A Little Lunch Before Getting Back to work

We stopped for lunch for the day.  Lunch was my favorite- peanut butter and jelly!  We had oranges and juice and it seemed to go over well!

From left William, Jaydine, Cyril, Sharifa and Geraldo

The children decided they couldn't stand to see the dishes sitting in Pastor's kitchen.  (or else they like playing in the water!)  Actually they have great skills at cleaning and fought over who got to do it, typical kids.  I am so lucky to have them take care of me!

And NO I do not leave my dishes so they will do them when they come- although...  I hadn't thought of that! Hmmm...  Naw dishes get in the way- they are too much fun to play with!

The Great Garden Party

The children and I got together to start the work on a garden.  We went and gathered large stones and manure (the manure was easy, lots of cows around, but the rocks were a challenge I thought until I saw the old adage proven true "Small but Mighty!")  Here is the work as we finish the rock outline.

Sharifa did TWO at a time! (another not quite so old adage- women have to do twice the work of men to have their work be seen as equal?!)

Geraldo doing a "juggling act" while Sharifa RUNS back for more!

Geraldo is a joker but doesn't mind hard work

Ah, two at a time rolling it might work on the really big one!  William and Geraldo work together.

Wait...that isn't working, let's make a plan and get Sharifa in on it.

William supervises as Sharifa and Geraldo do the lifting work!

Geraldo let's William take his end and gets a smaller rock. Sharifa and William continue the lifting!

Geraldo comes back to help and they get another strategy- to roll it the across the shorter side!

But notice who was behind the camera the whole time?!  Me!  And while Cyril and Jaydine and I started collecting manure, they are still out there while I shoot away!  Thanks kids you are the best workers ever!

More people and animals in Namibia

On Monday Auntie Sarah and I drove with Om Garrett to Otjiwarango.  We were there to buy a wardrobe for my clothes.  Auntie Sarah and I had lunch with Nora at the Cafe Carstensen- one of two restaurants in the center of town and it has a bakery!  Auntie Sarah is on the left, and Nora the right.

The children had to show me the termite mound right next to the fence in my yard.  William is on top, then Geraldo, Sharifa, Cyril and sassy Miss Jaydine.

Oh and Terry had to get in on the fun.  He is the father of the THREE litters of puppies here.

These are guinea hens I think.  They gather in bunches, won't let you get close to them to take a picture, walk or run away.  They fly very short distances and are a nuisance on the road because they are big and fly up at the last minute as the cars pass by.  I have heard they aren't good to eat either and since they don't even provide meat, means they really are just a nuisance to the people.

There are several herds of goats around here- some with a shepherd and some with a dog.  They can be quite strikingly colored and marked.

Geraldo showing his talents as a shadow puppeteer.

If I have my camera out, the people want me to take their pictures and don't mind not getting a copy, they just like to see the pictures on my camera.  The is is in Kalkveld proper, the main road, with the post office in the background.  The jail is next to it and then just road toward farms.

Pictures for geologists, birders and kid-ers

June 16 or so..

We went on an adventure, the kids and I.  Here are three of them- William, Geraldo and Sharifa.

 What we saw in the community was the old, abandoned houses (and of course I had to hear the ghost stories that went with them- (suffice it to say they had a lot of spooky noises in them to scare the littlest children, but no substance so we have to work on our story telling).  But much more interesting was actually Om Jan and Auntie Poppie's back yard.  One of their sons incorporated the natural geological formations into a pool.  I imagine it will be quite lovely when the rains come.

 

For the bird-ers I incorporate this one picture of a bird.  He (or she) wouldn't stand still, sorry.  I do eventually get some better bird pictures so stay tuned.

And for the kid-ers here are the five that live in the neighborhood hanging on Auntie Sarah's gate (She is Oma Sarah (grandmother to William, Sharifa and Cyril.)

 Sharifa (age 8) with puppy Bronx

Her younger brother Cyril age 4 in this picture with Sarah's house, their father's unfortunately forever breaking down buggy (pick up truck).

William age 12 oldest in family of Sharifa and Cyril.

Geraldo age 8 in this picture.

A better picture of Sharifa and you can see Sarah's house and the kid's house in the background (but she insisted I include the puppy).

Jaydine age 4 and Geraldo's younger sister.

 My "gang"- they are supposed to be making our "gang sign" for PEACE!  Siblings are grouped together (and not fighting!)  William,, Sharifa, and Cyril, and Geraldo and Jaydine.

And this is one of God's signs for peace and good night.

Last day of construction- for now!

 Saturday June 15, 2013

Today is the last day of a week of construction on the Outdoor Ministry Project building next to the house I am living in.

Here we are on the way to see the progress (shown to you over the past week but they did a great job finishing up the bricks, cement and most of the gravel that they had today!)

Here are Chantel (Charlene), Geraldo and One Light (the dog who was born with one eye).

The master bricklayer (Mr. Beukes a member of the Rehoboth church.)

 Taking down the scaffolding and putting away the tools and materials for now.

Auntie Lokkie (a member and resident here) and Chris De Wee (former treasurer and now investment chairperson of the Namibia Synod) look on.

A happy group lean on a finished wall as the crew cleans up.  You can see the new brick work this week started at the bottom of the window and was finished to the top around over 3/4 of the building.  (The wall behind is still a work in progress). In the picture are Auntie Lokkie, Frank Adonis (Mission Convener for the Namibia Synod and essentially chair of the project), Geraldo and Chantel.

Frank taking a picture of the local work crew.

Another view of the whole crew with the foundation of the bathroom walls in the foreground.

Here is a good picture of the crew with the Master Bricklayer still giving instructions- joking with the crew.  He is a hard worker!

Pastor made spaghetti for the Master Bricklayer, his apprentice (on right also from Rehoboth) and the Synod officers.  They thought they were given a treat- though I know they wondered where the meat was!  Little do they know how rare it is... people have found out Pastor really doesn't cook!  (It is easy when you are (mostly) vegetarian and try to eat raw foods!  Although it is hard here because for the people here meals are mostly meat and the distance to get fresh fruits and veggies makes it difficult  :)

A Friday Night Game

June 14, 2013

On my first Friday night I decided to take in a soccer game!  The local school where the church's children all go is G K Wahll Combined School (elementary and middle school to 10th grade).  They played the school from Otjiwarango.

Things got pretty dusty and the field got pretty hot. I learned about bringing an umbrella and standing on the side of the field with my back to the sun (afterwards of course).

In spite of the fans cheering them on (and in spite of my lack of knowledge of soccer I was able to figure out) that we were overmatched and lost 4-1.  Better luck next time!

Construction Day 5

June 14, 2013

The construction continues on the Outdoor Ministry building. 

I am amazed at what they can do -all by hand except the original delivery of materials.  

 Hauling the water and cement and mixing and delivering it by hand in the Namibian heat.  The decision was made to add on space to the original building and expand it.  The space being added will be for the originally planned 8 bathrooms/showers- 4 each for men and women (you can barely see the added foundation in the foreground- right/white)