A Nice Little Rest Place

We got back to Windhoek very late.  Some delegates live in Windhoek, others have family there so they had a place to stay.  Moses and I needed accommodations, but had not made reservations- since we did not know what day we would be returning to Windhoek.

  

As we were traveling we had called fourteen places and found out there was no room in any inn!  That was because there was a UN convention with 3,000 delegates in Windhoek for a week.  Perseverance paid off and the 15th bed and breakfast had two rooms for one night.

I sure wish I could have stayed there longer but it was booked full for the next night.  It had six rooms on a small plot of land behind a wall- kind of a hidden mini oasis.  It was a little on the expensive side but was very nice and breakfast was good.  

Moses made another twenty calls the next morning and found another place with limited space but at least there was a place to stay until I could arrange transportation back to Kalkfeld. It was nice but I forgot to take pictures!

This wildlife was standing still and so was I so the pictures came out great!

Return Trip to Namibia

 The return trip to Namibia from Maheking was much shorter (17 hours rather than 27) - no warthog accident and no time spent sleeping at the border.  Here I am at the border post as we enter Botswana to drive across.  Think my legs need to see some light.

 We all bought food and candy to share.  I found these helped the journey go a little smoother for all of us and you can't beat the sentiment.

Now comes the wildlife photography challenge in a moving combi- oops too early to catch the donkey.

Too zoomed and to early to get the whole horse.

Too slow to get the kudu but if you look close you can see her in the bush.

We saw whole herds? flocks of ostrich.  There was one group that had a beautiful male, two pretty females and three children of various sizes. The littlest was really tiny.

This picture is pretty for the color contrasts.

We arrived at Windhoek late- and were welcomed by what the others referred to as Windhoek fireworks.  I wondered what that was until the lightning storm was all around us!  It rained horizontal and for a while it reminded me of the wild storms I saw in Johannesburg.  

Tuesday, the last day and getting started Wednesday traveling back from General Assembly

 Tuesday at the Assembly is missing from my camera.  It was a very long day.  It was the culmination of all the Assembly decision-making and included presentation of resolutions and voting.  A lot of work was done.  In the end the new General Secretary the Rev. Allister Arens was elected.  There was also another wonderful closing worship celebration.  It was a long day and a late night.  I am sorry I don't know what happened to all those pictures but perhaps my camera was as tired as we all were.  

Wednesday we got up early to pack, say goodbye, and get on the road.  Many people had already left on Tuesday night following closing worship, in the dark. I was glad we stayed and did not risk another overnight journey like the one on the way here!  Here is some of our group waiting for the last ones to get their suitcases. 

You saw the van (combi) we drove in but here is also the what the trailers look like with our luggage.  I don't know how the drivers did it, not only getting everything in, but hauling those trailers jam packed with stuff! 

Some more folks saying goodbye.

A little view of the neighborhood near the St. Joseph center.  There were mostly small brick houses.

Monday at General Assembly

Back to the business of the Assembly.  The Bible studies and devotions were each lead by different persons or different groups each day.  We also had wonderful music.  We were honored with the singing of the children from the UCCSA affiliated school for the visually impaired again.

And the choir from another local church.  We were grateful because these people all took much time from school and work and traveled to be part of the Assembly and sing for us.

The workshop I attended was on economic development and was well presented, attended and very informative.

I got this picture with two of my sisters celebrating African Heritage day.  I was told their hats indicate that they are married women.

Sunday Afternoon Rally

After worship and lunch, our portion of the Assembly met up with the rest of the Assembly for the Rally.  I had no idea what to expect.

It started with a parade through the streets of Maheking, South Africa.  We were lead by a band dressed in the UCCSA uniform!  We sang along and carried the UCCSA banner, and each Synod delegation carried their country flag.  Here are Arochelle and Rosetta with the flag of Namibia.

The parade ended at the church building where we lined up for the procession.  Here are all the ministers and officers trying to get in line- each time it is the same and each time it is chaos.

Okay everybody- line up two at a time, ministers first, by country: Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe.  Then the chairs of the two Women's Fellowships, the Soldiers of Christ, the Bruderbund, then the chairpersons of the UCCSA committees, then the officers of the UCCSA.  See?  I have it memorized after only four times doing it!

The Rally was a giant, joy and spirit-filled worship.  It was the Rev. Dr. Prince Dibeela's last opportunity to preach to the General Assembly as the General Secretary of the UCCSA.

Then the singing and dancing began and once it begins...

It is almost impossible to take pictures...

 There are bells rung with sticks (blurry in the center of picture)

Then a circle forms with whistles blowing (woman in white second from right) and note the thing on the young man's hand at the left, it is a kind of cushion you put on your hand.  It allows very loud clapping...

And - oh you just HAVE to give up on trying to taking pictures of JOY and join in!!

But the leaders are trying to figure out... what do we do to get back on schedule??  Should we even try or just go with the Spirit?

It was a fun but very long day, especially when we got out to the dark parking lot after the 4 hour rally and realized that we had no ride back to the Assembly location!!  Ooops!  Someone took pity on us, we climbed in an already overcrowded car (beggers can't be choosers) and drove the 10 minutes back to climb in bed, exhausted but happy!

After Church Pictures

I wandered around taking some pictures after worship so I could remember and share the whole experience.  Here is the outside of the church, many of the members in uniform and the bus that brought us.

 One of the members who wanted to see her picture.

 The baptismal font and one of the first Pastors for whom it is a memorial.

The parsonage directly across from the front of the church- only a little walk away.

 The border with Botswana is just across the way.  Once this part of South Africa was part of Botswana.  Now members have to have passports to visit family across the way.  Funny how God doesn't see the black lines we draw between countries.

They served us a quite amazing spread of delicious food for lunch (and plenty of what is referred to here as "cool drink"- anything in soda pop form) and our group was pretty large- filling the whole living room.

Every nook and cranny

 

and spilling into the kitchen.

But then I always agreed with the sign said on my mother's kitchen wall: "No matter where I serve my guests...

It seems they like my kitchen best!"  Me too!

Some even spilled out into the yard.

But then the food was so delicious, no one could resist.  There were probably 10 different dishes- six of them being vegetable dishes!!  I had the BEST vegetables I have had in Southern Africa, possibly the BEST ever anywhere!  So I asked who cooked all this food? (for 60 people)  

The response was "she did."  

I said, "No there is so much food and so many to feed, who helped make all this wonderful food?" The response, "She did."  

I asked her, "Did you make all this food?"  "Yes."  

"You cooked it ALL yourself?"  "Yes." (The response was as if to say, "No big deal.")  

I told her she was a wonderful and talented cook!! 

Sunday Worship During Assembly

On Sunday the Assembly was split up and mixed up so that we could have time with other Synod delegates and to go to visit and worship with the local churches.  We took a bus about an hour out of Maheking to meet and worship with the people of the Makgobistad Congregational church.

Here is the Pastor welcoming us.  All the Pastors (there were five of us in our group) were invited to sit in the place of worship leadership behind the altar so the pictures you see are all from that vantage point.

Some passing of the peace and greeting each other always done with singing and dancing and the offering is also a time of singing and dancing- no passing of a plate- everyone brings their offering to the altar.

The gentleman seen is in a Soldiers of Christ uniform and he is the local church leader.  He has a big staff that helps to lead and indicate the end of the singing and dancing.  (He holds it up in one hand vertically, then raises it in two hands above his head and brings it down in front of him and people "magically" sit down and get quiet!)

To the right are the elders/widow who usually stay at home and receive visits from the Pastor and congregation.  They wanted to be here to welcome us and worship with us.  A very wonderful welcome and honor.

A little bigger view of the sanctuary where they had cleaned and decorated for our visit.

More singing and dancing by the women's fellowship.  Note the bell in the hand of the woman on the left.

 The Sunday school children sang for us as well.

Every church has announcements.

A closer view of the staff.

Each church was given a visiting Pastor to preach.  So their Pastor translated from English to Setswana

 The elders and all of us joined in the dancing.  I so appreciate the joy of worship in their church.

Then the women gifted us with some traditional dancing.

And serenade.