Ondangwa Update
By Faith arrived in Ondangwa as the sun was setting which gave them little light to set up with at the Haimbili’s home. A gathering of about 50 people came to hear the band. The light of the almost full moon gave a cool atmosphere to play in. A small flood lamp provided some light to video some of the concert but the moonlight was enough to see by as we sang and danced before the Lord. John, Boniface and Saara shared their testimonies. The Bible School students sang two songs and danced. They were awesome! The song “Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord” takes on new meaning in Namibia with the traditional African clapping and cries. For Team Ondangwa it was a special time to reconnect and share what we have been doing.Tuesday Nate and Jim spent the morning with the band helping them get on the road. Paula led the students in 1 Peter. A discussion followed about submitting to government authority and she and Boniface joked about how in a year we will hear in the news about people from the Bible school protesting, peacefully and respectfully of course, and Boniface becoming a politician!
The band came to the Bible School for a visit before they headed out to their next stop in Rundo. The students enjoyed the visit and wanted them to stay. After the band left, Nancy shared her testimony with the students and some of the students shared their own experiences.
The rest of our day was very busy. Our van full of students, with Boniface and Saara, traveled to Lavinia, a Bible student’s home in the middle of nowhere. After turning off the main highway we traveled on paths making turns like we were following a river. Lavinia and her family live in a kraal. At the kraal we were shown how life is lived. It was very interesting. We had a worship service and healing, a very powerful time. We left there and went to Lavinia’s grandfathers to pray for healing for his headaches. They gave us lemons from their lemon tree! It is amazing that people who have so little give so much.
We left there and went to the Haimbili’s for an evening service where Jim shared from Psalm 139 that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. It was our last evening service with at the Haimbailis so we said our goodbyes to a wonderful Christian family.
After dropping our friends back at the school we made our way back to the Fantasia. The chef, Nico, had prepared us a wonderful chicken carbonara and it was delicious. It had been a long 12 hour day for our team and it was nice to come back to the B & B, be greeted by our wonderful hosts Simeon and Elfreida Jansen Van Rensberg, and served a nice meal. We have learned so much from them about Namibia and have enjoyed their conversation and hospitality. The accommodations have been a real blessing for our team.
We are at the school now. Nathan led the study in I Peter this morning and Paula taught what the scripture says about money and giving. There was a good response to that so she didn’t have time to finish. It is to be continued tomorrow. Jim is interviewing John, Saara, and Boniface now on video. Tonight we plan to sleep here at the school. Nate has volunteered to cook dinner for everyone tonight. After tomorrow morning’s session, we plan to head out to Etosha. We will take Saara and Boniface with us so they can meet with the entire team, then we will bring them back on Friday. So, we are coming close to the end of our time here with the students and it will be a difficult parting. They have become very special people to us. They teach us a lot about life and joy and praising God and many things. They never give up trying to teach us Oshivombo, but I tell them they can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
By Faith news. The band made it to Rundu despite running out of gas outside of Rundu on Tuesday. We just received a message from them that they have arrived at their second destination, Katima, safe and sound and are preparing for tonight’s concert. Please pray for the band for this concert and for their very long journey to Etosha as they are out on the arm and it is quite far to travel!
From Nancy: I want to thank you who have commented on our entries. It is fun reading your responses. Vern, You made some good observations. It is always a bright spot in the day when I hear from you.
From Nate: Hi, I am doing fine. This trip has been very successful, but I am starting to get tired. I am looking forward to seeing some familiar faces/places. Hope all is well. Love Nate.
From Jim and Paula: Luv to you Andrew, Zachary, and Nicholas. Justin we are keeping you in our prayers for your last day at Echelon. We will be praying for you and Justin Marie’s drive east! We look forward to seeing you soon. Thanks Jenn and Matt and all our friends and family for your prayers. Thank you Ryan for mowing the lawn and driving Jim’s truck! The toilet isn’t really that bad Jess. You wouldn’t mind using it!
See you all soon!
posted by Jimmy C @ 10:12 AM
