A Walk to School Part 1

Now that I have been here six months I thought I would take another photographic tour of life here.  It begins with Monday and a walk to the G K Wahl Combined School (K-10) with the children who live on the church property.  I started walking them to school for safety reasons but find it is a good time to check in with them and spend time with them talking about important things.  It is a 30 minute walk to the school.

It starts at 6:20 when Chantell leaves her Ouma's (grandmother's- Auntie Lokie's) house.  She is very punctual!  (House is on left, small tourquoise dot center right is Chantell in her school warm up jacket).

 I watch for her and walk out to the gate to meet her.

She and I walk together to the property gate (center) which is past the new and old (right) worship buildings.

Most of the time (like today) William, Sharifa and Geraldo are waiting for us.  Sometimes they are running behind and we have to go get them.

We cross the cattle guard (carefully).  As physically active as Sharifa is, she still has trouble with walking on the guard.  She has tried to hold on to me for balance- NOT a good idea I explained to her- she has much more experience (and balance) than I do!

And we turn off the road and toward the bush- starting down the shortcut to the school.  The sun is rising and making beautiful lighting.  And today there are clouds in the big blue sky- a real rarity, usually it is very clear.  But they are just for show.  There is no rain in those clouds (and thankfully no lightning either!).

A Sermon in Life

Stop me if I told this one before... but I was reminded by the goats crashing through the property today.  They are not allowed on the church property- not just where the church building is, but the whole property.  It is private property and no animals are allowed on the property unless they are owned by one of the members (like "my" cows).  But the goats didn't get the memo.  (or if they did, they didn't read it, they ate it.)

There is plenty of fence to keep them out.  But the goats don't get the message because there is/just might be/may be PULLEEASE something to eat over here.  And it is very dry out there- nothing to eat anywhere and they are HUNGRY (for reference I believe goats always think they are hungry, but it is especially so during this drought.)

There is sometimes a goat herd with them.  But most of the time there are just two dogs with them, keeping them together, leading them, herding them, keeping them out of trouble.  Or they are supposed to.  The dogs are smart.  They know they aren't supposed to bring the goats here.

But one day I saw them and decided that it was my responsibility to remind the dogs they weren't doing their jobs.  I yelled at the dogs.  They looked at me.  I walked toward the dogs.  They looked at me.  I yelled uit (out) and walked toward the dogs waving my arms in what I thought might be a proper goat-herderly manner.

The dogs turned around and half-heartedly walked toward the goats.  The goats got the message.  Or at least a message.  They started moving, sort of kind of, toward the fences and gate to leave the property.

But some of them strayed.  Some of them got a little distracted by the possibility of a blade of grass. So I yelled uit (out), I walked toward the dogs/goats, I waved my arms.  The dogs got a little more energy and decided they had a job to do.  They began herding the goats.  Slowly but surely the goats went out the fence off the church property.

I used this as an illustration in church.  I am sure it was NOT the first time they had heard it, but it was my first time as a city-bred girl to really understand it.  God is the shepherd/goat herd/(me trying to be a goat herd).  We/the Christians/the dogs know better.  We are supposed to be leading a life that leads the goats toward the right place (and I suppose if we take the analogy to it's logical end, somehow turn them into dogs).

The people in church heard it.  They have probably heard it many times before- they LIVE on a farm. Maybe it made a difference hearing it from a rookie for whom the light bulb had just gone off.  But I think they probably just had the ridiculously funny image in their head of the city-girl Engish speaking Pastor trying to yell the one Afrikaans word that might work, waving her arms and trying to herd dogs and goats.

The goats are back, dogs and all.

Otjiwarango Baptisms Part 8

And of course, following any church celebration in Namibia there is a Braai! (BBQ).  Here we are at Cay-Lynn's Oupa Willy's house

On left was a braai of meat and chicken wings on sticks.  In the middle was the braai for (my favorite) roosterbrood.

Willy prayed the blessing on the food and the gathering of family.  Meat is a big part of the celebratory meals in Namibia so there is meat, chicken, a green salad and bread.

My other favorite- cake(s) for dessert!

The adults gather outside to talk. At large gatherings like this, most of the time the conversation is all in Afrikaans.  My pre-school level Afrikaans is totally inadequate.  Sometimes there is a person willing to translate for me and that is actually helping me learn Afrikaans because I can immediately check to see if I understand.  In this case it was Willy's daughter-in-law Benlynn who is originally from South Africa and now lives with his son Richard and their two boys Willis and Ethan in Swakopmund.  They gave me a lift back to Kalkfeld on their 5 hour drive back home.  A truly delightful family!

 Cutting the cake (s), the littlest ones are here for the treat.

When I don't have a translator, or when I suspect my translator is getting tired of trying to keep me up on the conversation, I go and hang out with the kids.  They usually are happy to talk in English.  Here they were watching Hotel Transylvania and I joined them.  But we also had a long and delightful conversation about school and sports. They asked surprisingly few questions about the United States and seemed happy to share their lives with me and everything they thought I needed to know about Namibia and South Africa (including, of course, what seems to be a favorite topic-which snakes and spiders to avoid).  I enjoyed talking with them and the whole gathering very much.

Otjiwarango Baptisms Part 7

After that joyous celebration of worship, baptism and communion, all that was left was the family pictures.

Miguel's family.

.

Laurinda's family

See, she did forgive me and wanted me to hold her!

Cay-Linn's family

Fidi (David) and Jeannette with Cay-Linn, who is quite content.  Fidi invited me to do the baptisms and Jeanette does all the decorating of the church and makes sure it is clean.  The two of them and Willy are the deacons and leadership of the church.

And of course there is still the paperwork to do!  Thanks to Emmanuel Valentino for taking all the pictures for me and now I can make copies for the families that didn't have cameras.

Outjwarango Baptisms Part 6

Then we celebrated communion together.

Otjiwarango Baptisms Part 5

Now we join in a prayer for the new members of the family.

-

And Cay-Linn's Oupa leads us in joyful a hymn.

Otjiwarango Baptisms Part 4

Next comes ... Laurinda Rebecca Armando.  

One of the reasons to meet and to get to know the candidates (babies) before is to ensure they don't have "Pastor Terror" when the Pastor tries to hold them. 

Laurinda certainly is at ease.

And I tried to warn her before I baptized her.

Laurinda Rebecca Armando, welcome to the Christian family, and I am sorry baby but the water is cold!

She woke right up with a start, but in good Christian fashion promptly forgave me and let me have a kiss anyway.

Now our youngest one.

Cay-Linn Dezelry Bock, welcome to the Christian family, little one!

I claim my gift!

And she sees very content.

But this is my least favorite part.  They always make me give them back- all of them. Why do they make me give them back?!  There are three of them, can't I keep just one?!

Otjiwarango Baptisms Part 3

After introducing the candidates, we request the parents and God parents to state

 their commitment to the children, the church, and God.

 

Then we request the whole congregation state their commitment to the children, the church and  God.

Then we talk about the history and purpose of baptism.

 Then...our boy goes first.

We baptize Miguel Delgardo Brandt and welcome him to the Christian familu=y!

 


And I claim my traditional fee for baptism,the gift of a kiss!

Otjiwarango Baptisms Part 2

The congregation gathers and it is a full house with family and friends to celebrate the three baptisms and communion Sunday.

Here are the candidates, family, God parents and friends (and me).