It's not all fun and games

Being a missionary in Kalkfeld is not all fun and games and adventure.  Sometimes it is just the normal things of life.  I have now been in here two months.  And to celebrate this auspicious anniversary I am doing laundry.  In the background next to the refrigerator you might notice what looks like a washing machine, and indeed it is.  It was owned by a Peace Corps volunteer who left it with a member of the Otjiwarango congregation a while back.  What a NICE present to receive the loan of a washer!

 It was working then.  But somehow in the meantime, and perhaps on the transport here, a hose broke.  We figured that out when a member and I tried to hook it up to the taps and fill it with water.  Didn't do much for washing the clothes but the floor got a nice bath.  A second person came and tried to figure out what was wrong with it (I told them that it was a broken hose) and had to try filling it with water. The floor got another nice bath.  A third person came to fix it and again... well at least the floor was clean.  At first I was told to take the washer to Otjiwarango to get it fixed.  But I thought, "If it is just a hose, that should be a quick, easy fix."  So you would think.  Now I have been waiting a couple weeks for a ride to Otjiwarango with hose in hand in the hope that I can get one to match.  In the meantime, out with the buckets and scrub brush. 

It's actually kind of meditative- all except for the hauling of water from the bath tub. But at least I don't have to carry it several miles from a well or river!  From the picture below you can see I brought my Claremont shirt and God is Still Speaking! cloth for communion (thanks Gail!)

 And here is my supervisor in the big tree on the other side of the fence.  I have not yet been quick enough to take a good picture.  They are large birds (larger than a crow), have a crown on their heads, very loud and noisy, and bully the other birds for food.