about N$5000 or in our wildest dreams a transformer to be able to hook into the government power which begin at N$20,000. As for water, they say sometime next year the town will be installing a public water line that will pass by our village. Again, it will be affording the connection fee. As for right now, we are praying for the money for a small water tank on a trailer approx. N$5000 that can be filled and parked next to the house.

If anyone is willing to make a donation to help us to finish to build the house, you can mail a check to my parents or contact me personally for the address. You won't receive a tax-deductible receipt.

We will be moving into the house before the end of August with or without these things. Pray for us and especially for my sanity as I struggle with so many changes at one time. We know it is super expensive to come visit, but if you want to make the trip, we welcome any of you. In November, one of our friends who is finishing her peace corp contract is hoping to visit us. Early next year, we expect a friend from the US and possibly a student group. Hopefully in the next year or two somehow Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie will manage to scrape together enough money to come visit Q in her natural habitat.

Matthew 7:24-27 "Therefore everyone who hears these words
of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise
man who built his house on the rock. The rain
came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew
and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because
it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone
who hears these words of mine and does
not put them into practice is like a foolish man
who built his house on sand. The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and
beat against that house, and it fell with a great
crash."

FIFA fever

2010-07-11T15:27:00.001-04:00

Today is the big day! The World Cup finals. I honestly could care less, but with our neighbors, South Africa, hosting this big event, Namibia is all a buzz with FIFA fever. There has been a constant din of vuvuzelas all around town since the World Cup soccer. Good luck to both Netherlands and Spain. May the best team win!

(PS Sorry for the spoilers if you don't already know who is in the finals. I have no idea when these games air in the States.)

Babies: the movie

2010-06-20T03:35:00.000-04:00

My dear friend Ms. Hoose assumes correctly that she is the umpeenth person to ask me about the movie Babies that was recently in theaters: http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/babies/ Rightfully so because how often do movies that has anything to do with Namibia come out, right? So she has inspired me to blog in response to all your questions.

We are no where near where this movie was filmed. Namibia is a pretty big country and fairly sparely populated. The people that live here are as diverse as its terrain. Opuwo is almost a straight shot west approx. 757 miles/1218 km from Katima Mulilo. (http://www.travelmath.com/drive-time/from/Opuwo,+Namibia/to/Katima+Mulilo,+Namibia)

The tribe featured in this movie are the Himba. They are one of the more unique tribes of Namibia having retained most of their traditional lifestyle. Where we live is mostly Mafwe/Lozi people like Elton. Like the Himba they have maintained a tribal structure, but unlike the Himba have adopted more Western dress and some Western lifestyle. I have never traveled to the Northwest but I have seen a few Himba people selling their crafts in the capital of Windhoek. As you can imagine they draw a lot of stares when they walk down the street.

I didn't actually get to see this movie before we left the States since we were busy with our own baby but I am quite interested in seeing it. Maybe someone can mail it to me when it comes out on DVD.

Grandpa Candy and Great-grandma Elizabeth

2010-06-20T03:33:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, we finally made it out to Lisikili where Elton's dad is stationed as part of the Namibian Army. It happens to also be where his Grandmother Elizabeth, lives. Grandpa Candy is normally a quiet, pensive sort of fellow but he was in rare form when meeting his newest granddaughter. He doesn't get to see his other granddaughters very often. Elton's sister, Mwenda, lives in the capital Windhoek and can't visit very often. He took Quincy and I shopping on Friday and bought her some diapers, a warmer blanket and some other misc things.

The Weirdest Thing Just Happened....

2010-06-10T10:18:00.000-04:00

Last night before going to bed I was trying to clean my glasses because everything was looking blurry. I put them back on and realized they were still blurry. After taking a closer look I realized that the left lens has a bunch of cracks right through it. So weird. I don't remember dropping them or anything.
It seems like at any minute it could snap in half. Fortunately I have another pair and large supply of contacts. It's just these are my favorite pair.

Two Months

2010-06-10T10:16:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Quincy turns 2 months. Hard to believe the time is flying. According to my Aunt Barbara, I need to cherish these days because it will seem like next week she's driving and the week after that going off to college. Anyway, I thought I'd post a few pics so you can see how she's grown in just this first week we've been away. She's becoming so much more animated and staying awake for so much longer. Elton and I are sure every night we go to bed that she'll look bigger in the morning.

Quincy is sending this photo to Tom Rivers.

Namibian Laundry Mat

2010-06-10T10:13:00.000-04:00

photo of the house we are staying at in town with Elton's Aunt Netsai while we build

So since we don't have a laundry mat or a washing machine where we are staying now, this week I've had to learn to wash clothes by hand. I don't know how many of you done this in any great abundance (except for maybe my peace corp friends), but man, is it hard work. It makes me evaluate ever piece of clothes... is it really dirty? Can't I wear it just one more day? And with a baby, it's 10 times worse because she has to change numerous times a day and usually so do I because she likes to spit up on both of us. I've washed the occasional pair of underwear or t-shirt in a pinch, but never whole loads of laundry for three people.

It basically involves using some sort of bucket or tub. You boil water. Pour it in the tub with some some powdered soap so the soap will dissolve and then add cold water so you don't melt your skin off. In goes the clothes, you swish them around and start scrubbing. You take the clothes in your hand and rub the knuckles of your right hand against the wrist of your left hand. When it is clean, wring it out, put it aside. When you are finished washing everything, fill the basin again and rinse. Its not the scrubbing that is a problem for me, its wringing them out. Quincy's clothes are no problem, but for the adult clothes or blankets, towels, sheets, etc. my hands are SO not strong enough. Having suffered from carpel tunnel syndrome in my office work days, I think I am at a disadvantage. I'm praying that over time I'll grow stronger.

Today is my third time in less than a week and I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. Though the funny thing is its quite a spectacle for people to see a white woman hand washing. Its like Barnum and Baileys has come to town. Very few people have said anything but I have gotten a lot of stares. After finishing what has been the largest load I've done since being here, I stood back and admired my work with a sense of accomplishment. Now if I could just figure out how to light this Namibian wood, I wouldn't be starving my husband. Fortunately his auntie we are staying with a great cook. Maybe I should have been a girl scout or something?

Our Future Home

2010-06-06T16:39:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned earlier Elton's already been making arrangements to start building our house in the village. First order of business was to place an order for bush poles.

African construction is quite informal... so different from American. You don't need building permits, deeds to the land or make a lot of fuss over the stuff we normally would. Since Elton is a member of this village, there was little formality other than to chose the location. We picked a lovely shaded spot under a tree just near his paternal grandmother where they recently took down an older house. And in the spirit of recycling we will reuse some of the termite mud from the old house to build ours.

The style of construction we are using is the traditional mud house with some American-friendly modifications. I originally wanted a concrete block house. But relying on Elton's wisdom in construction, I realized how much more economical and time-efficient it would be to build a mud house which is nearly as strong. It is basically a frame made out of thick bush poles as the support, thinner bush poles as the rafters which are then packed with mud from a termite mound. When its dry it looks just like concrete. It will have a zinc sheet roof and a poured concrete floor (one of the modifications). I also requested a shower and toilet inside the house which will be made out of concrete block...also something you don't normally find in a traditional home. They have more of a shower/latrine surrounded by a grass fence. If you have more serious business to do, you head to the bush. At this point a toilet and shower are almost moot because there is no running water in the village. The manual pump on the borehole well in the village has been broken for nearly 8 years without being fixed by the government. They have to travel quite a distance to fetch water. We bought a new pump head thinking it would solve the problem, but alas it hasn't. We've applied to the government water company to dig a new well but they said it won't happen until January 2011 unless we can pay something to the equivalent of $10,000 USD which is, of course, out of the question. Be praying this complication works out.

The other sticky wicket is the cost of a transformer to get our village hooked up with some electricity. We've heard it can cost nearly N$30,000 plus labor which at an approx. 7.9% exchange rate... you do the math, it's expensive! Not only would it service the whole village, but it might help solve some of our water issues if we could use an electric pump. We're exploring the other options like solar power, battery or generator. Fortunately for cooking we can get a gas stove, but for our other modern conveniences like a refridge, TV/DVD, laptops, and Elton's playstation we need to make other means.

African Snack Time

2010-06-06T16:37:00.000-04:00

I love to eat and I'm not opposed to trying any kind of new fruit or vegetable. I'm often discovering my new favorite African fruit. (Meats and fish... COMPLETELY different story though I have enjoyed the occasional Ostrich, Zebra or Kudu steak which are all quite good.)

So today Elton came back from buying bush poles to build our new house. His cousin Blanco handed me some reddish sticks. I thought they were samples of what we were buying. They were rather short and looked rather weak to hold up a house, but what do I know about African construction, right? Never in a million years did I realize within minutes I'd be enjoying a lovely afternoon snack. Turns out it was sugar cane! You take off the hard the bark and chew on the inside sucking out the sweet juice. Then you spit out the cane. What a treat for the whole village, young and old alike. I highly recommend it!

Q's in the Hood

2010-06-06T16:31:00.001-04:00

We've arrived safe and sound back to Namibia. Quincy's been busy meeting her new family. She's quite popular as you can imagine especially with all the small children. It's been non-stop visiting since we've arrived. It's been great for her to get to know Elton's grandmothers, her great-grandmothers. They fuss over her with the best of them. They are constantly worried that she too cold or too hungry. Our friends Fortune and Sophia had a girl, Ariel, 1 week before Quincy and Elton’s cousin Benstien and Doreen just had a girl named Anna 2 weeks ago. Quincy will have lots of playmates her age. She has yet to meet her maternal great-grandmother and Elton's dad.

Twelve hours

2010-06-02T23:05:00.004-04:00

The clock is ticking.... 12 more hours from now the Mubuyaeta's will be on a plane back to Namibia.

If you only mode of communication with us is reading this blog, you're saying.... wait... back on a plane, I'd assumed you'd died sitting in the the queue at the maternity ward.. Yes, I probably would have still been rotting in the queue if I hadn't decided I had to come home to deliver. I'd had enough of morning sickness and the general, overall rough start to my pregnancy we've been in the USA since before Christmas. I'm happy to report we've had a lovely 6 month furlough in the states enjoying time with friends and family.

Life on April 17th has become a different sort of chaotic. Elton and I are used to the normal chaotic routine of almost 60 children at COZV, but its just not the same when its your own child. Let's just say I'm glad I was in the states to deliver because it didn't all go as planned. God blessed us with a wonderful midwife/doctor team and at 9:01am Quincy Naleli Mubuyaeta blessed us with her presence. She's already almost 7 weeks and showing us her personality. Tomorrow she'll begin the journey to meet her African family who are anxiously awaiting there turn to meet her.

Happy Thanksgiving and another trip to the Maternity Clinic

2009-11-26T09:12:00.004-05:00

Being that it is Thanksgiving Day, one is always prompted to review those things one is thankful for. This year I have many thanksgivings that I never would have thought possible even a year ago, yet alone ever in my lifetime. Just a to name a few…an amazing husband, a child on the way, an awesome family on two sides of the ocean plus the more mundane things of life like getting to eat a fairly traditional turkey dinner despite most “normal” Thanksgiving items being unavailable in Africa and even having one very expensive can of cranberry sauce imported from Windhoek. It makes it feel a little bit more like a holiday.

Today’s activities haven’t really included any of my normal American Thanksgiving other than making squash rolls with some rather strange African pumpkin. I started my day returning to the infamous public maternity clinic (more to follow below…). Instead of watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I got to watch Veggie Tale’s David and Goliath with the 3 preschoolers: Jonathan, Isaac and Maria. And I’ve spent the day passing on my greetings of “Happy Thanksgiving” to my African friends who really have no clue what I’m talking about or why I am so excited that today is a holiday. But the day will still end with me gorging myself on the meal that all my compatriots have been slaving over. And for that I am very, very thankful!

So more about my trip back to the maternity clinic… I decided to get there much earlier this time than a month ago. I still went with Elton’s auntie in tow just in case they forgot that I was actually allowed to be there. I was only number 5 in the queue this time and it surprisingly went WAY faster than last time. Once they finally started seeing patients at 9:30, I was in and out by 10:30. Unfortunately, they did NOT have any blood results and did little more than poke at my belly, tell me I’m carrying very low and tell me to come back December 11th. Kind of frustrating and very uninformative…. Fortunately, I had been to the private doctor earlier this week that had done a more thorough exam and has cleared me to fly next week.

Being that our little tadpole is progressing, I’ve been searching out baby names on the internet. Of course, my life is never normal and finding baby names for an American-Namibian baby is no easy task. The only Lozi baby name book I can find mentioned anywhere is “Lozi Names in Language and Culture” by Mukumbuta Lisimba but it seems to be out of print and completely unavailable anywhere except snippets of it on google books. Most Lozi names seem to be very dark and depressing, so I feared the worse when I googled Elton’s name. Both his first and last name: Mubuyaeta (resting one) is the name that signals peace and emotional stability. Now I know my mother is saying, “Amen” to that because she thinks he is a very peaceful person. I’m sure my friends are snickering at the irony that my husband’s name means “emotional stability.” (And I know you’re thinking that he’s going to need that being married to me.) His nickname is Simbotwe or Paddha which means frog. Anyway, the search will continue for the perfect name.
http://books.google.com/books?id=mNNtAAAAMAAJ&q=mubuyaeta

The Maternity Clinic

2009-10-26T10:43:00.001-04:00

Today I had another one of those uniquely “African” experiences: the maternity clinic. The private doctor has become too expensive for me so I thought I’d try the public route. Elton’s auntie, Cordelia, offered to escort me. Namibian health care is first come, first serve whether you are going to the private doctor or public clinic. Monday is the day they see first-time maternity patients. We arrived a little bit late and there was already quite a line… by quite a line I mean I was #9 out of 10. The nurse was convinced I should be seeing the private doctor. She used her best arguments to deter me. She was sure I wouldn’t be seen until at least 4pm despite the fact we were entering the clinic at 9am. All she managed to accomplish was to steel my determination that the mikuwa (white person) wouldn’t be defeated. Honestly if Cordelia wasn’t with me, she would have refused me.

So I waited…..first we had to go through the line for vital statistics: weight, blood pressure, urine sample, shoe size (????? I honestly have NO idea what that has to do with anything but they use it to determine level of risk), medical history, etc. You wait until all 10 people are done. Next you move as a group to a room to be counseled about why they do blood tests, about eating habits, the risk of HIV, family planning (a little late for that, isn’t it?!) and how not to contract syphilis. Fortunately they conducted the session in English for my sake. Then it is back to waiting in a line for everyone to receive rapid HIV tests and their results (I’m happy to report: HIV-). Then back in line to wait, wait, wait to see the nurse for drawing blood and the physical exam. Just my luck: the same nurse that wanted to send me away. At this point, it is almost 1pm: lunchtime. She saw maybe 2 patients then went out of the office. Everyone else assumed she was leaving for lunch so they left too. Since I had no where to go, I continued waiting. Lo and behold she came back after just a 10 minute break and continued to see patients. Since almost everyone left I jumped from #9 to maybe #4. She continued in her “rosy” personality until she read my medical card and realized that she is somehow related to me through Elton’s father. Small world. After taking blood, poking my stomach for a few minutes and handing me a bag of multi-vitamins, she happily welcomed me to come back in a month for a checkup and to receive my blood test results. Oh, and not to forget to greet my husband for her. By this time it was about 2:15pm. I lucked out… much earlier than the predicted 4pm.

I walk away from this experience shaking my head. Not only that I wasted an entire day to save myself something like $40USD, but also about the treatment I received. I’m not quite used to being subjected to prejudice. It’s a horrible feeling to be judged based on one’s skin color. Elton’s family has always been so welcoming to be that I’ve never really suffered that feeling among them. Usually if I receive someone’s hasty judgment, it’s that I have abundant resources to help them, not usually to deny me some sort of acceptance. And how quickly that opinion can change when they realize I’m actually “one of them.” I hope to come away from this experience with the memory of how it feels so as not to commit the same offense against another.

“I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts those from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” Acts 10:34-35 TNIV

Kuku & Siukulu

2009-10-17T10:17:00.002-04:00

So since the cat seems to be getting out of the bag faster than I can spread the word… Let me try to reach a few of you before you find out on facebook or something!

Alright can you stand it??? The big news…..

You can start calling my mom and dad by “grandma & grandpa” in April! Or “kuku & siukulu” in Lozi if you prefer.

I know this puts many immediate questions in your minds… like where will we have the baby? What is it like to have a baby in Africa? Am I really this crazy? Let me see if I can answer a few of those…

As you can imagine, medical care here is less than stellar. I’ve already had the flu, a horrible head cold and a huge abscess the size of a golf ball on my leg from some sort of bite. Not to mention intense morning sickness. And this has only been the first trimester. Let’s hope things improve. At this point, we are really praying about where to have the baby. One thing I know for sure: Katima Mulilo Hospital is not an option. If we remain in Namibia we’d have to go to a more modern city around the time of delivery. There are so many factors in this decision!

So you want an insight in into what it’s like to have a baby here? Very early in our dating relationship, I got quite the lesson in African childbirth. I got a call to go to Elton’s village to bring his cousin’s wife to the local hospital. It took them quite awhile to get a hold of me on the phone, so we raced to the hospital. We got her all checked in and then I settled down on the bench to wait. All of a sudden I noticed that everyone else was headed back to the car… Basically it is common practice here to bring one’s beloved to the hospital then drop them off and come back in the morning to see what happened. As you can imagine I was shocked! A long discussion about American practices ensued and I made it quite clear to Elton what my expectations were if we ever had a child together. Incidentally it turned out that she delivered a healthy girl 15 minutes after we arrived. Good thing I wasn’t any later getting there.

Though this is a huge praise and something we are so excited about, we are also in need of your prayers! There are always risks in childbirth, but here I am exposed to so many things I wouldn’t be at home. I know God has us here for this season and we’re in His hands but it doesn’t stop my worry-wart nature from popping up all too frequently. At this point we need prayers for wisdom and guidance to make the final decisions.

Life is such an adventure: Parenthood here we come!

Lusata Cultural Festival

2009-09-28T14:27:00.003-04:00

Every year on the last Saturday in September is the Lusata Cultural Festival in Chinchimane. It is a celebration honoring the Litunga of the Mafwe people, Chief George Simasiku Mamili VII. We travel about an hour from Katima early in the morning and made our way to the Mafwe Royal Establisment venue.

We were invited to this event by Elton’s grandpa Fred. He is a very respected elder in our community and provided the opening prayer for the ceremony. We were seated alongside Grandpa Fred under a long thatched roof. We had front row seats to where the events were taking place. I was shocked at the number of people that kept arriving by the truckload. I was pleasantly surprised that Becca and I weren’t the only white people there (although the other people were clearly tourists).

It was a day filled with watching cultural dances, drum players, the ceremony to welcome the chief, the procession of the Lusata (the royal mace) and many speeches. I wish I could have captured how people were so colorfully dressed. There was quite a range from reed shirts, to full traditional dress, to men in skirts, and the regal clothes of the Chief himself. We ended up leaving around 3pm but it was clear the party was just getting started. My biggest disappointment is that I had heard that they butcher a ton of game such as elephant, giraffe, warthog, hippo, crocodile, etc. for these kinds of events. But if they were serving that meat somewhere I missed it. I really wanted to get a taste of elephant. Oh well… there is always next year, right?

It was a very interesting day for me to get a look into my husband’s cultural background. After attending this event I came home and googled it. I found very little information, but I did find this one article I found to be interesting. http://www.caprivifreedom.com/news.i?cmd=view&nid=990

There is also a Museum of the Mafwe people not too far from Katima. http://www.lcfn.info/network/en/mafwe_museum.html

The Barbershop

2009-09-25T05:32:00.002-04:00

I thought you might like to see one of the more mundane details of life. Elton is COZV’s unofficial barber. Pictured here is Isabella getting a cool style for Namibian summer with Mathias checking to make sure he doesn’t miss a spot. Unfortunately most of our little girls had to go with this “summer” style due to some sort of funky scalp fungus most likely brought on by a disregard for personal hygiene. We are lucky Elton has this skill because you can imagine what an expense it would be to haul all the boys and some of the girls into town to get their hair cut.

Never travel by bus in Africa

2009-09-21T11:39:00.004-04:00

Taken with my cellphone while we were waiting for the "rescue" bus

So last week Becca and I went to Windhoek to retrieve my truck. We had to go down via Intercape bus... supposedly one of the more reliable forms of transportation in Namibia. I've never really been a big fan of riding the bus (just ask my family) but in my opinion this trip left something to be desired. The good news is I eventually got my truck, but I'll never take the bus again.

Read Becca's blog for her insightful look at our trip:

http://becinnam.blogspot.com/2009/09/adventures-thru-time.html

Compassion Walk 2009

2009-09-16T14:07:00.000-04:00

New Hope Free Methodist Church is doing a fundraiser for Elton and I. If you want more details, you can contact: http://www.newhopefree.org/

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154172486494

Event: Comapssion Walk 2009"Walk-a-thon to raise support for AIDS relief in Namibia"
What: Fundraiser
Start Time: Saturday, October 10 at 8:30am
End Time: Saturday, October 10 at 2:00pm
Where: The 9 mile walk begins at New Hope Free Methodist.

Thanks all for what you are trying to do to support us! We appreciate it so much!!

Fall 2009 Newsletter

2009-09-11T13:13:00.028-04:00

The Passage of Time
It has been quite a long time since I’ve communicated with most of my supporters. It really is no excuse but time moves differently in Africa. When you are waiting in the line at the store, time moves at a snail’s pace here. But when you look at the passage of days and months, there is often little time to breath. It is hard to believe that in November I will have been living here 2 years. What a whirlwind 2 years it has been. My first year was just getting used to the culture, language, environment, my role in ministry and the adventure of living in a foreign country. The second year has been filled adding someone special to my life and ministry.

Most Exciting News
Maybe the biggest change in my life this year is that on March 14, 2009 in Voorhesville, New York, I married M. Elton Mubuyaeta. I met Elton while working at COZV when I was here on a short-term trip in May 2007 during a garage sale we had for the staff. I didn’t think much of the chance encounter but he reminded me of it when I returned in Nov. 2007. At the time I wasn’t really interested but as our friendship grew, I began to realize my opinion was changing. When a friend of mine from the USA came to spend 3 months volunteering here she saw something in the way I looked at him and gave me the final kick in the pants I
needed to give our relationship a shot. The rest is history. God has richly blessed me with an amazing man!
We had an African ceremony on August 9, 2009. To be able to celebrate with Elton’s huge extended family was such a blessing! They have welcomed me with open arms!

Our Future Ministry: The Transition home

The Epiphany House under construction. It has been delayed by the flood because the foundation was under water.

In the near future we hope to move to a new home, the Epiphany House, built just outside the gates of COZV. This home is intended to be a place where our children can move as they turn 16+ as a way of becoming more independent and preparing them to be discharged. Elton and I will be teaching them how to care for themselves when they return to a more traditional village setting. Our lessons will be kind of like Home Economics 101: Village-style. It will include cooking traditional foods, village etiquette, sewing, gardening, washing clothes by hand, budgeting, banking, etc.
The house will consist of three separate apartments: the Mubuyaetas, the boys and the girls. This will be a continuation of our ministry at COZV, just taking a small side-step in a new direction. We feel like this is a great fit for us as an American-Namibian couple and are excited about the opportunity.

A Time Of Transition
Rebecca and Gary Mink, along with their two sons, Samuel and Simeon, have served at COZV since 2001. In August 2009, they felt it time to leave this ministry to pursue a different vision that God has given them. We wish them many blessings in their future ministry. They will be greatly missed here. Please pray for our board of directors as they search for new on-site directors.

The Flood
In March 2009, Children of Zion Village had to be evacuated due to severe flooding of the Zambezi River. We sought refuge at a nearby lodge that was able to accommodate us for about six weeks while we were waiting for the waters go down. Fortunately, the water never entered into any of our buildings or did any major damage to our property. It did, however, majorly damage the 4km dirt road our home is located at the end of which has now since been repaired.

Last year, an amazing anonymous donor gave me enough money to buy a very decent 2000 Nissan Hardbody double cab 4x4 pickup truck from a private seller in Windhoek. Despite the flood waters never reaching my truck, it was still badly damaged by the rains. We had to wait for our road to be reopened until we could tow the truck in for repairs. It’s been in Windhoek for almost four months receiving repairs to the computer box, fuel injectors and other misc items damaged by water. The computer box alone was nearly N$30,000 to repair. Fortunately, the car insurance is paying most of the damage but I still have a high deductible amount to pay.

The flood came close but never actually touched the vehicle. What a blessing! At this point it was surrounded by water with no where else to move it.

Being Here:
A Psalm of Gratitude for Children of Zion Village

Oh Lord, how loving is your name in our ears.
We praise you for our home beside the fresh river;
For the birds sweet song that we hear.
Thank you for your protection through the day and night.
Thank you for our mother and father,
Our brothers, sisters, aunties, and uncles.
Many around us are starving, but we are well fed.
You are our Provider.
Many children are alone,
But you have sent us many people
From all over the world to love us.
Thank you for the many gifts you have given us;
Peaceful sleeping and joyful days.
We are all sinners
But you forgave us and changed us, oh Lord.
Thank you for Christian education.
Thank you for all you have done in our lives.
Please don't leave us; be among us.
We want to see Your Kingdom.

Written by COZV Girls Bible study
Engela, Anna, Emelia, Lisedi, Rochester, Efa
ages 10-12

Support Needed
For the 2 years that I have been a missionary, I have been uncomfortable with the title. In my mind I have this mythical view of who a missionary is… It doesn’t really feel like me. I’m just “me” doing ordinary, everyday work for God. For this reason, I have really struggled with asking for financial support and now I’m paying the consequences. To be blatantly honest, our support is almost in the red. God has convicted me that I’ve been trying to live on my own power without asking him for help. I’ve made 101 excuses thinking I can continue to do it on my own, but it is painfully clear I can’t.

Now I come to you, my prayer and financial supporters, to humbly ask you to continue to financially support the ministry God has entrusted to me despite my lack of faith and my pride. Elton and I really feel called to continue in this ministry but we will be unable to continue without an increase in finances. Please consider becoming monthly supporters by sending checks made out to Children of Zion earmarked for Jessica Breitenbach-Mubuyaeta to: PO Box 413 Churchville, MD 21028

(I know there is some confusion about where my support should be sent. Please discontinue any previous addresses you might have been using.)

If you are interested in volunteering, contact: info@childrenofzionvillage.org

Children of Zion Inc.
PO Box 413
Churchville, MD 21028
USA

The Last Few Months

2009-08-21T06:51:00.004-04:00

It’s hard to even summarize my life over the last few months since my last blog when we left America but I’ll give it a shot...

April:
- When we arrived back we found the children living at a nearby lodge due to the flood. We travelled to and from town, the lodge and the COZV compound via boat. We lived at Elton’s village for a few weeks, but due to lack of transportation we moved back to the COZV compound and we are now living in the bungalow.
- My truck was very badly damage by water while we were in the USA. Not from the flood, but from the heavy rains. It started with the computer box and has ended with the fuel injectors. Every time they fix one thing they find something else broken. Fortunately the insurance is covering most of it, but due to the nature of the damage, it had to be shipped to the capital Windhoek and most of the parts had to be ordered from Japan. We are STILL waiting, but we are hoping to have it back next week. It’s been now almost 8 months since the last time I drove it.
- By the end of April we all had moved back to the compound but had a lot of clean up work to do some of which is still going on.

May, June, July:
- These months are just a blur of our normal chaotic routine including lots of mission teams from America and two separate road trips to Windhoek and Cape Town. Word to the wise: NEVER NEVER NEVER try to drive from Katima to Cape Town... the road is just toooooo long. Cape Town is a beautiful city, but it was not an enjoyable trip since I was completely heartbroken to be away from my sweetie for two weeks. (For any of you that were sceptical if I really had been bitten by the love bug, let me assure you, I have.)
- Every time I go into town I meet family I never knew I had. Elton has a HUGE extended family. I am very blessed but also praying for a special anointing from God to be able to remember all their names and how I’m related to them.
- I’ve been struggling with some immigration issues, but fortunately I have finally turned in my application for domicile which will allow me to stay freely.
- In July, Elton got to celebrate his birthday with the kids (pic above)

August:
- Another month of chaos as usual
- Our primary missionaries have retired back the USA. More details to follow....
- We had our African wedding ceremony. Wow, what an experience. Don’t worry! There are pictures and a lot more details to follow...
- Unfortunately last week I had my first experience at an African funeral. Even though I never met this woman, I was very moved. Mubuku passed rather suddenly after a short illness at the age of 27 leaving behind two daughters. We started the morning by driving into town to wait at the mortuary to pick up the coffin. We followed in a procession of cars to the gravesite, not far from COZV. As we drove everyone was singing quietly. When we arrived at the gravesite, the pallbearers placed the coffin on a table under a makeshift tent. We had a short service of singing, a sermon and a reading of her life story. They opened the coffin for everyone to be able to say their goodbyes. It was gut-wrenching to watch her family, especially her sisters, walk past the coffin. They placed the coffin in the grave already dug and very meticulously covered it with sand and flowers. The service was closed with more prayers and singing. It was a very difficult experience, one I will never forget. May God bring them peace as they grieve.

Looking ahead to September:
- I’m turning 32... when did I get so old?!
- Looking forward to the arrival of our temporary directors for six months
- Elton and I will be beginning to plan for our future job of working at the transitional home at COZV. More details to follow...
- Doing the very necessary job of fundraising if I want to continue to be a missionary. Hint, Hint... More details to follow...
- Hopefully getting back on track of communicating more regularly but no promises ;-)

Thank you for your prayers, emails and love despite my lack of communication!

TV Broke

2009-03-30T00:12:00.002-04:00

When I was a little girl, we lived without most of American life’s modern conveniences such as electricity and flushing toilets. Maybe that is what is equipping me to once again live without these things now in Elton’s village. We did have an old, small, late 70s-style TV that worked off of a car battery. Quite often the battery would die in the middle of my favorite TV show, the Muppet show, and I would say, “TV broke.” One of my dad’s favorite stories was how I went into the Key Bank and told the teller, “TV broke.” Now it is a staple phrase in the Breitenbach household when life throws you one of those curves that is kind of a bummer.

Once again I find myself saying, “TV broke” today as I found that the motherboard of my laptop got fried last night. I was busy doing updates and backing up files before we leave on tomorrow. It made some weird tweet as its last dying breath. Very inopportune timing seeing as it takes 2 weeks to get it fixed. Fortunately I have an extended service contract that will fix it for free.

For those of you that I promised I’d try really hard this time to communicate more often, well…. I got bad news for you. I think I’m going to fail miserably without my trusty mode of communication. Pray I can find an awesome new cellphone with email capabilities to hold me over.

Here Comes the Flood: A Major Prayer Request

2009-03-26T21:40:00.007-04:00

Monday Elton and I fly back to Namibia to encounter some very chaotic conditions. We've recently been notified that the children at COZV where we work had to be evacuated due to the Zambezi flooding its banks. Much of the compound seems to be under a foot or two of water already (see pic below of our Vice-principal knee deep in water). It's apparently the worst flooding in 100 years and it's not over yet. The peak isn't expected to hit until mid-April. The Children's home is 4km off the main road and that road is already washed out. They are doing all their transportation by boat. They moved the children and our horses to a nearby lodge and our goats to a nearby village. Now with the compound empty, it is at great, great risk for thieves to take advantage.

Also heavy on my mind is that my awesome Nissan truck wasn't able to be moved. It seems to be having some sort of electrical malfunction and it wouldn't start the day they were moving vehicles out before the road washed out. When they opened the hood to find out why it wasn't working, they found two cobras inside. So, currently it is on high ground along with our Quantum mini-bus which also couldn't be moved. Please pray it stays that way and is no longer snake-infested.

We all need your prayers, not only for Elton and I as we return, but for the children, the Minks, the staff and anyone living along the Zambezi. Not only are the flood waters dangerous, but with the flood waters come crocodiles and right behind them are the snakes who are looking for a dry home. Also the children will be in unfamiliar surroundings with little to keep them occupied.

We need your prayers:

for safety from the water and it's predators
for my truck and the quantum not to be washed away in the flood
for the thieves to be blind to our compound
for patience to wait out these uncertain conditions

Today I Married My Best Friend

2009-03-14T20:34:00.010-04:00

Our Ceremony

The Gathering
The Prelude: Love at Home, Ngweze Youth Band
The Wedding Procession
The Call to Celebrate

The Declaration of Intention and Presentation
The Declaration of the Bride and Groom
The Presentation The Charge to Family and Friends
The Charge to Bride and Groom
Prayer of Praise

Proclamation and Response
Scripture Readings: Genesis 2:18-24, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 , I Corinthians 13
Song of Praise: Breathe
The Sermon
Intercessory Prayer

The Marriage
The Exchange of Vows
Elton's Vows in Lozi:
Mwa libizo lamuelna Jessica kacenu nakunga kuba musalaka kuya kwa pili
Mokunde-nimokumaswe Mwa kupila hande – ni mwa manyando
Mwa matuku – nimwa maketeNikakulata nikuku swalisa konji lifu kuluka-uhanya
The Blessing and Exchange of Rings
Jessica Nikufa lisake Le kuba sisupo sabuitamo, kapilu yaka kaufeela, nikasenina nisona, nilikute ingeli mwa libizo landate la mwana ni la moya okenile.
Lighting of the Wedding Candle: When I Say I Do, Matthew West
The Declaration of Marriage
The Blessing of the Marriage
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer Unison

The Sending Forth
The Wedding Kiss
The Benediction
The Presentation of the Couple
The Wedding Recession: Culture Spears

Wedding Participants
Parents of the Bride: Joseph & Ruth Breitenbach
Parents of the Groom: Brian "Candy" Mubuyaeta* & The late Julian Harris
Grandparents of the Bride: Edward & the late Mildred Breitenbach/Frank & the late Sophia Moscinski
Maid of Honor: Danielle Breitenbach, sister of the Bride
Bridesmaids: Tina Wilcox, friend of the Bride & Groom
Sara Kent, friend of the Bride
Mwenda Sophie-Lee Mubuyaeta, sister of the Groom*
Flower Girl: Morgan Moscinski, cousin of the Bride
Best Men: Situmbeko Hustings Sitale* & Patrick Myers, friend of the Groom
Groomsmen: Gerard Moscinski, uncle of the Bride & Jonathan Moran, friend of the Bride & Groom
Minister: Rev. Douglas R. Cullum, friend of the Bride
* in absentia

Something old: grandmother’s watch
Something new: wedding clothes
Something borrowed: grandmother’s necklace & earrings
Something blue: my engagement ring

A Big THANK YOU…. First and foremost we thank God for His love and guidance that brought us together. To my parents for putting a roof over our heads, food in our tummies and love in our hearts. To Danielle for making many fashionable additions to our wedding clothes. To Carrie for making our lovely invitations in a snap. To Bekah for our awesome cake. To Tom, Becca and Travis for their visual documentation of our special day. To my beloved packhorse, Lindy, for his techie genius. To Angie for standing by me as my faithful communications director. To Christy for her speedy design of our spiffy programs. To Melissa for her tireless help. To Tina for giving Jessica a kick in the pants. To Papa Gary & Mamma Rebecca for helping Elton get his travel documents and for being our African parents. To Dr. & Mrs. Loffredo for their compassion and help with Elton’s dentistry needs. To Diana at Bella Fleur for her words of wisdom and beautiful flowers. To the Schenectady SDA Church for welcoming us. To our many donors that make our ministry possible. To the kids of Children of Zion Village that make our lives an adventure. And to the many others that pitched in to make this day so special! We are richly blessed by the many people on two continents that are part of our lives!

To see more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/jessicabreitenbach

If you would like to read about the day from my friend's perspective, she's written two blog posts. Thanks Marsha!!
http://lifeina-town.blogspot.com/2009/03/namibian-nuptials.html http://lifeina-town.blogspot.com/2009/03/namibian-nuptials-part-2.html

Our Wedding Invitation

2009-03-01T20:25:00.000-05:00

God has led two lives
to take one path.
Before us lies the open road . . .

a future filled with adventure and love.

Please join us as we

Jessica Reissa Breitenbach and M. Elton Mubuyaeta

join our lives in marriage

on Saturday, the 14th of March 2009 at NOON
in the Camp Pinnacle Chapel
Voorheesville, NY
Food and Merriment to immediately follow!

Being Here: a psalm of gratitude for Children of Zion

2009-01-24T10:34:00.004-05:00

I lead a pre-teens girl’s bible study on Saturday afternoons. Recently we've been studying psalms and they wanted to write one of their own. This is what they wrote. I am so proud of them! Be blessed!

Being Here
a psalm of gratitude for Children of Zion

Oh Lord, how loving is your name in our ears.
We praise you for our home beside the fresh river;
for the birds sweet song that we hear.
Thank you for your protection through the day and night.
Thank you for our mother and father,
our brothers, sisters, aunties, and uncles.
Many around us are starving, but we are well fed.
You are our Provider.
Many children are alone,
but you have sent us many people from all over the world to love us.
Thank you for the many gifts you have given us;
peaceful sleeping and joyful days.
We are all sinners but you forgave us and changed us, oh Lord.
Thank you for Christian education.
Thank you for all you have done in our lives.
Please don't leave us;
be among us.
We want to see Your Kingdom.

Engela, Anna, Emelia, Lisedi, Rochester, Efa
ages 10-12

We're getting married!

2008-12-17T18:22:00.000-05:00

God has led two lives to take one path.

Before us lies the open road . . .

a future filled with adventure and love.

One of the good days

2008-11-16T04:46:00.000-05:00

The past few weeks have been filled with a lot of new experiences. After 31 years of eluding cupid’s arrow, I’ve been struck hard. I used to be one of those level-headed, grounded kinds of girls and in a short span I’ve become one of those ridiculous twitterpatted girls I’ve always despised. I suppose that’s what falling in love is really all about.
Our relationship has been forming slowly over time. We’ve been friends nearly the entire time I’ve been here and yet I never saw this coming. Without my dear friend Tina’s honest advice, I may have never given him a chance. I had a gradual shift in my perspective, but being the rational over-thinker I am I was terrified to make that leap from friend to something more. I timidly stuck my toe in the water, found it quite refreshing and jumped in whole-heartedly. The more I have gotten to know him, the more I am surprised to find out who he really is and what a blessing he is to me.

I’ve found acceptance… into his life, into a village, into a family. Drastically different from my own not only in skin tone, but in culture, and yet it’s oddly begun to feel like home. “Peoples is peoples.” I’ve come to realize people are the same quirky creations of God everywhere and that is so comforting. To these people I have become sister, niece, cousin, auntie in the blink of an eye with all the rights and privileges there entailed.

Only God knows what the future holds but I can tell you this… I am one blessed girl to have this man in my life and I look forward with eager anticipation to how this story plays out.

One Year

2008-11-02T07:10:00.000-05:00

Today is my one year anniversary of living in Namibia. I have nothing overly profound to say but I would be remiss to let a milestone like this pass by.

A year is enough time to become comfortable, even somewhat familiar with a new surrounding. The road is long and the journey bumpy that brought me to this point of finding happiness in this calling and a new life. I am certainly a different person than one year ago and maybe even a few weeks ago. I sometimes used to feel fragmented like the various parts of me didn’t fit into one person. All of a sudden I feel like all the parts of my life are converging into a whole, happy person. I feel oddly peaceful, content, unflappable at the present moment. God has put me together for such a time as this… to live among these people in this foreign land. For so many years I was discontent and searching for how to be used by God. I can look back down that road and see how his hand was guiding me, preparing me for this unique situation. Challenges will arise again, it is inevitable here. But I pray I can hold onto this peace and HIS grace to get me through.

Ants in her pants

2008-09-11T15:56:00.002-04:00

This video just cracks me up so I had to share!! Sorry it's sideways, but it's worth it!

The Choice

2008-09-11T15:25:00.000-04:00

We have staff devotions 4 times a week. Today was my day to lead so I thought I'd share the short devo I read from When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado... one of my favorite books. Enjoy!

***
The Choice

It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by the decisions to be made and the deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love…
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical… the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I chose patience…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness…
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness…
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control…
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule they eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Nam-lish to English Translations

2008-09-10T15:48:00.001-04:00

Nam-lish to English Translations

Nam-lish has a decided British-English flare to it, but has some of its own unique quirks. For the most part it has been easier to conform to the Nam-lish way of speaking to facilitate better communication with children and staff alike.

Nappie: diaper
Feeder: baby bottle
Torch: flashlight
Jix: bleach
Trainers: sneakers
Jersey: sweatshirt
Looking Smart: dressing nicely
Tablet: pill, medicine
SMS: text message
Trolley: shopping cart
Poly bag: plastic grocery bag
Till: cash register
Queue: getting in line
VAT: sales tax
Mince: ground beef
Tomato Sauce: ketchup
Cool Drink: soda
Coke Light: Diet coke
Sweeto: Kool-Aid
Ice block: bag of ice used for picnicking sold in cubes not actually a block
Keeper: Soccer goalie
Bakkie: pick-up truck
Robot: traffic light
Petrol: gasoline
Bonet: hood of the car, not a hat
Canopy: cap for pickup truck
Panel beating: auto body repair
Tar Road: Asphalt
Hooter: car horn
Puff: hair rubber band
Pass: urine or to urinate

Phrases that can get confusing:
No vacancies means no job openings not no rooms in the inn.
I’m coming means I’ll be right back not I’m already on my way.
Mama is a term of respect/endearment for a woman not literally someone’s mother.
Is it? means Really?
Meat is not a generic term for edible animal flesh, but types of edible animal are broken down into chicken, fish, and meat, meat primarily referring to beef, goat or game.
OK is the name of the grocery store, not an indication of agreement. This has caused more than one who’s-on-first scenario.
Achoo or acha is the sound of pain like ouch, not the sound of a sneeze.

And last but not least…
Toot your hooter means to beep your car horn. This is possibly my least favorite Nam-lish phrase.

My very special birthday

2008-09-05T15:16:00.000-04:00

The kids helped me celebrate my birthday COZV-style: cake! I even got blue icing! There is no way not to feel loved by having over 50 children singing "happy birthday." The least enjoyable thing was when they got to the "how-old-are-you-now" part of the song. I told them it wasn't polite to ask a woman her age.

My housemate Melissa and our new Auntie Carrie treated me to a big night out on the town. We visited Galinhas, a new cafe, but it closed at 7. Since I felt kind of pathetic going home at 7 on a Friday night and on my birthday we visited the Zambezi Lodge for dessert. Never can have too much cake for your birthday, right? So I had Malva pudding which was really good.

Happy 31st to me!!

Auntie Becca (not to be confused with Mama Rebecca)

2008-08-08T11:52:00.000-04:00

I’ve been blue for nearly a week now. Auntie Becca went home. She traveled back with me at the end of May and we became fast friends. She has to be one of the most genuine and amazing people I’ve ever met. Here’s just a few of the characteristics I observed about her: amateur snake killer, speedy dune climber, expert manure shoveler, tireless raker, professional goat handler, ketchup lover, copious carb eater, photography enthusiast, superb traveling buddy, practical jokester, listening ear, willing encourager and has no fear of getting her hands (or face) dirty. She laughs freely, her glass is ALWAYS half full and even though I’m not the most touchy-feely person she gives really good hugs. She might not be the most adventuresome eater, but she never complained about all the weird foods like oatmeal, black beans, and couscous we fed her. (Can you believe she had never eaten oatmeal before she got here?!) Though she may not be as big as Elton, she can still hold her own in any task. The only time I ever heard a cross word out of her was during a heated debate regarding the legitimacy of cow-tipping (topic open for comment).
She was only here for a few months, nevertheless I feel her absence acutely. Every time I go out to the barn, I expect to find her hunched over some leprous goat scrubbing her heart out. Or into the office photocopying till she turns blue in the face. Or in the workshop sorting out endless buckets of nuts and bolts.
May God richly bless your senior year and swiftly return you to us. T-minus 9 months, 3 weeks and counting….

Baby Josiah

2008-07-29T12:28:00.001-04:00

Our newest addition to the COZV family is baby Josiah. He joined us at the end of May when he was 8 days old. He was a preemie 2.3kgs when he came to us and now he’s about 5kgs. He’s quite the cutie and has stolen our hearts.

Where’s Waldo?

2008-07-28T08:33:00.002-04:00

Almost two months ago, one of my housemates decided to bring home a chameleon. She had him in a plastic margarine container which he could very easily escape from. He went missing for about two weeks so we thought he had decided to go on his merry way. I was quite surprised to find him living on the back of one of our kitchen chairs. He stayed there for quite awhile before again disappearing. He was next found living in our basil plant on the kitchen table. I think he wanted to feel like he was going on safari. It’s become like a game of “Where’s Waldo?” He was last seen living under the Colgate box on the bathroom sink about two weeks ago. I’m slightly concerned that since he hasn’t been seen he’s become a Scooby-snack for Klepto.

Bonita aka Klepto

2008-07-28T08:00:00.002-04:00

I promised pics of Bonita weeks ago. Here she is! Her name has been a bit of a challenge. (Marsha, this one is for you!) A name is a very important thing. When she came to live at the SPCA in Windhoek they didn’t know her name, so they named her Bonita. But it was never really her name. She doesn’t answer to it. When you say, “Bonita” she looks around like you are talking to someone else. Not to mention I feel like Bonita has too much Spanish flair to be an African dog’s name. So we tried to give her a Lozi name: Naleli which means star, but it also didn’t stick.
While we were sorting this whole name thing out, Klepto just sort of stuck. Given her proclivity to steal things it seems fitting (klep·to·ma·ni·ac [klèpt máynee àk]: somebody with an obsessive urge to steal). And she seems to like it. So really there is no argument. Now she’s more X-Men than Hispanic.
Since coming to live with us, when she’s not busy stealing our socks, she is digging to Hawaii in the front yard. I seriously expect her to pop out of her hole wearing a lei and grass skirt one of these days. While she enjoys stealing and digging, her true joy really seems to come from barking at men, especially Namibian men on bicycles or playing soccer. Seeing that’s something we have a lot of around here, we’re trying to break her of that habit. She and Mordecai, the boerboel puppy that guards the school, have become fast friends and joined forces to rid our compound of any suspicious intruders. On the other hand Cassie, the full-grown boerboel that lives on the other end of the compound, has not been so friendly and tried to eat Klepto.
Right now she’s sitting by my feet looking at me with those sad-I’m-dying-of-hunger-from-all-that-digging-so-feed-me eyes. So I’m going to give her a treat before she faints. I’m sure this isn’t the end of Klepto’s adventures in Africa. Stay tuned…

“We have cows.” ~ Twister

2008-06-23T14:07:00.001-04:00

So I know it’s been a month since I left the USA to come back to Namibia. Let me recap what this month has been like so many you’ll have a better idea why I haven’t written.

On May23rd, I traveled from NYC with Becca, a short-term volunteer from PA. She was a great traveling companion and our travels went very smoothly. We arrived back at COZV on Sunday, May 25th and were warmly greeted by all the children and staff. It was good to be “home.”

Unfortunately, as life has a way of turning on a dime here, one of our older girls needed some medical attention that could only be gotten in Windhoek, 14 hrs away. So after one night of sleeping in my bed and only unpacking as many clothes as I’d need to take, I was off to Windhoek with Rebecca and two of the children. After almost a week there, I’m happy to report the girl seems too be doing much better, so we started home.

At dusk on Saturday, we were about 3 hrs from reaching Katima. We had just stopped to refuel and switch drivers. I had been driving since about 8am so now Rebecca was taking over. The little six year old girl we had with us had just been reprimanded for not having her seatbelt on not 10 minutes before life decided to take another turn on us. We came over a rise in the road to find a herd of cattle crossing. Not really an unusual sight, but one brazen black and while horned heifer decided to make a dash for the other side right in front of us. Try as she might, Rebecca wasn’t able to avoid hitting the massive beast. After quite an impact on the hood, the cow went sailing through the air like a scene out of the movie Twister. She landed on her side off the road in the grass. We quickly realized the car was badly damaged and we were stranded. By the grace of God, we had a very small amount of cellphone coverage and were able to call back to COZV for help. When I got out of the car to assess the damage, I saw that crazy cow standing back up chewing her cud looking only moderately ruffled from her flight. We moved the car off the road into a lay-by and waited for Gary to come tow us home with the mini-bus (It’s not like you can just call AAA here). After a few cable breaks and one rest stop, we made it home at 6am. I kept dozing off in the car, but one time I woke up just in time to see us passing by a HUGE, and I mean HUGE, bull elephant on the side of the road. We were very blessed the accident wasn’t worse and that God gave us safety as we towed the vehicle home.

As luck would have it, I seem to be the only one that suffered any lasting result from the impact. My left shoulder and back have been quite sore and bruised probably from the seatbelt. Since there are no chiropractors in Katima, the doctor prescribed massage treatment 3 times a week until I’m feeling better. The insurance agreed, so it is all being covered under the accident. Now some people would rejoice to get a massage for free 3 times a week. But for me, the non-touchy-feely person, it has been a bit torturous. No offense to my massage therapist. She is a lovely, professional young woman, but I’d rather poke myself in the eye than get a massage. But since eye-poking doesn’t fix my back, I will continue to endure the torture for the sake of getting better faster.

In light of that story, the rest of the month has been relatively uneventful. After returning from Windhoek, we had a team from OH join us. They were quite a blessing to us and the kids and we were sad to see them leave us.

Three weeks after our first whirlwind trip to Windhoek, Becca and I accompanied Rebecca, her two sons and two children from COZV back to Windhoek to see them off on a plane to the US. God blessed us with smooth travels and the US Embassy granted the two COZV kids VISA documents. This is the boys first time in the US, so please pray for them as they speak in a few churches and deal with culture shock. One boy will be in AR learning blacksmithing and Ferrier skills. The other will be spending most of his time in a dude ranch in TX learning to be a cowboy.

So off they flew off leaving Becca and I to travel back to Katima alone. Well… not completely alone. While in Windhoek, I adopted Bonita (name subject to change), a very loveable 1 ½ year old black and white border collie mix. She had quickly charmed her way into the hearts of all the aunties living in the East House and many of the children. Unfortunately she seems not to like men, especially African men riding bicycles or playing soccer. Seeing as those are two things we have a lot of around here, please pray that she becomes more accustomed. She had been living at the SPCA since February, so she is quite attention-starved. I’ve promised her that she’ll never be lonely living here but I’m not sure she believes me yet. She’s also quite camera shy so when I finally get a good picture of her, I’ll share.

Other tidbits of news: Sometime this month I’ve killed my first snake all by myself (don’t be too proud of me, it was a baby black mamba the size of a really large worm), COZV got a new 8-day old baby named Josiah, got tackled by a bunch of kids at Mafuta who apparently missed me while I was gone, hosted a number of British medical volunteers, and a zillion other misc tasks too mundane to bother discussing.

So as you can see, I’ve been quite occupied since returning and my head is still spinning a bit from all the excitement. I’m finally all unpacked and ready to get back to life as usual. Hehe, as I write that I’m waiting for the next bomb to drop… but you know what I mean. Part of the charm of living in Africa is that you never know what to expect.

Many Thanks

2008-06-01T14:03:00.000-04:00

It is long overdue for me to say, “THANK YOU” to everyone for the many blessings you bestowed on me while I was home. In the six short weeks I was home, I can’t believe how may people I was able to see… some old friendships renewed, some new friendships made. Many people caught the vision for the work I am doing and have blessed the children here and I tremendously. So a simple thanks seems so insignificant, but please know it is from my heart!

Ways to continue praying:

~ For my continued fundraising both for my yearly ministry funds as well as extra money to purchase a vehicle (more details to come…)
~ For the few people I have met over my travels that are considering volunteering at COZV
~ For continued safety and good health
~ For the children of Namibia, the children of COZV & Mafuta, and the approx.12,000 orphans in the Caprivi region where I live
~ For a cure for HIV/AIDS
~ Praise for God’s continued blessing and provision

the proper side

2008-04-18T12:41:00.004-04:00

I didn't think driving on the left hand size of the road had become so ingrained. When driving in Namibia, I still usually have to concentrate to stay on the left side. Apparently I've gotten more used to it then I thought. Driving around Crossgates Mall the other day I made a little boo-boo. As I was turning right I pulled into the left lane instead of the right. Whoops! Fortunately nothing was coming and I quickly corrected myself. But if I were you, I'd avoid all the little ruby red Nissans on the road around the Albany area for a few weeks.

second star to the right and straight on til morning

2008-04-12T22:30:00.006-04:00

phew...I'm finally home. After 18 hrs on one plane sitting in a seat where my feet really didn't touch the floor (the plight of a short person in a tall person's world) I seriously thought maybe I'd never make it. I left Livingstone around 2pm on Thursday. Then made a switch in Johannesburg. Finally my plane landed at JFK at 7am Friday morning. Fortunately I breezed through customs and both my bags arrived (though a bit worse for the wear... some of my nice african souvenirs got smashed.) I even got to spend some time with Danielle in NYC before my dad picked me up to head home.

I've only been home one day and I've already been to starbucks, been shopping at the mall and slept for about 12 hrs straight. Seeing that I'm only home for six weeks I have no time to waste.

Looking forward to catching up with you call. Feel free to email or call my cell.

Hey, remember me??

2008-04-03T14:17:00.002-04:00

I've been in Namibia for over 5 months now. Sometimes it seems just like yesterday that I got here. I'm loving it! Despite some occasional homesickness, especially around the holidays, the time is FLYING by. Speaking of coming home, I guess it's time to break the news that I'll only be home for about 6 weeks and then I'll be returning here. But the good news is I'll be home in 1 week! I've changed my tickets to leave here a little early so I could be home for a little bit longer.

Now I know for most of you my plan to return here isn't a shock but it has taken a bit of internal struggle to say I'm returning indefinately. At this point, I'm not putting an end date on my commitment. When we told the kids I'd be returning, one of the boys asked me if I was staying forever. Ha! I got a kick out of that… I was unsure if he was trying to get rid of me or if he really wanted me to stay. Turns out he was hoping for the latter… who knew he cared?! Anyway, it made me feel pretty good that the general consensus is in favor of me staying. Recently an American visitor told me he thought I seemed really at home here. It was a really nice compliment! Honestly, I could see myself staying forever if I could transport my family and friends here. The biggest struggle is being away from all of you there especially my family. But for whatever reason God has me here for this season of my life and I've found peace here.

So at this point my two main prayer requests are this: 1) that the paperwork for my extended work visa goes through quickly, 2) God continues to provide the funds I need. I really dislike fundraising, but it is a necessary evil to continue this work. He SO richly blessed me for these 6 months through many of you. Please pray with me that he again provides financial resources for the future. If you know of any churches or groups that would be interested in having me speak about this work here while I'm home please let me know.

Can't wait to see you all!! (If you are in Rochester, I'm planning on coming out for the Lilac Fest with my dad.)

Many comings and goings

2008-03-11T09:06:00.008-04:00

We had a new volunteer named Melissa join us a few weeks ago. She’s from Arkansas so she has a pretty fun accent and plans to stay for a year. I’ll admit I was a little worried about what she’d be like but we really hit it off. She and I have joked a lot about how similar we are. Who knew God created two eccentric people with such similar quirks and then would decide to put them in Africa together! She even likes ALIAS and is allergic to almost all the same kinds of perfumey things that I am so I think I’ll keep her. What a relief. She has fit right into our family here and it’s hard to believe it’s only been a few short weeks she’s been here.
On a sad note, my AMAZING friend Nancy, that has been here since December went home two weeks ago. Nancy is one of the most genuine, encouraging and uplifting people I have ever met. Her friendship was such a blessing when I really needed to be cheered up. I was so very sad to see her leave and many times I have felt her absence. (Who will I go to town with to buy fried chicken or who will request El Shaddai at Bible Study, Nance?? )
When they were at the airport dropping Nancy off, they picked up a team of 8 people from PA/MD that were here for 2 weeks. It’s a blessing to have a few extra hands even if only for a little while. They were able to accomplish some tasks we just NEVER have time to get to. They also were able to join me at Mafuta one day and the kids really loved having visitors. They especially liked learning the hokey pokey and receiving sweets! At COZV, they blessed the kids with a campfire and s’mores (or SOME-mores as most of the kids called them). Thanks SO much for all your hard work and what a blessing you were to us!!

Hey Remember me??

2008-02-13T08:15:00.002-05:00

I’m sorry I’ve been a bit out of touch lately. I’ve been crazy, crazy busy. You know me. I’ve gotten into the swing of things so I’m always running in different directions helping out wherever I can. Never a dull moment around here. But I like it that way. I’d rather be busy than bored.
So whenever too much time has passed since you’ve heard from me, just imagine me busy wrestling kids (either of the human or goat variety… I’ve been spending a lot of time in the barnyard lately) or helping out in the kitchen or running errands in town or something.
Of course life has its normal ups and downs… some days are just “Alexander” days and all I want to do is move to Australia (read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day). Whenever I’m having one of those days all I have to do is go into the baby room. I just sit on the floor where I am immediately tackled by our 3 toddlers and some of our 3-5 year olds. It’s hard to feel blue with all those cute little faces starring up at you. Not to mention I’m usually so busy just trying to survive them fighting over which one of them gets to sit on my lap that it’s hard to have time to worry about anything else. It puts life back into perspective. All this to say, I know some of you have been worried about me lately for various reasons… PLEASE don’t be. I’m doing really well and having an amazing time. Such a good time in fact that I’m really praying about the future. I’m half way through my initial commitment of 6 months. Please pray with me for to have a clear vision of what comes next.

A visit from the vet

2008-02-13T08:11:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago we were very blessed to have a visit from a veterinarian from Otjiwarango (about 10 hrs away). We spent about 10 ½ hours out in the barnyard assisting him with his various tasks: getting blood samples, extracting teeth from horses, giving injections, minor surgery and whatnot. He was very willing to give our staff a crash course in how to handle many common situations we’ve been facing. He even allowed some of our children who aspire to be doctors or vets help him. He also set up a makeshift lab in one of the horse stalls and gave us all a lesson. He was extremely knowledgeable and it was quite a privilege to have him here with us.
I’m also constantly learning new things in the barnyard… add this to the list of things I never thought I’d learn in my lifetime: how to drain an abscess on a goat or how to test horse stool for parasites.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2008-01-30T11:23:00.000-05:00

A VERY large snake we found in the house under the toilet.

Taking the little ones riding...

I'm not sure why I'm wearing this green shirt in nearly all these pictures because they were different days. I guess I don't have many clothes here.

A Tribute to Grandma Millie

2008-01-24T11:30:00.001-05:00

On January 19, 2004, just a few days shy of her 72nd birthday, my Grandma Millie passed away. Last year I wrote this devotional thought on her birthday. I often think of the many things going on in my life I wish I could share with her especially now that I’m here. I can just hear her now bragging to all her church friends that she has a granddaughter who is a missionary in Africa. So thanks for letting me share this tribute to her with you again this year. Happy Birthday Grandma!

The other day a friend asked me what my favorite memory of my grandma was. At the time it was too painful to talk about, but I’ve had a memory that has been ruminating…

May I share it with you?

Most of you didn’t get to meet my Grandma Millie. For the most part, she was the typical grandma. A bit taller than me. A perfect coifed updo. A physique slightly softened by age.

This is my favorite memory…When I would walk through the porch and into my grandparents’ house, I’d always yell, “Hi grandma.” Inevitably, I would hear the shuffle of her slippers as she’d come dashing down the hallway and around the corner into the living room. She’d be so excited to see me. I’d get a big, warm, soft hug. I’d take in the smell of Mary Kay, Aquanet, and a hint of ode d’mothball. Then she’d pull back just a bit, put my big chubby cheeks in her hands, gaze deep into my face with all the love a good grandma can muster and she’s say, “aw, there she is, my beautiful granddaughter.” Now, I’m not saying this to brag; grandma’s often see their own kind of beauty. But there are few other things that make me feel as special, as loved and as invincible; the unconditional love of a grandma.

Now, most of you that know me well, know that I don’t sermonize often. Maybe it’s finally my seminary training kicking in or I’ve eaten one to bran muffins before trying to go to sleep, but I feel a burning need to share my devotional thought on my grandma’s birthday…

I have a Jesus that can put my big chubby cheeks in His hands, gaze as deeply into my face, and say with as much love as any good grandma, “there she is, my beautiful child.”

To this day, when I walk into her house, I still half-expect to hear the slipper-shuffle coming down the hall and see her turn the corner. Some days I could use my grandma to remind me that I’m loveable. I’m sure you could too.

This hasn’t been an easy year for many of us. We’ve lost loved ones, lost direction, had broken relationships, financial strains, struggles with schoolwork and self-esteem… wondering if we’re loveable. And I want to remind you, we have a Jesus that can take our face is His hands and show us His unconditional love; the love that sent Him to Calvary for us.

Windhoek

2008-01-23T11:27:00.002-05:00

On January 14th, a group of 10 of us left for Windhoek, the capital, for a week-long whirlwind of various appointments and errands. I went mostly to assist with driving and childcare, but also to get away for a few days.
It’s quite the long drive through some interesting countryside before you arrive in a fairly modern city. We met some infamous African wildlife on the road (see above) but I’m happy to report that we had many traveling mercies. Along the road at various points we saw 2 elephants, a family of ostrich, many warthogs, guinea fowl, baboons, dik dik, roan antelope, gemsbok and a variety of other unidentifiable antelope (there seems like a zillion varieties here).
We got to eat at some interesting places including KFC but my favorite was Joe’s Beerhouse (http://www.joesbeerhouse.com/). I got an impressive African shish kebob which included six different kinds of game meat: ostrich, kudu, crocodile, zebra, oryx and (for the less adventuresome eater) chicken. All of it was quite tasty except the crocodile was a bit rubbery and a tad bit too fishy tasting for my liking but at least now I can say I’ve tried it. I was also on a mission to get my fill of the closest thing I could find to Starbucks iced mochas. Mission accomplished!!
Though it was hectic, it was a blessing to get a way for a few days. But honestly the best part was coming “home.” We arrived back after dinner on the 21st. I went into the children’s home to find the usual post-dinner atmosphere… nicely showered and pajama-clad children getting their last minutes of fun before bedtime. One of my favorite toddlers came charging down the hall like a linebacker yelling “Auntie Jessica” and nearly knocked me over when he jumped into my arms. Quite a feat for a toddler you might say… but he’s quite the bruiser. I call him Bam-bam (I kind of wonder if this was what Ken was like as a toddler.) Anyway, right behind him was one of my favorite little girls who also came running squealing with excitement only the way little girls can. I felt exceedingly loved and it was the perfect end to our trip.

more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/jessicabreitenbach/RoadTrippinToWindhoek

Cruisin’ the Zambezi

2008-01-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

Today we got the most amazing treat… a boat ride on the Zambezi. We own a basic motor boat mostly for emergencies (such as getting flooded in which is a possibility at this time of year – please be praying that doesn’t happen!!)
In the early afternoon, we set out from the shore in front of our property and headed out around the island that separates us from Zambia. It was a beautiful day and it was quite a relaxing ride. We cruised around the tip of the island and headed downstream. We were able to observe some hippos chillin’ in the water in a few locations from a distance. It was really cool to see them pop their heads up and then sink back down under the water.
It started to look like rain so we decided to turn back before the bridge near town that goes between Namibia and Zambia. (Also not to mention on the other side of the bridge there are some pretty strong rapids and none of us were up to white water rafting.) Just before we arrived back at our place, we spotted a huge crocodile sunning himself on the island shore. It’s a little creepy to see one so close to home. I mean we always have in the back of our mind that they are there, but it’s a reality check to see one. All in all it was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon admiring God’s beautiful creation.

Spa Day

2007-12-27T11:14:00.000-05:00

After all of this holiday stress, a few of us decided we needed some relaxation. Be thankful you only have to plan Christmas gifts for your family and friends. After helping to prepare meals and gifts for 55 COZV children, 23 COZV staff and their multitudinous children, 70+ Mafuta children and 9 Mafuta volunteers… I’m pretty much “elf-ed” out.

Now normally my idea of relaxation would a Decaf Iced Mocha from Starbucks, painting my toenails and watching a chick flick. I had to settle for a spa day with some of the girls. I know some of you would jump at this chance but being the not-so-touchy-feely kind of person, I was skeptical how relaxing this was going to be. It sounded more like torture than relaxation but they convinced me to give it a try. I was all for getting a pedicure… feet are fair game. If someone is willing to pick sand and goat doodie out from under my toenails, so be it. But they wouldn’t let me off so easy. After much coaxing, I settled for a facial and a neck/shoulder massage. BUT I also got my feet scrubbed and my toenails painted in Avon Chocolate Decadence. (OK, so I know some of you are rolling your eyes… this isn’t really the suffering for Jesus you thought was going on over here. Honestly I would have never expected there to be a spa in Katima either.) So now that I have a bright, shiny face and the cutest toes this side of the Zambezi, I can actually say it turned into a fairly relaxing daylong adventure after all.

PS Happy 80th Birthday Grandpa Ed!!!

The First “No Way”

2007-12-26T11:11:00.000-05:00

As planned on Boxing Day (Dec. 26th) approx 70 children and 9 volunteers from Mafuta joined us for a Christmas celebration. We took 3 vehicles to go pick them up and bring them to COZV. We traveled in true African style… every available nook and cranny packed to the gills. When we arrived back to COZV, we matched up our children with at least one Mafuta child to host. It was so adorable to watch our little ones walking around all day hand in hand.
We had intended on serving them goat and chicken on the braai (barbeque) but we got a rude awakening when we took the goat meat out of the cool room on Christmas Eve. It quickly filled the entire children’s home with one of the worst smells I think biologically possible. Seeing that I greatly despise smelly things, I barely escaped outside before being overcome by its putrid aroma. It had only been in there 3 days but something went very, very wrong. Flexibility again came in handy and we quickly shifted to plan B by serving just chicken with rice, veggies and loads of ice cream. I didn’t hear one complaint and many happily came up for seconds.
After the meal, the Mafuta children sang for us a Christmas song they had been preparing. A couple of weeks ago, the African teacher I work with at Mafuta asked me to write down the lyrics for The First Noel. I wrote out, “The first noel the angels did say was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay…” But as she went to copy it to the board, she corrected me and said that it was spelled no way. After a brief conversation, I didn’t have the heart to keep arguing her and honestly I couldn’t explain what noel meant anyway (I have since learned it is another word for Christmas). So, you can see the pic above if you want to learn the African version. The kids passionately sang, “The first no way the angels did say…..No way, No way, Noooo waaaayyy, No way, Born is the King of Israel.” I couldn’t help but crack up. Nevertheless, I was shamelessly proud of “my” kids.
We were able to give out some small gifts including baby dolls for the girls and beanie babies for the boys. I wish I had gotten a picture of their little girls faces light up. After having their fill of playing with our kids, horseback rides, soccer and with full bellies, we drove them home late in the afternoon. After which I pretty much collapsed.
Happy Boxing Day!

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

2007-12-23T09:15:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday we decorated the Children’s home for Christmas. It was so fun to watch the older kids put up the tree and then all the kids decorate it with their homemade ornaments. Sometimes they chose to decorate themselves first before the items made it on the tree. It’s finally starting to feel like the holiday season despite there being a lack of snow.

I’ve been a busy little elf helping to prepare Christmas cookies for a staff party we had on Friday as well as packaging presents for the kids and staff. We had a huge braai (barbecue) of goat, chicken, sausage, potato salad, three bean salad and misc. other items. We had about 30 staff and volunteers around a big table. We all ate until we were stuffed though I admit I didn’t try the barbequed goat much to the dismay of some of the children.

Since I probably won’t get to post again until after Christmas and Boxing Day… I hope you all have a blessed holiday with your families! Merry Christmas!!!

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Mafuta

2007-12-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

One of the other volunteers here received a donation from his coworkers in the States to buy the kids at Mafuta some Christmas clothes. So about a week and a half ago a few of the other volunteers from COZV came with me to play Santa. It’s amazing how far just a few hundred dollars goes here. We were able to buy t-shirts, some shorts and some pants for about 50 children. We had also received a few pairs of used shoes from a different group of donors. Some of these children had desperately needed these clothes and shoes. They were SO excited to receive them. So many thanks to these donors for giving these kids something new to wear!We’ve invited the Mafuta children and volunteers to join us here at Children of Zion on Boxing Day (Dec. 26th) to celebrate Christmas with us. They will get to play with our kids, soccer, net ball, ride the horses and be treated to a big meal of rice, chicken, goat and ice cream. Our children at COZV will also prepare them a little gift.

more about Mafuta

2007-12-08T02:39:00.000-05:00

As I’ve mentioned, almost every morning after devotions, I head to Mafuta, a local village where we support an orphan feeding program and preschool. I have been typically arriving at 9am. As I drive down the dirt road nearing the facility, a bunch of my preschoolers start running from every direction behind the truck and many of them are already there waiting for me. When I pull in I am greeted by them all chanting “mikuwa” which means European or white person. As I step out of the truck they start fist fighting over which of them gets to hold my hand as I walk into the building. It is a welcoming gesture and it makes me wish I had octopus arms to hold each of their hands.

If I arrive earlier, which seems to rarely happen, I can help the women prepare the food that is fed to the orphans around 10am, their one meal of the day. They use these huge black cast iron pots to cook over an open fire. In one pot they usually prepare shima or pap which is a very stiff cornmeal porridge, a staple here. It’s made by adding cornmeal to boiling water. They add more and more cornmeal until it is so thick it is nearly impossible to stir. Two women face each other and stir with these long-handled wooden paddles in opposite directions with amazing force and rhythm like the churning of a washing machine. I am convinced these women have the biceps of Hercules to do this on a daily basis. The shima is eaten by rolling it in your hand and then dipping it into some sort of fish stew or soy meat soup or whatever type of “soup” is available.

In order to cook everyday, the men that volunteer at Mafuta have to bring in the firewood from outside the compound. A week or two ago, they convinced me to help them go into the bush to collect firewood so they could have enough when the rains come and the roads become impassable. I drove the pickup 2.5 km into the bush on a sand road. I parked in the shade and then watched in awe as these men went running into the bush in various directions. They each returned with a huge tree trunk slung over their shoulder and dropped them next to the truck. They did this over and over again for about 45 minutes. To me it seemed to be a competition to see who could carry the heaviest log at the fastest speed. It was like watching the African version of the caber toss at the Scottish games.

Most days I assist teaching preschool for about 2 hrs. We have an average of 15 students and they are fairly attentive. They unfortunate thing for me is the language barrier. Most of these little ones at Mafuta don’t speak much English so most of my lessons or story times require translation. Their favorite book that I brought from America is “Buster Has the Hiccups,” a story about a lion with a bad case of the hiccups (Thanks Moscinski Family!!). Whenever we get to the part in the book where it says “hiccup” they all make the sound. It’s quite hilarious. It also has a little squeaky lion on the front that they all have to take turns squeezing when story time is over. I think we’ve read the book nearly every day I’ve been here so far. The new school year starts in January and as I understand it we’ll be having a class of 40 kids. I think it will definitely keep me on my toes.

As far as my prayer requests for Mafuta go… It is quite a challenging situation. Not only are many of the children there in great need, but there are some additional situations I am dealing with made even more complicated by the language barrier. I need prayer for wisdom and discernment how to best come alongside the staff that already volunteer there as well as to assist in solidifying the program. And if God would bless me with a divine understanding of Lozi my life would be a lot easier.

Trying to act like a chief

2007-12-02T12:34:00.001-05:00

I was walking from the school building the other day when it looked like it was going to downpour. One of the African teachers that works here was walking beside me. He told me this story about the African philosophy of rain. He said that the chief of a village is not allowed to take cover during the rains if he is caught out of doors during a storm. He is supposed to walk proudly through his village as if he is unaffected by the rain. Because if he were to hide his head, it would be as if he was cursing the rain in front of his people and therefore drive away the much needed rain. So the teacher said the moral of the story for me is that I shouldn't duck my head when it rains, I should walk proudly as if I am unaffected just like the chief. Little does he know what a wet-fabric-phobic person that I am. I was not quite convinced this was the best way to react to the torrential African downpours, but I gave it a shot just to see how it changed my perspective on it. My consensus is that I'm thankful I'm not a chief. I will continue to try to make peace with my wet-fabric syndrome all the while trying to stay as dry as possible during the inevitable rains.

Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

2007-11-21T13:21:00.001-05:00

These are a few of my favorite things... hint, hint :-)

- starbucks

- CHOCOLATE esp anything dark, almond joy, midnight milkyway, or chocolate covered espresso beans

- peanut butter M&Ms

- luzianne tea or Twinnings Decaf Irish breakfast tea

- drink mix "singles"packets

- daisies

- cheddar cheese pretzel combos

- new recipes

- new pictures of you and your family

- books

- epis of bro & sis (lindy: this one's for you)

you can contact angie, mary, sara or my mom (my cellphone is still active) for my mailing address if the mood so strikes you.

A day in my life…

2007-11-18T09:29:00.001-05:00

Many of you have asked what my typical daily activities are. That's a bit hard to explain because I'm under the assumption there are very few typical days, but here's a snapshot of what this week has been like.

A typical week day sort of looks like this:

7am wake up and shower

8 staff/volunteer devotions

8:30 I leave for Mafuta

9 Mafuta preschool begins

9:45 serve meal to orphans

10:15 preschool resumes

11 head back to COZV

Til 1pm I do various task: office work, spending time with the babies or preschoolers, whatever needs to be done.

1pm lunch & rest time

2:30 back to the office or wherever I'm needed until chores or dinner

4:30 choretime (I admit I don't typically head out to the barn)

7:30 dinner & rest time

Between 9-11pm I'm in bed, reading, writing, etc.

One word to describe Monday: flexibility! I woke up thinking I was going to Mafuta. I was dressed in long cargo pants with my pockets stuffed with what I normally need when I'm there. I went to devotions and then was helping Gary pack the pickup truck with the provisions I was bringing to Mafuta. I was just about to leave when I found out that my day was going to look very different. A volunteer who had been waiting to hear about getting a flight to the states needed to be rushed to the airport in Livingstone Zambia. So I rushed back to the bungalow, changed into much lighter cloths and jumped in the van with another brand new volunteer. We arrived there by noon, got them through airport security and then began the trip back. I was driving the Quantum, a very large van. I'm glad I've been getting used to driving on the left side of the road. Fortunately there was little traffic. It's basically one turn and then 2-3 hrs straight on a tar road. It was pretty easy drive, though I did have to dodge a bunch of piglets in the road, not the typical African road hazard. We were able to stop for lunch and I ate a huge bacon cheeseburger. I was famished and it was very good. We reached the border posts by 4:30 and surprisingly navigated them like pros for two newbies. All in all it turned into a fun adventure.

Tuesday was a pretty typical day. After rest time, I took 6 kids into town for various errands: some needed sneakers & pata pata (flip flops), some needed paperwork, one got to go as a reward for good behavior. Our first stop was the most critical, paperwork for 2 of the kids. In my ignorance, I apparently showed up on the wrong day and at the wrong time. So that was a bust. But fortunately we were able to accomplish what we needed to during the rest of our stops except to find pata patas that were large enough for one of the girls. Overall, it was a successful trip.

Wednesday was a fairly typical day with little to report. I spent some quality time in the office learning my tasks to help with the bookkeeping here.

Thursday was also a fairly typical day except for the meal at Mafuta. There are an amazing bunch of female volunteers at Mafuta that are dedicated to preparing the food for the children. They have tried to teach me to cook their way, but for the most part, I am too weak. They cook in these huge black metal pots with long wooden paddles. They say if I try a bit each day I will get stronger which is probably true. So normally they cook and then I help serve the food to give them a little bit of a break. On this particular day, they prepared mackerel and cabbage "soup" served with shima (a stiff cornmeal porridge, a staple here.) Wow was that an interesting aroma. To have my head over a pot of that for 30-45 minutes just about did me in. Before I left the states, my family and I had a pretty disgusting episode with rotten sauerkraut (don't ask). This was pretty similar. But the kids gobbled it up. They really seem to love fish, bones, eyes, skin and all. I spent the rest of the day trying to get the fishy cabbage smell off my hands.

Friday started like any other day… I left devotions and walked down the path to get the truck I drive to Mafuta. I hadn't taken more than 4 steps out of the gate and right in my path was a snake! My first sighting since I've been here. EEK! It was bright green, about the length of my arm, very narrow and you could barely make out its head. I don't know whether to say praise God, I've made it 14 days without seeing a snake or to say I've only made it 14 days… Either way, I promptly turned around and yelled for the African staff. Leonard, an absolute gentleman and a VERY hard worker, came running with a big stick… my new hero!! He told me it was just a little water snake (fairly harmless from what I understand) but either way he apparently clubbed it. I got out of there. I was running late as it was and didn't want to find out if he was wrong. Phew… I've lived through what I'm sure is just the first of many sightings. The funny thing was that right before devotions I was reading in Genesis about Eve and the serpent in the Garden.

Addendum: on my way to the main house to post this blog, I got roped into helping stitch up a horse's forehead. By the time we were done, it was dinner time. During dinner the power went off and then after dinner, I was helping comfort a girl that wasn't feeling well. Needless to say I never got to post my blog. All part of the adventure…

Moving… Again!

2007-11-11T06:23:00.000-05:00

So I know that will make some of my friends laugh given my Guinness Record worthy history of moving around Rochester, but I've moved again! Yesterday some volunteers left, leaving some open beds in the staff bungalow. So I moved inside the compound with all the other female staff. It's a thatched roof house near the river that I share with 4 other girls. It's nice to feel a little more settled and I actually unpacked some things now.

I should probably report that I have made a few successful trips to Mafuta on my own. Driving here isn't as difficult to get used to as I expected once I figured out a way to be able to touch the pedals. Though I thought I'd get away from the bad winter driving conditions in NY. Well I have to say driving on sand roads after there has been a downpour isn't much different. Sand seems like it can be as slick as ice when it is wet. But fortunately all of my wintertime experience seems to be helping me navigate without too much trouble… so far anyway. The rainy season has just begun.

Speaking of rain… we've seen a few big storms in our first week, mostly overnight. There were some pretty impressive downpours and HUGE claps of thunder. I'm sure there was lightening too, but I couldn't see that with my head buried under a pillow.

Not much else to report… just trying to get acclimated to the schedule here at the children's home as well as my tasks at Mafuta. I *do* have internet access on a more regular basis than I expected so you can use my gmail account to contact me. I can't promise I'll be prompt about returning your emails, but it is nice to hear from you all.

Traveling mercies….

2007-11-05T13:08:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the delay in letting you all know I arrived safe and sound. I kind of jumped right in with some projects that have kept me busy.
I arrived at the children's home late Friday afternoon after relatively little hassle or delay and all luggage intact (praise God!). For the first week I am living in the staff house slightly off the children's home compound. (Jocelyn/Cassie/Bethany, Pernicious says hello.)
Saturday morning I helped out in the kitchen and made 18 batches of chocolate goat milk pudding from scratch with the help of one of the older girls. Apparently everyone thought it turned out well.
Saturday night some of the girls went camping a short walk from the children's home. I didn't sleepover but stayed for the hot dogs and marshmallows over the campfire. One of the other volunteers pointed out a very bright star and said, "Hey, I bet that really bright star is a planet." I laughed out loud and they all looked at me strangely because they didn't really think it was funny. It made me slightly homesick for Sara.
On and off I've been helping a volunteer who is here for one week with her digital photography class for some of the older children. It's kept me quite busy and the kids are doing a great job.
Today (Monday) I took my first trip to Mafuta where I will be working every day with their feeding program. It is going to be very challenging but I am excited to begin working. Pretty soon I'll be driving there on my own on the left hand side of the road driving stick shift also with my left hand. Pray for me and everyone else on the road. :-) Fortunately it isn't far.

Note to my RWC team: many of the kids have asked about each of you, wanting to know where you are and if you are every coming back especially Justin because they want to play soccer.

So long...farewell...auf weidersehen goodbye...

2007-10-30T22:12:00.000-04:00

I hate to go and leave this pretty sight... goodbye home sweet home.

On to my big adventure! Tomorrow afternoon I fly out of JFK directly to Johannesburg. It's a LONG flight something like 18hrs plus a time change (but I plenty of reading material thanks to my book club who has graciously picked the next few books so I can participate from a distance.) Friday morning we fly to Zambia and then finish the journey to Namibia via van. We should arrive around dinnertime on Friday.

Hopefully I can post when I arrive to let you all know I got their safely!!

Thanks for all your notes! Missing you already... JB

Welcome to my blog!

2007-10-29T22:45:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by for a visit to my blog. Sorry it has taken me so long to get going. Stay tuned for exciting stories about African adventures!!

Hai

2004-01-05T11:05:00.000-05:00