October Update

The temperature in the house when we woke up this morning was … 32! If you were planning to visit us, you may want to hold off for a few months!
After Caris and David fell prey to the fever-bug that has been doing the rounds, we are more or less back on track.
Beth has just been away for a weekend in a village and enjoyed herself (see woop woop photos) ... but was glad for a shower and cold water from the fridge when she came home!
Beth is also busy with …
- helping with home schooling
- giving ‘lessons’ to local children struggling with reading and maths (I deal with the art and Scripture problems)
- running a Bible study for young women
- visiting friends she has made
- helping me with the play

I am trying to get the play to come together. Beth and David have been a real help. However, unlike our culture where parents encourage their children to remember such things and even bring them and/or have phones in the house where one can contact them, here children tend to wander around the streets whilst the parents are working. And there is no experience of their children going to clubs, groups, rehearsals etc. And children have no watches or clocks and rock up as and when. So it is a challenge! But they are keen! And some have even learnt their lines – very impressive when you think it is all in a foreign language for them.
There is a German here till the end of the year and he has kindly taken on the training of a choir to sing at the presentation. It has been fun for me to exercise my German, too.
We have more than the usual stream of people to our gate recently;
- boys wanting an odd-job in return for breakfast
- children collecting barrels of water for their mother who has had her cut off (whoever gives a cup of water …)
- children wanting parts in the play
- children asking for new library books
- a couple of people (believe it or not) wanting plants from our garden to plant in theirs – I gave a couple from our meagre supply)
- children wanting to play here
- children wanting to use the ‘phone to call their mother at their village
- neighbours popping in for a chat
- people to see David about NETS
- children wanting help with homework
- children wanting the pump to blow up footballs (and wanting David to repair their footballs)
- … and tonight someone came around wanting David to go and fix their car (being all things to all men!).
I find it hard to work sometimes, when I am called away from what I am doing six or seven times in the space of 2 hours. However, our reason for being here is people so we need to always keep that in mind. I have a couple of young teenagers who are in the play but have not come to any Bible club Wednesdays. (They turned up at the drama workshops.) I invited them this Sunday to make Gospel bracelets. (A blue bead for creation, yellow for sin [fruit], red for Christ’s blood, white for forgiveness, green to grow as a Christian and purple for the soon-coming King). As we made the bracelets, I explained the gospel. At the end I asked them which bead colour they were and they said yellow but wanted to be white so I prayed with them and have invited them back for some Bible teaching. Please pray for Anna and Ndeumona (and for me as I talk with them!).
David has been welcomed at some new churches recently. He loves to disciple small groups (see photos).
I have been enjoying my dance evenings. I am a lousy dancer (cannot even clap in tune) but the exercise is good as it the opportunity to get out of the house and have a change of scenery. And I do love the African beat. Caris has not gone back since being sick. I think the long lessons were too much for her when she was just falling sick and put her off going back. However, there is a strong possibility that we can get the horse riding lessons resumed next year. She LOVES horses and there has been nothing all year. Please pray that this falls into place as it has been in the pipeline for a couple of months but the ‘movers and shakers’ (the guy with the horse and the girl to teach) need to please move and shake a bit more to actually get the thing going.
Étienne has just had his final grading of the year. To his delight (and my surprise) he was given a double grade, which means next year he will be eligible for an orange belt. His karate club is growing (see photo). There are no other clubs for children here.
Caris’ piano playing has now entered the ‘pleasant to listen to’ stage and she loves it. They have memorised all the countries of Africa now and have moved onto Europe. Étienne is doing angles in maths and loves them. Caris is very encouraged by being confidently able to do sums involving units, tens AND hundreds.
Étienne is enjoying his recorder much more now and often plays voluntarily. He loves composing little songs and playing them. David downloaded a great programme called Scratch for Étienne, that teaches children how to write computer programmes. He is already dreaming of writing games on CDs and selling them!
David recently went to Oshakati to watch the Rugby semi-final (SA vs Argentina) at a friend’s house. I only watch rugby because I love my husband and I was quite happy to ‘sacrificially’ stay at home with the children!
Now I need to try and think up a surprise way for us to celebrate David's birthday later this month. Any sugestions?!