A Few Things On Africa

A good friend of mine, Kijana, asked me a few questions about my trip to Namibia. I think they evoked a better picture of my time in Africa, and so decided to share my responses with the world:

- Was there anything that frustrated you (logistically, equipment-wise, etc.)?

Umm, Yes lol. Pre-paid cell-phones to name one thing. Everyone prepays and will buy, basically like 6 minutes at a time. So they run out every day and have to buy new minutes on a street corner. It’s frustrating when two white Americans get lost in the African Slums and their cell phone is out of minutes. And their friends who call to find where they are at don’t want to talk longer than a few seconds so they don’t waste their minutes! Haha, that happened to me, if you couldn’t tell. It was scary b/c we stopped in the slums and everyone just stared….and not in friendly ways. Turns out the only time they see white people sitting there is if they are lost or want drugs.

The Namibians treatment of time was frustrating at first. No one was ever really on time (except a few). Our driver owned a business called James Pizza…and so he would usually show up really late to pick us up….sometimes after we were supposed to be at our destination. You can’t really count on many people to be on time. Being late everywhere really slows things down. I kind of enjoyed it at times, once I got used to it….or at least it didn’t bother me being late as much. It really slowed down the pace from our American “Get it done now now now” mentality.

(Our driver and amazing friend, James)

- What kinds of "hacks" or workarounds did you have to utilize to get the job done?

Can’t think of too much here. We never actually stayed too far outside of modern civilization (although we did go there) and usually had decent access to resources.

But I can think of one thing that is kind of a “hack”, more of a tip. If you want to win someone’s favor, or possibly get them to do something for you…just give them a Coca-Cola. They absolutely love coke! Some would buy a 2-liter and drink it like we drink a 12-ounce can! One of my local friends said that if you offered a visitor a Coke, it was almost a sign of respect. If you gave them Pepsi, it wasn’t like this blatantly disrespectful thing, but it just wasn’t as good of a thing to do for someone. Crazy, huh?!?

- Did you notice any ingenious systems/tools/ways of working that the locals had integrated into their daily lives?

It’s still amazing seeing the women carry so much stuff on their head.

One thing I did notice, is they just use what they have. There were lots of businesses just being run out of what looked like another house….especially in the slums. There wasn’t a need to build a fancy special purpose building. Appearances aren’t really as big of a thing to many….but probably mostly b/c they don’t have the money to make things appear nicer.

One thing that almost everyone had was a hot water heater. I’m sure they exist in America, but I’ve rarely, if not never, seen one. Basically, you pour some water into a plastic pitcher that has a coil in it, plug it into the wall, and you have hot water in a few minutes. Pretty handy.

Probably the most inventive things I saw were the toys. Kids would often have soccer balls composed of a lot of plastic bags compressed together and tied with some rope. Many kids had these little carts they would push around…wish I could have gotten some pictures. They were made of random stuff like milk cartons. At one of the orphanages, they had the play-car set that you could sit in….it was made out of old car tires. Money for toys is probably the last thing many kids will have over there, so they have to be creative and resourceful.

- Did you have any "necessity is the mother of invention" moments? If so, what did you do to tackle/solve the problem(s)?

Afraid not. There might have been one or two things that are escaping my memory right now. But like I said, we usually had fairly good access to what resources were available over there, so didn’t need too many inventions.

- Being in a place like Africa highlights the disparity between our First World living and their Third World lifestyle. However, not everything is "horrible", necessarily. Were there some things that stood out to you as "simple and elegant" solutions (that didn't require what we rely on as far as "technology" - electricity, microprocessors, etc.)?

Hmm, not too sure about this one either. I am quite an American, and being a Computer Engineer, I definitely learned to appreciate how the technologies we use makes things easier (notice, I didn’t say better).

I think the truth of the matter is, even in Africa, people rely on technology. Maybe not to the extent that we do. And what I mean by that is, if all technology were to just die today, our lifestyle would change drastically more than theirs. But, bar the folks living in mud huts and in the bush, most Namibians have cell phones, TV’s, even Satellite dishes (packed full with flakey American Christian TV).

Ok, I’m probably not going to be able to answer this question any more, but I would like to mention some things that are interesting to me that loosely relate to your question.

One thing I noticed was the disparity between the haves and have-nots in Namibia. “They” always say poor people in America don’t have it bad. I always thought that was kind of stupid. But I understand what they mean now…and kind of agree.

Some things seem silly to me, like when I was watching Oprah yesterday (yeah yeah I’m unemployed right now haha) and she gave away this pink pda/phone to the audience and they went absolutely bonkers….I mean pure nuts. Things like that upset me a bit since returning. I really don’t have a problem with our culture or the way we live, b/c I think anyone would live like us if they had a chance….but still, I guess it shows what we really put our value in.

I saw poverty like I’ve never seen before in Africa. And it’s weird, because there are two types of poverty that I identified. First, you have the people who live away from the Capital city, up North, who live in Grass and Mud huts. They really don’t have anything. Some might have a water pump in their village, some might not. This is what I think of as “stereotypical”, or “real Africa”….the Africa that Americans think of. Even though they had nothing, though, you didn’t feel it. There was a certain sense of contentment. For many, I think that lifestyle was all they ever knew or dreamed of.

(Kids in a small village in Rundu)

There was another kind of poverty in the city in Windhoek. Off toward the edge, in a place called Katatura, there was a neighborhood called the Havana Slums. It will be hard for me to use the word “Slums” anymore for an American hood…when comparing to these slums. These people have very little as well. They live in shelters that are made of scrap aluminum/tin sheets nailed and patched together. Don’t know how the water works there (I think you have to walk a distance to get it)…don’t think there is electricity. Definitely no plumbing…their toilets are just a sheet for some privacy.

(The Havana Slums)

These are poor people. And they know it. These are people who used to have something, or at least know what it looks like to have something. They live near the city and see the middle class and upper class often. There is such a greater sense of desperation there, than in the villages up north…where they have just as little.

We visited an orphanage there in the Havana Slums. 35 kids sleep in a shack smaller than your apartment. When it rains, the place floods. They really don’t have much food or water to go around. These kids are some of the poorest and most vulnerable human beings on earth. But yet, they are still just kids. They laugh, they smile, they play all day. And out of their lack of stuff, we still observed something beautiful. These kids, especially the brothers and sisters, help each other. I watched one brother help feed his younger sister. The brother couldn’t have been more than 3 years old. They look out for each other and care for each other in a way very few American children do. And I’m not knocking on American children or our culture b/c the need just isn’t there. These kids have to look out for each other.

(Brother helping out little sister)

Back In America

Nothing says America like McDonald's! Today, in honor of my return home, I ate a double cheeseburger, a large french fry, and an ice-cold Coca Cola Classic. It was delicious.....until it turned gross and I felt fat :-) I haven't bought McDonald's in years, but it just felt like the American thing to do. I probably won't buy it again until I go to Africa and return home again someday!

We returned home on Wednesday after 28 hours of flying. I have some kind of flu or bronchitis that I'm trying to work through. It's not debilitating, just kind of annoying. But man, in certain ways, it feels really good to be home. Walking down the street and feeling normal. Feeling like you really belong here. Fitting in and not being starred at. Not being a foreigner. I can't lie, it feels good...it feels relaxing. I don't know how celebrities do it with everyone always starring at them. Maybe that's why they're all crazy!

Thursday morning was kind of a challenge. I was so depressed as I was traveling home all by myself. Where were all my friends at?!? What am I doing now with my life? I had spent the last 30 days with amazing people...waking up doing great things everyday. As I walked through the Detroit Airport by myself, I realized I had my whole life ahead of me with no plans. A bit unsettling, eh?

But God calmed me down and restored my joy pretty quickly. I'm excited to be getting involved in some new stuff...in some new ministry aspects. And a new job. I called the company I used to work for. They had sent me an e-mail while I was in Africa. Apparently, some guy quit or something and there may be a spot open to hire someone new. And I am first on their list. Pretty exciting because it would involve stuff I actually want to do with a company I really like! Nothing is final yet, but it sounds good.

I still haven't made it home yet...staying at my brother's place in Louisville. Tonight we make the final drive up to Xenia. Mmmm I hope Mom has a big dinner waiting for me!!

One Last Week

Hey!

As always, thanks for the e-mails and encouraging words.

Tomorrow will mark the beginning of our last week in Namibia. We've been doing lots of planning and trying to be as useful and effective as we can with our final days. We hope to spend some time reaching out on the UNam campus, and helping out in a clinic and 2 orphanages.

Last Friday, we did an assembly for a local primary school. It included a dance we've all learned, a karate demonstration (we have a new member who has a Karate Ministry who shares with them), sharing of the gospel, and a testimony. I gave a short testimony in front of about 500-600 5th, 6th, and 7th graders. Haha...that was quite a new experience for me. :-) We did another assembly today for a few hundred 1st-5th graders. Both times, the principals were really supportive afterwards and sincerely thanked us for what we were doing...and even reinforced to the kids to listen to what we had said and follow Christ. Hmmm not in America!

On Saturday, we drove out to the fringe of Windhoek to a neighborhood called Katatura. I think I discovered what real poverty looked like here. As we drove down the dirty, sandy road, I looked out the window and saw rolling hill after rolling hill of tin shacks. No running water, no electrcity. The orphanage we went to was also a tin shack, probably about one-half the size of my bedroom in Cincinnati. 35 kids sleep there each night. These kids have nothing. We took them some food and shared Jesus with them, sung some songs....and just played. One girl came up to me and rubbed my face and hair for about 2 minutes haha. It's easy to pity these kids when you see them....but when you begin interacting, it's hard to not have the hope of Jesus for them. I don't really know what to say about them...you kind of just have to experience it for yourself. We hope to go back again this week and give them some matresses or something.


On another note, our team leader's brother-in-law has passed away and the family would really like him to be there. So, Ed will be heading back to the States tomorrow (Tuesday). He has left Molly (one of the team members) and myself in charge of the team. Please pray for Ed as he travels back and prepares to leave us for the remainer of the trip. It will make things a bit more challenging since he is the money man! We are going to try to purchase as much today as we can before he leaves. Please pray for all the arrangements and the new responsibilities we will face. We have some great Namibians to help us out, though, and you can be rest assured that we will be just fine :-)

Thanks for your prayers and for reading through these long e-mails! I've got about 5000 pictures (they add up fast with 9 photographers) and 7 hours of video for anyone who is interested in seeing a bit more of the trip...when I return.

I hope to write one more time before returning!

In Christ,
Dan

Back In Windhoek

Greetings again!!

I have so much to say...and only 42 minutes left to type it all out! Again, thanks to everyone who wrote me...I read each e-mail with a smile, but just don't have time to get back to all of them as we only have a few minutes each week to get online.

But, on to the news!

We spent the last week in Northern Namibia in a small town called Rundu. It sits right on the Namibia/Angola border and overlooks the Okavango River...quite a site. Rundu is what you and I would call "Real Africa!" Haha. We left two Sunday nights ago and took a 9 hour trip in our Coaster Deluxe (our big 25 passenger bus) before we reached the land that we would call home for a week. We stayed in at the Youth For Christ building. Although it was only 4 years old, most of us would guess it was 30 years old! The back yard (and the rest of the town, for that matter) was sand, dirt and dust. We had showers with hot water...but really, you just can't get to the point where you feel clean in Rundu. We all had black feet by the end of each day because of all the sand. Everywhere you walk....sand! But really, we were extremely blessed to be able to stay in the YFC building. It was quite nice when compared to what most people live in there.

We spent four days in two local high schools teaching Choose-To-Wait material. It's crazy how different the school system is down here. They pretty much let us roam around and enter classes. We had a schedule for which classes we could go in teach. But often times, teachers just wouldn't show up and the kids would beg us to come teach us. Sometimes, teachers would come find us and tell us to teach their class. Often times, as I set outside, I would here an 8th grader shout out of his window "Mista Dan-yell....come teach us, come teach us!" This soon got me the Nickname of "Teacher Daniel" among the Africans on our team! haha


But, man, to say God is good and is working in these schools would be an understatement. Over the course of 4 days, we shared the Gospel and encouraged Abstainance to more than 100 class periods at two different schools. We broke up into teams of 2 or 3 (about 7 or 8 different teams) and hit as many rooms as possible. We would get many of the same classes and tried to develop relationships with these kids as we shared our lives with them. I personally taught about 15 classes....plus we did an assembly for the whole school on Friday morning. We did a African Dance that we all learned. It was quite frightening....but it went well! There were probably 1000 kids there?? We also shared some other stuff at the assembly.

But, I'd like to tell you more about the classroom time. We taught "learners" from grade 8 to grade 12. We would typically go in and ask them some general questions about sex and lead into Genesis 2:24, where God first talks about sex and marraige. Kids are a lot more open to Jesus and the Bible than they are in America. The kids have heard about AIDS so many times, and we really wanted to give them a different view point and give them some real power and reasons to abstain....instead of just "Condomize" and suffer the same consequences.

Every class was different and we really had to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in each class. Sometimes we would just take risks and bring up subjects that we really weren't prepared to talk about. Sometimes the kids just weren't paying attention. But I tell you, my friends, if there is one thing I learned, it is that there is power in the Gospel of Christ. Every single time, without fail, when we got the part where we shared the Gospel with them, they were captivated. As I shared what Jesus did for us, and how that has affected my life....I could look out and make eye contact with any single pair of eyes that made up the 40 students in each class. It was incredible...astounding even. There is something deep inside the human soul...no matter what that particular person's story is...that so longs to hear the good news of Christ. Ya know, it's funny. We would talk about AIDS, unwanted pregancies, street children, and the list of problems they face, as youngs Namibians, that goes on and on. We would talk about all that....but the thing that got to them the most...the thing I really think tore them up inside the most was the issue of sin. What do we do with the guilt we have. If we've been having sex, how do we stop? How do we change our lives? The questions many of them asked, led us no choice but to share with them the good news. They were practically asking for it....and God was there to deliver it.


There were a number of students that came and talked to us individually througout the week. I think it was especially good for the young girls of these schools. They are the ones that get stuck with the pregnancies and feel like meat. They often feel that they owe it to guys and really just don't know how to live a pure life. But they want to know. It was awesome to see the girls on our team get to encourage them with their own stories and with the words of Jesus. You couldn't believe the stories these kids could tell. There is one teacher at the school who takes high school girls home and has sex with them. He has HIV, and he knows it. THe girls don't. You never know who has AIDS and who doesn't. The people themselvse don't even know, usually. As I sat in one of the classes taught by Fulla, she asked the students what kind of problems they were facing today. One of the 12th graders stood up and said solomnly: "AIDS...the disease which breaks our hearts." It is hard for me to keep a dry eye as I think about this young students confession. AIDS and disase has ripped these people apart....physically, and emotionally.

I'd be lying if I said this week wasn't a challenge. I'd be lying if I said we weren't mentally and physically drained at the end of each day. It takes so much energy to really passionately pour youself out to such thirsty, hungry, and needy people. But, we press on toward the goal of the upward calling of Christ.

There are so many stories we could tell...but 7 minutes is all I have to finish up this e-mail. We spent time on Saturday and Sunday ministering and visiting with the Bushmen. Quite another sand-filled experience! God is moving in Namibia. Please, please, please keep these people in your prayers....especially the high schoolers who were exposed to the Gospel last week. Pray that God will complete the good work that He has started in them. We are trusting Him to!


Pray for our team the rest of our time in Windhoek, too! Pray for our plans and the people we will be encountering during our last 2 weeks here. We have all been healthy, except for a few days of cold here and there....praise God for that!

I miss you all!!

In Christ,
Dan

Greetings From Namibia

Mornings Mornings! (as they say here)

We finally arrived in Windhoek (pronounced vinhook) yesterday around noon...and with all our luggage! We were greeted with a blast of cool desert air and some friendly Namibians named James, Martha, Siku, Veronica, and Living. Our accomodations are quite nice and my fears of this place have been taken away now that I've seen it. Windhoek is different from a typical American city, of course, but at the same time, it feels very similar. We just walked through a mall in downtown and are all sending e-mails back in an internet cafe right now.

It's kind of funny, because I think we are quite the spectacle. It's not everyday you see 9 white people walking around together in Windhoek!! Haha. But God has really blessed us so far. The plane ride was quite a trip in itself. 20 hours!! We took off in the afternoon, flew through the night and into the morning, and finally landed in Johannesburg at sunset. Some friends doing missions in South Africa picked us up and packed us into their cars (it was quite tight, we all pretty much fell out when the doors opened!!) and took us to their house for some warm soup and hot chocolate...and of course a local treat called milk tart! We stayed in a guest house later on.

In Namibia, we are renting a two story house in a nice, safe neighborhood. All the houses in Namibia and South Africa are gated and fenced in. It's weird to get used to. The house is a really nice place which a family down here is letting us rent for really cheap! It's actually cheaper than it would be to camp out! One thing, though, about southern Africa in the winter, is that it gets quite cold here! It was nearly freezing last night (literally) and there is no heat in the house. So we just bundle up and get under the covers!! It feels quite nice during the day, however...kind of like Spring time in Ohio.

Last night, we worked out the plans for our month and some things have been changing. Instead of traveling to a town called Outjo, we will be heading all the way to the Namibia-Angola border to a small town called Rundu...which is the home town of our new friend Living. They have been praying that we would be able to come and help them...and wouldn't you know God is answering their prayers!!

It has been difficult adjusting spiritually, for the whole team, to this new environment and mission. But God is good and we know that He has called us to be here. A lot of people have been praying and waiting for us for a long time. It's quite humbling to think that we are the answers to some of their prayers. Please pray for the friends we have made already, because it is them who will be laboring for the Kingdom long after we depart. Udabong Idometer (which is a fun name to say!), who is the Navigator Zonal leader of Southern Africa greeted us in Johannesburg and shared with us the verse that God gave him about Namibia: "You did not choose Me, I chose you and appointed you that you should bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give to you" ~ John 15:15

We are going to try to take hold of that promise!

Thank you so much for your prayers!

With Love from Namibia,
Dan