Sights from Otji

We were able to get a picture of this lady not only carrying something on her head, but also carrying her baby on her back. You see babies being carried this way quite often. Must be comfortable for both mother and baby but when the baby is wrapped up quite well, I think they get a little overheated.
This is Ombili Assembly of God in its yet unfinished state. The children pictured below were playing across from the church. Gaylord and Fredna are having this church built.
Children playing at Ombili Location. They are always happy to wave at a visitor.

This is a cemetery out in the Ombili Location. It is a different way of burying people from what we are accustomed to.

It is winter here in Namibia but you can tell by the way the children are dressed that during the day it gets warm. There is no heat in any of these little houses so I'm sure at night and early morning that they are quite chilly.

What an incredible opportunity for Aaron and I to be in Namibia.

Namibia, Africa

A month ago I wrote that we were getting ready to leave and now we have been in Namibia for 3 weeks. The city we are in is Otijiwarongo. It is a comparatively small city, different than where we were in Botswana. Here there is no mall but lots of stores to choose from. Aaron is becoming known in the hardware/supply type stores. There are only a few restaurant choices and one we like going to is C'est Si Bon. Good prices, generous quantities and quick service.

We are attending Faith Assembly where I have the privilege of playing the piano for the worship service. They sing American songs and I am familiar with almost all of them. There is a guitar player and we work well together.

Aaron and I are keeping busy in our respective jobs on the Bible School campus.

And so it begins....

Friday night, June 1, 2007, I'm tired. I'm trying to leave the house clean so my friend who is coming in occasionally won't think I'm an absolute slob. I believe I will shut the office door. "And when we get behind closed doors....."

As Aaron was preparing to turn off the ice maker he discovered a small leak so he had to travel to Home Depot (I spelled it "Deport" at first,) for a part that will suffice until we return.

The suitcases are ready to be transported out the door tomorrow morning. I hope I'll be ready.

We are so grateful for those who contributed money to our missions venture. May God richly bless those who shared with us.

Tomorrow night we see our son and family. That'll be good.

Suitcase Stuffing

Someone asked me, "How do you pack for 3 months?" I said, "You don't. You pack for one week." Perhaps I should have said for 2 weeks. But the point is that I don't have to take enough clothes to wear for 3 months while we are in Namibia. We'll do the laundry. Did I say "we'll"? I should have said "I'll."

There are many things we don't have to take to Namibia because they can be purchased there. If I run out of clothes or get sick of what I take I'm fairly certain there will be shopping available.

This Saturday morning, June 2, we fly to Austin, TX. We'll be with our son and his family through Wednesday and Thursday morning we leave Austin International at 7:10 a.m. Thus will begin a very long period of time of being on the airplane and in an airport. I'm glad we will have a night to spend in Johannesburg before flying on to Windhoek. That should help us acclimate.

Next stop.....Hutto, Texas.

A Splendid Smile

On April 4, 2004 I began my experience with braces for my teeth. In March of that year my husband and I were watching TV when out of the blue he said, "I want you to get braces. You've always talked about how you don't like your bottom teeth." I wasted no time and called an orthodontist the very next day. I started my call with, "I'm 56 years old. Am I too old to get braces?" Fortunately the answer was 'no'. We decided that Invisalign would be the better choice for someone my age. It was the more expensive choice but worked very well for me. Slowly my terribly crooked bottom teeth began to straighten. The top teeth took very little time as they were decent.

So when we were in Botswana last year I realized that one tooth was simply not turning into place. When we returned home the orthodontist put brackets and wires on and that tooth began to move to its rightful position. And six months later he removed them and now I have a splendid smile.

If you don't like your teeth and you think you may be too old for braces...chances are you aren't too old. I am so glad I went through this process.

Prolific Pigeon Poop

Our small church in Umatilla, OR had a cupola or bell tower on top of the roof. It appeared to be rather attractive but actually it had become a home for a couple of dozen pigeons. Oh they were very happy in their nice little home. They cooed and made nests and laid eggs and POOPED!!! The attendees of the church decided it was time to remove the cupola and so Aaron and Pastor Ron and his son James undertook the arduous task. A high lift was rented and the work began on Tuesday, May 8. As they ripped apart the cupola the pigeons hung around. They even stayed on their nests. They could not sense that life as they knew it was about to be over.

On Wednesday Aaron and Pastor Ron scooped the 14 inch high pile of poop into garbage bags--about 27 of them. And then today, May 10, Aaron and I took the bags to the dump. The weight of the poop--EIGHT HUNDRED POUNDS!! Then we hauled 2 pickup loads of the wood to the dump--1120 pounds. There is more for us to finish up tomorrow.

A few pigeons meander forlornly on the roof--desperately seeking their home. Please don't feel sorry for them as they appear to be a nuisance in Umatilla. I'm sure they'll relocate and live to lay another egg.

In 38 days we'll be on the road again. For some people car trips are long and boring but for Aaron and me they are an enjoyable thing. Aaron enjoys driving for hours and hours with frequent stops!! and I enjoy sitting, sleeping , reading and watching the scenery go by. We listen to Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura and Dave Ramsey. We have books on tape. Sometimes we even just have silence. There is nothing wrong with sweet, sweet silence.

We'll drive to Texas where we'll spend a few days with our son and daughter-in-law and 3 gorgeous little granddaughters.

On June 7 we'll lift off the tarmac in Austin, TX heading for Dulles International and then that evening crossing the ocean to Johannesburg, South Africa (where we will spend a night)--final destination Windhoek, Namibia. Ahhhh, I don't look forward to the long hours in the plane but the final destination makes it all worthwhile.

As much as I'm looking forward to our 3 months in Namibia I'm beginning to realize that I'm going to miss my church family. We are a small group but a close-knit bunch.