Hungry People

There are two main postings below.

One (at the bottom) is where Katie, the children and I went to Eluwa School and used balloons to help us teach 2 ways to live. The youth there are really keen to have their own little Bible study, which is what we had planned in the first place. I hope we can find time for it to happen. Although it is hard work - having so many children at one time, and struggling in a new language - it is so rewarding to have an audience that WANTS to be there! I was given my certificate then, too, to say I had completed level 1 of the sign language course! CMS enabled me to go to a workshop in Brisbane when we were back in Australia and the ballooning I learnt there has proved an effective tool for getting people’s attention. One disadvantage at the deaf school is that one cannot make things and ‘speak’ at the same time, as my hands - and their eyes - are full of balloon.
Oshikango is an interesting town. It is North-east of us, on the Angolan border. A bit of a crime hotspot: stolen goods can quickly disappear into Angola.

David has, among other NETS students there, two pastors. Both Eugenio and David are committed to their flocks, though neither have had prior theological training. They are so keen to be taught and to get teaching for their congregations. David goes most Saturdays to facilitate workshops. I helped out at one workshop where the NETS course book being discussed was ‘building up young disciples’. Youth groups, in Namibia, basically means people aged between 16 and 30 getting together for choir practice. David has challenged Pastor David to get his youth group to study the Bible together. I have been asked to go and run a workshop on how to do that.
Eugenio has a real heart for the children and, although both he and his congregation are really poor, they have chosen to use the Sunday offering to provide a weekly meal for the many orphans in and around the squatter camp. Cooking with no electricity, with any water used/drunk having to be carried from afar on your head, and food that has to be purchased by walking all the way to the shops then back in the heat, carrying the bags, means you need to be really committed! He has even got local members of the community involved in helping him and, as a result, one woman has started attending the church!

On Saturday (leaving home at 11.30 and getting back after 7pm), David went to Oshikango to give a workshop, whilst Katie and I went along to help with the orphans. You can see some of the shots I took along the way. The one with the red, green and blue flags show children involved in the political rally leading up to the elections next month. These SWAPO supporters were chanting ‘Down with RDP’ (RDP being the opposition) as the convoy drove through Oshakati.
You can see an old granny collecting firewood, a ‘shop’ at the side of the road, a group of people back from fishing in the oshanas, with their basket nets beside them, and one of many traditional homesteads that we pass as we drive along the sandy road. The women in traditional dress by the side of the road were participating in some Owambo dancing – I have never seen it spontaneously done like that before.

Eugenio’s (white t-shirt, with David) church is the one with no walls (the small tin room in the background is the vestry and the smaller one to the left is the dunny/long drop!). You can see that a good time was had by all – even the passing cows and pigs looked vaguely interested (well, maybe not!). Although he teaches them the Bible before they eat, he has asked us for training on how to teach the Gospel to children.
Pastor David’s church is inside the yellow and white tent, where David had just been teaching and where we were asked to go and address the youth (dancing and singing in one photo) before driving back home (and collecting the children who were with a friend in Ongwediva). It was hard to say no, even though it was already early evening. We did a mime that I followed up with a short Bible talk and Katie with her testimony. These youth are mainly HIV positive through their parents. Angry with their parents for this inheritance of death, they have chosen to pursue Life and have asked us to go back and teach them how to live as Christians whilst surrounded by the temptations of the world. What a huge Ask! But that is why we are here.
Another NETS student has asked for help as a parent, to be taught how to teach her children the Bible.
Each request is a huge task in itself. Please pray for us as we prepare to address these issues. (And that Katie’s visa would be extended so that she will actually BE here for it.)